It was the rest day at the end of the road trip with my daughters. We had planned a trip to the beach, but Katey wanted to sleep in. Cheryl was worn out!
Ellen went to the beach by herself and found an opportunity for just one more adventure… parasailing. Ellen sent me these photos of her great adventure to share on my blog. I hope you enjoy them. I know I did!
A small boat carries a very excited Ellen out into the Gulf of Mexico.Let’s go!Up, up, and away!This is so cool!This is great!A beautiful view!We’re losing altitude!We’re gonna splash down…Wow! What an incredible experience!
A new elevated walkway at a rest stop gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs. Ellen walked the entire walkway. Cheryl just climbed to the tower and enjoyed the view, the cool breeze, and the company of birds.
Artistic Landscaping featuring native plants has a subtle beauty that welcomes wildlife and visitors. We saw one tiny alligator in the water, but animals come and go as they please, so you might see more on another day.You can see the wetlands for miles from the tower. Looking down, Cheryl saw many different birds from this cool, shady vantage point.Katey, didn’t I tell you not to feed the alligators?
Feeding Tarpon Before Breakfast
Ellen’s presence caused a commotion!Ellen feeding tarpon, a fish popular with anglers. The largest one we saw was about four feet long.
This little guy tried hard, but was out-competed by bigger fish!
One of the big guys gets the fish!
Walking around Theater of the Sea
The show begins.
This Parrot thinks he is a big star, and he will perform when he is good and ready. The other tropical birds in the show and the spectators will just have to wait until he finishes his pedicure.
The Seal Show is delightful. You can also book a swim with the seals.
Sea turtles like lettuce.
A Manta Ray prefers a large fish.
Theater of the Sea also has sharks, crocodiles, tortoises and other animals.
Everglades National Park Boat Tours
The Starlight boat tour included a spectacular sunset, stars, and bioluminescent seaweed. Fish in the boat wake were eating seaweed, an exciting sight. A very informative presentation. Our guide, who developed this popular new boat tour, was knowledgeable about the various constellatioons we saw and the mythological stories about them. She also told us about the history of the area. Coot’s Bay was named for the ducks that used to live there before engineering projects turned it to saltwater.
Photo by Arnold Dogelis from Unsplash.
It was a beautiful day in Everglades National Park for our daytime boat tour.
Lovely reflections!
Can you find the baby American crocodile hiding among the mangrove roots?
A large mangrove tree.Tannins in the water camoflauge this small manatee.Our guide was very knowledgeable about the wildlife we saw and the turbulent history of what is now Everglades National Park. The area around the town of Flamingo was inhabited by Plume hunters and charcoal manufactures. The flamingos are back and multiplying, but to see them, you have to rent a kayak and go to another area.
Everglades National Park is still home to the Micosukee tribe of Native Americans. Their villages, airboats rides, and restaurants are scattered throughout the Park.
Robert is Here Zoo & Farm Stand
Katey went back for more lettuce. 11 AM, but it seems to be lunchtime already!
Still nursing, this calf also enjoys hay!Ellen feeds lettuce to the Mama cow.Aw, what a sweet face!Where’s my watermelon?Ellen bought watermelon just for the emus.Relaxing in the shade.Tortoises in their “tunnels”, and iguanas everywhere!
A Big Thank You to Katey & Ellen for providing the photos!
One dolphin is carrying an American Flag. The other is waiting for fish from his trainer.
A dolphin show at Theater of the Sea. Photos by Ellen Maher and Katey Batavia.
Dolphins & Humans,
a History of Friendship
It is a deeply moving experience interacting with dolphins. They have been friends of humans for thousands of years, following ships and coming to beaches to swim with people. They have also been known to protect human swimmers from sharks.
Like horses and dogs, dolphins can be trained to work as therapy animals for disabled people. My late husband, who was a quadriplegic, gave his family a Christmas present of swimming with dolphins in Key Largo. The facility used revenues from dolphin swims to support dolphin programs for disabled children.
The dolphins in Key Largo swam freely in the ocean and voluntarily returned to their cove when they were scheduled to work. Sadly, the government eventually forced the facility to confine the dolphins to the cove. Since dolphins are marine mammals, there were concerns that human diseases might spread to wild dolphins.
Bottle-nosed dolphins, California sea lions and seals, and beluga whales in military marine mammal programs rescue lost personnel and recover sunken equipment. They protect harbors and naval vessels. Using their ecolocation abilities, dolphins excel at discovering mines, dropping weighted buoys near the mines to mark the location. These are defensive missions. There have been rumors of military marine mammals being used in offensive missions. Environmentalists are concerned that this practice could put entire populations of these animals at risk.
