Vacation Wrap Up!

I feel like I have gotten all of the posts from our vacation pictures that I can but I still have a few photos to share.  This post will wrap up our adventures on Anna Maria Island with a few random pictures that didn't seem to fit in any of my other posts this week.

First up are our pictures from our visit to Rotten Ralph's!  Michael and I got their Fish N' Chips special...it was really good!

But the big excitement was watching Mr. Pelican out the window on the pier.  He was just begging to have his picture taken.

An older gentleman offered to take our picture so we could all be in the same one but bless his heart he snapped and snapped away and when he gave us our camera back there was no picture to be found.  We're not sure what he was doing but we didn't have the heart to tell him.

The next adventure began at some local shops on the island and the family looking for a good place to eat lunch.  My sister asked a lady that worked at one of the shops where she recommended.  She said she would definitely suggest the village of Cortez which was a short walk away and had delicious seafood.  Well she was right about one thing...the did have delicious food but it was NOT a short walk.  We tramped a mile and a half (Michael GPS'd it) across a bridge and down into the town of Cortez.  Mind you it was hot and we are walking along side pretty fast moving traffic and trying to avoid stepping on roadside debris like tire rubber.  My dad even made the comment "I wonder what it means when we are the only people walking on this bridge?" 

Have I also failed to mention that during this entire trip BOTH of my ankles are killing me to talk on them from something that I did to them while running.  Yes I seriously hobbled everywhere we went during the entire vacation.  When did my ankles start to feel somewhat normal again?  The day we left, of course.

I'm getting off topic...so our little walking extravaganza led us to The Starfish Company.  A little seafood market and restaurant that sits right on a fishing pier that extends into the bay.  It was a great place and definitely not somewhere that we would have found if someone would not have suggested it.

Here's how our little buddy started out the visit to the Starfish Company.  Sippy cup of water and trusty brush in hand overlooking the water.  It was rather warm outside and we had just trucked it quite a ways to get to this fine establishment...

So eventually he ended up like this!

Next, our adventure to Anna Maria City Pier!  There is a restaurant at the end of the pier and there happened to be a band playing and lots of people fishing.  It was kind of loud and crowded so we just stayed long enough to walk out, check out the view, take a few pictures and head to another location to watch the sunset.  Before we left though Owen did get the chance to reel in a fish!  I didn't get a picture of it since I was standing with the babies but it was quite the experience!  While Owen was fighting with a fish, an extremely inebriated man came over to tell us how beautiful our family was, patted each baby on the head, and I'm pretty sure was trying to pick up my mother.  On that note we decided to head off...

And yes my child is naked yet again...

"Hey girl...can you see anything good?"

Finally we headed to Bean Point Beach at the tip of the island and supposedly the best spot to watch the sunset.  We made it right as the sun was dipping below the horizon.

Michael and Papa's shell finds...unfortunately the little critters were still living inside these shells so even though they were all whole we put them back in the ocean so they could live :)

"Man, I gotta learn to walk!"

Well, that's all folks!  The end of our vacation pictures!  We had a great time relaxing at the pool and the beach, doing a little sight seeing, lots of eating good seafood, and taking in a baseball game and the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.  We highly recommend a trip to Anna Maria Island and we might even be back one day!