Big Whelk Shell Found at Fort DeSoto

We found some great shells at Fort DeSoto today. The shell on the left is a whelk and is over 7" long. The shell on the right is a fighting conch and is about 4" long. The whelk was buried in the sand. The whiter, sun bleached part of the shell was all that was sticking out of the sand. Both shells were unoccupied. We found a lot of shells today that I've never seen before.

Emerson Point Preserve on Snead Island

(Click on the photos for larger images.)

This view is from the observation tower. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is in the background and a boardwalk through the marsh is in the foreground.


Boardwalk through mangrove marsh.


Blanket flower.

Wild pointsettia.


I was impressed with the variety of wildflowers.


View of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near the head of the Beach Trail. There are a lot of small beaches in nooks and crannies among shade trees along the Beach Trail. It's a quiet, secluded setting. You feel like you're on your own private beach, even though there are other people along the trail.


Fishing off the Beach Trail.


A mangrove tree growing in salt water. The roots look like stilts. Mangroves are island builders. Sand and debris get caught up in the roots. Material accumulates to support other plant life, and voila! The island gets bigger.


Strangler fig. These trees seed as parasites on the bark of other trees, usually palm trees. The roots grow and touch soil. The strangler fig eventually covers the host tree with root shoots. Creepy, isn't it?

This was an interesting place to explore. There is no admission fee. I think it is one of the best kept secrets in Manatee County. It's not on any of my maps, and there's scarcely any information on the web about Emerson Point Preserve. I thought something interesting might be out here because there is an Indian mound noted on a map and it looked like there might be some cool sandbars or beaches at the point of Snead Island.

The Portavent Temple Mound is at the first parking lot near the entrance. Stop there to get map of the park and see the ancient Indian mounds. The Portavent Temple Mound is the largest Indian mound in the Tampa Bay area.

Directions to Emerson Point Preserve from Palmetto, Florida:
Go west on 10th Street West, cross the bridge to Snead Island, right on Tarpon Avenue, then left on 17th Street West which ends at the Preserve entrance.

St. Petersburg in Sunset from Bahia Beach

Driving Home from Tennessee

Signs promoting Rock City and Ruby Falls are all along I-24 between Nashville and Chattanooga. One of these days I'd like to stop there and take a look.


Spring colors along the highway.


Driving through the mountains.


Houses on top of a mountain in Chattanooga.

Redbud Tree

Here's a close up of the flowers on a redbud tree. We went for a walk this morning along a stream near Abigail's house. The M&M sisters ran around looking for frogs. We could hear them croaking, but couldn't find any. It was nice to see spring flowers like tulips and daffodils.

Nick-A-Jack Lake Rest Area on I-24

It's Grandma Apple's birthday, and we're on our way to Nashville from Florida. Nick-A-Jack Lake is just past Chattanooga on I-24. Part of I-24 goes into Georgia for a few miles, then back into Tennessee. Nick-A-Jack Lake is nearby after returning to Tennessee. The rest areas are gorgeous. There's one on each side of the highway. This is the westbound side.

Here's a scenic view from the bottom of the hill at the rest area.

There are picnic shelters and tables available. A Tennessee visitor information station is in the parking lot.

The redbud trees were in bloom all over the South. Wisteria vines were in bloom near Atlanta. They grew like weeds all over the trees along the roads. Wisteria has light purple flowers that hang from bunches like grapes.

Sonic Boom

Shuttle Endeavor landed in Florida tonight. We watched NASA TV on cable to see the approach to Florida from the Gulf. Then we went outside to look for it. We saw the previous shuttle come in for a landing from our backyard. Whether or not we can see it from Tampa all depends on what approach it takes as it comes down. The sky was clear and we saw some airplanes, but not the shuttle. As it approached Florida's west coast just south of here we heard the sonic boom. There were 2 booms, like a double click. It was a low-pitched, soft boom-boom. I was outside and felt it in my chest.

Shuttle Endeavor Reaches the International Space Station

Shuttle Endeavor reached the International Space Station tonight around 10:45pm. They are showing live footage on NASA TV. First the shuttle did a roll maneuver to enable the astronauts on the space station to see the underside of the shuttle to inspect the heat shield. Then the shuttle docked with the space station. They seemed to go through endless checkslists to check the seals before opening the hatch. Once they opened the hatch to let the shuttle crew onboard the ISS you could tell the veteran astronauts from the rookies. It was funny. The veterans started floating around to get aquainted with the people and surroundings. The rookies floated through the door and hovered in one spot.

STS-123 Shuttle Endeavor Launch

This is the first night launch in 5 years. It is scheduled for Tuesday morning 2:30am EDT. We opted to view the launch from the grounds of a hotel across the Indian River. We met a lot of interesting people. Many were seeing a space shuttle launch for the first time. Two former fighter pilots who work at Johnson Space Center in Houston explained what was happening before launch. There were a lot of aircraft flying around Kennedy Space Center. Some were weather planes flying in and out of the clouds. There were several space shuttle training aircraft making passes at the runway. One of the pilots we met explained that if the training aircraft had any trouble trying to land, then the launch would be scrubbed. Otherwise, the space shuttle would also have trouble landing in case of an emergency after lift off. There were fighter aircraft flying around the area and helicopters with spot lights checking the coast line.

