Ending the Day

Very Low Tide Atlantic Ocean
Jupiter island, FL
February 23, 2023

 Was it Thursday? Friday-eve?

I suppose that it was. 

Friends arrived from the frozen northlands, which are actually experiencing an early Spring, it seems. Chris and I are excited to have them and it seems we will be enjoying idyllic weather for the duration of their visit. 

Seagull Posing for the Camera
Jupiter Island, FL
February 23, 2023

We went to the beach for Happy Hour and were greeted by one of the lowest low tides that I have seen. On the Intracoastal side of the island, the tide was so low that the mud flats were exposed and children were running along rescuing starfish that were exposed as the water receded so rapidly. On the ocean side of the island, where we were enjoying Happy hour, the rocks were exposed which are normally covered with water.

February is coming to a rapid close and the weather is forecast to be fantastic. We have a lot planned as the month closes out and are already looking forward to activities in March.

For now, we are enjoying the great weather we are experiencing.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Flat Water

Flat Atlantic Ocean
Jupiter, FL
February 22, 2023

 Walking the beach in the morning when the weather is nice is like opening a gift. I never know what to expect until I am standing on the stairs atop the sand dunes. 

That is what makes heading to the beach for the morning walk so invigorating and far better than walking around the neighborhood where I am assaulted by the sounds of vehicles and landscape maintenance equipment.

Shore Bird Taking off from the Beach
Jupiter, FL
February 22, 2023

Yesterday was a prime example. The ocean was flat! That almost never happens. Even the waves coming to the beach were some of the smallest that I have seen. The waves have transitioned, in less than a week, from monsters crashing on the beach to become gentle and almost caressing. That is part of the daily enjoyment, discovering what will the ocean be like today?

The birds and wildlife on the beach change daily as well.  I continue working with my camera to capture birds in various stages of flight, as in this image from yesterday of a shore bird taking off as I approached. The flat water provided a nice backdrop.

Yes, it was another day in South Florida.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Sea and Sky

Fishing Vessel (FV) Lady Lily
Jupiter, FL
February 21, 2023

 It was a day bookended by sea and sky.

During our morning beach walk we observed a large fishing vessel off the coast. There were actually two vessels sailing in tandem towards the south. They did not appear to be fishing and my Marine App identified them as Lady Lily and Big Ben. I took an image of Lady Lily as she was making her way along the coast. The very interesting aspect was that I cannot find an image on line of the the FV Lady Lily. Weird. As my image was at a great distance, it is not very clear. I found an image of its sister vessel, FV Big Ben and they appear similar, which is what I observed yesterday. 

Jupiter, Venus, Moon
Tequesta, FL
February 21, 2023

Closing out the day, Chris and I decided to enjoy Chinese for dinner and as we walked out our front door we were confronted with an astronomic beauty. There they were, nearly in a line, Jupiter Venus and the Moon filling the western sky just after sunset. The colors of the fading sunset were still visible in the sky. It was a sight to behold and we enjoyed our walk to and from the Chinese restaurant accompanied by the two planets and the Moon. We had been watching Jupiter and Venus for a couple of days and last night the Moon joined in the astronomic dance. I was reminded how difficult it is to get a good image of heavenly objects especially against the fading light of the sunset. Ugh! But I think I did OK. The other problem I had was finding a place where streetlights did not find their way into the image. I had a great image of the three in my viewfinder at one point with a silhouetted palm, but I could not get rid of the streetlight and keep all three objects in view.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

A View of the Beach

Shell Bed
Carlin Park Beach, Jupiter, FL
February 20, 2023

 Walking the beach yesterday morning, Chris and I imagined a scene in our minds of the shell beds weaving into the waves of the ocean and with the horizon in the distance. 

We tried to capture that vision, but alas, I think we were too late in the day and the sun had risen too high into the sky for the colors to be as vibrant as we saw them in our minds. At some point, I guess I will need to head out sunrise when the tide midway between high and low to attempt capturing the scene in our minds with a camera. 

Shell Bed 2
Carlin Park Beach, Jupiter, FL
February 20, 2023

We enjoyed our beach walk, however. The day was beautiful with temperatures moving into the 80s again. The ocean was calm and the surf breaking in the beach was not so violent as it had been.

