Unspoiled Florida

Our plan for a beach week was to escape, relax and unwind, but I'm not sure we were quite prepared for the isolation of San Pedro Island. There are no shops, no commercial buildings, not even a church. You must really plan your grocery shopping to avoid the pricey ferry crossing to the nearest Publix, five miles down the road.

Hmmm ... our ferry looks like a tugboat pushing a barge with chain link fencing around the sides!

On one corner of the barge, the Little House on the Ferry proves that ferrymen can have fun, and their attempt at decor, in this case, is really not too bad! The nice rattan chair could use a new slipcovered white denim cushion. I'd add a blue ikat throw pillow and a little outdoor rug in a simple thin stripe. Roll up that plastic panel under a jaunty wide-striped canvas awning, add a chic lantern, and this ferry house could be quite stylish!

Five minutes later – after crossing the Intracoastal Waterway – cars, cyclists and pedestrians debark from the Katie B onto the island.

The morning commute to the ferry. Reportedly 50% of the island residents are year-round. Would you consider this a dream lifestyle, or a no-stress option taken to an extreme?

NY's street-art themes are a bit edgier than what you will find here.

Save for the one main entry road which is paved, all others are sand and shell.

Upon arrival, most people switch from cars to either golf carts or bikes.

Hello, backyard.

Look what we found! Some impish fiddler crabs apparently were up all night, preparing for our arrival.

The morning skies were so painterly. I love the landscape palette of beige, blue and white, and the constant ocean breezes.

The photographer becomes part of the scene.

Of all the houses we saw on the island, this was my favorite. It is perfectly sited and perfectly suited to its location. Its footprint is narrow and deep, and the dark wood siding and tin roof lend a non-obtrusive, subtlety to the structure that feels just right – like it could have been here forever.

It appears to have been designed specifically to fit right into that little clearing between the palms. Every elevation is interesting and distinctive because of varying roof lines and gables, porches, windows and stairways. This is the perfect antidote to a McMansion, and a perfectly charming beach house.

I would definitely turn that screened porch into a sleeping porch!

A path to the beach, the smell of the Australian pines, and the sound of the wind whispering in their branches evokes childhood memories for me.

Looking through the carport of this house (which is available for rent), you can see the wooden boardwalk that leads over the sea oats and down to the beach. Most every house is built up off the ground like this one. The island is just wide enough in many areas for a narrow road and a row of houses on each side, so I can only imagine what would happen if a hurricane came through.

Another house using rustic barn-wood siding, but this one fills the entire lot and obscures the view of the beach beyond. Bright yellow front doors play up the contemporary design.

I love the pink and white color scheme on this cottage, along with the entry gate, double entry stairs, and wrap-around porch. Landscaping around most of the homes is usually limited to gravel, tall grasses, sea grapes and palms – and no structures on the island are taller than about 3 stories.

Due to many recent storms, there was a lot of seaweed along the shore. We decided to clear a path, so that we could walk down to the water.

Early the next morning, we saw large flipper marks in the sand! A Loggerhead turtle had used our path during the night and made a nest! "Our" turtle nest was also spotted by the Turtle Patrol, who marked its location.

This was just too much excitement after being lulled into a trance-like state from days of nothing but ocean, sky and sand and the occasional bike ride and paddle-ball game! We decided that we must dig more paths, so more turtles would come up and nest. And, we would do an all-night vigil (the turtles nest only at night) to witness the phenomenon! Of course, our vigil lasted only until about 11 pm, when we ran out of wine.

We were disappointed to find no signs of turtles on our new paths the next morning, but we did run into the Turtle Patrol volunteers, who informed us that another nest in front of our condo had hatched two nights prior, and they were going to dig it out!

When there is evidence of a hatching, the Turtle Patrol digs up the eggs in order to take a "head count." Here you can see how deep the eggs were buried. Sometimes live hatchlings can also be found - those that were not able to get up to the surface.

A live baby turtle is found!

Then three, then five!

The babies are placed on the sand so that they can make their way down to the surf, and help strengthen themselves for their long journey ahead.

Hopefully these five will be able to join their 104 siblings, who had a two-day head start.

"Moxie" had one bad flipper, but a lot of heart. Here she picks up steam and races ahead to be first into the water! Her tiny little body was tossed around in the waves a bit, but after coming up for air, she managed to plunge down below the tidal forces and was gone – off to her new home in the ocean. The baby Loggerheads will swim for 24 hours until they reach the shelter of seaweeds growing in the Sargasso Sea.

Au revoir, les hatchlings.



Until another time ...

Last three photos by Laurie Van Brocklin. All others by Topsy Turvy, from the iPhone.
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Caretta Caretta, all grown up, can reach 3 1/2' long and 800 lbs.
See more wonderful photos of Loggerheads here. Copyright Tony Rath.
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