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