Reef Surveys

On Saturday, Brittany and I headed out snorkeling on offshore patch reefs to look for any affect the recent cold temperatures may have had on the reef communities within Biscayne National Park.  We went out with the legendary Dr. Robert Ginsburg, who at 80+ years is still getting out there and doing research.

View of Miami's skyline.

Even though there were massive fish kills from the cold temperatures (fish become stunned by the cold water and then basically suffocate to death), it did not deter the many fishing boats out on the water.

We passed right through Stiltsville and I got to see some of the houses up close. 

Dr. Ginsburg's boat.....The Rock Star!  The water felt really cold on Saturday even though the temperature was about 10 degrees warmer than it was during the cold snap.  I got the opportunity to try out my new 5/3 mm hooded vest.  One of the best $70 investments I have ever made!

Although we were expecting to see some bleaching or paling on the corals, all of the patch reefs were in excellent condition!  We didn't see any negative affects from the cold water.  The corals were all healthy with good color.  What a relief!

We came across these cute lobsters stacked on top of each other at Marker 9 (for more info on Spiny lobsters, see previous entry!).

This is what Acropora cervicornis reefs should look like.  Large thickets of staghorn coral.  Beautiful!

We made it out to some new sites that I have never seen before.  Lots of them have really good coral cover with lots of sea fans, sponges, and large coral heads.

(Photo credit: B. Huntington)

Acropora palmata is commonly reffered to as Elkhorn coral.  This site had lots of it which originated from only a few colonies and has developed into a structured reef primarily by fragmentation. 

Brittany caught a wonderful picture of this cute little balloonfish (Diodon holocanthus) hiding out in a A. palmata colony. 

While other nurseries in the Florida Keys have reported high mortality and bleaching in response to the cold snap, our nursery looked very healthy.  

This blenny has made it's home in a hole in a large Montastrea colony.....Paula, can you help with the ID?

Back in the day, most Acropora palmata reefs looked as big and healthy as this one.  Nice to know that there are still a few out there!

On our way back in, we were racing against a large storm that was brewing off the coast.  We passed a few regatta races in Biscayne Bay.  Not sure they made it in before the rain hit.

It was a great way to spend a Saturday and a relief to know that the reefs near us were able to survive the cold!

Mmmmmm......Lobster

One of the really great things about living in South Florida is the availability of spiny lobsters on reefs just offshore.  Spiny lobster season in the Caribbean is from the first Wednesday of October through March 15th and you must have a lobster permit to collect them.  The spiny lobster is not a "true lobster" (like the Maine Lobsters usually served in restaurants) since it lacks claws and they have long spiny antennae.  They live in crevices found in rocks and coral reefs and usually only come out at night to forage for food.  One cool behavior of these animals is that they sometimes migrate in very large groups (up to 50 lobsters) in long single file lines across the sea floor. Spiny lobsters navigate by using the smell and taste and it was recently discovered that spiny lobsters can also navigate by detecting the magnetic field of the earth.  Lobster can even make noise to repel potential predators- they can produce a loud screech made by rubbing their antennae against a smooth part of their exoskeleton (shell). 

Our friend Evan just happened to have some "extra" lobster in his freezer, so we offered to take them off his hands!  We made lobster tacos, by grilling them with lime juice and butter and then topping them with mango salsa, fresh guacamole and lime sauce.  Delicious!

And we ended the evening hanging out on the "crushed cotton" sofa at Ben's place.  Good times for a Wednesday night!

Shakespeare in the Park

Every year, the City of Miami hosts a free Shakespeare performance.  This year it was the Taming of the Shrew at the Barnacle.  The Barnacle is an historic State Park which houses one of the last remaining remnants of Miami hardwood hammock.  The park gets it's name from the shape of the roof on the main roof....it's shaped like a barnacle.  The house was built in 1891by Ralph Middleton Monroe, one of the founders of Coconut Grove, and is the oldest house in it's original location in Miami-Dade County.

The production was on an outdoor stage with ground seating on the lawn.  Beautiful setting and the play was quite good- funny and entertaining with an interesting twist....popular rock songs accompanied the acting such as "We're not gonna take it" and "A little less conversation". 

I went with my roommate, Brittany, and our friend, Ben.  Since it's in the Grove, we decided to ride bikes there and pick up pizza on the way.  Living one block from the Slice and Ice is going to be dangerous....the pizza is so good!

