We mentioned it in the last post, but we decided to head down to Naples to spend a few nights at Mimi & Papa’s place. We haven’t been there since January of 2018. We looked into bringing the RV and staying nearby, but for a variety of reasons, it was easiest to leave it empty at our RV park in Bradenton.
We met the grandparents along the way down south in Estero to see some houses that Karissa found at “The Place”. (Karissa’s parents enjoy seeing houses and neighborhoods almost as much as we do.) It was a community with awesome amenities – especially the pool that had slides and waterfalls. It was a bit more remote than we expected, but the neighborhood was really nice. Before calling it a day,we visited a few neighborhoods in Naples that had pros and cons too.
On the way home, we had lunch at “Ford’s Garage”. It seems to be a Florida chain known for burgers. It was pretty cool – with car-themed decor and the name stamped on burgers. That night, we went to the pool while Mimi had a big Condo Board meeting.
In the morning, the kids fed the ducks that Papa has been not-so-secretly feeding for a few years. Emerson didn’t really get the idea of throwing the seed out into the yard – just dumping it by the door. Adelaide figured it out pretty quick. Emerson asks Papa “where are the ducks?” every time he talks to him on Duo, so seeing them in person had to be a dream come true.
The big plans for day 2 were to relax and go the beach for sunset. Adelaide and Emerson made sure the ducks always had food. Made a few trips to the playground. And took Lickity Split on a few walks – with Emerson in a stroller and Papa carrying an assortment of toys, of course!
The beach that night was perfect. Warm without being hot or cold. The right breeze to keep away the noseeums while still being comfortable. The water was warm. Emerson had fun digging. Adelaide loved sitting in the water. It was a perfect way to end our time in Naples.
The kids fell asleep on the way back – a sure sign that they had fun at the beach.
We had another great stay in Naples, of course. We’re heading back north to our RV in Bradenton to have a few more days there before beginning the long trip back north. We’re debating where to stop along the way home – northern Alabama/Mississippi or Memphis? Maybe even the panhandle of Florida? We’ll figure it out soon.