Fins To The Left

And fins to the right...'dol-fins' that is!


With another rented kayak we did an exploration near the Port Orange bridge on the Halifax River. Right underneath the bridge we came across several dolphins feeding and frolicking. They seemed to be playing with the fish and were tossing them in the air (probably to stun them).

This one seemed to be pretending to be a shark, skimming along the surface of the water.


My dolphin 'fix' was complete so we continued on our way. The tide was low, but we maneuvered around the shallow oyster bars and circumnavigated the aptly named Seabird Island. The island itself is now a mobile home park and small marina.

However, the outlying barrier islands had tons of pelicans roosting in the mangroves. It doesn't seem possible, but I think there were more birds here than down in New Symrna Beach.

What a great afternoon on the water!

Water Sightings

We took a different kind of kayak trip down in New Symrna Beach. We rented a double kayak for a couple of hours and paddled our way around a few different marinas. It doesn't matter where we are, we always have to look at boats. Today was no different, and we came across this classic trawler as the highlight of the trip.


Of course we also saw lots of different types of birds, including pelicans roosting on this island...more than we have ever seen in one place.

It was great to watch their antics and made us realize how much we miss seeing them in the Bahamas (for some reason there are very few). However, the smell downwind of the island was enough to gag us, and that day all the boats were downwind too! Whew...I certainly wouldn't want to be living aboard.

Other birds we saw were this Little Blue Heron,


A Snowy Egret,


And a Louisiana Heron (aka Tricolored Heron).


Turkey Vultures, ospreys, and cormorants were in abundance also.

We were a bit disappointed not to see any dolphins on this trip. It's always fun to have them surface next to us in the kayak (even if I do almost fall out when they startle me!). We did however see many dolphins in Ponce Inlet the next day, while walking out on the fishing jetty. It was a busy place with fishermen catching fish from the jetty, dolphins frolicking and feeding in the inlet, and surfers catching waves on the ocean side. Just another typical day at the beach.

Surf's Up

Or not!


Dave went with nephew Matthew and his friend Ryan(with camera) to watch a surfing competition held off Flagler Beach.


The wind and waves had been high until this past weekend, but then became calm when this popular event took place.


Kewl surfer vehicles.


The waves may not have been large, but it was still a gorgeous day at the beach. Both the spectators and surfers seemed to have a great time.

Gone In A Flash

And a HUGE splash! We went kayaking on Cracker Creek this week and saw the largest alligator we have ever seen (and we have seen many gators in all our travels)! Unfortunately I didn't have time to take a picture, since it all happened so quickly. We were paddling our way back up the creek, wondering where the spot was that we had heard a huge splash and saw waves on the water as we passed by. Apparently we found it, because I looked over at the sandy bank just in time to see this gigantic alligator scurrying back into the water, making another splash and a tsunami wave that rocked our double kayak. I screamed, hung on to the paddle with one hand and my heart that was beating out of my chest, with the other hand. My next thought was, "Damn, I should have grabbed the camera which was right in my lap!" Dave's comment was, "You know, he's right below us." What a nice husband to put me at ease. Ha!

The rest of the trip was very pleasant with very few people around. Cracker Creek is just south of Daytona and is a tidal creek, although there isn't much current in the area that we were in. It was extremely calm in the cyprus backwaters and bayous.



We saw lots of birds and turtles, and even a 'friendly' snake (back on land at the rental launch area).

Most of the turtles would plunge off the logs as we approached.



Great Blue Heron

Little Green Heron (Green Backed Heron)



Our two hours of paddling went by amazingly fast, and now we are looking for more places to rent kayaks to explore the area.

A Day At The Fair

This weekend Dave and I went to the Volusia County Fair with my brother Rick. It was a perfect day to wander the fairgrounds looking at all the displays, animals, wild rides, and of course the tractors.


We even hung around for the tractor parade, hoping that we would be invited to drive some of the older ones that sat lonely and unmanned. We weren't part of the chosen few though. I think it's because we didn't have our cowboy boots on!


A fair isn't complete without the wide variety of foods, and this one beat out all others. Just looking at what was offered made our cholesterol count go up several points. The concessionaires deep fried just about everything imaginable including BUTTER! We certainly bypassed that, but couldn't resist trying the famous fried Kool-aid. It was more like funnel-cake batter with Kool-aid in it, and was really quite tasty.


Rick had to pose by the gigantic bottle of chocolate syrup that is probably the only size bottle that could satisfy his son Matthew's chocolate milk craving.


After having our fill of fair delicacies, we explored some of the other shows and displays. Dave tried his hand (literally!) at milking a cow, but the poor plastic cow was 'fresh out', but mooed at him.


He also tried panning for gold but alas, he didn't get to trade any in for his beloved candy. You all know how hard he must have tried to find some though!


One of the best shows was the Frisbee dog exhibition and these rescued dogs were truly amazing. Of course the trainers were too. What a workout for them and play time for the dogs.


There was only one disadvantage of going to the fair. Now all three of us want more tractors!

Geezerdom

A perfect example of being a geezer.


Today Dave even ordered off the SENIORS' menu for the first time ever. A moment to remember. Ha!

Ahh, Warmth & Palm Trees

We have arrived in Daytona! It was great to trade our falling leaves and 24 degree early morning temps for palm trees and a nice mild 72 degree evening. We certainly looked like trick-or-treaters at my mother's front door with our 'costumes' of turtleneck sweaters and jackets. We couldn't wait to shed our layers of clothes and get into our Crocs.

Unfortunately that Halloween night became a bit showery so there weren't quite as many kids and parties as last year, but still entertaining. Well worth the trouble we went through to get plane tickets so we could arrive in time for the annual festivities.

Our Honda Helix was sitting in the garage waiting for us, and we have been out exploring for the past two days. First stop was Walmart where they even have special parking for motorcycles. We parked right next to another Helix, so I guess we fit right in with the rest of the retirees. Dave says it is the perfect way to begin 'geezer-dom'! As we rode around we realized that we are now both eligible to live in all the 55+ adult trailer parks. I don't know if we should laugh or cry.