This is the silverware drawer on Athena, with the new used silverware from B&B :)
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Fires from early May
Picture of fires from early May that I hadn't gotten up on the blog.You can really see the spot fires around the Picayune Strand in the pic on the left. The picture on the right is actually the day before the pic on the left was taken.
Ignore the spots in the photo that are now permanently there :(
must send camera in for repair.
A week after the fire I had the chance to travel through the Picayne Strand on a field trip for work. We saw some of the burned areas. The fire was so hot, hotter than a "typical" natural fire for this area, that the natural pines burned to the tops, killing them :(
During a typical natural fire, the fire will not get high enough to burn the tops of the pine trees, and they will survive. The fire is necessary for the native lower growth plants, but not at the intensity of this fire.
Perhaps because of the low low water table because of the drought, likely because of historical draining of the Everglades and continued development and watering of lawns.... the fire was able to burn without natural controls. It's one thing to say fires are natural in this area, it's another for the fires to burn in unnatural ways because of the damage we have done to the area :(
Friday, May 25, 2007
My new job is so cool....
I haven't been spending much time working on SV Athena lately...
been busy working again ;)
and, I do enjoy my new job :)
earlier this month I was actually on TV!!!! kinda funny, since I don't own a TV....
anyways, this week I had great fun putting together last minute a display in the Collier County Library headquarters location. Had the help of one of my co-workers. I think it came out pretty good for last minute work!
Celebrating National Fishing & Boating Week, June 2-10.
I'm finally in a place where I feel there's a chance of making a difference in this world!!!! and, I truly believe in education and outreach.
Ignorance is bliss, until the world turns around and bites you in the ars!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
SWFL Fires
It's dry dry dry season in SWFL. We are in a severe drought.Here is a recent fire that sent a plume of smoke into the area.
The winds shifted during the night and dropped this plume onto the marina like a fog the next morning.
I awoke to the smell of 1,000 campfires. I expected to awake in a tent, rather than a sailboat ;)
It was obvious how this relatively thin smoke plume blocked out the sun; reminding me of the theories of a possible ice age caused by some catastrophic event... in the midst of talk of global warming...
Small Footprint... take to land...
My efforts to keep my footprint on the Earth small extend beyond living on a sailboat...
I hope to encourage others to keep their footprint small too.
A very significant way to keep one's footprint small is by adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, or even simply making it a part of your life to whatever extent you are able to give at this time...
Here I am at one of the Earth Day celebrations in the area, doing vegetarian education and outreach as it relates to the environmental reasons for such.
We each make a difference.
Animal agriculture causes more damage to the Earth than driving a car...
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Anchor Rode Markers
Before the last trip I had put anchor rode footage markers in the line... 30, 60, 90, 120, about 125 feet of line attached to about 15 feet of chain and the anchor.I was hoping this "knowledge" of how much line I put out would make me feel better about my anchor holding... It would I suppose, if I followed the rules... which, I didn't quite do on the night of the storms that came thundering and blowing and raining through Panther Key. Not sure even if I had put out more line if I would have felt any better about the situation that night.
At any rate, there's probably no other place (besides the dock) I'd rather be during those storms. Panther Key, the sweet spot that Russell, Lynne, and I love to anchor in, has some great holding ground. and, honest to God, thank God!
Not sure what the drainage issue is yet, but when I went to pull the anchor back in the morning after the storms, my anchor locker was half full of water. I bailed it out before raising the line.
As always, check out the other blog to get the full story.... skip the boring stuff and go to the dates of April 10th and 11th.
Before the trip I had also installed a new depth sounder on Athena. This came into use when I attempted to anchor in a new spot at Camp LuLu...
Patty Naps during trip
Patty, when not cowering during sailing... or, when not running around deck, chasing bugs that happen to fly by, batting at lines hanging from various places, swatting at my head as I walk down the companionway past her stealthy self "hiding" on top of the dodger, leaning over the edge of the boat staring into the water and making me worry she'll jump in, or relaxing under the shade of the dinghy on the bow or the kayak on starboard, she naps down below.Pic on left is her cuddled up on a pile of stuff in the v-birth.
Pic on right is her cuddled up in the salon area when it's too hot outside.
Back to Camp LuLu, Again
After being rocked and rocked at 5 AM in the morning by the damn shrimpers heading out of the pass just south of Indian Key, and open to where I was anchored, I was NOT spending another night there, and likely I will not go back! Waves on the beam, we rocked, we rocked, off and on for a half hour or so that morning... blah! So, Camp LuLu called... A nice "breeze" sail to Camp LuLu. Once anchored and rested, a kayak trip to Camp LuLu produced no shells this time. The wind and resulting wave action made it difficult to see the shells in the drop line on the shore.
