The weather was not calm enough to take our boat out but I have been able to kayak along the shore out of the east wind. This military helicopter flew right over me several times. Actually there were two of them. Reminded me of Camp Pendleton, CA where Matt was stationed several times.
Also spotted this large iguana. I took the picture from my kayak without realizing the special effects perspective. It looks huge and as if it is going to climb up the steps of this cottage. The iguana is actually about only four feet long.
Since there was not a lot going on I decided to take some pictures of our grounds. They are actually quite beautiful and it is easy to take the lush, tropical landscape for granted. Many years ago the owners made a point of planting a variety of plants and trees to make the place look like a tropical island. They did a great job and many of the plantings in the pictures are quite old.
Given the fact this is called Banana Bay one would expect to find bananas growing. This a picture of a tree that many claim is a banana tree. However, the fruit sure looks like plantains to us, but who are we to argue. Fun to watch them growing, whatever they are.
There are quite a few bougainvillea plants around the grounds. They grow well here and are very colorful. We found it interesting that the red part is red leaves, not the flower. The actual flower is a small whit dot in the middle.
This tree is sometimes called the "Tourist Tree" or the "Sunburn Tree. I don't know its accurate name. In the picture on the left you can see how the bark is red and peeling, just like the northern tourists! The full tree is quite colorful as you can see on the right.
Here is what we see as we walk up to the office. A new landscaping firm was hired this year and they are doing a great job.
The front of the property is almost like a small botanical garden. It is somewhat hidden and sunken so many people don't even see it. I found it to be a great place to find coconuts!
Take a look at the sprouting coconut I spotted. I thought about planting it in a pot to watch it grow but I don't think Linda will let me put it on the boat.On the right is a flower as big as my hand. Don't know what it is. We'll have to ask Linda's brother Tom.
While I was walking around this iguana strolled across the sidewalk. Its about two feet long and a different species from the one above. All iguanas are invasive to the Keys. I just found out that these little guys don't cause too many problems, but those like the big one above is an exotic species that digs up the small amount of turf availabe, makes large burrows, eats bird eggs and destroys the habits of those animals native to the Keys.
Even driving up the road to go from the marina to the main road is a scenic drive.
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