Florida’s New Slogan: Henry Likes It!
Ten days ago, Kristen, Henry, and I flew down to Tampa to visit Henry’s grandfather and great-grandmother. Fun was had by all. Let me elucidate.
Things that were great:
The weather. Sure, it was only in the upper 70s and the water temperature was chilly, but after months of cold and dreariness here in Chicago, it was a great change of pace. It was great to feel the warm sun on your face and be able to get up in the morning and, instead of bundling up, walking outside. Outside!
Vocabulary. Out of nowhere, Henry added about 4 or 5 words every day. He’d point at something (say, a clock) and I’d say, “That’s a clock, Henry.” “Clock,” he’d answer. That’s all well and good, but then, a couple of hours later, after passing said clock again, he’d point and say, “Clock.” And this happened over and over again, to the point where I’d look at Kristen after he said something that I’d never heard before (like bicycle) and ask her if she’d heard that before. “Nope, that’s a new one.” Again and again. Maybe it was just the warm weather helping cook more cells in his brain or something.
Sleep. Unlike the last several overnight trips where new situations and new sleeping arrangements wreaked havoc on Henry. Up three times a night, awake at 5 in the morning, naps all askew. But this time, he slept great. We’d put him down at the normal time and he slept straight through until a reasonable hour in the morning. His naps were great, too. Good times.
Water. While “no” is the word Henry says the most (followed closely by “sausage”), water is certainly in the top 5. He loves it — the pool, the bathtub, the lake — so it’s no surprise that he had a great time at the Clearwater Beach and Howard Beach in Tarpon Springs. Give that kid a bucket, a shovel, a hat, and a bathing suit, and he’s set for about 3 hours.
The Lowry Park Zoo. Tampa has a terrific zoo, and while we were a bit short on time, we enjoyed it the best we could. This meant that Henry looked at rhinos and monkeys and exotic birds and ran around squealing. And just when he looked at more animals than any toddler could ever want, we wandered into the kids’ area where there was a petting zoo (goats! which ate kibble out of his hand!) and several water spouts that Henry ran around in (wearing only a t-shirt and a diaper — quite trashy). When we left as the zoo closed (too early, if you ask me), Henry cried. (“More! More! All done buckle!” as we strapped him into the car seat.)
Family. Kristen’s brother and his special lady arrived the day after we flew down, and although they had some interesting hotel adventures (abandoning one and then moving rooms in the next), they had a good time as well. Jay and Andrea are good people, and Henry likes them quite a bit.
`Things that were not so great:
Sunburn. As a member of the pale club for men, it is necessary for me to wear sunscreen when going outside. It’s even more imperative when I’m not wearing a shirt (not a pretty sight, I’ll tell you what). So when we went to this community swimming pool (which had a nice area for kids just Henry’s size), I jumped into the water with him. What I neglected to do was lather myself up with SPF 153. So that night, my back was lobster red and painful. It was kicking off heat so much, I think I could’ve stir-fried dinner. Instead, I whimpered. It’s been a week now, and I’m peeling like nobody’s business. So terrible.
The food. Florida (if you didn’t know) is surrounded by water and living inside said water is a myriad of swimming creatures (fish, octopi, fishy-octopi), and there are plenty of boats out there catching them for us land dwellers to consume. So you’d assume with all that fresh seafood, when you get it on your plate at one of countless seafood restaurants, it’d be tasty. Think again. We ate out a lot, and I can say that there were only two really good meals. One was at a dive-y place where I ate grouper on a stick (and really, what doesn’t taste better on a stick) and the other was a Greek restaurant in Tarpon Springs (the sponge capital of the world) where I had a great gyro and Henry ate grilled squid and a huge plate of pastichio. Other than that, though… blegh.
Those two unpleasantnesses aside, it was a great trip for everyone. (And the goats seemed to enjoy our visit, too.)
