To the Point

Sunday and Monday November 12 & 13, 2017                                            Most Recent Possts:
Anastasia State Park                                                                   Anastasia State Park, St. Augustine
St. Augustine, Florida                                                      Fort Caroline National Memorial is a Lot More than a Fort

This morning after watching the sunrise I walk the length of the peninsula and back,  a 7 mile hike.   I’m starting from the red and gold star at the bottom and walking to the gold and red star at the top.  David was still asleep when I left so he didn’t join me.

Another beautiful dawn started my hike off perfectly.

As I walk down the long boardwalk over the dunes, I can see the lighthouse light shining in the dawn sky.  It looks far away.

It’s a red flag flying as I approach the stairs down to the beach.

When I get to the steps I find that today there are only two of them and I’m going to be walking a sand hill down to the beach.

The sky is turning yellow as I head north up the beach.

I keep checking over my right shoulder to judge the progress of the sun.

It rises up over a bank of clouds rather than directly over the water.

But then there it is sending its beam of light over the water to me and of course anyone else at any point up and down the beach.  I always find that amazing.

Lovely art.   I don’t get my footprints near it.   So beautiful without any intrusion.

A group of sanderings, sandpipers and plovers are gathered along the shore.

Perhaps half way up I can see the lighthouse clearly

 

Up in the air there are squadrons of pelicans.    Not sure I’ve ever seen groups larger than these and they just keep coming flying south down the beach sometimes over the water, sometimes over the dunes.

But when I reach the point, I really can’t believe the gathering of  birds.  Everyone I’ve seen all day and more are there.  The stretch between the two yellow arrows on this picture.

They don’t seem bothered by the size of the waves.

I know I’m at the point, the gathering of birds is on my right and straight ahead the sand ends and across the water I can see houses.   Lots of houses.

Just a reminder of the map.  The houses I can see across the little straight are on the tip of land across from where I am.  Although it looks as though I could walk all the way around and back on the other side of the peninsula, what the map doesn’t show is that entire side is sand dune.  No walking there so I walk back the way I came.

I am now walking into the sun.  The pictures I take of the congregation of birds turn out to be black and white without any selection on my part.  The smaller birds are much harder to see.  Looks like mostly pelicans.  But I like all three of the black and white.

Footprints in the sand.

Other fishermen also in black and white.

Back across the boardwalk I see the lighthouse again.  Of course the light’s not on now but tomorrow we’re going over to see it up close.

That night we have a big storm and the next morning walking over the boardwalk the clouds are pastel and the water is in giant ponds.  At least one wading bird has moved in.

Can you see him?   How about the itty bitty lighthouse on the horizon?

It’s a rainy, cloudy, windy, drippy day so we postpone the light house visit AGAIN.  The red flag is flying.  No swimming today.