Last Hurrah: Anna Maria Island

We are sad that our lovely vacation is coming to an end, but we made the most of our last full day with a little trip over to Anna Maria Island. We spent a very relaxing day at Coquina Beach, before heading over to the pier on Bradenton Beach for dinner. What an amazing vacation this has been!

Have palapas, will travel

Kick board King

picnic on the beach

Monster Max

ready to make the catch

a little rest, a little work

beach buddies

chillin'

so salty

our little churro

At Cast N Cage, the kids got binoculars instead of crayons before dinner.

 The pier at Bradenton Beach

We had fun watching dolphins from the pier.

Ice cream at Cream

A little manatee love

Another Science Experience

Yesterday, we decided to load up the whole crew for the early morning trip to take Mimi and Grandpa to the airport, so we could visit the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Tampa. We were the first ones there and the last ones to leave! We had a blast learning about the human body, programing and playing with robots, seeing an IMAX show about dinosaurs, viewing the Florida night sky in the planetarium, testing our mettle on the ropes course and mixing healthy doses of fun and learning.

Now, that's a piggy bank!

news anchors

tornado

experiencing hurricane wind

the good people of Disasterville

high wire bike

brain child

learning about sleep 

assisting with a Tesla coil demo

trying out the bed of nails

Max's head on a platter

half Mom, half Ruth

Masters of the ropes course

taking the fun to new heights

little monkey

Max and Weston controlling the robotic arm, while Ruth looks on

Clay taking "Max" for a spin

programming lesson

Max and Max

More Florida Fun

sharp shooter

Lunch at Hook's, one of the two restaurants on the property

The community drum circle

catching the beat

making some noise

a new kind of hula dancer

pigtailed cuties

Mimi and Grandpa are here!

getting ready to launch

blast off!

Our playful manatee friends

The manatees have really been showing off the last few days,
and we have spent many happy hours watching them.

"As you can see, there is nothing in the hat."
(from the magic act in Max and Weston's variety show)

Ruskin Drive-In has been in continuous operation since 1952

So excited to see "How to Train Your Dragon 2"
and to have their first drive-in experience

air boat ride on Lake Panasoffkee

blocking out the noise

a baby gator in the wild

Mama, protecting her nest

Max really loved getting to hold a baby gator

a "just-my-size" gator for Clay

Weston was a little unsure
(And, Ruth just flat-out wasn't interested!)