One Green Turtle Saved

This tired little turtle lay exhausted on the beach the other day.

Baking in the near afternoon sun after probably struggling all night to make it to the ocean, he had given up and was waiting for death to come--either in the form of a predator or in the form of heat stroke and exhaustion.

But guess what--

He was found and rescued by Chris and Ethan. Placed in a cool bed of sand and kept out of the sun to recover a bit. A short time later--after a couple telephone calls he was delivered, alive and somewhat stronger, to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center of Juno Beach.

There they identified this little guy as a green turtle and took him to help him recover until he was strong enough to be motored about 8 miles out to sea and released in the area where the turtles go to grow into big turtles.

This guy is lucky actually. The survival rate to adulthood is about 1 in 1,000 and most are lost right after hatching when they are known, sadly, as the "cheerios of the sea."

We have a deep respect for the sea and our planet. Despite the odds and the probable outcome--we rescue those marine animals we come across who need help. This trip so far has seen us assist one green turtle, ten anchovies (yes strange as it seems), one crab, and three sea urchins to return to their environment and avoid an unpleasant death on the sandy beach.

Conversely, we love watching the pelicans and the osprey hunt for the animals just like the ones we just saved--kinda sick isn't it?

Tropical Storm Bonnie

Experiencing all kinds of things on vacation is what it is all about right?

Well today we are on the northern edge of Tropical Storm Bonnie--sunny right over top of us on occasion and very grim to the south over West Palm Beach and further south to Miami.

The waves are rough--I'm glad we went fishing yesterday, we would all probably get sick today on the boat, even if they go out.

Chris and Nicole have gone to the beach to shoot some shots of the power of the storm as seen in the waves crashing on the beach. The image above was taken from the balcony of our condo looking south to the storm clouds.

So it is likely that i won't be getting any additional sun today--but that is good as I have had two days of sun screen failure and am a bit toasted--not bad, but for someone who prides himself on spending days in the sun and not getting burned it reminded me that I don't like sun burns.

So likely a quiet day--maybe I'll see a movie or something different. Diving is definitely out! I probably would be shaken apart trying to get out of the inlet.

Fishermen return

A moderately successful morning fishing and we are headed in to shore.

Most of the fish were bonitas which are not good to eat but I caught one snapper.

There is something in me that loves being in a small boat on a rough sea. E dawg, however, discovered sea sickness. Sadly. But he is recovering nicely as you can see.

Fishing on the Blue Heron

Seems to be an annual event to spend a morning drift fishing the reefs of the Gulf Stream from the decks of the Blue Heron.

Our intrepid fishermen me, Mike, Fran, and for his inaugural trip Ethan departed port about 8:40 am in search of dinner with about 30 of our new closest friends. We sailed from Rivera Beach because the Jupiter boat failed to get the minimum number of fishermen.

Ay maties. We've set sail for a morning adventure.

What Day is it Again?

It happened this morning. I am totally out of touch with what day of the week it is.

Someone had to tell me it is Wednesday the 21st of July.

Who knew?

Actually, that is what I strive for when I am on vacation. Total ignorance of the day of the week and any comparison to what I would "normally" be doing. And so it only took a week this year.

Of course--I do have to keep a wary eye on the end of the vacation to ensure I don't vacation beyond my allotted time. Wouldn't that be cool--to go off on vacation and never return? If I were perpetually on vacation, would it be a vacation?

Wow, that is way too deep a thought for this morning.

I'm much too shallow a person to entertain those kind of philosophic thoughts while on vacation.

Gators napping

If this is Florida it must be gator country.

They are napping in the noon-time shade.

What a great idea. I think I will soon do the same.

On Safari

This morning we skipped the beach to go on a safari.

The animals were active and fun to watch. Even the lions stopped lying around to give us a show.

And of course the zebras thought they owned the road, and they were right.

Monday Musings - July 19, 2010

1. A bad day on the beach is better than a good day in the office.

2. I wonder what it would be like to be a sea urchin and live on the beach every day. This guy seemed happy to be living in the intertidal zone. It even had some bling on to blend in with the beachcombers.

3. Florida in the summer--some say it's too hot, but it was hotter in Maryland yesterday and I don't live this close to the beach.

4. Went to the beach this morning--one other person was on the entire beach. the tide was low and we had a great time.

5. BP says the oil is seeping somewhere--but they don't know where. As long as it's not into the Gulf of Mexico is it a real problem?

6. Interesting numbers:

16 -- the number of waves that hit the beach in one minute this morning. (I counted)

1 - the number of seconds it takes for the wind to destroy a beach umbrella.

2 - the number of inches a sea urchin moves in one minute.

3 - the number of games the Orioles have lost since the all-star break, unfortunately it also equals the number of games they have played since the break.

New AA-type organization Needed: ABAA

I don't play many video games--my friends and kids will tell you that.

I got addicted to Texas Hold em on my Blackberry some time ago--but wow, I need help new.

I am an Angry Birds addict.

And worst of all--it is always with me on my iPhone or iPod.

Everyone I know is playing Angry Birds--

I have completed all of the released levels (there are more coming) and now I am going back to get three stars on all the levels. One the most recent release--I worked each level till I got three stars.

It is addicting.

We need to start an Angry Birds Anonymous Association to help those of us who dream about over-sized cardinals being catapulted through the air to destroy buildings and eliminate green pigs to extract revenge on the pig forces for stealing their eggs.

Birds--with an attitude!

Boy am I glad I can't take my cell phone into work with me!

These birds are real home wreckers.

Sand and Beaches

Have you ever considered how many grains of sand are on the beach?

Not that it is important to know--but I figure that it is possible that each grain of sand represents a way that a child can have fun on the beach.

Adults, is seems, as we grow older reduce the numbers of ways we enjoy beaches to just a few--in the water, out of the water, and asleep with a good book, or something like that.

It is fun to watch the other people on the beach, too. People are mostly chillin' on the beach.

But kids find amazing ways to remind us of the diversity of the beach. From finding some new shell, or playing in the sand, or enjoying getting knocked over by a wave, or being spun around by Pop-pop in the waves. They always seem to find a way--and many different ways, to enjoy the beach and the sun.

Me, I like to enjoy their enthusiasm as it reminds me of those first times I went to the beach and saw the ocean.

I was older than E and Jax, so I remember considering the awesomeness of it all.

Maybe that is why I still love the beach and the ocean--I love the diversity, as it is different every day and yet all so familiar.

I like finding the new and the different, or the old and familiar, like watching a pelican fish for breakfast as we did this morning. Or watching a shore bird stalk crabs--for their next meal.

Everyday is a new adventure--the beach is different, the waves are different, the color of the water even seems different; it just takes a discriminating eye to notice the subtle differences and appreciate them from something that could so easily seem to be the same day in and out.


So how many grains of sand are there on the beach?

I'm not sure anyone really knows, but I know there are not enough.