This town is our town, this town so glamorous

I've been lucky enough to live in some amazing places.  Places full of natural beauty, culture, good food, good people and strong communities.  More recently, to my utter delight, I've lived in places steeped in varied and vast history.  Our little town in Florida is no different.  Honestly, I've felt a bit like I have been on vacation ever since we got here.  In between unpacking, decorating and landscaping, we've spent our time taking endless walks, getting homemade ice cream at the local fudge shop, and hanging out at the beach.  Like I said, kinda like a permanent vacation.

A typical day starts with breakfast and flower-picking in our lovely backyard, followed by a morning walk down to this cute little beachside park

Followed by a relaxing picnic here:

After preschool and dinner, we usually take a walk downtown.  Along the way we see all sorts of natural beauty.  Like this flamingo who flew into my shot at just the right time:

Or this secret fairy party spot:



I almost love the downtown area more than the beach.  I know, that's crazy.  But true.  It has a homey, laid back feel to it that just begs you to slow down, breathe in the smells and take in the sights.  Of course, we can't go down there without stopping for some delicious homemade ice cream to enoy on our walk.

A great part of this town is all the hidden nooks and crannies, all of which are filled with explosions of of bright and beautiful flowers, trees, plants, along with conveniently placed benches to sit and enjoy it all. 



But our walk is not just full of natural beauty.  We also see varied ethnic restaurants, bakeries, vintage clothing stores, antique stores, and kitchy tourist shops.  Outside many of these shops you can see a colorful array of sidewalk art from local artists.  I love the vibe of sidewalk art.  It is good for the soul and promotes a creative community.  Plus it adds lovely colors to our daily walks.



All the buildings here are pre-twentieth century.  Some date as far back as the late 1600s.  It gives you a sense of being able to touch the past.

And one thing I didn't realize before moving here is that our little island was a hiding spot for some pretty famous pirates.  The town embraces this heritage and you see pirate statues, signs and paraphernalia all over the island.

As a result, Lily has become convinced that there is buried treasure somewhere downtown.  She spends much of our walk gleefully searching for it.

Our walk ends at the harbor at the end of center street.  If we're lucky, we get to see some egrets, dolphins, manatees, or any number of wildlife.  But we are always assured to see sailboats and shrimp boats dotting the water.



Last night we got to witness a mama dolphin playing with her baby.

As we left, we even got a little wave from the baby:

Can you see it?  It was difficult to get a good shot, but you can still see the little tailfin if you look close.

 We also got to see a pretty spectacular show at sunset.

Thanks for visiting our town.  I hope you love it as much as we do.