Red Tide at Point of Rocks

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We decided to spend the afternoon at Point of Rocks, which is here on Siesta Key, about two miles north from where we're staying. Red tide had come on Thursday, and we got to see some of the aftermath. Red tide is when there is a large red algae bloom close to shore. It produces toxins that kill a lot of sea life, which then washes ashore. My parents had combed Turtle Beach before it was cleaned up, and they said the dead fish were everywhere. That's how we found Point of Rocks today. I saw dead crabs, dead eels, and hundreds and hundreds of dead fish. There were skeletons everywhere, too, from fish who had died and were picked clean by the birds.

I'm not sure if there were more shells that were swept on shore with the dead animals, or if there were just fewer people beach coming because of the dead creatures. For whatever reasaon, the beach was covered in seashells. My mom and I enjoyed picking out our favorites, and I told her she should make an outdoor, cemented table top with them.

When we were done gawking at the dead creatures and picking seashells, we strolled a couple of blocks north to Crescent Beach. Crescent Beach had been cleaned up from the red tide. There were still dead fish on shore, but they were more scarce.

Oliver enjoyed picking up seashells and throwing them into the ocean. He yelled random things as he threw. I heard him yell, "Peanut butter and jelly!", "Uncle Scott!", "Cheese!", and "I don't like rules!" as he hurled seashells back into the water. The kid cracks me up. Meanwhile, Joanna decided that sand was nothing to be afraid of after all. She went from screaming every time sand touched her to digging in it and playing with the bucket and shovel. She was very good at scooping up sand and depositing it into her green bucket.

Uncle Andy came and helped Andrew bury Oliver in the sand. We soaked up a little sun, watched the waves roll in, and then went back to the bungalows for nap time. The sun and water really take it out of the kids!

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