The day after...

It doesn't take long for the weather in Florida to change, hence today's windy gray day. What a change from a lovely Christmas day. No complaints from me. I still enjoyed the beach... and there's always tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

 

What a joyful day at the beach this was! The temperatures were perfect in the upper 70s, the cloud formations were ever-changing and just plain stunning and the sea itself looked like it was having fun rolling in and out.

 There were lots of people. One visitor was complaining that it was too hot and I said aloud... "No bah humbugging allowed on this beautiful day. You could be home shoveling snow." Thankfully everyone laughed. 

Here are a couple more photos so I can share this joyful day with you. 
Merry Christmas!

Winter solstice

Since we experience winter solstice this week with the shortest day of the year, it seems appropriate that it should be celebrated with shining seas and skies. A perfect beach day... beautiful. As a bonus, the days will get longer from here! Woo hoo.

Hello again!

It's been a while but I'm here again, at last. We had several days of rain, then a couple of days of high tides during prime walking times and, well... just lots of idle excuses.

Today I managed to make it to the beach only to be greeted by more seaweed (See Back to Normal post on Nov. 19th.) The Sargasso Sea again made a huge deposit on our shoreline just as last month's accumulation had begun to disappear. It's stinky and unsightly but that's Mother Nature for you. Not always pretty.

We're expecting a cold front later today and though at first there was not a cloud in the eastern skies, to the west... there definitely was something afoot.
As the day grew towards evening, the front was beginning to affect the eastern skies as well, but made a lovely close to a lovely, and warm, December day.

I enjoyed my late afternoon stroll and picture taking and laughed when I got home and saw that I had taken a couple of self portraits. 

The long shadows were a surprise and a delight. Kind of like Where's Waldo. This final shot was one of a brave swimmer in the 64º surf. Can't see him but there I am, long and tall in the corner. Fun!

Untethered

 An obligation I had for today was unexpectedly canceled at the last minute and surprisingly I felt like a helium balloon whose string had been released by a small child who then stood in wonder as its balloon soared into the skies. I didn't feel one bit like the bewildered child.

Instead, released, I headed to the beach with a hip hip hurrah and a skip in my step. There I was greeted by my osprey soaring as free as I felt! Lucky bird, lucky me.

It was absolutely invigorating, the ocean was rough and seas were running high. There was a steady northerly wind and the clouds were perfectly framed in the blue skies. Joy. Untethered joy for me as well as the birds who were speeding south with a tail wind or just soaring where the winds would take them.

Lucky us!

Blissfully oblivious...

There are days that I make a point of not listening to the news, no TV, no radio just peace and quiet and absorbing the atmosphere in my own little world. Today was one of those days, well, until I was on my way back from the beach, that is.

It is almost 80º with shining sun and just a few wispy clouds. A gull enjoys floating on the southwest wind and I was reveling in Florida's gloriously warm December 7th weather. 

Then I ran into a beach buddy who lamented the approaching cold front. Bah Humbug. I liked being oblivious to the approaching 40º temperatures. Above are a couple of gloriously unsuspecting photos. Enjoy without a jacket. 

Ketch Up!

Yes, this morning there was a ketch up on the sand when I arrived at the beach about 7:30. A sad plight indeed for this a sturdy little sailer. There were people standing around musing on what to do. I continued on my walk knowing she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. It was dead low tide and eventually the incoming tide would change things but for now she just lay there, stranded. Sad.

She ought to be out plying the waves, taking her passengers on exciting journeys. Providing power from the wind that would thrill and enliven the spirits that cared for her. 

But alas some of her rigging is broken, her sails lay bunched in tatters and she was stranded.
The American flag was still flying as more people gathered to offer an opinion on her fate. When some started crawling all over her slanted decks making haughty decisions, it was time for me to leave. 

I left feeling sorrowful for the plight of the ketch but hopeful at the wonderful memories she left behind for those who loved her.

December 1... already!

It's hard to believe this year will soon to be coming to an end. I'm going to have to do some looking back and putting things into place to figure out what I missed.

One thing I missed today was my beach walk. It was a little chilly, the wind was blowing, the sun was hiding and by the time I was moving it was high tide. I tried to slog through the sand and 15-mph headwinds but decided it was just a lot of hard work. With a head slap I remembered that in the winter I enjoy the park just north of here with walking trails over the dunes between the ocean and the river. Off I went.

Not only was it a lovely walk blocked from the winds, but I was greeted with beautiful nandina bushes. The vibrant green leaves and bright red berries bolstered my Christmas spirit and I was humming Christmas carols by the time I finished. It turned out to be a wonderful walk after all.

