The penultimate day

YES. I got to use the word ‘penultimate!’ Always a good day when that happens.

Our plan was to try a kayaking adventure on nearby Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon, but after a morning of sitting outside in the sun and reading, the clouds moved in around noon and we got some rain. It didn’t really clear fully until late afternoon, so we decided to do the kayaking next time.

We still made a trip down the island to visit our special manatee spot, at a small local park on a little inlet. You used to be able to get down closer to the water and get right near the manatees, but they have it all roped off now. That’s okay...you can still get close enough to get a good look at them, and we saw at least eight of them. We also got a bonus dolphin sighting! We didn’t get to see them leaping out of the water, but we could see that they were chasing something underwater, and we could see their fins bobbing up and down. It was neat!

Then it was over to J.B.’s Fish Camp, one of our annual stops. This is also where you can rent kayaks. Since we weren’t doing that, we had some appetizers and a pitcher. Raw oysters (I only had one...too rich for me anymore), shrimp cocktail, and a crab cake. Their crab cakes are to die for! We also encountered a trick we hadn’t seen before: float a cup of ice in the pitcher of beer to keep it chilled in this heat and humidity. How brilliant is that?!

Unfortunately, I felt really crummy after this appetizer meal. This is the second time this has happened to me after J.B.’s. It’s not food poisoning, because it hits me very quickly, and food poisoning takes a few hours at minimum. I think it’s a matter of the richness of some of the food...in this case, the oyster and the crab cake. The time before, it was because I had a deep fried platter, and ohhhh, I felt so awful. My tummy doesn’t do deep fried anymore! I was careful this time, but it was still a little too much for me. I took a nap after we got back, and it eventually eased up. I lived to fight another day!

I also lived to eat the swordfish that Ken grilled tonight. It was delicious! Old Bay seasoning is a good addition. We watched a couple of Soprano’s episodes, and had several laugh out loud moments. Tonight’s favorite was Carmela saying to A.J. “Be a good Catholic for 15 fucking minutes! Is that so much to ask?” Ha! One more night of grilling. I think we can both say that we’ve gotten our fill of fresh seafood this time around! Tomorrow, Ken will get in another round of golf in the morning (weather permitting), we will have lunch at Norwood’s, a great old school place that dates back to the ‘40s, and I will get my annual piece of Key Lime pie! Mmm...Key Lime pie....

Fingers crossed for decent weather tomorrow afternoon, so we can get a last dip in the ocean and a little more time on the beach!

I hope your day was as pleasant!

All things considered, I prefer Smucker’s

Wow, I missed an entry yesterday! I feel so ashamed. Okay, not really, but it was weird to not update! I intended to, but our friend Lee came down to visit from Jacksonville, and there just wasn't time.

He got here around noon, and after sitting on the balcony and getting caught up a bit, we headed down the beach to one of our yearly stops, Breakers. They make the best burgers I've ever had, and every year, I love them even more. (Debbie L., we had a basket of onion rings, too!) Q: How do you make a cheeseburger better? A: Add more cheese! Ken and I both got the Three Cheese Burger, with American, Swiss, and Provolone. The extra cheese was delicious, and it was great to sit by the open window and look out at the beach as we ate.

After lunch, we went out to the beach and yes, frolicked. Ken and I tried to get one of his stunt kites up and running with limited success. I decided to hop in the water while Ken and Lee worked with the other kite, and had a pleasant time bobbing in the waves. They were those gentle swells that let you just float along and I was thoroughly enjoying myself, even feeling a little brave and taking on some bigger waves. (I can't swim, so I stay in where it's not over my head, but sometimes the waves are big!) It was beautiful and sunny, and I was as happy as a little girl.

Then, WHAM! I felt a sharp pain on my back and the underside of my arm. I knew right away that it had to be a jellyfish, and when I looked down, I saw a blob of jelly on my board shorts. I tried to rinse it off in the ocean right away, but it slithered down and stung my leg, too. In all the years we've been coming down here, I've never gotten a jellyfish sting before, and wow, that initial impact is intense! I came up and put Benadryl spray on it, and that really seemed to help. The initial sting wore off quickly, and there were no ill side effects, but those babies pack a wallop. I can now say that I know what a jellyfish sting feels like, and I hope they leave me alone for another eight years! I really don't hate the jellyfish...he was bob-bob-bobbing along just like I was, and the waves smashed him into me. After all, I was invading his space, wasn't I? I also suspect that he perished in the impact. I'm still alive. So I don't hate the little gel guy.

In the evening, Ken cooked spaghetti (Lee has braces, so we tried to make something that he could eat easily) and then we played card games. It's always great to see Lee, and we had a fun time!

Today, we made a stop at the cove where the manatees hang out, and Jamie, we took two bottles of water! As you can see, they came right up to Ken and got a nice drink. It was so cool!

