A Little Bit of Paradise PT 2: Cortez Village

My soul always begins to leap with anticipation and delight as the horizon of endless-blue starts to edge into view, with the array of palm trees signaling nearness to the salty air and the gulls flying overhead. Just before you cross over the bridge to get to Longboat Key (to the South) and Anna Maria Island (to the North) there lies the sleepy little fishing village of Cortez.The village is located on the northern edge of Sarasota Bay. It is one of the few remaining working waterfronts left in Florida.

Now I have to tell you, hubby and I thought we were the original discoverers of this wonderful little fishing retail store about 15 years ago. For that many years (or more) we vacation annually at Longboat Key for a couple of weeks in the month of May.

To find the Starfish Co. Fresh Seafood Market you will travel through narrow neighborhood streets dotted with cottage homes that display boats and ropes and anchors and such for "yard art".

The retail Market features fresh local seafood including Grouper, Snapper, Mullet and Stone Crab from local waters and local fishermen.

This is one of those places that if hubby and I get anywhere near this area we make a detour to purchase fresh seafood that I will cook up right away---usually mixed platter style. We've even been known to drive all the way down there just for their fresh seafood on certain occasions- like last Father's Day when the men wanted seafood instead of steaks for their special day.

A little over ten years ago the Seafood Market changed ownership and the new owners ingeniously added an open dockside restaurant (pictured above).

The sign at the order window - which was a good reminder for me - "Hey, Meems, you're on vacation!... no need to be in a hurry." Although I was so hungry I was about to eat my right arm.

It was 2:00 in the afternoon last Saturday and we had to wait in line to order and wait for a table to be vacated before we could eat some lunch.

There isn't a single fancy thing about this bayside eatery. Which is what makes it what it is. As you can see by the open seating and the commercial fishing boats docked every which way next to dockside.

We were so shocked when we pulled up outside the Market and couldn't find a parking place. Shocked and sad all at the same time. Somehow 'the whole world' now knows about this fabulous little joint with fresh cooked seafood served in white boxes by a waiter who 'hollers' out your name from the door of the kitchen.

You can see mangrove islands, Jewfish Key, Longboat Key and Bradenton Beach in view beyond dockside. Add to that the local commercial fishing fleet and you've got one of the most scenic outdoor 'old Florida' eating places found on Florida's Gulf coast.
Add to THAT the natural and abundant wildlife that literally perches in and around dockside within a few feet of patrons. There were several Great Blue Herons which in my observations make great fishermen themselves but if they find a hang-out that offers fresh seafood hand-outs they become the best loiterers (is that word?) as well.

Pelicans can do their share of loitering and perching. This one right next to the wooden picnic table we finally found to enjoy our lunch.

Happy to see the white pelicans are still in town for winter. We saw them in groups last month while staying on Captiva Island. What an amazing bird. With its long pink snout... errrr... I meant to say bill ... I found myself mesmerized by its graceful swan-like movement through the bay in and around the boats and docks as if it were the only bird in the water.

The food was well worth the wait as always. Now don't all of you run right over there to eat - we might NEVER find a parking place next time.

A Little Bit of Paradise- Anna Maria Island Florida

Anna Maria Island with miles of white sandy beaches, crystal clear gulf waters and fabulous seafood restaurants is one great place to visit. I always look for accommodations that have that feeling of "old Florida" with a laid-back linger-longer sort of style in peaceful cottages. No highrises or condominiums for this beach goer. No, I look for wood floors, lots of windows, porches, foundations built off the ground, small properties and lots of lush foliage. If you are a regular reader of Hoe and Shovel you will remember that I am a Florida native and a lover of all things "beach". Which makes it a good thing I live in Florida.


Hubby and I are beginning to fit right in with the 'snow-birds' making our weekend get-away trips to beaches in the winter like all the northerners. While I recommend our beaches anytime of the year (except July and August when the heat makes it a lot less fun) the winter is a perfect time to enjoy Florida's great beaches. I can see why it is the height of tourist season.

As a side note: Just in case you want to plan a trip to Florida- the fall is a beautiful time to be on the sand and surf too and the rates drop dramatically.

