Manatees on the Loose!

The manatees were out in force today. At several points between Titusville and our final stop at Adventure Yacht Harbor in Wilbur by the Sea (how's that for the name of a community?) just south of Daytona Beach we saw tons of manatees-literally. We wished we had sister-in-law Sally's fancy photo equipment, because our poor little point-and-shoot camera just wasn't fast enough to capture what we saw. We did manage to photograph one manatee in the water in Haulover Canal (the cut-through in Merritt Island between the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon).

Manatee in the water in Haulover Canal

The waterfront communities at the northern end of Mosquito Lagoon were a world away from the upscale housing we saw in the Ft. Pierce area and points south.  Lots of modest houses, RV parks, and fishing camps.

RV park

Fishing on the ICW

One of the amusing sights of the day was the pelican that decided to "hitchhike" on a crabber's boat. It was a youngster (you can tell that by the fact that its head is still brown and not white) and must have hoped for something tasty to come out of the crab cage that it was sitting atop.

Hitchhiking pelican

After tying up at the dock in the marina we went for a walk on the beach.  It was a pretty day and a pretty beach, although a bit too crowded and developed for our taste.  Interestingly, parking is allowed on sections of the beach--the sand is really hard.

Lon on the beach at Daytona Beach Shores

Cars on the beach

The slogan for Daytona Beach Shores is "Life is Better Here." We're not sure if Wilbur By The Sea, a more modest community, has a city slogan, but it's probably something like "Life isn't as good here, but we have a funnier name."

Entering Wilbur By The Sea

Finally, we just heard that Pat's mom has gone into the hospital for some tests.  We would ask for your thoughts and prayers for a quick diagnosis and a good outcome.