Mini Golf and Hammonasset Beach

Have I mentioned that there are so many fun things to do in Connecticut? Thursday, August 2nd was our 13th anniversary! It is amazing in some ways that we have been married for that many years... in other ways it seems like we have always been together. That is a happy thing.

We spent a fun (hot and humid) morning playing miniature golf close to the dock where Bruce catches his ferry to and from work each day. I have decided that living in the humidity would be hard for me because I would always have bad hair (judged only on my experience with my hair, not any of the hairstyles of the lovely people that we were with or saw). The kids loved mini golfing and they loved even more that my lack of talent made them feel very gifted with their abilities.

We spent the afternoon at Hammonasset Beach State Park. In the park is Meigs Point Nature Center where they have all sorts of sea life that have "come" to the center for rehabilitation from injuries. The kids got to hold so many crabs (hermit and otherwise) and learned that clear jelly fish are okay to catch and hold... the colored ones are the ones that sting (although I am not really willing to take the chance...). Sophia kept moving over to the rubber animal area--definitely my kind of petting zoo :). Ryan got some great photos of some of the creatures the kids caught (and later released) at the beach.

The beach at Hammonasset was so nice... the "sand" is really a rough mixture of tiny seashells and doesn't feel too great on bare feet... next time around we will for sure bring water shoes. The water is different than what we are most accustomed to (SoCal beaches) because there aren't big waves to ride on... it makes it nice for younger kids though that you don't have to worry so much about them getting clobbered with frothy crashes of waves every 10 to 15 seconds. The kids found some friends Massachusetts to catch ocean life with and brought many creatures to shore to show them off. Sophia and I entertained ourselves by "washing her hair" and playing "In and Out" where we name a body part and put it in the water, then bring it out, then back in, then back out... Elbows were the body part of the moment in the bottom right photo. The bottom left photos should be picked up by Dasani for a little promo, no?

The kids and I LOVE the beach and could spend endless hours there. This time around Ryan loved it too since there was so much animal activity to photograph and video.

Ryan and I ended our anniversary with a lovely dinner at a Brazilian grill that Bruce and Terri gave us a gift certificate to. They stayed with the kids (again!) so we could have a quiet night out. We spent a few minutes at the local beach (once we found it!) chatting and enjoying the sound of the water. Why don't I live closer to an ocean?

All in all it was a lovely day and we all went to sleep tired and happy.

Marvelous Mexico

Our next (and last) port was Cozumel, Mexico.

We went to a place called Paradise Beach. We paid a small fee (like $2) to be there and rent a lounge chair, then another $12 if we wanted to play with the toys. Ryan and I took out a canoe (and miraculously didn't tip over, even though my balancing skills are lacking) and I had fun lounging on these pads.

There were all sorts of bouncy toys and trampolines out in the water...

...and lots of beautiful sand and coastline.

The water was warm too! Have I mentioned that I love the beach?

I loved this pier with the straw thatched hut at the end.

They had lounge chairs set up in perfect rows... you can see Ry with his camera trying to capture all the fun everyone was having.

My best pina colada ever... I swear the waiters laughed (at least inwardly) every time I asked for a frozen drink without alcohol.

The chips and guacamole were to die for. They were so good I just might have to plan another trip to Cozumel so I can eat them again. Yum.

My favorite part of this beach was that they had a tent with a couple of massage tables in it. For a low fee ($30 for 30 minutes) a lovely woman rubbed the upper, back half of my body. Swimsuit? No problem, she slid it on down. I would generally not appreciate lying half-naked on a massage table out in the middle of such a public place, but there was a sheet covering things that needed to be covered, and once she got the scented oils and her hands going, all of my cares melted away.

Ryan found this (creepy) bird. Coleman kept asking us for pictures of wildlife, but they we didn't see too many animals, so he had to take pictures when he found some!

I liked this pelican. He hung out on the pier for awhile.

Ryan got a couple of good photos of him too.

And an action shot! I know you were all waiting for that one!

Ryan went out in a parasailing boat and saw this turtle... it's a little hard to see, but it's right underneath the splash...

...and he went parasailing! He said it was fun to do, but wasn't as exciting as he thought it might be, and even got a tiny bit boring coasting up there. The others in the boat said he was a pro and made it look easy.

Gentle touchdown :).

Then it was decided that the HM Corporate Staff (spouses included) needed to go on a team building activity on the water weenie. Good times.

I have to say that being flung off of this in the warm, salty water off the coast of Mexico feels a whole lot different than being thrown into the cold, clear water of Bear Lake. I like the warmth much better, but the salt, not so much.

After our fun day at the beach Ryan went back to the ship to edit pictures and work on a presentation while I spent some money at all of the shops. I haven't decided if my Spanish helps me or hurts me in those situations... but it was fun to speak it with so many different people. I found some great silver jewelry and some fun things for the kids. I also (finally!) found a nativity set that I liked. They had all sorts of nativities made out of fish bones (which I'm not opposed to in any way... but I didn't love the way they were carved) and I finally asked a guy who took me "upstairs" to another big shop. I talked my way into a comfortable price and came home with this beauty:

Nothing wrong with displaying a couple of nativity sets in February, right?

I loved Cozumel! I would love to go back and spend several more days there.

**Have you been parasailing (or do you want to go?)?
**Would you be comfortable getting a massage on the beach?
**Do you want to make me a pina colada?