Stiltsville!!

We just got back from an over night trip out to Stiltsville, and as always it didn't disappoint. No matter how stressed out you are, a short boat ride to our favourite house is all it takes to blow away those cobwebs!

Stiltsville is a group of houses in Key Biscayne about 7 miles off the shore of Miami. They have a great heritage and now is part of a national park so very few people get to go experience this magical place.

Kelly belongs to a wonderful club called The Miami Springs Power Boat Club, and this is their clubhouse. There are 75 members that can bring whoever they choose out here at any time. Lily's friend Kacey's dad is also in the process of becoming a member so this weekend we met Russ and Toby and Kacey out there, and took along Lily's friend Max and his parents Moira and Charles for their first Stiltsville experience.

We camped out over night and spent all our time fishing for snapper and swimming in the ocean. We slept out under the stars and watched a quite terrific thunderstorm off in the distance (thankfully!)

Lily and Max

Lily has a new best friend - Max. He is her age and this year they will both be in Pre-K4 together. Since meeting a few months ago they have been inseparable and have been attending summer camp together. Moira his mum lives one street over from Sandy so I really don't know why it took us so long to meet, especially when so many of our friends are the same, and Mike has known Max's dad Charles for years!

Both being only children they really seem to have bonded very strongly with each other, first introducing themselves to others as best friends, then cousins...... and more recently brother and sister. Its hard for us to explain to the new school that they are actually not related in the slightest, especially as they each have an English parent!

Lily went last week for a summer visit to Gram and Papas in Okeechobee. I dropped her off on the Saturday and by Monday had a phone call letting me know how upset Max was that Lily didn't take him to Grandmas!?!

So on the next Saturday when Kelly and I drove to get her, we took Max along as a surprise! I wish I had captured Lily's face when she saw him, it was priceless. We joined them at a Rodeo (check out Gram and Papas blog for more info on that), which the kids just loved. They each got little lassos to practise with....... and I am still not quite sure how me made it home in the car in one piece. "Not around her neck Max....!" is still ringing in my ears!