Tag Archives: Florida

Birds on the Beach

March 21, 2021 Troy

One of the fun things for me when retreating south for a reprieve from winter is to watch the many types of birds. Some of them are familiar since they migrate north for summer while others are unique as they stay in the south all year long. A bird that stood out for me was the Snowy Egret. This was the first time I’d ever seen one. The Great Egret is often spotted in Minnesota but, ironically, the Snowy Egret is not. It has some amazing plumage and not hesitant about displaying it. This is a smaller bird than it’s close relative the Great Egret but is just as striking in its pure white plumage. Both seem to have similar temperaments when competing for food. The Great Egret just has a longer reach.

A bird that I didn’t expect to see along the beaches of Clearwater, Florida, were parakeets. During one of the first mornings in this area, I heard a strange, but familiar sound. And then more birds chimed in with a similar sound. It wasn’t a call from a bird I was familiar with yet it seemed like I’d heard it before. Eventually I caught a glimpse of a flock moving from nearby palm trees that seemed to have a green coloration. Unfortunately these flew past without allowing me to really see them so I couldn’t identify them. Another day I saw this type of bird in palm trees overhead and was able to get a couple of pictures. They were Parakeets! Now it made sense. The sound was familiar because of pet stores selling them. I may not have heard these exact type of birds but similar enough making the calls familiar. They are a beautiful bird and fun to watch as they search for food among the palm leaves.

A bird that was fun to see was the Great Blue Heron. This is one I see in the North for summer nesting but was still enjoyable to be around in Florida during the winter. They seemed a lot more relaxed on these beaches allowing me to get closer than I would ever expect at home. What is the cause of this different behavior? I would venture to guess it’s a result of people feeding them as they fish. If the herons were fed in my area, I’m sure it would be easier to get closer to them also. Still fun to see them in great detail.

Shorebirds are another ocean staple. So much so that for the first couple of days I didn’t see them and began to wonder why? At the same time it was extremely windy and cold during the first part of my stay in Florida. Once the sun came out and the wind subsided, there they were running in and out of waves combing the beach for food. They are interesting to watch as they dart around the waves washing up on shore searching for any morsel fit for consumption. It’ll be a couple of months before I get to watch some of these birds return to the north once the weather becomes more suitable again and lakes lose their ice revealing a bounty of food.

Photos, Troy's Blog

Enjoying a Little Beach Time

February 28, 2021 Troy

While in Florida during Super Bowl week, I spent more time on the beach than I had in a number of years. And the beaches of St. Petersburg are beautiful with soft sand to dig your feet into. What’s the most popular thing to do at the beach? Most people seem to be out there during the day taking in the suns rays. As the daylight begins to soften people tend to return to their abode having enjoyed the sandy shoreline. Just before the sun reaches the horizon, the beach once again becomes a popular place in hopes of witnessing a scenic sunset over the ocean. That was my most popular activity – watching the sunset.

Close behind was time shelling – or searching for beautiful, empty shells. There were a number of pristine shells, however, it’s occupants were still using them so I tossed them back into the ocean. This area of Florida seems to have an abundance of fun shells and a nice diversity of them to collect for showing those that haven’t been there. Some mornings I would get up before sunrise to scour the beach for something unique before others combing the same areas found them. Occasionally this was successful and other days it was just fun to be out enjoying the morning light and listening to the ocean. One of the nice things about St. Petersburg is if you don’t find the shells you’re looking for, going to another area along the coast may provide them. Or possibly ones you weren’t even looking for. It would seem with the popularity of this activity, finding intact shells no longer in use would be a challenge but it really wasn’t. There were large quantities washed up on the sand on a daily basis. You just have to spend the time searching.

Walking up and down the beach also brought a few other pieces I enjoy. Watching the birds as they dart in and out of the incoming waves and listening to the waves crash on the sandy beach. There are a mix of birds here, especially during this time of year as birds from the north spend their winters here. The most common to see tend to be the shore birds constantly pecking their long beaks into the sand grasping tiny morsels for nourishment. Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, and Snowy Egrets were often sighted, especially near people fishing as they were looking for a meal to be thrown their way or possibly snagging some of the bait. Flying over the water were Pelicans, Cormorants, and an occasional Eagle adding to the variety of birds to identify while listening to the sounds of waves near my feet. The constant, almost rhythmic sounds of waves washing up on the sandy beach is relaxing most of the time. Big storms can change these sounds from relaxing to concerning. Fortunately, most of the time the water is more gentle as each wave rises from the water and runs into the sand ending in a foamy finish before retreating back into the ocean. I could get use to starting and ending my day on the beach for more than a week.

