Merry Christmas

This start to a Christmas day is, at my age, better than Santa Claus. It was chilly on the beach but I got to wear the new coat Santa brought me. Doesn't get any better than that!

Warm greeting

Ah-h-h-h here it is December 22 and the official second day of winter. I can reminisce about past snowy holidays, think about Jack Frost nipping, yuletide carolers and all that but I'm grateful to be able to go to the beach and be captured by the beauty of this sunrise.

Also, delighted in being able to wear shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. Oh yes, I am chortling at the loss of my snow shovel and windshield scraper. Happy holidays!

Breakfast treat, interrupted

I almost didn't go for my daily walk on the beach this morning because it was windy, overcast and chilly. But I went and once again I was reminded that when you do something you don't want to do often the unexpected and spectacular occurs.
Approaching the beach walkway I heard an osprey's call, very close. I looked up and sitting atop the light post not 6 feet away was on osprey. Not just an osprey but an osprey eating her breakfast.

Fortunately for me, camera was at hand.

My excitement notwithstanding, the osprey wanted to dine alone without my intrusion and she rightfully scolded me. 

Then took her breakfast fish and left the alfresco dining experience in a huff with a string of cross words. But that's okay... she got takeout and I got a rare thrill.

(Remember, closeups are there for you with the click of the mouse.)

Gratitude

Here it is the day after Thanksgiving, a day when we reflect on what we are thankful for. This little blog has been all about being grateful but there is a video I want to share with you that says more in 6 minutes than I've been able to say in all the years I've been doing my blog. For this I am truly grateful.

(Click on the vimeo link below, not the picture.)

                           http://vimeo.com/44131171

Top 5?

I was talking to another beachgoer this morning and he commented that our rising sun with these particular clouds was probably in his top 5 of stunning sunrises. Well, maybe not top five for me but the combination of clouds, blue sky, rising sun and the waves all in a fresh 70º morning... well it was the recipe for a stunning sight. Wish I could import the gentle sea breeze, sound of waves, cry of gulls, but alas, you'll have to deal with the image alone. 

Uh oh and rainbow

What a day this has been. Just before I headed out the door this morning it started to rain. I postponed my beach walk accordingly. Later, after checking the radar, I set out feeling the rain would stay off shore. Alas, 'twas not to be. I was at the far end of my walk when this monster cloud decided to move onshore. Uh oh. 

I got drenched. Soaked through and through. But as my life has been... I may occasionally get rained on but there's bound to be a rainbow on the other side. And today there was... a fabulous rainbow. Joy!

Halloween Dawning?

This halloween morning the sun was already up and shining in a nearly cloudless sky when I managed to roll out of bed and get to the beach. I did wear my orange shirt and black shorts as homage to all saints eve but no orange sunrise like we had yesterday — the day BEFORE all hallows eve. I'm going to share the October 30th sunrise with you anyway. I've decided that perhaps the sun, looking more like a UFO, arrived to remind me to get ready for the haints that were to come. Happy Halloween.

(Remember to click on the picture to enlarge it so you too can see the sun looking like a UFO arising out of the depths of the sea.)

Reflections, of all kinds

The sunrise this morning was spectacular. Then again, aren't they all? Hopefully I'll never get to a place in my life when I find the sunrise ordinary or even mundane. But I digress. Here is the stunning sunrise with the two-for-one appearance of its reflection on the wet sand.

Later, the dark cloud makes the sun's efforts even more wondrous. 

As if the sunrise wasn't enough, one of the remaining eight turtle nests (out of a total of 611 this season) had a few hatchlings still heading to the sea. There were 14 little hatchlings who emerged today — 3 days after their nestmates. Us beachgoers were certainly treated to an additional thrill. Like icing on the cake of a beautiful day. (I just love their tiny footprints, especially when you consider how large their mother's tracks are. Perspective... a truly amazing thing.)

Orange & stormy dawn

When I went to the beach the morning of the 15th it was just below high tide and the seas were rough indicating that walking would be difficult. The radar at home also showed a big ol' rain cloud just off the coast and I almost decided to stay home. The operative word here is almost. Because if I hadn't gone I would have missed this spectacular dawning of the new day. 

The large cloud to the south looked like the foothills of a mountain range and yet, the sun was determined to show it pumpkin colored rays with the promise of blue skies tucked inside. Lesson here, don't let doubts cloud your agenda because you may miss something spectacular. (Remember you can click on the photo to make it larger... thus more spectacular.)

Seaside art

Having made drip castles as a child or simply upturned buckets of sand surrounded by a moat, I am amazed and intrigued by the imagination that's often on display on our beach. One particular youngster (I was told by spectators that she was in her mid-teens and toiled for hours) left these wonderful creations in sand. I so enjoyed them I had to share. 
The first is a family of critters with looks on their faces that let us know how they feel about having the rest of their bodies trapped in the sand. Quite expressive and made me grin. I especially liked the whale emerging from the sand behind them.

