We have been busy exploring Big Cypress and the surrounding areas. One day we drove the loop road, and saw all sorts of beautiful birds.
It is the beginning of the dry season here, so the water levels aren’t high, but there is still all sorts of water around…
This is a wood stork. In the US, they are only found in 4 south-eastern states (also found in Central and South America and the Caribbean). They are quite ‘unique’ – personally, I think they look like stork crossed with the grim reaper…
The drive is a excellent chance to slow down and see more of the park than just driving along 41. 
Another day we took a drive and ended up in Naples. We stopped at Dairy Queen for a treat, and almost gained another kid 🙂 We were sitting outside at the restaurant tables, enjoying our ice cream, when a little boy, about 5, just walked up and sat down without a word. He sat there for a bit, just waiting, looking around at the kids, not saying a thing even as we talked to him. I’m sure that he was wondering where his ice cream was since our tables were obviously where kids got ice cream! He was the cutest little thing, and when his parents finally found him, we all had a good laugh. …At this point, what’s one more? We do have 3 extra seats in the van! We would have gladly taken him home, but his dad and mom seemed a bit attached 😉 Since we have so many children, we are a bit of a kid magnet – we tend to pick up stragglers in Walmart quite often, and an occasional one in a grocery store here and there…they just join the crowd…
After blizzards (and a Pecan Mudslide, a strawberry shake, 2 chocolate dipped cones, a waffle cone bowl thingy…), we decided to see what the gulf coast beaches in Florida looked like…
We had a fun time walking barefoot along the beach, 
and picking shells… 
Caleb wasn’t so sure about the ocean – since it’s made of water and all! He would stand on the beach and watch those waves, and if they got too close, he would run away with his hands in the air, all the time yelling at the water. 
While we couldn’t get Caleb in it, we had a hard time keeping everyone else out. 
We had not intended on driving into Naples, or we would have been prepared for a beach visit. You know how they always turn out for us. Wet littles. 
Except for Caleb 😉 
We played on the beach for hours, and brought home a few plastic baggies of seashells. (and a van floor covered in sand) 
The beach wasn’t busy at all, but it got increasingly so as the afternoon wore on. Apparently the sunset is something to behold as the beach got increasingly busier with people coming to watch the sun set. 
We stuck around for it, but the pics are on Eli’s camera since my battery died. He hasn’t downloaded them for me yet.
We really enjoyed our little visit to the beach, and hope to make it to another Florida beach before we leave in a week. We are enjoying south Florida so much!!! 
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