Fishing – A Bucket of Shade

activities, addictions, advice, america, blog, boating, boca grande key, colorful world, colors, dinner, enviornment, experiences, exploring, family, fashion, Fishing, florida, food, foodie, goals, national parks, ocean, personal stories, pictures, Ranch Bucket Brands, review, spring break, tampa bay, Travel, Uncategorized, wanderlust, water, weekendgetaway, wishtodo, words of wisdom

Boca Grande Key

Featuredby A-Bucket-of-ShadeLeave a Comment

For my spring break this year, I was lucky enough to be able to go to this beautiful island located in the south of Florida called Boca Grande. We spent three days and two nights on a small island that was 7 miles long and only about a mile wide. The fishing there is absolutely amazing all year-round.

Every single year the largest fishing tournament for tarpon is held on this island and it is one of the reasons why Boca Grande is the fishing capital of the world. Besides the amazing fishing the food there is also to die for. For lunch on the first day we took the boat to an island in the middle of the bay where there is a restaurant known for amazing cheeseburgers, called Cabbage Key. The burgers where by far the best I have ever had, I’ll link their menu below!

For dinner one night we went into the town to a restaurant call The Temptation. I got to try soft shell crab for the first time and it was fantastic for an appetizer. For dinner I had a tuna filet seared in spices severed on top of a seaweed salad it was just divine. While being out on the boat fishing and tanning I was lucky enough to have my Ranch Bucket help keep the sun out of my eyes but also keep my head cool and not sweat. My boyfriend’s family kept fighting over the hat and insisted that they had to get one for themselves for the boat. Over all the trip was amazing I cannot wait to go back for more amazing food and amazing fishing to tell you guys about next time!

Vitamin Sea is truly the best medicine 💛

~ Explore ~

Devin

Cabbage Key Dining

aboutus, activities, addictions, advice, america, beauty, big city, bikini, blog, boating, city, colorful world, colors, culture, enviornment, experiences, exploring, fashion, Fishing, food, foodie, Friendship, funny stories, goals, hawaii, hiking, national parks, ocean, personal stories, pictures, rainforest, Ranch Bucket Brands, review, spring break, Travel, trees, Uncategorized, wanderlust, water, wishtodo, words of wisdom

Hawaii Part 1

Featuredby A-Bucket-of-ShadeLeave a Comment

Day 1:

On day one, poor Jenny was shocked by the vacation mentality of the Mierau family. My family does not know a “lazy vacation”. Our “lazy vacations” consist of us waking up with the sun and going to bed at ten every night. So if you thought that our all-nighter was going to deter me, then you were wrong! I was ambitious, telling myself that I was going to get up at six, and go run to Diamond’s head where I would go on a two-mile hike and then wake Jenny up when I got back. I should have realized the futility of that idea but positive mind, positive life, right? After sleeping through my six am alarm, I was up at seven to force Jenny to go grocery shopping before we hit the beach.

Waikiki Beach was the perfect spot to people watch and Jenny and I spent our entire day doing just that! We got to the beach early to claim our spot and watch the waves of tour buses drop off eager tourists at the beach. If you are looking for a quiet beach to relax on, Waikiki is NOT for you! It’s not rowdy per say, just extremely busy. Our day was spent napping, reading, and chatting on the beach. After a while I began to get hangry, we stopped at Duke’s for some delicious hamburgers (I still don’t know if they were so good because I was starving or if the food was just delicious). After gorging myself on burgers and fries, I immediately found a warm spot on the beach, fell over and passed out for two hours. The tan lines I still sport attest to how deep of a sleeper I am.

When it got closer to sunset we walked further down the beach, got some smoothies and found a pier watch the sunset on. I will admit, I have never been at a loss for words when talking about sunsets and food (and really about anything else, I talk a lot) but sitting on a beach in Hawaii while sipping a smoothie is pretty much me in my happy place and I was for once at a loss for words.

Just when I thought our night could not get any better we found a farmer’s market on the way back and I ate even more food! We got some tapioca in coconut milk topped with an assortment of tropical fruit. Just thinking about it makes me drool a little. It was a great way to start a great trip!

