The Atlantic side of Florida

 I choose to swing by St. Augustine beach most of my trips to FL.  This was around noon on Tues, April 23.

This truck just turned around and left.  I pulled over next to the beach monitor's shack...he had just one place he let people park who weren't going to stay long.

All the beach was powder sand...and these 4 wheel drive vehicles were all pulled into a line.  They would only be able to drive one way, from the left to right, going down to the next road that opened to the beach from highway A1A.

I healed a wound on my foot this time, standing in the washing ocean waters, which were actually warmer than the Gulf water had been on Easter afternoon.  Wonder how that happened.  I didn't get out of my shorts, just my sandals! The wound from starting to wear sandals had been under a bandaid for 2 weeks...but just didn't close up well until that half hour in the Atlantic.  Well, after I washed out the sand actually.

Apartment building on the right was where we lived back before 2000.

Oh my, the Sunset Grill across the street has a second story now, it seems to be doing well!

 I didn't get a good shot of the old ship that's docked by the Bridge of Lions.

 And I didn't get to take a photo of the lions, because I had a green light, you can see his white form at the end of the bridge, just barely.

Then I turned the corner and have the tourists all over the road!  Of course I don't consider myself a tourist, since I once lived here.

 I've never taken one of these horse drawn carriage rides, but they do look fun.  Though slow in traffic.

 The old town is to the left as I continued up the road. It's the oldest European type city in the US.

 And to the right was Castillo de San Marcos...an old Spanish fort.

After St. Augustine's slow ancient ways, going through Jacksonville FL was fast and busy with traffic.

Hillsborough River and second gator

Last chapter of this wonderful walk through the swamps along the river, on a boardwalk! Lettuce Lake Park is just north of Tampa FL off of Fletcher Blvd. It's a Hillsborough County Park, I'm pretty sure.

 If you look closely at the snag of a dead tree in the water, you can see a full length sunning alligator...head to the right, legs just hanging over the deadwood. Not a care in the world!

 Florida means Spanish Moss to me.

 There were towering cyprus trees...giants that have weathered many storms.

 From the 3 story observation deck we could see further on the river.

More walking along the Hillsborough River

 Monet might have liked this...lily pads, trees reflected, our shadows standing looking into the water, and there are some little fish in the shallow dark water also.

 Branches of a tree which blew into the water with the storm that hit on April 20.

 Looking out toward the Hillsborough River from the boardwalk, we'd sometimes see canoes paddling by.

 

Only his back shows, by looking along the same direction as the largest branch in the center of this shot.  Sort of yellow stripes across this little aligator's back.

 He must be like those cats who hide their heads and think they are invisible that way.

 Map of the park...we were on the blue boardwalk...went out almost to the end of each direction.

 I've seen many anhingas in Florida, though they mostly looked black to me.  Perhaps if their feathers were completely dried out, these shadings could be seen.

We saw one of these, but I'm pretty sure it was just a model posed in the swampy area near the boardwalk.  It was pretty though...and the model didn't move, and this was not nighttime.

Lettuce Lake walking in the wetlands

Not sure if it's considered a swamp...but along the Hillsborough River, is a great boardwalk in Lettuce Lake, a Hillsborough County Park which goes through the wetlands.

Cyprus knees give roots whatever oxygen they may need, poking up through the water which provides home to many water plants.

 Pretty purple flowers blooming on Pickerel Weeds.

I enjoyed it a lot...and got some great exercise on a coolish bright day.  The humidity off the river and the watery places all around it wasn't a bother because of a nice spring breeze.

 Next time I'll show you the view from the observation tower.

Beach on the Gulf of Mexico

Upham Beach...at St. Petersburg beaches. I'd never heard of it, but it's a public beach with parking nearby.

Water was really cold.  I can just imagine what the Atlantic feels like...and I plan to find out before returning to Black Mountain!

Caroline on left talking to her dad, Russ.  Audrey is working on her phone in foreground. Her mom is lying out in background  with blue/pink suit. These folks are from Ohio, my middle son, Russ and his family.  They love the beach!

 A few boats, planes with advertising sails being towed along behind them...and seagulls.

 And it was Easter Sunday, so many other folks had the same idea.

 Russ and Tai (my sons) had a nice talk about their works.

 But us females were more interested in getting tanned bodies...wearing our suits, smearing  ourselves with potions to protect us from harmful rays.  Is there anything at all illogical in that? Here's Caroline in foreground and Audrey shaking her towel over by the volley ball court. Kate on right is turning to watch.

 Michelle and Russ being photobombed by a gull.  Good thing it wasn't the usual bombing from birds.

 Warning of hazardous swimming near rocks.

 Tai, from Colorado, got his feet wet!

 Michelle (Russ' wife) joined the discussion about high school students going to college.

 Kate was going to dabble her feet in the cold water...

And we headed back to our next activities within the hour we'd paid for the parking.  I think I'll crop this...though the tree is kind of nice.  Nah. Leave it with the stranger between my 2 sons.