More Fun with Friends

Monday February 6, 2012

It was just going to be an ordinary bike ride.

Sunday rolled around and the four of us
set out to bicycle around the
park while we waited for Dan and Trisha to arrive.

Gin has the bike, I have the helmet so together
we make one complete bicyclist.

There were others wheeling around the neighborhood.

Views of the water were wonderful and
at one point we pulled over
when Syl or was it Gin??
thought she saw something.
Dolphins?  Nah…..

BUT THEN….

Pedaling on around for a closer look revealed

Manatee!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a surprise.  We had no idea
it was warm enough here.

The plans abruptly changed.

In no time, Gin was on her bike
and charging back to get the kayaks.

When we got there, Dan and Trisha had arrived.
We told them all about the manatee and they
were game to get out in the kayaks and see them.

They decided using Dan and Trisha’s truck to carry kayaks
would be the fastest way to get to the manatee before they might leave.
Looked to me like the 3 kayaks for Syl, Gin and them would fit
but I didn’t think 4 would make it
and David really had to have some lunch.  
So we passed on what turned out to be a fabulous commune  with the manatee.  
bummer….

But we did get to see the cool cart Dan made for the double hulled Sea Eagle they have
that Syl and Gin plan to get too.
Perfect design
for multiple uses.
Dan’s the man!

When they came back from a few hours with the manatee,
SOME folks had sunburns having been in such a hurry they
didn’t take hats or sunscreen :-)

Watching football was the evening plan.

Later we all got together with snacks
for my very first in my life and probably last Super Bowl Party.
Had great fun eating and chatting with all of them
but I had no idea who was playing or why we in this country
care so much about this.  Clearly I am a huge minority with this opinion.

Monday Morning, I wondered
“Could they Still be here”??

David went scouting to see if any manatee were still here.
They were, but they weren’t posing for pictures.
We could definitely hear them do those BIG breaths
when they come up.  But you gotta be fast to snap their pics.

Either they come up just AFTER you gave up and put your camera down

or they disappear just as you get the camera set.

We thought we could get the kayaks out and paddle over to
see them for a few hours in the afternoon
but we had too many phone calls and too much research
to do on this new medical condition and we never made it.

This time we actually played the sports ourselves!

That evening, we went back over to Gin & Syl’s
for some xbox bowling and track and field. 
Tawanda is perfect for all Gin’s toys.

The athletes are moving so fast they
are a blur in some of these pictures. 
But you get the idea.

We had great fun.  Gin won everything but one event.
Home court advantage???

Gin G, in Green, is in first place here in the hurdles event of Track and Field and I’m in third with my blonde hair.  
Check out how thin we both are!

They say blondes have more fun and I’ve never really been one until now so I can’t say for sure.  But falling over the hurdle and losing to Gin
wasn’t all THAT much fun.

She and David duked it out in bowling
(check out that strike form)

and in ping pong. 

It was a great prescription for taking our
minds off our current concerns.

Rematches are scheduled on down the road.
Well at least for Gin and David.  :-)

When it was time to call it a night,
we walked home by the light
of the beautiful full moon.