Oh, The Wonders of Things Never Experienced.

I have experienced many "favorite" spots to just watch and be in awe. My mind likes to think about the wonders in how something is made. Indeed, I do have a deep appreciation for so much. Sometimes I will miss something because I was just awed by it and got my phone out to learn about it. I believe this keeps us young. We need to be interested and invested in the world in which we find ourselves. I look to be amazed even in the most simple of tasks. I guess you would say that I'm easy to please. Well, yes. I try not to be complicated or to complicate things. 

When we lived in our "sticks and brick" home, we often found ourselves in Corpus Christi, Texas, where we did our shopping and made doctor appointments and such. It's a lovely little city with a large harbor. When we could afford the time, we would spend time under the Harbor Bridge just watching the big oil tankers going in and out. I don't think we saw much else. On a good day, we could see the tankers out at the oil rigs that dot the shoreline. I would just stand there in awe of the size of the ship and wonder just how it stays afloat being so large and so heavy. The great minds and all the experiments and learning to design such ships! What an army of talented people to build them! 

And I am humbled again. I'm humbled at the sheer organization and training of all personnel that run a very active port. Several times we have witnessed the skilled choreography of escorting large vessels in and out of port, which itself is not very large but holds a large array of ships. And it's not enough for us to just watch the big ships go by. Sitting on the jetty of Naval Station Mayport, spying a large pod of bottle nose dolphins playing in the wake of the ships, and the graceful pelicans gliding overhead in the wind currents, I have to pull out my phone and look up the information about the ships. I've checked out the satellite maps to see what the port looks like from above. To drive around it doesn't take up much time. And the satellite image doesn't say much for it, but the small city operating it is much to be admired. 

Satellite image of the area.

When we first arrived at our tent site at Pelican Roost RV Park at Naval Station Mayport, we were just astonished to see the activity on the water. First we noticed several orange and yellow tugboats heading towards the Atlantic Ocean. They were followed by gray, what we can only describe as gunboats, as they were stationed throughout the port.

A submarine enters the port being guided by three tugboats.

The two submarines, after asking around and searching the Internet, turn out to be from Peru. They are flying both the Peruvian flag and the United States flag. They are on a joint venture with diesel fueled submarines.

The second submarine enters the port.

Watching the dance of all ships, crew and vessels enter and exit the protection of Mayport, is fascinating. From the little trolly ship that opens the "gate" as it dings it bell, to the protection of the opened port, the men and women on the vessels greeting us as we watch on shore, to the hearty tugboats poised for their tough jobs. All eyes cognizant of every movement above, below, and around the port.

Closing the "gate."

We don't have to leave our little tent site to enjoy museums, quaint shops, and coffee shops. No need to pay money to be entertained. We enjoy the simple pleasures of watching the Port Dance. We never know what we may find.

There's plenty of other ships going up and down St. John's River.