Of course the turtle and her nest of eggs appealed to me in a very special and wonderful way. You know how I feel about our sea turtles.
Another mom, this time a dolphin with her young'un, can be seen behind the turtle mom. 

I loved admiring this young artist in the making. Hopefully she will continue to hone her skills and not lose her talent in the everyday chores of just plain living.

Turtle Nest News

If you have been keeping up with my blog, you may have rightfully gotten the idea that I am thrilled with the sea turtles that come ashore each spring and summer, lay their eggs then head back to sea. 

That leaves our all-volunteer turtle patrol to tend the nests, watch out for the tiny hatchlings, then when the little ones have left the nest and headed to their life in the ocean, turtle patrol cleans the nest, counts the egg shells and if there are any unhatched eggs they go back into the nest with hopes those remaining eggs will be viable.

Above: About one foot down, the first of the hatched eggs are found then set aside for a nest count. The eggs are about the size of a ping pong ball.

Notice how deep the nest is (estimating about 2 feet) and in this particular nest there were 70 successful hatchings with 26 unhatched eggs found at the bottom of the nest. 

Back into the empty nest they go and are covered with warm sand with hopes they will emerge when they are ready.

 

Oh yes, the turtle patrol is an important part of our beach scene and I was delighted to happen upon them this morning for a nest cleaning. Happy to have a camera at the ready, too.

Strelitzia Nicolai

Strelitzia Nicolai... say what? Back in August I posted photos of my bird of paradise that has produced flowers for the first time since I planted it as a small plant four years ago. I'd never seen white and blue flowers on a Bird of Paradise and was fascinated.

Fortunately I have a very savvy friend who sent me a link to Strelitzia Nicolai, the White Bird of Paradise. When I first wrote about it there were four blooms, those are now gone but there are currently seven blooms and I can see a few more coming along. Unlike the red, yellow and orange varieties, these blooms are tucked deep within the fronds. Demurely hiding their beauty.

The information I received also said that this lovely plant could grow up to 30 feet tall and 10 feet wide! Yikes. I'm thinking I may eventually be overtaken by this behemoth. The same friend said it was reminiscent of Audrey 2 of Little Shoppe of Horrors fame. 

If I disappear, you'll know where to come look for me. 

Red skies in the morning....

We'll have to see if this morning's red skies are a true prognosticator for the "sailors take warning" saying. I think it has to do with the sun's reflection in relation to high or low pressure systems (i.e. weather) but science aside... this was a spectacular awakening of the day.

Just had to share

Time marches along. We have ended the month of September and are now looking at October, fall, and of course, the return of the snowbirds — people who live in colder climates and migrate here for our warm winter weather. Better for the local economy but worse for traffic and crowded stores, restaurants, etc. Not complaining, mind you, just saying... 

Anyway, things on the beach are as ever — lovely, enticing and awe inspiring. Here are dawn photos of September 29, September 30 and October 1st. Three different days and three wonderful ways to start the day.

September 29, 2013

September 30, 2013 (Birthday for 4 of my friends.)

 October 1, 2013 

(The rain stayed away from shore so I'm deeming it as no ill omen for the rest of the month, unlike the March prediction of in like a lion, etc.)

Happy fall, everyone!

 

Gonna get wet?

Off I went to the beach this morning without first checking local radar for rain. Oops. What greeted me was a huge rain cloud out to sea and one couldn't mistake the water pouring out of it. Winds were from the east so I anticipated it being blown right to shore. I also didn't bring my umbrella so kept a stealthy eye on it.

However, the rain stayed at sea and the sun, highlighting the towering clouds, gave me the impression of fire and rain together. Eventually the rain and its cloud just dissipated. What was left was a beautiful and breezy morning on the beach. Joy — as usual.

Bird of Paradise blooms

About 4 years ago someone gave me a Bird of Paradise plant. It was small, just knee high and in a gallon size bucket, when I stuck it in the ground at the corner of my garage and then I simply left it alone. (I knew nothing about the plant... still don't.)

It grew to be big and green and sadly never produced any flowers. Lately it has been overtaking the entry to my garage and I decided it was time to cut it back. The photo above was taken AFTER I cut it back, you can imagine how large it had gotten.

The exciting part is that as I was trimming away the big fronds I discovered flowers! Actually there are four of them hidden down in the middle of the plant.
What a surprise, even more so because I thought birds of paradise flowers were shades of yellow, orange and red. Not these. They are white and a lovely shade of blue. 

Silly as it sounds, somehow I feel like a new mom with these new blooms. There are more to come and more pictures too. Happy, happy!

"Hi"

The kid in me is still seeing things in clouds... this time it was a message.
Definitely looks like these clouds are saying "Hi" to all us beach goers.

Can't see it? Here's an outline of what I saw. I waved and said "Hi" right back at them.

(Click on the picts to enlarge them.)

