To the beach and back: Boca Grande, Fla.

WE'RE BACK. Sorry for the hiatus. We spent the first nine days of October on vacation (aka lounging at the beach). Sigh. We took a family trip to Boca Grande, Florida - our first time ever visiting this quaint little town. We rented a house on the beach and shared it with siblings, cousins, grandparents... 14 adults and 5 kids altogether. We rarely left the house. Instead we cooked most of our meals (huge family-style meals for this big crowd): from breakfast casseroles and huge stacks of pancakes to fish tacos, grilled wings, shrimp pasta and even takeout pizza. We watched the sun come up most days (early risers, these kiddos are), we spent time on the beach, in the water and picked up shells EVERY day, we dodged jellyfish, we watched dolphins swim just yards away from the shore, we napped, we cheered on the Cardinals (and the Royals) in their post-season efforts, we drank adult beverages, we read books (I started and finished a whole book that had nothing to do with parenting!), we dug for clams, we found live starfish and kept them in makeshift saltwater "aquariums" on our deck so the kids could watch them, we found more sand dollars than I have ever seen in one place, we walked the beach and snapped pictures of our favorite beach houses, we watched a storm or two roll in, we ventured out a time or two to buy souvenirs and try some of the local fare, we rode in golf carts, we took (hilarious) family pictures, we ate desserts, we (okay, the kids) showered outside. We had a fabulous time.

BUT...

It's always good to come home. The kids were so thrilled to be home that they spent the first day back playing with every toy in their rooms. And I'll have to say, as nice and relaxing as it was being away from it all, we were sure happy to be back, too. There is just something about being home this time of year. The older I get - and especially now that I have kids - the more I thoroughly enjoy fall and being at home. Fall "cleaning" is a bigger deal for me than spring cleaning. At the end of a very busy summer season that allows me very little time to just be at home, I am always so ready to get my house (and life) in order and organize, organize, organize. And the cooking. Oh, the cooking. Soups and chilis, roasted veggies and casseroles, having the time to try new recipes... and the baking, oh my! It's just the best time of year to eat, isn't it?

So, we took a million and one pictures, but I managed to narrow it down to these couple dozen - and these are just from my phone. I'll post more from my camera once I have them downloaded and organized. No captions on these photos - the pictures tell the stories pretty well, I think. Enjoy!