By Shelby
Monday we worked from a library in Jacksonville, Florida. While we ate lunch in the car, we saw some weird birds walk by. After work, we drove an hour south to Palm Coast. For dinner, we had leftover chicken and chickpea gyros we had made Sunday.
Tuesday, we worked from the library in Palm Coast. The library had at least 20 decorated Christmas trees. I’d never seen so many Christmas trees in such a small area. It was pretty nice. We saw a few lizards on trees outside. After work, we did laundry at a nearby laundromat and got Wendy’s for dinner. We’re trying out doing laundry on a weekday, so we have more free time on Sunday. We’re not sure if it’s going to work out yet.
Wednesday, we worked from the same library in Palm Coast. It was uneventful. After work, we drove about an hour southwest to Orlando.
Thursday, we went to Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Both of our birthdays are in December, so we decided to go to an amusement park and a water park for our presents. Since we are together almost all the time, it would be difficult to surprise each other with gifts. The park was very cool. We got to see Hogwarts, walk through Hogsmeade, and see lots of other neat things. We even tried butterbeer, a much loved drink from Harry Potter. It tasted like butterscotch. The lines weren’t too bad, except for the most popular roller coaster. We got to ride everything we wanted. The weather was perfect.
By chance, we were able to catch the light show on Hogwarts. It was Christmas-themed. We didn’t think it was running that night, but it turned out it was. We got a great viewing spot. There were even a few fireworks.
For dinner, we ate at the Three Broomsticks, a Harry Potter restaurant. I got a smoked turkey leg and Spencer got shepherd’s pie. We both thought they were good, and not too expensive. I was only able to finish about half of my turkey leg, so I carried the rest of it out of the park. I felt kind of goofy carrying around a massive turkey leg. I was able to hide it behind my back for a few pictures! It was cool seeing the theme park at night with lots of holiday lights.
Friday, we decided to go to Universal’s water park, Volcano Bay. It was great. There were barely any lines, and the weather was perfect – 80 and sunny. The water was nice and warm. My favorite slide was the water coaster, a slide with steep drops and segments where it shoots you back upward. Spencer liked the big plunge slide, where the floor opens up below and drops you down through the volcano.
For lunch, we ate at the park. I got coconut chicken curry and Spencer got a mango bbq pulled pork sandwich. They were both really good and surprisingly reasonably priced. We stayed in the park from when it opened until it closed. It was a great day. It was really nice to be able to go to these great parks and not also have to pay for a hotel. The Planet Fitness we stayed at was less than 15 minutes from Universal.
Saturday, we drove about an hour back north to Blue Spring State Park. Blue Spring State Park is one of the most popular areas for manatees to retreat to in winter for the warmer water. We got to see at least 5 of them. We got there at just the right time, before it got too hot out and the manatees hid from the heat. They were so cute. The rest of the day, we relaxed. We watched the movie Home Alone, played video games on our phones, and did some planning for the rest of Florida. It had been a busy couple days and it was nice to not do anything. When the park closed, we drove back down to Orlando and got pizza for dinner. Unfortunately, the Planet Fitness we went to was closed for renovations, so we had to drive to a different one.
Sunday, we went grocery shopping and then to a lakeside park to organize the car and work on the website. We went for a short walk along the water and saw a ton of exotic birds. Some of them were huge and didn’t seem shy at all. We also saw our first alligator. It was sitting next to the water. Two of the large birds were checking it out.
When we finished our walk, we drove back into the city and had brunch with my cousin who lives in Florida. Then we moved on south to a beach in Fort Pierce. We thought about swimming in the warm ocean water but decided against it since the sun was already getting low. We walked along the beach for a while and found a very cool conch shell.
For dinner, we made grilled cheese and tomato soup at the park by the beach. After dinner, we drove a couple more hours to Homestead, past Miami. Next week, we hope to check out the Everglades, drive to Key West, and go swimming at a beach.
Fun Facts from Week 33:
- Florida is the only place in temperate North America where manatees can be found year-round.
- Despite the common belief that Florida is home to only alligators, and not crocodiles, American crocodiles do live in south Florida.
