Chilly day, bright clouds

Since it is November 28th I suppose I shouldn't complain, but I had to turn the heat on in my house for the first time this year. Dang! I also waited until 11 a.m. for my walk because of the chill in the air. Not only was it warmer, a pleasant 60º at that time, but the sun was high in the sky and the clouds were stunning. Streaky, crisp white clouds against a rich blue were indeed lovely to look at.

The best part I suppose is that this clear blue sky signaled a very pleasant lower humidity — also evident because I didn't come home from my walk with frizzy hair (a major drawback of Florida living.) All in all a chilly start turned into a lovely day, one so pleasant that I also enjoyed lunch and a nap outside in the backyard. Life good indeed!

Thank you Nike...

Here it was Thanksgiving morning, it was damp, cold, windy and not a ray of sunshine outside. My bed was warm, cozy and comfortable and the thought of going for my morning walk was not at all appealing. I was close to talking myself into staying right where I was. My rationale was bordering on brilliant... but that marketing genius from Nike crept into my brain. Just do it!

So, I just did it! I just got up from that warm place, put on some cozy, comfortable clothes and headed to the beach. After bucking headwinds for a while, I began to feel exhilarated. The early walkers were cheerful, a few Happy Thanksgiving greetings were exchanged, and those intrepid surfers were out in force. Gloomy as the skies were, the surfers were having a wonderful ride.

What a pleasure to be outside enjoying the beach. Thank you Nike pitchman. You have brought me lots of joy with your Just do it mantra.

Promise of blue skies

It was cloudy this morning, big heavy clouds wiped out any hope of a bright and sunny day. But as the sun rose higher in the sky, those weighty clouds began to break up. We got a glimpse or two of the sun and a peek at blue skies high above. Ah, maybe it will be a sunny day after all.

Since I was wrestling with a problem, I decided maybe I'd use this as an omen. There may be gray clouds but blue skies aren't far away if you look beyond the gloom. This photo will help me remember that there is always a promise of blue skies. That's my moral story of the day, and I'm sticking to it.

Horseshoe crab memories

There were two horseshoe crabs on the beach this morning, one right side up, the other upside down (why don't we say right side down or upside up?) That's a question for another day, but today these two crabs brought back summer memories from when I was 12 years old. Those memories flooded back like a tidal wave.

I don't think I have seen a horseshoe crab since that summer, but I had nightmares then about these army tanks of the sea. I was at a sailing camp on the north shore of Cape Cod, there was swimming, sailing, clamming and horseshoe crabs everywhere. They were always bumping your feet when you were standing in the water. You had to be careful when you stepped off a dock or a boat so that you wouldn't step on one and have its barbed tail rake your foot. I was terrified and have never really gotten over it. Though I learned later that they are basically harmless the thoughts generated in childhood are tough to dislodge.

This viewing, however, and the intervening 50+ years found me more fascinated than fearful... plus they were very dead. They were about 20 inches long overall. The fascinating part came from the upside down one, the intricacies of its mouth, gills, and other parts I can't identify was amazing for a creature that looks so prehistoric. I've included a close up to share with you. Nothing I found on the Internet helps me explain some of its parts, but fascinating nonetheless.

With a shiver at old memories, I continued on my way happy that I didn't encounter these guys while wading in the waves.

Wet feet

I was so engrossed in taking this stunning photo of the sun streaming through a narrow gap in the clouds that I neglected to keep an eye on the incoming tide. Oops! What a shock at having wet feet! It was funny when I got home and looked at this photo. You can definitely see the wave coming toward where I was standing. Oblivious seems like the appropriate description here.

Shuttle thrills, again

No matter where we are, whenever a shuttle takes off many Floridians run outside to see it. At 2:28 this afternoon Atlantis headed to the space station. I was at the gym and had forgotten about the launch. I mentally kicked myself for not having my camera with me.

The takeoff was televised and everyone in the gym ran outside to see it firsthand. It was spectacular. The sky was a brilliant blue and the fiery rocket was easy to see, its contrail a brilliant white. As I lamented aloud my lack of camera, someone said "I've got my cell phone." I left the scene long enough to get my cell phone and managed to take two photos that I am sharing with you. I apologize for the quality, but found the photos of the contrail juxtaposed with the American flag very poignant. The shuttle was long gone, but its contrails were evidence of its power.

