Beach: Caladesi Island

Is it possible to fall in love with a beach one weekend and then another beach the next? Sure is.  Not long after visiting Ft. DeSoto, we traveled to another breathtaking Florida State Park: Caladesi Island.  Off the coast of Dunedin, FL, this park is accessed only by marine vessel.  Packing up our nephew C. and a picnic cooler bursting with  peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we waited excitedly for the ferry here:

   

It was only a few minutes ride, listening to our state park guide.  We liked him because he was full of Florida facts, had a cheesy sense of humor, and pointed out the dolphins to our untrained eye.

Once on the island, we snorkeled, swam, and watched in awe as the seagulls swooped in on the schools of fish like this one:

Just before taking the return ferry, we made a new friend: the Gopher tortoise, a protected species that inhabits the island.  This one was a bit camera shy.

Don't make us choose between Ft. DeSoto and Caladesi Island.  If we had to pick a favorite beach...well...it's the one we have yet to explore.

 

Beach: Ft. De Soto

Today, I felt the slightest chill in a tank top - a sign of Autumn in Florida. It's hard to believe that just over a month ago, we were sweating bullets at Ft. DeSoto Beach. If you haven't been there, locals will *gasp* in shock that you haven't discovered this Florida gem. It's true, there is much to do: campsites, biking trails, bird watching, kayaking, paddle-boarding, reef snorkeling, and the ruins of a historic Spanish Fort that will transport you in time to an era when Espanol was the dominant language round these parts. Oh, yea, and there's a pristine beach guarded by mangroves as old as Florida herself.

On our first visit, we took along a few houseguests that hailed from California (thanks for the visit K. & A.). We started off with some waterside dining a-la-picnic-style. But when I discovered this swing, I didn't really want to move from here. Would you?

At the information center, we learned about all the things to enjoy here. Right behind the building, we looped through this short sweet trail.

Finally, we made it to the white sands and clear warm waters that vacations are made of. I can see why this beach keeps getting voted as the #1 Beach in America (according to TripAdvisor and Dr. Beach).

We had fun, but the day ended too quickly. Next time, I hope we get to take the ferry over to Egmont Key for some serious snorkeling.

Having felt the magic of Ft. DeSoto, I just know that we will be back.

Crabs for breakfast

As many mornings as possible, I try to enjoy a mini-moment of life on the bay. Sometimes, it's just a peek out the back window to catch a glimpse of the high tide. But on leisurely mornings, it's a slow stroll - coffee cup in hand - all the way down to the end of our dock. The experience is always the same and always different. This morning, I discovered someone had fresh crab for breakfast. It wasn't me.

Obviously, I'm just not this MESSY of an eater. Good to know that the birds of Tampa Bay aren't boycotting crabmeat out of the Gulf ;)

Oh, and lately, we've been blessed with visits from faraway friends & family, along with a lil' bit of house projecting...yeah! I'll be writing it up soon enough.

Sea Turtle Nesting Season 2010

On a recent trip to Indian Rocks Beach, M. and I intended only to swim, play, and soak up some Vitamin D. Under a bright Florida sun, we walked hand-in-hand appreciating the natural wonder of a less-touristy beach.

There, amidst the usual seashells and shrieking children, we came across a reminder that life finds a way...

From May 1st through October 31st, Sea Turtles make homes out of the sand dunes. These are usually carefully marked out on the beach to protect the nests from the heavy tread of tourists.

Although these cute little creatures are protected by Florida Law, I can't help thinking that nothing can protect our marine life better than being responsible caregivers of this planet. I've tried to keep politics out of this blog, but more than four months have passed since the BP oil spill. News coverage has dwindled and the public has a short memory for unimaginable tragedies. We all have to draw that line in the sand somewhere. I draw mine here.

kayak lesson: Double Branch Creek

Nestled in the Upper Tampa Bay Park, is a kayaking treasure: Double Branch Creek. We recently explored their 6.5 mile water trail spanning fresh, brackish and saltwater. By joining up with Osprey Bay Outdoors, a local kayak company, we were able to navigate deep into the mangrove trails with no worrys about getting lost. The Hillsborough County-run park even has a nature center adjacent to the kayak/canoe launch. Here we are at the launch entrance.

