Relax, Explore, Relax, Enjoy

On Monday March 6, I stayed in all day and just relaxed.  Of course I was poolside most of the day.

It was so generous of  Kathy and Chris Tallo to allow me to relax at their home for 5 weeks.  As you can see the pool is beautiful and inviting. 

I tried this beer when out to eat one night - it became my new favorite. 

On Tuesday March 7, I drove down to the Juno Beach area to meet up with a couple that I had met on my fall 2022 Italy trip, Jenny and Danny Warthan.  They are currently taking their 40 foot cabin cruiser on a 1 year trip called “the great loop”.  After buying the boat in Michigan they started their trip in Kentucky.  Going mostly down the Tennessee river, then out into the Gulf of Mexico, around the Florida Keys, then up the intercoastal waterways on the Atlantic side of Florida.  We swam in the marina pool and had a great dinner at a place called Captain Charlie’s Reef grill.  Unfortunately, I was having such a good time, that I forgot to take pictures.  I did get their souvenir cup!

On Wednesday the 8th, I decided to spend some time in the quaint beach part of Hobe Sound.  I parked at the corner of Highway 1 and Bridge Street and walked through the downtown area, then down the Banyan tree paths, over the drawbridge and onto the Hobe Sound public beach.  When I walked back, I stopped in a few beach stores that had a lot of fun and artsy beach decor.  I also stopped in a couple of clothing stores, but immediately turned around and left because they were WAY out of my price range.  all in all a fun morning!  

Hobe Sound draw bridge.  If a boat needed more than 22 feet of clearance, then the bridge had to be raised. 

These Banyan trees are so cool.  I read several things around town that people come from all over to draw them or photograph them. 

On March 9, Thursday, I headed North to the Port St Lucie Spruce Bluff Natural Area.  It is a self guided trail that takes you through a very nice natural area that is surrounded by homes.  You really don’t see or hear the homes or people.  One way on the trail, you head down to where an old pioneer settlement was.  There were only the graves left, but the information along the trail pointed out edible plants and wood that they built with. I was excited when I walked around one corner and saw a gopher tortoise sunning himself.  

I kept both pictures so I had both the up close and the one showing his burrow.  I think the burrow protecting hundreds of different species during fire or hurricane or other devastating events is very cool. They are called a keystone species because of that. 

The other direction on the trail heads you through wetlands and ends up at an Indian burial mound that is from approximately 3000BC. Their descendants were most likely the AIS Indians that were still in the area when Florida was being settled by the Europeans.  They are now extinct.   

I know this just looks like a sand dune, but it is the burial mound.  People were buried in the sitting position. 

After the hour or so that I explored the trails, I headed to the nearby Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful, 20 acre-site that had the gardens, areas for weddings, a lake and a path that followed the St Lucie River.  It was a very well-done space.  Not everything was in bloom, but the butterfly garden was thriving as well as the orchid “room” and the desert plants were also plentiful and well done.  

Butterfly garden.  I saw several different species of butterflies. 

Cacti garden - these will forever remind me a my sister Laura. 

This is the “orchid room” behind me.  It was fun that they called these open spaces rooms. 

On Friday March 10, first thing in the morning, I got a picture sent to me of a snowstorm back home. So rather than do the shopping I had planned, I took advantage of the beautiful weather here and kayaked at John D. McArthur State Park.  This state park is the only one in Palm Beach County and it has kayaking on the intercostal waterway around several islands.  The tide was in, so even though there are some shallow spots, it was easy to navigate everywhere.   One island that I went around had a family of pelicans up in one tree, in another tree 6 or so juvenile blue herons (some were still white) and one really large osprey that was only a few yards from me.  Also, because the tide was in, there was an estuary on the larger island that I could navigate.  It was beautiful and calm water in there, but no wildlife to speak of.  Because driving around here gets terrible in the afternoon, I headed home to read and just hang out in the pool.   I can think of worse ways to spend the afternoon.   

This was the entrance to the estuary. 

You can see large buildings in the background - West Palm Beach Florida.  It is weird to me to see large buildings while kayaking. 

It was a busy and fun Saturday March 11.  I left around 8 to get to the Fort Pierce farm market before it was crowded. They have it every Saturday from 8-12.  Well I got there by 9, but it was already crowded.  There must have been 50 vendors or more selling artwork to beach stuff to wonderful food.  They also had bands playing in a few different places.  The main reason I went though was to meet up at 10 with some of the people from my Rick Steves Italy trip again.  Danny and Jenny (who I met up with last Tues) were there at the marina right by the farmers market.  Also, Annabelle and Bev, who are both from Alaska were in town.  We had a great morning hanging out and shopping and stopping for a light lunch. Then at 2, Danny and Jenny had to leave so us three girls went to Jetty Park on Hutchinson Island to swim and watch the wind surfers for a few hours.  It was great fun and it is amazing how you can get along so well with people that you had just met briefly.  I hope we can all get together someday again.  

Top deck of “The Other Woman”  Bev is in the foreground with Annabelle behind her.  Danny is on the right. 

Me, Jenny, Bev and Annabelle on the top deck. 

You can tell we smiled the whole time!  Jenny is in the top picture with me and Bev and Danny are in the bottom picture.  You can see the farm market in the background. 

Sunday March 12 sees me coming full circle to where I started the week - poolside, finishing my book on Greece, walking and relaxing.  

These 2 sand hill cranes tried to intimidate me on my walk!  Well, they actually did, they didn’t move so I had to cross the street.

Pool time!  Again!

I did nothing on Monday the 13th except swim and watch the sunrise! 

Last day, Tuesday March 14, 2023.  

I took one final nature walk on Hutchinson Island   This was sponsored by the Hobe Sound Nathaniel Reed Refuge, and my friend Annabelle joined me. A very knowledgeable employee from Martin county educated us on the different parts of the beach plants from the grasses closest to the ocean, to the sea grapes that are everywhere, to the saw palms and the hardwood trees (ie/ mangrove).  I was too busy listening to take pictures of the details.  But here is a groups shot below.

My last look at the ocean winter 2023.