I was not prepared for how bright the light from the launch was. The shuttle launch turned night into day. I hurried to close the iris on my old Minolta camera before taking more photos.

The shuttle looked like a brilliant star that lit up the entire area. It was moving so fast that the low rumbling sound of lift off took a few seconds to reach us after the shuttle was off the ground.

Then shuttle Endeavor disappeared into the clouds. There was a brief moment when the clouds and vapor trail were lit up like a mushroom. It was eerie looking.

The hotel parking lot was a mess as people piled into their cars to leave. We were glad to go back to the hotel room to spend the night rather than sit in traffic.

I highly recommend avoiding SR 528 (Bee Line/Beach Line Expressway) after a space shuttle launch. We didn't know any better the first time we saw a launch. It took us 2 hours to get to Kennedy Space Center from Tampa, but it took 6 hours to get home. Now our strategy is to either drive north of Orlando, then head south toward Tampa, or to spend the night in Titusville. We also bought a Sunpass, which lets us drive through the tolls instead of stopping to pay cash.

Seeing a space shuttle launch is a spectacular sight, but the best time to visit Kennedy Space Center is not on a shuttle launch day. The new technologies developed at NASA are fascinating. Come the day before or after to take tours and see the sights.

Related links:
Kennedy Space Center

NASA: Astronomy Picture of the Day

NASA: Space Shuttle

Sunpass

Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center

Our visit to the South Florida Museum last weekend peaked our interest in learning more about manatees. This is one of the lookout platforms at Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center. The water around Apollo Beach is warmed by the power production process at Big Bend Power Station. Manatees seek refuge in this canal when the water temperature in Tampa Bay gets below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. You can see hundreds of manatees here in the winter time.

There were manatees everywhere! Here are 2 manatees sticking their noses out of the water for a breath of air.

Where ever we could see a swell in the water there were manatees. They played by rolling around in the water together. Sometimes 4-6 bodies would be rolling around on top of each other. There was a lot more to see, but it was a work day, and we couldn't stay long. There's another walkway with a butterfly garden and another viewing platform. It's an interesting place to explore and the cost of entry is free!

Sunset at Cochina Beach on Anna Maria Island

The vivid sunset colors behind the darkened trees reminded me of Tiffany's stained glass windows.


After dark we looked up at the stars to try to find some of the constellations that we learned about at Bishop Planetarium earlier in the day.

South Florida Museum in Bradenton

The first thing we saw as we walked into the South Florida Museum was a huge mastadon skeleton that was found in Florida. Walking from the sunshine outside into the darkened gallery was a stark contrast. It was quiet, except for the songs of birds and other woodland sounds. You get the feeling that you've stepped into another world. On the other side of the gallery is a diorama of a paleo Indian hunting a bison. We continued walking through the exhibits of prehistoric human and animal artifacts. Another diorama shows a seaside community of Indians where you can hear people chatting, children playing, and ocean sounds.

Next we went to the Bishop Planetarium for a presentation on how to identify stars and constellations. Now I know why I'm having a hard time finding the Big Dipper. The lights around Tampa obscure a lot of stars. We used to live in the countryside in Michigan. The North Star is also harder to find, because it is closer to the horizon in Florida than it is in Michigan. Up north the North Star appears directly over head.

It was time to feed the manatees when we left the planetarium. We walked upstairs through a Florida marshland scene with a one room house. There was a Florida panther in the marsh and I was surprised at how small it was. I expected the panthers to be as big as tigers. We left the marsh to walk through a hallway with an under water scene. It included a cross section of the ocean floor showing creatures that lived in the sand. On the other side we found the Parker Manatee Aquarium.

Feeding time is presentation time. The resident manatee is Snooty, who was born and raised in captivity. His tank buddies are rescued manatees that will eventually be returned to the wild. Manatees are air breathing mammals that live in the water. They are often injured by boats.

Snooty is sticking his head out of the water to get the attention of the lady doing the talking and feeding. She is feeding the manatees heads of romaine lettuce and fielding questions from the audience. Occasionally Snooty playfully puts his fins up on the edge of the tank. Someone asked if the manatees had bad breath. She said it was not as bad as dog's breath, but that you don't want to be around when they have gas. They are vegetarians. Big ones. Lots of veggies can generate lots of gas. We didn't smell anything evil while we were there.

The manatees have huge bodies and small heads. We walked downstairs to get to the window to watch the manatees underwater. The expressions on their faces reminded me of dogs or teddy bears. There were all kinds of toys in the pool. At feeding time food becomes the toy of the moment.

We left the South Florida Museum late in the afternoon and went to Anna Maria Island to go for a walk on the beach.

