The idea of going on an Impact Travel cruise came from our friends, David and Melody.  They had heard of Fathom’s unique concept and shared it with us.  We were intrigued and looked forward to experiencing it together.

Unfortunately, several days before the cruise, Melody had a back injury too serious to be able to travel; so, they had to cancel out.  David and Melody still wanted us to visit them in Vero Beach prior to the cruise, so we made our way south on December 28^th.

While Melody rested, David gave us a fabulous tour of Vero Beach during the first full day of our visit; so, it made it easier for Bruce and I to find our way around while exploring over the next two days.

Over the next couple of days, between poking around the galleries, visiting the McKee Botanical Garden, taking long walks along the boardwalk at the beach, and watching the manatees; we got a great feel for the area.  Bruce and I enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere and friendliness of the locals.

It just wasn’t the same not being able to share it with our friends, though; and, we were heartbroken Melody and David wouldn’t be able to experience the cruise.

On New Year’s Day, we left Vero Beach for Miami to board Fathom’s Adonia.  It was a day of mixed feelings—concern for Melody, and sadness our friends would be missing the upcoming adventure; but, excitement that our volunteer work in the Dominican Republic would have an impact in more ways than one.

The following are scenes from our visit in Vero Beach.:

Bruce and David

Melody, at a farm near their house, before her back took a serious turn for the worse.

“Woody” was made out of LEGOS!  What a surprise to find an amazing Lego sculpture exhibit waiting for us at McKee Botanical Garden!  Throughout the gardens were beautiful Lego creatures constructed by Sean Kenney, the world’s first LEGO Certified Professional.  Made of regular off-the-shelf Lego pieces, the exhibition featured thirteen individual displays built with over 300,000 LEGO pieces.  This guy was the most complex and made from 4,424 pieces.  He measured 10″x 8″ x 20″.

This life-size gardener was constructed from 34,340 LEGO pieces.

42,164 pieces were used to build this praying mantis.

This Monarch Butterfly has an 8-foot wing-span and was created with 60,549 LEGO pieces.  It’s the second largest sculpture Sean Kenney has every created.

Uh-oh!  This Milk snake is about to chow down in this cute field mouse.  Both sculptures were made from a total of 12,069 pieces.

Our national bird, the Bald Eagle is made from 42,198 pieces and measures five feet tall.

In addition to this squirrel, there were other squirrels and birds on the fence eyeing the bird feeder above (filled with LEGO pieces!).

31,565 pieces were used to create this huge hummingbird.

This Giant White Triumphator Lily made from 32,514 pieces was giant, measuring 72″ in length!

How about a life-size rototiller?  It took 20,903 pieces to create it.

Next up:  Aboard Fathom’s Adonia