The Beach '13: The Dolphin Pool!

Wednesday morning we spent at the dolphin pool. The boys loved playing with their noodles and nets and goggles. I wish they could swim a bit underwater so I could take cool underwater pictures! Maybe next year... Aunt Sarah got the boys blow up swords - BIG HIT! And the goggles that Ben picked out. Crack my up!

The Beach '13: Yoga Anyone?

Grandma centering her chi, or something like that, on the beach during her (coincidentally private) yoga class.

The Beach '13: Dolphins?

So, we really did see quite a few dolphins during our boat day - we even saw a few from the condo early in the mornings. The dolphins proved to be anti-pap this year and very difficult to photography. This is pretty much the only video/picture we got of the dolphins (look toward the top of the frame for the splashing). We did see a few babies, though. And they were pretty small. The boys had a good time looking for them and got all excited when they did actually spot one.

The Beach '13: A New Game - Catch the Ben!

Ben didn't know what he thought of this game. The big splash in the center is Ben. No one caught him that time...

The Beach '13: Time to Swim!

You can't have a boat day without stopping to swim. We didn't make it over to the island/beaches area, but the nice wildlife area we found was perfect. And we didn't see any snakes. The boys and I had neon nail polish on our toes, so the fish didn't bother us. Aunt Sarah, however, did not have on neon nail polish and had a few curious fish investigate her toes and legs. 

Here is a video, but the wind canceler was not on, so it's a bit static/noisy. 

The Beach '13: The Wildlife at Tacky Jack's

Our plan was to stop at the original Tacky Jack's for lunch, but the water was a bit rough getting there. Luckily, Tacky Jack's was forward thinking and built a new restaurant on the Intercoastal, which was perfect! They had a nature/wildlife show going on that day and we docked just in time to catch most of it. Ben was a bit tired at first, but Nick was LOVING it! The lady had alligators, snakes, preserved turtles, a one-eyed owl and other critters for the kids (and grandmas...) to touch and pet. Nick loved the snake. This first picture was taken by the girl at Tacky Jacks. I just found it on their FB page. After the animal show we had a yummy lunch and headed back for the boat for more sight seeing, dolphin watching and swimming!

The Beach '13: Boat Day!

Tuesday of our vacation, we rented a boat for the day and headed out to the back bay area. It was a bit choppy in the open, so we stuck to Wolf Bay and the Intercoastal. We had to dodge a few rain clouds in the morning and it was a bit cloudy, which was good for avoiding severe sun burns but it got sunny and warm in the afternoon. The boys loved the boat. They helped drive the boat when we were going slow and kept an eye out for dolphins when they weren't examining the back of their eyelids. 

The Beach '13: The Sun Came Out, To The Beach We Go!

Monday afternoon, the sun came out so out we went to the beach! The boys had fun playing in the ocean and building sand castles. 

The Beach '13: When it Rains

Monday morning it was raining outside, so we headed to the indoor pool. The beauty of the Turquoise Place - indoor and outdoor pools! The boys had fun playing with their nets and chasing things in the pool. We played in the pool and the hot tub for a while. It was a good way to get Nick comfortable (maybe a little too comfortable) in the water after a bit of hiatus from swimming this past winter/spring.

The Beach '13: Don't Stand Still For Too Long

Or Daddy will bury you in the sand!

The Beach '13: A Sand Facial

The result of tackle football on the white sand beaches of Alabama. I am still digging sand out of their ears two weeks later.