Last week of freedom trip....
Well, this is the last week of "freedom," I've been successfully unemployed for almost 7 weeks now. It's been wonderful.I've experienced many things I may not have otherwise experienced without this time....
What better way to spend my last week off than sailing....A day later than I anticipated, I headed south to catch the winds that were out of the NNE, but would be switching to out of S-SE soon...
After being out on the water for a while, and being tossed around like salad again, I decided at the last moment to jibe and head into Indian Key, not all that protected an anchorage, but things calmed down a little bit once in.
The pics are of Indian Key.
~ Athena is "hiding" in the first pic on left...
~ First pic on right is part of beach on Indian Key, albeit, not the prettiest part...
~Second pic on left shows Indian Key obviously got some of the brunt of Hurricane Wilma, which came tearing through this area about 1.5 years ago... hard to believe it's been that long.
~ Second pic on right is sunset through a key that is just to the northeast of Indian Key, the key I was trying to "hide" behind from the winds and waves...
~ Third picture on left is all the "shells" washed onshore Indian Key. Lots of worm coral.
~Third picture on right shows "company" behind Athena. They came in while I was kayaking and exploring Indian Key. They closed up and went to bed early, it seemed... then left before I woke in morning, well, at least before I actually woke-woke up, and not just to check the anchor. Would have liked to meet them. It gets lonely sailing alone... I'm a little shy though, and not always confident that every sailing group wants to talk to others...
After a tiring day of sailing, had to enjoy sunset with wine, of course ;)check out this wine, Goats Do Roam. a couple significances here... the wine is from South Africa, my mom might appreciate that since she and the rest of my fam (father and brother) visited there last year or the year before, i forget now. the other significance is that of the goat! being Capricorn, the sign of the goat, i just thought it interesting that "goats do roam" ;)
Friday, March 30, 2007
Firmly afixed running lights
Back from trip, I finally got around to installing the rest of the screws to hold the new running lights on...
I realized having the dinghy up on deck is a danger to knocking off the running lights, particularly when all the screws aren't in yet!!!!!
Relaxing Evening at Panther Key
Enjoying my favorite part of the day.
Cheers everyone to inner peace and happiness :)
Afternoon at Panther Key
Ate yummy squash from Brian & Beth's garden, cooked in solar oven while I was away kayaking. While 
cats napped, went kayaking again to Panther Key to explore the mud flats,
cats napped, went kayaking again to Panther Key to explore the mud flats, 
and the inner water way...Kayaked over to White Horse Key
A full day bookended by two nights spent anchored at Panther Key. I took advantage of the time i gave myself and went for a morning kayak over to White Horse Key, a mangrove island that has a beach that looks inviting from afar...
On the way to White Horse Key, I came upon a 2+ foot shark that was right in front of the kayak as I passed through this very narrow channel... I wasn't quick enough to snap a photo of him though. I think it was a Bull Shark.
On the way back to the sailboat, I saw a bunch of Great Egrets hanging out in the mangroves. Not sure if this picture will open up well enough for you to see the ten egrets in the tops of the mangroves...
I also stopped and enjoy the tiny beach on the north side of Hog Key.It seems we all long to visit uninhabited islands...
Why is that do you think?
I think we all have uninhabited islands in our minds, and when we reach them, when we find the moments where we expereince everything around us as beautiful and our cares and worries do not bother us in that moment, then, we experience a calm peacefulness, though our physical bodies have not traveled.
Back to Panther Key
Passed very cute Round Key on way back to Panther Key. Looks like a beautiful little mangrove island to visit.
Back at Panther Key, I'm starving for lunch! Popped open a can of peas and guess who comes meowing over... none other than Peppermint Patty!I asked her if she wanted some peas. She meowed, so I opened up a can of baby mashed peas and she jumped right in.
I then made myself a pea and corn with spinach wrap. Everything can be eaten in a wrap ;)
Went kayaking over to Panther Key, and visited an Osprey nest on the way back to the sailboat. There are two babies in the nest. 
Parent is on the left-most edge of nest. Babies are getting ready to fledge.
Ended the day with moon rising over Athena.
Good Morning Camp Lulu Key
A beautiful sunrise at Camp Lulu Key
and a kayak trip over for some shelling :)
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