From sea to shining sea. Share The Love.
Showing posts with label fun-in-the-sun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun-in-the-sun. Show all posts
Love For Beach and America
Because this matters. Love for family. Love for America. Love for all the living things around us that is our responsibility to protect so generations from now our family and their families are blessed to share all the same Love.
Advice For Anyone Moving To Florida
Here's some starter advice for anyone moving to Florida - lots of stuff we learned after we did move here. Lots of differences from living up North? Absolutely and yes, I would say all of these are true.
Lots of spirit here in Florida and lots of straight talking fun in the Sunshine State.
ADVICE FOR ANYONE MOVING TO FLORIDA:
1. If you don't like the weather in Florida, wait 15 minutes, it will change
2. If you do run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in the cab of a four wheel drive with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.
3. Remember: "Y'all" is singular. "All y'all" is plural. "All y'all's" is plural possessive.
4. Get used to the phrase "It's not the heat, it's the humidity". And the collateral phrase "You call this hot? Wait'll August."
5. Don't tell us how you did it up there. Nobody cares.
6. If you think it's too hot, don't worry. It'll cool down-in December.
7. A Mercedes-Benz is not a status symbol, a Jeep, Chevy, Dodge, or Ford is.
8. If someone says they're "fixin" to do something, that doesn't mean anything's broken.
9. The value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but the availability of shade.
10. The coldest spot in all of Florida any time of year is Publix. Don't forget to bring your shopping sweater.
11. BBQ is a food group. It does NOT mean grilling burgers and hot dogs outdoors.
12. Yes, weddings, funerals, and divorces must take into account for Gators,Canes or Noles Football games.
13. Do not tell Floridians you hate snakes, gators or sharks. They were here first apparently and don't deserve your hate.
14. DO NOT honk your horn at us to be obnoxious, we will sit there until we die.
15. We pull over and stop for emergency vehicles to pass.
16. We pull over for funeral processions, turn our music off and men remove hats or caps. Some people put their hand over their heart.
17. "Bless your Heart" is a nice way of saying you're an idiot.
18. Did I mention absolutely every body of water in Florida is assumed to have at least one alligator and/or crocodile just waiting for you to visit.
19. Did I mention If you don't like the weather in Florida, wait 15 minutes, it will change!
Florida Sea Otter Visitors
Florida is like no place else I've ever lived. Unpredictable weather. Crazy heat and rainstorms. Magnificent sunrise and sunsets. Beaches that are the freedom path of the heart and mind. Crazy visits from animals, some we like to see and some not so much. While we love nature and animals I really do not welcome any visits from snakes or alligators. Not a fan of armadillos and moles. As long as they don't enter my space, I don't evict them from theirs sort of live and let live.
We do however love the bunny rabbits especially the baby bunnies that stop by and munch on some of our pretty lawn. We have been thrilled to see herons and cranes strolling by. Seeing the occasional bobcat and baby bobcats stroll by has been thrilling to be honest. And some days you get lucky and the sea otters stop by to visit on their way from lake to river.
Fun and unpredictable. We are very careful to respect their environment and just get to wave hello and goodbye. You never know what will happen next in Florida.
We do however love the bunny rabbits especially the baby bunnies that stop by and munch on some of our pretty lawn. We have been thrilled to see herons and cranes strolling by. Seeing the occasional bobcat and baby bobcats stroll by has been thrilling to be honest. And some days you get lucky and the sea otters stop by to visit on their way from lake to river.
Fun and unpredictable. We are very careful to respect their environment and just get to wave hello and goodbye. You never know what will happen next in Florida.
Hi From The Beach
Hi from the beach always a welcome no matter the weather, you are welcome to visit. You may have to bundle up in winter jackets, shed everything but your bathing suit or find some beach gear inbetween. Quick dry pants, shorts and tops are awesome for the beach especially for those days when you aren't really going to just sunbathe or swim in the waves.
Beaches are waiting for you come fishing, shelling and walking. The power of the ocean, waves, sun, wind and sand will do what they will and it's you that needs to be prepared!
The only thing that's hard about the beach welcome, is when it's time to leave. I hate to say goodbye but always ready for my next welcome to the beach adventure.
Beaches are waiting for you come fishing, shelling and walking. The power of the ocean, waves, sun, wind and sand will do what they will and it's you that needs to be prepared!
No matter how many times I go to the beach, no matter which beaches I go to, it's always that first glimpse of the sea that welcomes me the most. Suddenly the sun, clouds, waves, noise, smells and sounds all blend together to wrap you in it's world.
The only thing that's hard about the beach welcome, is when it's time to leave. I hate to say goodbye but always ready for my next welcome to the beach adventure.
Horses On The Beach Day
Just when you think you are having the perfect beach day.... The family is there up bright and early and ready for adventure. Great friends are visiting from out of town and the sun is shining for them to make new memories by. The fishing is great the guys are pulling in pompano and whiting from the perfect turquoise sea green ocean waves. The shells are completely covering miles of low tide sand. The kids are filled with smiles, seashells, sand castles and sun screen. It's one of those beach days that you are sure just couldn't get better. Until it does.
Off I go walking for miles searching for sea glass (which I found a few nice pieces of!), unusual seashells, humming to myself when I look up and spot three of the most beautiful horses trotting towards me. On their backs are three lovely girls smiling, laughing, patting and petting their horses as they ride past me.
I smile at their happiness to them and say "you just made my beautiful day even better - wow they are beautiful" and with that the oldest of the girls on a gorgeous horse trotted over and said hello. I asked if they were their horses or was it a riding stable.... She told me that they rescued horses and loved them so much. She asked if I wanted to pet her horse Noah and like a 5 year I said "Oh yes I really do" and Noah was soft, with big brown eyes and patiently said hello back to me. I talked to the girls for a little bit and thanked them. For stopping to talk to me. For rescuing horses. For being the next generation that will make our world a better place. For all the love and smiles they add to the world.
It really was an even more beautiful day on the beach.
Off I go walking for miles searching for sea glass (which I found a few nice pieces of!), unusual seashells, humming to myself when I look up and spot three of the most beautiful horses trotting towards me. On their backs are three lovely girls smiling, laughing, patting and petting their horses as they ride past me.
I smile at their happiness to them and say "you just made my beautiful day even better - wow they are beautiful" and with that the oldest of the girls on a gorgeous horse trotted over and said hello. I asked if they were their horses or was it a riding stable.... She told me that they rescued horses and loved them so much. She asked if I wanted to pet her horse Noah and like a 5 year I said "Oh yes I really do" and Noah was soft, with big brown eyes and patiently said hello back to me. I talked to the girls for a little bit and thanked them. For stopping to talk to me. For rescuing horses. For being the next generation that will make our world a better place. For all the love and smiles they add to the world.
It really was an even more beautiful day on the beach.
Whale Bones Found On The Beach
Whale bones I found on the beach still leave me amazed at how big the ocean world is, how old and how diverse. I love finding beach treasures. Always searching for some great seashells, pieces of old treasures like boats, sea glass and some other great unknowns that was ashore. But whale bones! This treasure I did not expect.
The ocean waves were serious the last few days. Even low tide was rocking the beach and covering most of the sand with every wave washing up with it plenty of shells and strong enough to move the beach rocks on some of the beaches (more about that later).
The ocean waves were serious the last few days. Even low tide was rocking the beach and covering most of the sand with every wave washing up with it plenty of shells and strong enough to move the beach rocks on some of the beaches (more about that later).
To be honest, I had no idea when I spotted this pretty amazing looking specimen on the beach what exactly it could be. I just knew it was like nothing I had ever seen before and anything you find on the beach, is some kind of crazy treasure. I cleaned it up and started my google research and before long I was able to easily figure out this is for sure a whale bone vertebrae fossil.
Maybe it was the winter storms that were raging to the North of us that helped send this whale fossil my way, or maybe it's been dislodged from an old whale graveyard from hundreds of years ago and just found it's way to land now. Whichever it is, I feel pretty honored it chose to share this find with me.
Beach Fit Naturally
Beach fit is everyone's goal as soon as the winter starts to end in most places, uh oh summer is coming time to get in shape! The best way I stay more fit these days is the beach. Admittedly I live down South so I can go to the beach more often now, although it gets pretty chilly sometimes in the winter even down here. It's not just the beach that does it though. It's the walking. And walking. You don't even realize how much walking you can do if you aren't thinking about it as exercise.
