Clear Water With Pelicans

The small river that runs down the side of Buttonwood Bay, winter home of Silverback and his friends, looks in many ways like a British river -- boats moored along its banks, pretty greenery, duckweed and indeed ducks.

The trees are mostly conifers  - - and palm trees, which give a bit of a clue to the fact that Florida is rather warmer than I'm used to.

If you look carefully in the bright sunshine whilst walking along the bank, you can spot the occasional greenish log on the other side of the river, and the occasional upturned German helmet in the water.

The German helmets are turtles.  The greenish logs are alligators.  We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.  Okay, we're not in the Yorkshire Dales either.

Today, after a delightful couple of days enjoying the hospitality of Silverback and his friends, we set off with Silverback for a couple of days on the west coast of Florida.

We found a lovely beach called Sand Keys at Clearwater - white sand, blue sea, palm trees and a great little building with changing cubicles.  Now after years of swimming on beaches with no such changing rooms, I have perfected the art of changing from Fully Dressed to Swimsuit without revealing an inch of flesh and my Under Towel Wriggle is second to none.  Nevertheless it was great to have a changing room, and showers too.

So out I went across the white sand and into the blue sea which was warm enough to walk straight into.  Now I was brought up to swim in the Lake District in April so no cold sea deters me - - but wow, this was great.  Clearwater lived up to its name - beautiful clean sea and as it is November, after all, not too many people swimming.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better I heard a loud splash nearby and a huge pelican surfaced and swallowed a fish, followed by many others.  They were so near I felt I could almost touch them - I didn't try, mind.  I have never seen a pelican so close up, and was really grateful for my prescription goggles so I could see them properly.

Swimming in a perfect sea watching pelicans fishing nearby.  I've been lucky enough to visit some great places this year but I think this was, perhaps, the single occasion I enjoyed the most.

I can't post photographs as I'm typing this on Silverback's computer, which he has kindly lent me, but I hope to show you some soon.  I know that when I get back to Blighty I'll be wondering if I was really here, so it's good to have the evidence.