Unfortuantely, we only had two bikes, so I got to ride along on Brittany's beach cruiser while she peddled!  Here's a shot of Ben from the back of our bike!  Ben was tasked with carrying our picnic bag with the champagne in it!  My aim was a little off from having to hold on and keep the pizza box in place!

Again, another enjoyable evening with fun people.  It's been great having so much to do in Miami and nice cool weather to do it in!  Now, if only the water would warm up too!

Search for the perfect empanada!

One of my goals is to find the perfect empanada (typical Spanish or Latin food- soft baked pastry with chicken, beef or spinach). Empanadas can be found almost everywhere here in Miami and are often served as starters or ready-to-go lunches (so you often have to get them early in the morning when they are fresh!).  Brittany, my new roommate has agreed to join me in this endeavor.

Brittany with our first empanada.

1) Our first selection were chicken filled empanadas from the Winn-Dixie on Key Biscayne.  Flaky crust with nice flavoured chicken filling.  Pretty par for the course.

2) Coconut Grove Bookstore:  these are organic empanadas.  Crust was more doughy.  Spicy beef filling was quite nice.  Spicy chicken filling was a little bland and the chicken chunks needed to be smaller to create more flavor.

Stay tuned as our sample size grows!

First sunset

One of my favorite things about Miami is the constant supply of awesome sunsets.  RSMAS is located on Virginia Key and has an awsome location for viewing said sunsets on the drive home from work.  I stopped one day to take pictures!  Makes a long hard day at work not seem so bad afterall!

Palm Tree on Virginia Key at Sunset

Beautiful colors (but no green flash.....and it does exist!)

Where am I?

The beginning of 2010 has been very busy and very eventful!  I now have a new and improved home!  Even though I loved the cottage, there were too many problems associated with it.  So, when an opportunity to move in with some friends at work presented itself, I got out of my lease and moved into a three bedroom townhouse only a few blocks away.  Check it out!

Kitchen with stained glass cabinets and cool track lighting

Kitchen and Living Room view.

Awesome lanai with water feature and jungle plants!  Our landlord bought us a new fountain for our little pond and lots of new plants to use on our patio.  He even stayed to help us plant everything!

Brittany's room- one of my roommates.

My penthouse- my bedroom is on the third floor of the townhouse.

My bathroom

Penthouse balcony- leads into the spiral staircase which made getting furniture upstairs quite a challange.  We moved most of the big items in through the balconies!

Trouble asleep in her new room! As always, Trouble has adjusted nicely to being moved around.  She loves the extra attention that she gets from the roommates and has a great time exploring on the balconies and patio.

After a long hard day of moving, we walked up to Flannigan's for some wings and much needed relaxation with friends!  Thanks so much to everyone that helped!

Brittany and Scott chowin' on some wings!

Happy New Year 2010!

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone is having a safe, healthy and fun start to 2010. 

I was invited up to Hobe Sound to ring in the new year with Claus and Michelle.

Our friends Julian and Krystal had a few friends over for a delicious dinner, some drinks and some fun with their new Wii.

We had quite the competition going for bowling!  Alicia and Claus played tennis too.

We eagerly awaiting midnight- here's me, Michelle and Alicia

Julian and Claus celebrate the beginning of 2010!

It was lots of fun and the weather was perfect for hanging outside and watching the neighborhood fireworks.  From left to right: Claus, Krystal, Michelle, me, Alicia and Brian. 

Woody had a fantastic time playing with Taj and chasing an opposum all evening around the fence in the backyard- what a great way for a dog to celebrate the new year!

Me and Michelle- the obligatory self portrait!

The champagne was good and I felt the need to help finish it off!

Good times, good friends and good wishes for the new year!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I thought it was supposed to be warm in Florida!

We are currently experiencing the longest cold snap in 9 years.  Woke up this morning and it was hard getting out of bed.  When you don't have central air.....you also don't have heat!  Poor Trouble was even cold and allowed me to snuggle with her under the blankets.  She was still under the covers when I left for work! With the wind chill, we are expecting temperatures to be as low as 27 degrees through the end of the week with highs only reaching the mid 60's!  And yes, I know I'm spoiled for thinking that this is cold!