| Sleet and occasional flurries of snow are making tap | | | | take a shot at it. |
| dancing sounds on my deck. Outside the cat is | | | | Another item on my 'to do' list when I reach the |
| snuggled up inside his box in the garage. He's able to | | | | Apalachicola area is to go to the St. Vincent National |
| go outside if he wants, through the pet door which I | | | | Wildlife Refuge. It's a barrier island, providing natural |
| have opened up again. A family of raccoons decided | | | | protection for the mainland from damaging winds and |
| to move in with him and until they found a new home, I | | | | waves. You can only reach this northwestern Florida |
| had to board up the pet door. | | | | Gulf Coast island by boat. One of the great things |
| I'm keeping warm tonight by making plans for my | | | | about this place is that there are no human inhabitants. |
| summer vacation. I'm going to a warm and sunny | | | | There are caretakers who live on the island |
| beach on northern Florida's Gulf Coast. Having visited | | | | sometimes and keep the place as natural as possible. |
| the Apalachicola area before, I've decided that that's | | | | This island, with its marshes on the bay side of the |
| where I'm going again! Since the last time I was there, | | | | island, is home for many specie of animals including |
| I've done more research on the area and discovered | | | | Sambar deer, white tail-deer, alligators, loggerhead sea |
| that I missed a lot of things simply because I didn't do | | | | turtles, raccoons, ospreys, and bald eagles. Threatened |
| my homework before I arrived. This time I've made a | | | | or endangered bald eagles, sea turtles and the red |
| list of some of the things I want to do when I get there | | | | wolf, enjoy life of the island. My wife is not as thrilled |
| this spring. | | | | as I about going to an island that has neither souvineer |
| The first thing on my calendar when I get to the bay is | | | | shops nor restaurants, but to me this sounds like |
| to go oystering. I'm going to book a four hour trip with | | | | paradise. Spending the day fishing on the gulf side of |
| one of the guides who make his living harvesting | | | | the island and picking up shells that haven't been picked |
| oysters. I didn't make the trip any longer than 4 hours | | | | over by others is my idea of a relaxing vacation. |
| because after reading about the oystermen, who are | | | | One of the brochures I've read boasts that as many |
| called 'tongers', I don't believe my aching body would | | | | as 2400 visitors boat to the island and walk the beach |
| last more than a few hours. At that I may be pushing | | | | each year. Can you imagine? There are 2400 people |
| the limits of my endurance! | | | | on most Florida beaches each day! The island remains |
| Charters will take 2-4 people with them at a time. | | | | primitive and pristine because visitors to the island take |
| That's about all the 20-24 foot boat will safely hold. | | | | care and clean up after themselves as they should on |
| The boat will have a culling board so you can sort the | | | | every beach. |
| oysters according to size when you haul them aboard. | | | | These are my two must see trips I'll put on my |
| The guide from whom I booked the charter says | | | | calendar for this summer, but no vacation would be |
| culling is not as easy as it sounds, but by the end of | | | | complete without dining out at local restaurants. The |
| the tour I'll probably be an expert. | | | | last time I was on St. George Island which is one of |
| From what I have seen by watching oystermen from | | | | the four barrier islands protecting the mainland, there |
| the shore, tonging looks like hard work. This is the way | | | | were two restaurants. All I can say is that one was |
| many of their fathers and grandfathers harvested | | | | wonderful, the way a seafood restaurant should be |
| oysters many years ago. They use a tool called 'tongs' | | | | when you're on an island. The other one wasn't great. I |
| that look like a heavy steel rake with long wooden | | | | would not recommend that one! |
| handles that operate a little like a post hole digger. | | | | It doesn't take much to make me happy. Just give me |
| Sometimes the oyster beds are in 5-10 feet of water | | | | a couple of brochures about fishing and eating and I'm |
| so the tonger has to be able to reach that far down. | | | | happy. With each day getting a little longer than the |
| This certainly sounds like work to me, but I want to | | | | one before, I know it's getting closer to vacation time! |