The Eagle and the Osprey

Stuart Florida
N 27 12.86 W 080 15.46

Osprey are marvelous at fishing.  I've blogged about that before.   When the Osprey decides that it is time for dinner, it seldom take him or her more than 15 minutes to catch one big enough to feed the whole family.  

Then they have the problem of flying back to the nest carrying that heavy load of fish.  Sometimes, they have to take it in several legs, stopping to rest.  Sometimes, the fish proves to be too big and too heavy and the bird is forced to drop the fish to avoid crashing.    Their skill is remarkable.  Last year I blogged about an osprey in the Neuse River near New Bern.  He was able to fly two feet above the water and then climb 10 feet just as he approached the nest high on a piling.  The eight foot climb bled off airspeed so that the bird stalled his flight just inches above the nest, and dropped gently on target.  Awesome skill.

Eagles too catch fish, and among them the bald eagle is most spectacular.  However, I don't think the eagle's skill matches that of the osprey.  A couple of weeks ago in Boot Key Harbor we witnessed a real life nature drama.   Another boater first spotted it and he cried out for others to watch.

An osprey caught a fish and he was flying back to his nest with it.  A bald eagle spotted this and decided to rob the osprey's fish rather than catch his own.   They flew past us with the osprey doing evasive maneuvers with the eagle about 40 feet behind.    For a few seconds it seemed that the osprey outsmarted the eagle.   He dove down to a level below the mast heights of the numerous sailboats in the mooring field.  The eagle was unwilling to do that so he backed off.   But it didn't last.  Soon they were past the mooring field, and the osprey lost its cover.  The eagle pressed the attack.  When the eagle closed to within 15 feet of the osprey, the osprey dropped the fish.  The eagle dove and retrieved the fish from the water before it sank.

We felt privileged to witness the little drama.  Now my awe of the osprey's skills is even more.  In addition to it's flying and fishing skills, it must have been able to look over its shoulder to see what the eagle was doing behind.  That is truly amazing.

Okeechobee at Night

Port Mayaca
26 59.17 N 080 37.85 W

It is fun to think out of the box once in a while. We were planning on getting to Clewiston around 17 00 and anchoring for the night.

Instead we got the idea to keep going. One more hour of motoring and we made a turn into open water with 15 knots of wind 40 degrees off the bow. It made a very nice sail close hauled. After an hour, the sun went down. The moon and planets and stars are spectacular.

Now around 2200 we arrived totally mellowed. The wind is gone and we are anchored out in the lake. In the morning we can navigate into the water way.

Life is good. Opportunities like this must be seized. Carpe Diem.

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Dick & Libbys List of Great Places To Live

En Route, Caloosahatchee River
26 47.52 N 081 08.D

Our stay in LaBelle was thoroughly enjoyable.  In fact, we went back to that BBQ restaurant last night and I had the best fish I've ever tasted.  It was breaded and fried, and it has a marvelously delicate taste.  I have no idea what kind of fish it was.  I think the real point is that Southern Cooking at its best is delicious.  Anyhow, all that enjoyment started Libby and I talking about places we like and inspired this blog post.

After discussion, Libby and I narrowed our list of favorite places to live.  Note that many places are fun to visit,  Burlington, Whitehall, Waterford, Elizabeth City, Oriental, New Bern, Fernandina, Vero Beach and Marathon just to name a few.  But a smaller list of places strike us as ideal places to live.  Here's our short list, all dating to our 7 years of cruising.

1. Belfast, Maine
2. Vergennes, Vermont
3. Newark, New York
4. LaBelle, Florida

At first, these places seem to have little in common.  But in our view the common thread is strong -- the people.  In  each of those places we felt that we would fit right in with the townspeople.  That we would be welcomed, and that we would enjoy the town and our neighbors.  It is the people more than the location that motivated our choices.

Don't jump to the conclusion that this talk is a precursor to us wanting to settle down.  In our discussion, Libby and I agreed on two major hindrances to that.  First, after 7 years on the go, we are veteran nomads.  We have the nomadic life style in our blood.

Second, we are thoroughly spoiled about ambient temperatures.  Every fall we go slowly south, following the pleasant temperatures.  We stop at 25 degrees North latitude.  Every spring, we go slowly north, following the pleasant temperatures, stopping at 45 degrees North.  We live year round with no heat, no air conditioning and with the windows and doors open in ambient temperatures 60-80F (16-27C) 90% of the time. and (45-85F) 99% of the time.  We know of no place in the Eastern USA, where we could live year round without heat or AC.  Perhaps San Diego is the closest such place, and I'm not sure about that.  Maybe readers can suggest places we don't know about.

p.s. Tomorrow we plan to cross Lake Okechobee.  Then we will be on the Eastern side of Florida.

Carnivore Heaven

LaBelle, FL
26 46.13 N 081 26.29 W

Several friends and family have in recent years become totally or partially vegetarian. We too eat much less meat than we used to. It just isn't attractive as it once was. Well, that outcome may have been totally different if we lived in the South within reach of a top BBQ restaurant.

We went to that restaurant I mentioned.  The name has changed, now it is Honest John's Log Cabin BBQ.  Boy were we glad.   I had pulled pork and Libby got Prime Ribs, both were absolutely delicious.  If that weren't enough, the ambiance of the place was great.  We did people watching.  We bantered with people at nearby tables.  We marveled at the pictures of local color on the walls.  A farmer came in with his family.  His face, turned to leather by the sun, was a dead giveaway -- it was the most stereotypical farmer's face I recall seeing.  He and his family were in a great mood anticipating the good food.

If that weren't enough, the new owners of this restaurant offered us complimentary Brunswick Stew before the meal and complimentary ice cream after the meal.   Wow, what a great time.  I'd like to return there tonight to try their fish.  Last night others were raving about how good the fish was.

The Jewel of Florida

Caloosahatchee River, Florida
26 45.55 N 081 27.56 W

We haven't been *everyplace* on Florida's waterways and rivers yet. For example, much of the Saint John's River we have yet to see. However, among the things we *have* seen, Libby and I agree that this Caloosahatchee River between Fort Myers and Lake Okechobee is the best Florida has to offer.

Florida's coasts are populated by northerners and retirees. There are too many people, too much money, far too many cars, and too little culture. Here, we are in the interior of Florida. It is predominantly agricultural. Lemon trees line the river banks on both sides. The culture here is closer to the traditional Florida Cracker. Even the waterfront homes we see seem to be from another era in the 1950s or older.

The natural scenery and the wildlife along this river are wonderful. My best comparison is Otter Creek in Vermont. Long time readers of this blow know how Otter Creek sends us into wild excursions of euphoria.

We're coming soon to Labelle. On our first visit there, we found the town to be charming a prosperous. It was like a transplanted Mexican city, filled with Mexican farm workers. On our second visit, it was depressed, because the 2008 recession had wiped out the jobs for those workers. We hope that this visit will find Labelle restored. At the very least, I hope to have dinner at Skeet & Sara's Log Cabin BBQ. Years ago we had the best BBQ meat we ever tasted at that place. I still fantasize about that BBQ meal I ate there years ago. I blogged about it here. I'm not online right now so I can't look up the link for you.

By the way, we want to give bad reviews to Fort Myers aa an anchorage. We took a mooring there from the city marina so that we could have shower and WIFI privileges. But the weather turned nasty and the river became unbelievably rough. I can't remember a less comfortable night and day spend on the boat before. We almost needed seasickness remedies. My advice, continue up the Caloosahacthee past the Franklin Lock, and stay at the Franklin campground. That place is well sheltered and tranquil.