Our Shelter From The Sun.... and Sometimes Rain

Before I begin this next post..... I wanted to share an idea that I had last night. An idea that I came up with when I was sifting through 673 pictures on my computer trying to find the right ones from each day.

673 pictures in no particular order.

I lost my sanity in the mayhem of it all. And may or may not have punched Kev in the arm and called him a hillbilly. Sorry Kev.

So, my idea is that I will not necessarily post an order of events from each day.... but will instead post mini themed stories like "laughter", "vacation Kev", "how much beer and ice can a family go through during a week at the beach", "skit night"... etc. I'm sure you get the point. I will also post some stories and pics about each family.

Basically, you will be hearing a LOT about this trip. And will be seeing a TON of pictures. This blog is documenting my life and my families' lives... and every second of this trip is worth telling about.

And so the next story begins.....

It is Sunday, June 14th.

The Cubans finally arrived at 12:30am. They drove in from Jacksonville after flying to Jacksonville from Cuba.

They smelled like cigars and guava fruit.

Wolfe also arrived on Sunday. She mainly came because of my brother. The other reason she came was to experience the Switzers on a bigger level than just Sunday dinner. It is an experience worth experiencing. But only when you are still young and able bodied. Luckily, Wolfe is both of those things. Actually she is MORE than able bodied. At everything. Don't let her fool you. Without getting in to too much detail at this time... let's just say that she threatened my horseshoe championship amongst other things.

Her first name is Laura. And I think she is fabulous. And she fits right in with our crazy group and it feels like she has been here since the beginning. The beginning of what I don't know. It just sounds good to say it that way. A little drama always makes things more interesting.

So, the group is complete. All 18 of us are in swimsuits on the beach and ready to party. That's right. I said party. Because that is what you do when you are on vacation. Regardless of your age. And especially if you grew up in the 80's.

But there were a couple of problems.

#1 The sun was hotter than Brad Pitt on any given day and Tom Cruise in Top Gun and the stuffed jalapeno peppers I made for Dave's party.
#2 The majority of the group was pasty white with a little more whiteness added in for good measure.
#3 I'm deathly afraid of sharks. And overgrown octopus monsters. And flying piranha. And clowns that live on the beach.

Long story short.... We needed shelter. And Kev was prepared to deliver. Because he always thinks ahead. Not only did he think ahead and purchase this tent... but we did a "practice" set up of the tent in our yard. He is mature like that. And organized. And smart. And he is great with landscaping and computers.

I'm just along for the ride. With a couple of good meals thrown in.

And so the tent building begins...... After he tells me to sit down on my "time out" mat and stop getting in the way.... Holly joins in. She's is military, you know. That means tent building is in her blood. I think.

More family members join in..... I wanted to help but I was in "time out".

Enjoying the completed shelter....

I jumped in to this next pic to make it look like I helped. Holly seems to be doing "the robot" while I am posing Run DMC style. Like I said before. It was an 80's party. All week.

Unfortunately, on day three we had a warning notice on our tent that stated we were not allowed to leave the tent up overnight. That resulted in the tent having to be taken down at the end of each day and put back up the following morning. I always seemed to "miss" this process because I was still eating or sleeping... or both at the same time.

We got so much use out of this shelter. It was well worth the cost and trouble. We were camped out on the beach from sun up to sun down every day. Even the one day of rain couldn't keep us away.

And yes. Our group and our belongings took up the majority of the beach. In addition to this set up, we also had a volleyball net and horseshoe court.

The above pic was taken on Monday. My cousins, Angela and Carrie, stopped by to hang out with us. They are sitting to the right. And are wondering what in the world they got themselves in to. Actually, I think they are slowly but surely scooting their chairs away from the tent as to not be associated with any nonsense that is probably about to happen. I don't blame them. I did the same thing a couple of times during the week.

Up next..... A Jamaican Luau???