In your Easter bonnet

We got up on Easter Sunday, March 27, and got ready to head south.  We’d wanted to have lunch with a friend in Port St. Lucie, and ended up invited for Easter dinner … ham with all the trimmings.  We arrived earlier than we expected, so what did we do?  Look for a place to walk for a bit.

There are a lot of bridges in this state, and I've enjoyed every one we've seen and walked on.

A boardwalk in a park was our walking choice, and it was a good one.  The boardwalk went further than we could walk in the time we had.  Darn!!!  There was a train drawbridge, and it went up while we were there a couple of times.  Once there was a railroad car, but no train.  That was a disappointment as we love to see trains.

 

Another cool bridge ... better because it's a train bridge.



A coot ... look at its feet.  They're very different from many of the water birds.

A big plus to this walk was finding restored oyster beds.  In June 2009, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded Martin County more than $4 million for oyster reef restoration, intended to improve the health of the river as well as provide other benefits.  Oyster cultch, hard material such as shell or limestone that oysters can attach to, has been used to construct a series of reefs in the St. Lucie Estuary and northwest fork of the Loxahatchee River. 

The oyster cultch is bagged up and set out in an arrangement, but I don't know if there is a specific method.

It looks like those nylon bags you buy avocados in at Costco.

The curve of this bridge was captivating.

What a little crab.  They were all over in the rocks.

Then it was time to head over to our friend’s home, to enjoy dinner and spend a little time visiting.  Bonny and Phil were wonderful hosts, and we had a great meal and visit. 

Bonny and Phil ... and their special baby, Angelina Ballerina.  I love the babies.

When visiting someone’s home for the first time it’s customary to bring a gift.  That’s a bit difficult if you don’t know someone’s taste, but the day before when we’d had the bicycles and ridden to the Publix Market, we’d picked up a tulip plant … and I must say it tested my skills of riding as I had it in a plastic bag on the handlebars of my bike, rocking back and forth with the rhythm of my pedaling.  Somehow or the other I made it back to the hotel without losing a leaf or a bloom.  It was a feat of total skill, and entirely made of luck. 

A plant is always in style, but I’d decided we needed Easter bonnets.  I'd also gotten some little party hats and ribbons and taped the ribbons to the hats so we’d all have bonnets.  I had met Bonny before, but never her husband, so I wasn’t sure how receptive he’d be to a goofy hat.  He was marvelous and seemed to enjoy having a little fun.

Easter bonnets come in many shapes and styles.

All too soon, we were resting after a magnificent meal … we were too full.  I’d had two helpings of mashed potatoes, among other things.  Yummy!!!  Everything was wonderful, but it was time for us to head on down the road to our hotel.  We would have a couple of full days ahead of us as we prepared to depart Florida and go our separate ways … Jaz to Spokane and me to Phoenix.

Monday, March 28, we were meeting another friend for lunch … Kathy.  I’d met Kathy on Facebook through another friend, and she has a dog named Buddy.  He’s a super dog, and from her postings, I’d decided I wanted to meet him.

Two years ago when Jaz and I spent a little time in Florida, we drove up to meet Kathy and Buddy in person.  Another very gracious host, Kathy offered us lodging, but we don’t like to impose, and just visited for a few hours instead. 

This time we were just meeting Kathy.  She has a new job and works four days a week, but Monday was a day off and we were going to have lunch.  She had us meet her at a bar and grill.  Weren’t we pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food.  She’d done good!!!  Our visit spanned a couple of hours and we got caught up on jobs, houses, dogs; but Kathy had things to do and we had places to go.  Good bye, and we’ll see you again next visit.

 

Kathy ... no Buddy today. 

We stayed at a hotel near the airport so we’d be in a good position to return the car the next morning, and not have to leave too early.  It was a sad night, but not sad either.  Because we found one last beach to walk … and I got to use the bucket Jaz had gotten for me.  I gathered shells, and carried our sandals as we walked in the sand, waves breaking over our feet.  It was a great way to spend our last evening and it was okay to think about tomorrow.

 

A red bucket, and it has Spiderman on it.

 

 

Photo bomb.

 

The last time I'd get my feet in the ocean water on this trip.  It felt so good.

 

We met these young people on the beach and asked if they'd pose.

The morning of March 29 came all too soon, and we were at the airport returning the car, and wandering in to hang out together for a little while longer before I headed for the Delta concourse and Jaz headed to the Alaska concourse.  We were on to our next adventures.