American Beach Shark Dangers - a little too close for comfort

The entire family was playing in the surf. Two kids were swimming in knee deep water. Three others were out further with the boogie board and duckie inflatable kayak.

My daughter-in-law and grand baby played in the sand and waves.

American Beach is on Amelia Island.

Amelia Island is the southernmost island in the string of barrier islands extending from South Carolina to Florida.  It is also the north-most city on the Florida east coast. Amelia Island is approximately 13 miles long and 4 miles wide - yet feels much larger with all the activities available.

This particular day we were swimming at American Beach.  (refer to previous post)  I thought we were well versed on the dangers of sharks having lived by the beach numerous times in our Navy career.

BUT I WAS WRONG

The birds swooping for fish should have been a signal.

The dolphins feeding should have been a signal.

The small fish jumping out of the water around us should have been a signal.

So when my daughter-in-law shouted for us to get out of the water, I was some what surprised.

Fishermen were along the beach with their poles set up in the sand and the line stretching out into the deeper water.  To be honest, I don't think this should be allowed around swim beach areas.  So, we made sure to stay what we felt was a safe distance from them.

The story we heard was that the fisherman found a dead shark and was dragging it back into the water.  It wasn't one he caught according to this one person, but I don't always believe the story from one random stranger, so who knows.

The small fish. The dolphins feeding.  Dead shark in the water.

This must have drawn in the feeding sharks.

To read the whole story go to our online magazine! www.thelemonadedigest.com



http://www.fbfl.us/index.aspx?NID=569

American Beach, an African American Historic Site

Our family took a morning trip to American Beach, on Amelia Island in north east Florida.

The beach was beautiful with soft white sand.  Numerous shells dotted the shore for our kids to seach over.  A small sand bar appeared when the tide went out further.

This day we had blue skies and medium sized waves. I was actually surprised by the size of the wave, some had a little curl in them.

It was a very quiet beach, only two other cars there.

We all enjoyed body surfing, boogie boarding, and playing in the sand.  My grandbaby came along and crawled over the sand and into the edge of the surf.  This wasn't her first time to the beach so she crawled through the edge of the waves like a pro!

The history of American Beach is what I consider disgusting.  It is shocking to think there was a time that African Americans were only allowed to go to this beach in Florida.

Segregation in nature even.  

What did people think would happen if they went to a beach where an African American was?

It was founded in 1935 by the Afro-American Life Insurance Company (AALIC).  They purchases 33 acres at the beach to provide a safe place for Afro-Americans to enjoy.

The president of AALIC, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, named the beach American Beach because they felt that in the United States beaches should be open to everyone.  (For more info click here)

Our family enjoyed our day in the water and sand.  After, we had a picnic in the covered pavilian that gave us all a break from the hot sun and heat.  There are showers and bathrooms to clean off the sand before heading out for an afternoon nap and another adventure tonight!

We are doing a study on segregation with our kids for home school. They are writing essays, studying vocabulary, history, maps, etc.  One child is writing an article for www.thelemonadedigest.com There are a few links below.

https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/ambch.htm

Tytus' first trip to the ocean outside of the womb LOL

Grandbaby at the beach with us!

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-segregation.html

Abolish as per https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/abolition

the act of abolishing a system or practice or institution (especially abolishing slavery)

“the abolition of capital punishment”

Synonyms:

abolishment

Type of:

conclusion, ending, termination

the act of ending something

Segregation as per Google search

seg·re·ga·tion

ˌseɡrəˈɡāSH(ə)n/

noun

noun: segregation

1. the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart.

   
   

   "the segregation of pupils with learning difficulties"

   • the enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment.

     
     

     "an official policy of racial segregation"
   • GENETICS

     the separation of pairs of alleles at meiosis and their independent transmission via separate gametes.

     plural noun: segregations

http://www.blackpast.org/aah/american-beach-jacksonville-florida-1936

Drama and Problems

One of the things I love about full time travel is that when things aren't good somewhere....we can leave.  Pull up the jacks, hook up the camper and pull out.

Life is short and when we have to deal with the negativity, drama, rudeness, and selfishness of a spoiled and entitled society it makes a camping spot in the mountains even more appealing.

There are days I want to disappear and forget the internet, news, problems, drama, and anything that is petty and unfruitful.

Yet, sometimes we have to work through it. Running isn't the answer and facing that conflict or issue is what is required.

Balance is necessary in full time travel as in all of life.  Right now I'm ready to call out the Army against a few people who lie, steal, cheat, and take from my family and I. Then the other side of me wants to shut everything down to the outside world, some days I just can't take it.

So is the dilemma of a full time travel....when to leave and when to face it head on.  It can take courage to do either.

Winter Break

I've been spending a lot of time on the couch.  Eight years without one - sure makes me appreciate the soft, cushy, cozy couch in this cabin.

We gave up the couch in our camper for a large table for our family to eat at together.  The typical 4 person dinette wasn't going to be big enough for our this family of eight so we gave up the comfort for the family bonding that eating meals together brings.

Now....I'm a couch bum and I'm not ashamed.  I've even slept on it many nights..... and I plan on enjoying it everyday until we leave :)

Home School Lesson They Will Never Forget

Our kids have participated in Royal Rangers and Missionettes long before we began traveling. Now, I do most the teaching as its hard to find a church near us that does those programs.

The lesson tonight was about meal planning and healthy eating. We were discussing cooking methods and I thought it would be a great opportunity to discuss cooking meat thoroughly.

I was in the military so the method - "SHOCK AND AWE" is a regular teaching method I use.

So, I Googled worms in meat. We proceeded to look at photos of worms in people that were caused by under-cooked meat.

I didn't show them all these photos since so many of them are beyond nasty. But, the ones I showed them made their point.

Tytus couldn't even look!

Tytus, age 7, and Josephine, age 9, were so disgusted they had to cover their eyes.  Josie kept trying to walk away as Naomi (my 15 yr old), and I laughed. 

This is when I remembered the video going around on facebook with Snoop Dog and how hot dogs are made.

We did a little more searching and found these...

The fun of home school 24/7