Sunday Picnics.....

I had two of my brother's children this weekend, Regan (9) and Ashton (5). It just so happened that Fernando had the day off and the weather was more than perfect for a picnic down at the lighthouse. Once I mentioned it to my father, I knew it wouldn't be long before he would announce that he would like to join us. I love my dad.

He kept the kids entertained while I prepared and packed our picnic lunch. After stopping along the way for cold drinks and ice, we were off! I can honestly say that I have absolutely no idea how many times I've been to the lighthouse. I feel as though it was part of my childhood. Let me rephrase that, it WAS part of my childhood. I can recall countless trips there whether it was to explore trails, fish, hide Easter eggs, search for alligators or just hang with friends and make insane videos (Cathi....), St. Marks Wildlife Refuge plays a big roll in my life and appreciation for nature. In an effort to keep up family traditions, I love taking my brother's children there and watching them experience the very things I did at their age.

A mile or so after entering the refuge, there's a fantastic spot just off the road, scattered with picnic tables, large Oaks and Cabbage Palms. It's appropriately named "Picnic Pond." Convincing my nephew Ashton that it was important for us to finish our lunches BEFORE he started luring the birds to our table was impossible. Luckily, the birds didn't seem too thrilled about crumby, white bread left-overs. (Get it? crumby? moving on.... )

After Ashton's ill-fated attempts at converting my father into a bottle cap pirate, we packed up and headed down to the lighthouse. The road leading there is several miles long which makes for a great ride as everyone peers to either side of the road in hopes of finding the granddaddy gator of them all. The best time to go is mid-afternoon and you're sure to find them out on the banks, sunning themselves and offering fantastic photo ops. If gators aren't your cup of tea, there are eagles, osprey, deer, black bear, racoons, possom, armadillo, snakes and various other wildlife to peak your interest. Don't get excited about the black bear. I've lived here nearly my entire life and have only seen one in the wild on this very road.

After surveying several sunning gators, we reached the lighthouse and pulled into a surprisingly crowded parking area. The kids made a beeline for the lighthouse ledge and Fernando helped them up as I looked on and shrieked every time Ashton got too close to the edge. There's a great trail behind the lighthouse that leads to the beach side. Unfortunately, it was blocked off today but the good thing is it was due to sea turtle nesting. This small obstacle made no difference in our day as we managed to find some fascinating creatures along the way.

The first display we came to, was a crowd of fiddler crabs navigating in a sea of bodies. "Tap-tap-tap" was all you could hear as they moved in waves along the muddy shore.

As we ventured further, we followed the trail to the beach side and were greeted by thousands of snails on the salt reeds, as they waited patiently for the next high tide. Ashton found a baby crab and helped it on it's way. (Hopefully it wanted to go to the water.)

We found more fiddler crabs and the evidence of freshly dug homes. As a child, I was amazed when I stumbled across these perfect little balls of wet sand and couldn't imagine how they got there. Thanks to Animal Planet, I now know it's how the fiddler crabs clean out their waterfront abodes. Fernando and the kids scoured the ground, searching for something worthy of everyone's attention.

By this time, I had been bit roughly eleventy billion times by the ravenous dog flies. What's a dog fly? Demon spawn- but for those of you completely unfamiliar, they look exactly like house flies. You can't tell the difference between them until they land on you and bite. Anybody have a better description? This being said, I stuck it out as long as possible, but it seemed that no amount of gulf breeze could blow those suckers away. With that, I announced that it was time to head back in and look for alligators but not before I snapped a few shots of the lighthouse.

We walked to the marsh pools and had no luck with the gators. I have to admit though, I've never seen a kid so happy to be sitting next to bird poop.

It wasn't long before those darn dog flies found me yet again. Back to the car we went, but not before a few
more shots:









It was a beautiful day spent with some of the most important people in my life and I can't wait to have this opportunity again.