Eaton's Beach

We joined some of friends at Eaton's Beach, which is one of the best restaurants in the area. We were a group of 11 people and I think everyone enjoyed the meal; I know we all enjoyed the company. We keep looking for new restaurants in the area but it's nice to revisit a favorite.
After the meal Gary, Randy, and Dan proved that men can be little boys - if they sit in a giant chair.

I Can Only Imagine

As one of our service projects, our Life Group decided to host a viewing of the movie "I Can Only Imagine".  Our church took care of most of the expenses and the movie was shown in the sanctuary. We arranged to get a lot of free popcorn from Rural King and bought more, along with a lot of sodas and bottles of water. The night of the movie our group set up an area to give free popcorn and drinks to everyone who came for the show. Over 300 people came, which was a great turnout and just about capacity for us. It was a wonderful night!






Cute Pests

See, on one hand, I know that the local nine-banded armadillos can be destructive - last year they covered our yard in potholes. And they are the only animals that carry leprosy; there are usually around 10 cases a year in Florida alone.

But on the other hand, when they are young, they are adorable! This morning as we drove home, Randy noticed four young armadillos in a yard just a few feet from ours. I went home, grabbed my camera, and ran back. They were still there, eating their way across the yard.  I know they are a pest, but they are so cute!
Nine-banded armadillos always give birth to four identical young, so these four are probably from the same nest. They were very focused on digging, eating, then moving again. 
They walked quickly but just as often they hopped, like tiny armored kangaroos. 
They were so quick, in fact, that I couldn't get a good photo. They weren't running away, they were just keeping busy. I wanted this guy to be still so I could get a good look at those claws. 

I could get to like them just on account of their eating habits - at least two of these guys were tearing up a fire ant nest and eating all the eggs they could find. They kept shaking their heads as the ants tried to fight back, but they didn't leave until they were ready. Since I hate fire ants so very, very much, this made me smile. But I have to remind myself that, after all, they were digging up a well-maintained grass lawn - and I cannot stress enough how hard it is to have a nice lawn in this area. 

They ignored me completely. I followed them across the road when one turned back, perhaps deciding that the pickings were better where he had been. I was in his way and I thought he'd go around me. Suddenly I realized that I'd better be the one who moved out of the way 'cause he wasn't even thinking about it! 

Sieta Key Beach

Saturday Gary and Erin drove us to Sieta Key Beach. It's over 2 hours away but it was worth every second of the drive - this is a beautiful beach, and Gary and Erin know the place well enough to find a spot that wasn't packed.
We love this place - the sand is soft underfoot but firm enough to sit on, the water is reasonably clear, and the water temperature is just right. We took turns in the water, with one of us staying on the beach to keep an eye on our stuff. Not that it was an imposition! 
It was hot but not unbearably, and a slight breeze kept us comfortable. Too comfortable - I spent over an hour in the water and the next day I woke up with a bad sunburn. I don't care - it was worth it!

Anniversary at Carrabba's

Our friends Donna and Pete have an anniversary soon, so we thought we should all go out to celebrate. Gary and Erin joined us at Carrabba's. Their afternoon special of appetizers and small plates make for a great assortment to share, so we got a little of everything. We had a great meal, with nothing to wish for except that my phone camera was better.