Mermaids and Pathways

I've always wanted to take a picture under the Pensacola Beach pier, but usually, there are people there, even in the pre-dawn hours. Today, the beach was relatively empty and the pastel light was soft and lovely. I started with half the image, on the east.



Then, I tried the whole view. It was like a metaphorical door was slammed in my face. It reminded me of a piece of driftwood I saw later on the beach that looked like a tensed, dead fisherman. Some images seem inherently evil. I couldn't take a photo of the driftwood, and almost didn't post this, but the day seemed to be about doorways and paths, so it seemed appropriate...



I'm not sure what this would mean in a dream -- am I looking at the light at the end of the tunnel, a new path in life or what?



Every time I'm on the Pensacola Beach turtle run, I find neat sand castles. This was more interesting than most, especially with the Sargassum hair, and the cage they tried to put her in. If it's still there tomorrow, I'm taking the Spartina cage down.



Last year and this year, the lone Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia) nest on Fort Pickens has been in this patch of railroad vine. I'm not sure why, but the flowers were worth an image



or two...



I finally had a chance to check on the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) poles in the park. All of them had nests, and attentive parents. One even had a chick!



The Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias)are starting to hatch too. You may be able to see the chicks here...



After leaving the Osprey poles on the north shore, I cut through the old Fort area to get to the south shore. More doorways beckoned...



It looked elegant at first, til I saw it ended in a solid brick wall.



With my claustrophobia, I'd have to escape through this barred window, or tear down the crumbling brick wall. I really need to learn more about the history of the park -- maybe an Interp ranger would give me a free tour in exchange for a Resource Management ranger lead turtle walk...



Something in me is always attracted to flowers.



I wonder if I was a bee or a hummingbird in my dreams... or maybe, I'm the mermaid, waiting for the marsh grass cage to go away.



Whatever is going on this very strange week, with trouble at the office and change in the wind, it seems clear that I'm trying to find myself, my way, my path in life.



My way seems shrouded in shadows -- it's not anywhere I've been and I'm not sure it's a path anyone has walked before. All I know is that I keep getting reminded that it is about turtles and the sea...



Wherever it may lead, there's no reason I can't enjoy the flowers along the way!