Glove weather

It was cold Saturday – windy, eyes-watering, go-to-Target-buy-a-hoodie-cold, not just Florida cold.

I never plan well for my photo hikes. I tend to forget things, especially things I need – like hiking shoes, extra batteries for my camera (you know, to use if/when the battery in your camera dies when you’re an hour from home), water, jackets, my driver’s license (which also means I left my purse at home with all my money) and bugs spray (a must-have during the summer.)

This weekend, I neglected to dress for the weather. I guess I took my tourism spiel too seriously and forgot that it indeed gets cold here in the winter. Northwest Florida is a whole different creature than south or even central Florida. The white sands here can definitely be mistaken for snow, and not just in appearance.

Hopefully, I can illustrate the cold in this series of photos. Just think snow, and bone chilling wind…

(I know… all my northern friends are chortling and murmuring ‘wimp,’ while reading about my aversion to the Florida cold. Just remember, it’s all about perspective, and from my perspective, my 47F is like your 17F.)

The pelican? That was my “oh, shit!” moment. He must have been hungry, or lonely. I was on the Okaloosa Island pier in Fort Walton Beach, and this HUGE bird, landing gear down, wings spread, was aiming straight for me. Even when he touched down on the pier deck, he was much too interested in me. I didn’t stay around to chat.