Season's End

I cannot tell a lie, I'm seeing the parade of RVs start out heading north and I am glad. I look forward to less traffic and more breathing room. But then I am sad because the end of winter season means the end of Rusty's playtime with his buds.

We met Brian and his Labrador Sam as they arrived on the beach last week but Rusty was looking to play with the Dalmatian Lucas who hadn't yet showed up. Rusty kept casting glances back waiting for his special playmate: 

It was windy and the breeze gave the surface of the water a steely look which I rather enjoyed photographing as we waited for Richard and Lucas.

It threatened  rain but the water never materialized. 

And then it happened and they ran and ran and ran and dug holes in the sand to sit in and cool off. Rusty makes me feel good when I see him confidently playing with other dogs, especially big dogs, after he was so scared of them when I first got him. He had a tough life as a stray. 

Richard has promised to be back the last week of November so I will be sure to show up with Rusty. I hope he can contain himself till then, poor thing.

Sails On The Horizon

It was a lovely day, breezy and fresh with lots of sunshine and open skies and Rusty was full of beans so I pointed the camera  at random. Very relaxing after a night of Spring Break 911 calls.

 A duck, more properly a cormorant.

And then I saw these sails far far away navigating what appeared to be Big Spanish Channel, east of Big Pine Key and No Name Key. As you can see they were at the very limit of my camera's 2400mm equivalent digital telephoto. The pictures have a grainy almost painted quality to them. 

 As unlikely as it seemed they appeared to be two lug sail rigged schooners, that is to say sailboats with two masts and rather unusual lug sails, which are square sails asymmetrically flown. 

 I wondered if they might not be Haitian workboats but I doubt they would have been mucking about in the distant channels had they wanted to make a quick landing and a clean getaway...

 I think on mature reflection they were just recreational sailors out...recreating on this ridiculously windy day. And up in the shallow channels they had to suffer less wave action. Smart sailing. In this last picture of them before they disappeared you can see what appears to be two lug sails on two masts:

 I was standing in the shade looking out across the water.

 Rusty meanwhile was busy on his own account:

 I labelled this picture on Instagram as "Joe Cool on the prowl."

Great dog, great morning, fine company my Rusty.

Everglades Amble

I had dropped my wife off at the airport as she took her teacher's spring break and flew to California for a week of catching up with friends. That left Rusty and myself to drive home from Fort Lauderdale at an unusually early hour of the morning. 

It was pleasantly cool even though temperatures were in the upper 70's at seven o'clock in the morning and I was ready to walk as far as the eye could see along the levee. I thought Rusty might enjoy stretching his legs unencumbered while I played with my camera and looked for wildlife...

We were left in peace as the traffic on Card Sound Road could be heard but hardly seen and the levee has been closed to unauthorized vehicles by two steel gates. 

I think they are trying to corral all terrain  vehicles that  like to play in the mud around here. There sure aren't many cars likely to show up on the levee.

 I saw nothing but  birds in the marshes as we walked in the cool morning air.

 The usual ration of  ibis and heron.

 And of course our old friend the red mangrove:

The Everglades are often portrayed by people who don't know as creepy dank forests of moss covered cypress trees rising out of stagnant pools of tannic water...T%he stuff of horro movies.  

 Marjorie Stonbeman Douglas, an early Florida environmentalist coined the term River of Grass to describe the Everglades and wrote a densely unreadable book by that title.

 I'm not sure what these water reservoirs were about, but they were beautifully made collection points:

This is the river of grass, fresh water flowing south through the state, being cleaned and filtered as it goes unless polluted by farm fertilizer run off...

And in the middle of the reeds there are clumps of hardwood trees on small rises of dry land, so called hammocks where Indians lived in their sleeping arrangements actually called hammocks. A misunderstanding between the original inhabitants and the invaders. After all, they were called Indians by the confused Spanish who thought they had arrived in India.

For some reaosn I never figured out Rusty got spooked a half mile in and suddnely turned around and put his tail down, as he does when scared and trotted nervously back to the car with me in pursuit. I have no idea why he took fright but I never saw anything. I didn't insist and simply gave him some water, stuffed him into the car and took off for home.

I saw these bullet holes in a sign advising no vehicles beyond this point. Cheaper and more efficient to shoot with a camera I think.

I did once explore up the road that leads north from this point. I went a few miles up before giving up and going back to Card Sound Road. I believe if followed all the way it will come out by the speedway stadium in Homestead.

This is the alternative route home, Card Sound Road on Key Largo which joins Highway One in Florida City to the north and in Key Largo to the south at the end of the 18 mile stretch.

A peaceful 55mph drive before rejoining the cut and thrust of Spring Break Highway One.

Miami Beach

It was a week ago we went up to Miami Beach to spend a windy twenty four hours at the Bentley Hilton on the beach. 

 Nice hotel, expecially as we were staying on points.

Philip and Van came by, snowbirds from Maine who used to live in Key West, broke bread and petted Rusty. 

 The view from the seventh floor window included an ocean glimpse, quite a decent one. It was as close as I got to the beach pretty much as it's closed to dogs. No surprise considering how inconsiderate dog owners can be.

 Did I mention it was windy:

Early Sunday morning Rusty and I took to the streets. There was a running race in progress on the main drag but I like alleys anyway and Rusty could run here in peace so I got to see quite a bit of the backs of the buildings:

 Miami Beach is cool. I'm not, so this is not my home, but it's fun to visit.

 Ingenious shelter, I saw several cubby holes with pads in them:

 I guess V1 Visa students don't get a chance to learn Spanish:

 The master of his domain wherever he may be:

On the return trip we inspected the more usual store fronts and art deco buildings one associates with this area:

These days Dade County is called Miami-Dade because they said no one knew where Dade was but everyone recognizes Miami. I've lived in Florida long enough these things irritate me so I still think of it as Dade County and if you don't know Duval County is where Jacksonville resides and Tallahassee is in Leon County too bad for you. I get grumpy about these things but I like history. So these old signs please me:

Rusty could bite through his leash in seconds but eh knows I want him to stay put so he does even though like all dogs he takes up all the slack I leave him for some reason. Good boy:

 This guy was running the race thing so I suppose he had a reason to have a bottle of water stuck down his butt. 

 The Jewish Museum, saved for a visit next time.

 Back in the room with a view.

  Then brunch...Pinkie's Hollywood Breakfast, friend polenta bacon spinach and egg:

 Then we blew the city....

And headed back to the Keys. Card Sound Road: