Is This Your Duck?

Crystal River, Florida

Despite the flooding rains most of Florida has been having, we haven’t had too much rain at all.  It’s been pretty cloudy and we’ve had some rain off and on.  Some portions of Florida have gotten 12 inches of rain.  We were expecting more than we got and were happy that we are sitting on a nice concrete pad.  No fear of getting stuck.

Yesterday morning, the radar looked like we were finally going to get some strong storms.  We stayed home and took care of some paperwork, thinking the rain would be coming any minute.  As it turned out, we just got a short sprinkle and by mid afternoon we started to see the sun peeking out.

We decided to go to Crackers Bar and Grill for a late lunch.  It was on the water, right on Kings Bay. It was a nice place and very clean looking.   You could eat outside on the dock by the water.  I would think you could see an occasional Manatee  in season. Al had a grouper sandwich and I had nachos.  Both were good.

After lunch, we drove around a bit exploring, and found a few more springs along the river and a few small city parks.  We both felt the need to be outside and get some fresh air.

We drove up this one street and saw a strange site. 

We had to take a second look before we could figure out what we were seeing.

It was this lady walking a duck. The duck was following along behind her just like a dog would.  We stopped the car and as soon as she noticed us, she came right up to us….the duck following.

The first thing she said was, “is this your duck?”  Evidently she was driving down highway 19 and this duck was trying to cross the busy road.  She was afraid he would get hit by a car so she stopped.  As soon as she got out, he stated following her.  She had been walking around the neighborhood (with the duck following), looking for its owner.  As we talked, I was sitting in the car and Mr. Duck was right outside my door looking up at me…with a look of love!  I got the feeling he would have gotten in the car if I opened the door.  When she started to walk away, he kept looking at her and then back at me as if trying to decide who he wanted to be with.  I kept saying…go little duck, go!  We decided this duck was someone’s pet and she was going to put him in her truck and see if she could find its home.  I felt comfortable he would be taken care of, so we got the hell outa there before we ended up with a new pet!  He sure was cute though.  I didn’t think to get any picture when he was right outside the truck looking up at me.  I was too concerned that we were going to end up with a duck!

 

We decided that last night was finally going to be the night to watch the sunset.   If you go west from our campground about 5 miles you end up at the Gulf of Mexico.  Nothing is quite like watching the sun set over the water.

There is a nice little park with a swimming beach and a dock.  The perfect place for sunset watching.

We could see the nuclear power plant in the background.

 

From the dock looking back towards shore you could see the palm trees catching the light from the setting sun.  It was very pretty.

 

There were still a lot of clouds, so we didn’t know how much setting sun we would see.

See the boat out there?

Can you see it now?

Amazing zoom lens on my little camera, isn’t it?

The lower clouds blocked the view of the sun as it sunk down onto the horizon.  Maybe next time.  It was still very pretty. 

We’re leaving Crystal River tomorrow, and heading back to Tampa for a week or so. We have enjoyed out stay here and got in some really nice kayaking trips.  Our favorites are the Rainbow River and Three Sisters Springs.  No Manatee are in the Rainbow River due to a dam that blocks their entrance from the gulf, but we understand Three Sisters Springs can be full of Manatee during the winter months. 

After Tampa, we we really need to head back to Georgia and get our winter things from the storage shed!  Winters in Florida can be so cold, you know! 

Today we may try to go to Crystal River Archeological  State Park.  Al says I need something new for my blog!  It’s cloudy, but I see a few patches of blue sky poking out.

And for the cute kitten picture of the day.  Baxter is about 2 1/2 months old now.  Old enough to be neutered and declawed.  (sorry Bax)  I have mixed feelings about declawing and really hate to do it, but I don’t want him tearing up the motorhome, so sorry Bax.