Saturday – Monday Most Recent Posts:
March 12-14, 2016 Magnificent Skies and the Beautiful Washington Oaks Gardens
Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area Do I Call it a Theft or My Carelessness?
Flagler Beach, Florida
Saturday March 12
Today David moves his office outside until it becomes too windy. I do two loads of laundry and read Sue Grafton’s latest mystery titled X. It’s perfect beach reading. Easy and no concentration required. Wonder what she’ll title books Y & Z?
I walk over for sunset on the river side. I take some pictures of the pretty sliver of a moon in the pink and blue skies. Every time I see a sliver of a moon I think of reading to Carrie Margaret Wise Brown’s book Wait Till the Moon is Full with wonderful illustrations by Garth Williams. Can’t wait to read that same book to Celia.
SUNDAY March 13
Lots of clouds in the sky this morning. The sun barely peeks out into the orange sky. As you can see it is REALLY WINDY. But I’ve got sunshine on my shoulders and it definitely makes me happy.
We’re able to take a nice walk down the beach and enjoy the colors and the blue green depressions in the sand.
We walk beyond Gamble Rogers State Park and down to North Penninsula State Park where we find this. Is it from a ship Paul? We can’t figure out what it is.
And then the rains come again. With all the clouds and wind, we were expecting them. I work on paying the bills and on our summer plans. If we can’t get David’s treatment plan worked out we sure are going to have a ton of cancellation fees but in the east it’s pretty difficult to just take a big rig and wing it especially if you have to have a cancer clinic nearby. David works on the taxes.
With the motorcycles gone we can enjoy the sounds of the surf again even with the windows closed against the rain. We do have new clear crank out windows in the bedroom and we can leave those open. Oh how we love the sounds of the Ocean. Can’t wait to sleep with the windows open FINALLY.
MONDAY March 14
The other thing that happened yesterday was that Bill and Nancy arrived to spend our second week here with us. This morning they are out first thing with their fishing poles.
They aren’t the only ones fishing of course. There are line after line after line of pelicans heading north. Small groups, large groups. I think they are headed to South Carolina so Nancy can see them when she gets back to Huntington Beach.
I think I want to be a pelican when I grow up so I can skim along the waves and plunge in anytime I like.
We spend the entire day on the beach with our fishermen friends.
Nancy’s casting out there for the big one.
Bill tosses the net for the little ones – bait fish.
It’s such a beautiful day that we head into the water for our first ocean swim of 2016.
Thanks to Nancy for taking these pictures of the both of us (sort of) in the water at the same time. We never have those pictures even if you can’t see us. We know we were there.
There were several dolphins fishing right off shore. Wish we’d been in the water when they were out there. Once you see them close by, it’s too late to try to get to them. They are long gone by the time you even get in the water.
There are several just beyond where Nancy’s fishing. They are a clear indication there are fish out there but none of them seem to be interested in the Mills’ bait.
It’s so easy to just while away an entire day on the beach fishing and swimming.
Finally we head into the house for dinner past our front garden filling each day with more Coralbean flowers. Not sure if they have coral beans but they for sure have coral flowers. What a great view out our window with the ocean beyond.
Another sunset from the River side closes out our day.
For me, slow lazy days by the ocean are one of the best of all possible worlds!
What a life!!
What a lovely idea to grow up to be a pelican and be able to glide so freely over the ocean, dropping in for a bite wherever the fancy strikes. An ancient way of life preserved. Do let me know if you feel any signs of this "growing up" coming on... ;)
ReplyDeleteThat thing on the beach is a wrecked navigational buoy, the superstructure has been broken off. There is a lot more under the sand. It is called a 9 x 32 buoy and could have been either red or green, depending on which side of a channel it was placed on. It would have had a long, heavy chain attached to a 20K pound concrete block to anchor it in place.
ReplyDeleteIf you Google Navigational Buoys, you can see what it looks like in its normal operational condition. The Coast Guard has a large fleet of buoy tender cutters all around the country and on navigational inland rivers to maintain these buoys for mariner's safety. It's a huge, never ending job and sometimes buoys like you found get destroyed by severe weather or even hit by ships and break free.
