Flora and Fauna in the Tampa Bay area

Most everyone agrees climate change is unfolding before our eyes. While western Canada (Jasper National Park in Alberta) and Greece are fighting deadly wildfires, China and Japan are battling floods and earthquakes. In the Tampa Bay area, we're experiencing sweltering temperatures, in the mid-90s most days. Thankfully, rain came down almost everyday for an hour or two in the late afternoons in the last several weeks. Then we were dealt with Little Debby, the tropical storm that brought more rain, torrential at times, even though we were not in the storm's path. 

As a result, our garden is lush. Birds love it. An array of birds - bluejays, mockingbirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, ibises, rabbits, squirrels and recently a white egret - visit everyday. They mesmerize us for hours :-)!

One beautiful morning in July, we met some friends at Weedon Island Preserve in St Pete for a kayaking adventure. We did the 4-mile paddling trail that meanders through a mangrove forest, giving us a chance to get up close and personal with the wildlife - birds, oysters, crabs - that calls it home. Florida mangroves help protect land from erosion, provide shelter and protection for birds and shellfish and absorb storm surge impact from extreme weather such as the recent Tropical Storm Debby.

Kayaking through a tunnel of mangroves

White ibis

Yellow-crowned night heron

We captured the following sceneries on a walk to the beach a week ago.

A family fishing under the causeway

Oleander bush

Palm and plumeria (flowers used to make Hawaiian leis)

Sea grape

Oyster catcher

A walk in Phillipe County Park

Oak trees with Spanish moss

A flock of ibis in neighbor's yard

A white egret wandering past the neighbor's

A lovely Florida gulf sunset

These are the flora and fauna we frequently see in the Tampa Bay area.  You might see alligators in lakes at the county or state parks, but we haven't encountered any recently.

TS Debby brought cooler temperatures for a couple of days. Now it's right back up to high 90s, but feels like 100! How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday, Image-in-ing, **Art*Journal*Journey* and Hello Monday.

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Port of Call: Hilton Head, South Carolina

So happy to be back blogging again, after a 6-month hiatus. I tend to look back, and I'm not sure if it's a good thing, but it lets me relive all the fun times and keeps my memory sharp. I am grateful and blessed to have the life I've had. Boater friends Keith and Marianne inspired me to write this post. They are cruising on their sailboat Coddiwample. and their pictures of Hilton Head brought back sweet memories of our stop there in 2004 (wow, twenty years ago!) You can track Coddiwample's location under the  Boating Links on the right.

It was our second time cruising north on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW). By the way, there is good news for boats with deeper drafts! Cruising World magazine recently published an article about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) getting funding from Congress to repair/dredge the 1,100-mile ICW that runs from Key West, Florida to Norfolk, Virginia. Constant shoaling has made navigating the ICW dicey at times. Mai Thai's draft is 3.5 feet, and we had our share of running aground and helping boats from running aground (see posts on Cumberland Island, Daytona Beach and Marco Island).

This particular April, we were determined to stop at places we  had missed the first time. Hilton Head made the bucket list. We were greeted by kayakers as we dropped anchor in Shelter Cove, where we stayed for almost a week.

We dinghied into Shelter Cove Harbor and Marina and a nice sail boater gave us permission to tie up  next to his boat. We had brought our bikes and enjoyed exploring the sneaker-shaped island. We found  Hilton Head rather pricey.  I remember paying a hefty $4 for a scoop of ice cream on a cone. Thank goodness for free anchorage! Harbortown Marina, now Harbor Town Yacht Basin, was charging an exorbitant amount for a slip. There was a major golf tournament going on, but still. The website now lists $4-$5 a foot, a much more reasonable price for the East coast.

One evening, we heard a splash so loud we thought some kayakers had tipped over and fell into the water. We ran out to see a pod of dolphins near the shoreline. Were they stranded in the outgoing tide, like some kayakers previously did? We later learned that they were cornering the fishes into the shallows and feasting on their catch. Everyday at low tide these agile and playful creatures mesmerized us for hours. What a pleasure to watch nature in one's "backyard"!

These photos and video were taken with our Sony video camera, back when 1 Megapixel was high resolution, and took up precious disk space. Amateur photographers like us are happy with the quality. We hope you like them too.

