LaborDay,CedarKey/Style

The/day began/at7:02.///Well,just before.//Did/have to/put some/clothes on/and cross/the street.

360video.Pat.Pending

View/of/balcony.

 View/from/balcony

Breakfast,DianaNyad/updates,on the/water at/9:40
Two dolphins/were/out there.

Paddled past/Dock Street/and/the/fishing dock/for/the/first time/all weekend.

 Atsena/Otie/Key

I/wanted/to/paddle/to/SeaHorse/Key.//But,the wind/was constant,the/chop
increased/once past/the protection/of/Astnena/Otie,an/would/get/worse/once/past/Way Key(Cedar Key),so,Iturned/around.

 Seahorse/Key,above,Astena/Otie,below/

Tide/in,so/I/paddled/through,instead/of,around/AstenaOtie

Pilings/from/the/1890's?//A/hurricane/destroyed/the/town.//1896,I/think.

If/the/interior/of/AstenaOtie,was/deep/enough/to/paddle,so/would/the/interior/of/Way Key.
A/place/names/reminder.//The/Cedar Keys/are/a/group/of/island's/onFlorida'sGulf/Coast
south/of/theSuwanee,and/north/of/the/Waccasassa/River.//CedarKey,the/city,originaly/was
on/Astena/OtieKey.//Since/the1896/hurricane,the/town/has/been/onWayKey./Got/it?

 High/tide/means/spoonbills/roosting/in/the/mangroves,not/stalking/the/mudflats

Time/to/find/more.

On/to/the/next/spoonbill/spot

'

Landed/at/12:50.//Thought/of/leaving/the/kayak/on/the/beach,but,wheeled/it/back/to/the/rack.
Kayak/rack,not/rack/as/in/crib.

 Birds,outside/the/door

How/the/AC/works.//Crystal River/nuke/plant.--Actually,the/power/is/from/coal
the/nuclear/plant/was/shut/down

 Ate/lunch,composed/the/beginning/of/this/Tale,read/and/saw/what/people/posted
about/Diana/Nyad's/epic/Cuba/to/Key West,swim.//I/have/family/in/Key West,people
I/know/were/involved/in/the/effort.//From/kayak/escort/to/captaining/the/support
boats/to/reporting/for/NPR.

On/the/bike/at3:20

 If/the/Cedar Key/Sharks,met/the/SugarloafElementry/Sharks,who/would/prevail?
For/family/reasons,I/say/Sugarloaf

Cedar Key/State/Museum//A/nice/stop/Amazing/how/hot/one/can/get/on/a/2/mile/ride,
in/Florida/on/an/early/September/late/afternoon.//AC/at/the/museum

 Sunday,I/wrote/I/paddled/to/Scale Key.//Looking/at/the/above/map,I/landed/at/Cedar
Point

This1770's/chart/may/have/been/made/in/the/summer

as/it/notes/"muddy water"//The/near shore/waters/are

brown/from/lots/of/summer/rain/and/runoff/

coming/in/from/the/Suwanee-St.Johns

on/the/map.

 19thCentury/hype

Confederate/salt/kettle

 St.Clair/Whitman/house.//Mr.Whitman's shell/and/arrowhead/collection/are/the
basis/of/the/Museum.

Told/a/friend/I/thought/of/her/when/I/saw/the/old/piano.///Although/for
Stephanie,a/harpsichord/or/organ/would/have/been/perfect.

Lots/of/inventory

 Back/outside,a/trail/leads/to/the/water

Fiddler/crabs

La/Florida

 Main/museum/building.//Below,silly.

Off/for/more/exploring.

Dan,the/cemetery/also'has/a/Cannon/plot.

Boardwalk/across/the/salt marsh

Apparently/the/cemetery/is/also/a/boat/graveyard.

No/dolphins/at/the/overlook.

I'm/sure/Cannon's/Gourmet Honey/is/the finest,but,I/did not/purchase/any at/Sandy's
Produce.//Did get/clams/mahi,and corn

Back home.//More balcony/views

Put/clams/in/the/beans/and rice

 Joanne/commented/that/I/am/not/eating/enough/veggies.//In/my/book,I/have/4.
Corn,beans,onion,and,not seen,hops.//

I/had/seconds.//Then,a/sunset/paddle.

 Sat/on/the/kayak/to change/footwear,and saw/a/rainbow.//It/had/no rained/on me.//Bonus!

As/it/had/all/weekend/the/southwest/breeze/made/it/a/challenge/to/paddle/and/photo.

Somehow,I/managed.

 Paddled/back.//Tide/was/out/so/instead/of/a/long/carry/at/the/beach/I/set/course
for/the/ramp/in/the/Marina

Landed/at/8

Avoided/walking/through/this.

 Balcony view,8:20

 Mahi/and humus/on/marble rye.
Went/for/a/late/night/walk

 Dock Street/almost empty/at/11:00PM//Only people,a/group on/the patio/at the
Seabeeze.//After work/party perhaps/as the/front door/was locked

Not/much/going on/at/Park Place,either.//The upper/light/is/my room.
I/was/looking for/the darkest/spot to/stargaze.//Best/I/could/do/was/the street
behind/Park Place.//Asphalt warm/as/I/laid in/the middle/of the/road gazing
heavenward.

Unfortunately,my camera/is not/a/star

performer.