Cedar Key Sunday

Views from the balcony, 6:25 to 6:40 AM

I've had cloud issues my last few visits to Cedar Key. I'll have to keep coming back.  As usual, I went back to bed, not to sleep.  Out for a walk at 7:40.

 Dog Island

Sometimes, you need to adjust your cup

 Atsena Otie Key

The red building has a new paint job.

 I've always thought cars should park behind the historic storefronts

And have the horse and buggy park in front of the historic structures

 I turned down a free ride  couple years ago, after I helped push the buggy out of the stall.

 My balcony

 Trespassing at Nature's Landing

 Any guess on what the above bird is?

Tri colored herons

 Low tide, the wreck out of the water

 Spoonbills were to far away for a picture. Not that I didn't try

 View from the door to my unit

Balcony view

 Breakfast view.  Black grouper and rice, not the usual steak and potato.  I checked out, and made the reservation for my birthday. November 12, so plenty of time to shop for my present.  I'm sure I will be back before then.  Thought about the Open House at Sea Horse Key in August.  Told Linda? at the office I would have to see when that is, as I am spending a weekend at Myakka River State Park in August.  Turns out both events are August 3.  I could go to the July 6 open house.  Stay tuned.

Dolphins! Again.

 I recognized one.  Or else there are two dolphins with a big white scar on its right side.  I saw it two weeks ago off Cemetery Point.

A bit of a chop on the Gulf, so I sought the shelter of the Number 2 Channel

 Much of the wreck and oyster bars still out of the water. Can't paddle to the spoonbill roosts.

But, at low tide, they feed.

Railroad

 Number Two Bridge

Lone dolphin off Cemetery Point

 Brown pelicans at the Number 3 Bridge

I had not seen any ducks on Saturday, and wondered if they all went north.

 On Saturday, the oyster bars were not exposed as I paddled from the other direction in a higher tide.

 Lots of oyster shells on the bottom, not a good place to be other than at high tide, so I turned back

 A very good weekend for dolphins

 Tide high enough to paddle through the mangrove islands between the main channel and the channel where the clam boats dock.  Low enough to see tailing redfish.

I walked on this pier in the morning.

 Just the bowsprit of the wreck out of the water.  Time to look for spoonbills.  But first, was that a dolphin exhale?

 Yes.  First time I have seen one here.  An old friend, the one with the big white scar, patch, or whatever it is.

Whitey did not resurface, I think it went on to the Number 3 Channel.  I turned my attention to pink birds.

Landed at 2:30.  Put the kayak on the car and went to the Pickled Pelican for linner.  That's brunch for the afternoon

 Too hot to eat outside. Although, people did.

 Satisfied my mandatory Cedar Key clams requirement.

 Fried oysters, bacon, fried onions, swiss, on Cuban bread.  Called the Peacemaker.  I asked if they should drop the first "e".

Headed home.

Headed to Sanibel next weekend as the Gulf coast tour continues.  Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands last weekend, Cedar Key the prior Sunday, Chassahowitzka the weekend before, and those other Keys, the ones south of Miami, prior to that.

Final picture. I had the rest of the shrimp when I got home, Sunday.  "Shrimp" is a misnomer.  I'd call them "Bigs".  Because the Estate of George Carlin has a copyright to

JUMBO shrimp.