Hegwein Family Blog

Our Vacation!

We have safely arrived home, rested (sort of), rejuvenated, and sore (all that hiking and horseback riding)! The kids had a blast on Tuesday, when we rented a deck boat for the day. We bought a tow-behind tube before leaving Sarasota, and we all took turns skimming across the water, bouncing around like no one's business! At one point, Natalie flew about 4 feet into the air as she crossed the boat's wake! Karl followed with his own aerial assault, his hair blown into a part-down-the-middle style ala the crooners of the 30's!

On Sunday, we did the traditional hike up Whiteside Mountain. The day was cool and quiet; almost no one else was on the trail that day. As you can see by the picture, the weather was somewhat hazy, but comfortable. It was on the way down that we suffered our first mishap; Cindy stumbled and fell, like the proverbial tree in the forest, and landed on her face, wrist and hip. Needless to say, she was hurting and needed a wrist brace for the remainder of the week. The massive bruise on the side of her hip (no pictures as per the victim) will, unfortunately, be visible for weeks.

On Thursday, we went horseback riding into the Panthertown Valley, replete with numerous hiking and horse trails. Indeed, several hikers approached our group asking for directions; the trails cris-crossed like a giant spider's web! We went on the 2 hour tour (1 shy of Gilligan's) and soon found out that the horses had minds of their own; Karl's horse simply wanted to walk...slowly the entire way, my horse, Sally, didn't like the bit, Cindy's horse wanted to run (about 500 meters from the end, her horse began to gallop, almost throwing her off onto the rock-strewn trail!), and Natalie's horse pooped and farted entirely too much! Later that evening at the house, we began to feel the effects of the ride; sore butts, thighs, and crotches!

Later that evening, we dined at the Skyline Lodge, a 60's hotel built in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright atop a mountain with 360 degree views, and cuisine to match. Karl and Natalie wolfed down their NY strips, while Cindy stuck with Chicken; I needed to have the areas speciality, Brook Trout, and the chef obliged with his version of "Trout Oscar." It was a very pleasant experience. On Friday, the kids wanted to swim (laps) so we drove to Sylva, 27 miles away and the site of the only 25 yard pool in the 3-county area. Arriving around 12:30, we tried to swim a decent practice (even I got involved), but the country-folk bobbing around aimlessly made swimming laps impossible. After about 500 yards, we gave up. Both Karl and Natalie commented on how lucky they are to have the Olympic-class pool in Sarasota to practice in.

With only a couple weeks before school starts, we are using this week to do some gardening and home repairs, as well as getting ready for the big Area 3/5 Championship Meet in St. Petersburg. It is truly amazing how quickly the kids have improved their strokes, especially Karl, who swam freestyle like he was chopping wood! He is now the ipitome of smoothness, while Natalie's butterfly is beginning to take shape; strong kicks with terrific arm extension. Their coach said she expects both to make JO (Junior Olympic) cuts by Christmas! We'll keep you posted!