Pretty Close to Paradise

"I know I don't get there often enough
But God knows I surely try
It's a magic kind of medicine
That no doctor could prescribe..."

Yes, Florida has some absolutely GORGEOUS beaches. We drove about 2 hours to get to the Gulf Coastline of Florida from Orlando. It was sooo worth it. It's so different from swimming in the brown waters of Galveston. We were a little worried about the possibility of not being able to see the beaches because of the oil. (Thanks, BP. Appreciate it, you turds.) But, it wasn't effected in the least.
The first beach we hit was Caspersen Beach to search for fossilized shark teeth. Three things about this beach, it was beautiful but the "sand" near the shoreline is purely broken shell and fossil. It HURTS to walk on it. Two, it is very peaceful. Three, quite a few people do actually have serious equipment to search for sharks' teeth. We didn't use equipment but we did attempt to search for some. (Albeit, unsuccessfully)
The best part about this was it was Caden's first time at the beach. He had a wonderful time. I thought he would freak out at the whole, waves crashing type thing but, no, he loved being splashed, digging, chasing crabs, and picking up seashells.
Let me tell you though, it was hot. Another thing, um, when Ethan and Caden pulled down their swim trunks to wash off, their entire backsides were covered in seashell. I mean the entire side! Not pleasant at all.
We went a little farther and ended up at Siesta Key beach. Breathtaking. Brian and I decided we wanted to come back and stay on the actual beach next time. The water is clear and blue-green in places. The sand is a fine powder which our feet were eternally grateful for. The beach itself? So gorgeous.