Indian Key Fiasco

Thursday  - Saturday                                                               Most Recent Posts:
December 10-12, 2015                                                             Upscale Local Housing and Looe Key Snorkel
Curry Hammock State Park                                                       A Birthday With the Birds
Marathon, Florida

 

You might have noticed that I published two posts yesterday in my stated quest to try to catch up to current.  There are links to them both above.  This is another version of that attempt with a post covering 3 days. 

 

THURSDAY

 

The winds are predicted to be 4-5 miles per hour so we decide to try snorkeling at Indian Key which is actually to the east across the highway from Lignum Vitae Key.  It’s a short paddle and folks say it’s a good place to snorkel.

We find the put in just off Rt 1 before the bridge and take the kayaks off the car to the launch site.

 

 

 

 

Things are going fine until I discover that I’ve left my canon camera back at the rig.  I have the underwater camera but it’s pictures above water just don’t make the grade.

David goes on over to the Key, he’s not the forgetful one, and I go back for my camera.

That takes nearly 40 minutes so he’s had time to circumnavigate the entire key and see where the best snorkeling might be. 

 

He also looks for nice take out spots so we can hike the trail on the island.  He finds a few.  The provided dock is for power boats obviously and is way too high for kayaks

 

 

 

I return with the camera and start out for the island.  The clouds are looking really iffy.  There wasn’t any rain predicted for today but that doesn’t mean anything.

 

 

Looks like a black and white doesn’t it, but it isn’t. The sky really looks that way.  Pretty ominous.

 

 

I paddle right toward David who is easy to see from a distance in his bright red kayak but somehow he doesn’t see me coming even though he’s waiting.

 

 

Others are on the island or come in to greet me as well.

 

 

 

After going nearly all the way around the island we have found no place that looks promising other than this coral shelf so we tie up there and have a coral shelf lunch spot. 

 

 

 

The coral itself is very interesting in it’s designs and the critters, like these snails, living in the water catches.

 

 

David gets the dive flag ready for use.  Not sure we have to have it this close to land but since we don’t know, we get it out.  I get in the water to check it out.  It’s very shallow so that should make for decent visibility.

 

 

 

I think these are sea urchins.  Some of them look like beautiful long eyelashes to me.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m having trouble with my mask fogging again and the cream we got at Diver’s Direct really doesn’t help.  We must stop somewhere and get some sort of spray.

But I can see well enough to notice two or three queen conchs on the bottom.

 

 

Even with my skin suit on,  I get chilled after a while.  Perhaps it is the cloudy day or maybe my blood has turned Florida on me but I get out and David continues snooping around on his way back.

 

 

Here’s where the story ends.  I have my canon camera in a case around my neck as I always do when I kayak.  What’s different is that I usually don’t get in and out of my kayak while it’s floating.  Today I slip getting back in and just fall into the water for a second but the camera goes with me.   Why in the world did I bring the canon at all?  I guess becuase the Nikon’s above water pictures are so mediocre and I wanted the canon for our hike.  Take a lesson here,  do not bring anything but a waterproof camera snorkeling if your boat is a kayak.

Our party comes to an abrupt end as we race back to shore to get the camera dried off – my towel went in the water too – and get it in a bag of rice.
We’ll have to return sans snorkeling to dock on the island and hike around.

I won’t keep you guessing.  I’ve done the rice trick before with success but this time it doesn’t work and the camera is ruined.  Perhaps snorkeling and I aren’t meant for each other.

 

 

After dinner we go over to Laurel and Eric’s which of course perks up my spirits.  We get a tour of their really cool new Arctic Fox trailer.  I want to take a picture of Laurel and Eric sitting on their sofa but Laurel won’t let me.  Something about her hair.  So the only thing you get to see is the bathroom anyone who loves bubble baths will envy.   Take a look at that tub.  Perhaps I don’t get around much but it’s the only one I’ve ever seen in an RV.  And it’s just my size <wink>. 

When we return home, I open Live Writer to publish a previously written post and get that same error we all had to deal with back in May.  So no blog post.  I think it’s time for this day to end.

 

 

 

FRIDAY

Now I’m not a believer in Astrology particularly but a friend writes to tell me I have birthday wishes on Facebook so last night I looked at Facebook and while there I read this week’s predictions from We’Moon.  Perhaps if I’d read them on Monday, my birthday, I’d have taken heed.  Here’s what they say

Mars opposes Uranus under all balsamic Sagittarius Moon and leaves us no patience for things that do not work or are not fair, whether we take this on a political or personal level. We don’t want to study the problem; we want to do something about it. Things that were stuck can become unstuck, debates abound, mechanical difficulties can get explosive, and accidents proliferate. Stay present and pay attention to keep accidents at a minimum.

Guess I should have paid attention to that accident thing. Today is the new moon and it will be waxing for two weeks.  That is supposed to mean things look up.  I sure hope so.

The camera is still in the rice so David takes this picture of me wrapping packages.  I am amazed every year at how long it takes to create beautiful presents that are history in under 5 minutes in most families.  Luckily we spend the entire morning opening presents with each person having center stage to carefully open and examine each gift. 

This is how I spend my morning while David goes to Fishermen’s Community Hospital for his last major blood draw of 2015.  

 

 

He comes back with a present for the wrapper. Tis’ the Season!   It seems Bailey’s is on sale at Publix in December before the holidays so he picks up two bottles, one original and one chocolate cherry.  I’m pretty partial to original Bailey’s so I’ll be stepping out on a limb here with this variation.  It’s a tough job but someone’s got to try it.

 

 

 

We end the day with a rousing round of The Birding Game.  It’s actually pretty neat and we should play it more often so we get better at identifying birds.  We’ve had it a long time so you’d think we’d know everything by now.  But definitely not so, we’re both still beginning birders.  You have to choose a “level of expertise” first – Level 1 beginning birdwatch, Level 2 birdwatcher, Level 3 Listener, and Level 4 Hard Core.  That would be you Judy.

Players attempt to identify as many birds as possible in a set time period in order to raise funds for an environmental Cause.  Players must find sponsors to pledge funds for each bird they identify, acquire equipment such as binoculars and field guides, select those habitats – freshwater, open country, saltwater or woodland – in which they can identify the most birds and answer questions about the birds they identify.  

Glad we weren’t playing this with Laurel and Eric, they put us to shame.

 

 

SATURDAY

 

NO rain today and nice temperatures but the wind is howling.  Right outside our window, one of our neighbors is chowing down on the bush he’s climbing.   He keeps me indoors to watch him since I know he will dart away if I go outside.

 

 

I have fun watching him climb around and investigate.  I get some good looks at his belly, a part you don’t usually see.  Green…hmmm.

 

Check out those eyelids.

 

Now that’s an acrobatic move, sideways splits.
Makes me wonder if any cheerleaders can do that and then that leads to wondering if there are any sports teams named the Iguanas.   South America maybe?  A soccer team?

 

 

Nice view of the perfectly designed fingers and toes used for climbing

 

What does he do with such a long tail?

 

Yeah you’re a cutie all right even if you are rather bizzare looking.
And you know it too, that’s a pretty smug look you’ve got there.

 

We spend the day finishing the wrapping and putting things away for our move tomorrow.
We have now spent an entire month, in two 2 weeks segments in Curry Hammock State Park
We know Marathon Florida pretty well.

David gets this shot of me enjoying our last sunset from the Curry Hammock Beach.
Really do love the Keys for the sunrises and sunsets both of which you can see within walking distance at all three of their state parks.

 

 

 

 Tomorrow we move to Long Key and we’ll check out the sunrise/sunset situation there too.