Bahia Honda

At Bahia Honda, Cabin 5, sitting by myself on the balcony, sun just peaking over the tree line. Such luxury. Time to ruminate. What will this fourth year living at our little house in Central Florida bring? I’m sure I’ve rambled before about the vagueness of my life now. So many possibilities, so many others no longer available. Old friends missing, either through death or distance. New friends somewhere on the horizon, but I’m not sure I have the energy to draw them close. 

But here I am. Soon the coffee will be ready. Then I’ll go over to the bayside beach for a snorkel before the crowds appear and stir up the bottom silt. After that, yet to be determined.

Back in Windermere, Tony and Tyler are rebuilding our dock and adding some seawall along its south side  to keep the yard from washing away. Or, at the price of a world cruise, we are hoping that will stop the erosion. Our contractor Peter from Q-ICE Builders seems confident, with the caveat that we can always extend the seawall if needed. Money does solve so much. Including renting a cabin in a state park.

Later:

The wind is blowing fiercely so the water is a little stirred up and snorkeling visibility is down. Even so, I enjoyed the little reef fish around the rocks. At the suggestion of another old lady swimmer, Grant and I floated in the current to the other end of the bay beach area and swam back. He spotted a little squid and showed it to me. I swam with it for a while, against the current, its little fins fluttering. When I put my hand next to it for size (about my index finger long), it picked up its pace. I watched for a while longer, then looked away. Looking back, it was gone. 

Even later:

It’s the second squid I’ve ever seen. Years ago I saw one while wading at at Long Key and was able to show the kids. Patten remembered that. He and Ryann arrived late last night but didn’t dare risk the top of his new Ford F250 truck under the low US 1 bridge over the roadway to the cabins. They walked in. This morning, they could see there was inches to spare, perhaps even a couple. 


After breakfast (bacon, eggs, hash browns, and biscuits), fishing began. First under that low US 1 bridge, but the water was too shallow. Then over by the old Bahia Honda bridge. Patten caught the first fish, a 10” snapper. Then I “caught” one a little bigger. Caught in quotes, because Patten put the shrimp on my hook, cast out the line, then took the fish off. I reeled it in. Absolutely the way to fish. He caught what he calls a porgey and released it. Ryann caught a hog fish, sadly too short to keep. More shrimp were used, but no more fish. When the tide went slack, the fish stopped biting. 



 

We went to Winn Dixie on Big Pine Key to get a scrub brush, frozen hash browns, and serendipitous corn on the cob. Patten and Ryann fished a little longer, released the remaining shrimp, and came to the cabin to fillet fish and paddle board. 

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