3rin's View…

I dashed out to Treasure Island early yesterday morning for the Run for the Beaches 5K. I signed up for it, not for the love of running, but because it brings in money to help protect and restore my favorite beach.

After hurricanes caused a hiatus in 2024, the event came back strong this year with 500 registrants. It was a mild, foggy morning and the race coincided with low tide. The tide was further out than normal, courtesy of the last super moon of the year, which revealed a number of interesting items. As you can see, I was distracted along the way!

The sun broke through near the end of the race so it was quite pleasant as we enjoyed the delicious post-race snacks and bevvies. I had a great time, got in some exercise, and saw some cool stuff but the best part of the event? It raised $25,000! Now that’s a darn good way to spend a morning!

To usher in the holiday season, the Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement (MAACM) hosted a special event this past Tuesday. I was excited about the evening because it’s one of the few museums here in St. Pete that I had not yet visited.

The five-story, 137,000 square-foot museum was founded and designed by Rudy Ciccarello to house his private collection of fabulous pieces from the American Arts and Crafts era (1890 into the 1930s).

As the Industrial Revolution gained steam, and mass production took over, there was an intentional movement by craftsmen (and notably women) to create beautiful, yet still functional, objects for daily life instead. The basic tenets were simplicity in design, honesty in materials, and hand craftsmanship while depicting the natural world.

I arrived early so I could enjoy my time wandering through the exhibits. I’ve long been an admirer of what I call functional art, if you’ve been out exploring with me you know that I’ll stop on the street to photograph a decorative gutter spout or lamppost and some of my favorite household furnishings are nature-inspired (though admittedly, not always handcrafted, my budget doesn’t stretch quite that far).

The evening was delightful, filled with masterpieces, music, and even some delicious holiday treats. I was very glad I attended. Plus I learned that the museum is already undergoing an expansion, quite impressive considering it only opened in 2021. Sounds like I’ll soon have another reason to visit!

Just can’t resist sharing another photo from the beach last night. I will never get tired of that view!

Calm seas for sunset, nice and relaxing.

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! 🩴

I had hoped to paddle with friends this morning but the weather had other ideas. So we opted for a cool and blustery beach walk instead. Maybe not postcard perfect but it will always be beautiful to me.

Thankful to live here and truly thankful for so many things but most of all, thankful for my friends and loved ones. Y’all make this wild ride worthwhile! 🧡

Happy Thanksgiving!

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!

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!