Day 8

Day 8-Wednesday, April 28

 

Our first morning in Florida, waking up to the sound of surf and viewing shrimp boats in the distance is truly serene.

The view from our bedroom.

 

A leisurely morning was followed by a noontime drive to Mexico Beach which was is slowly recovering from  Hurricane Michael in October of 2018.  There are still many empty lots along the beach with nothing but a foundation remaining to remind you that someone’s dream home is no longer.  

 

We had a lunch at a food truck called Killer Seafood.  The original restaurant was a destroyed by Hurricane Michael.  Wendy and Carl have been there a lot so they knew exactly what they wanted, whereas Joni and I had a tough time choosing from among all the fabulous fried or grilled items:  shrimp, grouper, crabs, tuna, & calamari.  Three of us settled on tuna tacos, Carl opted for grouper.  All of us were very satisfied.

After lunch we headed back toward our beach house, stopping along the way near the Port St. Joe harbor where two Staten Island Ferries were being built.  Our next stop was a nature walk through the woods on St. Joseph peninsula.  This newly constructed board walk included many plaques detailing the flora and fauna.

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the beach in front of our rental.  I took my first swim in the Gulf of Mexico.  The water was very comfortable, warmer than the Atlantic on the Cape in August.  I tried to do some snorkeling, but he visibility was terrible, six inches at best, due to the continually breaking waves.  

 

A ghost crab kept my attention for quite a while as he ventured out of his hole.  I placed a few Cheetos nearby, to lure him further, but the local gulls were also attracted to these orange treats and the crab retreated into his hole for the rest of the afternoon.

 

We took a break from our seafood diet for dinner, having pizza in Port St. Joe.  It was delicious.