i luvva da gulf

[backdated, but thought out while on vacation]
the gulf side of florida is great. at least here near clearwater, the beach is pretty calm and allows jake to get near (and in!) with less fear. we swam with him and he was enjoying learning to kick his feet and be passed from person to person. the beach itself is pretty nice, but they'll be doing some reconstruction on it (pumping sand from the ocean up to the shore or something) later in the week. jake and i worked on a sand castle, but he found the retrieving of water for the project a tad more interesting than the digging for the project. i've been enjoying being outside, but i tend to stay in the shade. most of the time on a vacation like this, i seem to go out and get burned the first day and then suffer the rest of the week. not this time!