You've heard of tennis elbow...

How about shutter finger?

Well, more like "concrete mixing knuckle" - yeah, she is still hurting from mixing the concrete when we set a post in it a week ago.  On the fun side: we've added another splint type device to our "malady drawer" (the drawer that holds all our straps, splints, braces, etc).

She discovered it isn't as easy to use your middle finger for the shutter release on the camera...

Another warm and windy day in the Tropical Tip.  Small craft advisories due to wind, which is currently 20, gusting to 27.  Nonetheless, we figured we'd beat the holiday weekend crowds (yes, even on the water) by getting out early today.

It worked, we only saw a few small private fishing boats out this morning.  OK, may have been more due to the wind than the time.  No boats...

Joan was on the lookout for dolphins...

She reminded me that we could see an Orca this morning...

Her travel mug is the Orca brand.

As you'd expect, the water was a little lumpy this morning, so we stayed where we could get some protection...

Then, in the ship channel, Joan got the first view...

A couple dolphins, but they were quite elusive.  Still, we enjoyed looking around for them.

We made our way back through the turning basin, where a group of jetskis came roaring in, single file.  The last two were a bit behind and cut inside the channel marker - they were fortunate the tide is up right now.

We passed by this Coast Guard boat tied in front of the Homeland Security office for this area - the bow ensign is a jack, signifying a US non-Navy vessel having the longest total period as active (in place of the Union Jack).

From there, we headed towards home.  Coming in our canals...

This is typical of the bay fishing boats around here...

They are designed to run in shallow water; not much boat in the water, no topsides to speak of.  They are designed to do a specific job - get fishermen to the shallow fishing waters.

Turning into our canal, we saw an unusual sight...

What looks to be a group of more than a dozen osprey.  Around here, we generally see them hunting individually or as pairs.  Gathered together for the holiday weekend?

Back at the dock, after cleaning the boat, we headed to Manuel's Restaurant for a late breakfast.  I was thinking it would be late enough that the holiday breakfast crowd would have subsided and the lunch crowd not arrived... I would be wrong.  I don't generally care to wait for a table at a restaurant, but this is Manuel's - those who have been there will understand.