So, yesterday Sue is on the dock talking to the neighbor, when she sees the swirls in the water - the telltale signs of manatees. The mammals need to surface regularly for air, and they sound somewhat like whales blowing when they do (although I've never actually heard a whale blow). She goes to the end of the finger pier and sees two adult & one young manatee playing around. I watch them from our boat as they come under it and bump into it. We watch for about 10 minutes before we lose sight of them.
30 minutes later I'm taking trash to the dumpster when I walk past an empty boat slip that has a lot of hyacinths in it, and see the hyacinths moving from below! I stop to watch, and soon see the whiskered snout of a manatee munching on the hyacinths. The 3 manatees are now in this slip feeding. I watch for 15 minutes while they feed & frolic under the docks & right up next to the boats. At times, they come to the surface within 3 feet of me & roll onto their backs. A perfect time NOT to have a camera in my hands!
The neighbors say that some manatees stay in the area year round. Their number will increase during the winter months. So, I'll learn to carry a camera with me.
Today, we'll drive 20 minutes away to visit Sue's brother. We were surprised to find that this marina is so close to his house. We haven't seen him in several years, so it will be good to visit. Tomorrow we drive north to TN and OH. This cold front has already come through that part of the country, and they now have that white crap falling from the sky! Gee, I'm glad we moved to central Florida for the winter!
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