The Lady keeps Waiting

Well, I have to say, I'm feeling quite relieved. Tropical Storm Emily, which I posted about here, tried to jump over the mountains in Haiti and got completely confused and disorganized. At this point, it seems she will not be visiting Bethesda-by-the-Sea this time around. Shew...

She'll have to wait a little longer. {I don't think she minds}...

I leave you with a couple of images from the East side of the Sanctuary, as you can see, she is still an elegant dame on the sea. Come visit some time.

Until next time, Eli

Lady in Waiting

The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea is a beautiful gothic lady standing elegantly on the Island of Palm Beach to welcome worshipers, visitors and guests nearly every day of the week. Today, she is a lady in waiting. Waiting for Mother Nature's child, Emily, to pay a visit. (That would be Tropical Storm Emily.)

All ladies in waiting must don attire appropriate for different events. So with a little assistance from the Staff, she gets her accoutrement of dark hurricane tarps. {not sure that is the technical term, but check this out.}

Five tarps are already installed and one more is on its way.

Just throw it over your shoulder and climb.

Find those hooks and be done soon.

This is the east side and back of the church, the most vulnerable if Tropical Storm Emily pays an intimate visit.

What are folks saying? As always, this is an unscientific poll of locals...but most likely, it will get more humid as the storm gets closer, and we'll get significant wind and rain. If you want to check the progress of Emily (or other storms) go to the National Hurricane Center.

Until next time, Eli
{PS: Thanks to the fab guys who take care of BBTS, The Rectory and us...}

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Turtle Tracks

I try to take walks on the beach a couple of mornings a week and I always have my eyes open for interesting sites...something I haven't seen before...or simply something different from the last time.


This week, I saw delightful little paths like this:

 

At first, I could not identify them. I described the tracks to a long-time resident and he let me know they were baby sea turtles. He asked me if I had seen any large ones...not yet.

I have to admit, I thought Sea Turtles were creatures of South America or exotic Islands in the Pacific. I didn't really know they lived and reproduced right here in Florida. But it didn't take long to figure out that I was wrong. In fact, did you know that "Nearly 90% of sea turtle nesting in the U.S. occurs in Florida." [source]

Yesterday...I saw the mama tracks...

This one, in fact, went to the wall of a beach-side house. Another mother must have been close by. {It's a little challenging to see but look closely, the tracks start in the bottom corners and move toward the center. The right-hand one is more visible.}

I wondered if these two moms laid their eggs there. How could I know? I mean, I didn't go up there and dig...(that's stupid and illegal: Harassment of sea turtles, an endangered or threatened species, or their nests, is a violation of State and Federal laws, punishable by a fine up to $100,000 and/or imprisonment. )...Well, guess what, there are folks who let us know where the nests are...you might see something like this

You can see four stakes that are marking nests. It is my understanding (and again, this is an unprofessional, Colorado girl talking) that volunteers come out every few days to mark nests to let us all know to stay clear and let nature take its course.

Since I haven't actually seen any turtles yet, mamas or babies, I thought I'd leave you with this link: Tour de Turtles: Shelle the sea turtle is being tracked here, or squirt here So check them out to see where in the Ocean they are!!

Until next time, watch out for turtles...Eli