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August 18, 2006

Our Vacation in Pictures

During the first week of August, Melissa and I spent a much-needed vacation (our last one before the baby comes) on Lido Key on the southwest Florida coast. Lido Key is adjacent to Sarasota, Longboat Key, Siesta Key and St. Armand's Key.

(Click on each photo for a larger view.)

After exhaustive Internet research at the beginning of the summer, we booked a room at the Helmsley Sandcastle. While the hotel is in need of a wholesale updating, it was clean, not at all crowded, and located directly on a private beach.

The hotel also had two pools and a REALLY good restaurant. We ate breakfast there every day, out on the porch amongst the birds that call the hotel home. The funniest moment of the trip happened when a crow swooped down onto a neighboring table, stole a jelly packet, and flew away with it.

Just down the street was St. Armand's circle, an upscale shopping/dining area on St. Armand's Key. We became quite fond of the neighb