Parasurfers at Fort DeSoto Park

We've never seen so many parasurfers in one place. This was at the eastern point of the island. There was a lot of traffic around Fort DeSoto Park, and we thought that maybe there was a parasurfer event or race going on. We inquired about the increase in traffic at the bike rental shack, and found out that this is the beginning of Spring Break traffic. The parasurfers were here because of the weather. They were enjoying the breeze.


A parasurfer leaps into the air.


A parasurfer in front of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

After watching the parasurfers we went to the north beach to go for a walk. The air temperature is warm enough, but the water is too cold to go swimming. It was fun walking along the beach and kicking around in the water. The sand was like powdered sugar and the water was crystal clear.


These two guys walked by eating chips out of snack baggies and were mobbed by seagulls. They weren't feeding the birds. The seagulls must have been attracted to the crunching sound of the snack bags.


They tried running away and the seagulls followed. I've never seen anything like it. Seagulls can be obnoxious beggars. We've brought picnic food to the beach, but were never mobbed like this. Note to self: Don't bring chips to the beach in bags that make crunchy noises.

Tiffany Glass at the Morse Museum

We visited The Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Garden, FL. They have a large collection of art glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The pieces are from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The color and detail of the windows is impressive. There are many different styles of art represented: Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, and "Hudson River School" style paintings to name a few. There are other American artists and different media such as paintings, jewelry, pottery, and furniture. The Tiffany collection is the heart and soul of the museum. The additional pieces by other American artists and media bring the historical setting to life.

Many of the windows were salvaged from mansions in the Northeast before demolition. I tried to imagine the types of settings they were in. It would be interesting to see some of the other architectural pieces that the museum has collected. The Morse Museum rotates its collection seasonally.

Most of the trip was on I-4. The electrical towers along the road in the photo have wooden pallets and old satelite dishes attached to the tops of the towers to encourage birds of prey to nest there. There have been birds in the nests in January and February. Today I saw a bald eagle flying along the road.

The Gamble Plantation

We visited the The Gamble Plantation Historic State Park Ellenton. The Gamble mansion is the only surviving antebellum plantation house in South Florida. The house was the home of Major Robert Gamble. The grounds were an extensive sugar plantation. The house is one of the only surviving tabby block constructions. Tabby is made from crushed seashells and lime. It was built around 1840.


The heat and humidity in Florida takes a toll on buildings, furniture, and textiles. They eventually decompose. The house is being renovated to prevent further deterioration. The Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy bought the mansion in 1925 to prevent it from being demolished. The Gamble Plantation's tie to Civil War history is that the former Secretary of State of the Confederacy, Judah P. Benjamin, sought refuge here after the war. He is an interesting character. Benjamin was born a British Citizen in the West Indies. He attended Yale, was a lawyer in Louisiana, and became the second Jewish U.S. Senator. After fleeing the U.S. he became a barrister in England and Queen's Counsel.


Some of the floors, like in this hallway, had floor coverings made of varnished sail cloth. The decorative patterns were painted using stencils. It was a precursor to linoleum type coverings.


The original contents of the house deteriorated long ago. Replacement furnishings styles are from between the years 1840-1857. This shelf reminds of one at Grandma Apple's house.


Portrait of George Washington and South Carolina Confederate Battle Flag on the wall of the office.


The office.


The workroom.


The Gamble Plantation was one of the first sugar plantations to use steam powered machines. There were 200 slaves working the plantation.

There was another house on the grounds from the late 1800's called The Patterson House, but we didn't get a chance to tour it. They also had a festival with craft booths and food. There was a lot to see, and we'll probably go back some time.

STS-122 Shuttle Atlantis Launch

We went to Kennedy Space Center to see the launch of STS-122 Shuttle Atlantis. Since didn't have tickets for the unobstructed view of the launchpad, we went to the parking lot to view the launch and beat the crowd out of the parking lot. There weren't very many people in the parking lot, but those we saw made a tailgate party of it. Some folks lounged in camp chairs in shady areas. There was a guy laying on a beach towel on the pavement. We talked to some people who were sitting in and around a pick-up truck near our car. One of the guys was from Monroe, Michigan. We used to live near Monroe. There were also people on top of vans with cameras.


Shuttle Atlantis launch. The shuttle's booster rockets are visible at the top of the flame. They are two white cylinders. You can click on the photos for larger versions.


Shuttle Atlantis roll sequence.


Shuttle Atlantis roll close-up. The pinpoint of light at the end of the cloud is the shuttle.

The mission of STS-122 is to deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station. We walked through some lab modules in the International Space Station (ISS) exhibit. They're shaped like soup cans that are big enough for people to walk through. It is a big deal when one of these modules gets installed. It's like adding a new room to a house. Previous missions prepared hardware on the ISS to install the new module. European Space Agency astronaut Léopold Eyharts flew to the ISS with the crew of STS-122. Flight Engineer Daniel Tani, who flew to the space station on the STS-120 mission, will be returning home with the STS-122 crew.