Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2003. Mattie was 14 months old and it was his first trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. At that point, Mattie was still learning to walk. It was a very hot and humid day, but Peter managed up all the steps of the Corolla Lighthouse with Mattie on his back. I think this photo is a riot..... Peter was smiling and Mattie was staring up to see where on earth we were taking him! Years later, after Mattie died, we visited the lighthouse, and learned that the new policy was that NO children were allowed in backpacks up the stairs. Of course Peter and I laughed, as we remembered our particular day with Mattie so well.
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 33,501,656
- Number of people who died from the virus: 600,705
Peter and I had gone on one kayak tour about a year ago here. The guide wasn't great and therefore the experience wasn't positive. Today was a night and day difference!
We saw all sorts of things today, starting with this great white egret. Our guide explained that a white heron is smaller and has yellow colored legs. The great white egret is bigger, has a yellow beak and black legs.
Though we paddled on the Kiawah River, which is calm, I still prefer being in a boat with Peter. Peter was on the crew team in school, and truly knows how to row, navigate, and handle all sorts of weather conditions. I have none of these skills, but love going along for the ride. I do paddle on occasion, but that isn't my strength. I figure it pays to be honest, as I would hate to be on a tour and not be able to keep up or hold a group back because of my lack of abilities.
Our guide, Samantha, is a South Carolina native. She was outstanding, knowledgeable, personable, and a great naturalist.
This fellow is the Snowy White Egret. They are all white with a black bill, black legs, and yellow feet. They have a patch of yellow skin at the base of the bill and wade in shallow water to spear fish and other small aquatic animals.
This cutie is called an oyster catcher. The bird is marked by its black and white body and a long, thick orange beak. They feed almost exclusively on shellfish and other marine invertebrates. Oysters are a staple of their diet, as their name suggests, but they also eat mussels, clams, limpets, sea urchins, starfish, crabs, and worms. In general, they use their bills to catch shellfish. As they walk across a shellfish bed, they look for a mollusk with a partially opened shell. When they find one, they jab their bill into the shell and sever the muscle that causes the shell to clamp shut.
While paddling, I can't tell you how many dolphin swam around us. It is hard to paddle, hold an oar and snap a photo, but I did my best. A mom with two babies.
On our tour, our guide actually let us paddle to a beach, park our kayak, and explore the sand. She pointed out shells and plants. For example, one wouldn't expect a cactus in the middle of all this water, but apparently the prickly pear cactus is native to this area.
The beach we took our kayak to, and on this beach we learned about the moon snail and clam shells. I never heard of a moon snail before I bet you have all seen shells with perfectly drilled holes in them! Maybe even as a kid, you made jewelry out of them.
Haven't you always wondered why these shells have a perfect hole in them? Look no further than the moon snail.
This is a google photo of a moon snail. The moon snail is considered a predator. The moon snail finds a clam by feeling with its foot beneath the sand. Once it finds a suitable clam, the carnivorous snail uses that foot to hold the clam while spiny tongue starts to drill a small hole into the clam shell.
South Carolina designated the sabal palmetto as the official state tree in 1939. The palmetto symbolizes the defeat of the British fleet at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island. The fort was constructed of palmetto logs which were able to absorb the impact of cannon balls.
After our two hour tour, we came back to the condo to freshen up. While looking out the balcony, check out what's in the scrub! Do you see a male deer?
For the most part, we have been cooking while here. As we found this wonderful farmer's market that gets daily fresh caught fish and local fruits and vegetables. But today we went to the Cougar Point Clubhouse. The last time we were here, they were building this structure and its restaurant.
She gave us some pelican facts:
- The brown pelican is a keen-eyed predator that can spot a fish swimming under the ocean’s surface even while flying 60 feet above.
- Once a target has been spotted from above, the pelicans plunge into the sea bill-first at high speeds—and often from a height of several stories.
- When they collide with the prey, the impact force usually stuns the victim and it’s then scooped up in the gular pouch.
- To keep their neck vertebrae from getting broken, they stiffen the surrounding muscles as they dive; by throwing their wings straight backwards, pelicans can avoid fracturing any of the bones in the appendages on the unforgiving waves. Air sacs under the skin around their neck and breast area inflate before the bird hits the water’s surface, and the gular pouch behaves like an air bag: the instant a bird’s jaws are thrown open under the water, its forward momentum is slowed.
- Wingspan 6-12 feet.
- Lifespan 15-25 years.
- About 8 pounds in weight.
- Pelicans with white feathers on top of their heads are mature.
The patio of the restaurant is simply beautiful!
This was our view from the table. Unlike some of the other clubhouses on the Island, this one has wonderful food and to me it was worth going. Peter ordered a grouper sandwich and I ordered a crab cake sandwich. We split them so we could try both! Both were excellent, with fresh cucumber salads and coleslaw.
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