Gamble Rogers State Park, Flagler Beach, Florida
Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom – both young and old – surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.” “Get out of our way! This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them!” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door. ~ Genesis 19:4-9 Here we see how the wickedness has permeated the entire city. Both young and old are at Lot’s door demanding the opportunity to defile the two visiting strangers. Lot may have been trying to save the visitors, and rightly so, but he’s attempting to do it at the cost of his very own daughters, and thus destroying his reputation as a godly man. These men aren’t interested in anything Lot has to say or offer. They’re only interested in mocking Lot, and fulfilling their own wicked urges. It seems they’ve also developed a ‘mob mentality’. People can be swayed to do and say things as a group – even things they wouldn’t normally do or say – much easier than on their own. How often has a group mentality swayed your mind or actions into something you knew was wrong? Where do you stand on the issue of homosexuality? Does the media and today’s world view influence you? The only thing that should influence believers is God’s Word. If you seek further insight, be sure those you’re looking to for wisdom or answers, possess true godly wisdom that comes from the Father.
It’s been over a week since Blaine used the Terro spray for stink bugs, and they’re gone! After only two treatments! Did you hear me knocking loudly on wood?? Or us collectively shouting Hallelujah! at the top of our lungs?? Or maybe the foot stomping as we danced around the coach?? Why did it take us so long to find this $10 miracle?
Let’s celebrate some more miracles! These presented to us by the Father Himself!
After lunch today, we rode our bikes out of the campground and across the street to the beach, where we walked up and down for nearly two hours. Glorious day! And we found treasures along the way – but not the kind you keep except in your mind’s eye, or in a photograph. 😊
It pulled into the ‘ocean side’ of Gamble Rogers ….State Park (I’m not typing all that out again), turned around, backed up as far as they could go, and either left or parked for a while.
We didn’t stick around to see what they were doing.
But I did try to look them up. My malware wouldn’t let me go to their website. Hmmm . . . .
Doesn’t look like much does it? : )
I tried to get a good picture, but this one is the best I was able to capture. : (
Read below to learn something I’ll bet you didn’t know. : )
Of the more than 1,400 species of barnacles found in the world’s waterways, the most common ones are called acorn barnacles. As anyone who’s ever maintained a vessel knows, removing barnacles requires some elbow grease (or a pressure washer). That’s why some boaters call them by their slang name: “crusty foulers.”
How do barnacles stick to the undersides of vessels, to other sea life, to each other, and to pretty much anything they come in contact with? They secrete a fast-curing cement that is among the most powerful natural glues known, with a tensile strength of 5,000 pounds per square inch and an adhesive strength of 22-60 pounds per square inch. The glue is so strong that researchers are trying to figure out how it can be used commercially.
Barnacles like places with lots of activity, like underwater volcanos and intertidal zones, where they reside on sturdy objects like rocks, pilings, and buoys. Moving objects like boat and ship hulls and whales are particularly vulnerable to the pesky critters. Large barnacle colonies cause ships to drag and burn more fuel, leading to significant economic and environmental costs. The U.S. Navy estimates that heavy barnacle growth on ships increases weight and drag by as much as 60 percent, resulting in as much as a 40 percent increase in fuel consumption!
Barnacles feed through feather-like appendages called cirri. As the cirri rapidly extend and retract through the opening at the top of the barnacle, they comb the water for microscopic organisms. They quickly withdraw into their protective shells if they sense a potential threat. Barnacles secrete hard calcium plates that completely encase them. A white cone made up of six calcium plates forms a circle around the crustacean. Four more plates form a “door” that the barnacle can open or close, depending on the tide. When the tide goes out, the barnacle closes up shop to conserve moisture. As the tide comes in, a muscle opens the door so the feathery cirri can sift for food. ~ oceanservice.noaa.gov
One was even still alive, so we tossed it as far as we could into the waves.
Don’t know if it washed back up or not.
The Ranger had no answer. : )
Blaine thinks I take too many pictures of them,
but I disagree, so you probably have more than you’d like to see. : )
They evidently like to lay down in the footprints. : )
I didn’t pick this one up. : )
We were leaving the beach, albeit a bit reluctantly, when we heard this unusual sound and looked all around the skies to see if we could spot it, but we didn’t. Then, just as we were riding out of the parking lot, we saw it! A paraplane! Bet he had a blast today!
And last but certainly not least – I received an invitation to a baby shower today via text. It’s in May, while we’re home, and it’s for our 7th grandchild! The 6th boy! Cute invitation and thoughtful of Elise (our daughter-in-law and soon-to-be-mom) to send it to me. I think most everyone else received theirs through Facebook. Very considerate, this new daughter-in-law. Probably one of the things Chris loves about her. 😊