I wear my Fitbit when I walk on the beach. Well OK I always wear my Fitbit! About 4 years ago I gave up carbs in my never ending search for losing weight, staying gut healthy, sharper and more alert. Healthier. Then the Fitbit age came around and I thought, OK I'll try this but I bet I already burn plenty of calories every day. I started out with a Fitbit Charge. I decided not to ramp up any workouts or walks to see what I already naturally burn in calories a day. I stay pretty busy even though I had retired from 20 years of heavy duty physically demanding firefighting.
Shock of my life. I didn't burn half the calories all the experts said I should burn every day just to maintain my weight!! What! No Way. The second day showed the same results and I realized, I needed to kick up my every day routine. Walking yes. Stepping around the house more often. You can keep your feet, arms and body moving while you cook, brush your teeth, choose your clothes and you can get up and move while you watch TV. Yakking on your phone. Texting with your friends. Guess what get up and get moving. Take a walk. Vacuum the house (I hate cleaning but it really does burn calories and you have a cleaner house afterwards!) Working on your computer. Get up more often take a break walk to your other rooms. Do some chores. Park a little further away when you go shopping. I'm serious! The results just from doing the above is phenomenal.
Not only did I feel great but I have to tell you within 2 weeks, not eating any differently because I already was watching the intake, cutting the carbs and drinking my water - the weight dropped off, just gone. 10 lbs, 15 lbs. I started seeing numbers on my scale I didn't even see as a teenager. And most important I felt great. I'm just sharing I promise I'm not a Fitbit Rep or anything like that.
So when I moved down South I wasn't going to give up my stepping and moving or my Fitbit. Once I found the beach, well that is just heaven. Taking a walk around your community is nice but walking on the beach it's incredible. I love the "steps" I burn the calories with, I love the freedom from stress, laundry, vacuuming, bills. I love the beach and staying fit naturally walking on the sandy beach is the biggest bonus of all.
I did however switch to the Fitbit Flex 2 because it's waterproof perfect for beach days, swimming and not only is light to wear, you can change bands (the charge band fell apart and could not be replaced you had to buy a whole new expensive Fitbit) bands come in sizes that fit not only my wrist but also my ankle for my bicycle exercising. The only downfall is it has not on unit screen you do have to check your phone for your updated stats, this doesn't really bother me but it was a change.
The Fitbit Flex 2 is very inexpensive now probably because it will be replaced with a more expensive Charge version that will be waterproof but at around $59.00 trust me, I really love this Fitbit and never, ever fall below my daily steps it's become too important to me to forget about it or just let it be another "fad".
So even if you can't make it to the beach to go walking, consider a Fitbit or calorie burning tracker that works for you. It motivates you watching real results to get up and get moving. It helps you stay fit physically and when you are so proud of yourself it helps you mentally too. Goals are good and everyone's goal should always be to be proud of themselves for who they are.
Disclaimer: The links above for the Fitbit Flex2 link to Walmart where I bought mine, I do get a small affiliation fee from Walmart if you purchase through this click (help support small businesses like mine if it works for you too!) but you can buy FitBit from many stores and other links online. The important part of this story was to let you know how great it works for me!
I wear my Fitbit when I walk on the beach. Well OK I always wear my Fitbit! About 4 years ago I gave up carbs in my never ending search for losing weight, staying gut healthy, sharper and more alert. Healthier. Then the Fitbit age came around and I thought, OK I'll try this but I bet I already burn plenty of calories every day. I started out with a Fitbit Charge. I decided not to ramp up any workouts or walks to see what I already naturally burn in calories a day. I stay pretty busy even though I had retired from 20 years of heavy duty physically demanding firefighting.
Shock of my life. I didn't burn half the calories all the experts said I should burn every day just to maintain my weight!! What! No Way. The second day showed the same results and I realized, I needed to kick up my every day routine. Walking yes. Stepping around the house more often. You can keep your feet, arms and body moving while you cook, brush your teeth, choose your clothes and you can get up and move while you watch TV. Yakking on your phone. Texting with your friends. Guess what get up and get moving. Take a walk. Vacuum the house (I hate cleaning but it really does burn calories and you have a cleaner house afterwards!) Working on your computer. Get up more often take a break walk to your other rooms. Do some chores. Park a little further away when you go shopping. I'm serious! The results just from doing the above is phenomenal.
Not only did I feel great but I have to tell you within 2 weeks, not eating any differently because I already was watching the intake, cutting the carbs and drinking my water - the weight dropped off, just gone. 10 lbs, 15 lbs. I started seeing numbers on my scale I didn't even see as a teenager. And most important I felt great. I'm just sharing I promise I'm not a Fitbit Rep or anything like that.
