As promised here are some photos from my recent vacation. I was in warm, sunny
West Palm Beach, Florida and I had a great time. It never ceases to amaze me how good it feels to be out in the sun. One appreciates it even more living full time up north, were it is so cold from October through April that you avoid going outside unless absolutely necessary, and always bundle up like the little brother in
A Christmas Story.
If money were no object, I would spend the majority of my life on a sailboat in the Florida keys. In my dream world, this existence would mainly involve sailing my boat in a bikini in 86 degree weather and drinking Margaritas while listening to Reggae music, with dolphins swimming alongside the boat, colorful exotic fish to look at and treasure to find...
Only 1226 miles away from home!
These last two photos were taken at one of my favorite places in the world, the
Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, FL. The center was started 25 years ago by Eleanor Fletcher, and is dedicated to saving sea turtles (specifically the endangered
Loggerhead turtles) through a combination of conservation and preservation efforts as well as educating the public on the dangers that the encroachment of man poses to the turtles. The center has giant tanks set up in it's back yard where they have recuperating sea turtles. The turtles, ranging from tiny hatchlings to adults weighing hundreds of pounds, are all in this "turtle hospital", recovering from injuries caused by boat propellers, fishing line entanglements, etc. Each turtle is given a name and has a story with details as to what caused their injury and what treatment steps are in place. My favorite was a young turtle named Poseidon. Poseidon got caught in a fishing line and it severed his back left flipper and his right front flipper. Despite only having two flippers, he was actively swimming around the tank and seemed to be responding well the the treatments and antibiotics. They plan to release him soon.
