Finally Fall

Does the dawn look any cooler? Can you see the crispness in the air? Well, I am sorry the cool sensation can't be shared but locally we certainly can feel it and it feels wonderful! One of my beach buddies did a little Fall happy dance in the sand as our morning temperature was a refreshing 66 degrees. A delightful change from the low 80s we have been experiencing at dawn with a climb into the 90s. This morning I even had to drag out a long-sleeved shirt.

Not only was it a wonderful sunrise, I also got to watch my osprey search for breakfast. Can you see the tiny inverted "V" in the sky in the second photo? She made two dives into the surf before she triumphantly flew away with a fish firmly in her talons. A glorious start to a fabulous day. Maybe our oppressive summer is finally over and October (my favorite month as far as the weather is concerned) can begin. No heat, no air conditioning just windows wide open and lots of fresh air flowing. Hurrah!

Sandhill cranes

I grew up in the Sandhills of North Carolina but never saw a Sandhill Crane. It wasn't until this past weekend while visiting near Melbourne, Florida that I got up close and personal with two of these wonderful looking creatures. Huge... standing about 48 inches tall, and loud!

Engrossed in my book, I almost jumped out of my skin when not 10 yards away the two above started repeatedly screeching their shrill rolling garooo-a-a-a, garooo-a-a-a. With pounding heart I rushed to my camera and only got this one photo as they walked calmly away. Lovely gray in color with a bright red top of the head, these cranes reminded me of victorian ladies with their tail feathers so evocative of a bustle. Their slow stroll so elegant and aloof. Fascinating.

Family outing

It was relatively quiet on the beach this morning and I enjoyed watching a young family on their early morning beach adventure. There were lots of shouts of "Hey, Dad... look at this!" Thrills over shells and delight at a jellyfish.

It gave me time to recall my own beach adventures as a child on this same beach with my parents. My Dad occasionally told me some of the adventures he too shared with his family and friends on this very beach. Amazing, really, when you think about it.

Ah, nostalgia... a wistful affection for the past. Yes nostalgic I am, but maybe the young boy in this photo will someday look back fondly on his early morning family outing on the beach. I certainly hope so.

Sun, rain and clouds

Yesterday afternoon we had some absolutely stunning cloud formations and I was out without camera... mentally flogging myself for lack of foresight. This morning however I could tell as soon as I left the house that I was going to be treated to more amazing clouds. There were all shapes and sizes and with the rising sun offering another layer of intrigue, extraordinary!

I've shared two of my favorites with you. The first I call rain cloud in pink. Picking up the pink from the rising sun yet you can see the streaks of rain under it. Just what we get in Florida, a very brief shower then it's gone before you even realize you've gotten wet.

The second is also a rain cloud though massive in size and intricate contours, the sun manages to peak around the edge of the rain far out at sea. I am not gifted enough to find the words to describe it... thankfully I have a picture.

It's a bird...? It's a whaaaat?

It was barely light as I started out on my walk this morning (though already 83º) not far along I saw a night heron near the waterline. They are not afraid of humans and move slowly if one approaches but they do move along. This one was definitely not moving. I walked right up to it and reached out to touch it before I realized this was no bird, this wasn't anything animate, it was in fact a piece of driftwood. The oddest piece of driftwood I'd ever seen positioned there at water's edge looking just like a night heron. (See top photo.) I left it there feeling certain it would still be there upon my return, and it was.

About an hour later, the sun was up and I got a good look at my night-heron-like statue. This oddity was part of a palm tree that had been in the ocean so long that shells, barnacles and various plant life had become attached to it. I was tempted to bring it home but it was heavy and standing about two feet tall would have been unwieldy on the bike. Besides, I enjoyed it so much, I thought other beach goers may also delight in its oddity.

Weathervane?

One of the houses along the beach has a thatched roof over their lanai. From a distance, I could see something at the peak of the roof and thought, "have they installed a weathervane?" The closer I got, the more curious I got. Finally I could see that it looked like a big bird, but not a feather was stirring, not even the smallest movement in all the time I was approaching. It didn't look real or even alive.