♪♫ "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." ♪♫ ♪♫ 

Giving thanks

Over the Thanksgiving weekend we are often reminded of all the things we have to be thankful for. Even if it's just a roof over our head and hot and cold running water, the majority of us are very lucky.

I was silently whining when some of the local farmer's market vendors did not show up on the Friday following Thanksgiving and my favorite vendor was about 30 minutes late. However, if he had been on time I would have missed this spectacular look at the sun (above). The unfortunate part of the whole scenario was that I only had my cell phone camera. So there's a crummy shot of a spectacular sky.

I missed one day at the beach but happened to get there late in the afternoon Saturday. Families were mostly packed up and gone for the day but the few hangers-on were enjoying this peaceful time. 

Everything was winding down, shadows were long but the sun was still making a showing in the clouds above. It feels very different at the beach in the afternoon — somehow more serene. I suppose there is simply less anticipation of the day ahead and more reflection on the day we just traversed.

A late day osprey was searching for its evening meal. Everything was beautiful and serene. I was indeed thankful.

Gold and gray dawning

When I first went to the beach this morning I was sure there would be no sun, in fact I suspected there may be a rain shower or two. Instead I was greeted by a gray day and a golden sun. Here are three levels of gold and gray. Enjoy! I certainly did.

Love the sun's rays, trying to shine through those thick gray clouds...

A full-blown sunrise just the way it should be — shining on the surf. Ten minutes later the clouds swallowed it up completely as if it had never happened.

November dawn

 Surprise, I did manage to see a November dawn over the ocean. I made an early-morning trek to the farmer's market and captured this lovely shot before I captured a load of fresh vegetables and fruit. 

Then on my way back, I stopped for my long walk and literally consumed this lovely crisp, exhilarating day. Mid-November and there I was in shorts and short sleeves enjoying the sun and surf. Doesn't get much better than that!

Beach walker

I almost got to the beach at sunrise this morning but not quite. However, it's a good thing I missed the dawn or I may not have enjoyed seeing this fellow beach walker.

Back to normal... almost

The surf today... clear, calm and not a cloud in the 75º sky. Wow!

The surf two days ago... murky with seaweed from a tropical weather event off the coast.

Yes, finally the seas have calmed and the huge chunks of the Sargasso Sea that have been deposited here lately are subsiding. Huh?
The Sargasso Sea is a huge mass of seaweed that floats in the currents of the Atlantic Ocean starting about 60 miles off our coast. (This map is not mine but thanks to a Google search.) 

The seaweed on the beach and in the tall surf of two days ago, seen above as brown waves, is now gone. Hurrah! The masses of seaweed still on the beach will eventually disappear as the sea reclaims it.
But today, lounging on the sand was an interesting piece of driftwood that reminded me of  a sea monster...

and a house that was here yesterday is gone today! Poof. Eaten by a big yellow monster. 

Even the osprey enjoying this day seems to be producing its own contrail. 

What an interesting and varied day this has turned out to be!

Stinky and more...

Ten days of strong offshore winds have unleashed a few tons of seaweed on our beach and since it has been here for more than a week, it is becoming rather pungent. Stinky.

Yesterday, I walked north in an area with fewer dunes and was amazed by the erosion and seaweed literally knee-high in several places. Mother Nature will eventually clean things up but not until the ocean stops being so turbulent. On the other hand the waves are fabulous and a much more pleasant sight if you keep facing east.

I did notice the harbinger of winter with the return of the cute little Royal Terns. Don't ask why I'm so intrigued with the way they look but to me they are just cute — sort of remind me of a college professor I had. I also noticed several had bands on their legs. Can you see in this group shot that the front two on the left have little silver bands on their right leg? 

 Seaweed and wedding bands. An interesting day at the beach.

Wild and glorious beach

 Finally, the obligations that have been dragging me down for the past 3 weeks are mostly behind me, I'm free and reveling in our wild ride at the beach. Tides have been overly high, waves have been large and choppy, skies are cloudy and the wind has been strong out of the east-northeast. 

But what's not to love, even if the beach is full of seaweed and even if low tide is so high you are almost walking in the dunes. Imperfect as it is I'm so thankful to be here. The osprey are having a bit of trouble finding fish in the choppy waters and the sun is trying hard to scorch its way thought the clouds, but I'm grinning like a mule eating briars. 

Yard ornament

Haven't been to the beach in four days! Argggggh! I'm feeling used and abused and haven't had the time to replenish my soul. However, a sense of calm and peace came right to my front yard. 

This lovely great egret landed inches from my front walk, I grabbed my camera and hurried outside. He spread his wings and floated next door. Then across the street. What a wonderful lawn ornament he made! What a lesson in stillness he brought with him.