Marty and I headed to Florida for the wedding of our lifelong friends’ son. They make a very cute couple. And of course we couldn’t go all that way without getting on the water if we had the opportunity.
The adventure started on the drive down, of course. We stopped at four Buc-ee’s between home and Florida. Once we decided we would rent kayaks, we bought new Chacos at one of them. Every time, Siri announced our stop as “Boo-keys,” and every time we laughed like it was the first time. Some things never get old on a road trip. “Boo-keys” <laughter>
Saturday morning, before the wedding, we rented kayaks at Steffee Landing on Shingle Creek in Kissimmee. We paddled just over two miles, one mile upstream and one mile back, so the easy part came at the end. The creek is narrow and lined with cypress trees. A quiet, sheltered paddle compared to the open water of nearby Lake Toho. This is why we chose Shingle Creek. Quiet. We went looking for alligators and didn’t see a single one! What we did see were egrets, bright white against the dark water and cypress, standing so still they looked painted there. We also saw a small fawn off in the woods, but other than that, not much wildlife. It could be that the water was at historic levels due to recent flooding.
After we got off the water, we hiked a couple of miles on a nearby trail. No gators there either, but we did meet a Florida cottonmouth, coiled up in the pine needles at the base of a tree. We gave him plenty of room and admired him from a respectful distance. I guess Florida wanted to make sure we saw at least one critter with some bite! He was a beautiful specimen!
We stayed at the Hunter Arms Hotel in St. Cloud, built in 1926, which has all the charm you’d hope for. The 4:30 wedding was beautiful. The reception was down the street at the VFW. While we waited for the bride and groom, there were appetizers and cocktails, a magician going table to table, and a caricature artist. Marty and I got ours done, and it’s a keeper.
Then the bride and groom arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.
Afterward, a lot of us took turns climbing in for photos, and Marty and I got a perfect one. We danced the night away, and we even won a bear from the claw machine. We were able to say our good-byes Sunday morning since everyone was staying at the quaint hotel.
On the way home Sunday we stopped in St. Augustine, because Marty had never been. It was a whirlwind! We went by the Mission Nombre de Dios, Castillo de San Marcos, and the Cathedral Basilica. Standing where the faith first took root in this country, I felt grateful for a weekend full of love, laughter, and God’s beautiful creation.
It was hard to go back to work Monday after a weekend like that.
Never stop exploring and never give up hope. Life is good.