Super Bowl 52, Troy's Blog

Tampa During Superbowl 55

February 14, 2021 Troy

It was that time of year again when the final Pro football game is played for the season. The Superbowl has become an enormous event and continued to be even during the world pandemic. My wife was once again part of the pre-game and halftime game day setup and teardown team. Due to COVID, there were many changes to the events of this game including reduced crews needed for these events. My wife was still able to participate and made plans to be in Tampa for the week leading up to this game. Since quarantine would be a necessary part of this for me also (direct exposure to her), I joined her in Tampa taking a break from winter. Normally I would have explored a lot of the events happening during the week but not wanting to be around a lot of people in tight spaces, I kept my distance and avoided most of these this year.

We were staying in St. Petersburg and decided to go explore Clearwater Beach one afternoon since this was recommended as a beautiful spot to take in a nice tropical day. It’s a fantastic beach with Pier 60 jutting out into the ocean for some great views. While walking around in the area we came upon some sand sculptors working on a Superbowl related carving. It was far from complete but was interesting to watch as they surgically added and removed portions of sand working towards their final piece. As they worked, shovels of sand would be piled in certain areas followed by water spraying it down to compact it for better sculpting. We needed to leave as there was a halftime rehearsal happening later that day. Returning to see the final piece was now added to the calendar.

Saturday morning, the day before the Superbowl, seemed like a good time to hit Clearwater Beach once again to view the completed sand sculpture. There should be fewer people at this time and it was a nice day. While walking to the sand creation I noticed some activity in an area previously fenced off. Examining it a bit closer, there were TV cameras on staging indicating something was happening sometime soon. I proceeded to the sculpture to examine the final project and as usual, was amazed at the final result portraying both quarterbacks next to their helmets. How people are able to do such work is pretty incredible. Now seeing the finished piece, I headed towards Pier 60 where I had seen vendors beginning to set up. This would be a good opportunity to see what they were selling and maybe catch a entertainer juggler or something. On the way there I found out there would be a celebrity flag football game played here on the sandy beach in a few hours. Initially I thought about hanging out next to the fence surrounding the area to watch the game but decided to view it from a distance away from the majority of the crowd.

While hanging around, waiting for the game to begin, I watched the activity on the beach. During this time a parachute team had launched 2 small balloons in an effort to determine wind direction. Before the game they would be skydiving in with the game ball during the national anthem.

As game time was nearing, a brief storm had popped up requiring these skydivers to start early to avoid being caught in unsafe conditions. The parachute team landed safely, the storm quickly moved through, and minutes later, the celebrity football game was underway. As the players were introduced, I realized I didn’t know many of them as they were from several different professional sports and even a few tv personalities. It was still enjoyable to see for a little while as this was really the only Superbowl event I watched due to the crowds and COVID.

What better place for a fun game to take place then on this beautiful, soft sand on a warm, mostly sunny afternoon? It was a nice way to spend the afternoon watching the first half of this game before heading back to the house for the rest of the day to meet my wife when she finished at the stadium preparing for the game the next day. While on the beach watching the flag football game I saw something I had never seen before – a moving billboard attached to a boat. I should have expected such a thing but never really thought about it before.

The next day brought game time to one of the biggest events of the year in the United States concluding the week of talk, activities, and predictions. It also marked the end of our brief reprieve from winter reminding us we would be heading back home soon where temperatures where plunging well below zero degrees F. Another successful Superbowl after so many questions and wondering if it would even happen this year. Hopefully there will never be another one like it!

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Why Disney World?

November 5, 2017 Troy

During a recent school break we took the opportunity to visit Disney World in Orlando, Florida to watch as our daughter played in the high school marching band while marching at the Magic Kingdom. When we first started talking about taking the whole family to Disney World the first thoughts that came to mind was battling crowds to stand in long lines and paying large sums of money to do this. This wasn’t an incorrect assumption but wasn’t nearly accurate enough. Seeing the reality of this brought the question of why so many people desire to visit Disney World.