Finnegan enjoyed walking with us. He does not like the water so much, but enjoys sniffing the seaweed and other items that find their way onto the shoreline. The best part is that it is mid-February and we are enjoying beach time. How awesome is that?

BTW, following the beach walk, Chris and I rode a 16-mile ride, just to get moving for the week. I love sunny and bright weather.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - February 20, 2023

 

1. Welcome to the 3rd Monday of February. Scary! There are only 44 Mondays remaining in the year. And it seems as if the year only just began.

2. Happy Presidents' Day. I hope, that if you work that you have the day off to celebrate the presidents. 

3. I am amazed that I can remember that it is Monday!

Arti Gras
Northern Palm Beach
February 18, 2023

4. It was festival weekend! Chris and I went to two very different festivals and enjoyed very different weather conditions each day. The first was Arti Gras, a gathering of 300 juried talented artisans. It was fun to walk the grounds and marvel at the art and sculptures on display. There is one piece that we are seriously considering--actually, we have been considering since we first saw it last year at an artisan show. Maybe we'll pull the trigger. The day was cool and overcast. Temperatures were in the low 70s and the breeze was cool. Rain threatened all day, but never materialized.

Jupiter Seafood Festival 
Jupiter, FL
January 19, 2023

5. Sunday we visited the annual Jupiter Seafood Fest. How can you not enjoy seafood? There were mountains of seafood and also many marine related vendors. The weather was very different from Saturday. Temperatures were in the mid-80s with a sunny sky. It was hot! The festival had a great band playing solid country music and we enjoyed visiting the vendors as well as stalking the seafood. I had pulled pork even though the seafood looked delectable. I did come home with a new sun shirt from our favorite vendor.

6. Take a moment today, Presidents' Day, to consider the life and presidency of Jimmy Carter. In my opinion, he was a greater leader after being president by demonstrating how much a person can accomplish by doing good for others.

7. Today in History. In a highly controversial vote on February 20, 1985, the Irish government defies the powerful Catholic Church and approves the sale of contraceptives.

Up until 1979, Irish law prohibited the importation and sale of contraceptives. In a 1973 case, McGee v. The Attorney General, the Irish Supreme Court found that a constitutional right to marital privacy covered the use of contraceptives. Pressured by strong conservative forces in Irish society, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the government was slow to change the law to reflect the court’s decision, and a number of proposed bills failed before reaching the books.

Biden walked the streets of Kyiv during surprise visit - CNN

Some in GOP worry DeSantis has overstepped against 'wokeness' - CNN

Water levels rise, covering reservoir's 'bathtub' ring - CNN

North Korea fires two more missiles into its Pacific 'firing range' - Reuters

Even a weak Russia is a problem for Europe - Reuters

Infected in the first wave, they navigated long COVID without a roadmap - Reuters

Debt-Ceiling Backup Plans Have Plenty of Hurdles - The Wall Street Journal

Google Case Heads to Supreme Court With Powerful Internet Law at Stake - The Wall Street Journal

A nuclear reactor was melting down. Jimmy Carter came to the rescue. - The Washington Post

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Sunday Funnies

 With the demise of newspapers and newsprint, I realized that I have not been reading the Sunday comics in many many years. 

A friend sent a a number of single frame thought provoking items that might have once been used in the papers and I though I would pass on two this morning.

They come from an email labeled cartoons for intellectuals. 

This one made me laugh. How often has this been true. The the tongue cuts deeper than we often believe.

Read carefully for context!

Enjoy!

Oh yes, thanks to Mary for these and others which I may share in the future!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Busy Days Even in Retirement

I grasped Friday firmly and ensured that the day did not pass with a whimper.

The day began with a great 21-mile bike ride. I added a few new twists and turns to an existing 17-mile route and enjoyed the best part of the day cruising through Jupiter and Tequesta. The route has more traffic than I like and so I do not ride it often, but I enjoy the loop down Loxahatchee River Road and then along Indiantown Road and back towards home along Island Way which continues to have wild and open spaces that I enjoy riding past. It felt good to be out on the bike for a significant ride after a couple of short workout days. 

