Wow. She's 7 years old!

It seems like just the other day that my granddaughter was born, but today she turns 7 years old.                                                                      It was supposed to be spring in Colorado but despite knowing that their idea of spring can end up being like the heart of winter, I longed to see my family there and so wanted to celebrate with her that I timidly decided to attend for the party they planned for  Saturday last.                                                                                                                                                                                                    The weather report was indicating temperatures of 53 high for the weekend so I was not too worried but boy were they ever wrong for it snowed heavily on Friday night and by Saturday morning we knew we would be in trouble with almost twenty kids to entertain INSIDE!

Luckily, her parents are very resilient so they rose to the occasion and the kids all had a wonderful time, doing arts and crafts and horsing around, as did us oldsters!

Most of the parents stayed at the party too to assist and keep their and the other kids entertained, in light of the changing circumstances caused by the weather.

Maddy, whose main concern was getting many gifts was not disappointed either and there was food galore many dishes creatively named and decorated.

The kids did get to go outside for a wee bit too, to play Pinata which involves beating a  stuffed dragon with a baseball bat until it opens up and the sweets stored inside fall out.                                                 Some kids would have liked to have stayed outside longer if they were allowed, but the parents weren't taking any chances with the flu season not yet over.                                                                                                                                             My granddaughter does not allow the snow to stop her from doing anything though as she even went to swimming lessons, yes in an inside pool. She is becoming quite a good swimmer having mastered even the backstroke already.                                                                                                    It was a wonderful party and a great family gathering despite the weather and I am sure happy I went to cold Colorado to celebrate with my granddaughter who is rapidly growing into a beautiful and brilliant young lady.

Touring the Everglades and jamming mento style

Airboats ready to go

I think from the first moment I saw a photograph of an airboat, I was sold.

Last weekend I finally got the opportunity to ride in one and was not at all disappointed.

I can't say why it took me so long or how my grandson Shadrach found a tour before I did since I am normally the "tour guide" who drags every willing participant

Shadrach holding a baby gator

along!

Anyway, he found Sawgrass Recreation center some time ago, went on the tour, showed me pictures and told me about it and I couldn't wait to do the tour myself.

It sure lived up to all my expectations, not the gators and colorful birds we saw in the Everglades but the boat ride.

 I was extremely fascinated each time I saw the captain heading towards a patch of sawgrass reeds then
drive straight through it.
I actually felt like a child for, no matter how often he did it, it still pleasantly surprised me.

I have been around boats most of my life for I absolutely love the water. In fact, I swear I was a mermaid in my past life but that's for another blog!

However,  these airboats go straight through bushes, not around them, for as the name implies, it appears they navigate through the air rather than through the water.

As we flew along through the weeds at really high speeds, I was even more intrigued ( though I shouldn't have been,) when the captain told us that we were in only six inches of water! 

Before we started the tour, we were given earplugs and told the engine was loud and it was, but to me, that was part of the adventure so I lost my plugs quickly.
We saw quite a few gators out there but I am accustomed to seeing them and their cousins, the crocs, so my real fascination was the boat ride, though, at the small zoo section of this attraction, I did see the absolute largest reptile I have ever seen in my life. And he was green to boot. All the other gators I have ever seen were black or grey. This one was green and so huge it gave me the shivers.

Made me kinda feel he could have been around in the days of the dinosaurs!

Anyway loved my airboat ride through the Everglades and can't wait to repeat it.

The versatile musician and distinguished artist Colin Smith (in glasses) leads the jam.

As if that ride was not enough for a  great weekend, my cousin Barry (aka Colin Smith) leads a great mento band, the only mento band in Florida too. It is called Tallawah. 
He had a musical feast at his home on Sunday afternoon, despite the weather reporters predicting a storm starting about 4.30 pm. Well, the prediction was partially correct but fortunately for us, they got the time wrong.

 We, therefore, enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of familiar and entertaining mento music and had repaired inside for a food feast of delicious Jamaican dishes including curry goat and roti, now renamed "coati" by my other cousin super-cyclist Hayden, all before the prediction came through. That storm struck at about 8.30 pm but luckily did not last too long although it was quite fierce.

 Glad the forecasters were wrong for it was really a pleasurable evening with family including one, Everett, who is tracing the family tree and satisfied my curiosity on many angles, therefore making it a satisfying way to bring a really enjoyable weekend to a close.