Carrabelle, FL

In the last post, Kathleen mentioned the gorgeous sunsets that we see on a regular basis. The sunrises aren’t bad either.

We’re parked in Carrabelle, FL, for the time being. The near- and intermediate-term forecasts for the Gulf of Mexico are too windy and wavy for our comfort level, so we’re staying put. Unfortunately, it’s been unseasonably cold—as it has been all over the country—which takes away much of the enjoyment of a mostly outdoor lifestyle. It’s expected to warm up significantly this week, but will come with rain.

Yesterday, we began the chilly morning at a lecture sponsored by the local history museum. The featured speaker was an underwater archaeologist from the State of Florida, who has been leading a study of Dog Island, one of the nearby barrier islands in St. George Sound off the coast of Carrabelle. She outlined the methods they use to map the island’s movement over time and its effects on the shipwrecks in the area. Dog Island is basically a 7-mile pile of sand, which is constantly being rearranged by wind and waves, especially during storm events. One notable storm was an 1899 hurricane, which wrecked 13 ships on its shores. Nine of these vessels were refloated, with the remaining four left to the elements. In 2018, Hurricane Michael uncovered some of these wrecks, generating much public interest and the attention of state archaeologists. Photo source: Carrabelle History Museum.

Thank heavens for the beautiful boater’s lounge at the marina, where we spent the better part of yesterday and today. There is comfortable seating, billiards, books, puzzles, and a large-screen TV, where we stayed up late to watch the Green Bay Packers’ near-upset of the 49ers. We had the entire lounge to ourselves—in the second photo, Kathleen is practicing her fiddle in the back. We had take-out pizza from across the street for lunch and dinner in this very nice space overlooking the Carrabelle River.