"Moochie"

On a day like today, when we wake up to a fresh dusting of snow on the ground, I love looking at the pictures from our trip to Florida, and remember what the sun and sand felt like.

One of the highlights of our trip was the day we met up with Andrew's aunt Allyson and her husband Jeff.  When we scheduled our trip to Siesta Key, we didn't realize that Ally and Jeff lived just twenty minutes away from where we were staying.  We were so excited to discover they were so close and even more excited when they invited us to spend the day boating with them.

Abby, Ally, Andrew, and Henry

Jeff and Allyson took us on a tour of the Inter-coastal Waterways between Venice and Sarasota, Florida and out into the open waters of the Gulf.   We had such a fabulous day.  The sun was shining and warm, the water was an incredible greenish-blue color, the houses lining the water were delightfully ostentatious - perfect for gawking, and the company was the best.

Ready for adventure.

As we drove around, Jeff and Allyson told us about the area and about the waterways, but the thing that intrigued us the most, was when they mentioned that in one section of the water, there is a dolphin who is known for following boats and begging for food.  As soon as my kids heard that, they were on a mission to find this legendary dolphin.  Like a group of explorers intent on finding the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot, we were determined to see this dolphin firsthand.  

After a morning spent soaking up the sun and goofing around on the boat, we stopped for lunch at Robert's Bay.  We feasted on yummy sandwiches made by Allyson (why does a sandwich eaten outdoors always taste so amazing?) The water was really shallow and the kids had a great time jumping off the boat into the water and swimming around.

Abby was photographer extraordinaire on this trip... 

Before we knew it, it was late afternoon, and despite several attempts at locating the elusive dolphin, we still hadn't found him.  As we made one last pass through the section where he was rumored to be, our eyes scanned every inch of the horizon as we hoped to catch a glance of the dolphin.  

Finally, we spotted a flash of gray, jumping through the wake of another boat.  We went crazy - so excited that we had finally seen the dolphin.  But of course, the euphoria of that moment quickly wore off and we knew we wouldn't be satisfied until the dolphin swam up next to our boat. 

We circled the area several times as the kids called the dolphin, begging him to swim over to our boat so we could get a better view.  One of the passers-by saw our desperate attempts and told us that the dolphin's name is Moochie - because he loves mooching off of boats.  

"Moochie," the kids called.  "C'mere Moochie.  Here Moochie."  Surprisingly, the dolphin wasn't too quick to respond.  

Just when we were getting ready to give up and head for home, we looked behind the boat and saw what we'd been waiting for all day.

All dolphin pics courtesy of Abby.

The dolphin came up right next to the boat, and flashed his best smile.  The kids (and Andrew) were going crazy.  I kept reminding them that this isn't Sea World and not to get their hands too close - I was seriously a little nervous!  For the next fifteen minutes, "Moochie" swam around and under our boat, popping up every few minutes to smile.  It was incredible. 

Finally, Moochie got bored with us and swam off to find another boat.  It didn't matter though - we were satisfied.  It was the perfect way for us to end an amazing day and it was time to go home.  It was such a highlight of our trip.  We felt so spoiled by Jeff and Allyson and we were so grateful for their hospitality.  

I think my kids my summed it up best in the thank-you cards they wrote to Allyson and Jeff.

I love the line, "I loved doing that with you because I had never experienced the mist in my face and the wind in my hair."

I love the line, "I never tried tuna fish and lettuce but it is nice to try new things."

We'll never forget riding on the boat or finding "Moochie."  It was such an unexpected bonus of going to Florida and a highlight to a fantastic trip.  Thanks Allyson and Jeff for an absolutely unforgettable day.