A Day at the Beach : With Portuguese Man O' Wars

We had friends in town this weekend and there was only time to visit one beach - so South Beach it had to be. So the girls had their first trip to South Beach. (Technically Lorelei has already been a number of times, but none that she actually remembers.) Very soon after we arrived, the girls and I were playing in the water and the girls were each hanging off of an arm. Where Lorelei was grabbing me started to itch or burn. I was puzzled. Then she started complaining that her hands hurt. I told her to go to Andres at the towels and have him dry off her hands. I was trying to think what she could have touched that would have irritated her skin. (This of course knowing how she reacts to mosquito bites with huge raised welts.) She came back and was more insistent that her hands were burning. I asked her what she had touched. I thought maybe she was touching seaweed or something and there was some kind of biting bug. Oh, no. A Portuguese Man O' War that had washed up on the shore. Lorelei had no idea what it was. If you haven't seen one, I have included a a link to check them out on Wikipedia. I think everyone would agree that it is a fascinating and not at all menacing looking creature.

I'm thinking: jelly fish bite means vinegar or peeing on oneself (or your kids!). Instead we went to see the lifeguard. He was impressed that Lorelei wasn't crying. He sprayed her hands with vinegar  and then gave her a hot pack to hold for ten minutes. After that it would be obvious if she needed a trip to the ER or would be fine. She was fine and ended up enjoying the day at the beach - hopefully with a lesson learned.

Another Mortgage

Well we finally did it - sign the closing papers on our house that is. I have to say that it was a long drawn out process and a bit anti-climactic there at the end. yeah. I was so exhausted by the process that I didn't even tell anyone. Now I have. yeah.

Cruising with the Munns

Roger and Diane have been working for the past several years to make Thanksgiving a sacred time that the whole family gets together - somewhere - New York, New Orleans, Miami. This year Roger organized a 4 night cruise for the family. It was the first cruise for most and the overwhelming response is that there will be more cruising in the future! Here we are returning to the ship after a day spent in Cozumel. Lovely, lovely weather to be sitting on the beach drinking virgin pina coladas.

We asked a random passerby to take a shot of the whole group. This is one of only two shots that we have, so while it isn't the most flattering of everyone - we are at least all looking and neither of my girls are picking her nose.

Roger took this shot of the group from a balcony across the way. Once my Photoshop abilities improve I'll figure out how to superimpose Roger into the picture as well.(Good thing that my scrapbooking is two years behind. That will buy me some time to learn how to use Photo Shop period.)