Tag Archives: Florida

Sea Turtle Nesting Season

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Mama Loggerhead laying her eggs

Some girls want to go to fancy restaurants for their birthday.  Some want a party.  Some want to go out dancing or for a girls’ night out. This girl… wanted to go see sea turtles lay eggs!  (Yes, I acknowledge that I am strange.)

A few of my loving friends begrudgingly accommodated my request and others were genuinely intrigued themselves. Gumbo Limbo Environmental Center in Boca Raton, Fl. offers guided tours of the beach to see Loggerhead mamas lay their eggs, preceded by a very informative lecture of turtles and how to save these endangered animals.

Seeing a turtle lay eggs is never guaranteed because nature cannot be predicted.  To top it all off, only loggerheads can be observed in the act because they are the least endangered of the 3 species that lay their eggs on our beaches (the other two being Green Turtles and Leatherbacks.)  Turtle Specialists scout the beaches from 9pm to midnight in hopes of finding one for onlookers to watch.  By 11pm I was convinced that we were not going to get lucky that night… but FINALLY we were called via walkie talkie to start heading North on the beach we were at to see a loggerhead who was about to start laying eggs close by.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) a Green Turtle walked out of the ocean right in front of our group as we headed towards the loggerhead.  We were instructed to sit quietly on the sand until she had dug her hole and began laying eggs herself or else we could spook her off the beach!  What an exhilarating night!

Finally, we made it to the loggerhead just as she was finishing up and were able to observe her packing sand on her eggs, turn around and head towards the ocean.  It was an amazing experience.  Not a bad way to begin my 34th year on this planet!

Seining the Lagoon

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Red Mangroves

As a kid, who didn’t love a break from class to go on a fun field trip?  One of my most memorable was a trip to Gumbo Limbo Environmental Center in Boca Raton, Fl. during 7th grade.  We were given seine nets and taught to do the “sting-ray shuffle” in the shallow intracoastal waters so as not to get stung while walking and collecting fish, crabs, shrimp, jellyfish… you name it.

Everything we collected was placed in large buckets and, at the end, we were taught about all the different creatures we had found then released them back into the water.  It was a magical and interactive trip and I carry that memory vividly with me today.

I was researching things to entertain myself during the last few weeks of summer vacation a few days ago and… low and behold I found a link to Gumbo Limbo’s “Seinging the Lagoon” Program, but this time it was open to the public!  Of course, I registered and went.

The program was comprised of a very informative 30 min presentation about local mangroves and wildlife, followed by casting the seine in the intracoastal just as I remembered doing as a girl.  We caught a barracuda which was large enough to be deemed worthy of the nature center’s beautiful tank, a large blowfish, jelly fish, a pipefish (related to the seahorse), shrimp, various small fish and one lonely hermit crab.  As we found things and oogled at our buckets, the nature center’s volunteer exclaimed “its exhilarating isn’t it?!”  It WAS exhilarating to see so much life in such a small, shallow area… even for someone who has probably assisted with hundreds of these classes. Imagine what exists in the depths of the sea!  Conservation is so imperative as is educating our youth about the importance of appreciating seeing the beauty of their local environment so that they appreciate and care for it as adults.

Here are some pics of my fun little adventure:

Good morning, Sunshine!

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6 mile run starting at 5:30am with a good friend… It doesn’t get better than that, folks. Well, this view at the turn around was a pretty sweet bonus. 😉

Starting Seeds

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One of the few benefits of bearing this oppressive Florida heat during the summer months is the tropical fruit that it brings.  Of the papaya, avocado, mamey and nispero (or sapote as some cultures call it) I love, love, love…. MANGO!

As I’ve said before, my neighbor has a huge tree that gives an absurd amount of fruit and I’ve been reaping the benefits of this since earlier this month. While I’ve been baking away, my mom has been YouTube-ing how to start the seeds so that we can eventually have our own tree. 

Isn’t this gorgeous!

10 Jaw Dropping Springs Of Florida You Must Visit | Agāpé Voyage

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Didn’t know about most of these.  #1 here I come!

http://www.agapevoyage.com/2015/05/2

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Morning Commotion!

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A huge flock of mockingbirds were going absolutely BONKERS in my backyard this morning. As I made coffee and looked out my kitchen window I figured out why… There was a hawk perched on my bbq!!! It was probably threatening their nests.

Once I went outside for a better photo and inadvertently spooked it away, the commotion was over.

