"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." ~ John Lubbock

Well, we arrived back home in Central New York safely last night. We had a busy two weeks in Florida, but have returned home feeling satisfied with our decisions; from tiles to bathroom cabinets to contractors. That's a good feeling! Things like pulling out old kitchen cabinets, etc., will not begin till the latter half of August, at which point Bruce will head back down to oversee things, with the plan that I will join him toward the end to help with painting, etc. As with most renovation projects, it's all costing a bit more than we had anticipated, but we are looking forward to having a winter spot that we (and our family we hope!) will really enjoy in the years to come.

One of the really delightful things about where our condo is located is that the complex sits right on the St. Lucie River, with its own pier stretching out into the water (our condo is at the far end, and almost right on the road - but hey - the complex is on the water!) The St. Lucie River consists of brackish water, a mix of fresh water and salt. As a result, we are able to see signs of sea-life. Pelicans are regulars, and we have seen jellyfish on a number of occasions. Two winters ago we saw dolphins at a distance. One of our last nights there this week, we sat out on the pier and were treated to seeing three dolphins up relatively close as they followed a kayak. It was at sunset, and I didn't have my camera with me (though I think that decent pictures would have been difficult), but it was such a delight to be able to sit in the quiet breeze and watch this sight. Here are some shots of our final trip to the pier this visit.

Now for some bathroom decisions. The cabinet below is what we have selected for the half bath. A nice ocean shade! Otherwise, the half bath will just be simple bathroom fixtures - nothing worth picturing here.

The floor tiles for both bathrooms are what we also have planned (and pictured in the previous post) for the kitchen.

On to the full-bath, with a bit more space to work with, the following cabinet is what we have selected, though with a somewhat lighter top.

The tiles pictured below are for the shower area:

That's it for now!