We were fortunate to have a friendly group of kayakers on the trip with us and a pair of knowledgable and goofy guides made it fun too...

Along the way, we spotted crabs, racoons, fish, many bird species, including the oh-so-tall Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) seen here:

KAYAK LESSON: invest in some kayaking gloves. It was the first 6.5 mile trail I completed and I earned the blisters on my hands to prove it. Ouch. One of the guides (thanks, Demetri!) graciously let me borrow his kayaking gloves for the return paddle. After all, there is no whining on the water :)

Happy Vernal Equinox '10

The first day of Spring 2010 lived up to its expectation - warm, sunny weather under a cloudless sky. It was too beautiful to stay inside. After a few hours of house-projects, we rewarded ourselves with a lil' boat ride to Old Tampa Bay. On the way, we met these two crazy characters...

One decided to grab food while we were watching. Gulp-gulp.



Turns out we have something in common with pelicans: we also like to have fish for lunch ;)

The Thaw

It's back. The warm and sunny weather that makes this place Paradise. Some people rejoiced in the reprieve of cool weather. But for local marine life, the temporary frost meant a major hit to its population. The Tampa Bay waters so infrequently reach these low temps, that many fish were frozen in a stupor, swimming erratically, or ultimately killed. The thaw finally came this weekend, and so many dead fish came floating to the surface, it looked like a fish cemetery. The high tides brought some of the fish up and over the seawall and into our backyard...

At first I wondered how Mother Nature could be so cruel. What was Pacha Mama's reason for all these deaths? I felt sadness (and ickyness) as the stench reached my nostrils. But then I thought of the fish who were suffering in the cold, and realized they were no longer suffering...

Yakin: Lagoon (part 1)

Many months ago, our neighbors told us a tale of a canoe trip where they discovered a lagoon hidden in the nearby mangrove preserve. We never forgot this story. After bringing home Inti & Paxi (our new yaks), we knew we would seek out this lagoon. This weekend, we packed up the yaks and set out on that quest...
M. had a rough start getting into his kayak. He lost his balance and SpLoOsH!

Undaunted, we continued. Within a few minutes, we were deep amidst the mangrove waterways...

We hadn't gotten too far before the water level became too low to paddle. After anchoring the yaks, we hiked on foot...right alongside birdy footprints...

Finally, we arrived at the mouth of the mysterious sparkling lagoon. We felt like we were in an Indiana Jones movie. A great heron sailed past the entry, surely inviting us in...

But as we tried to hike (wade) those last few steps, we sank into the muck -- up to our knees. Rather than risk losing our favorite Keens (or worse), we decided to turn back and have lunch at our newest and most favorite bar: the sandbar...

Although we didn't make it INTO the mysterious lagoon, we did find it. M. says the trip was a success because we had fun. I say it was a success because we made some new friends, pictured here:

So, will we ever get to swim in the mysterious lagoon? We sure hope so.

To be continued...

(ka)Yak Attack

Welcome home kayaks. We hemmed. We hawed. We won't ever look back. Our local kayak retailer Wind-n-Watersports made our 1st kayak purchase ez-peazy. We have simple needs, but we love all the little details we got: self-bailing, sit-on-top style, with a bungeed cargo area for storage, paddle rests on both sides, fold-down seat backs, and cup holders -- we luv us sum cup holders. They nest for ez storage and they ride oh-so-smoov. We named 'em Paxi (moon) and Inti (sun).

This weekend, we launched our new kayaks from the dock...

And we were off on an adventure yakin' to Old Tampa Bay...

Where we discovered a sandbar along the edge of a mangrove preserve...

And enjoyed a private sunset that made us smile for miles...