Now back to making more memories so that the first mate can look back and blog about it :-)

Take pictures, have fun and enjoy life!

This post is shared on Image-in-ing, My Corner of the World, Skywatch Friday, and Random-osity.

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24 hours in Ottawa, Canada

In August of last year, we did a road trip to New England (from Tn), visiting several places for the first time - Gettysburg (Pa), York and Ogunquit (Me), New Bedford (Ma) and Ottawa, Ontaria in Canada. We covered quite a bit as we also made side trips to Cape Cod (Ma), New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal.

While visiting friends in Montreal, we decided to go for a day trip to Ottawa; it's less than two hour's drive from their place. What a charming capital city! It's clean, nicely organized with wide boulevards, impressive architecture and history, and not crowded like Montreal or Toronto. We were impressed. 

Perhaps we were early, parking was a breeze. Our first stop was the Parliament buildings. Apparently, the historic Centre Block Parliament building has been undergoing a major overhaul for a decade, and the massive renovation won't be completed for another eight years. You can read more about the project here. Despite all the construction equipment and cranes photo bombing the picture, the iconic landmark is still majestic.

Centre Block, main Parliament building

East Block

Had we known to reserve tickets in advance, we could've gotten a free tour of the East Block building and learned what life at Parliament was like in the 19th century.

Next stop: lunch at Sansotei Ramen noodle shop. We chose it after reading their rave reviews. Our ramen and pork belly were delicious! We had come early and were seated immediately. When we left, the place was packed, and when we passed the location later, there was a line.

Miso Black Chashu (pork belly) ramen

After lunch, we strolled over to the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Flanked by Fairmont Château Laurier on one side, Bytown Museum on the other, the Rideau Canal connects the Ottawa River to the St Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario. The Ottawa Locks has 8 locks providing a total lift of 79 feet (24m). Watching the operators crank open the wooden gates (by hand!) at each lock was fascinating. It captivated us for three hours as we followed the boats going through the locks along the Rideau Canal. For more detail information on the Ottawa locks, click here. This attraction is also  popular for bicycling, kayaking and weddings (we saw two on this lovely day).

Rideau Canal viewed from the Plaza Bridge

Boats entering the locks

Map and history of the Rideau Canal

Fairmont Château Laurier

On our way to the Byward Market., we ambled over to the National Gallery of Canada and the lovely Notre Dame Basilica.

National Gallery of Canada

Notre Dame Basillica

The Byward Market is a vibrant market that encompasses four blocks, offering produce, handicrafts, all sorts of goods and goodies. There are eateries, pubs and restaurants galore. By the time we got past all the buskers and outdoor entertainment, our stomachs were rumbling.

We had selected a restaurant, but found it closed for a private party. Thanks to wifi, we found Luxe Bistro, where we had a superb al fresco dinner. 

Crispy duck leg

Steak Frites with a side salad

Moules (mussels)

Ottawa is a wonderful side trip from Montreal. Highly recommended.

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday Through My Lens, Little Things Thursday and Image-in-ing.

  

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Falling for New England: Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This time last year, we were spending a week on Cape Cod. Summertime traffic to the Cape is a pain, so after crossing the Sagamore Bridge, we enjoyed a brief respite at the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center. Run by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center is an excellent place to stretch our legs, learn about the history of the canal and watch boats go by.

Found the flags for Mai Thai

walking trail to watch boats entering the Cape Cod Canal

interesting info along the trail

After checking into our timeshare in the mid-Cape, we went to our favorite place - Kreme and Kone in W. Dennis - for an early dinner. Visions of fried seafood danced in our heads as we headed over. We haven't been in a few years, and were afraid the pandemic might have disrupted their business. We've never been so happy to see a full parking lot and long lines at the counter! 

Fried clams with bellies are the best in New England!

View of the Bass River at Kreme and Kone

On the way back to the timeshare, we swung over to Parker's River Beach to watch the sunset. A perfect ending to our first day of a week-long vacation.

quintessential Cape Cod scenery

Have a great rest of the summer. It's 92 degrees F (feels like 102) in Chattanooga today. Stay cool. y'all! 

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday and **Art*Journal*Journey.

 

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