Like many, I still get goosebumps and a lump in my throat whenever the shuttle takes off and again when it lands. All of us gym goers admitted that we were certainly lucky to be able to witness this wonderful event.

Fall colors

Thankfully I have lived in New England, Washington D.C. and North Carolina which has given me the opportunity to see the changing colors of the leaves in autumn. One of the sad things about living in Florida is that we miss this rite of passage in the fall. We simply don't have many deciduous trees and those we do, it seem the leaves just dry out and fall off. No brilliant reds, oranges and yellows adorn our landscapes.

We do however get to revel in the colors of our golden rain trees. We see snippets of color in the landscape from these trees in October and November. The leaves do not turn color, but the trees put forth seed pods that from a distance look like bright salmon colored flowers. Some species are yellow, some a deep pink but all are lovely and a rare treat whenever you see one adorning the countryside.

Oh, I've just had a thought... since I recently lost an oak tree in my yard, maybe I should replace it with a golden rain tree! Wonderful idea! Next year I'll share pictures of my own tree with you. In the meantime, enjoy Florida's fall color above.

What a difference a day makes...

Those words from an old song certainly were true today. Yesterday morning it was 75º this morning 55º and dreary. Winds of 12 mph were out of the Northwest so not quite as chilly as if they had been out of the Northeast but brisk nonetheless. Even my osprey, which I see every day by the way, looked cold this morning. She probably enjoyed diving for her breakfast since the ocean temperatures were warmer than the air. It wasn't raining but the mist in the air was so heavy that my coat was wet by the time I got home. Despite all that I totally enjoyed my walk and even found myself whistling the lyrics... what a difference a day makes.

Fleeing Ida

Here it is November 9 and all the weather people are abuzz with talk of Hurricane Ida. Though they must of course prepare people for the possibility of some treacherous weather, I sometimes think they like to over hype tropical storm events in order to justify their job. Ordinary weather is just that... ordinary.

Actually, I happen to think our weather here is Florida is quite extraordinary. Like the weather at the beach this morning. Though in no way associated with Ida, it was very blustery with winds out of the ESE. I loved this image of a solo pelican heading north with just a touch of the fiery sun on the edge of the horizon. Grey clouds portending the advancement of some tropical weather for the first time this hurricane season. Happy fall! Never a dull weather moment here along the East coast of Florida.

Mother Nature's EPA

It was quite windy this morning and few people braved our seaweed-littered beach. There were however many birds soaring on those strong East winds. I thrilled in the flight of several osprey, many large flocks of pelicans zoomed high overhead and then I saw this big guy with a face only its mother could love.

I first noticed him flying and swooping over and over around one particular area of beach and scrub at the high tide line. His wingspread was probably 6 feet and when I was close enough to see his rather small naked red head I knew it was a turkey vulture. Bleckh! I must admit to having negative feelings about vultures but they just keep our environment clean and are truly magnificent in flight. Fortunately I didn't have to witness his frenzied table manners today.

Renewed vigor

I haven't been on the beach at dawn for the past several days... I didn't realize how much I really enjoy the early morning. What with high tide, morning obligations, and some dreary weather I relegated my beach walks to midday or like yesterday not at all! This morning however, the sun was expected and even though a full moon made for an extra-high tide... dawn on the beach was invigorating. There were layers of different kinds clouds, jet contrails and shore birds searching for their sustenance. I was invigorated to say the least.

So what's the lesson here? As hard as I try to relish each little bit of my wonderful life, I too get complacent. So when I stop to "smell the roses..." I'll be sure to take in all the subtleties of the scent. I'll also enjoy my walks, morning, noon or night... but morning most of all.

Beach-O-Lantern

Yesterday was halloween and though this year I didn't celebrate, I took the time for some reminiscence about carving pumpkins. It used to be one of my favorite halloween traditions and though I was not a terribly creative carver, I enjoyed it tremendously and had a good time sharing the event with friends.

This morning on the beach I noticed that some beach goer had their own pumpkin party. This one was made of sand! The red-tinted sand we have here is the ideal color for a beach pumpkin and I thought this was a very clever way to create a jack-o-lantern, and no carving pieces to clean up. Hum-m-m! Happy Halloween, beach style.