But first, the important things. Like the fact that our trees and bushes produced fruit this year. Like real fruit that you can eat and no one seems to think this is nearly as exciting as I do, but whatever. I feel like a survivalist. Except I'm not the one who planted (or maintains) them -that's Trevor and Ellison's domain. I am, however, reading quite a few gardening and planting books so that should count as participation.
We had peaches, apples, blueberries and blackberries. And they were delicious. And of course, like any proud first-time fruit parent would do, I took pictures documenting the moment like we were the first people to ever grow anything edible. Like we were the ones who invented these trees. It was pretty much awesome in all ways. Except for when Waylon ate one whole blackberry bush. Not just the berries, but the whole bush. The only one that was fruiting. But he is really cute (and patriotic) so I included a picture of him, too.
In the spirit of edible backyards, Ellison and I can't wait to get the raised-bed vegetable garden planted. It should be finished no later than the end of July. Time is kind of running out for summer planting so we have to hurry. We're also creating a potted herb garden of which Ellison will care for exclusively. It feels good to be making use of what little green space we have.
While we just stuck to the beach, the park has designated hiking trails that take you along the mangrove swamps and hammocks. It isn't a boardwalk, just hardpacked shell rock and the north end of the Black Trail loop is shared with mountain bikers so be aware. You can also kayak or canoe in the estuary, which is really nice because the water is so flat and protected (although the Gulf side isn't particularly rough either - which is another reason west beats east). Being on the water offers a great vantage point for wildlife viewing and you could spot dolphins, manatees, alligators, eagles and ospreys. We saw a lot of osprey on our hike, a number of them babies in their nests.