Post-Vacation Blues

I think I have discovered a new malady: Post-vacation blues.

Yup--I think I have it--bad.

The root cause is returning to life after a two and a half week vacation to find nothing has changed! (I mean what did I expect?) AND--couple that to mourning the loss of some great vacation time in the sun and surf.

I keep looking at the vacation pictures remembering the relaxing (mostly) time had in places where I wasn't facing mountains of email and projects that I wasn't really motivated to tackle.

I mean--don't misunderstand--it was good to get home and back to life in Maryland (especially my dog), but wow, my head is still somewhere else and thinking about the next time I can do it all again.

Ah--but sadly, this too will pass.

Soon I'll get excited about the next email action item, or about cleaning the garage (for real this time) or swapping out the leaking gas tank in the Jag (it has two).

Although napping on a floatie in the pool helped a lot yesterday--then there was that accusing voice that reminded me that there is something fundamentally wrong with napping on a floatie when there is so much to do around the house.

But in my mind--I'm still on vacation.

And so what if I want to take a short nap after a long day catching up at work, drink some wine (although it was awful!), and then watch the O's finally win a game--on the road!

Who has a right to be so judgemental about what I do or don't?

Maybe I'll drown my sorrows and go purchase another big screen TV (like 55 inches) tonight so I can start another major project in the basement entertainment room. That will make me feel better. At least until the Best Buy bill comes in the mail next month!

Name That Fish!

Help!

I took a picture of this fish on July 22, 2009 in the Sambo Reefs off Key West, Florida. I cannot figure out what it is.

The closest thing I've come up with is an ocean sunfish--but I don't like the tail and the id seems a bit off.

I have spent probably four hours scouring fish ID guides trying to id this fish--so any help would be appreciated.

It was a good sized fish--but not huge by any stretch of the imagination. I'd say maybe 18-24 inches.

Thanks in advance!

A quick edit--this is most likely a Grey Triggerfish according to experts! Yay Mystery solved. It just didn't look right to me for a Triggerfish--but that was my first instinct. Should've gone with it.

Monday Musings - August 3, 2009

1. It's August already? Is it me or is this year rocketing by at an unbelievable pace.

2. Punctuality. Hmmm. Read an interesting article about it. Chronic lateness shows a lack of respect for those with whom you are meeting. Everyone's time is valuable.

3. Returning to work after almost three weeks of vacation is one of the toughest things I have to do in a year. I haven't worn socks in that entire time let alone shoes. Ugh--my feet are dying right now.

4. Why does it seems that no where sleeps as good as your own bed?

5. I watched what could have been described as the first professional football game of the season yesterday--if you only look at the score. The Boston Red Sox scored two touchdowns (one with a two-point conversion) and a field goal in beating my Orioles who scored a touchdown and a field goal; 18-10. Oops, forgot--it was a Major League Baseball game. Someone forget to bring pitchers to the game?

6. Why do vacations have to end? Especially, when they were great vacations.

7. It is reassuring to note that even now, after all these years, I can still pull an all-nighter drive across the country. It was fun to watch the sun rise again and be on the road. I keep hearing strains of Willie Nelson singing "On the Road Again" in my ears though.

8. You really learn a lot about people when you live with them for a week.

9. The beach in Cocoa Beach is a great swimming, surfing beach. It is also good for walking on and playing in the shallow surf. Unfortunately, though, there isn't any local diving or snorkeling.

10. Guanabanas in Jupiter is a really cool restaurant to enjoy. I highly recommend it.

11.. Poor visibility can be a real downer when snorkeling--almost as bad as when driving.

Sights in Key West

Key West is an interesting city.

It appears you can get anything you desire--and even some things you don't. Just walk along Duval Street at night after 10PM to see what I mean.

Sitting at lunch near Duval Street on sunny afternoon I spied this sight and really didn't know what to make of it--especially being right under the museum. Trust me--in this area of Key west there are no beaches or places to swim in the immediate vicinity.

But it was a funny sight and we truly enjoyed getting a good laugh--and of course I was quick enough with the camera to record it.

