Manatee play, Farmer’s Market and lagoon kayak

Friday March 8, 2013
Site 20, Blue Spring State Park
Orange City, Florida
High 74 Low 40

 

 

Today…..AS USUAL,  first I visit the manatee. 

 

I’m out early to see the manatee who are of course playing around particularly this one whom I watch for quite a while as it plays with this log.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

And then there is the Farmer’s Market.

But I can’t stay long since Orange City has a Farmer’s Market from 8am to 1 PM every Friday.  We grab some breakfast and go to check it out.

The city park makes a lovely location for the market.  Only two of the vendors today are selling vegetables.  But one of those has quite a variety.   The others are selling all sorts of things.  Home made salsas and jams, plants including orchids, nice woodworking pieces and other craft type items.  David bemoaned no coffee and no baked goods.   After I looked at these pictures I realize I didn’t take any close ups of the good looking produce.  We were too busy picking out vegetables and trying to keep the total somewhere within our budget.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

And finally it’s warm enough to get the kayaks in the water.

 

In the afternoon we finally get the kayaks out on the water.  Up until today it has just been too cold and windy.    I go out first and David joins me later.

I launch from the park’s dock just outside the spring run barriers.  I look back to see the white barriers and then further in at the end of the run, the rope and orange balls the manatee like to play with.

 

 

I see lots of folks on the viewing platform and take  picture of the sandy beach where I watched the manatee play after dark close enough that I could have touched them.

 

  

 

I hang around just outside the barriers.  Will I see them out here in the river?

Sure enough the manatee are coming in and out under the barriers, beside and in front of my kayak.  They are actually more difficult to see from the kayak than they when I am above the spring on the deck like the gang  of folks watching them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I paddle over to the lagoon which I have heard is one of their favorite restaurants. 

 

Although I don’t see any manatee, I do see the wading birds fishing away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are many juvenile ibis in the bushes and trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

  

 

 

 

 

 

David joins me and after this trip around the lagoon, just as we are leaving,  a snowy egret lands in the sunlight.  I snap his picture even though the light seems terrible but it turns out I really love this the light on him and all the area around washed out by the same light.

 

I want to check out Snake Creek before we go in for the day.

 

We head back out into the St. Johns where we take a channel over to what I hope is the mouth of Snake Creek.  I want to check out just a bit of it since we will be paddling 3.5 miles up to Hontoon Island State Park in a few days.

With the sun slipping lower in the sky in the direction we are paddling the pictures are not great but in real life it looks like it will be an excellent paddle up a narrow creek to an island state park only accessible by water. 

 

 

 

   

 

We return to the river as the sun goes down and begins to color the sky.  It’s a lovely sight while  getting the boats settled in their spot near the launch site so we can use them again soon.