Back from vacation

Well, we are back from our vacation. DH, DS and I had a REALLY good time visiting my mom and the rest of my family in sunny Miami. We went fishing and caught quite a few grunts, snappers, and one other type of fish but I can't remember what it was. . . . ANYWAY, we had them filleted (sp?) and then my mom cooked them up. DS didn't particularly care for the taste of the fish we caught but we all had a good time fishing. We also took a family canoeing day at a local wildlife reserve area in Key Largo. Very fun stuff. We saw lots of stuff out there, even a few jelly fish! We went treading along in the ocean as well and collected quite a few seashells while enjoying the water. Do any of you know whether I can put shells collected straight from the ocean into a fresh water tank? DS & I think they would look good at the bottom of his tank but we don't want to hurt his fish.

Since DH and I were celebrating our anniversary (16 years) while down there, DH had planned a little getaway for just him and I. We left DS with "Tata" (aka grandma) and spent 3 days and 2 nights in Key West. It was very nice. We stayed at a great little hotel/bed & breakfast called "The Gardens". It was originally a botanical garden and was then bought and turned into a hotel. Very scenic I must say. DH and I shopped (no knitting shops there - RATS!), walked, ate and drank. We checked out a lot of local galleries and saw some very good art while we where there. By far, my favorite part of the trip was visiting the Key West Butterfly Conservatory. WOW! They had some of the most beautiful butterflies I have ever seen there. The gift shop was pretty but par for course HOWEVER, they have an attached gallery where their artist mounts butterflies in display cases in the most beautiful ways. WOW! Nice thing is that he only uses butterflies that have lived their entire lifespan naturally. I have never seen anything like it. Just breathtaking and very peaceful.

I took loads of pictures but have yet to download them so I will share when I do that. I knitted just a bit as we were really going seems like all the time. Hopefully I will get down to some serious knitting now that I am back. I finished Harry Potter while down there. Sigh. I sorta new what was coming but not really. I am having quite a few mixed feelings about the book. Loved the writing, can't wait until #7 but saddened and confused about the twists/turns in the overall story. Well, how soon until #7 is out?????????