Florida!
Here are some random things that are good and not so good about Florida, based on our recent visit.
The good:
1. Wildlife - We saw manatees (that nearly capsized my Mom and Dad's kayak), dolphins, pelicans, an osprey (the bird, not the aircraft that kills Marines), gulls, sand pipers, sand fleas, and sand crabs.
2. People caring for wildlife - the kayak rental place was covered in posted signs warning people against touching, teasing, or molesting the manatees. Also, the section of beach in front of the house we rented had mandatory light reduction measures to avoid confusing hatching baby sea turtles. And although we didn't see any momma or baby sea turtles, several places along the beach had been roped off with sticks and tape, and tagged with the date the eggs had been laid and their approximate hatch date. So, yeah, props to the Floridians getting their conservation on.
3. The beach - I've never been to New Smyrna Beach before, or spent much time swimming in the Atlantic. The beach there was clean, and stretched to the horizon in both directions. The water was a bit chilly, but the waves were big enough to make swimming or boogie boarding feel like an adventure.
4. The seafood - we had lunch at JD's fish camp with my mom and abuela, and we had some solidly kickass shrimp and crab, along with some very tasty hush puppies and french fries.
Not so good:
1. The sun - oh my god. I applied sunscreen like mad, and still got red in the face and shoulders. Out in the kayak there was no shade at all, and it felt like I was going to broil like a lobster.
2. Giant trucks - not exclusive to Texas, it would seem. My favorite was the giant Fordzilla that agressivley tailgated me at a time when I could neither speed up or make a lane change, and then proved to be driven by a kid who looked to be all of 14.
3. Orlando airport - had been partially deconstructed for our convenience. And while I know its probably not the airport's fault that our plane was delayed an hour to change a tire, I'm just going to say so anyway.
4. Dead fetus billboards - did you know that abortion stops a beating heart? Well, you will if you drive on I-95. I swear, the billboards, in order, were fetus, Ron Jon Surf Shop, fetus, fetus, Disney world, fetus, fetus, fetus. If I wanted lectures from lunatics, I would watch Glenn Beck.
The good:
1. Wildlife - We saw manatees (that nearly capsized my Mom and Dad's kayak), dolphins, pelicans, an osprey (the bird, not the aircraft that kills Marines), gulls, sand pipers, sand fleas, and sand crabs.
2. People caring for wildlife - the kayak rental place was covered in posted signs warning people against touching, teasing, or molesting the manatees. Also, the section of beach in front of the house we rented had mandatory light reduction measures to avoid confusing hatching baby sea turtles. And although we didn't see any momma or baby sea turtles, several places along the beach had been roped off with sticks and tape, and tagged with the date the eggs had been laid and their approximate hatch date. So, yeah, props to the Floridians getting their conservation on.
3. The beach - I've never been to New Smyrna Beach before, or spent much time swimming in the Atlantic. The beach there was clean, and stretched to the horizon in both directions. The water was a bit chilly, but the waves were big enough to make swimming or boogie boarding feel like an adventure.
4. The seafood - we had lunch at JD's fish camp with my mom and abuela, and we had some solidly kickass shrimp and crab, along with some very tasty hush puppies and french fries.
Not so good:
1. The sun - oh my god. I applied sunscreen like mad, and still got red in the face and shoulders. Out in the kayak there was no shade at all, and it felt like I was going to broil like a lobster.
2. Giant trucks - not exclusive to Texas, it would seem. My favorite was the giant Fordzilla that agressivley tailgated me at a time when I could neither speed up or make a lane change, and then proved to be driven by a kid who looked to be all of 14.
3. Orlando airport - had been partially deconstructed for our convenience. And while I know its probably not the airport's fault that our plane was delayed an hour to change a tire, I'm just going to say so anyway.
4. Dead fetus billboards - did you know that abortion stops a beating heart? Well, you will if you drive on I-95. I swear, the billboards, in order, were fetus, Ron Jon Surf Shop, fetus, fetus, Disney world, fetus, fetus, fetus. If I wanted lectures from lunatics, I would watch Glenn Beck.