SailingKnitter

Jonesy on Playa Linda Cape Canaveral National Seashore

One of the great benefits of hanging around Central Florida is the beaches. We took a little adventure to Playa Linda on Cape Canaveral to frolick in the sun and waves.

Because we are older than the hills, we qualify for the National Parks Senior pass. Thus, entry into the Cape Canaveral National Seashore is FREE for us. Just for fun, we decided to drive down to the very last little parking lot on this barrier island. We passed 12 different parking lots, all set up with sanitary facilities and boardwalks over the dunes to the beach. Families were coming and going hauling their kids and massive amounts of beach gear.
We drove a few more miles, eventually getting to the end of the road and the last lot, #13. Whoa! There were a lot more cars here than in the previous 12 lots! Why?

Portuguese Man-o-War Jellyfish

We soon found out what made this end-of-the-line remote spot so popular. Nude people. Yep, naked men (mostly) and a few women enjoying their day in the sun! Everyone was quite spread out along the shore with lots of "personal space" between the couples and the singles. We just minded our own business and walked a couple of miles. As you can see in the photo above, Jonesy kept his clothes on. I behaved myself (but it was great having sunglasses on so I could allow myself a sideways glance now and then).

I searched the wet sand for "interesting" bits to make into centers for my coiled pine needle baskets and jewelry creations. Now this purple blob was interesting...and scary! It's a Portuguese Man-o-War jellyfish which has a nasty sting! Such a pretty color - and such a painful sting. This one has been washed ashore and I assume it is dead. My finger is shown in the photo for scale - and even this was too close for comfort.

At first I thought that the white pieces in this photo were plastic trash. But when I looked closer I realized that they were the leathery egg shell remains from baby sea turtles! Loggerhead turtles nest along these shores and apparently this is a nest that has completed the cycle. Hopefully the little hatchlings made it to the safety of the water beyond.

On to knitting...

The black wool sweater for the teen in Kazakhstan has been finished and mailed to the executive director of the Motherless Child Foundation. Whew! Deadlines make me so nervous, but this one got checked off the list a full week early. The delivery trip is scheduled for mid-May. We will all get to see photos of the kids displaying or even wearing their new clothes! What a lift!

The weather has been wonderful these past few weeks - in the high 70's and low 80's with cooling at night. Consistent breezes make it so we've had the boat all opened up for the fresh air. Also, I've been able to cook and bake because the breezes whisk away the heat from the stove. I do love to cook (and eat), but I don't like doing the dishes.

Some days the magic boat fairy does the dishes! It's the same creature who makes coffee every morning so that it's ready when I get up!

Thanks Jonesy. Life is good.