Serena and I recently returned from our trip to Florida. The days leading up to the trip were rough. Serena was under the effects of a pretty unpleasant respiratory issue, Odessa had gotten some cuts at her preschool, and I also dislocated her right elbow. She may have been the one crying, but I think it hurt me more than her.

On the 16th we took off from Chicago Midway for Jacksonville. I thought the airport in Jacksonville was very nice looking. We got on our shuttle bus and headed for our hotel.

Now I know most people would not consider us to be old, but we are starting to feel it a bit. I’ve got small patches of gray hair and I’m getting close to 30. Serena goes to school with kids much younger than her who don’t have children, and she complains each and every time someone calls her “Ma’am”. So it was nice that our shuttle driver greeted us by saying “Hello, young couple!”

We headed out to see the Atlantic ocean. Those who know me understand I have a weakness for oceans, so it was really nice for me. The only other time I remember seeing the Atlantic was half my life ago when I was 14.

On the 17th we drove north to the Okefenokee swamp with plans to explore, hike, and canoe. Unpleasant weather made canoeing not an option that day, but we did explore the area and walk on a boardwalk trail. The alligators were everywhere, and so were the little lizards.

The next day we drove to Homosassa because Serena was going to explode if she didn’t see manatees. It was a long drive, but it was an interesting excursion into rural Florida, with orange and boiled peanut stands along the way. We attempted to go swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, but the beach was mysteriously closed.

On Thursday the 19th we tried to watch the sunrise over the ocean, but it was pretty cloudy. We spent the day slowly making our way southward along the coast, checking out beaches and shoreline, and little towns like St. Augustine. We also spent quite a bit of time swimming in the ocean, which is so indescribably fun I can’t explain it. I normally don’t really like swimming or playing in the water, but I love it at the ocean. Daytona Beach was as far south as we went, then we turned around and came back.

On Friday we tried going back to the swamp in hopes of better weather for canoeing. The forecast called for clear skies all day long, and it was a beautiful sunny day when we left. But in the hour it took to get there, the skies clouded up, the temperature dropped, and the winds picked up and it was not good at all for canoeing. Dismayed, we returned to Jacksonville and Serena went shopping at some outlet malls.

That night we dressed up a bit and went out to eat at a nice restaurant she picked out online. Between the first course, my own meal, and the dark meat from Serena’s I ate the following animals that night: duck, salmon, chicken, cow, scallop. It was really great, I wish I could afford to eat that stuff more often.

Even though our plane was due to depart on Saturday, it wasn’t until 4:15 P.M., so we thought we’d give one more try for canoeing in the swamp. And we were lucky enough for it to be absolutely beautiful weather. We didn’t have as much time as we’d have liked, but I can’t complain because we at least got out there.

The swamp is absolutely filled with alligators, and for people who aren’t used to them (like, say, us), it can be a bit disconcerting when negotiating your position with the invisible line that denotes reptilian personal space. The gators are often in no hurry to move out of our way and there isn’t often much room to maneuver in the narrow channels. Also, we suck at maneuvering, which doesn’t help.

We counted 31 alligators on our 4 mile canoe trip, so there was lots to see. Our trip to Florida wasn’t as busy as some of the trips we plan, but it is nice to take things slower and just enjoy what’s going on instead of focusing on what’s coming up next. It was a good trip.