The Essential Beachcomber

Our hearts are with you. Take a moment to pray for peace, comfort, healing & restoration for the 46 families that lost loved ones &  the millions affected by Hurricane Sandy. Early morning full moon over Blind Pass on 10.29.12 Jackets - check. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches - check. 230 lumen's LED flashlight - check. My alarm went off (well cathedral bells went bong - bong - bong - bong from my iPhone) at 3am crazy early Monday morning.  The truck had been packed the night before so it was just a matter of brushing my teeth, grabbing a coffee for the road and pointing the truck south for the 1 1/2 hour drive to Sanibel.  Winds from the storm, a full moon  & a 6 am low tide were too much to resist.  The Weather Channel had forecast the winds to die down overnight from 25-30 mph to 10-15 mph.  That weatherman was a tad too optimistic. As Pookie & I drove across the Sanibel Causeway we were awestruck at t...

Warm Mineral Springs in North Port, Florida Swimming holes and "mudding" are not just a redneck endeavor in the city of North Port.   At the spa of Warm Mineral Springs those two things have nothing to do with rope swings or four-wheel drive monster trucks and more to do with mud baths and water yoga. You are already forgiven if you don't recognize the name "North Port". Located in the southern most part of Sarasota County, North Port is ranked #7 for the fastest growing city in Florida.  Warm Mineral Springs is an annexed portion of the city that is home to an ancient artisan spring that boasts of healing properties akin to the fountain of youth.  The spring has long been a popular tourist attraction especially with Eastern Europeans who have made the area surrounding Warm Mineral Springs and North Port their new home.  This ain't no Wet & Wild attraction. There is a gift store, organic cafe, & Spa in the complex but the spring is for the...

The shell trees are doing just fine on Stump Pass. On Friday afternoon I walked the mile out to the end of Stump Pass to see about the red tide.  It was a beautiful beach day but looks can be deceiving.  I was coughing the red tide hacking cough that tickles the back of your throat. Although there were no new fish washed up on the shore, the wrack line is filled with sun-dried fish of all sorts and sizes.  I also saw a few dead seagulls on the sand.  The highest onshore concentrations of the red tide are at Blind Pass Beach (not Sanibel) on Manasota Key. That's about 3 miles north up the coast from Stump Pass. The clean-up looks good but it ain't over yet.  For the most current info  go to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission website. Manasota Key is at the southern most boundry of Sarasota County. In between coughing, I did manage to pick up a few goodies.  Lots of sharks teeth out there. Oh how I love surprises!!...

(Credit:  Malaia Orchids) Is there any better feeling than bare feet on a sandy beach? While relaxing on a beach chair it is almost an automatic reflex for one to start digging one's toes into the sand.  There is no special technique to this sensory experience that takes no thought or mental prowess but only to mindlessly zone in on the softness of the sand, the occasional sharp stab of a shell, and the coolness of hitting a deeper layer. As an avid shell collector I've always been puzzled by my friends that take a Ziploc baggie of beach sand home. I don't get it? Isn't sand is something to be shaken out of your towels and  washed off your feet at the showers before you leave the beach so you don't have to vacuum the stuff out of the car later on. Biologist Gary Greenberg has taken a closer look.  After years of observing living cancer and nerve cells through the lens of his microscope in his professional life, he took a closer look at some beach ...

The current red tide bloom has it's first wave of dead fish lining the shoreline of Manasota Key. The effects of the algae bloom spotted near Charlotte Harbor on September 30 are washing ashore Sarasota County beaches.  The Mote Beach Conditions Report System  has received accounts of dead fish and respiratory irritation from all the beaches it monitors in south Sarasota County. Dead fish are lining the shores on the Englewood beaches of Manasota Key, all killed by a neurotoxin released by the red tide that paralyzes the fish. It kills the small ones first then the larger ones .  Sadly, larger mammals like dolphins, manatees, & even sea birds are affected as well.  Karenia brevis  or "red tide" as it is known by Florida coastal dwellers is actually not red but a muddy yellowish-green color.  The presence of red tide has little to do with the water color and more to do with dead sea life washing up on the shoreline.   Mote Marine in pa...

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. -John Muir Here, on the beach, I escape everything worrisome, petty, & mundane.  In the late afternoon, as the waning fall sun begins it's slide, yellow and orange light wash over my "Sanibel-stooping" body as I pick up shark's teeth and shells.  It's actually the Englewood squat because after all I'm not on Sanibel and sadly  I am not on Manasota Key either due to the red tide algae bloom.   The red tide seems to be waning to the south of Sarasota but on Manasota Key and to the north up to Nokomis Beach there are lots of dead fish washed up on the beach.  The irritation from the airborne algae is still causing beachgoers to hack & sneeze.  Click on the  Mote Marine link  on my sidebar for the latest conditions on your local Florida beaches. Sounds of the wind or sounds of the sea make me happy just to be...

During the International Coastal Clean-up on Sept. 15, dead bait fish littered the shoreline of Englewood Beach. The algae bloom commonly called red tide by coastal Floridans is always present some where out in the Gulf or Atlantic waters.  The microscopic single celled algae called  Gymnodinium breve  (pronounced, "Jim-no-din-ee-um-bre-vay")   just hangs out dormant on the ocean bottom. Why and when the algae multiply  or "bloom" is still undetermined but most scientists agree that excess nutrients - from artificial fertilizers to natural organic decay - play a role because the nutrients allow the algae to live and reproduce. Many scientists also believe ocean currents play an important role in bloom formation by concentrating large amounts of red tide in certain areas. Blooms have been found both far offshore and in coastal bays and estuaries. The last major red tide bloom in Southwest Florida started in early 2005 and did not sub...

                Beach Rules Wake up smiling! Flip Flops are mandatory. Feel the breeze * Wear sunscreen * Take long walks Nap often. Soak up the sun * Make a splash * Hang up your towel Watch the sunrise. Look for seashells - duh! Ride the waves * Kick back * Build sand castles Be grateful for this day! For more beachy moments & thoughts visit my Pinterest board  Pinterest Board - Lead Me To the Beach.