Linear view vs. Masonry View

A Love Letter to Their Hometown…

I regularly drive past Sunset Park on the way to my favorite beach, so I’ve watched the slow progress of this public art installation with some interest. Late last month was the official ribbon cutting for The Sunshine City Mosaic, a project that took three local artists (Alex Kaufman, George Retkes, and Laura Spencer) over three years to complete.

That might seem like a lengthy amount of time until you consider that work on the mosaic mural was interrupted by not one but two hurricanes last year. And, at 175′ it’s also officially the longest in Florida, as well as in the greater Southeast. No small feat.

I stopped by early this week and not only was blown away by the beautifully detailed scenes that depict St. Petersburg’s natural wildlife, but by the sheer number of hand-laid tiles. Even more amazing when you consider that each of the 15,000 tiles was cut by hand. Easy to understand why the artists consider their walkable mural to be a labor of love!
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Help, It’s Cold!

This, this is what it’s come to, Florida officially posts diagrams* showing us how to dress when the temperatures dip. Folks from other climates may laugh at us but after now living here for 6 years, I can tell you it’s the honest truth – we literally don’t know how to cope with cold weather. We’re that unaccustomed to it!

Now the tricky part (that they did not address in their infographic), the difference between chilly, cold, and extreme cold. To me, anything under 70° is chilly, under 60° is cold, and under 50° is probably a sign that Hell has frozen over.

I am well aware that other parts of the country are actually freezing right now and some are even living in snow-covered landscapes. Presumably, those folks are well-adapted to their environment and have the tools and skills to manage in it.

True, we don’t have to wear ourselves out shoveling snow or worry about slipping on ice but we do have other hazards, like dodging frozen iguanas as they fall from trees (now that I think about it, I bet a snow shovel would work well for scooping them up).

Warning: if you do scoop up a frozen iguana, please do not put it in your car or take it home with you – after they thaw, they revive and tend to be extra spicy!

*Note that at no time does anyone advise wearing socks with your sandals. Even though I wear flips daily, I will begrudgingly shove my feet in shoes before ever wearing socks with sandals! 🩴

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Who Goes There?

Grainy Screenshot from the Video Below

The camera in my front yard recorded a furtive animal a couple months ago. I delayed sharing the video because I had hoped to get species confirmation from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

I used a process of elimination to narrow down the list of possible species. Based on the darting, somewhat secretive behavior, lean body, long snout, and short legs of the animal, I’ve ruled out raccoon, opossum, and stray cat. Which really only leaves members of the mustelid family.

Since FWC is collecting data on mustelid sightings to better understand their prevalence, I sent over my information but I have yet to get a response. Presuming that this animal was not an escaped or released exotic pet, there are three members of the weasel family native to the state to consider: North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis), American Mink (Neogale vison), and Long-tailed Weasel (Neogale frenata).

While I do live across the street from a small waterway where otters have been spotted, the smallish size of this animal leads me to believe it’s not an otter. Since it’s not as small and narrow as a weasel, I’m fairly certain it’s an American Mink, a species that also lives along waterways. A cool, new species for my yard!
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Float On

I spotted this interesting fish at a nearby marina recently. It was nosing around the pilings, a behavior that reminded me of a Sheepshead but the color was definitely wrong.

A quick Google search identified it as a juvenile Atlantic tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis). Part of their common name derives from the long fins of the adult that extend back to the tail, giving the appearance of multiple tails.

It was a new fish species for me, though I’ve probably come across them before but just didn’t notice them. When they’re not foraging around pilings, they spend a lot of time floating sideways on the surface of the water, safely camouflaged among leaves and other debris.

A unique behavior my fish later demonstrated. A necessary adaptation because apparently they are thought to be delicious by both humans and other marine predators. Float on, little one!
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Sunday on the Island

Little Bridge
Time for Reflection
Dolphin Watching
Towing Debris
Beached
All Smiles
Sea Squirts on Debris
Manatee Watches Katie Collect Litter
Great Blue Heron Looking for a Snack
Hermit Crab in a Whelk Shell
Sea Grape Leaf and Grass Seed
Horseshoe Crab, Topside
Horseshoe Crab, Underside
Opossum Remains
Lizard Side-eye
Lovely View
Litter Queen
Manatee ‘Footprint’
Watery Art
Manatee Inspects My Kayak
Manatee and Katie
Our Trash Haul

My friend Katie and I hit the water early yesterday morning. Did we both have chores to do and errands to run? Yes, yes, we did. Did we ignore all that and take advantage of our calm seas and mild weather? Absolutely!

We launched our kayaks just after sunrise across the street from my house. It was a bit chilly at first but we knew it would warm up nicely as the day went on.

It was a quiet morning, we didn’t see a single boat on our a leisurely paddle out to Jack’s Island. We weren’t alone though, as a trio of dolphins escorted us to the middle of Boca Ciega Bay. Sharing the water with dolphins will never get old, I still squeal with excitement every time!

Continuing on our way, we paddled up on a large piece of marine debris (later identified as a removable keel), most likely a remnant from last year’s hurricanes. It took a bit of effort but we were able to haul it to the island, where we drug it ashore. We didn’t have the ability to haul it home but at least we got it out of the water.

A very bold Great Blue Heron flew in to check out our find. The bird watched intently as I played with the Sea Squirts that were growing among the algae on the keel (see video below). True to their name, they will squirt stored water when disturbed – one of their defense mechanisms. After I moved aside, the heron tried eating one of them but they were firmly attached (another defense mechanism), so he moved on.

A few minutes later, we spotted a mother and baby manatee grazing on seagrass in the nearby shallows. It was a pleasant surprise because the water temperature has cooled off quite a bit recently, down to 68°. Cooler water temperatures usually sends manatees searching for warmer water, inland at springs or near power plant outflows. We enjoyed our snacks while watching them slowly bob up and down, another sight I will never tire of!

Our planned leisurely island stroll quickly turned into a cleanup project since neither of us could stand seeing litter out there. We met a few of the local residents as wandered the sandy shores, and ended up filling four bags with trash.

The morning was wonderful reminder of why I feel so fortunate to live here!
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Good Evening

Today was one of those days. You know the kind, where everything just goes sideways and is completely out of your control.

I did what I could to salvage my work day but it was less than optimal. The only upside was that I got home before dark for the first time in a week or so (thanks for nothing, time change).

Did I have chores and important things to do at home? Yes, of course. Did I instead, change clothes and head directly to the beach? Darn tootin’!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that sand in my toes makes everything better!

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