Island Thoughts Deux

Meeting People

Meeting someone means never having to say, "Nice to meet you." Instead you say, "Nice to see you." I'm sure glad for this because it can be a bit embarrassing when you say, "Nice to meet you," and the person you're "meeting" says, "Oh, we've already met." (eyebrows raised like you should remember.) Let me tell you...I the few short months I've been here, I've met a thousand-billion fabulous people and it's really hard to keep track.

Questionable?

People in Palm Beach have led very diverse lives with varying occupations, just don't ever ask what someone does for a living. 'Cause maybe they don't really need to work and we don't want to make them say, "Nothing." Try this question when you are at a cocktail party: "Come here often?" (OK, just kidding) Ask about recent books read, favorite local haunts and favorite places traveled! Usually safe subjects.

Island Flair

If you haven't noticed yet. Island colors are bright, fun and bold, just like the plants and animals...how about some nice pink and green to go on that Lilly Pulitzer shift dress!!

Thanks for sharing another great day! See you around~
Eli

Interpreting the Signs

Not being a girl who grew up near the water, I find it disconcerting when trouping off to the beach and I see a flag or two flapping in the breeze. A feeling creaps over me, similar to the moment the eerie music comes on  and you think, "Don't open that door." Cause you know it can't be good.

So what do those flags mean? And what do I do about the meaning? Are they as predictable as a low-budget horror flick, traveling from beach to beach, seeing the same thing?

Well, grab another helping of  popcorn 'cause as it turns out, it is not complicated.

The Florida Coastal Management Program along with several other government organizations (Florida Beach Patrol Chiefs Association, the United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), and the International Life Saving Federation) has created a "uniform waving flag program for use by Florida’s beachfront communities." 

Thank goodness for that!

Seriously, imagine grabbing your board and showing up at one beach with red flags while your bud 10 minutes away flies orange flags...and the same conditionse? Hey, Don't open THAT door...confusing to say the least.

This beauty needs no warning system

According to FCMP, beaches now have "flags in four colors accompanied by interpretive signs along the beach to explain the meaning of each color."

Using the small key below, see if you can interpret the signs.

• Red flags with a no swimming symbol indicate that the water is closed to the public.
• Red flags without a symbol indicate a high hazard from surf and/or currents.
• Yellow flags indicate a medium hazard from moderate surf and/or currents.
• Green flags indicate a low hazard with calm conditions. Beachgoers should still exercise caution.
• Purple flags indicate a hazard from dangerous marine life. These flags are used in conjunction with another colored flag indicating the current surf/current conditions.

The flag pic above coordintates with this interpretive sign. So the purple sign for "dangerous marine life" warns of Jelly Fish. The green flag heralds a "low hazard." Look beyond the guard post or the sign and see the sea is pretty much flat. Now check out this one:

Not only are the waves much bigger but you can see that the flags are straight out due to plenty of wind. In this case, an inexperienced beach goer, like me, might want to stick to the sand and stay out of the water.

My final thought, imagine a stop light: green is go, yellow is caution, red is stop. That is pretty good advice for the beach...purple, you say? Check the interpretive signs to see what it refers to before splashing about. Above

Finally, always be alert, never go alone and just plain be smart when taking to the beach. Mother Nature can always throw a curve ball.

Until next time, Eli

Hurricane Irene's Gift

SURF!!!

I really have so much to learn about the ocean, its beauty and its power. For several days here in Palm Beach, we watched as weather forecasters anticipated Hurricane Irene would be a nasty visitor here. Slowly, however, those same weather Joe's discovered her true path would be farther north. Check out the National Hurricane Center for current news of Tropical disturbances.

I asked a number of locals about their ideas of what this storm would bring here, and several said that the waves would be huge and the surfers would respond.

See the layers...impressive.

I had to see for myself just what it was like: to watch, to listen and to stand in awe of Mother Nature's "gift".

I chatted with a young man named Arturo, and I asked him, "As a surfer, how do you know when it's time to get up on your board?"

He responded, "There is a fine line between getting up and disaster. It's so quick and you have to lean in to the wave."

Ryan, a confident surfer, found that fine line in these shots.

Anyone out there today must be confident in their abilities and hopefully they have a buddy to watch out for them. Just getting beyond the break looks brutal to this mountain mom.

Until next time, Eli

{all images in this post were photographed by moi!}