Sperm Whales!

Based on my son Matt's assessment of the dorsal fins and color of the whales, he believed the whales were not Pilot, but perhaps Sperm whales. And those of you who know my Matt, he knows his fish (and mammals). So I sent photos to the Marine Mammal Conservancy, and indeed, they confirmed that they were great Sperm Whales. Even more exciting to me, because, although he was not white, he was Moby Dick to me! And, this is no fish story - it happened! Right in the Florida Keys.

Whale I'll Be Darned!

Harry and I had just about the most perfect fishing day ever, today. Flat calm going out, and action all over the place. I believe the full moon may have something to do with the fact that fish were hungry and active. Birds were diving, bait fish were jumping and we caught Wahoo, Blackfin Tuna and Mahi Mahi during the course of the day. Dinner is looking promising!

But, the very most exciting thing happened when I thought I sighted a fish jumping in the water way off in the distance. After this white plume of water occurred four times in a row, Harry proclaimed it was a whale. I couldn't believe it. I have never heard of sightings here except the occasional sick ones that come in close to shore and usually die. In fact, two are being rehabilitated in Key Largo right now. We approached it and got right next to it, but when it submerged and went under the boat, I freaked out a bit. I kept having Moby Dick visions in my head and our boat being upended. After all, this fellow was about the size of our boat. He dove under us and I ran for the camera. We saw him again, and then three others in a pod. It was just amazing.
I put this illustration to give a sense of the size. It looked a lot bigger than that when you are 22 miles out at sea and in 1400' deep water! The water was so blue and so clear. After leaving the whale for more adventures, I looked down next to the boat and saw a huge marlin, lit up blue and beautiful. Just hanging out with us. I think I chattered non-stop for an hour after all of this excitement. What a place. What a day.

Bufo Marinus

Who knew that this gnarly looking little creature, who has taken up habitat by my water lily pond, is potentially lethal to my dog and three cats? Well, I sure didn't. Until Sam and I did a little research to identify the little fellow, who we have named Buford.

At first, we were all excited that he appeared at night, sitting on the edge of the pond, bellowing. But the second time we saw him, with only his eyes peering over the edge of the lily pad, I decided to try and identify him. He is the largest toad I have ever seen. In fact, they have found them up to 15" long. Gulp. That makes him bordering on dinosaur status to me.

The disturbing part of the report was that they are poisonous to dogs and cats and cause many pet deaths in the Keys. They live in the sub-tropical climates. They have parotoid glands that secrete a poison. Have you ever heard the expression "don't lick a toad or you will hallucinate"? Well, there you go.

So, the best advice that we got was not to try and catch it and move it, but to, sorry to say this, destroy it. I will leave that mission to Dirty Harry and hope that it happens swiftly and when I am not around.

The Keys are a scary environment! Pythons coming down from the Everglades, alligators and even the rarer crocodiles in resident's canals, leaping barracudas biting onto people, and the famous spotted Eagle ray who leap out of the water in joyous reproductive enthusiasm and whacked a tourist just as her boat was speeding by at 30mph. UH OH. Hey, I have even had my dog attacked by a grumpy mother bird on one of our leisurely strolls about the neighborhood. I don't know who freaked out more.

Summer Vacation II

After enjoying a week with the Urichs, I was kind of blue saying goodbye to my grand babies, but a week in Myrtle Beach with my brother Tom, my niece Erin and her husband Dave and children Dominic and Gianna, and my niece Trish was just the ticket to perk me back up. Their family friends were also there and as you can see in the bottom picture, it was a big group. The blue t-shirts had every one's nickname on the back, and I was included although missed the group picture that occurred the second week when the rest of the crowd arrived. I did get a last minute photo in with Dom and Gigi, my great nephew and niece. I can barely open my eyes after the previous evening's gin and tonic's and homemade salty nuts and bolts that are a requisite accompaniment.

Harry drove up with me and flew back mid-week. We made a quick trip up to see my house in North Carolina that is still on the market, in case anyone wants to buy a lovely home in a 36 hole golf course gated community in the middle of pig farm country. The building boom sure died the minute I finished the house!

