1055 November 21, 2023 Visit With Cousin Curtis

We spent our day walking and biking in this beautiful park.

At the Nature Center, we learned a lot about the creatures of this area including gopher tortoises.  The tortoises have nesting grounds among the pines here and they dig a deep burrow in the sandy soil.  This hole in the ground can provide shelter for more than 300 other critters.  These remarkable animals are a keystone species.  This means that the survival of many other species depend on these tortoises.    

We also learned a lot about Kings Bay Naval Base.  This site is the home port of the Navy’s fleet of nuclear submarines.  The tide here has a seven-foot variation and ebbs and flows every 12 hours.  The changeover is rapid and this makes it an ideal place for the submarines to be pushed in and out of the docks.  At this base, dolphins and sea lions from the West Coast are trained to identify and retrieve explosives.  These intelligent animals are transported to war zones to assist Naval teams.

Late in the afternoon, we drove to Yulee, Florida to visit Tim’s cousin, Curtis and his wife, Janice.  Dementia is exceptionally disheartening.  Curtis cares for Janice with compassion and patience. 

Curtis took us to Amelia Island to the Salt Life Food Shack.  We enjoyed a delicious meal as we shared life stories.  We had a great visit.  I had promised to do a better job getting pictures but the evening slipped by and we completely forgot!