Another Day in Paradise

When I left Bruce at the job site on Tuesday he asked if I knew where I was going. I told him I would head towards the beach and see what happened. I took the causeway over to Jensen Beach because I wanted to re-visit the site where I found the "Life's a Beach" carved into the boardwalk hand rail. Guess what? Possibly (what am I thinking using the word possibly when I should have said probably?) reflecting the current mood of the country, someone wrote over it with "life's a bitch"; so much for improving that shot!

While there I met a retired lifeguard who told me about Bathtub Beach on the southernmost tip of the island. This is exactly what I love--being out & about and finding new and interesting places to explore. On the drive there you come across a very interesting place called Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge. One of ten houses of refuge for shipwreck victims built along the Florida coast in the 1870's, it is the only one remaining. Because the population was so sparse in those days sailors might survive the wreck but once on land they would die of starvation. As a result of a public outcry the U. S. Life-Saving Service began which in later years merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to become the U.S. Coast Guard. A little history lesson for all of us.

The keeper of the station and his family would comb the shoreline after a storm looking for victims to aide. Daily logs provide a small glimpse into life back then. What I like about going into these old houses is seeing the products used at the time--you know, the various medical remedies, and cooking products. As well, along our shores there are warnings about sea turtle nesting season with fines posted for interfering with the nests. The man responsible for that began his work alongside the House of Refuge. Don't you just love that name?

As far as Bathtub Beach goes it is an interesting place as well.Popular with families with small children because of the reef that forms a lagoon safe from tides. After several hurricanes and some stormy weather it is not very nice today because about 10 feet of sand has washed away revealing limestone and very old tree roots and stumps, a weird sight for sure.

Following the advice received from the docents at the HoR, I went to downtown Stuart nearby where I took this photograph. A charming little downtown, although I didn't have a long time to roam as Mr. Bruce was ready to be picked up soon.

He left yesterday morning for Pennsylvania and hasn't quit working since. Remodeling jobs happen alot at night; apparently after a seven hour drive from Allentown to Erie, PA, he arrived at midnight only to stay up most of the night with the crew. I just got off the phone with him as he was driving to the airport in Pittsburgh with me providing the directions thanks to Google Maps. I only hope he sleeps on the plane coming home. Ironically I was reading an article in the Times when he called about how salaried employees are working harder than anyone these days. Bruce could be the poster child for that piece.

I may have missed the deadline on the rivers photo contest; I sent in a package, whether it gets there on time is anybodies guess. Oh well....

It looks as if I will probably have a gallery show along with another artist in January....more details to follow. The link above is for the gallery as seen on the Travel Channel's website--Creative Spirits Gallery. This much I can tell you, the thought makes me nervous. Travel Channel