Manatees and Monkeys

It was a beautiful day today. The sun was shining with highs expected in the upper 60’s. By the afternoon it was in the low 70’s. Perfect weather for capris and flip flops. Our friends knew I really wanted to see manatees and Donna knew just where to go to get a good view, Three Sisters Island in Crystal River. They took us to breakfast first at a place called Oysters. It has been so long since I’ve had some good grits and biscuits and gravy. Then we drove to Crystal River. The only way to access Three Sisters island is by boat, which we didn’t have, so we parked on the side of the road by a bridge. By this time it was already noon and the manatees were very active. We saw mama’s with their babies swimming by their side, groups of manatees swimming down the river. It was so peaceful there. There were many boats going up and down the river as well. These gentle giants looked so carefree. After taking numerous pictures, we left and continued our drive to the Gulf of Mexico. It was wonderful to feel the sand between my toes. There were many birds flying around and standing in the Gulf. I really wanted to put my feet in the water, but at this one local beach there was a sign posted that the bacterial levels were high, so I guess I’ll have to wait. After all my health issues, I didn’t want to take any chances. Besides, the water there was pretty cold. We walked along a boardwalk path out to a fishing pier. From here we had a birds eye view of the nuclear plant as well as the beach. After soaking up some rays, Donna and Pete took us to Monkey Island in Homosassa. I wasn’t sure what to expect except to see an island with monkeys running around. Well, that’s what I saw. It was really cool and while one of the monkeys just sat in a tree and slept, two others were climbing and swinging away. We got into a little monkey business ourselves. On our way back, we stopped at the remains of a sugar mill. I’ve taken so many pictures today that I’m putting them into a slideshow for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy the pics and thanks for traveling along with us on The Thomas’ Trails. Till next time…