Escaping the Wintery Blues

There is still a bit of snow on the ground from the last wintery storm. I, personally, am looking forward to the fresh blooms of spring. Any day now....I can't complain too much. This has been a mild winter. Now that Geo is home to fire up the snowblower all I have to do is make hot chocolate and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the super cold days.

To escape the season we took a trip to Longwood Gardens to see the Orchid Extravaganza. What a breath of fresh air. If you live anywhere near Kennet Square you must plan a trip to the Garden (exhibit ends on 31 March). Is is well worth the admission fee.


In addition to the orchids we explored Longwoods new Indoor Children's Garden. It rocked! I HIGHLY recommend that you bring a change of clothes if you plan to take your little one (or husband) to this part of the garden. There are 17 fountains in addition to several other water features.

We had a blast getting wet. Sophia cried when we had to pack up and leave..which was right after we all started showing signs of acute hypothermia. We headed downstairs to the restrooms (which are conveniently located nearby) to change. After hitting the road it only took a mile or so before she was sleeping.

Sunny Sunny Florida

We had a beautiful week in Florida. I'm sure I don't have to mention that I had a hard time boarding the plane to fly home. Despite news of unseasonably warm weather in Pennsylvania, it just didn't compare to the week of 80 degree weather we were having.

Taking a vacation was a great idea. Sophia and I were both fighting off a cold and the warm sun and ocean air was exactly what we needed.

We stayed in Hillsboro Beach at an Armed Forces Recreation site, about 20 miles north of Fort Lauderdale. We rented a one bedroom bungalow at the foot of the Hillsboro Lighthouse and less than 400 yards from the beach. Here is a photo from the top of the lighthouse:
The lighthouse and bungalows were right next to the Hillsboro Club and due to the long standing relationship between to two organizations ("The Club" and the Coast Guard), we were permitted to use several of the amenities that the club provided such as the business center, the cafe, swimming pool, croquet and clay tennis courts.
Sophia wasn't fond of the ocean water or noise and she tired us out trying to put every last grain of sand, sea shell and piece of seaweed in her mouth. We decided that we should make use of the swimming pool for our swimming pleasure....
After some initial anxiety the bold Sophia that we all know and love came out to play. She especially loved floating around the pool sucking and biting on the noodles that the pool had for guests to play with.
And what would vacation be without recreational activities? George and I have always been an outstanding team. It is one of the things that I missed the most in his absence. During our vacation we took turns playing with Sophia while the other took advantage of the break to enjoy our favorite recreational activities.

Geo even remembered to pack his! I, on the other hand, had to become resourceful. In the rush of packing I managed to only remember the pattern book, finished pieces and one skein of yarn (2 less than needed to complete the project). In a fit of panic I called Katie for directions to the nearest yarn store. Thank goodness for cell phones and internet!

The News

1. Yes, Geo is home.
2. Yes, We're wonderful
3. We're headed to Florida for the week.
4. Geo is standing over my shoulder harassing me about posting just minutes before we leave for the airport.

I have photos and good cheer to share but as for now.........we're off to play in the sun!