I'm back in Saratoga Springs, New York after vacationing in Florida for a week. The weather was gorgeous on the beach and really couldn't have asked for anything better. Even the day the weathermen predicted a chance of rain turned out to be a nice day. The temperatures were in the upper 70's most of the time, sometimes in the low 80's. We spent much of the day walking the beach or the surrounding streets close by, and also hanging out by the pool. I went in the Gulf of Mexico a few times and tried to look for shells but the shelling wasn't very good compared to other years. The starfish were new this year though. I did find a few shells which I posted in my last entry and I brought those home with me. We also played miniature golf one night at a place called Jungle Golf. I haven't played in a couple years so that was a lot of fun.
Being back in upstate New York is a little bit of a shock since when you're in Florida you don't want to leave the nice weather. There was a storm during the middle of the week which brought some snow and ice to upstate New York so I knew there would be about the same amount of snow on the ground. I was hoping the snow base would be lower but it looks about the same. I usually enjoy snowstorms in the winter, however the lasting cold this winter and the bouts of snow every now and then has left me no choice but to hope for springtime weather. At least it looks like there will be moderating temperatures by the middle of the week. We'll take 40 degree weather, and hope for 50 and then 60!
Well me and my parents made it to Florida and we have been in the condo since Saturday evening. The weather has been awesome. Temperatures have been in the upper 70's to low 80's, and sunny. We have been down to the pool a couple times and have walked the beach a few times. I looked for shells on Sunday and today, and it's been a lot different from the last couple of years, as there are not many shells to be found. I had to look hard for the ones I found today, which I think are pretty nice, hopefully you do too. I found a starfish which is different, and some coral. I took a few pictures and I'll post them below. I'll go out in the Gulf of Mexico and search for shells a couple more times. I will post if I find any more. Here are the pictures.
Shells
Starfish
Coral
I will be traveling to Fort Myers Beach, Florida later today for a vacation. Me and my parents go every year in March, we stay in a condominium right on the Gulf of Mexico.
We visit my grandparents who are down there for a few months as they like to get away for the winter. In previous years we stayed on Captiva Island. To get to Captiva you need to take a bridge from Fort Myers to is the island. We have gone to visit Captiva the last couple of years for a day trip, simply to enjoy how beautiful the island is. It brings back memories for me because when I was younger we always stayed on Captiva Island, we only recently began staying in Fort Myers Beach.
My favorite parts of being right on the water is that there is decent shelling. I like looking for shells, especially sand dollars. I found a sand dollar last March that was intact, I was pretty excited. It can be extremely difficult to find sand dollars intact. This year I will be on a quest to find some new shells as well. Sometimes you really have to look in the sand for these treasures, feeling the ground to come across a shell.
I'm looking forward to the sunny weather and I'm excited to go look for shells. I will update this entry once I'm in Fort Myers about the weather and if I found some good shells. I will try to post pictures too.
