Fun surf today

Can't really tell much from this pic I snapped at 5th St. around 7 AM this morning but the NE long-period swell is still here and the wind switched around to the southwest during the night. Tide's still deep but I saw some head high sets. Conditions should improve with the dropping tide. If you're here or within driving range get it before the onshore wind gets on it this afternoon. See you in the water.

Astronauts all over the place

The Astronaut Parade just finished in downtown Cocoa Beach with dozens of space travelers all in Corvettes although moving at much lower speeds than when they used to burn up these roads back in the day. This is to celebrate 50 years of Americans in space that began with Alan Shepard's flight on May 5, 1961 aboard Freedom 7. That first manned American space flight lasted 15 minutes 28 seconds, achieved a top speed of 5134 mph and traveled just 303 miles. Street party all day downtown today with Minutemen Cswy blocked off between Orlando and Brevard Avenues. Come join the fun if you're around.

Hello, Mr. President

Air Force One on final approach to the Kennedy Space Center yesterday.
Thanks to Lauren Lulich and her quick reflexes for the photo.

Sea beans undressed

Sea heart (at bottom) and the pods that contain them above. We find the naked beans all the time on the beach here (more in the fall) but have to go to their tropical source to see the intact pods. The pods pictured were found in the south Pacific but they are found in tropical climates worldwide. Most of the beans we find on our beach here originate up rivers in the Caribbean and South America and travel for hundreds or thousands of miles before being washed up on our beach. There are dozens of other types of interesting floating seeds.

Coming to America

The boys were amazed at the size of some of our vehicles. You don't see many monster trucks in a land where gas costs $9 per gallon.



Of course we had lunch at Grills at Port Canaveral.



One of our outings took us to the Inlet (pictured here), the Treasure Museum, across the old dirt Jungle Trail in Indian River County and back to the mainland for lunch at Captain Hirams in Sebastian.



Of course I had to take the kids to some of my favorite Cocoa Beach places. We ate lunch at Coconuts but the crew thought the Beach Shack sign was the coolest.



Cocoa Beach Country Club where, by this point, Pierre is totally into the Cocoa Beach lifestyle and playing a round barefooted.



Sister, Alesia, joined us for a round and proved that girls can hold their own on the golf course. Not pictured is surf every single day, fishing in the Banana River, airboat rides at the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp, excursions to Ron Jons, CB Surf Company, the mall and, Dad's favorite American store, Lowes. Today the last day before heading home to France will include kayaking through the Thousand Islands, the new Kelly Slater exhibit opening at the Cocoa Beach Surf Museum and a big cobia dinner with all the new friends and south Cocoa Beach neighbors gathered for a proper bon voyage. It's been quite a holiday. They will be missed.

Bienvenue à Cocoa Beach

My friends from France wasted no time getting into the Cocoa Beach mindset. Here are Lou and Nico fresh off the plane from Paris minutes after getting to Cocoa Beach yesterday. And for their first morning, they woke up to this (below).



Dad and yours truly used the old guy advantage and hit the perfect micro-waves this morning before the boys were stirring.

Sunrise April 9, 2011

Sunrise over a glassy, tiny swell this morning in south Cocoa Beach.