Summer Days

The kids' last day of school was Wednesday of last week. It definitely feels like summer in these parts!

While Iver was playing pickleball on a private invite to the Daltons' on Thursday, Niall and I hiked the Lynn Vietor Nature Trail to hunt down some trilliums, a native flower (it's a bit late in the season but we found a few, among other flowers and critters).

        

here's the three-petaled flower!

banana slug

The coastal temperatures soared into the seventies and we passed Friday afternoon at Luffenholtz beach in Trinidad, where it was warm enough to be in shorts and t-shirts!

The kids spent a couple of hours hunting for crabs while I watched the pelicans and listened to an audiobook in the sunshine. I even saw a seal come up close to the shoreline and peek its head above the surf.

Summer mornings are for .... crafting "shortcake" pancake stacks (Iver).

Park Ping Pong!

The World Cruise passed by Eureka!

We spent Saturday at Blue Lake's Perigot Park and Open Door Fest, which celebrates the company's longstanding community healthcare efforts. The event starts with "service awards" for employees with five, ten, fifteen, twenty, and beyond (50 years, Dr. Bell and D. Horwitz!) with the organization.

Iver helped announce award recipients, and Kelvin led the ceremony with more Dad jokes. 

New this year was a five-on-five Ultimate Frisbee match, which I requested as I dislike kickball. We had a great time in spite of the wind (and it was HOT [81 degrees!] for these parts), and will donate the pot (players put in $20 each and K and my team was victorious) to a local charity. I played a lot of Ultimate Frisbee during med school and residency, and it'd be great to play more here, although it requires willing folks and a good field, as well as more fast-twitch muscles than I currently possess! 

There were five clinic teams playing kickball. Iver joined Arcata's squad, and they came in third place after RCHC forfeited the final game. Iver had some great catches at third base! 

with team captain, Lisa

ECHC's team "Urine Trouble" (great name), last year's champs, came in second...

... to my clinic, MCHC!

While I didn't help my team in the slightest besides cheering (I am not fond of sports requiring ball-kicking!), I was proud of my colleagues!

Florida, Part 2: Key Largo

We spent three nights in Key Largo, one of the islands making up the Florida Keys.  I had been to Key West on a re-routed cruise back in 2009, but hadn't been back to Florida since (like the weather, dislike the conservative politics). 

On our first morning, we were supposed to snorkel the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, but due to high winds and large sea swells, the company decided not to take us out that far (prone to seasickness, I was grateful).  

Island relaxing before the tour

"Snorkel Joe" was a hilarous first mate aboard our boat, led by Captain Brad, and reminded us of Owen Wilson. He, originally from Oklahoma, spends 8 months of the year doing tours out of Florida.

We (well, three of us as Niall got freaked out and cold) snorkeled near some mangroves and $800-$1200/night offshore bungalows. 

We saw a large male seahorse floating by right off the deck, as well as many fish, sea stars, and brittle stars (like a sea star with multiple other arms, like octopus). We didn't see any manatees, but they did the day before!  The water was cold, but we warmed up back on deck. The tours operate year-round, even in the wet season (May-October).

Roadside iguana

We had a delicious lunch at the recommended Fish House in town.

On day 2, we headed to Robbie's Marina on Islamorada, slightly south and west of Key Largo. 

Our first stop was feeding giant tarpon, who jump out of the water to grab your fish, which is startling! 

Don't try this at home.

Pelicans hover, and have to be shooed away by staff bouncers :)

We then did a two-hour jet ski tour along the coast (a first for all of us!), which was really fun.  We got a good "driving jet ski 101" lesson for our tour guide, Daniel, and despite my reluctance to go too fast (thus being left behind a bit), I got the hang of it after about half an hour. Iver says we "almost" crashed but this is not accurate in the slightest-- we just bumped over some waves. 

Check out the dolphin who swam alongside us for a bit!

Three of us snorkeled again (guess who sat it out), in a bit warmer water, but didn't see any new creatures, unfortunately!

We had a delicious lunch at the Hungry Tarpon.

I enjoyed lobster bisque and ceviche, while Kelvin had a whole snapper. You could "hook and cook" (bring your own caught fish to be prepared by the chef) if you were inclined! 

We stopped at nearby Anne's Beach before heading back to Key Largo. 

Our rental was just a few minutes away from world-class pickleball courts, which we learned were just two years old. Iver had a blast hitting around (despite the afternoon sea breeze), and even playing some doubles with some retirees :). Yes, we packed our own paddles along for this trip! We also enjoyed a heated outdoor pool.

Key Largo: we're a fan!