Swimming with the Fish ...

And I lived to tell about it! I live about 150' from the Gulf of Mexico. The water here is usually very calm - waves (if you can call them that) are less than 2' unless there are storms out over the water. The water is relatively clear so you can see down to about 6' or so. And if you stand still, schools of tiny fish - 2 or 3 inches long - will swim all around you.

Of course, you should remember: big fish feed on little fish. So I am nothing more than shark bait standing in this school of bait fish! I will say, there have been NO reports of shark bite anywhere near here - at least that I am aware of.

A lot of people fish from the shoreline here also. They will go out with their nets and catch these small fish I was just describing and then use them for bait to try and hook something larger. With success! I personally witnessed an 18" hammerhead shark (baby) pulled in right here on this beach. But that was the exception, not the rule.

The biggest danger here is stepping on something while walking in the surf. Allegedly stingrays are common. Signs up and down the beach warn you to 'shuffle' your feet. I wear water shoes. My feet are sensitive. I don't even like to walk in the yard barefoot.

So that's where I'm headed right now (again) - the beach. Every morning - lately - starts with clear skies. As the temperature rises during the day clouds will form and usually rain somewhere by mid-afternoon. If it's a sea-breeze -- wind blows from west to east -- the storms generally form more inland. But if it's a land-breeze -- winds blow east to west -- the storms seem closer to the shoreline, where I live.

Today it's a land-breeze so I better get out there now.