During the middle part of the day, Chris and I went to our storage room to sort and repack. It seems that with every visit we reduce the amount of items stored there, even though we continue to add boxes to the mix. In an important side note we have replaced all of the cardboard boxes with solid containers. Some items are there for the long haul. Our storage room is convenient to the recycling center and we take the cardboard directly for recycling. The box containing Easter-themed decorations was bright home in anticipation of decorating for the holiday. As a side note, Ash Wednesday is next week. I didn't write that it was next Wednesday intentionally.

And then last evening Chris and I went to see A Man Called Otto, finally. The movie was a good as I had hoped it would be and it represented my first trip to the theater since Top Gun Maverick!

It was a full Friday, even without a trip to the beach to enjoy the 86 degree temperatures, and today promises to be a busy day as well.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

 

Trying New Places - Dive Bar Restaurant

Dive Bar Restaurant
Jupiter, FL
February 16, 2023

 We did not make it to the beach yesterday, even though it was a beautiful day, but we did enjoy Happy Hour at a new location, the Dive Bar Restaurant,  along the Intracoastal Waterway.

In an effort to widen our knowledge of local watering holes, Chris and I are trying some new places for Happy Hour and possibly dinner. Happy Hour is a creative way for restaurants to bring people in and have them stay to enjoy dinner. Although we did not order dinner last evening, the apps that we enjoyed became our last meal of the day. 

Being on the waterway, the bar was very enjoyable. There was a lot of activity and both the apps and service was great. This place is definitely a keeper and that explains why it was so busy. The Happy Hour prices are fantastic. 

The restaurant also boasts very nicely presented salt water aquariums. 

For a great Happy Hour to head off into the evening, I recommend this place.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Hump Day and the Beach

Morning Pelican Fly-over
Carlin Park Beach, Jupiter, FL
February 15, 2023

 Yesterday was a more normal South Florida day. The weather moderated a bit, the temperatures were warmer and the winds were calmer. The better weather meant that there were two visits to the beach and a shortened bike ride, 12 vs 15 miles.

Sanderling Gathering
Jupiter Island Beach, FL
February 15, 2023

At the beach, both in the morning and at Happy Hour, we were greeted by birds. The morning fly over of pelicans was very enjoyable while in the afternoon the sanderlings gathered at our feet. As we went to a less visited beach in the afternoon the sanderlings seemed to be less wary and more aggressive. Chris of course baited them with some crackers, bet even before that they came within two feet of us to see if there were and morsels of food being shared.  

At one point yesterday afternoon on Jupiter Island Beach, Chris and I were the only people on the over one-mile long expanse of beach. It is always enjoyable to have the entire beach to ourselves.

Although the winds were calmer and Chris and I decided to head out for a bike ride, the wind was still strong and we cut out one 3 mile loop. We still managed over 12 miles and enjoyed the beauty of the day. This morning the winds seem to have returned and the sky has a rainy gray appearance and so we will have to see what develops as the day progresses. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Hearts and Roses and Valentine's Day

Flowers for Chris
Tequesta, FL
February 14, 2023

The day of cards, wine, flowers and expensive dinners, not to mention chocolates, is past.

Chris and I had a full day, but mostly wasted day waiting for another shipment of wine from UPS. It was another mess, but at least the wine arrived, finally. UPS really needs to get their act together on deliveries. Yesterday's delivery was not on the truck for which they continued to send me tracking information. I know, because as the day got late I tracked the truck down and talked to the driver. Fortunately, the truck with the wine finally came and made the delivery.

Gopher Tortoise
Tequesta, FL
February 14, 2023

I enjoyed a 15 mile bike ride, while Chris stayed home waiting for the wine. Along the way I spied a tortoise which kept a watchful eye on my as I took an image. That was early in the day.

Instead of going out for an expensive dinner, Chris and I celebrated the event with a home grilled salmon dinner and a very nice bottle of wine. We find dining together to be far more enjoyable that being out in public fighting for a table in an overcrowded and understaffed restaurant. 

And so it was Valentine's Day 2023. 

Whew. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL