Still Gravity

The dense Sprenger's asparagus - License our images  here . It doesn't look like the garden asparagus ( Asparagus officinalis ), the one we eat. Sprenger's asparagus ( Asparagus aethiopicus ) comes from the southern tip of Africa. Ornamental and at the same time invasive, this is an itchy weed.  Sprenger's asparagus is toxic to domestic cats and dogs. 

The mysterious moon came for a glimpse of the freezing night - License our images  here .  Wind is blowing hard. The night sky is tinted in red. A big cold is on the way. Time to awake Mr. Heater. Tasty smell of hot chocolate in the tiny camper. Ready for the coldness. Sign out.   

Alum Cave Trail in the Smoky Mountains - License our images  here .         Use a bridge!  No bridge? Then... this is the theory, but no guaranties.  The main danger is the current. Check its strength and direction.  Slow and slightly deep water is safer than low and fast. Check what lays up and downriver - submerged stuff can be a deadly trap if taken by the current.  Avoid turbid waters. Check for dangerous wildlife. Wait if the water level is high. Camp until next morning if there is snow drainage - level will get lower with the cold of the night. Chilly waters are dangerous. Snow bridges are risky.  Plan ways to break free from the current if pulled downriver. Cross through a straight section of the river. Untie the backpack. If the current takes you down, drop it.  Don't remove your shoes.  Cross

C by the ocean - License our images  here .  She faces the fiery gulf painted with the tones of the sunset. Relaxed. Thoughtful. Enjoying the quietness she always loves. Here is the girl of so many years. The girl of the good times. The girl of the bad times. The holder of the family when I was far away. Brave mother. Brave wife. Brave Viking girl. Best thing in my life.

The squirrel was cut in half - License our images  here .         One second alive and the next dead. Bad luck for this poor squirrel. We found the remains on a sidewalk. The killing looks fresh and is a reminder of how our natural world works. There is always the risk of dying. We live surrounded by death. Remember.  This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.      T.S. Eliot, " The Hollow Men " 

Sandpiper on one leg - License our images  here .  No, the bird is not missing a leg. This is a common thing for shorebirds. This posture means less heat loss for the animal. Besides this, they look cool standing on one leg.

Another creative RV in a campsite. Once in a while, we meet curious, strange, and interesting camping vehicles in campgrounds. This one was made with an airplane fuselage, but as said on the bumper, it's "not a UFO". Clever and durable for sure, but it also attracts a ton of attention. 

Kayak in the Little Manatee River - License our images  here . A day of hiking in this small Florida state park located south of Tampa Bay. This place is crossed by the Little Manatee River. Waters are clean but tinted by tannings - it's a blackwater river. They look like slow flowing tea. The trails are sandy. We found many fallen trees blocking them. The victims of hurricane Ian. The longest trail is on the north side of the river. Its trailhead is outside the park entrance. It runs for six miles.  There is a small campground in this park. We may return to camp here. 

Reddish daisies - License our images  here .  Mexican sunflower ( Tithonia rotundifolia ) grows in the range of 4 to 6 feet tall. Some of the plants have three lobed leaves and other not - no idea why. The underside of the leaves is hairy. Deadheading the spent flowers will prolong the blooming. In Spanish they are known as girasol mexicano, acahual rojo, o jalacate. 

The campsite of The Runaway Gang in Turtle Beach, Florida - License our images  here . YouTubers in the camp! These folks have a cute little trailer and a gazebo similar to ours . Let's do some free advertisement for them. Check The Runaway Gang  on YouTube. 

Yellow leaves here and there - License our images  here .  They look like flowers from the distance. But they are just dry leaves that represent the sacrifice of the few for the many. Some biologists say that they help to filter the salt - there are different opinions on the matter.  Mangroves are important because they stabilize the land and offer some hurricane protection. Save the coastal "walking trees".

The "paintings" - License our images  here . What are those yellow spots on the bark of red mangroves? Lichens. Red mangroves are the perfect home for them. And what are lichens? A mix of fungus and blue-green algae - the first one is a parasite of the second one. Science doesn't know well the relation between them and the coastal tree.  There are many species of lichen in the planet. The count goes for over 18,000. What a big family.

The fishing pelican - License our images  here . The pelican flew twice over the canal before dropping to the water in a big splash. Then the floating bird remained still, carried by the slow current. Lighting fast, the pelican scooped a fish. I was too slow and only got the aftermath, the gulping of the prey. Death comes fast in the natural world.

The Little Manatee River by Ruskin, Florida - License our images  here .  Some Mr. Ruskin was the founder of this city in the early years of the 20th century. It's on the eastern banks of the Little Manatee River near its delta to Tampa Bay. We did a bike tour of the small town.  Stop for a break at Ruskin Commongood Park. Just us and a couple of folks launching boats at the ramp. Small and quiet place.  On the western bank of the river is Cockroach Bay Preserve State Park. We didn't go there - it's a group of islands only accessible by boat. The name comes from the Spaniards. They knew the horseshoe crabs as cockroaches.  We saw new real estate developments in the surrounding area. It took a century, but Ruskin is growing. 

Interesting bus conversion - License our images  here .         We saw it in a campground of Florida by Tampa Bay. Not the most aerodynamic design, but very creative work. We guessed how it moves on the roads with such a structure. In another camp, we saw one that looked like a plane - need to find the photo.  PS: Found it! Check it here . 

Bahia Beach, Florida (St. Petersburg seen in the horizon) - License our images  here .       White sands on the murky waters of Tampa Bay near the delta of the Little Manatee River. Nice residential community with marinas and a restaurant - the Sunset Grill.  Seated on the fishing pier, we took faraway glimpses of Downtown St. Petersburg with its domed Dali Museum - we've a picture  of the building from a previous trip to Fort de Soto. A little to the west, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge crossing over the mouth of Tampa Bay.  Curious 15 miles bike ride that ended with a tasty lunch.  We find amazing places exploring. Get lost and enjoy the trip. Forget about the destination.

Our campsite in the West Campground - License our images  here . Coast of mangroves, manatees, and infinite species of mosquitoes, gnats, and no-see-ums. Five days at E.G. Simmons Conservation Park in Tampa Bay, Florida. Daily walks on the swampy little beach by the bay. It's been taken by an army of pelicans. Strong smell of fish. The tallest buildings of Downtown St. Petersburg and Tampa peeking us from across the bay at our favorite spot: Panther Point.  Every sunset, a horde of mosquitoes met us with German punctuality. From the safety of the camper, we saw them come and go until complete darkness. Then we got permission to get out.  C couldn't escape the tiny no-see-ums and she made a skin reaction to their bites. Bloody bastards.

Noisy Royal Tern between annoyed seagulls - License our images  here . The male was calling nonstop puzzling the nearby seagulls. Looks like a non-breading adult because it lost its black cap and now shows its bare forehead. Royal Terns are social but territorial. The raised crest is a sign of aggression. After a while, the other flew away and the angry screamer followed. Big relief for the seagulls.

Sunset in the Gulf of Mexico - License our images  here . The good: camp close to the beach. The bad: camp close to the road. The awesome: the sunsets of the Gulf of Mexico. Some days of beach relaxation in the west coast of South Florida. Bike rides through Siesta Key. Food and drinks at the Village. Hike to Casey Key - a place that we dubbed "gnats beach". There were YouTubers in the camp . One day, their gazebo came down under heavy rain. New adventurous content for their channel. LOL.