It was sad to drop off Sawyer and Christian at the airport. It’s hard to get into a routine and then move on to another experience. It’s a good lesson to learn. 
Next stop….DeLand! We lucked out and stayed at a cabin in Blue Springs State Park. It is the headwaters of the Saint John’s River and manatee are at the Springs in the winter due to warm waters.
That night we were surrounded by fireflies. Drew said they looked like Christmas lights and the crickets sounded like jingle bells. So precious!

The next day we took the nature walk and were luck enough to see a manatee and her new baby! We grabbed our swim suits and swam to the ‘boil’ where the spring-water comes to the surface. It was crystal clear water and a great experience to be able to see so everything underwater. What an experience!

We stayed at long-time friends, Margie and Malena. Margie has goats on her land and two kids were born just weeks ago. She even named the white one after Drew! Drew was taken with farm life and decided to set the alarm the next morning so that she could help feed all the goats. 

Malena took us on a driving tour of DeLand to help jog my memory. Margie and Malena took great care of us and we had a wonderful time catching up.