THURSDAY APRIL 8TH

Last night when we went to bed, we could hear this loud, crackling noise beneath the boat. By loud I mean that I thought I would have to use my earplugs in order to get any sleep. It was a constant sound somewhat like rain.

First thing in the morning I decided to research what the noise could possibly have been. By now things were all quiet. The internet is an amazing tool. Before long I had cracked the mystery. It was krill. A special type called pistol shrimp. There are over 600 varieties and the largest variety is less than 2 ½ inches. They create the noise with their claw to create an air bubble that explodes. They use this bubble to stun their prey, or to communicate with other krill. Well let me tell you, the krill party was under our boat last night and there was a whole lot of communicating going on. I found these two links that explained about these shrimp. Turn up the volume on your computer, click on the links and check them out. Video of Pistol Shrimp,
Sound of Pistol Shrimp.

Ross and I rode our bikes around the town. It is a quaint town with well maintained historical homes and gardens. The architecture of the homes and buildings is beautiful. The main street is lined with shops, trees and benches.

We stopped in for a beer at the Palace saloon. It is the oldest operating saloon in Florida. It was built in 1878 as a haberdashery (men’s clothing store) but in 1901 the building was sold and it was turned in to an “elegant gentlemens saloon” until prohibition in 1918. It was an ice cream parlor from then until 1933 when it was turned back in to a saloon.

This Depot was built in 1899. The first one was built in 1885 but was wiped out by the big hurricane in 1898. It is no longer a train depot and is used as a tourist information site. There was a cheesy pirate statue out front. I thought it detracted from the historical aspect of the depot. Whoever paid for the statue should have asked for their money back!

The wind picked up early in the evening and rain is predicted.

The krill were at it again when we went to bed.