Florida Leg

We also thoroughly enjoyed our time in Florida. I was pleased that I was able to see so many of my family members. On Saturday, we had two parties and I wasable to see so many people. We loved staying with mybrother's family and being able to be around my smart, adorable 2 1/2 year old nephew. Ken and Leah are great hosts. Leah even had a basket of goodies awaiting us in our bedroom. We also stayed two nights with my mom, also a great host, and visited an intriguing butterfly observatory with her. We visited the new and intriguing "downtown" area at The Villages a rapidly growing community with my dad and step mom.
One highlight of the trip was a pontoon boat ride down crystal-clear Silver River (where the first Tarzan was filmed) with my brother's family and skippered by Lamar, Ken's father-in-law. We saw lots of alligators (one hissed at us), birds, and had to carefully navigate through fallen trees from the hurricanes. Me and Ken also disembarked the boat for a thrilling experience with a rope swing.