MYKA appeared interested as StLF recounted many of the family travels in North America. "Your family seems to be almost nomadic. Where do they consider to be their home base? It sounds like Florida is their number one favorite place for trips."
"Yes. We are definitely Floridians. Dad came from New Jersey but after visiting Florida and wanting to attend F. I. T., the warm weather and greater opportunities to surf won him over. Good thing for Mom, who wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Eventually, they chose to live on a catamaran and keep it moored near Cedar Key. We often anchor close to Clark Island, which is a pristine one hundred sixty acre piece of land that has been maintained by a timber company. It is a favorite region for wilderness campers, being close to great fishing, with the forty-five foot deep "Preachers Hole" just off shore. People are warned not to use a cast net near the hole, but that's another story. The region is known for oysters and clams, too."
"It is surviving better than some other long time fishing spots in Florida. Dad shared with me an article from "Outdoor Life Magazine" that was published in July 2019. The author is Andrew McKean and he titled his piece 'Florida's Water Crisis Has Sport Fishing on the Brink of Collapse'. He covered many examples around the coastline that have suffered at the poor choices made over decades, resulting in 'flocculant ooze', algae blooms and toxic waters that can turn a simple cut into an infection."
"Mom's parents moved inland and up to Gainesville, where they purchased a condo near the University of Florida. Her dad actually became an adjunct professor in their veterinary college. Now we sometimes stay in the condo with Aunt Lili. Especially when a big storm brews in the gulf. Aunt Lili is a hoot. She used to teach American History and likes to expound on causes of different events and likes to finish with 'and various and sundry things' which is our pet phrase whenever we have a family discussion that goes on and on."
"We also use a smallish aerodynamic trailer when we camp. It is easy to pull and provides air-conditioned sleeping quarters. Dad painted it a deep cobalt blue shade, called YInMn Blue. The paint is chemically stable, doesn't fade, non-toxic. And, it saves energy because it is fantastic at reflecting infrared radiation! A portable air conditioner keeps it comfortable for sleeping since it doesn't heat up much during the day. The paint was an expensive purchase for painting an old, refurbished trailer but Dad really wanted it to use it on the trailer's curved top and sides to test it out. He added some painted-on frog eyes and legs and calls it his "Big Blue Frog". It draws lots of attention. The condo has a RV parking lot where it can stay locked up when my folks aren't using it."
"The catamaran is pretty spacious, and stays in a protected area behind a small uninhabited barrier island where it can be anchored down with crossed anchor lines between a couple of floating rafts built with deep pilings to keep them in place. Good friends offered the spot just off of their long dock. Mom and Dad use a small boat to go to and from the catamaran, and they enjoy sailing all around the gulf and even catching the Gulf Stream to go to the islands of the Caribbean. Being able to enjoy the best of Florida without paying a high mortgage and property taxes and flood insurance while living along the coast has worked out well because of thoughtful planning. In the event of a really serious storm, they can sail out of its projected path. So far, so good. I enjoy those sailing trips but it is exciting to finally sail to a very different part of the world."
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Stealth Journeys with the Steam Mapper
AdventureA 2019 Wattys entry deeply into climate change, global warming, and environmental destruction, especially the nuclear kind! A lot of true facts are embedded in this story which has both true and fictional characters. Who is to be believed is for y...
