RV Havin Fun!

Sebastian Inlet State Park, Melbourne Beach, Florida

People went out to him (John the Baptist) from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.  Confessing their sins they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ~ Matthew 3:5-6      So people from all walks of life and all parts of the ‘world’ came to him asking how they should now live – common people, tax collectors, soldiers… (Luke 3:10-14).  John’s baptism was symbolic of cleansing the people who repented (turned their thoughts and lives around toward God’s desire for them).  The Jewish population for certain would’ve recognized this as a cleansing because their priests were required to cleanse themselves and especially their hands before offering sacrifices. (Exodus 30:17-21)

We rose early this morning and rode our bikes to the beach to see the sunrise.  All sunrises are painted by God and are beautiful, as was this one, and today’s ranked somewhere in the middle of the dramatic ones we’ve witnessed over the years. 

We walked the beach during the experience, then headed home to wait for the McLarty Treasure Museum to open.  It got its name from a retired Atlanta attorney named Robert McLarty who lived in town and donated the property.  The building sits on a portion of the former site of the “Survivors & Salvager’s Camp of the 1715 Fleet”. 

The only way to regale you with tales of the sea is to use some dramatic flare.  You know what that means – – ‘The fish was this big . . . . !!’ as you stretch out your arms to their full width.  I won’t give this tale the flare it deserves, but I’ll do my best – while remaining within the parameters of truth.  At least mostly.  😊

But to do that, since it requires some time as well as research, and I’m behind on my postings, the tale must wait, but not too long, for a Special Edition.

If you would happen to look it up, the designation of ‘The Treasure Coast’ refers to “a region of Florida on the state’s Atlantic coast, comprising Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin counties. The region, whose name refers to the Spanish Treasure Fleet lost in a 1715 hurricane, emerged from residents’ desire to distinguish themselves from Miami and the Gold Coast region.” (islandbeachresort.com)

This is where we’re currently staying, and this is the purpose of the McLarty Treasure Museum.  Let me tell you, it was a pretty interesting place!  And only cost us $2 each.

Just for future reference, there’s more recovered treasure on display at a museum called Mel Fisher’s.  It’s actually reasonably prices at $8/person, but Blaine believed he’d already seen enough treasure for one day. He probably thought if I was exposed to more gold and silver and jewels, I’d start thinking I needed something of my own.  He may be right…… 😊

Even as we completed our partial education on this historic event, the drama didn’t end. 

Our bikes had been parked outside, under the sun’s blistering rays, and our black seats absorbed every one of them!  I believe it’s entirely possible we sustained first degree burns!  Ouchy wa-wa!!  The further we rode, the hotter the seat became!  I swear it’s true!  And it didn’t get better until we parked at the pier and left them in the shade while we pondered the goings-on there for a while.  I was still a bit sore even a couple of hours later.  And let that be a lesson for us all – – never underestimate the effects of Florida sunshine!

All that, and our day is far from over.

Back home, Blaine discovered a black snake in the tree outside our bathroom window!  Yes!  You read right – – it was climbing the tree!  Of course, once he got back there to take a decent picture, it slithered off; quite quickly in fact!

It was still pretty early in the day, so we drove over the check out Pelican Island; mostly to determine if we could in fact, kayak to it if we so desired.  There were few birds this time of year (or was it the time of day), and you’re not allowed to set foot on the island.  We saw it from an observation area and that was enough for us.  😊

Strangler figs begin life as a sticky seed on a tree branch high up in the canopy and are usually left there by an animal.

As the young strangler fig grows, long roots grow down along the trunk of the host tree, eventually completely engulfing the host tree trunk. Once these roots reach the ground, they enter the soil. At the same time, the strangler fig grows leaves.

The weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) develops roots from their branches and these grow directly down towards the ground.

In this species of strangler fig, once these roots reach the ground, they grow outwards in the soil and thicken to produce trunk-like structures. This can result in large patches of strangler fig forest all originating from one plant.

The growth process of strangler figs can be murderous, leading to the death of its host, and earning it the Spanish nickname, ‘matapalo’ (tree-killer). The roots constrict the trunk of the host tree and surround the host tree roots, cutting off the nutrient and water supply. Its thick fig foliage high up in the canopy can also steal sunlight.

Strangler figs are not just destructive parasites; they are very ecologically important in tropical areas.

