more about Friday the Thirteenth

Deciding to make more notes from aging newspapers at Eagle's Nest minipark (hint: the eagle's nest is actually in Possum Long sanctuary, a mile or so away), I walked over along SE Ocean Boulevard (now pellet-free, thanks to the Internet) turning onto Monterey Road where the minipark is located across the road from the Blake Library.

Seating myself at the lone picnic table, I perservered with notetaking while a few people (one female) rode through the minipark on their bicycles (as invariably happens when I am seated there). Toiling away and scanning the action nearby from time to time, a male appears in the adjacent property and warns about his incipient use of insecticide to come, targeting the row of flowering bushes that separate that property from the minipark environs. I must gather up my things and move to the far side of the minipark or be misted with pesticide spray, and I move after a few words with the fellow.

So far so good -- we were all making sense, both actions and words. The guy sprays billowing clouds of pesticide from a hose, I watch and spring toward the opposite boundary bushes as a woman returns on her bicycle through the minipark to the neighborhood. When the fellow stops spraying, I return to the picnic table after about a quarter-hour wait and finish making notes from one of the several newspapers stashed away in my backpack. I cross the road when traffic flow diminishes, and begin walking toward the back way into Kcc, which is KTR past Monterey Commons.

Which is where I see the guy again after emerging from the minipark foliage -- but also a number of yet-green vines lying side-by-side on the sidewalk beside Monterey Commons, each cut at one end. Now, here's bit of psychology for you all -- because the insecticide-spraying was inarguably apropos, I could only walk around the surprise sidewalk arrangement and the guy as well, then scurry along KTR towards home-condo dropping pocketed cigarette-packs seen discarded in the berm along SE Ocean Boulevard, then filled with household seeds from backpack, near the retention pond.

Which is to say, why a possible uranium pellet lay along A1A/SE Ocean Boulevard many moons without claim is anyone's guess or rationale.

Friday the 13th and thereafter

This is a post-hurricanes pic showing denuded tree trunks all around live trees with fresh growth, just outside Kcc alongside the sandy trail and retention pond. 'Strands' dangling from the live trees appear to be the remains of vines.

What to eat this triple-whammy week of Veterans' Day, Friday the 13th, and VNA Air Show? Soaked kidney beans simmered until soft, two aging heads of broccoli cut and immersed with beans, and pork parted from the bone to make tacos using corn tortillas and a few dabs of barbecue sauce.

Flashback to CA Blue Angels annual Air Shows over the San Francisco, CA, peninsula

Wow -- that was a very loud AND low aircraft pass over Kcc just a few minutes ago.

scheduled events and sights

Today, as scheduled, the Visiting Nurse Association Air Show is proceeding. Yesterday a number of helicopter and airplane flights "cleared the air" in the area around Witham Air Field here in Stuart, FL. All the roadways in the Stuart area are scheduled to be closed/blocked off during the planned festivities this weekend.

A slight botanical review is presented, with condolences to the families of two landscape-trimmer youths who lost their lives this past week -- wielding loud plant-trimmers that were a worse effect upon their own hearing than to those who also suffered nearby. Palm Beach, FL, TV journalism tells us that one of them was shot.

Continuing a description of tiny plants similar to bathroom mold, two photos show the leafs as affixed to a pair of cotton-blend pants, and as compared to doily lace.

Continuing a description of trees growing beside the St. Lucie River on Sewall's Point, one photo shows matted strands dangling from tree alongside previously-pictured extended-strand tree; plus photo of small flowering tree that also supports Spanish moss same locale.

Continuing descriptions of west island beneath the Lyons Bridge in the Indian River lagoon, a photo shows water turbulence nearby parklands turf and concrete-framed drainage-pipe (first encountered years ago stuffed with six-packs of empty beer bottles) during time-period when Tropical Storm Ida was active elsewhere globally outside western FL .

more hints of a less gentle way of life

Actually, there was a significant amount of blood evident on the east island during walk described with previous post, nearby the wine bottles, a shattered beer bottle, and mackeral remains affixed with old fishing-line near two strategically-placed open zip-top baggies.

Flashback to 10/31/2009 walk to find closest Wachovia/WellsFargoBank-linked ATM, addressed on Hospital Avenue here in Stuart, FL (according to ISP entry following the merger of the two banks), and found to be located inside Martin Memorial Hospital itself, in a first-floor hallway amid concerned hospital staff members who necessarily monitored activity directed towards the hospital anyway. Why the ATM isn't located outside the premises is anyone's guess.

The walk to that ATM passed by the Possum Long Memory Garden with its (very) small benches both wooden and stone, many lizards, some squirrels and plant-identification signs. The Hibiscus Avenue entrance is addressed quite close to Palm Beach Road; after removing a number of rusting screws and nails, two broken pieces of auto glass, and a rusted sparkplug from SE Ocean Boulevard some days earlier (10/23/2009) near the Lambert and Rheta Gross Heart Center (and its new 'for sale' sign) those dumped at Greco's Sunoco station, the walk to Osceola Street's intersection with Hospital Avenue seemed to be a breeze.

