Yeah, we went to see the Manatees

If you have trouble defining a "type A" person you might consider, "he/she ain't a Manatee." If you want to describe a Manatee "a really big slug" it might not be nice but about a close as you get and remain brief.

coming up for air

They do move

Mom and the kid rise together for a breath

Thanks to cool weather and a high tide we saw a large concentration of Manatee in the Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River, Florida.

Go sit under the old palm tree with anyone else but me.

Even an experienced mariner like Captain F.R. Ogg could not deal with last nights storm.

Capt. FR Ogg

It was not demon rum, this time

We have been through worse winds (30 mph gust) but not rain as it could not have rained any harder. With the Gulf of Mexico only about 10 miles away Mother Nature did not have to go far to fill the bucket she was pouring on our RV. It all proved to be an effective way to trim the palm trees.

This photo only shows a small amount of "shedding" from the palms. What to note is that the break point of the stem might create a "point" sharp enough to do damage to the human, or even inhuman body. Even without a point, two or three pounds of leaves in a bunch would be uncomfortable falling from even a modest height.

Rainbow Springs State Park "Cracker Days"

Rainbow Springs

Haven't been posting as winter hit us. We survived one night where the temperature dipped below freezing but today may hit 80. You take the bad with the good. Yesterday we went to see "Cracker Days" at Rainbow Springs State Park. Once a tourist park with zoo and amusement park rides, it is now a beautifully landscaped place around the perfectly clear water that feeds the Rainbow River.

My first fish photo

 "Cracker Days" is  heritage arts festival. The usual spinning, blacksmithing, soap making, coopering, and storytelling/lying. There was live music and while we were there was a rather good traditional banjo player. Although you must be careful in the south calling someone a "cracker," native Floridians have no problem, as it refers to the earliest settlers of the American period of history.

Cracker Camp

A Dee-lightful Day Mr. President

Teddy Roosevelt was interested in almost everything and perhaps his greatest interest was birds. Florida was of particular importance to him and the first designated bird sanctuary was due to him. Not only did he love birding but he was attempting to stop the slaughter by the plume hunters who were supplying the fashion trade.

Yesterday we thanked TR. On an island, near the mouth of the Withlacoochie River we saw a bald eagle ("dandified buzzard" Brian Keith as TR in The Wind and the Lion). Alas, he was too far away for a photo. This was also true of the pelicans, gulls, and buzzards. As we were about to leave/ an Osprey landed on a utility pole very close which startled us and we the bird. Then we walked a trail into the Withlacoochie Gulf Preserve where we took the photographs.

The Bughouse

The Bughouse

The Florida great outdoors is renown for snakes, gators, panthers, feral hogs, and the legendary swamp ape. What we share with these critters is a predator known in the vernacular as the "no-see-um." Talk to anyone and you will learn the little gnats (or sand fleas according to one authority) are worse in the day, in the night, when it is sunny, when it is cloudy, when it is warm, and when it is cool. Their bite is much bigger than their size.

One protection is fine screening. Experts say bridal veil material is fine enough but some people just cannot wear bridal fashions, I mean on some it is too-too. Another source of protection is a mesh tent/canopy as pictured above. It is not foolproof, what is? However, very few get in and those you can dispatch with an icepick if you are good. 

Back to Fort Island

As a northerner wintering in Florida you have to accept a few things. First, if the groundhog sees his shadow, you really don't care. Second, wildflowers and tameflowers are in bloom. Third, you miss seeing "bridge freezes before pavement" signs (at least in this part of the state).

Note to Doctor Rick: I can find no evidence of any stinkin' fort on Fort Island.

We cooked (and ate) Pompano last night. Aside from liking seafood, trying it was part of our "thing" for old movies. Anyone know the movie where one of the main characters recalls, Pompano, done up in a brown paper bag. Don't feel bad if you cannot answer, as trivia, it is much the same as being able to name the members of President Truman's Cabinet.

To add some purpose to this otherwise blog entry about nothing, the bottom photo is of a bunch of shells imbedded in rock or some sort of hard mud matrix. These are common along the Gulf shore and rather uninteresting. They become interesting when they are underwater. We have seen very few inflatable boats in this area. I think this may well be the reason.