Monday, December 15, 2014

Foodie

It was still a little chilly for the beach, so we went to town to find a little something to do.  We ended up by Tin City and found a Put Put Golf place.  The kids loved it.  I got the first hole-in-one, Sean won, Drew kept mistaking his golf ball for a hockey puck, and Maddi played her own version of  golf that involved, hands, rebounds, & lots of giggles.  We had fun, and all ended up getting holes-in-one before the game was over.  On our way home we went by Oaks (my FAVORITE farmers market) and loaded up on gluten free goodies.  
And while I have food on the mind, we found the best french patisserie called La Macaron.  We tried coconut chocolate chip gelato imported from the owners' hometown in France, and it was better than any gelato I've ever tried.  In fact I usually hate gelato.  I'd rather go without than eat the weird icy flavorless junk I've tried before, but this stuff was flavorful, creamy, not too sweet, just amazing. We also tried several flavors of macarons.  I've always been scared to try macarons.  They look like fancy little nuggets that are way to beautiful to actually taste good, but I read somewhere that they were gluten free & I've been craving pastries since I haven't had any for years so I decided to be a little risky with my taste buds.  These macarons... I just don't have words.  They were the best thing I've ever tasted.  Fluffy, chewy, flavorful, filled with this incredible creamy deliciousness.  I'm seriously obsesses with them.  I can't stop thinking about them.  I even discovered that Whole Foods sells them, and immediately went across town to fetch them, but they don't even compare.  They were actually kind of gross, so I'll just dream about La Macaron until I visit Naples again.  



Sunday, December 14, 2014

Naples Beach at the Pier

It was a little chilly because of the whole Arctic Blast thing, but you can't go to Florida and not go to the beach, so after walking the Pier, we spent a few hours walking the beach, running from the waves, and enjoying the soft sand between our toes.



























Saturday, December 13, 2014

Naples Pier

Another must-do when were in Naples is a visit to the Pier.  It's always fun to see who's catching what, see all of the different kinds of birds, and people watch.  People watching is always fun. :)













Friday, December 12, 2014

Fifth Street

Fifth Street is one of our favorite little spots to walk at night.  They have amazing handmade candy shops and a variety of boutiques with a charming family-friendly atmosphere.  Sometimes we catch live music; we gaze at the skinny palm trees wrapped in Christmas lights, and enjoy all of the sights and smells and sounds as we stroll along.  Here are a few shots of our favorite street during the day (my night photography skills aren't great) on our way to the Pier.



Thursday, December 11, 2014

Everglades

We took a day and went a few miles south into the Everglades and took a swamp buggy and an airboat tour through the everglades.  This was by far one of the coolest things we've ever done.  The  airboat ride was crazy and fast and all over the place, and we saw an ELEVEN FOOT ALLIGATOR in the water just a few feet from us.  We saw deer and other wildlife on the swamp buggy tour, and even got to hold an alligator (who thankfully had his mouth banded shut)  A truly amazing day that made me love Florida even more.