del boca vista

My parents rented a condo on Bonita Beach, Florida, for the month of February and Lelaine and I used the long holiday weekend for a trip to go down and see them and my grandparents, who live in nearby Naples.

The condo was nice, with views of the bay from the bedrooms and the gulf from the living room. But the best part was all the wonderful decorations. From every conceivable beach knick-knack to the pink flamengos strung like Christmas lights in the fake tree in the guest bedroom, the decorations were terrible/fantastic.

Saturday night everyone went to dinner on the beach. My mom had made reservations a while ago for Valentines dinner on the beach at sunset. Unfortunately the thick layer of fog didn't cooperate and there was no sunset, but the food was nice. After dinner we went to Mimi and Papa's house and Mimi and my mom handed out what has to be the worst ever whipping in hand and foot to my dad and me.

The fog hung around for part of Sunday. We had brunch with Mimi and Papa and then hit the beach when the fog lifted. The water was cold, but my dad and I went in the water for a little while. The weather was much nicer Monday morning and we spent the day at the pool. Our flight was oversold so we stayed an extra day, as it isn't often that you get to spend quality time with the fam at Del Boca Vista (in Seinfeld, Jerry and George's parents buy condos in phase III of Del Boca Vista, a retirement community in Florida). We thought about going kayaking in the bay the next morning, but to my dismay we didn't do it. My parents said if we had, they wanted to rent a boat to follow us and watch us try to navigate the bay. I guess next time we go down I will make fun of them as they do water aerobics with the old folks.

Being in Florida in February is pretty nice, particularly for Lelaine, and it was tough to come home. Sadly, there are no Publix key lime pies or palm trees lining our neighborhood streets in DC.