Tag: island

Boating At Last, and A Sea Star At High Tide

Getting out on the water and found an awesome sea star!

Finally, we went out on the boat for a ride. The day was beautiful, the water was cool (74 degrees), and the tide was high, meaning there were not many beaches to visit.

I did get to walk a little on one of my favorite beaches, but it was a little depressing. Someone had left a bag of trash on the shore and the garbage was strewn up the sand. Also, a man was digging around and scanning the sand with a metal detector. I know a lot of people use them, but it seemed like an odd place to search.

Long Beach view
Island beach
Clear water at high tide
Can you spot the sea star?

I like to be out on the water and get away from that kind of thing, but it seems that it is everywhere. What is wrong with simply enjoying the water and sand?

As I walked down to the far end of the island, I spotted what looked like a starfish just offshore. And YES… it was a starfish! I carefully scooped him up to get a quick photo and then put him back.

Sea star under water
Sea star or starfish with five legs
The shore area where I found the sea star

These were just about the only photos I took because we spend a lot of time riding around. We saw only one dolphin, no manatees, and only a few hermit crabs, so not a big day for discoveries – other than that awesome starfish.

As we headed south to Mosquito Lagoon, the water became choppy, so we came back. Summer is coming and hopefully we will be getting out more often.

The camper has not sold, so I’m getting it packed back up for a camping trip to Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine. We have not camped there yet, but there is ocean access, and I look forward to checking it out. More to come on that.

Thanks for reading!

Pigs in Paradise

We went boating when my youngest son visited in January, and I visited one of my favorite islands. The idea was to take a little charcoal grill and grill some hotdogs. (We already know that catching and cooking our own fish is a pipe dream!)

Pelican party
Pelican gathering

We first stopped at a camping spot near JB’s but the water was murky and the beach area was small. It was a boring spot. There was a bit of high ground so I took a picture of the view from the cliff… haha… Florida doesn’t have many “high” spots.

Boating beach tied off
Looking down… LOL

I wanted to go to the big beach island with opportunities to scout both the ICW main channel beach and the backwater beach for shells. There would be more for me to do while the boys played with the cooking part.

Oh, I forgot to mention that my son brought everything except the actual grill! So he had to cook over charcoal while we held the hotdogs one at a time with tongs! Right before that he tried to heat oyster shells over the charcoal chimney to cook over… Wow… don’t ever try that. They exploded! It was a learning experience. And next time remember to bring the grill.

Cooking over oyster shells
Do not try this at home

Big Beach Island (my name for the long beach we usually visit) always contains some trash. It’s a place where anyone can set up a tent and camp out. This time we landed our boat at the end spot, and the tide was high. I couldn’t get over to see the rest of the beach without following some trails through the brush and trees. It gave me a chance to see more of the island and it disgusted me.

The views are beautiful, if you don’t look too closely. Nice houses line the main channel and lots of water and greenery on the backside.

Up on the island itself I saw discarded batteries, a dirty diaper, and even a USB cable among much more.

  • Trash on the beach
  • trash batteries in the sand
    Batteries thrown on the beach
  • abandoned frame
    Abandoned tent ? frame on the island
Some of the trash I found around the island

Why people believe that the world is their trashcan is beyond my comprehension. From throwing empty beer cans out car windows, to littering parks and trails, some people simply don’t think. Or they wish to leave the pick up to others. It certainly won’t disappear on it’s own. If I’d had a plastic bag I would have collected this stuff.

We had a nice day in the sun despite the cooking fiasco and seeing the litter from pigs who don’t care.

Little Shell Cut in Half Among A Million Others

Found a little shell which looked cut in half and added it to my collection. It was among the millions of shells piled along an island beach.

seashell berm
Shells left by the high tide

I haven’t been boating, fishing or beach-combing for a while. Sometimes life gets in the way of those things. Also, it’s been cool here in Florida – which I love, but my son with the boat thinks 60 degrees is “freezing”.

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