Day 2

On the second day, I didn’t attempt to kid myself with the idea of early morning physical activity. Instead, I woke up and ate breakfast at a restaurant next to the beach. I would say that the views from the “premium locations” on Waikiki Beach are not as spectacular as they make them out to be and I would highly recommend just getting takeout from one of the stalls at the farmer’s market or a nearby mom and pop restaurant and take it to the beach! We learned that even if Cheeseburger in Paradise says they have a breakfast special, the food really is not that special.

I would like to say that I did something adventurous and daring after getting food but that would be a lie. I fell over on the beach again and took a nap. Jenny people watched for the both of us and when I woke up, we made our way down the beach towards the catamaran tour that we had booked. While we were in Hawaii, we bought a Go Oahu card. If you’re interested in seeing more of the tourist destination, I would strongly consider it! You can choose the number of days that you are there and pay a rate for unlimited visitation of forty attractions. We did not end up making it to all of the sites that I would have liked to see, but just one more excuse to come back right? We didn’t make it to Pearl Harbor, something I was really bummed out about because I love history and my great-great-uncle was killed on the USS Arizona. Although we did not get to see some pretty awe-inspiring places, we did get to take a catamaran tour along the shores of Honolulu and past Diamond’s Head. While we were on board, we saw some dolphins and some humpback whales that were breaching. It was a very nice boat ride and allowed us to see Oahu from a new perspective.

A friend of Jenny’s aunt recommended a restaurant, MonkeyPod, that she said was her and her husband’s favorite. When we got there, it was no surprise why. The restaurant was beautiful (and a little expensive so if you’re like us, go at happy hour) and had a live musician that was amazing! We both ordered pizzas before walking across the street to the beach. Hidden away (to deter commoners) is a small pedestrian path that you can take if you are not staying at the Disney resort or the Four Seasons that share the beach. The beach is called Ko Olina and is everything that you can expect a Hawaiian beach to be. Ko Olina is a small cove surrounded by white sand beaches. Lawn chairs adorn the beach and the sand is framed by meticulously groomed grass and shrubs. Palm trees and hibiscus flowers are interspaced along the edges of the cove. Looking at the view, I thought to myself “what could be better than this?” Turns out if you add Dole whip (pineapple soft serve), it gets even better! So I ate my Dole whip, and then Jenny’s, while listening to some reggae. The sunset was spectacular and the night was perfect! It was yet another perfect ending to another perfect day.

Peyton

Hawaii Spring Break! The Intro

aboutus, activities, advice, america, blog, boca grande key, city, colorful world, colors, culture, dinner, enviornment, experiences, exploring, family, fashion, featured, Fishing, florida, food, foodie, Friendship, funny stories, goals, holidays, kids, ocean, personal stories, pictures, Ranch Bucket Brands, review, spring break, tampa bay, Travel, trees, unapologetically you, Uncategorized, wanderlust, water, Weedon Island Preserve, weekendgetaway, wishtodo, words of wisdom

St. Patricks Day in Tampa

Featuredby A-Bucket-of-ShadeLeave a Comment

Most of the time people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish meals like corn beef and cabbage or Shepard’s pie but this year I was lucky enough to do something completely different. In Tampa, the day is celebrated downtown at a park called Curtis Hixon. The park runs alongside a river and on St. Patrick’s Day the river is dyed green to celebrate the holiday. There also many fun activates like Irish sports and foods to try while you are down there.

After being downtown for a little while, we headed back to my boyfriend’s house where they had a little gathering of family and friends. We sat outside to prepare the food we had, but it was not Irish food for the holiday. His family decided to have a seafood this year, and boil crawfish and oysters. I learned how to crack the oysters shell to be able to eat them and they were fantastic. The crawfish we had where flown in from Louisiana that day and we got everything ready to be able to go ahead and start cooking them. We got a huge pot and put it outside on the back deck and then threw potatoes, corn, onion, and sausage in the pot and let them soak up all the sauce and spices.

While waiting for that we gathered around the table in their backyard and ate the oysters. I was lucky enough to have my Ranch Bucket to stop the blazing sun form getting in my eyes. We were lucky enough to have great weather and clear skies unlike all the people up north still dealing with snow on the ground!

Finally, after three hours of cooking the crawfish were ready to eat and we moved inside to the dining room table. We inhaled that 25 pounds of crawfish. The time eating was spent with laughs and cheers to the company of family and friends being reunited once again. Stories were told and families all brought closer together under this holiday with great food and even better company.

