It wouldn't be a trip to Florida without a little fishing, so while we were there we headed to a little place on Anna Maria Island called the Rod & Reel Pier.
At the end of that long dock is a little bar and bait shop on the ground floor and a very popular restaurant up above. It was pretty quiet in the afternoon, but once dinner time rolled around the whole pier was packed with people waiting for a table.
Walking down the pier, I noticed all these names carved into the wood.
Shark A Diem
I think that this one was my favorites :)
We grabbed the fishing rods out of the truck and bought a big bucket of shrimpies for bait.
Why do I keep saying "we"? I was not a part of the fishing. Don't get me wrong, I love fishing when I'm in the mood, but I just wasn't up for putting the bait on the hooks. And sitting in the sun and relaxing just seemed more enjoyable at the time.
My dad on the other hand got right into it. He seemed to be having a blast. While he and the siblings fished, my mom and I decided to take advantage of the other things that the pier offered...
...like a nice pitcher of cold beer. She is usually not a beer drinker, but this occasion called for it. We were on a pier, with our shoes kicked off, enjoying the sun - if there was ever a time to want something cold and refreshing, this was it.
Ahhh, sooooo relaxing.
Shadow and I spent most of our time watching the local wildlife and enjoying the sun.
These pelicans were so close you could almost touch them. Or if you're Shadow, you can almost dive for them. It would have been a real blast trying to get her out of the water if she'd fallen in.
They are such peculiar birds, but I find them so interesting. They just bobbed around in the water and every once and awhile they would fly up to swoop down and get a fish.
After a little while we were even lucky enough to see a wild dolphin swimming just off of the pier. All the fisherman grumbled about him stealing the fish, but I thought it was great to see one up close.
You could see scars on his back from where he'd had a few brushes with the local boat traffic.
It was amazing to see one so close! After a whole lifetime of never seeing a wild dolphin, it was amazing to see them twice in one trip.
In the end, nobody caught any fish, but we had a great time hanging out on the pier and enjoying the fantastic weather (and a few beers)!
Travel Journal: Sitting on a Dock on a Bay
Rating: 4.5
Diposkan Oleh: Unknown
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