So in a nut shell here’s my question: Why pay over $100 per person per day to immediately get persuaded to spend even more money on food and gifts as soon as you enter the park and throughout the park only to be beaten up by the crowds to stand in long lines and kicked by kids who are unable to stand for that long? Lets break this down a little. First is price. The more days you buy the cheaper each day becomes which can bring your cost down below $100 per day but not everyone had that kind of time. Food and gift purchases are, of course, optional but there are way more gift stores and food places than attractions so that great smelling meal or those Mickey ears become harder and harder to resist. Looking at reviews of Disney World you will come across several complaining of the crowds and how rude people can be along with the wait times for attractions. My wife was hit by a mom who had one stroller stacked cross ways on top of another stroller causing these to require more room but this mom didn’t seem to care how many people she was going to hit while pushing these double stacked strollers with no children in them. And lastly, the lone lines. Many attractions had a wait time of about an hour but the most popular Avatar ride had waits exceeding 3 hours. We ended up not being able to go on this one as it was too much time but obviously a lot of other people were willing to wait that long. Security to enter seems cumbersome and slow as there are people that need to go through all of your bags before you can proceed into the park. This is the same at each of the parks so if you’re going to park hop add extra time for security at each one. And this is all called fun at the “Happiest Place on Earth!”

So what seems to be so appealing that people from all over the world have to go to Disney World? First off, nobody does a better job of immersing you into a ride with all of the props, landscaping, music, and characters. They put a lot of effort into making you feel like you’re transported into another place and are a part of that ride. Although many of the attractions at the Magic Kingdom feel like they’re old and outdated when you compare them to the newest rides put together today. Maybe that’s one of the draws is people like these nostalgic rides. I felt they could do a lot more to many of them with today’s technology. Certainly other things like the castle, parades, and fireworks and lightshow work with these other rides to create the Disney Experience that so many return time and again for.

We didn’t take the time to look over reviews before going to Orlando and that was a bit of a mistake. Reading just a few reviews a couple of months before going would help understand just how important advanced planning and preparation is and can make your time in Disney a little better. Definitely learn about Fastpasses if you do not know about them and utilize them. You get 3 with each ticket per day. There are some great things to see and do at Disney World but the crowds and long lines definitely detract from them.

Biscayne National Park, Exploring, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Adding Biscayn N.P.

November 21, 2010 Troy 3 Comments

: Boca Chita Key with Miami in the distance

While I’m sure we could spend many days exploring the Everglades National Park, we have chosen to visit nearby Biscayne National Park as part of our excursion to Southern Florida. This destination is not on our National Parks edition of Monopoly but is a place we highly look forward to experiencing. It is common for us to add non-board destinations to our trips which help both in tiring us out and packing more experiences into each trip. We have planned for one full day at Biscayne National Park so I hope the weather is nice. This is not enough time to do all that we would like to do I’m sure but does give us a taste of this park which is the intention of our visits to all of the National Parks on our board.

Most of Biscayne N.P. is underwater (95%) which is one of the features that really draws us to it. Snorkeling is a favorite activity whenever we are in tropical waters with reefs. Kristy is anxious to travel to Southern Florida as this will be her first attempt at snorkeling. This will be Lysa’s second time snorkeling. Her first experience was in Cozumel, Mexico three years ago. I am excited to take them and let them experience life on a reef. They have both looked over pictures of reefs and fish and we have a small saltwater aquarium with corals and fish but to be able to see everything going on at a natural reef is so much more mesmerizing. Fortunately by watching how different animals work together in our aquarium, Kristy and Lysa will have the opportunity to notice many things that can be missed when snorkeling such as how the cleanup crew (snails, crabs, shrimp, and sea stars) scavenge around the reef and interact with the fish. Watching all of this will make the day go by exceptionally fast!

While snorkeling appears to be a great way to explore Biscayne National Park, there are other activities that highlight the diversity of this park. There are hiking trails, the Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point, boating, fishing, and a lot of history according to the National Park Service website. The beginning of the Florida Keys is considered by many to be in Biscayne N.P. – Elliot Key. Since we won’t have a boat to freely move about the reefs and keys, we need to plan ahead to use the park vendor for boating excursions in order to be able to experience this area and see what we can. I would like to see the lighthouse on Boca Chita Key and Stiltsville in Biscayne Bay along with snorkeling. Kristy and Lysa enjoy becoming Junior Rangers at all of the national parks that we visit so this will be a priority at Biscayne National Park as well.

Underwater Scenic — Motivation and Anticipation!

Camping is allowed on Elliot Key and Boca Chita Key which would be a great way for us to really enjoy and explore this wondrous area. Unfortunately, we are limited by our arrival to Miami late the day before and have commitments early the day after. I would love to watch the sun set and rise again from a key while star gazing and surveying the nighttime Miami skyline. These are some of the things we may have to explore on another trip after completing our National Parks Monopoly Board.

As I write this I am looking forward to this trip more and more. Maybe it is time to stop writing about this national park and focus on the upcoming holidays.

Gaining Life Experience