Florida

My next stop was Florida, starting with Orlando. On both my mom and dad’s side of the family we have folks in Orlando, so it was exciting to make my way towards them.

My first line of business, sadly but truly, was to bring Monster to a mechanic. Turns out her front brakes were in bad shape so I got her taken care of. I am deeply grateful that I could take care of that when I was in a place more familiar to me, with family that could help me get around.

Monster and my Uncle Aaron's VW Bus in his driveway... his cross-country trip in the bus was a big inspiration for my own!

Orlando with the Slyes

For the weekend, I stayed with my Uncle Bob and Aunt Connie. One of their daughters and her family also live in Orlando so I got to see Raquel and the kids too. Bob, Connie and I played a round of mini golf– one of my favorite vacation activities. My Bapa and I have played a lot of mini golf together on vacations Up North throughout the years so it was fun to play a course with his brother. Bobby won, but I’ll get him next time.

We had a pool day after that. Bobby grilled. My little cousins Aurora and Rosie kept me on my toes in the pool. We played all sorts of games. With dinner we had Taffy Apple Salad, a Slye classic. It was so comforting to be around family.

Mini golf (left) and Bob, Connie & I at MJ: The Musical (right).

Our big outing of the next day was to see MJ: The Musical at Dr. Phillips Center. I think we all decided to go because we knew we enjoyed live theater, but admittedly didn’t know anything about the show, or (for me, at least) Michael Jackson’s life in general, going into it. It was fantastic. The set. The lights. The choreography. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The rest of my time with the Slyes was properly homey. We had a casserole dish for dinner. Played dominoes. Got ice cream. Watched a movie (Interstellar too, my favorite). Connie and I went and hung out with the girls on Monday morning. Then they dropped me off at the mechanic and we went our separate ways. The whole visit was lovely… “just right” as Aurora would say if we were playing the three bears.

St. Patty's Day with Aurora & Rosie!

The River Place with the Boggs

The majority of my Florida time was spent at the River Place– my Uncle Aaron’s land in northern Florida. The rest of my immediate family had gotten to visit the land once or twice before, but with school I’d missed out so it was my first time there. It really is like a slice of heaven. I know why he and the boys (my cousins) love it so much.

The first sunset at the River Place (left).

It was Dominic and Christian’s spring break so we got to spend quite a few days there staying in Aaron’s camper, exploring the state forest at night while blasting music from the buggy, playing darts, watching the stars, fishing… I even learned how to shoot a few guns. It was utterly relaxing and peaceful. And it was so nice to be able to spend that time with my uncle and cousins, it had been too long since I’d seen them last.

While we were based at the River Place, we did go on a few adventures away from the land. One day we drove (back) up into Georgia to see Providence Canyon State Park. It was beautiful and made for a cool hike (we did some exploring off trail… sorry Grandma!). I’m not sure any of us would take the three hour drive there and back again, but it was neat to see it.

Providence Canyon.

My favorite night was when we went to the Suwannee Spring Reunion festival at Suwannee River Music Park in Live Oak. It was like walking into another world. Music, camping, art. It was a way bigger festival than I think Aaron and I had anticipated, and we both want to go back. We saw Donna the Buffalo and the Infamous Stringdusters. Lot’s of banjo. Lot’s of fiddle. Just how I like it. The boys enjoyed it too. We all appreciate good music. That’s a memory I’ll hold on to for a long time.

Our wooded view of the stage during the Infamous Stringdusters' set.

Honestly, one of my favorite pictures from the trip so far.

Our last day at the land was just that, a day at the land. I really did love it there. It’s weird to be on a trip my size and meet so many people along the way. For them, it’s often day one of vacation but I’ve been going for quite some time. Being at The River Place was a chance for me to recharge, reflect and move ahead on my trip. It’s symbolic I suppose as well, it marks the point where I’m no longer going East or South… now I’m headed West.

Thanks, boys.