Coast

A dictionary provides two different definitions of “coast”.

1. Noun – the land near a shore : seashore
2. Verb (intransitive) – to proceed easily without special application of effort or concern

Not too long ago, Gini and I visited the “land near a shore” where we were very careful to “proceed easily without special application of effort or concern” for a few days. Hard work, but SOMEONE has to do it!

As the philosopher/sailor/singer, Jimmy Buffet, sings:

“These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, Nothing remains quite the same. Through all of the islands and all of the highlands, If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane”

I’m happy to report there was much laughter and we returned no more insane than when we departed.

The coast is a wonderful place for us. In our sub-tropical paradise, the salt water is warm and the currents gentle. Sand caresses your toes and there is always a fresh breeze to cool your brow. We attempted to overdose on boiled fresh shrimp but were unsuccessful. There were plenty of birds to see especially if you put forth the effort to visit a few different environments. But we constantly reminded each other of that pesky definition. To coast: “to proceed easily without special application of effort or concern”. We wouldn’t want to violate an actual definition.

Here’s some stuff we saw while we were coasting through the days at the coast.

Sunrise from the back porch of the houseboat.

 

Ring-billed Gulls were abundant. And noisy.

 

Across the marsh a prescribed burn in the nearby national forest produced what Gini called a “smoke monster”. Happily, it didn’t head our direction.

 

A bright male Northern Cardinal provided a nice splash of color in the reeds of the marsh.

 

Sunsets were somewhat spectacular. A Great Blue Heron headed home after a day’s fishing.

 

On our second day, we drove into the national forest (past that burn area!) for a little exploration. Sunrise along the way caught our attention.

 

In the heavily wooded forest, a Hermit Thrush was curious about us.

 

A male American Kestrel was annoyed with us because he was tracking a small critter in the understory.

 

Back on the houseboat, we watched a pair of Bald Eagles fish as the tide receded. The two mates, perched on that sign made me think of Gini and I. Like the eagles, we’re partners for life and like the sign says, we’re going through life at a slow pace trying not to create much fuss.

 

The Laughing Gulls always sounded the alert when they saw us on the porch, hoping we had brought a helping of shrimp for them. Nope.

 

Brown Pelicans are fun to watch as they soar and dive onto a school of fish, scooping them up with their net-like beaks.

 

A final sunset from the porch. Heading home in the morning. Sigh.

 

We coasted to the coast and back again. Can’t wait for an encore. If you don’t have a coast nearby, coast away somewhere special for a day or two. Laugh a lot so you don’t go insane.

 

Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit.

Swiftly Flow The Days*

Time. We talk about slowing it down. Reversing it, even. Many throughout history have tried to stop it altogether. About 500 years ago, a guy from Spain tromped around not too far from here looking for a spring from which a sip of cool water, it was said, would keep him eternally youthful. (Not a bad yarn to tell your Queen if you need a load of money for men, ships and supplies! “And of course, Your Majesty shall be the only recipient of such a precious gift.“)

I am a time criminal. I waste it profusely. There are important tasks to be performed and I delay beginning them. Perhaps at some point the important tasks will diminish in significance and I won’t have to accomplish them at all. Alas, I was assigned a Time Guardian. She knows my proclivity toward procrastination and will not allow my idleness to interfere with important tasks. Once upon a time, I thought I could disguise my laziness by “appearing” to be busy. That is when I discovered my guardian could read my mind. She can divert my inattention before I even know I am about to delay the start of an important task. It isn’t natural. But it sure is effective.

Fortunately, my Time Guardian is, on occasion, amenable to looking the other way if she thinks my avoidance of an important task might be of a worthy nature. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest she may be an actual accomplice to my crimes against time, but …..

Me:  “Tomorrow the sunrise and moonset times are close to each other and it might present a chance for some interesting photographs at the beach.”

Time Guardian: “There’s some cold chicken in the fridge and we can throw in some fruit. What time do we need to leave?”

The following images are from the past several days and were taken from various places of local interest which we have visited many times. Each represents a trip taken on “the spur of the moment” and each was an avoidance of some important task on my part. I could not have been successful in these endeavors without assistance from a complicit Time Guardian.

 

Sunrise can be the most beautiful part of any day! Or, it can be shrouded in fog where one has to strain to see anything at all. The sun rising over Lake Kissimmee begins to give shape to familiar objects such as the bridge over the river.

 

Before the woods begin to glow from a rising sun, many creatures enjoy the cover of darkness to carry on their business without being seen. With huge light-gathering eyes and a sort of “radar”, the Eastern Screech Owl can easily locate some of those creatures for breakfast. We had been hearing Whip-poor-wills calling and thought that’s what this was until a flashlight showed our error.

 

On a rainy morning in the Lake Marion Wildlife Management Area (east of Haines City), we found several Barred Owls hunting over the upland pine tract. This one didn’t want to leave his perch as we walked underneath.

 

Hillsborough River State Park was established in the mid-1930’s and is one of Florida’s oldest parks. With the rainy season beginning in earnest, the river’s rapids are higher than normal.

 

It seems no matter where we go, if there are trees and bushes, there are White-eyed Vireos.

 

In between rain showers, dragons are on the hunt. This one is a Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis).

 

It is still spring and many birds are courting, nesting and raising chicks. This pair of Eastern Towhees were likely not pleased at our intrusion.

 

One of our favorite places to stop for a quick look is close to a very busy highway. SUMICA is a French acronym (Societe Universelle Mining Industrie, Commerce et Agriculture) which described a turpentine and sawmill town which existed from about 1917 to 1927. A Loggerhead Shrike welcomed us with song. (Okay, he was more likely singing to a nearby female shrike.)

 

As with the dragons, a few moments of sunshine brings out other insects, such as a bright Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae).

 

Closer to home, nearby Lake Parker Park is host to a diverse population of birds, especially water birds. I found this cute pair of new Green Herons close to one of the footpaths.

 

Also at Lake Parker Park, a young Limpkin is impatient for Mom to show her how to open a freshwater mussel. Their bills are especially adapted for getting into an apple snail, but the mussels require brute force. Mom used her bill like a hammer until the shell broke open.

 

With our abundance of rain, it hasn’t always been possible to enjoy a sunset. This one was from an area near the house which is a reclaimed phosphate mining area. Saddle Creek Park offers fishing, camping, hiking and some of the county’s best birding, especially during warbler migration. This evening, storm clouds remain, but parted just long enough for a pretty spectacular end to the day.

 

“Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years”*

 

Time is an issue for all of us humans. There never seems to be enough of the stuff for us to do what we want. It is important to have a Time Guardian to help us efficiently organize what limited time we have. And if she happens to understand the importance of bending the rules once in awhile, consider yourself lucky. I know I do!

 

We hope you enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!

 

*(From Sunrise, Sunset, written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick for the musical Fiddler On The Roof.)