Horseshoe Crab Shell

I am one of those Lucky people, living in the Tampa area, who has a friend that owns a Boat. And we are often invited to just go out onto the Tampa Bay and enjoy the water and the many small islands (keys) and beaches, with them.

There were five of us on the boat the other day and we were just tooling around in the area that everyone calls the “flats”. It’s called the Flats because the water in the area is very shallow , often just 1-3 feet deep. And, if you do go there be aware that the area requires some careful navigation to avoid grounding your boat or Prop. But the extra caution is worth it.

Besides the great fishing in the Flats, there are beautiful white sandy beaches that you can pull up to and Picnic, or just take a walk on the beach and enjoy the cooling Bay breezes and near perfect weather.

My Buddy eventually did just that and pulled his boat onto a beautiful clean beach on an island. He jumped into the knee-deep and clear waters to do a little cleaning on the rear of his boat, and the ladies pulled out our light picnic lunches, singing along with some old Parrot Head music on the radio.

Me? I took the opportunity to stroll down the beach with my camera. I snapped a few good shots along the way, including this lonely, empty shell of a Horseshoe Crab.

Eventually, I turned, retracing my steps and when I got back to the boat, we sat and talked, mostly about nothing, as we devoured our lunch.

Then, a push-off from the beach, and a smooth ride home.  I can’t wait until we get another invitation to explore Tamps Bay.

DON

by DON BOBBITT May, 2013

Copyright  DON BOBBITT 2013,  All Rights Reserved