PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA

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Yesterday, April 4 was National Walking Day, so I decided to take a walk on the beach at a place where I have rarely walked in recent years. Although I live at Ponte Vedra Beach, the closest access to the beach for me is at Jacksonville Beach, a short mile or so away. We know a little spot where there is parking on the street for only a handful of cars, so we escape the crowds! The only public access with parking in Ponte Vedra Beach is at Mickler's Landing, which is 5 miles away. There are plenty of public access points between the mansions on the beach at Ponte Vedra Beach, but those residents have managed to keep a total street parking ban in place to keep us riff-raff out, so that unless you walk or cycle as we sometimes do, there is no way to get to those access points.

When we first moved to Florida 23 years ago, Mickler's Landing (pronounced Mykler's) was a secret only the locals knew about. It is right at the southern end of town on the way to St Augustine. We would park our cars on the grass alongside the road in those days, then walk for miles on the unspoiled beach without ever seeing another person sometimes. Then the county decided to build a car park with bathrooms! Word got out, and the crowds came!

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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I lay flat on the ground to get this shot. I did get some strange looks from passers-by, but I am used to that. It's been a while since I added a #funkyedits shot for @tattoodjay and @krazypoet, so this one is for them!

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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This is the walkway to the beach from the car park.

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Dogs are allowed on the beach here as long as they are leashed, so it's a favorite spot for dog owners to bring their dogs. The yellow flag means that the surf hazard is medium, so it was a good day to be in the water.

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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There is a reminder to people not to try to put land tortoises in the water! In any case, it is against the law to touch a sea turtle if you believe that is what it is, as well as a gopher tortoise, unless you are certified by the state to do so!

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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It was a gorgeous day at the beach, and others had the same idea. I didn't see very many people walking though; most were just lazing around enjoying the sunshine.

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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I forgot to check the position of the tide before setting out today, so the barefoot idyllic walk in the sand just didn't happen. The tide was in, so my walk was over over deposits of seashells, so I had to put my flip-flops back on.

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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When I walked away from the crowds, I did find this nice couple who were walking slowly down the beach searching for sharks' teeth. This beach is one of our best local beaches for sharks' teeth hunting. If you are lucky, you will find both fossilized and modern day teeth, and if you are very lucky you may find a tooth of the megalodon shark, the extinct ancestor of the great white!

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This was the gentleman's find for the day. His wife had her own smaller collection.

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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This man caught a fish – a whiting he said. He said he would put him back in the ocean later if he didn't catch anything else! Meanwhile, he kept him in this bucket of water.

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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Although it has been mostly cleared up now, I came across some debris on the beach left over from Hurricane Irma.

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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Upon closer inspection, I discovered that a sea turtle has a nest here! It's a little early in the season, so it's the only one I saw. I volunteered one year with the Sea Turtle Patrol, and was authorized to handle the sea turtles. It was so cool to see all the baby turtles making their way to the ocean! One evening I got a call to get to the beach to help some babies reach the ocean. They had been left behind when it became daylight after the others from their nest successfully made their way. Those on duty with the Sea Turtle Patrol* gathered the stragglers and we each had one baby that we had to watch and guide to the ocean. I shall always wonder if she was a female, and if so, will she survive and make her way back to this very beach 50 years from when she hatched, to lay her own eggs?

Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

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I didn't get much exercise on my walk yesterday, but I did get some fresh air, and I met some delightful people!

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The idea to revive this theme came from the very talented artist @rigaronib in this post. So, many thanks @rigaronib for giving me some inspiration!

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To join this new challenge, this is all you have to do:

1. Use YOUR OWN photography
2. Use the tag #nationaldays
3. Check the web on sites like this for the day's challenges to choose from
4. Write a post daily, or as often as you like
5. Anyone can join in, but nominate 2 people if you like
6. Copy and paste the challenge guidelines into your post

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If you wish to participate in the #wiwcontest for this week, you will find the theme and the rules here. Any SBD donations towards the rewards would be most welcome.

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Thanks for taking the time to read this! I appreciate it. Please check out my photography-101 account here for tips and tutorials about photography.

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