Loggerhead Sea Turtles

Thinking about how vast our universe is, all the while, gazing out into the night sky, I have often thought that I am but a speck of dust in the big scheme of things (see Spacing Out). Then, I witnessed the Loggerhead Sea Turtle nesting on the beach.

Her instincts were awe-inspiring

While Mr. Something and I visited friends on the eastern coast of Florida,we learned that the threatened Loggerhead Sea Turtle nested in the area, annually.

My ignorance was palpable.

I had no idea how big they were...up to 375 lbs (170 Kg), and that after reaching maturity of 17 years, they return to the same beach where they were hatched in order to nest and lay their eggs, and that the baby sea turtles have a 1% chance of surviving to sexual maturity.

Who knew?

So under the cloak of darkness, we venture out into the night - armed with a flashlight and camera, only to be amazed by the precision of Sea Turtle nesting habits...

Turtle tracks
Photo credit: www.seaworld.com

Turtle tracks are unmistakable.
The back flippers create deep grooves into the sand from the sea. 

Quietly, we follow the tracks to where mama builds her nest.

With her rear flippers, she scoops sand out repetitively until her nest is a uniform, bucket-shaped vessel approximately 1.5-2 ft deep. 

Mama sea turtle then begins laying  her eggs.

Sea Turtle Laying Eggs
Photo Credit- Laurie Penland / Sea Turtle Conservancy

Laying about 100 eggs (called a "clutch")
- we lost count at 75 -
she rhythmically covers her nest with sand.

The whole process takes about 45 minutes. 

It's a lot of work.

If you go out to watch the hatchlings leave their nests...do not use a flashlight. 

The baby turtles will become confused as they are searching for the light of the moon to guide them back into the ocean. 
Lord only knows, with a 1% survival rate, they can use all the help they can get.

And then, she returns to the sea until next year...

...and my thoughts of being but a speck of dust in our universe emerges once more...

and I like the feeling.

12th Anniversary Trip

It was immediately following The Annual Girls Trip that I said straight-faced to my sweet husband, Doug, while on vacation in Florida last week, "I'm more of an ‘adventurer’ than a ‘risk taker’.” Without hesitation, he responded… “bull.”

It was then that I felt the need to define my idea of ‘adventure’ for him.

‘Adventure’ is akin to “experience”. Experience the pace of life, the people, savor the regional specialties, soak in the colors of the landscape and embrace the music of wherever we happen to be at the moment. Bungee-jumping, dirt-biking and/or hang-gliding would be scratched off of my ‘To-Do’ list, while on vacation. I’m more of a get-to-know-the-place-and-sit-on-the-beach-or-in-the-local-cafe sort of girl.

Doug, on the other hand has energy to burn, prepared with a list of places to see, activities to do and a plan of action.

In the first year of our marriage, I recognized our differences during a rafting trip down the Guadalupe River in Texas (actually, it was about a 10 mile “float trip” and we were in “inner tubes”). Anyway, when we hit a set of rapids, I flipped out of my inner tube (yes, the water was only about three feet deep but none-the-less), and I was stunned to see my new husband immediately take off to save the tube. A kind stranger floating by asked if I wanted to hang on to his tube until I could reach my husband. When I met up with Doug, he was obviously very pleased with himself, passing me my inner tube and saying, “Hey, it would have been a long walk without it”. We think differently.

Last week, our 12th anniversary vacation was spent in Florida.

If it were up to me, I would have parked my butt in a beach-chair, set up an umbrella and read two novels in one week - that would have been typical of a ..."Joan Trip".

We started started our vacation at “The Bay Forest Condos” as guests of Mary & Ed. They winter in Naples and were so kind to offer their condo to us. It was fantastic. After leaving Naples via ‘Alligator Alley’ we were off to Boca Raton for a couple of nights and then back to the gulf-side of Florida - Fort Myers. This is typical of a ..."Doug Trip"

Acutely aware of my adventuresome spirit and my subsequent happiness, Doug bought me an umbrella and beach chair soon after arriving.

This is a sampling of where we went and what we did in seven days…

Naples/Bonita Springs:
Barefoot Beach, Bonita Bay Beach, Clam Pass Beach (our favorite), Delnor Wiggins State Park, Lowdermilk Beach, Marco Island, Olde Naples, Pelican Bay, South Beach, Tigertail Beach, Vanderbilt Beach. "Rodes" Market - great fresh seafood.
Boca Raton:
DelRay Beach, Spanish River Beach, Spanish River State Pass (nice beach – surfers to watch)

Fort Myers:
Fort Myers Beach ( good restaurants, party beach), Sanibel Island, Captiva Island. Stayed at The Marriott Residence Inn near Sanibel – It was almost as nice as Mary & Ed’s.