Clearwater, Florida
After we spent a couple of days in Weeki Wachee, we drove further down to Clearwater, FL. We got a very nice hotel right on the beach and just kicked back and took in the warm weather (a nice break from Akron!). We specifically attempted to avoid the Spring Break crowd, and this seemed just the place! We were able to get together with some old pals from Akron, the Howalds, who have moved to Florida a few years back. It was a great opportunity to see some old friends and get our kids reacquainted with each other!
This is a shot from our hotel room. We had a great view of the bay and there was a nice little strip of beach the kids could play on right below the area with the pool. Very nice!
Here's a shot of the pool. The girls LOVE pools, and this was a nice combination of having a pool and then a bit of beach right behind the pool they could playh on. It was also nice that there was a bar that served cold beer!
The next best thing to sand castles has to be frolicking in the waves! Here's Sophie running from the "big" waves!
Most of our time was NOT at the hotel, but rather taking advantage of the world-class beaches in Clearwater! Here are the girls doing what they really LOVE to do at beaches: making sand castles! Sarah's swim suit says it all: FUN!
We spent a couple of days with our friends Missy and Kevin Howald, who now live in sunny Florida! Here is a shot of Sophie and Sarah having fun on the beach with Lydia and Willem Howald!
There was a nice playground located on the beach a short drive from our hotel. They had cool things for the kids to play on and had some festivals and outdoor activities for the kids during our stay. This is Sarah on one of the climbing attractions.
After the long, hard days on the beach, the kids are ZONKED! This is a typical Sophie/Sarah sleeping position: crazily splayed out, one on top of the other!
Yes, another glorious day a the beach and another sand castle to be made. What can you say? The kids are natural builders!