SeaGrass Beach
The Does of Thor
Gumbo Tree aka The Tourist Tree cause it peels
This beach is not your ordinary beach. Piles of dead seagrass washed up from the oceans’ bottom lines the shores instead of white pearly sand as one might expect. There is always a very strong odor, depending on the winds and tides. Most days I need to wear a bandana over my face to filter out the smells, and if you are sensitive to insects like I am, the choice is insecticidal saturation or face the consequences. Poisonwood, a big bushy tree as deadly as its’ name, is very common, as are thorny bushes which will grab your skin if you dare short sleeves or pants. The exposed sand has been blown over from Africa during storms in the Sahara Desert. Sharp coral surrounds the island thick with green slippery moss. There are not any hotels lining the oceanfront but mangroves, buttonwoods, silver palms and gumbo trees instead, providing a thick refuge for the Key Deer. You will not find any paved paths or showers or toilets or any snack stands. No beach chairs or umbrellas and if you want shade you have to go like the natives do (the deer) and find a mangrove tree to escape the blazing sun under. It is always changing, too, and never looks the same from day to night, from week to month. However, there is such a phantasmagorical feeling to the place which draws me like no other…..
