Goodbye... for now.

We went out tonight and said our last goodbye to the beach... until another year.

All of our "friends" came out tonight to bid us farewell... There were two beautiful dolphins, who swam remarkably close to shore, and treated us to a final, joyful, explosive leap into the air... There were the little sand pipers and plovers, running en masse along the shore... There was a gorgeous, wallowing manatee, who raised her whiskery nose at us, then disappeared once more with a flip of her big, fat tail... And all the while, ospreys and brown pelicans soared above us, pausing every now and then to suddenly and dramatically dive for their dinners, with an explosive **sploosh!!**

And, of course, there was Heron.

Heron has kept us company every evening, at sunset, for most of the past ten wonderful days.

Last night, he amused us all by befriending a fellow fisherman (and stealing fish from his companion's bucket, when the companion wasn't looking...)

And tonight, he accompanied us on one last stroll down the sand, as we headed towards our favourite spot for enormous Edy's ice cream cones.

We watched sailboats drift towards shore, and picked up shells along the way.

Heron walked ahead of us, spearing a fish or two every now and then, and flapped over our heads to "catch up", if he happened to lag behind for too long.

We said our final goodbyes, and then watched as he slowly walked away...

Tomorrow, we return to the land of the ice and snow.

And, although it is very hard to leave this most beautiful, warm, and magical place...

It will be good to be home, once more.