Air show by boat?

This post is not boat related, so for bloggers who only read boat stuff, skip this one.  I started to go by boat, but, changed my mind.

I waited too late to call the marina at Boca Chica, NAS, and they never returned my call.

My friend, Ellen, is here, and we decided to go see the Blue Angels and the air show at Boca Chica NAS, Key West.  We discussed the whole, one if by land, two if by sea thing, and decided if we were going by boat, that we would probably have a good view from the military marina there.  As I mentioned, I waited too late to call them.  Plan B, we went by truck, and that worked out very well.

We arrived at the beginning of the days activities, and stayed through until the very end.  I enjoyed all the skilled pilots acrobatics, the visit from the Budweiser Clydesdales, and the precision landings of the paratroopers.

I began by holding my breath as the first pilot did his death defying stunts, willing him to stay above ground level.  I decided I'm not an air show sort of spectator.  I realize these pilots are some of the best, and their acrobatics are extensively practiced.  But, why do something that the slightest mechanical twitch, or pilot error is a death sentence?  I've heard some NASCAR fans say they go to the races for the wrecks.  I hope we don't have air show folks there for the same reason.

Later in the day, I watched a large egret, and then later, an osprey, fly along and across the runway while the planes were whipping in and out, and marvelled at their flying ability, and hoped they didn't wreck, or cause one.  I suppose I watch the planes, and marvel at the pilots. I watch the birds fly, and marvel at our Creator.

I also thought it was funny that as the Clydesdales went by, everyone was ooo-ing and ahh-ing, but do you know who got the applause?  (The dog got a little.)  The applause award went to the guy following the wagon who stopped and picked up the poop.  I wonder if he was surprised, or if he gets that reaction everywhere.  He smiled and waved.

The Blue Angels were, as always, spectacular.  The crowd kept looking in every direction, as the planes split up and converged time and again in front of the airfield.  We probably had a better view than we would have had at the marina on a mooring ball.

Oven Rock and the Cavern

I'm not sure how my blogs for these couple of days got deleted, but, I'll put it here for a few weeks, and then move it into sequence with the dates I was there last summer.  I had to add it though, since it was one of my favorite places.

We spent the night anchored in good sand off Oven Rock, and went exploring in the morning.  We had heard about a trail going up hill to a sink/cavern that dropped to a cool liquid grotto, and we were determined we were going to find it.

Allen and I walked the beach area until we found a likely looking trail, towards the northern end of the curved beach north of Oven Rock, and trekked off, armed with machetes for the undergrowth.  (One thing I learned from hiking is, you need to give back, aka trail maintenance.)  The trail split off in several directions, and we followed various trails until we eventually found the cavern.  It was well worth it.

The cavern does a manageable elevation drop to get down to the water grotto at the bottom.  There is enough light to see the way out, but you definitely want a light to explore with.  The cavern is large enough that it is a welcome cool from the surrounding summer heat, and an interesting place to look around.  I had heard that the water in the grotto was fresh, but, it is not.  I think that means that the cavern must drop to sea level.  The water that drips from the ceiling is fresh, forming beautiful stalagtites, and stalagmites.  Someone had placed a 5 gallon bucket there to collect water.  It was nice and cold where it dripped from the rocks.

The water in the grotto was also cold, which was a refreshing change since we'd gotten pretty warm hiking around.  We swam for a little while, and I decided that the next trip I'd bring a mask and a dive light! 

When we left the cavern, we followed the trail over to the east side of the island, and scoured the beach there for treasures among the flotsam.  We found a couple of sea beans, and some various larger objects that I had to pry from Allen's hands as I insisted they weren't going back to the boat.  I did persuade him to leave them in a picnic looking area where there were already a various assortment of interesting flotsam.

A cruising beachcomber's look at sea beans

I don't know much about sea beans, although I am expanding my knowledge just a tiny bit at a time.  I am, however, surprised at the boaters that I meet that don't know what I'm talking about when I say "sea bean."  So here is a non-intellectual post for the mildly interested who like picking up cool small objects as they walk the beaches.

What are sea beans? 

Really cool seeds that float, have a hard shell, like a piece of wood, and can sit dormant for years.  They come from a variety of plants, so there are bunches of different looking kinds.  There are sea bean identification books, just like there are bird identification books... and there are people with the same zeal for collecting them as some bird-watchers develop.

I'm into sea beans with about the degree of sophistication that I'm into birds. I can identify a few, but mainly get my joy in just exploring and finding the sea beans. and just watching and listening to the birds. 

Here are a couple of different sea beans that I've picked up over the last few months.  A sea pearl, a hamburger bean, a heart bean....

Nickerbean tree

Where do sea beans come from?  There are numbers of tropical trees, and bushes that produce these seeds.  This is a nickerbean tree miles from the coast, in an area surrounded by mangrove creeks.  This particular tree is on ground several feet above sea level, and 150' from the nearest water.  The seeds could sit under this tree until the next flood from a hurricane to begin their journey.  Scott, a sea bean guru, told me that these seeds may sit dormant for 40 years.  I've never seen a sea bean that was sprouting, but hey, what do I know.  I've also never planted one, and after hearing the "may sit dormant for 40 years" thing, have no intentions of doing so.

This is the only occasion I have ever rooted around for sea beans, but rooted through the dried leaves and found some sea pearls.

Sea Pearls

I grabbed these seed pods off a nickerbean tree overhanging a mangrove creek, where, when they pop open, they would fall into the water, beginning their journey a little quicker than the tree I was digging through the leaves under.  Each of these pods had a couple of "sea pearls" in them.

Where do I find sea beans?  Along the islands and mangrove creeks of the tropics, the seeds eventually end up floating, and they can end up almost anywhere at the whim of the currents.  The sea beans drift up on many of the sandy beaches I like to walk in the Bahamas.  They also collect in the porous rock holes along the coasts, where they get pushed up with the waves, and then caught in the holes as the water rushes away.  I've found sea beans along the top of a porous rock face that was ten feet above high water, where they had been airborne in surge hitting the rock.

What do I do with sea beans?  Years ago, when someone showed me my first one in the Tortugas, they gave it to me with these words:  If you find a sea bean, you find luck, but if you give it away you find a friend.  I pick up the ones I can find, clean them up a little, keep a few of each kind, and give some away.  A lot of folks carry one in their pocket for luck.  I carry one in my pocket sometimes to have one ready to find a friend.  In the Bahamas, I've seen them being sold as tinkets, as well as being fashioned into jewelry.  (I may make a necklace one day...)

Kayaking in the mangroves

I love exploring in Bahamas, and in the Everglades, and pretty much anywhere off the beaten path.  That means I also enjoy exploring the out of the way places not too far from my home.  Today, a friend invited me to join in some kayaking fun.  We took the kayaks into some of the mangrove creeks of the island of Big Pine Key, in the Florida Keys.  The wind was howling, which made it a great day to poke around in the creeks rather than paddling around the coast.

First step, find a few other like-minded friends!

 

Grab my favorite kayaking companion, and find a mangrove creek

 

 Convince someone else to go in front to knock down spider-webs!

 

And most importantly, HAVE FUN!

 

We explored a few different routes, out of visual range from each other, staying in touch in a simple way, befitting our maturity.  "Marco?"...."Polo!"

Manatees in the canals

I've been enjoying the manatees in the canals here the last couple of weeks.

We don't have manatee in our canal system every year, and I've never seen the numbers that have been in here this year.  The other unusual thing is the length of time that they have stayed.

This winter has been unusually warm (until this past week!) so the manatees aren't all congregated in their normal places.  I'm glad they are visiting us!