After that, we went to JB's Fish Camp and had lunch. More fresh seafood (we had more raw oysters, and I had steamed rock shrimp--Ken had steamed clams), and all delicious. JB's has a very funky decor, with all kinds of fishing regalia, funny signs, and oddly, a lone snow ski. I noticed something up in the rafters and thought of our friend DB. (Check out the book!) On the way to JB's, I enjoyed looking at all the buildings and homes along the way. There are some impressive beach homes, but my favorite thing to see is the older, 50's-style homes, pastel stucco with flat roofs and louvered windows. I don't think I can describe how I feel when I see such buildings. It gives me a feeling of nostalgia that is almost palpable, and I can almost see and smell the interiors of such homes. The heat, the humidity, the still air in the yard, the sound of the cicadas in the trees, and the Spanish moss hanging from the trees. It reminds me so much of our trips down here when I was a kid, going to visit relatives, picking oranges from their trees, riding my bike down the road at Lemon Bluff and seeing the alligators at the side of the road, seeing the cottonmouths by the river, and the incredible lush verdancy of the countryside. The growth is almost frightening, and Stephen King alluded to that in his novel Duma Key. I understood immediately what he was trying to say, because that strange wild and violent growth seems almost sentient at times.

But I digress.

Then it was back "home," and after Lee left, we went back out to the ocean one last time (at least for this year). Happily, no jellyfish encounters, just a pleasant time enjoying the sun, waves, and sand! A storm rolled in this evening, but we've been so fortunate with having nice weather. Hard to believe that the week has gone by so quickly, and I know I'll feel sad when we leave tomorrow morning...but I'll look forward to next year!

Next stop...Asheville, North Carolina!

Georgia on my mind

We're going to Florida, and that's why Georgia is on my mind.

Sounds strange, but it's because we're planning on meeting my cousin Ron (I have quite a few relatives in Florida and Georgia) for dinner one evening. I heard from him today, and his Mom, my Aunt Marie, will also be able to come along, and I'm delighted! Ron is such a cool guy, and so much fun to be around, and Aunt Marie is one of the sweetest people I've ever known. She's so sweet, you just want to squeeze her and hug her until she squeaks! She was married to my Mom's brother, my Uncle Lin, who passed away twenty-some years ago, and she is also my Dad's first cousin, so we're related two times over.

It's been a few years since I've seen Ron and Aunt Marie, and I'm really looking forward to it. It made me think about the fun times that we had when my folks had a place up in the northeast corner of Georgia, close to Uncle Lin and Aunt Marie. I spent my summers between college years there, and it remains one of my favorite places I've ever been. We used to go exploring in the area, driving around to sales or touristy places like Helen, a Bavarian village. We'd head out on dirt mountain trails and find old mills or pottery places. I was in the height of my punk college mode, but I dropped most of that persona in the summer and just enjoyed nature and exploring along with my folks and with Uncle Lin and Aunt Marie.

Uncle Lin was a natural prankster, and at the same time I was fuming at him, I was also laughing. He drove on those curvy north Georgia mountain roads like a bat out of hell (in fact, whenever we'd go to Helen, his usual joke was "Now we can say we've been to Helen back!"), and he'd do this thing where he'd press on the gas...then let off...press on it again...let off...so we were flopping back and forth in the seats like puppets. He'd just laaaaaugh...man, I miss him so much, but I'm so happy that we had so many happy times together. Whenever Ron and his sister Sandy or brother Bo would come up from Atlanta to visit, we would have such a great time together. Lots of laughter and a great time being with family...so you can see why I'm so happy at the prospect of seeing Cousin Ron and Aunt Marie!

I think we're going to go to J.B.'s Fish Camp--Ron said he doesn't think his Mom has ever been there, so that will be a fun new thing for her! It's a great place, and we go there every year.

On the way back, we'll be coming up through South Carolina and going through the area near where we used to live. I'm not sure if we'll cut through the far left corner of North Carolina or the far right corner of Georgia, but it will be such a pleasure to see the mountains again. (Perhaps we'll get a chance to hike a bit of the ol' Appalachian Trail. Hahaha!) For those of you in the area--Bob, Sheria, Dirk, Heather, Joy, Joyce, Lori...there are probably some that I'm forgetting!--we'll think of you on the way through! It would be fun to stop and see so many of you, but we'd need a week to make the drive!

We're pretty much ready to pack up and load the car. I did some last-minute things today like getting the mesh beach bag and the Frisbee out of the garage (Ken will have to find the kites), and I got the hummingbird feeders cleaned and refilled, as well as the thistle feeder, and cleaned and filled the bird bath. The suet and seed feeders will empty quickly, but I don't think the birds will starve--they'll find plenty of goodies to eat around the property!

We're taking both laptops, so you'll get some updates along the way, but like last year, I won't have time to do a lot of reading and commenting. I hope you'll bear with me, and know that I'll pick up with you all where I left off after we get back. Perhaps more later, but if not, an update before too long.