Odds and Ends from Florida

It felt like Spring when we left Connecticut in April, then it became Summer as we headed south to the Keys. Then it was back to Spring as we turned north, then Summer again, then back to Spring, then it got cold, then hot, and now it's mostly Spring again.

In Florida, there are snapping shrimp in the water at the docks. They make snapping sounds with their claws under the boat when we go to bed, like a crackling campfire or raindrops on the roof. It took a while to find out what that unfamiliar noise was. 

Another unfamiliar noise turned out to be a boat's wind turbine spinning in the night. The vibrations traveled from the turbine, through the boat and its fenders, onto the dock, and over to our fenders and our boat. We only noticed it as we headed below to bed each night, but luckily it always stopped after a while. 

Can you see the woman's face in this picture? 

She looks like an actress from a 1930s movie. 

Most modern bridges are 65’ tall, high enough for even most sailboats to go under. Others are in the 22’ range, which is fine for us at 17’7”. But some are very low, like the 7’ bridge at NASA or the railroad bridges. These are either always open or they open on demand.

Going under a 65' bridge

Foamy, translucent water in the Gulf of Mexico

Pelicans were everywhere in Florida. When they dive, they SMACK their skulls into the water, filling their pouches with food. There's nothing graceful about it and it's almost painful to watch.

This is what it's all about.