My whirlwind weekend trip to Florida was the first time I left the ranch for an overnight trip since my last whirlwind weekend trip to Florida in July 2009. Guess I don't have to tell you how much I hate traveling.
Being in a city amid gazillions of people and cars and traffic and noise is kind of like my worst nightmare.
But I tried my best to see beyond the chaos and focus on the reason I was there in the first place,
which was to spend time with my family.
Friday was "take your daughter to work day." Dad has a very cool job right in his neighborhood.
I hope I have an equally cool job when I'm 86.
On Saturday, my parents, sister and brother-in-law and I went to Butterfly World.
I was back in my element...
...taking lots of pictures...
...and wishing I could metamorphose into a butterfly to avoid the flight home.
When did airline travel get to be so stinkin' awful?
Anyway, butterflies are not the only colorful residents at Butterfly World.
There are lorikeets, lots and lots of lorikeets...
that can be just as entertaining as George and Alan at feeding time.
No trip to visit the family would be complete without an official portrait to commemorate the occasion,
and a mirror-lined passageway at Butterfly World provided the perfect setting.
Herewith is the Carson Family, November 2012:
Love the group picture. Just seeing your mother in that picture makes me think she's a fun and loving person. She seems to be really enjoying herself. So happy you got to visit your family, but I'm sure you happy to be home with your kids. Totally enjoyed the stories from the etheletts. lol
ReplyDeleteThank you, besides your pets, I love beautiful butterflies and birds.
ReplyDeleteButterfly world sounds really neat. The family portrait is priceless!
ReplyDeleteWonderful picture of the family! Proof positive that laughter is the best medicine.
ReplyDeleteYour family looks great!!! Your mom is beautiful. How lucky you are.
ReplyDeleteThat is THE BEST family portrait I have EVER seen!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a great time in Florida :) Butterfly World sounds like a wonderful place to visit. Gorgeous colors and you can interact with the inhabitants without wondering if they think you are a menu item (thinking about the gators?!)
ReplyDeleteAs for travel, last flight was in 2006 coming from the Pacific. No fun then, and many more rules now. I don't miss it AT-ALL (though as a kid I really looked forward to plane travel -- ah the good old days).
Wishing Ethel and her brood have a comfortable and uneventful return home.
They did a great job of keeping your critters happy (including your blog readers!)
M in NC
Awesome family portrait - your relatives look like they are lots of fun. And.....now I want a lorikeet :)
ReplyDeleteOh my gawd...the photo of the butterflies flying off - or is that some feat of photoshopping wizardry that morphed three images into one?
ReplyDeleteI physically cringed when I saw the first photo of the traffic...I can commiserate with you.
Your family looks like an absolute hoot. What fun! Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your adventure.
When I have to travel, even for a night, numbness in my right hand and shooting pain in my right elbow begins about a week before. It isn't over until three days after I get back. Flying reminds me of every bad trip I ever took. I'd rather be picking up manure.
ReplyDeleteyou are bad, i wanted to see YOU.. great photo and everyone looks so happy. that traffic pic made me shudder. gorgeous butterfly pics
ReplyDeleteAwwww.....it sounds like you had a good visit with your family! I hate flying too...last time I was on an airplane, we went to New Orleans. Hubby wants to return, but my stomach doesn't.
ReplyDeleteLuv the family picture eh ;D...
ReplyDeleteyou will have a fab job at 86, almost the same on you have now ;p
Awww... what a great family portrait. And, of course, I love the butterfly shots. Glad you went and made it home safe.
ReplyDeleteLove your family photo--good thing there was a mirror there. :)
ReplyDeleteI know your folks really appreciate you coming to visit them. Air travel sucks worse for older folks, especially in wheelchairs. My in-laws will no longer travel by air unless my hubby can go along. They're in their 80's and it's just all too much for them.
Great pictures (as usual). I wish you had used the back LCD display on your camera rather than the eyepiece so we could see your face as well but still it's a great family photo. Ethel and the Ethelettes did a great job, but it's good to see you home.
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures, but the family being together is THE BEST....looks like a fun family....hugs extented to your family :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, YOU should have had someone take your pic too although that's a great pic!! Looks like YOU all had FUN!! This August our family flew
ReplyDeleteto Vegas for my youngest son's wedding.I was surprised, it all
went pretty good although the flight going was a little loud with piercing ear shattering screams of children crying for their mother and dad because they had to be seated and buckled in at different times like turbulence(sp?) and I got pulled over coming home to search my purse. It had a big bottle of Hand RX Sanitizer in it! The security guy was real nice though about it, I threw it away, I was almost home anyway! Family is a GREAT BLESSING though. When are YOU going back? At least YOU have awesome stand-ins to critter sit!
Great family photo! Looks like you had a good visit. I am sure you are glad to be back on your home turf! :)
ReplyDeleteI share your dislike of airplane travel and cities. But, from this blog reader's point of view, the trip was well worth your pain - those photos are wonderful, as is the joy on your mother's face.
ReplyDeleteI agree about air travel - hope I don't ever have to again! But I'm so glad you had the chance to go. You have great friends and a fun-loving family - and now I, too, want a lorikeet! Had never heard of them before. What's the diff between a lori and a para?
ReplyDeleteNancy in Iowa
Love the family photo. The best ones are always the candid ones. Your mother's expression is priceless!!
ReplyDeleteI hate traveling too. Love being someplace new, just hate the hassle of getting there.
ReplyDeleteYour family visit sounds great and the family picture is priceless. Beautiful smiles.....
I am about to drive for 16 hours instead of taking a plane flight. I would rather drive anywhere than fly anymore. Love that family picture, but I note that two individuals sneakily got off with no horns (or extra ears?)
ReplyDeleteWe have a butterfly world here too that is a lot fun. I love the family photo. Lots of hugs to your family. Hope the Ethel and her family had a safe trip home. They did a marvelous job with the critters and keeping us entertained.
ReplyDeleteGreat family photo! Your folks look wonderful. Kathy too. I'm sure you had a great visit.
ReplyDeleteLynn-El
I'd love to go to work with your dad. Wonder if he'd let me drive?
ReplyDeleteThe pictures of the butterflies and birds are amazing. What a fun outing for the family and a special time for your parents.
The family portrait is priceless. It says a lot.
What a great trip! I love the lorikeets, we have those at the zoo here. Half the time kids run screaming from them...
ReplyDeleteAnd some adults, too.
I fly nearly every week. It's absolutely the most miserable way to travel these days. It's as if they decided to develop the largest number of ways to make the experience as tedious and ridiculous as possible.
Welcome home !
Guess who looks like her mother? Well, you can't see her because there's a camera in her face. And looks like sis favors Dad. Very nice looking family! Glad you're back home.
ReplyDeleteLoved the family fun shot. Bet that one is going to end up on a Christmas card or two. ;)
ReplyDeleteWonderful family picture...except for you covering your face!! I love your mom especially, she looks like she's having a blast!! Kind of made me teary-eyed because that's how my mom always looked in pictures. Oh, cherish your family because you'll never get over their loss when they're gone. Your butterflies are just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWe do family photos similar to yours...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful colorful pictures of those beautiful butterflies and birds....
Air travel is a total nightmare....we should be paid to go through what we do to fly somewhere...I prefer car travel myself...
Love from NC
Love the last picture, especially your Mom.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on that whole airline travel thing. They made the seating smaller and don't get me started on security. ( I accidentally traveled from Phoenix to Cleveland and back again with a knife in my purse and no one said a word!)
Beautiful and happy family photo!
ReplyDelete