Naples, Florida

Carrie went to Naples, Florida from 14 June to 12 July for a conference. It was a really amazing opportunity to meet a lot of people from many backgrounds. We had a fair amount of long work days, but were able to find time to have fun as well! The hotel was right on the beach, so after work we were able to play beach volleyball a few times or just go for a quick swim. I tried running in the mornings a few times, but the humidity was killer!

Some of the fun things I got to do were:

- Shopping at several malls and shopping outlets. I definitely miss American shopping!

- Kayaking. Kayaking was a lot of fun but a very difficult workout...especially for someone without any upper body strength!

- Visiting the Naples Zoo. It was ridiculously hot and not very impressive. However, their primate exhibit was a group of islands without fences--apparently natural borders of water are enough!

- Sheriff's department ride along. It was neat to see what they do and their perspective of the community.

- Airboat ride on the Everglades. The landscape of the Everglades was completely unique and amazing. As the boat maneuvered through mangrove stands and over sawgrass, we saw alligators up close and birds peacefully flying overhead. I opted out of holding a baby alligator at the end of the tour. Our tour guide, a former gator wrassler, said that Florida is home to more species of orchids than any where outside of Asia and pointed out a few to us.

- Boating on the Gulf of Mexico for a morning. Several of us rented a boat for a morning and went out to the Gulf of Mexico. While several people fished, the rest of us had a good time swimming. We even found a shore covered in seashells and had fun finding really pretty ones.