I had to laugh out loud when I saw this wonderful great heron on his high perch perusing his surroundings. What a delight to get photographs of the big guy and I think he would make a wonderful weathervane.

Dark & Stormy

'Twas a dark & stormy start to the day,

but oh so impressive a dawn.

Humpf, so much for being poetic. It was, however, a very impressive array of clouds and sun. I had looked at the radar before setting out on my walk and saw that we were surrounded by rain showers so I grabbed my trusty umbrella and headed out. It came in handy for sure and some of my beach walking buddies were impressed with my foresight.

However, on the way home I did find out that riding a bike while holding umbrella requires a certain amount of dexterity which I was lacking. Enough said.

Cloud volcano

Cloud formations are fascinating to me. This one looked like an erupting volcano. And yes, I have seen an erupting volcano in real life. One exciting trip to Hawaii many years ago I got to experience Kilauea while it was erupting. Fascinating to see during the day but nighttime with the lava flowing into the ocean was an experience beyond imagination. Mighty Earth, mighty Mother Nature can so easily dwarf our human egos with their incredible magnitude.

All in all it was nice to see this volcano-looking cloud — even nicer to enjoy once again the memories it invoked.

Dawn surfers

Labor Day and the beach was filled with people before dawn. It is very unusual to see such a crowd, especially before the first glint of sun even peeks over the horizon. I thought perhaps I was unaware of a shuttle launch or something. No... just the last gasp of summer.

Fortunately the surf was good and the early surfers were out catching a good ride. Though they look like tiny specks in the photo I loved the sun coming up to light the way for these two surfers waiting for a wave. Even though I always enjoy my time on the beach, I was glad to leave the sand and surf to the crowds this morning, I hope they enjoyed their day in the sun.

What's in a name...

If you've been following my blog you will know that I enjoy watching the antics of the little crabs that inhabit the beach. They are usually so quick to move that rarely do I get this close a look. My first thought was that this guy looks like a little leopard. How cute. Most of our native crabs are sand colored so they blend right in to the background. This one was unusual.

When I got home and looked him up I saw that of course crabs having this unusual marking pattern are indeed called leopard crabs... imagine that!

Pot of Gold?

There were some seriously dark clouds this morning and I was wondering if I'd get rained on during my walk. Fortunately, not only did I manage to stay dry... I was treated to a wonderful rainbow. Always a delight to see one because rainbows are so elusive. You need to be at the right place at the right time. Today was my day.

It made me think of a email I got four days ago, you know the kind that say send this to 10 people and something special will happen to you in four days. I don't usually forward these, but the one I got was particularly poignant so I sent it along. I was kind of hoping my something special would be a lottery win but here it is four days later and I got a rainbow instead. Not a bad trade off and a rainbow certainly is special.

Pelican scramble

I enjoy watching the pelicans along the coast. They skim along the top of the ocean, wing tips just barely out of the water. Their flying formations usually have the precision that our Navy's Blue Angels would be proud to emulate. Mostly I see pelicans in large groups, occasionally there is a lone pelican but not often. I have counted upward of forty in a group usually flying in a "V" formation and they can glide without a flutter of their wings for an inordinate amount of time. Truly amazing birds and hard to capture with my camera.

This morning there were several pelican flocks at various levels of flight, some barely an inch above the water, some just 6 to 8 feet off the ground, some very high in the sky and a few even skimmed right by my shoulder. They were all headed north. (Maybe it was the nice tail wind.)

What I managed to capture on camera was truly a surprise when I got home and downloaded my photos. I'll just call it a pelican scramble because these guys were so precise in their flight I don't know how they got so scrambled up for this photo.

Up close they aren't particularly pretty birds, but they certainly are efficient with their built-in grocery pouch and they definitely are magnificent in flight. Always a pleasure for me to watch and remember the old childhood game of "odd or even" a guessing game as to the number in the flock. I still count them, too.