While the winter has worn on and on "up there"
(where we used to live), it is no wonder the visitors and the traffic in Palm
Beach County has grown this year. I
still miss aspects of our former Connecticut winters. Being younger helped and I found much of it
to be a pleasant challenge, splitting wood for our wood burning stove, even shoveling
the snow, and getting to work on the ice-slicked roads. The one thing I do not miss is getting up on
a ladder to pour boiling water into our gutters and downspouts to keep them
clear of ice as snow was melting on the roof during the day and refreezing at
night. I remember one very bad winter storm in the 1970's when Connecticut
closed all roads and threatened to arrest any driver other than essential
health and official personnel. The only
problem is I heard the announcement while I was sitting at my desk listening
to a portable radio; I had already decided to close the office but I had to
find my way home without getting arrested!
(I wasn't.)
But that seems like another lifetime ago. Now, instead, friends and family come here to
visit. No wonder. And when they do, our boat and the waters of
Lake Worth and Peanut Island at the Palm Beach inlet are inviting. A couple of days ago Jon and Anna were
visiting. Here's a photo of Ann (wearing my cowboy
hat) and Anna as we departed for the Tiki Waterfront Sea Grille at The
Riviera Beach Marina. While we having lunch there, a fishing boat was tossing unused
chum into the water attracting some powerful, predatory fish known as
"jacks" and pelicans as well.
I thought this very brief video of a pelican balancing itself on the
power cord of the fishing boat, the jacks menacingly swimming beneath, to be
worthy of a YouTube posting. Pelicans are among my
favorite birds, funny to look at, but graceful when they glide only inches
above the water. They don't have an easy
time coexisting with commercial fisherman (competition) or with recreational
fisherman as pelicans sometimes get snagged by their hooks. But this pelican doesn't look like it has a
care in the world.
It was nice to have Jon run the boat as it freed me to
film a little of the trip home, running north in the ICW part of Lake Worth
with Singer Island and some of Munyon Island on our starboard side. Having spent most of my life in the northeast
gives me a special appreciation of these moments. Here's hoping for some warmer
weather for our friends and family back where we used to call home!
