Tar Ball Tours

I went whale watching while in Cape Cod this summer. It was awesome. Then, my minds starts calculating hundreds of people times $40.00. That looks like retirement money.

Lots and lots of whales putting on a show for the tourists. We saw no whale fishermen. And if I were a member of Greenpeace and saw the whale fisherman I could have thrown my body in their nets to save a whale. Then, it surely would have been an interactive tour. So this bizarre thought pops into my pea brain about tours in Florida.

So, you may ask? what does Florida (the gulf side) have to offer in the way of interactive tours? The Florida tour could be called 'The Tar Ball tour'. I could take tourists out in search of oil debris. The tourists would have a special net and scoop that oil right out of the Gulf of Mexico. We would be saving our earth, feeling good about our humanitarian work and making me rich.

First, I would need a boat - a big boat to carry all those people out to oil country because it has not hit my Florida beaches yet. And a boat driver, and insurance, and a dock and money for advertising and all those special nets to pick up the oil. $40.00 bucks a pop and the tourists doing most of the work. I see green in my future plus all the oil would be removed from the Gulf of Mexico, all marine life and vegetation would be saved along with tourism in several states and I would be a hero.

Sounds like a great idea to me. I wonder why BP doesn't start something like this?

Follow the yellow brick road

Life is like a roller coaster. Twists and turns, starts and stops, bumps and jerks, fast and faster, at times it can suck the breathe right out of you. Upside down and your adrenaline is pumping like the burst oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Wait - they have capped it - kinda - sorta - maybe.

Rolling along at the speed of sound with the wind pushing against your face causing lips to flap and a very bad hair day. The rush is on. A jerk to the right and then to the left. The G force has pushed you over the edge and back again. Then, the slow creep up the straight incline and you know what happens when you get to the top - down you go again. Faster and faster out of control.


The roller coaster comes to an end and off you go on to the next thrill the next uncertainty. Legs are a little wobbly but you adjust. Life itself can be wobbly and uncertain but so like the roller coaster it ends and we go on. We each have specific avenues of searching out and finding our peace. Some of those avenues may be positive and some may be negative. What you do after disembarking from that roller coaster is the pathway to the land of Oz or the depths of doom.

Band on the Run

I think there is a strong possibility that I have been abducted by aliens and dropped on a remote planet way-far out there in some unknown galaxy. Yesterday, I found a layer of ice on the windshield of my car. Yes, we do have a two car garage but still both vehicles sit quietly in the driveway. WHY?

Well, the two car garage is filled with everything from the kitchen sink (TRUE) to a camper. The bicycles are strung up from the ceiling because floor space is non existent. I feel like a hoarder lives in my garage. Back to the abduction and ice on my windshield.

I moved to Florida for the sunshine and warm weather - so what's up with all this cold and frosty stuff? It shouldn't happen in sunny Florida. That's why I believe me and maybe the entire state of Florida has been statenapped and sent elsewhere - without our consent.
We Floridians who like the warm weather and the squelching hot summers have been compromised.

There is a town in central Florida called Frostproof. I wonder where they came up with that name? I also wonder if it is true?

Take me away - to a better place!!! Did the aliens hear me playing that song? I didn't mean take me to the Artic.

And how does one scrape ice off of a windshield with their name badge from work? Life is tuff and then it gets cold.

I'm hoping these alien creatures who have stolen me and all the citizens of Florida find we are truly remarkable and return us to our planet where the weather is warm and we sip Margaritas as we watch the sun slowly drip into the Gulf of Mexico.
I want my warm weather back - NOW.

Discovery Launch

Standing near the Gulf of Mexico capturing the Discovery lauch over the Atlantic Ocean. What an amazing sight.

Anclote Key

Take me away, to a better place, a secret place, a hiding place. Anclote Key perched in the Gulf of Mexico, surrounded by blue water and a sense of serenity unplugged. A place for balance, quiet and a taste of the real Florida. Anclote Key is one of my favorite Florida hangouts.

Cedar Key, Florida

Cedar Key is a quaint town off the beaten path, lost in time and perspective. Cedar Key is perched precariously on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico swaddled in salt marshes and mud flats. A time capsule left to fend for its future and past. The town is similar to the song, ‘A little bit country, and A little bit rock and roll.’ Boiling over with enthusiasm and feet stuck in the mud mixture of natives, renters and tourists.
Cedar Key is a working town whose livelihood depends on Mother Nature: not always a helpful participant. For many workers a tidy home and well kept yard is not an asset but a hindrance. The tourist’s seek clean lines, green grass and many amenities. A few of these can be found. Fisherman swarm in as if they were fish during spawning season. Mullet jump out of the water for reasons not clearly defined.
Cedar Key a place smothered by neglect and decay. Trash lines the ditches, the waterways and the odorous salt marshes. Dilapidated buildings cry silently with despair being their only salvation. Restaurants with bland food and overpriced menus litter the harbor like the feral cats.
Cedar Key boasts an unfriendly waitress who talks trash to her friends while ignoring the paying customers with her annoying 'youall' dialect. We want your money but in reality we don’t really give a flip about you. The sign outside the cafe boast ‘this is where the local eat.’ Then, try another cafe and a waitress sports a bubbly inviting attitude. Beckons you to return again and enjoy your stay.
A few campgrounds survive on the edge of destruction and denial barely making a statement. Broken roads filled with potholes, hollow dreams littered with debris, buildings in disrepair and a cottage on stilts in the final phase of death.
Cedar Key is a place overflowing with a salty ambiance and an air of yesteryear: where survival meets the economic decline and modern day mechanics. Sit on the lopsided dock and listen to the sounds of nature and man. Air boats flash by making a noisy statement next to the fishing boats that drift lazily with the tide. The orange evening sun explodes across the sky painting a mural of distinction. Birds cry in misery or perhaps ecstasy. The tides crash with a single purpose against the weary shoreline. Cedar Key ages with a less than graceful edge. In Cedar Key one can sit and inhale the salty air and listen to the music of nature and man and enjoy the fading rhapsody. Cedar Key is a special place where dignity and perseverance flow with the tides.

Honeymoon Island

Honeymoon Island State Park is perched on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. It has a beautiful stretch of beach, a dog beach, trails, picnic areas and marshes. You can catch a ferry from the park to Caldesi Island.

This is one of my favorite Florida Parks.

Skimboarding

Skimboarding on the Gulf of Mexico at Green Key. Low tide seems to be a better time to skimboard, lots of exposed beach. According to this expert the bigger the board the better.

Skimboarding has been around since 1920 starting in California. At local beaches on the gulf skimboarding seems to attract the younger crowd. The waves are mild and predictable. Most of the sport is done along the shoreline.

Four tips for skimming.

1. Wax your board

2. Run don't jump

3.Stand correctly

4. Practice, practice, practice

Salt Springs

Werner Boyce Salt Springs State Park is tucked away in Port Richey, Florida. It looks small and unassuming but in reality it's huge and inviting. It hugs 4 miles of coastline on the Gulf of Mexico. Inside the park you will find pine forests, salt barrens, marshes, wetlands and mangroves overflowing with prone Buttonwood. On a recent walk we discovered Wilson Plover nests. High tides flood the salt barrens and salt accumulates. Vegetation in the salt barrens have to be very salt tolerant. Black needle rush is bountiful and sharp. Cord grass and saw grass also survive in this area. Once you have obtained a grass cut you will never forget the experience. Mangrove trees are sensitive to frost and grow horizontally in the barrens.

The Salt Springs Alliance, a volunteer group conducts a 'Sounds at Sunset' walking tour.

http://www.saltspringsalliance.com/