January 08th, 2024

Good Mornin' !  Happy Monday  to ya!  How are things with you today?  How was your weekend?

It was not your usual bright and sunny Florida here this weekend, there was some rain and some gloom, some dreary and dark a wee little bit of sun and it was perfectly perfect for a walk or two.

Tim and I spent a little time watching a paddle boarder.  The beach was nearly deserted which is very unusual this time of year.  Normally it's packed with beach minded folks.  But instead we saw things like the paddle boarder.  I am very impressed by surfers and paddle boarders and wind surfers. It's so pretty to watch.  At one point it looked like he casually walking along,  sweeping the ocean:

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Other times you could really see the skill of staying on that board and upright!

The beach, as I said, was not crowded but there were a few folks on and near the pier, flying kites and fishing (not at the same time you understand)

We also took a little walk at a tiny park called Venice Myakka River Park.  It's shorter than it's name :)  But adorable. The path follows the Myakka River which was surprisingly low considering how much rain we've had lately.  But on the other hand, during our actual rainy season, not this strange wet winter (dry season) we are experiencing,  there was remarkably little rain.  I think I read that we are something like 20 inches short of our usual rainfall right now?

Despite that, the walk along the river was delightful.  Every turn, each curve, the wide spots and slim, the high banks and low is different from the one before.   I so wish the trail were longer so that we could have continued to see what was around the next bend.  

As it was, despite multiple signs warning us of the resident alligator(s), we saw none.  Tim was on Alligator spotting duty  while I took photos because we agree with Joy and her policy to always know where your alligators are.

Actually Tim did borrow my camera to take one picture and it's a doozy:

It's kind of a "fool the eye" sort of shot of a tree sunk into the river and then the reflection of the living trees on the surface of the water. Very Cool!  I did my own version of a "fool the eye"  shot too.  Simply by taking the photo and then turning it on it's side:

We saw a few flowers, not many, but there were plenty of other green growing things to be seen:

And of course, there was the star of the show, the river itself.  The Myakka River is 72 miles long and has always given me Mark Twain Vibes.  I could see someone cobbling together a raft, Tom Saywer-wise, and spending quality time floating it's length, seeing what you can see and enjoying every minute of it.

All in all, a perfect way to while away a weekend day. I highly recommend it.