After the Freeze

After a few days of brutal cold, things warmed up a little yesterday afternoon and the wind died completely. Early morning today on the river in south Cocoa Beach.

Somewhere in south Cocoa Beach

More Art Festival

Was a great last day yesterday with big crowds and perfect weather. We woke up this morning to a soaking rain, much needed but happy that it waited.





This is the outside garden bar at Casablanca on Minutemen. Slipped in here to get away from the crowd and caught a set by the excellent Honey Miller Band. You can enter this area from the alley just south of Roberto's Cuban Restaurant. The city just finished resurfacing the entire alley with new pavers to match the downtown sidewalks.

Thanksgiving Art Show Saturday

Manatee in the ocean

Just off the north jetty at Port Canaveral.

Somewhere in south Cocoa Beach

Welcome back, Surfinista

The Surfinista Cafe is back. Right on A1A at the corner of 1st St. North and Orlando Ave. The new location is beyond cool. Very hip sitting area in the back with TVs all around playing surf flicks. Serving coffee, smoothies and assorted pastries and other yummies. The lounge area pictured above opens into the also-too-cool Tortuga Trading Company next door. Both places should win awards for decor. Both are on the must-visit list.

Last day of the swell, Monday

Big swell starting to show

The big swell expected this weekend was showing yesterday and this morning. I shot this at 5th St. South this morning right after sunrise. Sets are head-high and peeling (bigger down in south Cocoa Beach) and it's expected to get bigger as the swell from the big storm off the New England coast fills in. The southerly streets will have bigger waves as the swell is hard out of the north. Those hoping for smaller waves can head up towards the Pier and into Cape Canaveral where north swells are partially shadowed by the Cape.

Drawing circles in the sky

Yesterday was practice day for the USAF Thunderbirds in preparation for this weekend's air show. I took these shots with the small crowd gathered at the end of the Cocoa Beach Pier to watch the free show.

Through the mangroves

Tranquil morning river shoreline in south Cocoa Beach.

Progress??

The Old Fisherman's Wharf restaurant over the Banana River has been torn down and is being rebuilt as a clubhouse for two condos in south Cocoa Beach. The handful of owners in the two mostly-empty, oceanfront buildings are going to have the coolest clubhouse in our county.

Fish on Wednesday

Yesterday, Oct. 13, just around the corner of the north jetty at Port Canaveral. Nice little no access beach with the condos of north Cape Canaveral across the inlet in the distance. The water was teeming with mullet and all the predators who feed on them.



The ocean was like a lake early before the sea breeze kicked in.



The game was to anchor up, put out a live finger mullet and hang on. Fun was had by all. My buddy, Chip, hooked up here to a drag screaming jack.

Another cloudless day

What a beautiful morning. Cloudless, windless and the clean little swell just keeps hanging in there. Joe Realino Golf Tournament today (Sunday Oct. 10) at 1 PM at the Cocoa Beach Golf Course to benefit local bartenders and servers with medical bills. These people that serve us every day rarely have health insurance and this is a fun way to contribute something to a good cause. Sign in starting at 12. You can just show up without having made advance registration, $75 per player.

Cocoa Beach Thai and Sushi

A little teaser from Cocoa Beach Thai and Sushi at the corner of Minutemen and Orlando downtown. Yes, it was as good as it looked.

TGI October

After the Deluge

Amazing how quickly the weather can change. This was late Thursday afternoon, September 30, one day after the tropical storm passed. Surf was classic; clean, fun south Cocoa Beach perfection with only four other guys in the water as far as I could see in either direction.

Harvest moon and Jupiter

The harvest moon rising Tuesday night with a bright Jupiter in tow and a cruise ship on the horizon. Sorry for the poor quality photo but it was a sight worth sharing.

Windy September

It's been an unusually windy September and the surf has been too rough the last week to take advantage of the mullet run and the great fishing. Beach is looking good nevertheless with all the sea oats filled out.

Beach Sailing

Daytona allows cars on the beach. Not here. We have... my friend, Dennis, sailing his Blokart down a deserted south Cocoa Beach at low tide today under beautiful skies.

Giant surf today

The 20 mile buoy this morning is reading 12.8 feet at 17.4 seconds. That's a strong deep water swell coming from Hurricane Earl as it churns by less than 400 miles offshore. The picture above that I took before sunrise at 3rd Street South doesn't do the size justice but, trust me, it's big and out of control. We should see some erosion but the swell will be gone quickly as the storm rushes towards New England and the Maritime Provinces.

Welcome fall

The onshore winds of fall bring lots of flotsam from the ocean onto the beach. Right now there is a good mix of stuff coming ashore. Moon jellyfish and sargassum above from the beach yesterday. The hard disks of the jellyfish pictured above are only the most durable parts of the jellyfish that remain after being tossed in the surf and the sand. They are completely transparent, quite rigid and harmless.

The rest of the Humphrey story

We finally have all the details of Humphrey's recent disappearance and subsequent return. The reality is even better than we could have imagined. Humphrey's trip to the Outer Banks makes for entertaining reading as told by Brendhan Bennison in the current issue of the Beachside Resident. Read it here.

I'm back

I've been away for a few weeks but am back in Cocoa Beach now. Posting to resume.

Surf's up

There's a little clean long period swell out there this morning. Low tide midday and it looks to be a fun one. About the same size and conditions as the shot above from a day in 2003. Hit it if you can.

Hot sand, cool water

During the heat of summer on bright days the sand gets so hot that the only place one can walk barefoot without scorching the dogs is on the wet sand at the water's edge.

Lost Dog - Found dog

Good news, bad news. Good news first. Humphrey has been located. Bad news; because he was found wandering late at night by a couple as they were leaving town for vacation, he is presently taking a vacation in North Carolina with two shelties but will be home soon. We are all very happy.

On a clear day ....

Looking west over the Cocoa Isles neighborhood towards Merritt Island in the distance across the Banana River. Taken from high up in the oceanfront Xanadu building in Cocoa Beach.

Low rider surf check

Cocoa Beach is a bike kind of town. I'm seeing more and more custom bikes mixed in with the beach cruisers tooling around our lazy streets. This one was on the boardwalk for an early morning surf check. Made by the twisted geniuses at Low Life Bikes.

Two weeks later

The mockingbird eggs in my post of July 5 are now fuzzy little birds. Here's the last one to leave the nest.

Those of you in town today, Saturday July 17, stop by Neilson's Surf Shop in south Cocoa Beach next to Anthony's on the Beach for a benefit for Noah Neilson. Surf contest, BBQ, raffles and hang out with friends and south Cocoa Beach locals. Show your support for a good guy, one of our own, who needs your help. Make online donations here.

Dogs and birds

Looking west towards the schools from a Cocoa Beach backyard yesterday. Kids in the skiff taking the dog for a boat ride while ibises root for food in a freshly mowed lawn.

More surfing kids

Little girls were tearing it up Sunday in the small waves.

Little surfer girl

This little girl was catching a few fun peelers yesterday in south Cocoa Beach with her sisters.

Fishing at the Pier

Junior is hooked up to a big one at the Cocoa Beach Pier.

Mockingbird

Mockingbird eggs look like big smooth beads of turquoise.

Sea oats planting progress

Back in February I planted 96 sea oat seedlings on the beach out back. This is what it looked like on the day I planted. Click the pictures for a bigger size.





Four months later and all 96 are not only alive but are thriving. This is what they look like now.