Quiet After Christmas - Cedar Key

The day after Christmas, the Turk and I drove up to Cedar Key to get away from the shopping madness.  And quiet is what we got!  Cedar Key is an island on the gulf coast, about 2 1 /2 hrs north.  We stayed in a cute renovated roadside hotel with a back door to our porch, overlooking the mudflats and the sunset.

typical boat dock, ready for the clam boats

picking through the clams after the boat arrives

The town is a fishing town. Their number one business is clam harvesting.  And they are the location of Tony's Seafood - the clam chowder champion for the past 3 years.  No, the contest is not in Cedar Key - it is in Newport Rhode Island.

The Turk and I rode our bikes around the island and I saw some clam fishermen working at their dock.  When I asked if I could photograph them, one of the men looked me in the eye and said, "yes ma'am you can. I don't mind."   Then they asked me if I had a good Christmas.  Say whaaa? All of this while they were busily sorting through the clams, pulling out empty shells.

We made it to Tony's to try the chowder and it was very delicious. Just a bit of heat that you feel after you swallow. Nice.  

trying the chowder

the only manatee we saw

a scavenger on the fishing pier

We enjoyed the island and its nature. I was always reminded that we were on a very vulnerable piece of land. A big storm would surely cause a lot of harm to this place.  We saw a number of poles with measurements in feet to identify the water height in a flood.

Reminder of how high the flood waters can be in a hurricane

Sunset was stunning, as promised. The sky changes colors for about an hour, coloring the mud flats full of birds readying for the night.

yes, wine is involved

outside of our hotel

After sunset, we wandered around town to dinner.  CLAMS of course!   I chuckled over the Christmas lights - pelican with santa hat, star fish, turtle and of course, the all important holiday clam!



My favorite sign of the town?  

The shark pickup and drop off.........  The school mascot is the shark

How convenient