Love those manatees....

Cruising these western S.W Florida waters means watching out for Manatees. Often termed as "sea cows" they are big,10-12 feet long and weighing up to 1000 lb coastal mammals. Since they are mammals the are always looking for a spot to be warm....I think I know someone like that! In Pelican Bay there is a natural salt water pool tucked into the mangroves. We love to dinghy in and just sit and observe the manatee activity. Curious by nature it doesn't take long for them to poke their nose up and see who is there. Last night was extra special. We had been watching TV with the generator running. Wally went outside to put the anchor light on. There was something different about the sound of the generators exhaust. It usually burbles away spouting exhaust and cooling water warmed by the engine. He took his flashlight and looked over the rail...the sight was almost surreal. We had a HUGE manatee joyfully luxuriating in the warm water of the exhaust. He/she was much larger than our 9' inflatable dinghy. I'm sure she would have stayed as long as we ran the generator. Concerned over her breathing the exhaust fumes we shut the generator down. She lingered for about 10 minutes and moved on to another warm spot...It truly is a gift to be where we are.