Loggerhead Key - Week 2 - Now with Pics!

Greetings Constant Readers...
Welcome to Week 2.


The PC and Loggerhead Key Light


A few pics and some notes...

Remember I said the primary life form on Loggerhead Key was the crabs?

Here they are:

Black Back Crabs


...and Ghost Crabs
(You'll have to wait on the latin. I don't have my taxonomy books with me.)

They (the crabs) get into everything.

"Candygram!"

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Some views of Fort Jefferson...


From the front porch of the Little House


From the top of the Lighthouse.

It's been so hot and still here this view reminds me of the lines from the
"Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

"Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink."


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Speaking of the Lighthouse...
(A/K/A The Deathtrap)

Let me share with you the reasons it's not open to the public...


The railing is about to fall off, and if you lean against it, you're going over the edge, along with most of the walkway around the top of the light.


That is one steep, narrow, dark stairway


Do these stairs look safe to you?


...because they aren't. They are melting in the heat and humidity of this place.


There are 193 steps *just like these*.

THAT's why we don't let people climb the lighthouse.

If you ever wondered what the lighting element looks like in a lightouse like the one here on Loggerhead Key...


This is the actual light...

One other thing...


This is damage from 2 years ago... Hurricane Wilma, I believe...

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The crabs again...
Did I mention that the Ghost Crabs and the Black Back Crabs don't get along? They don't.
It's like the Crips and the Bloods out here...


"You lookin' at me, Ese?"

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Other residents...

We have the Zombie Tarpon out at the dock...


The glowing eyeball is from the flash on my camera, not because they are Undead Fish. Heh.


Another pic from out near the dock.


There is also a young Goliath Grouper under the dock. Just a little one, about 60 pounds or so...

Speaking of homes...


Here's our place. Commonly referred to as "The Little House". Interior pics and pics of the Big House coming soon.

The PC has been working her tail off...I had the poor child out working on the power grid last week.


She was out dressing the cables that tie the PV Array together.


Note the expert "extra cable tie in the teeth" methodology...That's my girl.

We also get occasional visitors, usually folks from over at the Fort come over in an inflatable, dingy or kayak. We give them the nickle tour and answer the Loggerhead FAQs (coming soon).


Looking for a spot to snorkle.

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And the turtles...
I'm getting pretty good at identifying the tracks that they leave all over the beach each morning...


This is what they look like from the Lighthouse.


Ok...Loggerhead Tracks on the left, Green Turtle tracks on the right.
(Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas respectively. I didn't need my book for those.)

And it's not like they crawl up and do their business then leave.
Some are pretty picky about where they want to dig a nest.

Who decided to hold a tractor pull on my beach?

Actually, it's easier to tell a tractor pull from an arribata.
Just look for empty beer bottles. The Green Turtles & Loggerheads love Pabst Blue Ribbon.
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Well... Our friends from the USCG Cutter Yellowfin out of Charleston are gone, so we are expecting Visitors from the South tonite. What fun...

TBG out -