The hollow center of strangler figs provides habitats for a number of animals including bats and birds. They are also known as ‘keystone species’, as their fruits provide an important source of food to a variety of animals.

Researchers found that strangler figs may support their hosts during severe storms. ~ kew.org

On the way back, Blaine pulled the Jeep to the side of the road in order for us to do what he’s been wanting to do since we arrived – walk to the top of the bridge.  I was not a fan because of the narrow walkway and the cars whizzing by at 45mph, but the view was pretty spectacular.

Back on ground level, we drove over to the other side of the bridge and found the parking lot for the long pier across from where we’ve been ‘hangin’ out’.  There, you’re far enough out to see the battle of the ocean and the inlet waters, similar to what we did with Blaine’s sister at Jupiter Inlet a few days ago.    

Sebastian Inlet State Park, Melbourne Beach, Florida

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.  His food was locusts and wild honey. ~ Matthew 3:4    I know you’re probably reading this and wondering why Matthew included these details, and there are a myriad of things I could share about it, but have neither the time nor the space to do so.  So let’s stick with the basics.  John dressed thus because it’s the clothing of the Old Testament prophet, Elijah (II Kings 1:8) and John was fulfilling the prophecy that Elijah would come before the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).  The angel tells John’s father who he will be before he’s born (Luke 1:17), and Jesus also confirms John’s purpose (Matthew 11:13, Matthew 17:12-13).  The modest garments and food allowed people to see Jesus, rather than the ‘showy attire’ of the current leadership in Israel.  It allowed the people to see past the rituals and rules and also kept them from putting John on a lofty pedestal that he didn’t belong on.  His ministry was to get people to see and admit to their sin and point the way of salvation; not puff himself up.

There are no churches around for miles, so we watched the past two messages from our home church, The Chapel in Green, which got us caught up to today’s messages.  I highly recommend the series they’re doing as we, and they, move through the Book of Matthew.  (I’m letting Pastor Mike stay ahead of me so I can learn stuff to share with you. 😊)  You can catch them on YouTube if you’re interested.

Besides getting caught up on church, we basically lollygagged around, taking a short bike ride on a labeled bike trail, which we struggled to actually ride on because of deep sand and narrow street tires.

Once we made it to the end, rather than turning around, we chose the sidewalk and biked back to check out the pier we visited yesterday.  Today, we saw a turtle that may have been a Green Turtle and relatively small sting ray.  We also watched a bevy of boats maneuvering in and out of the inlet, and hundreds of people enjoying the beach and protected waters in various ways.

Once we were done starring into the blue-green depths, we sauntered over to the Sebastian Fishing Museum.  It’s small, but interesting, and they have a 20 minute video you can watch about the history of fishing here.  We did.

Another not-so-awe-inspiring day today for anyone but us.  Maybe tomorrow will capture your interest.  😊

Sebastian Inlet State Park, Melbourne Beach, Florida

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling int the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’ ~ Matthew 3:1-3     Matthew chooses the ‘one, two, skip a few, ninety-nine, one hundred’ approach now as he jumps ahead about 30 years.  You can find a smidgen more information if you check out the Gospel of Luke, but no one tackled Jesus’ life from toddler to adulthood, except for the one incident Luke shares about Mary and Joseph losing track of him for three days (can you just imagine the panic!) when, at age twelve, Jesus chose to stay behind during a trip to Jerusalem.  Now for the actual passage.  John is Jesus’ older-by-six-months cousin, born to Zechariah and Elizabeth when there was no way Elizabeth could have children (again, look to Luke for details).  John was chosen from birth to be the herald of the Messiah.  His job is simple, but not easy.  He’s to become the procession that comes ahead of the King announcing His arrival and get the people ready to receive Him.  In other words, his job is to begin softening people’s hearts to turn from their sin so Jesus can come in.  People loved John, but the Jewish leadership didn’t.  Still, they tolerated him and never persecuted him or plotted to have him killed like they did Jesus.  At least not until John ticked off Herod’s wife.  But that’s a story for a later date.

There’s not a lot to report today.  Unless you count the spectacular more-than-an-hour walk along a beautiful, nearly deserted beach! 

Oh!  And once we managed to pull ourselves away from that, we biked over to the pier and watched people and birds fishing in vain.  Maybe the array of photographers had better luck.

The water here is so beautiful!  It’s hard to take your eyes off it!  Pictures could never do it justice!