Easter Sunrise Service at Fort DeSoto Park

We arrived at the park at dawn. There was music and singing as we carried our beach chairs towards a large group of people.

The preacher asked us, "Why are you here? What does Easter mean to you?," and then continued a short sermon as the sun rose above the horizon.

Easter means a lot to me, because...He came back for me (and you, too).  Happy Easter!  Enjoy the day knowing you are loved no matter what.

Full Moon Tide at Fort DeSoto Park

The tide was so far out that the water was only ankle to knee deep. The water was clear and there was a lot of sea life to see. It was like snorkeling without having to swim in the water.

A spring tide happens every month at the full and new moon and has nothing to do with seasonality.  That's when the tides are at their highest and lowest levels.  This evening's tide is about the season.  It's a springtime low tide and sea creatures have gathered to mate.  Walking at Fort DeSoto Park tonight was like walking through an aquarium.

The trail of a tulip snail was easy to follow through the clear water.  Once springtime is over we'll only find remnants of their striped shells.

We found all sorts of starfish.

There were crown conchs everywhere.  At low tide the smaller animals gather to find their own kind.

At high tide the predators come out to feast. We found a small octopus clinging to a pen shell.

The octopus was in a pool of water around an old stump.  It must have been left behind when the tide waters receded, because we rarely find them at the beach.  There were a lot of other creatures around tree roots in the water such as sea urchins, fish, conchs, and tulip snails.  We nicknamed this area the habitat.  It was teeming with life.

A nearby crab was hunting for munchies.

The pink ruffles on the pen shell are tulip egg casings.  The little pink spots are embryos.

Sunset colors reflected on the water in tiny waves and ripples.  The ultraviolet light reflected as deep blues and purples.  Yellow, amber, orange, and red contrasted against the blues.  The colors flickered in the water like a psychedelic festival.

People continued shelling after sunset.  We laughed when a woman screamed when a fighting conch suddenly emerged from a shell she was carrying.  As we drove home we saw people shelling in shallow areas with blue flashlights.  It looked like blue fireflies hovering over the dark water against a sky still dimly lit with sunset colors.

More photos of April 2010 Full Moon Tides

How to Clean Sea Shells

Fort DeSoto Beach and Tierra Verde Restaurants

It's Day 2 of our Tampa Bay family beach vacation. We went to Billy's Stonecrab & Lobster in Tierra Verde for lunch.


Shoot, we are on vacation. Nobody's in a hurry. We enjoyed the view of the canal, and looked at the collection of trophy fish on the walls.


Later at Fort DeSoto Park we hung out on the beach. We like to go to this beach on the weekends, because you can find parking and there's plenty of room on the beach. I can't remember everything we did, but it took all afternoon. Floating in the water, walking on the beach, floating in the water some more, etc. It's my favorite beach for a quiet natural setting.

After sunset we went to the German Crepes House in Tierra Verde (1120 Pinellas Bayway, Saint Petersburg, FL 33715). They have the best beer in the world! Carlton and Jacqueline came from Berlin to settle in Florida around the same time we did. They are great hosts. The German potato salad was good, and the Black Forest Cherry Cake is as authentic as it gets.

Fort DeSoto

(Click on photos for larger images.)

Today we visited the old fort at Fort DeSoto Park. Construction of the fort began in 1898. The fort is built into the side of a hill, and is not visible to approaching ships. Grass, trees and other plants cover the artillery area. It was meant to defend Tampa Bay during the Spanish American War. No shots were fired here other than practice shots. Houses and administration buildings were once nearby. All that remains of them are the foundations.


Storage of artillery materials was in the lower level inside the hill. One of the chambers has historical photos, maps, and drawings.


The data booth is behind the cannons.


You can walk along the top of the fort and look down on the cannons.


The things that look like little green houses are for ventilation of the storage chambers below.


A view of the fishing pier from the top of the fort.


A view of the beach from the top of the fort.

We usually come to Fort DeSoto Park to go to the beach. Winter is a good time to walk around or ride bikes. There is a snack bar and gift shop near the fort. Bike and kayak rentals are also nearby.

More photos of Fort DeSoto historic site.

Admission
$0.35 per car
Parking is free

Florida Whelks and Hermit Crabs

I never get tired of going to the beach. Every season is different. We went to Fort DeSoto Park's North Beach today and found a lot of large mollusks and hermit crabs. I usually don't see these larger specimens so close to shore during warm weather months.

(Click on photos for larger images.)

Here's a large whelk out for a stroll near the shore. The water was too cold for me to want to walk in. A lady vacationing from the state of Washington waded into the water to get it.


It took the whelk a few minutes to totally retract into its shell. Cold blooded animals move slower when they're cold. We all took pictures and then put it back in the water.


We found a lot of large hermit crabs near the shore. This one has a horse conch shell for a home.


Here's one at home in a whelk shell. This is the biggest hermit crab I've ever seen. It looked like a small lobster.



We stayed to watch the sunset and then went home.

More Photos of Fort DeSoto Park in Winter

Winter at Fort DeSoto Park

(Click on photos for larger images.)

The water was a beautiful clear blue-green. The winter had cleansed the ocean from the cloudiness of the fall season. The weather is changeable in winter, as if Mother Nature can't decide what shoes to wear. It can be cold and windy at the beach. We lucked out today and had calm, sunny weather. I carried my flip flops and walked in the cool water.


There are less people around in the winter and you can see more wild life. There are many different species of birds that hang around together. If you approach them slowly they'll accept your presence as that of another big goofy bird.


Here's a turnstone sandpiper. It was turning over stones and shells to find munchies.


Wade into the water for a closer look. It's much easier to get a good look at the pelicans when people aren't swimming in the water.


The sea washes up different types of creatures and seashells seasonally. We found a lot of dead sea urchins scattered around the shore. Here's a sea urchin in the water.

It was a nice day for walking on the beach.

More pictures of Fort DeSoto Park in Winter

Birds at Fort DeSoto Park in October

Click on photos for larger images.

We went to the beach at Fort Desoto Park late in the afternoon. There weren't many people, but there were a lot of birds. I like the natural setting here. There's always something new to discover.


The big birds with the orange and black beaks were an unusual sight. They're called black skimmers. Florida is their winter habitat. The smaller birds with the black crest on their heads are sandwich terns. They develop lighter feathers on their heads in the winter. They look funny, as if they're balding.


Here are some black skimmers doing their thing - skimming across the water. It was interesting watching them in flight. I approached the flock slowly to get a closer look at the birds without startling them into flying away. If I got too close to one of the black skimmers it would open up its wings and glide sideways while keeping an eye on me.


It was a windy day and sand was drifting around. This sand dollar is on sand that looks like fluffy popcorn. The fluffy areas are dry windblown sand stuck to wet sand near the shore.



Rays of light and long shadows just before sunset. I set out to go for a walk.


Pelican and sea gull silhouettes. The pelican is about to dive into the water.

More photos of Fort DeSoto Park in October.

Sea Shells from Fort Desoto Park

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.

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.

Sand White as Snow