
My family usually ‘stays home’ for spring break and enjoys a week of rest and relaxation in the Midwest while thousands flock to the warmer climates. This year my oldest daughter is a senior in high school so we decided to take her and her siblings on a road trip to Sanibel Island off the coast of southern Florida. I was informed by seasoned travelers that Sanibel is beautiful in early April with warm gulf water and plenty of sunshine. The little island attracts families instead of the rowdy spring break crowd—perfect for us. We packed the car and left for a two day drive (1100+ miles).

In Nashville my husband was driving while I was reading my Kindle. He very calmly said, “I think we have a problem.” Sure enough I smelled burning rubber. We pulled off to the side of the highway with a blown tire.
Not a problem. The rain had stopped and a stinky flat tire wasn’t going to put a damper on my vacation. My 14 year old son received some hands on experience in changing a tire—bonus!
Back on the road. Day two of driving. Traffic was CRAZY---especially in Atlanta.
It was impossible to walk without stepping on them. We picked up as many as our hands could hold and showed each other the different types we found.
What we didn’t see were these little tiny insects the naturalist called, 'no see ums'. Yep. We didn’t see them but they sure saw us. I felt the tiny bites and thought nothing of it…the next day I cursed those invisible buggers. Instead of putting after sun aloe on sunburn I was rubbing it on itchy bug bites all over my legs and arms.
Here’s a picture of a 'no see um' that I found on the internet. It is enlarged many, many times since the insect is smaller than a flea. Honest, I could not see them!
Smiling and scratching,
---Anne