A Trip to the Big Island

For our anniversary this year, Jessica decided to surprise the entire family with a by-sea day trip out to the "Big Island" near Istanbul, complete with picnic and horse cart ride (there are no cars on the islands). The boat was fairly empty, because it was a rainy day.

Ethan & Baxter enjoyed sitting on the side of the boat with Daddy! The mountain islands rising up from the water were so beautiful. Early on in the trip, Ethan looked around and then looked up at me (Jess) and said, "Momma, God made ALL of this." All I could do was smile, nod, and blink back the tears.

They watched the seagulls fly down into the wake of the boat to catch and eat fish, and Doug even saw a couple of dolphins jump out of the water!

We found a horse cart to drive us around the island, up to the top of the hill, and back down. What a fun thing for the kids- they couldn't get enough of watching the horses (pulling our cart and all the others we passed on the trip) and talking about everything they were doing (galloping, trotting, the sound of their hooves, the smell of... well, you know). :)

These were three "friends" we had made on the boat... they opted to take the bicycle tour of the island, rather than procuring a horse cart. Amazing how they can all ride in long dresses- but they did! :)

After the long day, we came home and all took naps, and then two young ladies came over and watched the kids for us so we could go out dinner. We went to a nice Italian place called Rosario's, where the waiters were all dressed like matadors. :) It was a delicious meal, and turned out to be a lovely end to a lovely day.