This past weekend we stayed on Anna Maria Island. The weather was 'Florida perfect' with 50's at night which gives us cool mornings and 70's by mid-day. A Floridian couldn't ask for more!

The simple garden pathway leading to the beach from our cottage.

A pleasant 1.5 hours drive south of the Tampa Bay Area you will find what I conclude as some of the best coastline beaches in Florida. We often make day trips to this area due to the convenience and smaller town feel as compared to the Clearwater/St. Petersburg area in Pinellas County. Don't get me wrong, there are some wonderful places there, too. We just prefer Manatee County beaches.


The private area for sunbathing. I took this photo very early before the loungers stake their claim to a chair.



If this powdery white sand with tracks in it were not dappled with sea oats and gulf waters in the background one might mistaken it for snow. It's what I think of when I see it anyway.

Laughing Gulls making their squawky music together in their early morning glee. Or maybe that was me with the glee and the birds with their squawking???

We witnessed an extraordinary sunset as so often happens this time of year. This is the beginning of how it unfolded on this crisp, clear Saturday evening.

In the minutes prior to the sun rotating out of sight all the wildlife seems to come alive with activity. The birds are especially visible scouting about for their last meal of the day.

It was one of those sunsets that painted the sky from its setting-position to the other side of the horizon with vivid pinks, purples, orange colors & cloud designs --we couldn't stop ooooing and awwwing. "Oh, look over there." "Wow, look up at that cloud now." "Look, look how deep those colors have gotten." And on it goes admiring the handiwork of God.

As is the case so often with sunsets here-- the variations of color progress and evolve long after the sun is set. As every minute passes, more color and deeper colors appear.

So refreshing is the sun, the sand beneathe my feet, the salty air, the birds and their song. My soul is renewed from the rest, the walks on the beach, the uninterrupted lounging and reading, the lush tropical greenery and flora that accompanies beach habitat.

I'll post next on the birds, trees and such... stay tuned for part 2.

Captiva Florida Weekend Getaway Bird Photos Pt 3

"Come back in the morning when the tide is low-- just about daybreak( 7:00 a.m.) and you will get to see a great number of birds feeding in and around the estuaries."
This from the friendly park volunteer to hubby and I as we pop in to the J. N. "Ding" Darling Refuge Visitor's Center on our way home from golf. We just wanted to pick up info even though our plan was to tour the 4 mile stretch of wilderness road the next day.

Like good tourist on a quest for wildlife photo ops, we did exactly as instructed the next morning. Disappointment set in as we drove down the two-lane road out of our cottage bordered by beach residents on one side and the beach on the other. We knew the beach lay less than 100 yards away but we couldn't see it.

It was extremely foggy and hazy that morning until about 10:00 when the sun shone through and burned off all the grey density. Of course we were quite finished gawking by then --not to mention the birds which were quite finished with their morning foraging.

Talk about frustrating! I've never seen so many birds in the span of 1.5 hours and yet obtaining a clear photo was impossible. I took oodles of photos but all of them filmy (as above) or worse.



On our first day on the islands -while at the conservation center purchasing plants from the native plant nursery- I kept hearing a Red-bellied woodpecker and this Pileated woodpecker just beyond borders of the nursery. Fortunately I had my camera around my neck so I excused myself from the fellow helping me and slipped away to snap a few shots of both. He kind of laughed and mentioned his fellow worker was kind of that way too when she heard birds so he understood.

Back to the beach after the foggy morning when all was clear and bright there was no lack of shorebirds to snap. Here the Ring-billed Gull is looking for a hand-out so getting a close-up was not much of a challenge.

Black-bellied Plovers fascinate me and though I'm new at this photography thing- I find myself very happy to capture as many photos of them as I can.

Not sure about the ID on this one. My guess is a Ruddy Turnstone but I can't be certain. It has orange-ish legs. Any help from my birding friends is more than welcome.

While lounging on the beach that afternoon thinking how blessed we were to have the beauty of the horizon and the shore lapping in the rythm that soothes my soul I noticed this GB Heron sauntering- and they do saunter right in front of me. I had also noticed a family doing some fishing just a little way away. Instantly I knew it was the fisherman the Heron had its eye on.