Maybe an escaped mermaid from the Mel Fisher Museum from the wreck of the Atocha.

Manatees, bugs, and wildlife

Exploring the area around Cocoa Beach yesterday we traveled to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to enjoy the scenery and view some animals in the wild (rather than wild animals in the condo!).

Seeing Manatees in the wild was the highlight of the day. They are really big--and also really hard to get any kind of a decent photo of. But they were fun to watch. The move very slowly and almost gracefully in the water. Possibly the mermaids of the deep.

We enjoyed a great picnic lunch in the park surrounded by the abundant animal life--OK so we had ants everywhere. It was still fun. Even with the smell of bug spray to ward off the locals.

The walking tour near the visitor center provided a nice overview of the area and the geography to include plants and some animals. We did see some fish in the nearby pond.

A great day to remember, all within sight of the massive vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center.

It Took Me a While to Get Them All Positioned

I am just learning the joys of underwater photography. It is fun and at the same time frustrating. Fishes really move around, so when I was able to snap this picture of some fishes posing for me, I was happy.

This was my second dive on Friday, July 24th at an unnamed reef after completing my Vandenberg dive. I had lots of time to tool around and enjoy the fishes and the scenery under the water. The reef was only about 20 feet deep and the water was pretty clear--visibility near 40 feet.

I really enjoyed getting all of these fishes grouped together.

Jupiter Island Beach Saving Wildlife

If you've never seen seagulls drive a school of small fish up onto a beach, it is a sight to see--especially if you are with Chris whoc firmly believes every animal is worth saving. So here the family is on Wednesday Jylu 29th tossing small fish back into the ocean to be eaten another day.

OK, I probably shouldn't say that.

She has a big heart and passes that on to everyone around her.

We chased the gulls off and started the rescue effort. I can say that all some hundred of the small fish were returned to the ocean. The gulls--were not amused. They went further down the beach and did it again to the school--which was huge. Chris didn't seem to notice this transgression however.

We drove to Jupiter to do some snorkeling. Note to self--according to the dive shop I visited, there is no snorkeling or diving in the waters off Cocoa Beach. The visibility is just too bad.

So off to Jupiter we went to snorkel in familiar waters. Although the visibility wasn't that good, we did get in some quality snorkeling.

Jupiter is always good for the small fishes that love ot hang out in the rocks off shore. Usually there is a big predator hanging around--barracuda, nurse shark, or tarpon--but today and probably because of the low visability we didn't see any.

But let's face, a bad day snorkeling or diving is still better than a day at work! Hey, and this is still vacation.

Vacation Pictures 1

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I love the ocean and the waves pounding against the sand.

Cocoa Beach, July 28, 2009 found the waves especially fun to watch and wade out into.

I snapped this picture to remind me of the waves, and the sound of the ocean as the waves roll in.

Yeah--it probably isn't anythigng to write home about or will it win any awards--but I was there and I remember the day, and the sun, and the white foam.

If this is Tuesday, it must be Beach Day

Staying in a place withing mere feet of the ocean is unbeatable. Long walks on the beach at night, or during the day, or even playing on the beach becomes easy--and almost something taken for granted.

It is easy and fun.

The beach is so close it takes almost no planning, because if you forget something--it is a short walk to retrieve it.

And if you like the animal life at the sea shore--well you can get there early enough to enjoy that, too.

It is so nice to get out to the beach while it is still fairly devoid of other humans, because the animals are still in the area.

The beaches at Cocoa Beach have a lot more people on them than the ones in Jupiter do. We had gotten used to having entire beaches to ourselves, so the thought of sharing the beach with hundreds of our closest friends is something a bit foreign to us.

But, hey, it's all good.

Sun, fun, beach, and the ubiquitous sand.

What's the Captain Doing?

OK--so one of the unique experiences about sailing is that someone always needs to be at the helm.

Not for the scary question of the day--if the captain is on the bow, who has the helm?

OMG we are outta control!

But it all worked out OK. I held the ship steady and until the captain could resume his rightful place.

And our three hour tour didn't end like that of the Minnow. And it was longer than three hours, too.