However, a handful of brown broken beer-bottle glass lay scattered on SE Ocean at its intersection with Dunscombe Street; a dead baby bird had again drifted into the roadway not far from where the dead adult bird still lie beneath a transplanted tree. The short walk on Palm Beach Road to Osceola Street revealed a dead black snake about two-feet long lying flattened and bloody in the middle of the roadway; and further along a dead squirrel also lay bloody in the street (both southside), the creature's head and throat twisted and torn open -- a telling scene for those who know that a much larger mama or papa indigo snake might be lolling not far away in the creek or river.  Below:  young indigo snake slain beneath a very-low compact-car chassis, at the entry/exitway to/from Kingswood Terrace Road to/from Kingswood condo complex, near slough, retention pond and St Lucie River environs.

Nutlike berries gathered up from the SE Ocean sidewalk in front of a business-building complex were conveniently tossed into Krueger Creek during the return walk from the ATM together with a few palm nuts already carrried into the hospital complex.

And that's the way it was, Halloween Day in Stuart, FL. Both squirrel and snake were removed from the roadway, but some squirrel internal organs were not expeditiously carried from the street and were swarming with small red ants as a horrified squirrel-mate looked on. The next time I use a Wachovia/WFB ATM, I will walk further into 'Historic Downtown Stuart" to the bank-premises proper.

westward ho! super windy day

So as not to forget, there was a broken and very-used pliers tool lying in the westbound lane of the Lyons Bridge during the return walk to Kcc, which could also be seen from the eastbound lanes. A walk over the two northeast Martin County bridges from Stuart to the east island in the Indian River lagoon was headfirst into the wind all the way -- made easy though by the interest of creatures monitoring intended placement of berry-laden branches removed from the roadway in Sewall's Point. The return walk with wind at back was even easier, and rubber-toed sneakers ensured that a header over the bridge railing did not happen.

A good-sized foot-long-+ mackeral lay beneath the bridge at the southside support, far east side of the island in the middle of the lagoon, in the same place where a catfish had been found during a previous visit to east island -- both filleted and abandoned, head attached and bony frame intact holding some flesh. Islands in the Indian River lagoon are also known as "spoil islands", possibly because these leftovers from large birds can be easily gathered up and put in a pot among real hardship cases (but gators and manatees might hate the casual user). Small ants had welled out from beneath park entry/exit sidewalk while some old fishing line was being removed, and painful bites are the result from their primitive orientation that I could be followed directly to the fish remains.

Always some glass bottles to put in the trash cans -- perhaps for me personally -- today glass wine bottles and beer bottles, including one shattered on the northside walkway of the Lyons Bridge. Three large fistfulls of abandoned fishing line, some with brilliant colors, were gathered from the east island and placed in trash containers (lacking the special boxes seen in some parks). Crows tore into some watermelon rinds left in the grass, while shorebirds gazed upon them but did not venture forth among parkgoers.

After leaving the east island and walking past a popular hotel franchise on Hutchinson Island to cross at a traffic signal, so as to proceed westward and return to Kcc, two small lizards were seen slain on the northside sidewalk (one small, the other smaller). At the entrance to the Lyons Bridge moving westward, a coiled metal fishing-line yet lay on the bridge walkway with rusting hook and intact sinkers, seen during previous walks.

A white ribbon was seen again in the southside walkway of the Crary Bridge, not far from the place where a hypodermic needle had once been seen lying on the bridge walkway months ago. A Google.com search revealed a number of "white ribbon" active political causes ranging from 'single payer' Mad As Hell Doctors to a campaign based in Toronto , Canada, "dedicated to the women engineering students murdered in Montreal" to an alliance "raising international awareness about the...women who die each year pregnancy-related complications, worldwide".

There is also a "2009 Austrian-German drama film" titled 'The White Ribbon'.

A horseshoe-crab casting with the same appearance as the one previously seen on the west island -- both lying on northside shorelines -- was observed nearby restrooms (the restrooms are still damaged and have not yet been repaired). The prevailing winds during the past few days have been westward, such that the single-part casting might be a plant instead casually attributed to lagoon-water turbulence.

A greenish-black standard Jeep moving westward on the Lyons Bridge demonstrated a loud muffler while driving in passing gear; flashback to a walk along SE Ocean Boulevard days ago, when a police car with flashing lights came up behind the same vehicle but no wrong-doing was evident.

another special day

The Kingswood condo complex flag is flying at half-mast today, slightly tattered at the bottom edge.

A pink terry-cloth rag/strip was found in the eastbound bicycle lane on SE Ocean Boulevard not far from the entrance to Kcc shown, at the edge of Vista Pines condo complex; the lilac-colored disposable lighter was found further along the roadway, filled with fluid. The same old rusty screw lay on the sidewalk just outside the Ocean Palms retirement complex. So, all three items were gathered up, photographed, then placed in an empty tortilla bag, which has been knotted and placed in the Kcc trash dumpster most near condo #55-3.