At a Venice, Florida jetty, groups of wild dolphins often come and perform just for the applause. Robert and I once watched a group of five or six dolphins put on a fifteen-minute show at the jetty.
A trainer at Theater of the Sea said she had previously worked with a dolphin who was sixty-eight years old. Dolphins may live close to 100 years. Theater of the Sea dolphins swim in a large natural body of water with many small fish in the shallows, so there are probably lots of fish to eat. The trainer said that dolphins at Theater of the Sea are never coerced to perform, but choose to interact with people and love their jobs.
While dogs are said to be “man’s best friend” on land, dolphins may be humans’ best friend at sea.
* Information on military marine mammals is from AI Overview and comes from Wikipedia and CNN.
Katey and Ellen meet the dolphins.Hello, Elllen!Hi, Katey!A kiss from Katey.Paddleboard fun! Ellen being towed by a dolphin.Katey, paddleboard.Ellen gets a ride from two dolphins.Ellen. What a thrilling ride!Katey’s turn.A pat from Ellen.Diving with the dolphins. Katey.
Katey and the dolphin diving.
Bye!, Ellen and Katey! It was fun…Come back soon!
Photos by Theater of the Sea Photography, Islamorada, Florida
Ask and you’ll be given the key to this heart of mine.
I’ll be waiting there with my arms unfurled.
Waiting just for you… Welcome to my world!
Splish, Splash! I was taking a bath. Rub-a-dub-dub, just relaxing in the tub…thinking everything was alright.
Splish, splash! Well, how was I to know there was a party going on?
Movin’ and a grovin’, rockin’ and a rollin’! Flip, flop! They was doin’ the bop…(They all had) the dancin’ bug!
Photos are by photographers at Theater of the Sea, Islamorada, Florida.
Road Trip with My Daughters, Ellen & Katey
Happy Birthday, Ellen!
Thankfully, Robert is feeling well enough for me to go away for a few days. It was wonderful spending time with my daughters again! We celebrated Ellen’s fifty-seventh birthday at an Asian fusion restaurant the night they arrived.
Travel Day
The drive across Alligator Alley and down the Keys the next day was spectacularly beautiful. The Key lime pie at dinner that night exceeded expectations.
Feeding Tarpon, Theater of the Sea
& Starlight Boat Tour at Everglades National Park
The next day, we had breakfast at an open air restaurant on the bay and fed bait fish to the tarpon. I confess that I just watched. Tarpon are very large fish popular with Florida fishermen. After breakfast, we headed over to Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, FL.
Ellen and Katey sent me this Mother’s Day E-card. My swim with the dolphins and the photos are my Mothers Day present from my daughters.
Swimming with the dolphins at Theater of the Sea was a thrilling and heartwarming experience. I went on the shallow water dolphin encounter, a Mother’s Day gift from my daughters. We took in shows with parrots, seals, dolphins, and tortoises. Ellen and Katey went on the deep water dolphin encounter. Then we drove to Everglades National Park, eating snacks for supper as we drove, and arriving just in time to board our boat for the starlight tour.
The Starlight boat tour in Everglades National Park was fascinating, beautiful, and a very different experience. Our guide was the originator of this unusual tour. Going in late May, we had to contend with mosquitos and horse flies on the night boat tour. Bug spray was useless! The best time to visit the Everglades is from November-March.
Kayaking, Boat Tour, Everglades National Park,
Havana Spice & Robert is Here
The next day, we spent some time at a small museum in the visitor center and picked up some souvenirs in the gift shop. On the daytime boat tour, we saw many magnificent Florida animals and learned a lot about the wildlife and the history of the area. Our guide was excellent!
That night, we had supper at Havana Spice in Florida City, a delicious Cuban meal. The coconut flan was outstanding!
The next day, on our way home, we stopped at Robert is Here, our favorite produce market/zoo in Florida City. We fed the animals and bought some local fruit.
Back Home, Rest Day, Parasailing
Katey and I took it easy, but Ellen went to the beach and discovered an opportunity to go parasailing! The next morning, the girls were on the road to Orlando to celebrate my great niece’s destination high school graduation.
Watch for more posts from our road trip: Deep Water Dolphin Swim, Animal Shows, Boat Tours, Parasailing, and more!
Gulf Coast Poet 