One of the joys of Panama City Beach is the sheer length and breadth of it.
One of the reasons we usually turn left when we leave the condo and hit the beach is that St. Andrews State Park offers a more natural setting compared to the row of high rise buildings that stretch as far as the eye can see to our right.
While John went kayaking I walked down the beach toward the State Park. The pavilion, shown below, is at the far end of the peninsula and inside the park. It marks the site where in 1942 the US Army established a Temporary Harbor Defense overlooking the entrance of St. Andrews Bay to protect the area from German submarines that were in the Gulf and Atlantic. The installation consisted of two 155 millimeter guns mounted on concrete "Panama mounts". The site was inactivated on Jan. 14, 1944 without a single shot being fired.
The view from inside the pavilion (below) shows why this site was chosen to safeguard the bay.
On the beach I spotted an egret.
Then, I twisted to face the rocks and spotted this guy...
Yesterday we spotted three raccoons, and the park ranger explained they've stolen fishing bait, snacks, and even a cell phone and camera on occasion from whoever sits on or by the rocks.
I actually had to take a few steps back away from the little guy who did not seem at all wary. Although there's a sign advising people not to feed the wildlife, it happens all the time. Which probably explains why a nocturnal animal shows itself in the light of day. When these two helicopters flew overhead, I flinched more than the raccoon!
On the way back John met me in his kayak. He went kayaking this morning while I did the grocery shopping, but just can't seem to get enough. He's always smiling whenever he's in it.
And sometimes he get's downright giddy!
And why not? I'm smiling, too. Why? Because these are my winter boots.
Like them? ;-)
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