The dolphins were back this morning, and there were a lot of them! I'd estimate about 15-20 dolphins, so many that there were always a few above the surface of the waves, swimming about.
Some came up right close to the shore, obviously looking for some late breakfast. It was a nice welcoming committee! How blessed to be able to walk out of our condo here, walk out on the balcony, and see so many dolphins waving back at us. We're very blessed!
It was a relaxing day today, sitting on the balcony in this perfect weather watching hawks, pelicans, seagulls and sandpipers. Beachgoers were enjoying the stroll, with a few brave enough to plunge into the cooler water. Daddy was reading, and Madison was watching some episodes of "Jessie" again. Ba-Ba and Nana were off to get the second-to-last treatment of radiation. Mommy was working on ancestry some, and we brought down a leftover pumpkin, and made it into a nice Thanksgiving decoration!
Mommy and Daddy sat on the deck here and played a game of Scrabble, something we used to do more often on these beach trips. Mommy loves Scrabble!
When the grandparents got back, we had Taco Tuesday, and we of course were spending a lot of time talking together, doing quite a bit of catching up. But when the sun went down, we got back into the car, returning to the Daytona International Speedway!
They have Christmas lights there now, and a lot of them. We heard about this last time, and the timing was such that we could go and see it this year. This was just the sort of seasonal thing that the grandparents could come along for, and we could all enjoy it together as a family.
We had the Christmas music playing - we brought along plenty of Christmas CDs, but there was also a radio station playing Christmas music that they suggested, so we had that going too. The traffic going through was nice and slow, and the weather outside nice and cool - it was a very fine evening.
Madison took most of these pictures, by the way. She hung out the car with the camera and was snapping away the first time we went through. On Tuesdays - the reason we went tonight - they let you go through twice for the price of one visit. So we went through twice, as everyone was up for it.
This picture above might be my favorite one that Madison took tonight. The way we traveled was not out onto the actual racetrack itself, but rather through their parking lot, and along a road that goes underneath the stands themselves, beneath the stadium seating area.
The amount of lights here were enormous! Ba-Ba had a coupon that was given to him, this from his visit to the clinic. We got in for $20, which we kept commenting was about $40 less than a certain similar "Nights of Lights" event nearby our house in Gainesville. And yet there were many, many, many more lights. This kept going on and on, and it was just fine with everyone.
Ah look! Loth wolves! They guided us along the interior of the stadium. You could almost hear the deep echoing voice call out, "DUME!" And below, here's another unusual sight:
A yeti going fishing. Yes, it's not every light show that gives us a glimpse at a yeti going fishing. But that's the magic that is Daytona International Speedway! This was an animated display, so the yeti was catching fish after fish. And there were at least three of these yetis going fishing. If you're looking for a good spot to catch some fish, here it is. But be considerate of the yetis.
The Victorian area might have been my favorite. There was even an ice skating rink set up for the characters, and a large Victorian house, all lit up in a colorful display. And of course, given that we were at the Daytona International Speedway, there were several displays of racing cars.
And being so close to the Space Coast, there was a great display of outer space decorations too!
There was a light tunnel we went through to get here, with stars all around us and above us, and then as we passed by the various planets, we arrived at a spot with a space shuttle and an alien too.
Here's an astronaut with a Christmas hat on, ready to wish us all a Merry Christmas!
The Night Before Christmas display was nice, because it depicted various parts of the famous poem, and you sort of had to figure things out as you went along. Oh, look - he's throwing up the sash! And there's a mouse sleeping. And there's Santa, coming down the chimney with a bound!
The Christmas tree was ready for Santa, and I think we are too, after seeing all this on display. There were so many things to see, and the first run-through, Madison snapped probably 200 pictures!
Here below is one from the Candy Land segment, one right in front of the Daytona International Speedway sign. Daddy was driving slowly through, so obviously he wasn't taking any pictures. But the family was looking out the windows, and Madison was actually hanging out the window with that camera for much of the night.
We got back in line and did it all again. Nana and Ba-Ba both said how much they enjoyed this evening, and we did too. It was nice for the whole family, and especially on Tuesdays, I can't recommend it any more. There were a good deal of cars there, so I imagine it will get a lot more crowded when December arrives. So this worked out well for us. We had a little wait at the beginning, but once you're in the middle of things, it's okay to stop and look around.
I think our favorite of these sorts of destinations may still be Calloway Gardens, but this was a great thing to convert the racetrack area to. It's this big destination anyway, and yet here it is at night, all decked out with colorful lighting, and getting everyone ready for the Christmas season.
Obviously, we had a nice evening together as family. We've been going out to see light displays for many years together. I remember one of the first trips with Madison, and it's become a tradition for us quite some time.
It was a nice night! We got home, and we read and prayed, and gave thanks for a nice trip here with family for a special week.
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