Everglades!

Tyler and I were feeling like doing something a little different this weekend so when he suggested we take the boat out the the Everglades and check it out I was all for it. We've been out to the Everglades before to go to Shark Valley to check out the alligators but we thought it would be fun to go to a different location and check it out on a boat rather than on foot. We had such a blast! YAY for living in Florida where you can take a boat out in the beginning of February.

When my mother-in-law visited in November she kept saying that when she pictured where we lived, she pictures swamp lands. While we were cruising around yesterday, I couldn't help but think of her because I knew what we were seeing was most likely exactly what she was picturing.

It was a succesful trip too... we saw a couple of alligators:

 a turtle (or "udla" if Owen is telling you):

and a big snake that I didn't get a picture of. Owen loved all of it:

We decided to check out the RV park that was on the premises and found some pretty fun stuff there as well. Like some crazy RV set ups like this one:

or this one:

My favorite thing about this set up is that the guy is an artist and he sells his art at the RV park from this little stand:

We also saw a ton of peecocks and other birds.

Owen took the chance to take some bread from a nice lady who offered it up and throw it at all of the birds, not gently feed it to them, throw it at them. They weren't picky though, they were still more than happy to eat it. 

Unfortunately, when there are so many birds around, things like this happen (take special notice to his left shoulder):

Poor Ty... but at least it was on his back and not in his hair (that happened to me once when I was 12 and at soccer practice. I got a ball to the face so I had a bloody nose and as I was walking into the school to go to the bathroom, a bird pooped right on my head. Oh and did I mention that when I got into the school to go to the bathroom they were having a concert there so there were a ton of kids walking the halls? It was embarassing at the time. Luckily I got over it.)

Anyway, after the poop incident, we took one more quick look around and decided that was our cue to get out of there. So much fun to have a place like this a half an hour away.

Chris (mother-in-law), I promise next time you visit we'll take you there so your original expecations are met. You won't be disappointed.