Sunrise

A spectacular summer sunrise. I had to get out of bed before six to get myself organized for this.

The old pumphouse is a pile of rubble now. Hurricane Irma  finished off the 1942  structure.

It used to look like this, and I miss the trees and  park-like greenery:

There is still plenty to look at:

Gumbo limbo survivor:

Later I stopped on my way home to pick up a few groceries. I parked behind the Winn Dixie and found a Key deer grazing nonchalantly ignoring the passing humans. I don't suppose you can blame them but there is more grass around human habitations than there is in the wild so why not enjoy the buffet? And so they meet cars and come off second best.

It's summer so I am always looking for clouds.

No Name Bridge

Wildlife above, still life below:

The bridge joining Big Pine (to the left) to No Name Key at the other distant end. I decided to go out and see what I might see. My head was filled with visions of people fishing or boats buzzing, on  pleasant afternoon that seemed wasted on a day off unless I were out in it. So I went and took Rusty.

The bridge was devoid of life and the waters of Bogie Channel weren't much better:

Rusty had been entirely reluctant to go out on the bridge in the first place. He is so smart he could tell there was nothing there for either of us and he was ready to turn around as soon as I gave the word. Despite appearances I am actually in charge when we go out together though I do take advice from him as he is really smart.

He was not hugely interested in going for a longer walk and i suppose the fact that it was hot helped make up his mind. Across the canal a typical suburban home:

I was standing on Watson Boulevard a hundred yards from the infamous N Name Pub which is actually in Big Pine. There are three essays in the files on this page but the earliest was, much to my astonishment more than eleven years ago: Bonneville At No Name. I am forced to concede my photography has improved over the decade helped along I am sure by improvements in digital technology! The old Wooden Bridge Resort and Marina which was blown away by Hurricane Irma has been replaced by a new facility that offers fuel and floating bedrooms. Rather cool I think for a slightly different vacation.

However traces of the damage caused by the monster storm are still all too apparent:

Another view:

I was glad I got to come out over the wishes of my dog. 

Plus we got to see a Key Deer which always provokes interest interest in my dog who is well known to be scared out of his wits by chickens. Why he things Key Deer are fascinating I can't say. 

No Name Key Deer

When people ask where they can find Key Deer, the locally produced small white tailed deer now native to the Lower Keys, I send them to No Name Key. And here they are:

 They caused a  bit of a road block  as cars stopped to enjoy the view.

Let's face it: watching deer, even small ones, graze is a bit like watching paint dry but one feels a certain obligation to stop and stare so I did and here are my pictures:

You aren't supposed to feed them or molest  them or run them over with your car. The Key Deer refuge people keep score and you will see notices about how many they have found dead. Occasionally people decide to shoot them and even eat them but for the most part they are essentially outdoor pets.

People whose gardens they wreck tend to dislike them and refer to them disparagingly as stunted white tailed deer and they were nearly wiped out sixty years ago but thanks to endangered status and the institution of a refuge they are now doing quite well and some can be seen even on Cudjoe Key occasionally. They can swim and they do sometimes to establish themselves on islands away from Big Pine Key.

The best story I've read of how Jack Watson saved the Key Deer I have linked here. Much funnier a story than you might expect: LINK 

Crossing the bridge back to Big Pine Key under a blazing evening sun. The bridge leads to No Name Pub a place to drink beer, eat pizza and reflect on Key Deer if you feel so inclined.

Big Pine Key

It was a muggy overcast day but I figured young Rusty is active enough and apparently unaffected by the heat so we went for a walk. He led the way.

He did his thing sniffing around and I did mine, finding splashes of color and texture in the pine and palmetto woods off Key Deer Boulevard:

I experimented with the panoramic mode on my iPhone camera and managed to take a picture, more or less, of a pine I couldn't otherwise fit into the viewfinder. Slick I thought.

 The trees have suffered disease and fire and are not the biggest of pines anyway.

Big Pine Key refers to the size of the island, the second largest in the Keys after Key Largo. Not the size of the trees.

And sometimes one comes across the remains of Key Deer, which I was pleased to note did not interest my dog. 

 Back to the Boulevard, the heat ever stronger.

Rusty and I plodded back to the car, the dog lurching nervously each time a car passed as though the noise might attack him 

 And so home to tea for me and sleep for Rusty. Well deserved.

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