Vacation in Pine Island, FL!

Last week I went to Pine Island, Florida for vacation! It was beautiful. What a treat to get away from the cold!!

My first Pine Island breakfast with Mom: Fresh papaya! (Which I didn't actually like, but it's beautiful, isn't it?)

We went to the local fishing hole to pre-order stone crab for dinnner and I saw this box of newly harvested crab legs... Mmmmmmm.....

My rented convertible (thanks to a great deal on Hotwire.com!) parked at the Lazy Flamingo restaurant.

View of the Gulf from the northernmost tip of Pine Island, Bokeelia.

The perfect little green house Mom has rented for April. Is she going to be living the LIFE or what? I can't wait to retire.

Diane (our landlord and a friend of the Reiters) and Mom with their pre-Woody's cocktails.

Brian Reiter and Bruce (our other landlord) - check out the Reiters' corner lot on the canal!

Bar/Outdoor Laundry Room at the Reiter house .... so perfect!

Now on to Woody's!

We went to see the Skeeterland Band, and these ladies call themselves "The Swarm." I love it.

Kathie and Brian and their zebra-striped cart ... I love these guys.

Kathie and Mom - roommates in Miami XX years ago.

An egret in my Mom's backyard

Mom's backyard

Amy, Scott and I at lunch

Me, Mom, and Scott

A blue heron in the backyard

A manatee in the canal, drinking the freshwater runoff from the neighbor's boat.

The Swartzs arrive! This is Matt checking his blackberry at lunch because he just finished outfitting the new Yankee's stadium with Cisco wireless for opening weekend!

Lauren playing in the shells in Mom's yard.

My sister, Christie, relaxing out back with a cocktail.

Lauren resting in the hammock in the backyard with all of her friends.

I gave Lauren her birthday presents when we got to Florida. Here she is all decked out in her new Princess dress and her pink Barbie fishing pole.

Kyla making a typically hilarious face. This kid cracks me up!

Kyla running with her flower

I gave Kyla some Monsters, Inc. figurines, and she made us laugh as she fed Mike her macaroni and cheese at dinner.

Mike appears to be well fed.

Stone crab dinner in the backyard! Delicious!

Mom, Brian, Bruce, Diane, Kathie, and Christie chow down.

On Monday, we headed down to Captiva Island to play on the beach!

Kyla just KNOWS she looks good in this picture!

Mom

Matt and Kyla playing in the surf.

Lauren in her adorable yellow bikini.

Kyla and Mom waiting for lunch.

I can't believe I bought this dress for Lauren in England 2 years ago, and now Kyla is wearing it!

Kyla enjoying pulling Matt's hair.

What a cutie!

Goodbye Mucky Duck! Thanks for lunch!

That night, we took a walk.

The girls liked feeding rocks to this manatee mailbox across the street. Kyla even gave him a little kiss.

Matt, Mom and Christie

Will I EVER get a decent picture of me with my neices when they are not trying to escape my grip?

Christie gets a hug from Lauren.

Lauren in the hammock on Tuesday.

Lauren and Kyla with a bubble machine from Mema

I love it when Lauren laughs like this.

Kyla enjoying her shades.

Kyla and Lauren

Lauren with her first Pina Colada at the Tarpon Inn for lunch.

Kyla mastering a straw that is bigger than her head for her first pina colada.

My last drink in Florida: A rum runner with a loaded straw. Ahhhh ... what a vacation.