Out of the Mist

Update:  Heavy Sea Fog Monday-Wednesday closed the Port of Tampa. Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas unable to dock on time and was left anchored in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) along with numerous cargo ships; free drinks for all on board I hear.  GOM sea temperatures dropped almost 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Dolphin and Pelicans sightings scarce. Strangely fewer beach walkers out too (ha ha!).

Awoke to heavy sea fog this morning, such that everything feels damp and the ground is wet.  No better time for a beach walk. Fog a result of rapid weather change:  Friday was near freezing and by Sunday we were at 80 F (27C)! As resident British neighbours say, all their 'sweaters have had a good airing this winter.' One day it is summer clothes, the next pull out the jumpers! [Pictures of fog aren't that interesting trust me!  But see last picture in post of 24 November if you want to see fog.]

But first ... Saturday Mini Me volunteered to staff the 'Turtle Table' at the local Shell Show.  She recently attend a local Conchology Club meeting and signed up as a volunteer with Sea Turtle Trackers.

At the Shell Show, enthusiasts and vendors display their wares and compete for prizes. But it is the odd shell that has actually been collected by the enthusiast, such as this one Mini Me and Swimmy are admiring. Even rarer that they show local shells - however, the twin to this shell was found at John's Pass - just 1.5 miles down the beach from us!  Mini Me did her best to promote protection of loggerhead turtles nesting on our beaches after taking a peak around the show.

Hard to focus, but you can see
fixed wing unlike 8 Feb pic

Back to the beach, Sunday we walked North to the short pier. Up in the air we saw



and down on the ground we observed . . .

I missed out the snowman with palm frond hands!

We spied humans enjoying dolphins right outside our door (today in the fog we cannot see beyond where the dolphins are in this picture).

Look closely and you will see the dolphins 

Today, you can feel the dampness in the air  as you walk the beach. It is a virtual human highway, some are friendly with a 'good morning' whilst others put in the earbuds or are broadcasting into their mobile phones; what is the point of being on the beach with something in your ears mini me wonders?

We collected 2 full grocery bags of trash on the way down to John's Pass before picking up speed on our walk back. Life sized me has read that you can double your calorie expenditure picking up trash whilst beach walking, hence we are getting very good at spotting rubbish. What are we thinking polluting the oceans with tons of plastic?

It's now Monday afternoon and the fog has thickened after a brief respite mid-morning, about the longest we have seen it hang about. So doubtful we will see any sunset tonight. Time to enjoy those photos from last Wednesday & Thursday (19 Feb). What's a girl to do with a zillion sunset photos - thank goodness they are digital!

Love the cloud puffs on the horizon