So when I moved down South I wasn't going to give up my stepping and moving or my Fitbit. Once I found the beach, well that is just heaven. Taking a walk around your community is nice but walking on the beach it's incredible. I love the "steps" I burn the calories with, I love the freedom from stress, laundry, vacuuming, bills. I love the beach and staying fit naturally walking on the sandy beach is the biggest bonus of all.
I did however switch to the Fitbit Flex 2 because it's waterproof perfect for beach days, swimming and not only is light to wear, you can change bands (the charge band fell apart and could not be replaced you had to buy a whole new expensive Fitbit) bands come in sizes that fit not only my wrist but also my ankle for my bicycle exercising. The only downfall is it has not on unit screen you do have to check your phone for your updated stats, this doesn't really bother me but it was a change.
 |
| Fitbit Flex 2 is waterproof and perfect for the beach and pool |
The Fitbit Flex 2 is very inexpensive now probably because it will be replaced with a more expensive Charge version that will be waterproof but at around $59.00 trust me, I really love this Fitbit and never, ever fall below my daily steps it's become too important to me to forget about it or just let it be another "fad".
So even if you can't make it to the beach to go walking, consider a Fitbit or calorie burning tracker that works for you. It motivates you watching real results to get up and get moving. It helps you stay fit physically and when you are so proud of yourself it helps you mentally too. Goals are good and everyone's goal should always be to be proud of themselves for who they are.
Disclaimer: The links above for the Fitbit Flex2 link to Walmart where I bought mine, I do get a small affiliation fee from Walmart if you purchase through this click (help support small businesses like mine if it works for you too!) but you can buy FitBit from many stores and other links online. The important part of this story was to let you know how great it works for me!
Relax On The Beach
This relax on the beach post is probably different than most others you have seen. It has all the great makings of sand, ocean waves, a scenic beach umbrella and two beach sand chairs. It even has an awesome sea bird time perfectly to beautifully photo bomb my relax on the beach photo.
The difference is I can't remember ever using the beach chairs to actually sit in. Once I did give in and sit under the umbrella for 15 minutes to cool off, but the rest of the time I'm just not sitting in the sand, under the umbrella and watching the waves wash up.
To me relaxing on the beach means taking walks that end up, well I don't know how far I end up! I'm too busy enjoying the sea air, watching the waves and walking in them ankle deep to see how far I ended up. My fitbit is on. I have the cool yet inexpensive waterproof fitbit Flex 2 tracker that goes with me wherever I go (you can read more about why the Fitbit Flex 2 is important to me). I can go back later and look at my phone to see how much mileage I tracked, how many calories I burned.... but no I'm too busy relaxing by not sitting still. There's too much to see. Different areas of the beach have different waves and troughs and sandy inclines. I have to see them all.
There are seashells to look for especially if the high tide left a new wrack line, I don't want to miss any new ones. There is sea glass to search for. Sand dollars could wash up. There is so much to see. Cool dogs are playing in the water and chasing balls on the sandy beaches. Kids are happy and smiling and building sandcastles.
Walking along and seeing what's new at the beach is always what is relaxing to me! But I have to admit after all the sea winds, sandy feet, crashing waves and hopefully a shell bag filled with some new treasures, the best part is going back to home base. Where the family has the sand chairs, beach umbrella, sandy towels and fishing rods, big smiles on their faces greeting me knowing how much I love the beach and these walks. Relaxing on the beach. Keeping it moving that's how I relax on the beach. Just writing about it makes me look forward to.... well hopefully tomorrow when we are seashore bound again.
Beaches Are Beyond Dreams
Beaches are beyond dreams it's part of why I love going there so much. You can dream about an amazing nature scene. Dream about the skies, the clouds, the ocean. You can picture what beauty and amazement is but when you are there, standing on the sand looking north, south, east and west all around you is this amazing phenomenon of endless horizon that blends together yet is still separate and independent.
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Wherever you plant your fishing rod for some shore fishing or lay out your blanket and beach towels there's something wonderful to see, feel, hear and enjoy. Every day is a special day at the beach. A great day for reflections, to let your mind wander. To dream and let the outside world go. At least for a little while.
Relax at home and dream about the beach - we have fun for that too!
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Whale bones I found on the beach still leave me amazed at how big the ocean world is, how old and how diverse. I love finding beach treasur...