The “Official” Florida State Pie

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Key lime pie,  REAL key lime pie,  is one of the most delicious, refreshing and gloriously simple desserts ever created.  It also boasts the title of “Official Dessert” for my home state of Florida! (Not really.  But if that title really DID exist,  it should totally be given to Key Lime pie.)

Key Limes are different from your standard Persian limes in two ways: they’re about 1/3 of the size and are much more tart in flavor.  On a good day,  a full bag of key limes will yield only 3/4 to 1 cup of juice.  But, think of it this way: All that squeezing really helps tone the muscles in your forearms and biceps. Winning!!!

Now,  don’t insult me by making this recipe using that preservative-filled “juice” they sell in the grocery store that comes out of a green,  lime-shaped squeeze bottle.  The beauty of this 5 Ingredient recipe comes from the simplicity and quality of its ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 pre-made graham cracker crust
1/2 cup of key lime juice
1 can condensed milk
2 tsp key lime zest
2 egg yolks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
Zest then juice limes.
Mix together measured ingredients and pour batter into crust.
Bake until just set (10-15 min)
Cover and allow to cool in fridge completely before serving.

As a Floridian, I must warn you that Key Lime pie is traditionally NEVER served with merengue. This isn’t lemon merengue pie, people!!!  It is permissible,  however,  to serve it with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream to offset the tartness of the filling.  Enjoy and happy summer!

25 Years!

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My friend Caitlin and I ran the Boca Raton Road Runners 10K together yesterday morning. I hadn’t seen her in a while but things fell quickly into a synch just as they always do every time we get together.

Cait is an insane athlete who competes in half IronMan distance races and plans on completing her first full IronMan in 2016.  And while I am not THAT crazy, I do like to run so its nice that we have this in common now that we are adults.  (I was never athletic as a kid.)

As we drove home together after the race, we laughed and joked about how imaginative and free-spirited we were as kids… and then it occurred to me.  We’ve been friends for 25 years!  I’m only 33!  The simple fact that I can SAY I’ve had a friend for that long makes me feel old.

But “old ladies” don’t take goofy selfies with trucker hats and Flavor Flav sized medals at local 10K runs.  And “old ladies” most DEFINITELY don’t place 1st (Caitlin) and 8th (me) in their age group during these runs either.  Heck yeah!  😉

Here’s to another EPIC 25 years!

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‘Tis the Season to be Silly

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Posing with Santa

Posing with Santa

My sister and I are trend setters.  2 years ago, we were the only goofs wearing hats shaped like rotisserie turkeys at our local Turkey Trot 5K.  The following year, a photo of us made the front of that same Turkey Trot’s flyer and, low and behold, we had started a trend!  On that year’s race day, it was clear that people had gotten the message and considerably more participants wore crazy get-ups and the tradition has continued through this year.

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Besides our local Turkey Trot, we have made it a tradition to participate in at least one Christmas-themed race a year.  And this year, were able to do two:  The Reindeer Run at Sea World, Orlando and the inaugural Jingle Bell Jog in Fort Lauderdale.

For the Reindeer Run, we put together some great snowmen costumes using elastic, white tulle, plastic snowflakes from the dollar store, white long-sleeved shirts, large black buttons and white stockings.  The hats were purchased last year in the Target dollar bins during a post-Christmas clearance.  The results were perfection!  We turned heads and were asked by strangers if they could take photos of us.  Not bad if I don’t say so myself.

The Jingle Bell Jog was fun because the costumes came as part of the entry!  No tech shirts for this race.  Full Santa costumes for all!  Check out the sea or running Santas down Las Olas Boulevard.  Oh what fun it is to run in a felt costume in 75 degree heat and humidity.  Only in Florida, lol!

 

 

Home-made Mango Jam

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mango jam

Its mango season in South Florida!  People who are blessed enough to have a tree in their back yard are eating them up and desperately trying to give them away to co-workers, neighbors and friends, lest they should rot on the ground or get eaten by squirrels, opossums… or the dog.  (My dog Charlie has eaten a few of my neighbor’s mangos and has come back into the house with quite the cute mango mustache on several occasions.)

Well, my caddy corner neighbor and my mother’s next door neighbor has the most gorgeous and fruit-filled mango tree in the neighborhood.  Luckily they believe that sharing is caring and gave us a few.  And this is what we came up with to use up that yummy goodness. Mango jam!!

Delicious on toast, on a ritz cracker with cream cheese, in the center of thumb print cookies or simply spooned right into your mouth!  Although the process is fun, its time consuming and messy.  All worth it in the end, though.  Check out the photos of our afternoon together.