Snow... Florida style

Considering the balmy December weather — I've been in shorts and short sleeves the past couple of days — it was a delight this morning to see Florida's version of SNOW on the beach... Sea foam. 

Mounds and mounds of "snow" all along the beach as far as the eye can see.

Many of us former northerners have commented that this is as close to snow as we care to get nowadays. You don't have to shovel this stuff and it isn't cold.

According to Wikipedia: Sea foam, ocean foam, beach foam, or spume is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter (including proteins, lignins, and lipids)^[1] derived from sources such as the offshore breakdown of algal blooms. These compounds can act as surfactants or foaming agents. As the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, the presence of these surfactants under these turbulent conditions traps air, forming persistent bubbles that stick to each other through surface tension. Due to its low density and persistence, foam can be blown by strong on-shore winds from the beachface inland.

Sunny progression

Upon my pre-dawn arrival at the beach, the offshore clouds looked very much like a ridge of mountains in the distance. A fellow beach walker affirmed my thought with a cheery "it looks like we're at the mountains."

As we walked, the sun made its progress towards brightening our day and we were anticipating its effect upon our mountains. Here it comes...

Ah, ha... now slipping again behind the "mountains."  

Then just peeking over the wall to brighten our day. It wasn't too long before mighty Ol' Sol had obliterated any hint that we may have garnered of living in the mountains by the sea.

 

No matter how you look at it... a great start to any day.

Be Strong Baby Turtle

Working with the Turtle Patrol this season has been one of the most rewarding, exhilarating, sometimes sad, but also one filled with a lot of aw-w-w-w moments. Watching this little guy head off to sea was one of those aw-w-w moments.

After 60 days and much tidal over-washing, my last assigned nest finally had an emergence, i.e. the baby turtles hatched and emerged from their clutch to head to life in the Atlantic Ocean. Three days after that event we evaluate the success of the nest by digging it out to count the eggs that hatched (78 on this one); check for unhatched eggs and to see if there are any baby turtles who are still alive and for whatever reason unable to escape. 
This particular nest had two live babies and after I freed them, headed off to sea to hopefully grow and thrive and maybe in 20+ years come back to this beach to lay a new clutch of eggs and start the process all over again. 
Mother Nature is truly marvelous, she has been doing this with turtles for more than 25 million years. Amazing.

Storms, Pink Clouds and Osprey

Offshore storms, towering pink clouds and a group of six osprey fishing in the surf. A friend and I watched for quite a while as it appeared that Mama Osprey had her hands full with teaching some young osprey how to dive and fish in the brisk winds and turbulent surf.

It doesn't get much better than that unless you add in the perfect temperature and a invigorating southerly wind. What a start to my day. For all this, I am truly grateful.

What a way to start a Monday

This morning's sunrise took my breath away. Best I can do is just share it with you.

Colors

Today's dawn was monochromatic with nothing but shades of gray. So I decided to do a brief rewind and share the colors of yesterday. Hallelujah.

Clouds, clouds, clouds

The atmosphere at the beach was heavy with clouds this morning and yet the air was wildly exhilarating enhanced by offshore rain showers and stimulating winds. There was a different view in every direction and the only way I can share it with you is through photos. 

I do wish you had been there to share it with me. To hear the ocean, to smell the salt air, and to feel the wind blowing in your hair and across your skin. I treasure every second of the experience and feel so fortunate to be able to relish every moment of it.

New sight at a new site

Rarely do I get to spend time on the beach 6 miles south of my normal stomping ground but on this particular morning I was near the Main Street Pier as dawn was breaking, and what a lovely dawning it was. New sight at an new site.

August endings

What happened to the month of August? It has disappeared, just slipped away without my permission. So here it is the last day of my favorite month of the year. (There are many reasons for it being my favorite month starting with childhood summer memories, birthdays for me and many many of my longtime friends, my parent's wedding anniversary, summer travels, etc...)

