Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas Eve From Cedar Key

Breakfast dilemma. How do I eat the leftover snow crab? Part of last night's dinner. No cracker in the kitchen.  A can opener is the heaviest utensil.  Use it as a mallet. Wait, it opens, vise like Put the leg in between, close, crack, dig out the meat.
 
 
 
 
After the sunrise and breakfast of crab and burger, I was on the water at 9:25
 
 
 
Lesser scaup
 
Great blue heron takes of from the Old Fennimore Mill pier.  I paddled into Channel Number 2, as it was a bit wavy on the Gulf
 
 
Two spoonbills. The one above, on my right, and a second, in the area too shallow to navigate at low tide
 
 
 
 
 
 
Oyster catcher
 
 
Yellow crowned night heron
Tri colored heron
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
See the engines in the middle of the boats? If it were on the stern, it would get in the way when pulling in traps and nets.
 
 
Cemetery Point boardwalk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Number 3 Bridge
 
 
Black skimmers
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bufflehead
 
 
Scale Key.  I could not get any closer, due to low water, so after scaping bottom, I turned around.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I think the black skimmers are playing musical chairs as the incoming tide shrinks their bar.  Taking off, flying about, landing on the same spot
 
There was even music coming from this clamming operation
 
 
Took a break at Cemetery Point. Always nice to have a place to pee.  Other than the great outdoors.
 
 
 
Back on the water
 
Church bells began to ring. I looked at my watch. Noon. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear pealed over the water.  Followed by one I don't remember. Lastly Silent Night
 
 
I assume this is the source of Silent Night
 
 
 
Osprey in front of another church.  So I went to church twice on Christmas Eve.
 
 
 
 
 
The wreck almost under water meant I could explore the area on the other side,  But first, I went into the inlet at Nature's Landing, also only accesible at high tide, and into the black crowned night heron rookery.
 
 
 
 
Paddled back to the main channel, past the wreck. To where spoonbills roost at high tide.
 
 
Probably the same two I saw feeding in the shallows in the morning.
 
It became windy.  Very windy.  Whitecaps on the Gulf.
So, I landed at Fennimore Mill and wheeled the kayak back to Park Place. Which was a little difficult as I lost one of the cotter pins that holds wheel to axel. Only fell off once.
 
 
After a sandwich and beer, I went for a bike ride
 
 
 
 
 
Whitman House at Cedar Key Museum State Park
 
 
 
 
 
Just one other person in the Park.  The ranger.  I asked about launching a kayak at the Park.  I was thinking about carrying down the nature trail.  He suggested another access point. If I ever use it, I'll let you know.
 
 
Bird killer
 
Back on the bike
 
 
 
Private, neighborhood,
 ramp. I am standing at a gate
 
Did some Cannons turn south after leaving Ireland?


The new Cedar Key Cemetery
 
The old one is on Atsena Otie Key
 
 
 
The fence reminds me of an old joke
 
 
 
 
 
I was about to leave, and thought, maybe the cotter pin for my cart fell out here.  When I took the cart out of the yak to get to the cooler.  I did not see it.  Did a fish eat it?
 
 
 
Back on the road
 
Airport
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

















 Ceder Key is Mayberry by the Sea
 
 
I did not see shepards at the inn under the star fish.
 
 
 
 
Clouds obscured the sunset as viewed from the Big Dock.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Maybe the sunset display wasn't very impressive, but I like Cedar Key's Christmas lights
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Back to my lodging. 90 minutes later, dinner was served
Cedar Key clams in the Stove Top stuffing
Waiting for Santa's kayak to come
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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