My first shark!

Devin and I went to Merritt Island today to go to a nature park which turned out not to be very big. We did find a letterbox in the area though which was fun. Since the Merritt Island nature park was small we went to Lori Wilson Park and walked the nature trail there. Then we got shaved ice and went to Seagull Park (beach). We saw more sea turtles this time and we saw a 4 foot shark disturbingly close into shore (about knee deep water if that). A man came up to us as we were getting in the water to let us know that he has seen a shark swimming around and then we watched the water for a while and saw him. We think it was an Atlantic Sharpnose shark.

Surfing and turtles

Today was awesome. Devin and I spent the day at the beach and the weather was gorgeous. Devin has been having a major snow cone craving so we stopped at a shaved ice place on the way and they have the best shaved ice ever! We brought our boogie board and surfboard and the waves were perfect, they were big enough to catch, but smooth enough that they rolled under you instead of pummeling you into the sand. One of the best parts was that there were sea turtles swimming in the water. Their shells were about a foot long and they seemed to be just chilling at the surface. I paddled up to one and petted it but then it swam away very, very quickly. Towards the end of our beach time I stood up all the way on my board for the very first time. Yay!

Sea turtles are amazing!

So today I fiiiiiiiiinally got my Florida license plate. I really didn’t need to wait so long since they didn’t make me show any proof of residence or fill out any paperwork or really do much at all. So much easier than Wisconsin. I picked the Protect our Reefs plate; it was a tossup between that one and the sea turtle one. I also purchased my fishing license while I was there so now I can go fishing.
Speaking of sea turtles, Devin met me after work at the Motel (and he brought be chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream) to watch for sea turtles. On our way back down the beach we saw a sea turtle, I think a loggerhead, digging her whole. We stayed the entire time and watched her lay her eggs and make her way back to the ocean. She was so calm and purposeful the entire time; it looked very tiring. It was amazing. AMAZING. Probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The pictures are pretty terrible since I didn’t use a flash (light can confuse them) until she was back in the water and far away. If you ever have a chance to watch a sea turtle do it.