Perdido Key Meditation

The sun this morning lit the still Gulf of Mexico just like the full moon will tonight. It's strange to see that silvery light in the morning!



Perdido Key is one of my favorite areas of Gulf Islands National Seashore, but that's not saying much since I love all of it! The Gulf of Mexico was like a very large lake today, still, warm and blue.



The sunlight was flat and gray. There was actually enough chill in the air to make a jacket necessary.



These fishermen had exactly the right idea, floating around on the calm bay, fishing for dinner. What a peaceful start to the day.



On the south shore, the remnants of a crazy loggerhead (Caretta caretta) crawl meandered down the beach. I wonder what made the turtle make so many abrupt turns on the dark night beach.



At the end of my turtle patrol, I turned the corner to find this delightful field of purple flowers along the north shore. I'll find a field guide soon to identify them.



This crawl on the north shore was a little confusing. It's only about a foot wide. Anyone know what species it is?



The sea oats (Uniola paniculata) the Boy Scouts planted a few months ago are really doing well. Those gold, seed-laden heads catch lots of sand to help the dunes grow. I wish people would learn not to walk through them. Their roots function to keep the barrier island strong -- they are definitely worth preserving!