Gary and I arrived at the beach access at the south end of Buttonwood Lane at 5:45 this morning.
*The picture was taken of the access upon our return.
It was still dark as we walked out to the beach. You could see the light house blinking and some lights on Ft Myers Beach. The only thing we could hear was the sound of steady, rhythmic ocean waves. The sea breeze was pleasantly cool too. What a great way to start the day!
There was barely enough light to see marks in the sand, but just a few minutes after we started walking it got a little better. A good thing, because we nearly walked into two deep holes that someone had dug, leaving behind their little shovel and a plastic bucket. We picked those up to drop in the first dumpster we got to.
Just after passing that death trap, there was another abandoned sand pile with a trench dug about a foot deep and all the way out into the water. No way it’s safe to walk on this beach at night.
There are two nests now in our zone. We walked up to each of those, checking for any disturbances that may have occurred to them. But each, looked fine. I stood there wishing I had x-ray vision so I could see how many eggs were in there.
We came across a lounge chair that had been marked for removal, several days ago. So, we each grabbed onto it and drug it along behind us. Then we saw a wire crab trap that had washed up, it got to ride on top of the chair.
Just ahead I could see the little hide-away someone had made, still surviving from last week. I noticed the deep hole that had been dug inside of it.
A little further on, I saw a round, hump in the sand and thought maybe……but no, not a turtle nest! Just more disturbed sand from yesterday.
By now we also had a bag full of trash. When we reached the public beach parking area, we walked up to the dumpster and tossed everything in. It was nice being empty handed again. But of course that didn’t last long and we continued to bend over, time and time again. Why can’t people just pack their trash when they leave? I must have found 8 or 10 little clear plastic caps that come on sun lotions, a couple of pampers that they had taken time to fold neatly and stick together and then carry it to lay in the dunes. I swear, people clean up better behind their dogs here, than they do their babies.
The light house looks kind of eerie as it blinks, before the sun comes up. I stopped to take a picture for a friend who spends her vacations staying with her brother, who lives in one of those two houses. I think it will make her smile as she thinks of sitting on that porch, sipping her morning coffee, or walking out the path to the beach for a stroll. The pathway to the second house had white decorative netting and bows, strung on each side and across a handmade arch of some sort. It looked like the remnants of a wedding that may have happened there.
It was finally getting a little lighter out as the sun made that pink glow, just before it peeks out.
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The tide was in again, so we walked around by the pathway. The tree roots were there with roots still exposed, only they look a little different each time we pass.
I noticed that the sea grapes were hanging full with clusters of grapes now.
We noticed a dead fish laying in the water, every now and then, making us wonder if perhaps there was red tide lurking somewhere.
The fishing pier was a little crowded with fishermen this morning. As we walked around the walkway, we found a small fish lying in the path, with the hook and short line still attached. Gary took that to the trash can, probably saving someone’s bare foot.
There was a heron walking in the water, twisting its neck back and forth, looking for breakfast. I think it was a Blue Heron, but it had a purple color neck. Either that or the color was caused from the pink glow of the rising sun. It was kind of amusing, so we stood watching for a while.
After we walked a little way further, I couldn’t help but look back toward the fishing pier for the usual sight of the sun coming up behind it.
There were shells piled up by the seawalls again today, but they were small ordinary ones that didn’t look too interesting.
We climbed over the roots of my favorite old tree, and of course I had to look back again. The sun was really bright now and the view between the trees was awesome!
I think it was right about here, that we began wondering how a private home owner would be allowed to pile huge rocks all the way out across the beach. No doubt it is to protect their lawn from being washed away by the waves, but a curiosity none the less.
Some of the owners have huge rows of sea grapes growing out to the water’s edge, making it nearly impossible to get past when the tide is in. It does certainly add to the beauty of their landscaping though.
All of a sudden, there we were at the north end of Buttonwood Lane. The time had flown by because it was such a pleasant morning and I suppose I was just happy to be back in these beautiful surroundings once more.
As we turned to leave the beach, I looked at the street ahead and smiled to myself as I saw the tall hedges that line both sides, were still blooming. The sprinkler systems were on at a couple of properties making the trees and flowers sparkle in the sunlight.
I stopped to take a picture of a pretty pink plumeria for a friend, and a couple unique mailboxes that adorn this street.
As Gary called our Permittee with a report of our walk, I smiled once again as I listened to the sounds of the ocean and the birds chirping. I thought about all of the beauty here and how fortunate I am to be able to look at it every day.