So in honor of August, here's a hodgepodge of final days photos. Starting with three of the seven shrimp boats lining the horizon this morning.

 Followed by the sun showing up with all her glory.

The birds enjoying breakfast on the beach,

 and finally an unusual plume of cloud that really struck my fancy.

Goodbye August, I'm sorry I let you slip by but I'll try to savor each and every day of you next year.

Turtle thrills

They are so tiny but grow up to be so huge. Palm sized to as much as 350 pounds and 6 feet long.

Today the Turtle Patrol found two baby loggerhead turtles still trying to get out of their nest. But that's not the whole story...

They also know that I walk a certain area of the beach every morning. So, because it was my birthday this week and as a member of the Turtle Patrol myself, they brought them to me as a special treat. There is definitely a unique thrill to helping these tiny creatures start their journey to the sea. 

This little guy was so cute as he lifted himself up on his front flippers and with nose in the air, caught a whiff of the ocean and headed on his long journey. Hopefully it's a female and she will return to this beach in 25 years to lay her eggs and keep the 25 million year old cycle going.

It's all here

I was awed, as usual, by the colors that greeted me when I arrived on the beach. But couldn't ignore the incongruity of boats and planes intruding upon such an idyllic setting. 

It does, however, make for an interesting picture and the boat and jet contrail keep me grounded in reality when I'd rather be like a bird and just soar above all the madness below. 

(Remember you can click on the image above 

to get a closer view of the details.)

Energizer Bunny Gone Awry

I still do that childhood thing of trying to picture objects and creatures that are depicted in cloud formations. The morning I saw this cloud I immediately thought about the Energizer Bunny. Perhaps he is a little out of shape and has gone totally awry, but to my mind he's definitely there. Do you agree? Or do you see something different in this tremendously colorful, and huge, stand-alone cloud?

Walking on Sunsine

What a lovely morning for a walk on the beach and as I saw this guy walk by one great song popped into my brain. Do you remember Katrina and the Waves' joyful tune called Walking on Sunshine? Well I remember it and I've been humming it ever since. 

Just in case you want a tune overtaking your brain... here's a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUmE-tne5U

Now you can join me as we dance around to a fun-filled and catchy 

"walking on sunshine beat." Ha!

Beach Beauty

I'm so very glad to be back to my beach walking routine and the weather is cooperating with mild temperatures, gentle breezes and stunning sunrises. This morning another habitual beach-walking friend said how lucky we were that on partly cloudy days we could witness a couple of hours of different sun scenarios. With that being said, I'll share three of these scenarios with you.

First expectation of the sun while shore birds search for breakfast.

Oh yes, here comes this beach beauty as yellow as a lemon drop.

 

Slipping behind a cloud the sun emits streaks of light 

to highlight a paddle boarder's morning journey.

 

What a joy all this is and such an incredible attitude adjuster. Lucky me.

Super Moon... Super Clouds

At the beach this morning I was granted a look at our first super moon of the summer. I tried to see it last night but with the rain and clouds it was a washout. So this morning's glimpse was a treat. 

However, what really captured my attention was the cloud formation over the ocean. It was stunning and looked like fire in the sky with a plume of smoke.

So on this Sunday I got a super moon in the west and some super clouds to the east. The combination made me super happy. Sheesh, how corny is that?

First of July

Here it is the first day of July and I was greeted by a spectacular and potentially stormy sunrise.

With Tropical Storm Arthur looming in the forecast for the next couple of days we'll have to wait and see what kind of exciting pictures I can share with you later this week.

Morning flight

It was so peaceful this morning on the beach. Pelicans were cruising the tops of the waves and I wanted to join them to just skim the ocean in blissful flight.

Maybe in my dreams.

 

Summertime

Here it is the first full day of summer and my beach greeting was spectacular.

Unfortunately, since I still can't walk on my broken foot I have to get my vicarious thrill from watching other people enjoy the beautiful sunrise while walking at the edge of the placid surf.

