leaving south Florida for even further south Florida

It’s time to leave Nana and Poppy’s and are we spread out across this house….gathering all the things that Oscar got for Christmas, all the things that we have accumulated and getting everything we have bought that we realized we needed more of packed up and ready to go has been daunting. 

  We have sent another box home with presents and things that we don’t need on the trip that are heavy and can wait at home.  Oscar got a little upset about some of the things that had to be sent home, he 

 wants to keep it all with him, but then finally relented when he could keep all the soft, stuffed animals that he has gotten.  We head south out of Spring Hill and hit I-75 in Tampa to continue south to Fort Myers.  We’re going to have lunch with Julie who lives there and mom has gotten excited about the consignment stores there.  Julie is a veteran shopper and we meet her at St. Matthews store, but Nana has not learned how to travel with

  Oscar and mentions donuts as we leave, the playground near the store and these are the only   know when he will see cruise ships and alligators.  We see none of those now, but all of us have high hopes for Alligator Alley where none of us has

 been.  In a car full of veteran travelers, it’s nearly impossible to find a place where none of us has been before and this is  exciting.  With detours through Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and into Fort Myers on 41 because I-75 is closed due to a tanker accident, we eventually meet Julie and John gets some good shorts at the thrift store before we have a picnic lunch at the playground that Oscar won’t let

  go of.  Julie gives us presents and Oscar is so excited that the present train seems to be continuing throughout every conceivable day of this time of year.  We bid Julie goodbye with two new bags to add in and head to the Miromar outlets north of Naples, but realize that they’re poorly laid out, too expensive and not worth the

  time that we are wasting in getting to Miami.  Alligator alley is a bust because of the huge fencing on both sides of the highway and the fact that you can’t even see water from the

 highway with nothing to recommend it.  When do you ever get to say that Louisiana ruined something for you?  But if you want to drive over some swamps, go to Louisiana not Florida.  We make it to Miami and the traffic is not as horrible as it could be, arrive at our Air B n B and it’s still being cleaned.  So, we have to walk to dinner in Little Havana, but the Colombian restaurant is closed at 5pm and that leaves, wait for it, Taco F’ing Bell!!!  Are you kidding me?  I’m in Miami in Little Havana and Taco Bell is where we’re going to eat?  I refuse and

head to a little bakery across the street to get something I can’t pronounce in Spanish for dinner.  I’m pretty sure with my limited Spanish that I ordered chicken with rice and beans, but can’t be sure what form that is going to take.  Luckily, it turns out to be baked chicken with rice and black beans that are delicious.  Better than anything Taco Bell is selling I’m sure. 

We head back to the Air B n B which is spic and span and perfect for our needs.  We are only here for a few days, but I realize that I have been completely ruined by our first few Air B n B experiences.  The first Air B n B we stayed at in Portugal was amazing with wine waiting for us and everything a family could possibly need for a few days.  The one we stayed at in Petoskey could have slept 30 people and had so much room, comfort and food that we could have stayed there for several days and never left.  I’m ruined because of these experiences.  This place we are in is so much cheaper than a hotel for all of us, has a kitchen and washer and dryer in back, is clean, and has beds for all 8 of us right in the heart of the tourist section of Little Havana and yet I’m spoiled and not that happy with it.  Let’s face it, I’m spoiled and it might not be Air B n B’s fault.  I should have started with ok places and moved on to the amazing ones from there.