a long weekend on gasparilla

So despite a mother on the mend (what is it with the flu this season?  terrible!) 
and weather like this:

 

Of Stefan's four trips to Florida, 

we've had bad luck every time!

Stefan and I had a wonderful time visiting my grandparents and parents on Gasparilla Island.

The weekend was extra special as two of my favorite high school teachers (who happen to be very good friends of my mom) were also down visiting.

 

Mrs. Lyons - English teacher extraordinaire (top) 

and Mrs. Morse - USM's Spanish guru (bottom)

on our make-your-own-pizza night

Despite the lousy weather, we did lots of island walking (bundled up of course!), 
lounged around hearing about Poppy's extraordinary cane collection (you haven't seen anything like it), 
indulged in decadent dinners in and out, 
caught up on Downton, and 
spent leisurely lunches sipping beers and coloring at Miller's Marina.

By far the pinnacle of the weekend, however, was the men's midnight fishing trip.  After dinner on Sunday, Stefan, Poppy and my dad headed out into the cold for a late night attempt at catching some marlin. 

(For those of you who know about as much about fish as I do, marlin fishing is considered the pinnacle of game fishing due to the size and power of this beastly fish and the extreme rareness of the species.)

Hemingway and his family with 4 marlin in 1935

(picture and info on marlin from wikipedia,

because I obviously don't know a thing)

Poppy told Stefan he'd buy us a house in San Francisco if Stefan pulled in one of the breed.

After awhile of no luck catching a thing, Stefan tossed in a live-shrimp-bated hook.

Pops muttered to Dad, "This one will be our last.  The chances of us catching a thing are next to none."

After a minute or two, however, Stefan felt a pull, "I've got something here!"

Knowing Stefan loves a good joke, they peered over at him skeptically.

"No really!  I do!  I can't pull it in!" he hollered as he struggled with his pole.

Pops quickly ran over to help him reel in his catch.

A big, meaty snook!

While not quite a marlin, the snook is also a renowned game fish, known for its superior fighting capabilities (which the men experienced first hand).  

While Stefan didn't end up with a house, he went home with a book all about his catch (with a hand-written note from his fishing mentor Pops) as well as a new nickname: "The Fischerman."

How was your long weekend?

xoxo

KK