New Years in Naples

Happy 2014! How's the year going so far?

Like much of the rest of the nation, we're freezing our butts off in Southern Illinois. Most of Carbondale has been shut down the last 2 days with the extreme cold and icy roads. With that being said, I thought it was a perfect time to share pics from our New Years trip to Naples, Florida.

Matt's parents own a vacation home in Naples, and Matt, Jack and I were lucky enough to spend the week between Christmas and New Years with them there.  With temperatures in the 70's and 80's, we spent a lot of time outside. 

Matt was in bird nerd heaven. I'm thinking about illustrating some of the beach birds we saw. 

This is the boardwalk to the beach. You walk through large mangrove forest to get there. 

Really cool and teeming with wildlife. 

 

  

On New Year's Eve we rented a boat and toured around the inlet bays that are teeming with palatial estates. Most of these homes are just vacation properties.....I heard that only 25% of properties in Naples are inhabited year round. Crazy!!!

Later that evening, we watched the sunset on the beach, while imbibing in bubbles and snacks. As you can tell, we hated every moment of this. I really love the beach, and Matt gets a kick out of how excited I get when I'm there. If I was on this trip by myself, I probably would have spent every moment there! 

We capped the evening off with a seafood feast and fireworks that we watched right out the front door of the condo. 

It was a great trip.....I really can't wait to go back! 

Happy 2014 friends! Wishing all the best. See you next week!