We were down the week tropical storm Emily was due to hit the mainland, but it turned away at just the right time, so we didn't have to make a run for it yet still got our daily afternoon thunderstorm. I was mostly successful in instituting Operation Tan-Not-Burned, which means that as of now (end of December), I am back to my splotchy pasty coloring.
There were big schools of baitfish, which meant.. there were also tons of dolphins!!! One of them was less than 10 feet from us in the ocean and was playing and surfing in the waves.. unnerving when it happens, though still cool.
I got up every day at 6 or 6:30 to see the sunrise; I'd throw on some clothes (though not very many, as it was really warm even without the sun having risen), grab a water bottle, run down 9 flights of stairs, and wander across the beach checking out sea turtle nests. Sounds like a nice routine, but my rising got later and more painful each day. I am just not a morning person, regardless of how awesome the sunrise may be.
We were there during the hayday of baby sea turtle hatching season. I learned what adult and baby turtle tracks look like in the sand and what all those colors and writing mean on the marked sea turtle nests. We also got to watch them dig up the remains of one that had already hatched. There had been dozens and dozens of eggs in it!
And that's that. I haven't done much traveling since I've been back in Tennessee, though I have done a bit of hiking and camping, just minus photos. Hopefully I will make myself get back into the habit of taking pictures and writing, but until then, best wishes for 2012!