Other activities included the usual golf, beach, pool, dining and vacation activities. Myrtle Beach is a perfect family vacation venue with the main drag lined with every conceivable entertainment available. Want to see Pirates pillaging and looting while eating dinner? Done. Ripleys Believe it or Not? Done. South Carolina's version of the Grand Ole Opry? Done. Every chain restaurant known to man? Done. Shopping? Done. The whole scene made me think of overweight middle America. On the other hand -gorgeous golf courses lined with blooming Crepe Myrtles? A beach with comfortable, shallow warm water? Affordable condominiums everywhere? Forget cultural exploration and history. This was the perfect vacation place to spend time with family, reconnect, talk, cry and laugh. I am so glad that my niece invited me to go along. In case anyone has missed my previous hundred or so posts regarding my family - they are wonderful. I am so blessed.

Summer Vacation I

Megan, Matt, Jack & Ruby left on Tuesday night and it is so hard to say goodbye. But, we packed a whole lot of activity in six days. We spent the first two days in Key Largo, on the boat or in the water. We also included a Happy Birthday party for Guinness, who turned 13. Or maybe it was his Bark Mitzvah?

On the first day, we headed out to sea and Megan caught a great Mahi Mahi which became our first night's dinner. We were just getting into the fish when a storm blew up to the east and when we saw lightening and water spouts forming from the dark clouds, we raced ahead of it to get close to shore at Rodriquez Key, where we anchored the boat in the warm shallows and lolled about in the water. The second day was a snorkeling day and Jack, age six, was able to snorkel the reef with his parents for his first time. That fearless kid had a blast touching the fish that surrounded him while Ruby and I threw crumbs overboard into the water.

We then headed to Sanibel Island for a couple days. Megan's brother, Ryan, and his fiance, Julie, drove down from Orlando to join us. We had a great time in the ocean and pool and later, after a super dinner at Doc Ford's, one of Harry and my favorite places, we sat on the beach watching the stars and lightening off in the distance. One of my favorite things to do on Sanibel is be on the beach at sunset, when the light changes to pink and everything takes on a magical, warm glow. Walking along in the low tide, shelling, is definitely one of my favorite activities. It is the ultimate treasure hunt. I cannot go there without thinking of my mom, who got so excited plunging into the surf for a shell treasure, that she lost the condo keys that were in her hand to the mighty Gulf of Mexico.

Ruby liked the pool and beach so much that she hid in the closet when it was time to leave. But, driving home across the Everglades was fun. Harry and I had the kids in our car and Ruby entertained us with made up songs and Harry kept the kids in an uproar by opening the sunroof during rain showers.

When we got back, Matt, Jack and I got our gear ready and headed out to try Tarpon fishing. This was a new experience for me. We trailered the flats boat, launched it and headed to the Channel five bridge. After anchoring and tying a rubber buoy to the anchor with a bungee attached to the boat for quick release, we kicked back to let our bait float back behind the boat. After about an hour, suddenly Matt's rod bent over and the hugest behemoth Tarpon jumped totally out of the water - about 80# of silver muscle shot straight up in the air behind the boat and I lost my Grammy cool and shouted "holy s**t." Matt didn't have time to say "MOM" because he had to hand the rod to me and jump back to release the boat from the anchor. Away we went on a 40 minute battle. I just couldn't do it. I twice had to give the rod over to Matt and when I developed a huge blister on my thumb, he took over for good. The fish took us all over the place but when he was finally tiring and we were about to get our trophy photo, he got off. We never even got a great picture of it jumping. He wanted to stay deep and that meant it was hard to tire him out. But now, I am "hooked" and cannot wait to try again. Another great and exciting experience.

Last day meant one last trip to the nearby local pool. With a kiddie pool with pirate ship, slides and the like, and three other pools, it is a wonderful community treat within a five minute walk from the house. And Jack, ever fearless, went off of the high dive for the first time. Not once, but over and over.

I haven't even mentioned how incredible my grand kids are. Ruby, age 2, is a "hoot." Talks all the time. Sings, dances and performs at the drop of a hat. And, she is funny. My favorite - when looking at photos of her as a baby, Megan mentioned to me the time we went to get her bangs cut. Ruby got her frown face on and said, "Momma, why you cut my golden hair?" A princess in the making. Jack, age 6, is much quieter, and such a happy boy. He is always smiling. He is thoughtful and observant. My favorite - he asked me how I made my gardens. And, he listened while I explained. And then he said, "Grammy, I think your house is beautiful." Jack loves it down here and it amazes me how much he is like his dad in that way. All things fishing interest him also. I know Matt is thinking - "Phew - someone to pole me around the flats someday."

What a spectacular visit. I miss them so!

