Sunday January 8th 2017

It was in the thirties when I got up this morning. That’s my new low for this winter so far. I experienced a couple of similar starts to the day last year here in Florida. Of course, my electric heater was still in one of the outside storage compartments. I turned on the electric fireplace and when back under the covers. The fireplace is gives off heat, but not a huge amount. If I needed in warm in a hurry the propane furnace was always an option. The bright sunshine eventually brought the outside temperature up to the mid 50s and the inside into the 70s. The electric heater is now inside the RV available for later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Since it was so cold, I went out for breakfast at McDonalds on the way to the Manatee viewing area at the Tampa Electric Company. My theory was cold morning, lots of manatees trying to keep warm in the outflow from the power plant. I was wrong. For some reason the water level was very low, the wind was blowing and sea foam was all over the viewing side of the canal. If there were manatees or fish to see the conditions didn’t make it possible.

I can and will return to the visiting area another time. Unfortunately, the visitors to the area for the College Football Championship game tomorrow night don’t have that luxury. There were three or four cars with Clemson colors flying and at least one Alabama family. One Clemson family was asking the staff for directions to other places to see manatees. It didn’t sound like they got much help.

Empty tanker leaving Tampa Bay.

Huddled people in heavy coats on the bow of the cruiser.

Fishermen in kayaks.

Kite surfers on Fort De Soto County Park.

Later in the day I checked out the boating action in Tampa Bay. It was too cold for usual bathing suit clad speed boat revelers. Instead I found different kinds of water craft. In the center of the Bay was a steady line of ocean going tankers leveling the port empty. I’m guessing they were separated by about a mile. One was entering the gulf, another was passing under the Sunshine Skyway bridge and the third one I could see was back in the middle of Tampa Bay.

The next category of boat down the food change was a cruiser with several heavily dressed people on the bow. I’m guessing they people huddled on the bow would have been stretched out on the deck in bathing suits on a much warmer day. Instead they just looked out of place. Continuing down the boat food chain were fishermen wearing wet suits in kayaks and many wet suit clad kite surfers.

Hibiscus photo 1

Hibiscus photo 2

Hibiscus photo 3

Tomorrow it is forecast to be about fifteen degrees warmer. That will bring the temperature into the 60s.