 

Winds from the west make the mighty Atlantic look like a farm pond but I know this sleeping giant will awaken and even become angry so I'll enjoy the peacefulness while we have it. What a great start to summertime... welcome!

Going to work

How's this for a fabulous road to work?  A view like this one, complete with a sandy driveway right onto the beach is an absolutely perfect way to start any work day.

This year I have joined the Turtle Patrol where we monitor our beaches for the giant sea turtles, their nests, and in the not too distant future the hatchlings that will emerge and begin their journey in the sea.
It's not really work because I love the job even with its steep learning curve and a start like this one certainly helps with the attitude. Lucky me.

June at the Beach

Just because I can't walk very far on the beach doesn't mean I can't appreciate Mother Nature's clouds while there. June 1st and 2nd gave me some stunning formations to share with you. 

I didn't notice the hint of a prism's colors in the center of this first photo until I got it home. Lovely, just lovely.

Ahhhh, just being able to take in this beauty and strength is so necessary for my soul's well-being. I thank heaven for the privilege.

Half Storm Trooper, Half Human

Alas, my days of walking for miles on the beach have abruptly come to an end... for the next 8 to 12 weeks that is. Sadly I broke my foot. Actually the second metatarsal on my left foot, but on a bright note I have turned into a cyborg storm trooper. Well, on one side anyway. 

At a friend's suggestion I still make my way to the beach every morning to enjoy my beach buddies along with the sunrise, the birds, the sound of the waves and even the smell of the seaweed is somewhat pleasing. Ten days down and counting...

Iron Cloud

Thanks to a friend of mine for this perfect title. The cloud that greeted me this morning at the beach was indeed a huge iron monster. However, that enticing edge of blue gave hope that the rains of yesterday would be replaced by some wonderful Florida sunshine today.

First turtle's nest

Turtle season started May 1st and this morning we had our first nest. Woohoo! The best part is that the nest was that of a leatherback, one of the rarer species (designated endangered) and definitely the largest. These turtles can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and measure 7 feet in length. I'd probably faint if I saw one in person, just the evidence of her being here is awesome in itself.

Leatherback's unmistakable signs include her very wide tractor-like tracks and a very large area where she digs a body pit, throwing sand everywhere, then eventually digs the hole to lay her clutch of eggs. What a great day!

(Remember, to get a better view just click on the photo to enlarge it.)

♪♫ One Skimmer Skimming... ♫♪

Like the Partridge in a Pear Tree Christmas song... today I got to witness "One Skimmer Skimming" as I enjoyed sunrise on the beach. This year we have been lucky to have an abundance of Black Skimmers wintering on our beach and though I know they drop their lower mandible and fly along the surface of the water to "skim" their food I had never seen it in action except in some video on the internet. Imagine my thrill at being able to witness this maneuver firsthand. 

He/she skimmed back and forth, back and forth over an area of about 50 yards. At one point he circled me and it was all I could do to keep up. I was tantalized at the speed of flight of this bird.
I have condensed close to 8 minutes of (not-so-perfect) video down to 2:43 and would have been happy to watch more skimming but it started to rain. What you see is what you get. Check it out.

A visit from Woody

Do you remember the Woody the Woodpecker cartoons? I certainly do so it was a thrill to get a visit from old Woody himself today. 

Actually this beauty is a pileated woodpecker and according to the Cornel Lab of Ornithology it is "one of the biggest, most striking forest birds on the continent. It’s nearly the size of a crow, black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest. Listen for Pileated Woodpeckers whacking at dead trees and fallen logs in search of their main prey, carpenter ants, leaving unique rectangular holes in the wood."

Well, Woody here was whacking on one of the trees in my front yard and hopefully he found a tidbit to eat before a mockingbird started dive bombing and chased it away. 
In case you want to reminisce... give a listen here. I've been whistling it all afternoon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PWcc3y_NlY