Keep traditions alive

~ Explore ~

Devin

activities, addictions, advice, america, blog, boating, colorful world, colors, enviornment, experiences, exploring, Fishing, florida, ocean, personal stories, review, roadtrip, tampa bay, Travel, Uncategorized, wanderlust, wishtodo, words of wisdom

Florida Adventures

Featuredby A-Bucket-of-ShadeLeave a Comment

The past weekend has been filled with exhilaration and adventure throughout the city of Orlando. The weekend started off by heading down to Lake Claire, where a friend and I go to beat the heat in this sunny Florida weather. Recently Florida heat has been back on its mojo, so what better way to spend the afternoon then going kayaking and paddle boarding on the gorgeous lake. Wildlife was swarming the banks of the lake ranging from birds flying around to raccoons searching for little fish in the water. I would stop paddling to lay down and tan, resting my blue Ranch Bucket hat on my face to block out the sun. This is the best way to meditate with nature to relieve all kinds of stress, especially for college students.

The day after that we decided to spend the day at Universal Studios. The weather was perfect to go on roller coasters, water rides, see simulators, and wander through the world of Harry Potter. For all the Harry Potter fans out there, nothing, and I mean nothing is better than the frozen Butter Beer with its sweet cream on top. I highly recommend people to go to Universal or Disney to have a theme park adventure filled with happiness.

What is the best way to end a terrific weekend? Beach day!

Cocoa Beach is only fifty minutes away from University of Central Florida and the temperature was a high of 82 degrees. The towels were laid out on the soft mounds of sand away from the shoreline, where the chilling water washes up new shells. I wore my orange Belize hat to match the bikini I was wearing that day, paired with bright blue ray bans to protect from uv-rays. The salt water and sand felt great between my toes as I watched the horizon across the Atlantic. It was the perfect ending to an adventurous weekend surrounding by great friends.

~ Explore ~

Devin

Processed with VSCO with c1 preset

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

aboutus, activities, addictions, advice, america, blog, boating, enviornment, experiences, family, fashion, Fishing, florida, Friendship, goals, jetskies, national parks, new year, ocean, personal stories, pictures, Ranch Bucket Brands, review, tampa bay, Uncategorized, wanderlust, water, Weedon Island Preserve, wishtodo

Weedon Island

Featuredby A-Bucket-of-ShadeLeave a Comment

My life has been infused with tons of adventure and nature from living so close to the Tampa Bay. For as long as I can remember, my parents would take my younger brother and I out to the Weedon Island Preserve that has been around for thousands of years, in order to experience aquatic and onshore ecosystems. Many people walk the trails, boardwalks, and fishing pier to learn more about this fascinating preserve. It never ceased to amaze me how the city of Tampa would protect the wide range of diverse animals and natural resources located in this area. As a family we would take jet skis out along the banks of the island or paddle board through them to experience close encounters with numerous wild life.

Several years have gone by and I still constantly come to this place spending great weekends with friends that love adventure as much as me. The fishing is incredible throughout the protected mangroves. There is an abundance of fish, the most popular ones in this area tend to be Snook, Red, and Trout. It is so peaceful outdoors on the water, with the Florida sun giving off a strong heat. My Ranch Bucket gives me the perfect shade whenever I am on the boat or at the beach with my friends. Not only does it look great, but the fit feels perfect especially with any type of movement. The only problem was that all my guy friends were stealing it from me saying how good they looked in it…told them to get their own!

That same day we caught about six Trout and four nice sized Snooks. Both fish are great to eat but we decided to let them go back to their aquatic ecosystems to live another day (I feel guilty sometimes because I love animals so much). The sport of fishing has really become a hobby of mine, because of the exhilarating game that is combined with patience and fight on the water. Weedon Island Preserve gives this feeling to those who love to fish, which is why the location gives off a strong attraction. I wish everyone could see this beautiful environment to remind them the damages of air and water pollution.

I cannot wait to come back during my spring break and spend all my time on the water. Now I am back at University of Central Florida located in Orlando, so it is time for me to explore this busy city. So keep up to date with me!

New year, same world so take care of it!

~ Explore ~

Devin

Check out our new hats

More info on Weedon Island Preserve