We are SO itchy...

Here is the carousel at the Jacksonville Zoo, and Grandpa Stan, notice the bear Jonah is holding? The ostriches were huge, you could pet the giraffes while they were eating, and most of the exhibits were large and open, with boardwalks running through so there were many great opportunities to see the animals, unlike the peephole type views more typical at the Oregon Zoo that we are used to. Also the playstructure and carousel in the middle were loads of fun for the kids. The only bad thing about that trip was that I left my wallet at the zoo on Thursday. Didn't realize it until I got home and Brett asked for a stamp or something and we couldn't find the wallet. The zoo was closed, but I was pretty sure it must have been there, so we cancelled our credit cards and I called the Oregon DMV to discover the precarious status of getting another driver's license when you don't have a real address and are across the country from where your license is from...When I went back to the zoo the next morning, there was my wallet. Lucked out on that one!
This is our happy beach day at Huguenot State Park. This is what I thought Florida was going to be like--clear water, lots of shells, wet kids and dog and sunshine. It was really wonderful. We drove way out on the sand and had our stretch of beach all to ourselves, except for a couple of doggie playmates Banchi enjoyed, and their owner, who was a very nice female police officer in Jacksonville. This park is not far from where Brett is working, it is where the St. Johns River empties into the Atlantic.
Here Jonah and I were playing checkers at Fort Clinch. It is in the very NE corner of Florida and is the remains of a Civil War Fort. There are uniformed employees milling around answering history questions. At first Jonah was afraid of them, because their costumes are so realistic, but when he left a Playmobil guy at the checkerboard (see him in the right side of the photo?) and the soldier brought it back to him 1/2 hour later when we realized he was missing, Jonah decided they were "good" soldiers.
Maya peeking through ruins of the slave quarters at Kingsley Plantation. Jonah was asleep in the car, so Maya and I walked around briefly, just long enough to get within a few feet of an armadillo and check out the coquina "tabby"ruins of the houses. They would be charming if it weren't for the ominous pit in your gut when you consider they were crowded, depressing homes for marginalized families.
Big Talbot Island State Park is the site of a beautiful forest full of hanging vines and stately oak and cedar trees. Erosion along the bank has created extensive driftwood "skeletons" of the trees. It made for an interesting beach walk. There is so much wood on the beach you have to climb rather than walk for much of it. We met a family from Staten Island with a 7 year old daughter--they made us promise to look them up when we are back in New York.

So, that is it for the pictures for now, but you are dying to know about the itchies, right?

OK, so I should have listened to our vet and put Banchi on flea medication before we arrived...but I figured since I haven't had to use flea meds in 8 years, why start now? Well...apparently, when you come to Florida you should use flea meds. We knew he had been itchy. We even bought him some cheap flea control medication. It became obvious after a couple days that it wasn't working. We still didn't think much of it until this morning when Maya woke up with about 20 flea bites. She has been absolutely miserable all day, even after Benadryl and Calamine. I have never actually purchased a bottle of Benadryl before today. Yuck. Now we are all creeped out and keep itching, although none of the rest of us have any bites. So we bought the good meds today from a Vet and Banchi should be flea-free by morning. Didn't have it in me to wait it out with "natural" pest control. I suppose I could use it as an excuse that we haven't actually found the natural food store in Jacksonville yet. We sort of are all for the mindset to just nuke the little buggars. Like Roger always says, "Better Living Through Chemistry", right?

In other news, Brett's work boat was stolen this week. They called the Coast Guard, but it hasn't turned up. That may impact how long we stay in Florida--HPA definitely won't keep two teams of divers here if they can't all dive. The boat included all the equipment--air compressor, helmets, etc., so it is a big process to replace it all. They have been working on above-water inspection and diving out of the other boat while they wait for news on the theft.