A stroll along the Ft Lauderdale Riverwalk and a River Bank Fairy

Recently, my husband had some business to do in Florida and I invited myself to tag along.  In my mind, I would be knee deep in waves and walking along the beach the whole visit.  But, that isn't quite how a work trip goes.  I needed to fit my schedule to his and he was downtown most of the time.   I had the morning to myself while he slaved away, and since I've never been much for cities, and I decided to hop over to the ocean for a short visit. 

But as I talked to the hotel valet, I noticed a sign that said Riverwalk and was intrigued.

So I thought I'd treat myself to a bit of culture instead of my typical beach bum style tourism, and I explored the area.  Surprisingly, it was shady and there was a nice breeze. Not at all what I expected from downtown in a large, Floridian city. 

And even though I was dressed for a walk on the sand, I was glad that I'd changed my mind at the last minute.

It was a pleasant change of pace for me, and I was feeling quite urban as I appreciated the views.

I fit nicely into upscale settings.

But I was starting to feel a missed opportunity to make a beach sprite.  

Then, I saw a twisted bit of bark that reminded me of a fairy jumping for joy on the sidewalk, and right next to it, a bundle of pink blossoms. I thought those flowers would make a fine, little dress, and sat my 60 year old butt right down in the middle of that schmancy, urban walkway and made myself happy by turing that bit of bark into a fey creature. 

All she needed was some leaves as wings and a head, which were pretty quick to find.  My only problem was wind, this girl wanted to float off on the breeze, a problem that I've never had with shells.

I love making little sprites out of nature and when I do, I feel like I am showing appreciation for the beauty around me.  It has almost become a compulsion to make these, I don't feel like I am on vacation without leaving one as a thank you.

Afterwards, did more city strolling and stopped at some shops.  The area was more high dollar than I am used to, but these sandals were 90% off and just waiting for me to slip them on. Aren't they gorgeously gaudy?  Yum.

Our hotel was on the Riverwalk, and was such a pretty place to stay.  It was an old, Spanish style place and we had a big corner suite with a balcony overlooking the shopping district.  I could get used to such nice accommodations, even without the beach view that I usually go for on trips!

We made it to the beach for a fresh seafood lunch before driving to the next stop on his schedule, Orlando.  I hated to leave Ft. Lauderdale so soon, but was glad to have some time to explore some things I might not have gone looking for normally.

Little did I know that I would be right back in Ft Lauderdale again the very next day!

I'm afraid that when the valet at the hotel loaded our car, we missed a bag.  

After a whirlwind trip to Macy's to find my husband more work clothes for the next day, we went out for dinner with some of his business colleagues even though I was still dressed for my interrupted trip to the beach that morning.  No makeup, shorts, and hat hair. 

And in the morning, I drove back south, gathered up the bag, and then headed north again, taking the scenic route back (7 hours of car time).   It was a long, but interesting day.  Not the day I thought I'd have, but a good one never the less.