Patience and time proved to be advantageous for this magnificent creature. The fisherman tossed a fish in the shallow water and in the blink of an eye the Heron deftly harpooned it with its beak.


Making certain he moved far enough away from the flock of nearby begging Gulls that they weren't going to have the chance to taste even one morsel. Then with the same skill he snagged the fish from the water he quickly flipped the fish upright turning it head first into its mouth.
In about two gulps the fish was sliding into never never land as a partial meal for the Heron.

The Heron did some preening and what seemed like a little satisfactory gloating and then returned to its position waiting for more. Hmmm... you'd think an entire fish would be plenty but they will continue this process.

We had to go back. I couldn't stand it --having felt like the day before left me wanting. On our way out of town on Sunday hubby took me back through the Refuge only this time it was a little later in the morning. The tide was in and not much activity.

Even though I've lived here all my life getting to observe these enormous White Pelicans is a treat. They migrate here for the winter.

It was very cold (well for Florida it was cold) and quite blustery the morning we left for home. All the birds were puffed up trying to stay warm I suppose.

This was my first Tri-colored and my first Juvy Yellow-crowned.

The "Ding" Darling Refuge is 6000 acres of natural beauty. With so many wonderful birds left alone to nest, forage, and freely come and go. As a matter of fact the islands of Sanibel-Captiva are unique in that they have conserved a large amount of the islands to be forever kept natural.

the nature coast of florida

we've driven by the highway signs on many trips to the panhandle but it's been years since we stopped in for a visit. yesterday hubby and i ventured north about 2 hours to the sleepy little nature coast town of cedar key.

we drove around the few streets that make up the tourista district. with several choices of restaurants we randomly asked a couple of the locals where they would eat for lunch.

after a few varied suggestions, tony's seafood was our pick. we both had a very decent grouper sandwich.

walking off that yummy lunch we sauntered through the few short blocks of art dealers, gift stores, consignments, the city museum ...

and down to the public park/beach area. it was interesting to learn that the Florida Railroad connected the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf of Mexico by way of Cedar Key with the first coast to coast train in 1861. that railroad service ended and the track removed in 1932.

we then ventured out to look at property/houses along the coast and drove to the "airport". i spotted a kingfisher perched on a power line and frantically made hubby slam on the brakes and back-up- then said, "no, wait. i'll just hop out here." oh well... it flew away at first sight of me.

at that moment the flitting about of several teeny butterflies caught my eye on these low lying weeds. they appear purple when in flight... i don't know the exact ID but they are some variety of the blues...

what a thrill to capture two in one shot!

i just love the look and feel of the open marshes...

while exploring the outskirts we spotted this newly built walkway without any signs or information as to what it lead to or why it was there. we parked the car and walked the length of it as it wound us around the perimeter of a cemetery on one side and the edge of this marsh on the other ...

eventually it ended at a point where we were completely alone with only the sound of shore birds flying overhead and water gently lapping at the edge of the shore.

we spent a fair amount of time wandering around here seeing what we could see. of course i snapped loads of photos but it was getting late and time to turn back towards home.

thanks, hubby, for a beautiful and memorable special day!

flora and fauna at wakulla springs part II

saturday morning i got out early to walk the grounds of the park with the hope of capturing some of the "life in the park". to my thrill i came upon a fire bush shrub with at least a dozen butterflies fluttering energetically about.

is this a cloudless sulphur???


is this also a cloudless sulphur??? there are many species of yellow butterflies with slight variations... i am not certain which this one is.

there were so many of these coming and going but even so --i had to be patient to capture some- they just don't stay in one spot for long.

monarch

this (queen- i think) beauty was not a problem. it just opened and closed its wings over and over so i have dozens of snaps of this one. hubby even commented, "that one let you get right in its face."

gulf fritillary - agraulis vanillae

the colors of autumn

surprise (or hurricane lilies) lilies are blooming everywhere

bee exploring a wildflower

banana spider enjoying its butterfly breakfast

damselfly

berries for the birds - more signs of autumn. i'm a sucker for 'all things berry' - i think because not only are they appealing to look at... they are a symbol of the season if there ever was one!

we made the most of our overnight stay at this florida landmark and really enjoyed the beautiful landscape. then it was on to tallahassee for saturday night.