Needed to get to the post office today, and on the way there is a steep hill, actually an overpass stretching across the Intercoastal in Jacksonville, which caused me to stop and walk my bike to the top. Climbing the hill with bike and package in tow, I glanced down towards the murky brine noticing an Egret standing in the marsh. Then a fin broke the surface of the water towards the center of the waterway. At first I though it might be a shark, since I once lived near Charleston, SC where the river was teeming with sharks. But then an arcing form came closer to the surface and I could see the dolphin's back, and blowhole, clearly.
I stopped to watch, but then decided to continue up to the top once I figured a better view could be had from there. On the way, lo and behold, two more dolphins appeared. I stopped walking just shy of the overpass' crest. Never had I seen dolphins this close up before. The trio were casually zigzagging in the river near a marina. Two seemed to stay close together, and might have been a mother and calf. The one I spotted first was getting closer and closer to the bridge, so my view was almost directly overhead. The drop down was probably more than the sixty feet I thought it might be, but still the vantage point was fantastic. Since I was in no particular hurry and the noontime sky was clear blue, I stood and watched the dolphin ballet, minute by minute, letting my personal problems drift away. What a terrific experience.
Postscript: Now paying for yesterday's fun with a sunburn.
