Emerging From A Morning Fog

St. Augustine   

I came upstairs this morning and was surprised to see a layer of thick, low-level fog on Mantanzas Bay. Only the top of the lighthouse and palms were visible in the orange sky. It took much longer than charted for the sun to rise into view.

Meanwhile the fog was moving north and west to envelope the Bridge of Lions. We set about doing our morning activities. Stretching and a shower were on my list as we prepared for a visit with hometown friends Linda and Bill. They spend their winters here and it has become a nice tradition to meet up with them as we pass through St. Augustine. The day had turned absolutely beautiful with bright sun, clear sky, and a little breeze. Our lunch on the patio at Harry's was wonderful. They graciously drove us to the grocery store so we could pick up a few items. We said our goodbyes quickly in the middle of heavy traffic and I failed to capture our traditional selfie. We certainly enjoyed our visit and appreciate the lift. Walking back to the dinghy, we spotted an Ibis fishing in the shallows. There was plenty of afternoon remaining once we unpacked our purchases so I took my book to Fiberglass Beach for a few hours. When I began we were facing south in an ebb tide. A couple chapters later I found that I was facing the lighthouse to the east and it was slack tide. When I finished my book (Yay!) I was facing the Bridge of Lions to the north, and Crossroads was pointing into a flood tide. All of that occurred at 6:00 just as the bridge opened for the passage of another group of boats and the sun set. All of the day's events wrapped up in the matter of moments.

Another interesting display of colors danced among the cloud formations. The beam from the lighthouse pierced the darkening sky in a much more comforting scene than earlier in the day.