Cloud Monster in Pink

Hopefully I never get too old to enjoy finding figures in clouds. This early morning cloud monster with its wide-open mouth just couldn't be missed and since he was all donned in pink... I had to smile.

Alas, please don't let me be the only one to see it or I may question my sanity or at least my adulthood.

Kayaking at dawn

This kayaker seemed to have found an idyllic way to spend an early Sunday morning... kayaking towards the sun on an ocean that is as calm as a pond. 

It was especially tranquil after the remnants of tropical storm Dorian roared through here last night with a vivid lightning storm. Local surfers, hoping for a churned-up ocean from the storm, were disappointed as westerly winds kept the ocean practically flat. 
I'm sure this kayaker was enjoying it. As for me... I was enjoying the peacefulness of a beautiful new day.

Paintbox colors

It wasn't until I downloaded the photos from my camera that I realized in the hour and 20 minutes I spent on the beach this morning the changing colors of the dawn spoke volumes. Paintbox colors. Need I say more? Nope, I'll just show you. In sequence...

PINK

BLUE

YELLOW

Paradise revisited

It doesn't take much to remind me how very lucky I am to be living right here in paradise. 

A sunrise like this one not only bring out a smile and an feeling of awe, but it goes a long way toward making me humbly thankful for my good fortune. Amen to that.

Little Cat Feet

Early this morning was incredibly foggy at the beach. (No, there was nothing wrong with my camera today.)

It was a wonderful and peaceful feeling as if you were being swaddled in a cozy gray blanket. 
People were hard to see until you were right up on them. Even the sound of the ocean was somehow muted. The feelings were very comforting and restful. I thought it particularly appropriate as I was attending the funeral of a friend later in the morning. This quiet time gave me peace.
I was also reminded of my days of living on the coast of Maine and of this wonderful little Carl Sandburg poem:

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking 

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

Worlds longest green turtle crawl

This video is from the Flagler County Turtle Patrol, just north of here. This amazing turtle must have felt so relieved when she finally made it back out to sea. She made me tired just watching her tracks. 
Can you imagine doing this... if you weighed over 200 pounds, were crawling on you belly being propelled by short stubby legs, AFTER having just spent probably over an hour digging a nest about two feet deep, then laying upward of 100 eggs, covering the nest and then trying to find your way back to sea along this route. Amazing. 

P.S. I didn't mention she did all of this in the dark of night. What an ordeal!

Turtle Day 15 July 2013

As promised, here's the video I took this morning of the loggerhead turtle. I shot over 15 minutes of video but managed to condense it down to about 5 minutes.
The whole process took this giant sea turtle about 2 hours from when she came out of the ocean, dug her nest, laid her eggs, covered the clutch, then slowly made her way back to the welcoming coolness of the ocean. I was only there to witness her leaving the nest and her return to the sea. This I happily share with you.

Turtle Day!!!

Today at the beach I was greeted first thing by the tracks of a rare green turtle who, during the night, had laid her clutch of eggs. Then saw a friend who said there was a loggerhead farther south who had just come ashore. They usually come during the darkness of night so a 6:30 a.m. sighting is rare indeed. I headed south to see if she was still there. She was! Here are two photos. The second one she was finally finished — after about 2 hours — and headed back to sea. I took some video too and will post it later. Here's just an appetizer.

Couldn't ask for a better Monday morning beginning than this one.

Here it comes....

I missed a couple of days on the beach but was stunningly reminded of one of the reasons I enjoy my early beach mornings so much. Being tantalized by the prospect of a lovely sunrise, again... bliss.

Finally... new camera

Still trying to get used to my new camera and learning what it can do. 
Today I played around with its 12x zoom. Below is a stunning look at the sun behind a big ol' lump of cloud.

Here's a zoomed-in and even more splendid look at the sun up-close and almost personal.

Only drawback was standing at the edge of the surf wearing my good walking shoes. I was so engrossed in the camera's operations that I got a wet surprise as an incoming wave covered me to my ankles. Chilly too! Woo hoo!

Happy Independence Day!

I see this flag every morning on my way to the beach. Today it takes on a special and very poignant meaning. 

Happy Independence Day America. Let us all take a moment to remember what our founding fathers fought for and what a wonderful thing they created in the Constitution of the United States of America. We should also remember how lucky we are to be able to live in this great country. God BLESS America!

New venue, new view

Tides, soft sand and beach erosion have made walking on my normal part of the beach very difficult lately. That plus a cat-sitting job a few miles south of here have me looking for a new venue for my daily beach walks. 

Since there is a new beachfront park in town about 4 miles south, I decided to give it a try since I'd be driving anyway.

What else can I say but... lovely. Enjoying the sun framed by newly planted palm trees is a great way to start any day. 

I also ran into some of my normal beach buddies walking here as well. Sand is much firmer with fewer peaks and valleys to contend with. Though I must admit that I do miss my normal cadre of beach walkers and fishermen. Sigh, can't have it all, huh?