puddins: September 2009

From the time Phil and I were married, vacation time was most often spent in Florida. I was raised there; my sisters and other family lived there; and it provided sunshine and water, which have always been the factors that were important to both of us. We continued to head southward from Illinois every year for time with our three daughters, and from the time they were all very young, we went to Sanibel Island off the coast of western Florida, just south of Ft. Myers.

Nothing has changed. We continue vacationing on Sanibel, as we have had a timeshare there for almost thirty years. Now that our Kimberly and her husband, Paul, have a timeshare on the island, we continue to enjoy the tranquility and relaxation that has always been our pleasure at Sanibel Island.

We just spent a week at our timeshare, Hurricane House, the beginning of September. Kim and Paul, Julia and Jason-Paul stayed with us at our timeshare, while Kim and Paul graciously allowed Paul's sister, Andrea, her husband, Adam, and their brand new baby daughter, Corinne, to spend the week in their unit at Surfrider. Since Paul's parents, Bob & Evelyn, have a timeshare at Surfrider also, we all had the pleasure of being on Sanibel the same week.

The photo above, which I took several years ago, was taken from the beach, looking at Hurricane House.

The beach, looking eastward

Looking westward at the Gulf of Mexico, sunset

Hurricane House from the beach

The pool area of Hurricane House. You can see Kim and Phil returning after they enjoyed a long father/daughter walk & talk on the beach. (I just happened to be at the top of the stairway when they came back...thus, the chance to get the photo.) Kim told me, "We didn't stop to pick up *one* shell!" (That's unusual for those two.) :-)

Landscaping between HH and beach area

Kim & Phil ready to get in the pool and cool off after their long walk

Paul/Kim, Andrea/Adam, Evelyn/Bob

Jason-Paul, Julia Jo, Corinne

Kim's hubby, Paul, and Jason-Paul (18 months)

Little girl cousins, Julia Jo and Corinne

Sweet Jason-Paul

A guy can always enjoy chewing on a girl cousin's pink pacifier!

Enjoying technology is something we all share, including Julia Jo. Our little Netbook was "hers" for the week. Her mom and dad limited her time using it, but she enjoyed time at Disney and other children-appropriate websites.

This precious child is *SO* tender-hearted. She was all teary when I took this photo while she was watching a DVD her mom had brought for her and Jason-Paul to watch.

So studious..........in Grandma's computer glasses :-)

I love this picture of JJ. I took it while we were playing dominoes. :-)

Jason-Paul entertains himself so well. We were amazed at how he loved to spend time puttering about on the screened-in porch...just on the other side of those sliding glass doors which kept out the HOT, humid air. He didn't seem to mind that heat and humidity! By the way, we began calling the porch J-P's "playpen."

On the porch....under the table

Photo above and below: watching the DVD with Julia Jo :-)

Bob and Evelyn with their two beloved granddaughters, JJ and Corinne

The littlest cousins, J-P and Corinne

Little girl cousins

Paul & Kim; Andrea & Adam (by the way, Andrea and Adam live in Alaska!)

Kim & Paul, JJ & J-P, and Phil & I left Sanibel Friday morning, 9/11, and drove up to Orlando where we would spend the night before our flights to our respective home cities. That evening, we met with Joyce and Ken (above) and Teecie, Phil (Tee's husband) and Christopher (Tee's son) so that we could celebrate (Tee's) Phil's birthday, which was September 9th. We met them all at Fuddrucker's where Christopher is the manager. (We all joke that like Thing 1 and Thing 2 in The Cat in the Hat, we have Phil 1 and Phil 2.) :-)