Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

Fun in Flagler Beach

Friday October 30, 2015                                                                      Most Recent Post:
Gamble Rogers Memorial State Park                                                     
Moving to the Ocean Side
Flagler Beach, Florida

 

 

There has been rain overnight and the humidity is at 100% when we wake up.  Our front windows are soaked on the inside and the outside.   Still piglet is up close to the window with his hands raised up in salute to the sun.

IMG_7991

 

From our step the color looks better but this is about forty minutes before sunrise. 

 

 

IMG_7988

 

By the time I walk on down to the water, the pinks and orange show up.  I love the way the colors reflect in the sand along the shore.

IMG_8008

 

 

The colors are gathering in to the spot where the sun will rise as the time grows closer.

IMG_8045

And then here it comes.

IMG_8053

 

Morning has broken.  Another wonderful day has begun.

IMG_8067 

 

First thing on our agenda is breakfast.  Chocolate chip spelt oatmeal pancakes with a mixed fruit topping.

 

 

 

IMG_8083

 

 

 

 

 

The windows clear up.  LOVE that view.

 

IMG_8086

 

Heading away from the advancing sun,  we peddle out of the park the Farmer’s Market in Flagler Beach.

 

IMG_8089

 

Highway A1A is a nice road but there really isn’t room on the edge for much of a bike lane so we ride on the sidewalk.

 

IMG_8090

 

There are a number of brightly colored and interesting houses facing the water along the way.  Here’s one of my favorites.  I’d love to meet the people who own it.  I get there first and run over across the road to take a picture of David peddling by.

 

IMG_8106

IMG_8099

 

Here are some close ups of the crew.

IMG_8101

 

From left to right.

IMG_8096IMG_8097IMG_8102

 

The market is held on the main square of town and is filled with produce.  The problem for me is that in most of the stalls this  appears this may well be the same thing you buy in the grocery store.  It doesn’t appear to be from local farms.

 

IMG_8113

 

And when it is local, it says so.

IMG_8115

 

I certainly wouldn’t be too worried about non organic pumpkins which look very right for this time of year although it’s warmer here than the pumpkin days of my past.

 

IMG_8116

 

But from my own experience as a grower in humid climates, I know that it’s pretty much impossible to grow peaches without spraying and the skins of peaches are so thin that they are one of the very worst fruits to eat unless they are organic.  We tried for years to grow organic peaches and we lost 6 for every one we harvested.   With tomatoes the villain is the green tomato worm.  It’s either spray or pick them off by hand.  I doubt anyone has been working by hand these quantities all ready at the same time.

We have enough cancer without risking any more.  Still they are lovely to look at.  And I wish our agriculture hadn’t gotten so far away from the old ways.

 

 

IMG_8117

 

 

 

 

From there we bicycle over to 7th street and down to Flagler Avenue where we find the Betty Steflik Memorial preserve.


Those of you who have been following will remember my friend Sharon who came from Knoxville to Shenandoah for several days to go hiking with us.  She sent me an email just recently and said we must not miss this.  And though we are only here for two days this time, we move it up on our list.

IMG_8121

 

The information boards at one of the other entrances which we visited on this hike talked about who Betty was but they were so damaged by the sun that they were unreadable.  I was also unable to find anything on her on line but my guess is that this woman somehow was responsible for donating or making sure this 200+ acres of mangroves, mud flats, salt marsh and coastal scrub was protected from development.

IMG_8123

 

We begin on a boardwalk through the mangrove estuary.

IMG_8125

IMG_8126

 

Osprey are fishing overhead

IMG_8127

 

 

There appears to be no map since you cannot get lost but when we come to a right hand turn we decide to continue straight on and hope to come back and take the turn.

IMG_8131

 

Sure enough the boardwalk ends at a nice spot for viewing the Intracoastal waterway and the houses fronting it.

IMG_8132

 

Our approach is being watched.  We are introduced to the labradoodle by her people who have moved to Flagler Beach from Northern Virginia.

 

IMG_8135

 

From there we do go back and take the now left hand boardwalk turn and  eventually come to paths into the  coastal scrub.  the paths go both ways.  We try first the right hand turn which leads us into a circle around to a parking lot and the unreadable kiosk.  Continuing on we find ourselves back on the board walk coming toward the paths from the opposite direction.

IMG_8138

 

IMG_8139

 

IMG_8140

 

IMG_8147

 

This time we take the other path which leads us in a short way to the marina and boat launch.  It appears boats of all sizes can launch into the Intracoastal waterway here and that you can also launch a canoe or kayak and go into the sanctuary.  We’d like to do that on another visit.