I Fought the Law...

I wrote in February about a car accident that I had in January, and that I was ticketed for, despite having a witness who saw the accident and verified my total innocence. The witness had to get to work and left his contact info with me. The police officer that arrived after the accident assured Harry and myself that he would interview the witness. He did not. Harry had to later go to the officer's superior, who did later interview the witness and, according to the witness, told the witness that he was not believed and that if he went to court to testify, they would make a fool of him on the stand.

I hired a lawyer and fought the ticket. It was dismissed today on the grounds that the police officer cannot state what happened in an accident if he wasn't there. The police officer did not even show up in court.

I could go on and on about the injustices here, but there is no way to undo them. The damage to my car was over $12,000. It was my decision whether to junk it or repair since it was so badly damaged. The auto body shop determined that I had been rear-ended on the left rear corner and then the left side was scraped off as the truck and trailer zoomed past me. At least that driver had the presence of mind not to let me take the whole impact - but he was probably saving his own butt. Our insurance would have gone up over $2500/year if I had not fought the ticket. I had to pay a lawyer an obscene amount of money to defend me against something I did not do. All because a police officer did not do his job. He told Harry he knew what happened because he had taken a class and learned to read skid marks. I ran into the EMS person who came first to the accident in a store a few months ago and was told that the police officer was new on the job - had only worked a couple of months.

I went to meet the witness today for the first time and to thank him for his incredible persistence in helping me out. Because the insurance companies are in arbitration over this, he has been contacted four times, since being hassled by the police. He is a good guy and a good citizen, and I will now be a regular in the restaurant he where he works.

I feel satisfied and can put this to rest. Being a victim makes a person feel very small. But, standing up for yourself really changes that. I remember my Jr. High school band teacher, Mr. Horvath. To this day I still cringe inside when I remember how he used his power over the few girls in the band to tease and use them for laughs among a large majority of boys. At such an awkward age it is easy to be teased by someone for their own gain in the eyes of others. I really hated him. And one day, I blew. I stood up and talked back to him. I got sent to the principal's office, and nothing really happened to me other than feeling even more uncomfortable in the band room for the next class. But, he never used me again to gain laughs.

Stupor

I have been in an unproductive, yet wonderfully enjoyable, state of stupor. I have a routine - every couple days or so, get myself settled in my favorite "sports watching" recliner, beverage at hand, and watch the NBA games. First I was glued to the Heat v Celtics, then the Bulls and now the Mavericks. I am amazed at how much I want the Heat to fail! I now totally understand my son Matt's feelings about OSU v Michigan, or the Cleveland Browns v Pittsburgh or Baltimore. I just never got that sense of distaste for another sports team before now. Secretly, I like Dwyane Wade, and think he is a phenomenally talented guy who also comes across kind of classy. He admitted the Heat was a little too full of themselves when they hosted the Big Three extravaganza down here last summer. But nonetheless, I decided then and there I couldn't be a Miami fan, ever. I rooted for the Reds when I lived in Cincinnati. But Cleveland stole my heart with its endless loser angst and I will remain loyal, no matter where I call home for tax purposes.

The other wonderfully indulgent treat I have given myself is getting back into reading. I have the time during the summer, when the golf leagues down here end until fall. My non-work days were filled with trips to the mainland the past seven months to indulge my passion. My handicap dropped 7 points, but the summer lull will probably mean that when I start back again, I will be rusty and have to battle my demons again. I recently started "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck on recommendation of my daughter-in-law's mother and sister - and they were right! I don't know how I missed this American classic, but it is a rich and enjoyable read. I love the book itself - from the little library down here - and it looks like it was published when the book first came out in 1952. It is a funky patterned green hardback, the copyright page is missing, and others are taped together with Scotch tape that has long ago turned brown. The yellowing paper smells like an old book. I love it, and thinking about how many other people read and enjoyed it.

I will enjoy this time to indulge myself. I have other projects on the coffee table to complete also. Hats to crochet for grandgirls (first attempt turned out terrible so they might not happen), and learning Dreamweaver CS3 so that I can redo the business website. Every time I pick up that book, I get drowsy. Cascading style sheets anyone? My nursing school chemistry classes were easier. But soon the lull will end, because Matt, Megan, Jack and Ruby are coming next week. And I cannot wait for the action to begin! Down time is great, but living in the Keys means the "Keys Disease" lurks around every corner. And that is permanent stupor!