Suwanee River

Here's all you need to know about the Suwanee River.

This will probably be the last batch of vacation pictures I post - much of the Disney portion of the trip I've live-blogged already so scroll down for those. The other pictures we've taken were similar to last year's so do a search for those and you can see pretty much what we did this year.

What's different about this year's trip to Florida, besides the float trip down the Itchetuknee, is our visit to Grandpop Pete's riverhouse on the Suwanee River. (Some quick background about the house - Grandpop Pete and Nana bought it from my cousin - Grandpop Pete's nephew - not too long after they retired a few years ago as a vacation home. It's wild Florida, on a little over 3 acre lot, on the banks of the Suwanee River. Rustic but civilized - air-conditioning and indoor plumbing. Beautiful, as you'll soon see.) We'd been there three years ago but haven't managed to make our way back. The family manages to gather there on just about every major holiday weekend, and most everyone drops by on their way in and out of the area, and Nana's visitor's log shows someone is usually there every couple of weeks or so. Now that Grandpop Pete and Nana have moved closer - they're now only two hours away - their visits are even more frequent.

This would be our first time in Florida around one of the major gatherings - about time, too. We wanted the girls to be around the rest of their huge family for a bit, something they hadn't done for a little over 10 years. So we planned a visit to the riverhouse.

Let's set the scene. Here's an evening view of the river on a boat ride that Uncle Bob took us on shortly after we arrived:


The riverhouse in the morning, looking up from the dock:

The dock looking down from the house:


The wash house. Washer and dryer in the section on the right, a recent bathroom addition in the section on the right. The place is now a two-holer!


The workshop. I took this after the festivities so the toys have been put up and stashed away, ready for the next visit:


The ample porch:


A view of the house as you'd see it approaching from your parked car:


A view from the top of the steps leading down to the dock. The concrete pad and roof of the cookhouse is on the right:


Morning fog upriver:


Morning fog downriver. That's Uncle David's super-cool boat:


The weekend begins. Vehicles and campers for as far as you can see:

What better way to start things than a taste of Florida backwoods cuisine? Frog legs on the grill. Uncle Bob says you can have 'em with the toes curled or uncurled, it's up to you.

Grandpop Pete with Emily and Rachel. Rachel's holding Poppy, Aunt Toni's dorkie.


The crowd eats. First night, besides the frog legs, was Grandpop Pete's lasagna. For the 4th, he'd barbecue ribs; the day after would be Cuban - pulled pork, black beans and rice, plantains. It's like a cruise!


The morning after the day before, or something like that. Aunt Debbie lends a hand for breakfast in her jammies:


The crowed waits patiently for breakfast:

A hummingbird has already been served:

More patience:

Breakfast, at last!

After breakfast, we floated the Itchetuknee, then returned for a day on the river with the boats. Emily contemplates her future:

Rachel and Emily on the float pulled by Uncle John. Uncle John gave 'em a ride for their money, doing his dangdest to toss 'em off. The girls held tight:

Ah. Back in time to eat.

Great food, courtesy of the guy on the left:

The evening fades into night. That means a bonfire, thanks to cousin Tracy. S'mores and sparklers would follow:

Next day was picture day before everyone began their departures. Here's why we brought the girls. Grandpop Pete and Nana with the grandkids who were able to make it:


So, a fine time? The finest! Thanks to Grandpop Pete and Nana and Uncle John and Aunt Vicki and all the other other aunts and uncles and cousins and friends who came and made us feel so welcome. We'll remember this, and them, for a long, long time.