 

IMG_8155

 

We walk on up to the parking lot to see how we might get Ruby here to use the boat ramps and behind the county sign we find what is clearly a memorial.  So many candles, many still burning and flowers not yet wilted testify that this event took place not long ago.

IMG_8153

 

IMG_8150

 

From the boat launch we retrace our trail back to the board walk.  While crossing a long section, I say something to David and out from under the boardwalk flies a Great Blue Heron.  To say he startled me is putting it mildly.  He doesn’t go far though and for a while we’re able to watch him stalking and striking for his prey until he carefully wanders out of sight.

Can you even see him in the middle of this first picture which is where he landed after shocking me?

IMG_8167

 

 

IMG_8176

IMG_8174

 

 

IMG_8181

 

IMG_8183

 

Around a corner and further down I spot this Great Egret in a dead tree above the mangrove.

IMG_8189

IMG_8188

 

The only people we have seen all afternoon were the ones with the dog and a few at the boat dock.  It has been a quiet and lovely walk through this estuary.

IMG_8192

 

David spots our final wildlife of the day.  For his type, he’s a big one.  Do you see him on the second board?

IMG_8200

 

I think it’s Jimminy Cricket.

IMG_8217

 

I tell him about Winnie the Pooh and Eyore and Piglet and Tigger back at the rig but he doesn’t seem interested.

 

 

I think he’s pretty interesting though, look at those eyes and that mouth.

IMG_8204

IMG_8209

 

As I’m taking these pictures, he moves one of his antenna and puts his front foot on it.  Then he actually leans to the side and over to examine it.  Not sure David would want to stay as long as I could to just watch what he is doing.  I need a collapsible back pack stool or something to just sit down and watch wherever I am.

IMG_8210

 

Some final shots of his interesting wings and markings and I agree to move on.   Nature really is amazing.  The detail on each plant and tree and creature is just marvelous.

IMG_8216

 

When we arrive back at the bikes, I want to go across the parking lot to visit the Flagler Beach Library.  After water, libraries are my favorite places and I try to visit each one in the towns we are staying near.  Unfortunately I can’t take out any books since I don’t have a permanent residence here but I still love the atmosphere and like to see how libraries are arranged and which ones still have comfy chairs or unique displays.   I do wish there was a national library card so you could do something like netflix and borrow books to return by mail.

The little mailbox type thing by the bench is the “free books” section.  Give one/take one.

 

IMG_8219

IMG_8220

 

I have to say that the lady behind the desk was delightful just like nearly every person working in a library I have ever met.  But I am very surprised at the cold and rather unfriendly attitude of the woman who is obviously the head of the library.  I don’t take her picture.  She might throw me out.

 

IMG_8229

 

When we return in March this will definitely be my spot on a rainy day, right there in that comfy chair.  I LOVE the old card catalog.  Somehow the books were much more interesting when alphabetized in there as opposed to be brought up on a computer.

 

IMG_8231

 

On the ride back to Gamble Rogers, I stop to take a picture of the really nice mural painted on the cinder block retaining wall in front of one of the nice homes on A1A.

 

 

Some close ups of it.  I think it is really beautiful.

 

 

IMG_8237

 

 

IMG_8238

 

 

It’s back to the beach for me when we return.  David takes Ruby for a spin to CVS to pick up another refill of one medication he takes or another.   This is my goodbye to this spot for about 5 months.  It’s really been delightful.

 

IMG_8250

 

One of the things in the Riverside campground where we were for our first two nights at the park was that the boat launch, which is the best spot for watching the sunset, would be even closer.  But for both the days we were there, it rained and there was no sunset to enjoy.   So today we head over there on our bikes.  The skies look perfect and they are.

IMG_8259

 

I couldn’t decide which one of these two I liked better so I have used them both.  Hope you like sunset pictures as much as I do.

 

IMG_8264

 

 

I zoom in just a bit to get the last of the ball of fire dropping behind the trees after coloring the skies and the water its brilliant orange.

 

IMG_8271

 

 

And then came the pastel afterglow colors which reflected in the water are just magnificent.  It started out subtle and got more powerful as it got darker and then faded away and we didn’t even stay to the very very end.

 

IMG_8273

 

IMG_8298

 

From sunrise to sunset this has been another grand day!  It’s always a shame we have to leave one wonderful place to move on to another.  I’d like to be able to stay until I’m actually ready to go.  I think Shenandoah National Park this summer was the first time I have done that.