Whittakers' Florida Adventures

FINALLY I am ready to post photos of our newest adventures in Florida. As most of you know, my husband and I closed on our new home in North Port, Florida, on July 12, 2014, and moved in the end of that month. This blog entry will feature highlights of our first few months living full-time in Florida. (Note: I apologize for the random alignment of photos; I cannot figure out why I cannot arrange them the way I want!!!)

Early on, my cousin Janet visited Fort Myers with her daughter Amy. Fort Myers is forty minutes south of our home in North Port. It is important to note that the reason why I was SO enthusiastic to move to southwest Florida was because of Janet's parents, my beloved Uncle Homer and Aunt Billie, who lived at Shell Point in Fort Myers before they passed on to Heaven. My visits with them in Fort Myers caused me to fall in love with this area of the United States!

Janet (left) and Judy (right)

We visited Ding Darling Nature Preserve on Sanibel Island. Yes, that is a REAL alligator!

Just love the birds in Florida!

Photographer Amy

I joined two quilt guilds down here in Southwest Florida. One (the Peace River Quilters' Guild) meets in Punta Gorda and meets every Friday morning. I joined the appliqué group within that guild and participated in an appliquéd Christmas stocking contest. I won first place!!!

This table topper was donated for my other quilt guild's teacup auction (this guild, the Venice Area Quilters' Guild, meets once a month in Venice; a local circle in that group meets in my town twice a month)

Of course, a highlight of living in Florida is the beauty of the gulf beaches. We have been to several during our months here!

Heading to Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota...best sand in Florida (soft and always cool on one's feet!) but a very long walk to the water's edge)

Love, love, love this sand!!!

Siesta Key Beach looking north

Siesta Key Beach looking south

Before swimming at Nokomis Beach (the closest beach to our home...a 27-minute drive) just north of Venice, we decided to check it out. We LOVE this beach!

Looking south from Nokomis Beach

South Jetty is to the left; North Jetty is to the right

In October, we celebrated Paul's 70th birthday. (Paul is my husband's oldest brother who moved across the street and four doors down from us!!!)

Paul's four children fly down for the occasion. On the right, his son-in-law Craig is checking out the wine.

Paul and brother Russ

Hannah (Paul's wife) and daughter Paige in the background

Oldest daughter, Christine, cuts the cake.

Russ and Paul's daughter Sarah

Sarah and her son, Baker

Visting Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda

Paul taking a photo of his gals!

At our house, Baker plays with the famous penny machine. This once sat on a counter of a Rhode Island general store in the early 1900s.

Our community held its first Art Showcase. I had two tables displaying some of my quilts and cross-stitch pieces.

Venice is across the river.

The goal of Hannah, Paul, Russ, and me is to go to the beach once a week. It does not always happen, but when we do it is always a treat.

Sitting at North Jetty, our favorite lunch spot!

Usually there are lots of birds at the jetty.

The end of North Jetty looking out on the Gulf of Mexico

There is a terrific paved walkway on North Jetty.

I have never seen so many shells in my entire life. Here, Hannah is taking a break from photography to find some interesting shells to take home.

Hannah takes spectacular photos and then makes greeting cards with them.

Too small a fish for this fisherman

Shells pile up north of the actual jetty

A tree in the parking lot of the jetty...NEVER park under it unless you want pelican poop all over your car. Just ask Paul!

Back in North Port, we love the view from our backyard.

Birds congregate on the nearby trees each early evening.

And then, there is sunset!

Pre-Black Friday sale at Michael's gave us this mini-Christmas tree! We kept it out back under the covered part of the lanai until December when we moved it to the front of the house on our covered entryway.

Thanksgiving we were blessed to be with some family.

Niece Paige's daughter, Zoe, had to try out the penny machine as did her cousin Baker the month before!

Always crafting (and messy) at our home, alas!

Bring on the turkey!

our home, Thanksgiving, 2014

One evening Paul, Hannah, Russ, and I went to the Ford-Edison Winter Estate in Fort Myers. (Sorry, no house photos posted since mine were blurry.) Another night we went to a Christmas tuba concert at Fishermen's Village.

a really cool tree at the entrance of the Ford-Edison Winter Estate Museum

the audience fills up for the tuba concert

One night in December, we went on an evening boat tour starting out from Fisherman's Village. The boat took us through several Punta Gorda canals where many rich decorated their homes and boats with lights.

Fisherman's Village itself had lots of decorations.

Window shopping is fun at Fishermen's Village!

Russ and our favorite Punta Gorda iHop waitress! After our canal boat tour, we stopped here for cocoa.

My brother, Don, and his family stayed on the east coast of Florida for a week this Christmas. Russ and I drove across the state (just under a three-hour drive) to visit them.