Sounds like you are really enjoying the beach time. Today is Kevin's and my third day at the beach this winter! For us it is nice for a change but we really aren't beach bums and prefer to be out in the countryside or up in the mountains. The beach that we are at right now, we are the only RV in the park and have the beach almost to ourselves. There is a group of Mexicans at the hotel here, enjoying the Easter holiday break.
ReplyDeleteWe love watching the pelicans too. They also say that there are dolphins here as well but so far we haven't seen any yet!
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
It's just so beautiful there! Great captures!
ReplyDeleteNina
" Do let me know if you feel any signs of this "growing up" coming on..." Couldn't say it any better.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed Sue Grafton's books. You've made me want to read them again. You know, I've always thought it would be fun to spend one lifetime as a seagull. So glad ya'll are enjoying the beach life! It is wonderful and relaxing, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI have the same admiration for Pelicans, sometimes I think they are smarter than humans.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely day, beach, water, birds sunsets and Friends! We are all the way up into the 50's so maybe Spring is really on the way. I actually say my first buttercup yesterday!
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely day - and with fisherpeople to add adventure it is nearly perfect. Great pelican shots, and love seeing you two playing in the water like the dolphins off shore. Doesn't look like David need worry about the growing up thing in the near future :-) Kinsey Milhone is a great character and although I haven't read past M, the boys and I listened to many of them on CD while traveling and enjoyed them all. Getting to Z will be a huge accomplishment for both author and reader perhaps it will be simple "Z End".
ReplyDeleteSeems like ages since we were there:-((( Beautiful beach and fun with friends, even if the dolphins were the only ones to catch fish!!!
ReplyDeleteA delight to see the dolphin!
ReplyDeleteI love slow lazy days too, just not by the ocean. I think I will try salmon fishing when I'm in Alaska this summer. I probably shouldn't even mention it in case I don't catch anything! The last fish I caught was a nice size catfish in a lake in KY, but that was too many years ago to count - in the 1960's I think. I read Sue Grafton's books up to about U or V; maybe I should finish the series.
ReplyDeleteWhat a NICE place to be!!!! AND to spend ALL day ON the beach!! FUN!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lovely place to be. Soak up some sun and seawater for me, please.
ReplyDeleteWe have made our way to just south of Atlanta. It is supposed to get down into the 30s tonight. No fun.
I am curious about the rusted out relic you found in the sand. We were wondering if it was some soft of old diving bell but in doing internet research I didn't find anything that looked quite like that. I hope someone from the park will know what it is and you can let me know. It looks quite old, but then it's been in the ocean. There are a lot of wrecks on the Atlantic coast of Florida so it could be anything I guess.
ReplyDeleteHere is what I found. I guess this is the object you found on the beach.
ReplyDeleteShipwreck
In 1993, a metal object was first sighted in the tidal zone at North Peninsula State Park. The object appeared to be a winch or windless, perhaps for an anchor or other heavy lifting. Research suggests the object could be from the wreck of the North Western, a ship that sank before World War II near the Volusia County line.
So glad that Paul always has the answers to stuff like this :) Love the beach pictures. Our sunsets at the gates are beautiful too, but wish there were ocean sounds coming with them :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteLove seeing you and the dolphins enjoying the water! So glad you were able to get in for a swim. Wonderful beach photos -- I'm looking forward to our stay at Gamble Rogers next winter. But since it will be January, we probably won't get into the water. You have the BEST site!
ReplyDeleteLife is truly a beach! And you are making me long for the ocean.
ReplyDeleteNow that sounds like a perfect day!! Great pelican pictures and both of you swimming-that's grand!! So fun to hang out with friends on the beach! I, too, am looking forward to when you can read to Celia :)
ReplyDeleteGlad Paul knew what it was, the suspense was killing me!
ReplyDelete