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April 09, 1998 - Goodbye, Sebastian; hello, AnastasiaApril 9, 1998 • The Suffolk Times • 7A Goodbve.Sebastian, • hello. Anastasia There were all the egrets and herons. Ospreys and eagles, terns and gulls kept us busy with our glasses. This slow 15- mile -an -hour Black Point Wildlife Drive is well worth anyone's time. One of the fondest memories we'll have of this area was the afternoon we spent out on the outer beach of the Canaveral National Seashore on the sands bordering the Atlantic Ocean, where we relaxed in the warm afternoon sun with sleeping royal tems, laughing We enjoyed ourselves so much at Sebastian Inlet, we decided to stay another day, and besides, we were in no hurry to get anywhere. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to do as you please with no schedules to keep, no defi- nite rendezvous to make. We ON passed a treasure museum on the NATURE way into Sebas- tian Inlet and it by Paul sounded like an Stoutenburgh interesting stop, so after a late breakfast and a bike ride up to the jetty to see if the diehard fish- ermen were having any luck, we'd head there. We saw tails of blues, snook and flounder sticking out of the five- gallon white buckets on the pier so things looked good there. Some of the "regu- lars" had their own special "fish carts" with tackle box, pole holders and, most interesting, their own aerated bait tank that was run by a small 12 -volt battery. The live bait they were using was some- thing like a small snapper. Some used shrimp, others clams while still others worked casting a silvery jig. By the way, you have to have a saltwater fishing license down here: $14 for a resident. The treasure trail About 10 a.m. we headed up the road to the McLarty Treasure Museum that's located on a National Historic Site because it was here some 1,500 survivors of the Spanish treasure fleet were cast ashore after their ships went aground in a storm in 1715. Within a short time help came from the Spanish headquarters in St. Augustine. Then, with salvaging crews from Havana, work was begun to recover some of the treasure. For the next four years official Spanish divers, Indian divers, English pirates and priva- teers and river pirates of various nation- alities worked the area trying to claim or steal their share of the treasure. Remember, this was the year's wealth of gold and silver out of the mountains of Mexico and South America as well as Oriental rarities that had been shipped across the Pacific to Mexico and were being shipped back to Spain, so you can see there was treasure galore spewed here along this eastern coast of Florida. It's estimated that only half of what was lost was salvaged. Then in 1928 some of the wreckage was located, but it wasn't until 1960 that any real salvaging was undertaken. Then with modern underwater metal detectors, scuba gear and dredges, more and more of what had been left behind was brought to the surface. The muse- um shows in skillfully made dioramas and exhibits some of the actual trea- sures and artifacts of everyday items used by the seamen and passengers traveling in those days. As the water warms up each year there will always be those divers off these shores hoping to see the glitter of gold once more from those ill -fated trea- sure ships of long ago. We left Sabastian Inlet with regrets but the lure of home moved us on. Our next short stop northward would be at Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore. Here is a birders' paradise with seven miles of diked roads that wander through a maze of wet- lands and palm ham- mocks while off in the distance is seen a shuttle being readied for launch at the Kennedy Space Center. The most abun- dant bird seen was the little coot with its white bill. Every so often we'd find 40 or 50 of them in a tight group feeding, and once Barbara saw what she thought was a bobcat attacking them when they were close to shore. Whatever it was, they exploded in fear and scrambled away with water flying. There were skimmers working the quiet areas, their bills dipped in the water leaving a wake behind. There were birds too numerous to mention but I have to tell about some of the high- lights. We saw the caracara, that heavy - billed scavenger that's rarely seen, along with the black- necked stilts and king rail that strutted in front of us in plain view. tified us for our bike ride to the ocean beach. The road was not paved but made up of a crushed shell substance that was fine except when you hit a soft spot and then our narrow bike tires would break through and we'd become bogged down. A few steps to the hard surface and we were off again. We took the road to the 200- foot -wide (at low tide), hard - surfaced beach where cars, bikes and people moved along this seemingly endless beach. It seemed odd biking on this hard sur- face at the edge of the ocean. About a mile to the north the sand became a bit softer and pedaling became more difficult so we stopped, laid our bikes against the dune, flipped off our shoes and continued walking, our feet in the surf. How good it felt. No need for a podiatrist here. Off shore, surfers were working the outer -bar waves. Some brave souls went swimming but I noticed few remained in the water for long. We found a quiet spot and sat and absorbed this won- derful beach at Anastasia. Back at the campsite we were met by a wave of warblers (small migrating birds) moving through the trees above. The live oaks had just finished blossom- ing and that's when small inchworms, along with other insects, appear that furnish the food energy they need for their trek north. By the middle of May we'll see these very same warblers pass- ing through our area. I spotted black - and- white, myrtles and black- throated blue warblers but our binoculars were on the fritz so it was difficult to determine the others. In no time they had moved on, their busy little bodies ever on the move. Sunset amongst the trees was cool and still: the perfect prelude for sleep. Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh Although they look somewhat clumsy ashore, black skimmers are a thing of grace and beauty when fishing. They fly just above the water with their specially adapted bill cutting below the sur- face, picking up fish. 1..r G i •7 L V V r% 16114 ♦.► r% 75 Years Ago April 6, 1923 The big "hit" at Greenport: Nearly three hours of good, wholesome amusement will be afforded all who attend the fourth annual Riverhead K. of C. Minstrel Review and Musical Comedy to be presented at the Greenport Auditorium next Tuesday evening, with a cast of 70, including 40 young, attractive women and girls. Gorgeous costumes furnished by celebrated New York costumers. All who attended the initial presentation in Riverhead on March 16 declared it to be one of the best local talent shows ever staged in the county. East Marion news: A few of the farmers began ploughing last week, but with the temperature seven above zero it was brought to a standstill. One farmer thought they might have to use dynamite to get the potatoes in the ground. Several young men from Lynne, Conn., have been hunting the gypsy moth at the East End. They have made a thorough search of the trees in this village. 50 Years Ago April 9, 1948 Junior baseball season opens: In following along the lines of the big leagues, the Greenport Junior Twilight League, sponsored by the Sterling Athletic Club, will open the season Saturday, April 17, at 2 p.m. The following day, a double- header will be played and the sponsors promise you gulls and four drowsy turnstones that had found a piece of driftwood to settle down behind. Off shore, gannets dove for fish in their glistening white uniforms, in shore a few hardy surfers danced the tops of white foaming waves. What a delight- ful carefree afternoon it was. From there we headed north to St. Augustine's Anastasia State Park. Our campsite No. 76 was perfect. We backed into a little hollow with spreading live oaks forming a canopy overhead. Someone had raked the campsite as if they knew we were coming. A smoked turkey sandwich and iced tea lunch for- some real baseball. As last year, there will be no charge at these games. A box will be passed for any donations you may wish to give and all funds will be used for equipment for the boys. 25 Years Ago April 5, 1973 It's a merger: Cutchogue and Mattituck school districts voted, 2 to 1, Tuesday to consolidate their two districts. A total of 1,326 residents went to the polls ... 644 from Mattituck with a 925 enrollment and 662, a record turnout, for Cutchogue with 445 students ... and approved by 891 to 426 the proposal to merge the two schools. Greenport looks ahead: Good fellowship reigned at the first meeting of the new Village Board here, at which trustees welcomed the victors of the election and predicted a year rich in village projects and mutual cooperation. "If we can forget our differences," Mayor George Hubbard foresaw, "this board has the potential to become one of the best boards the village has ever had." A North Fork ferry - land ?: The prospect of a new 100 -car and 800 - passenger ferry service from Greenport to New London looms as a possibility this week. Mass., Conn. and New York Services Inc. has purchased a 377 -foot ferry and completed the purchase last Friday of the Greenport property formerly occupied by Bohack's. Florida goes green We left Florida with its foliage out and looking green all over. Heading north on Route 95 we passed through Jacksonville, a city that seemed to be bristling with new and gleaming build- ings. Once in Georgia, skyscraper signs told us of 85 -cent gas. Now there's a real bargain! Roadsides bloomed with dog- wood and blossoming azaleas. Fort McAllister Historic Park was our desti- nation on the Red Bird Creek. We couldn't go wrong with a name like that. Here was one of the key back doors during the Civil War to that all- impor- tant city of Savannah. Fort McAllister marked the end of Sherman's notorious and flame - scorched "march to the sea." We toured the little museum there and then picked out our campsite with tow- ering live oaks draped with Spanish moss. No sooner had we pulled into our site when my eye caught the flash of a black- and -white bird flying. It was a red- headed woodpecker. So often back home people call me and say they've seen a red - headed woodpecker when it's only a yellow- shafted flicker or a red - bellied woodpecker. Granted, they have red on their heads, but nothing like this red - headed woodpecker whose red extends from the top of his head down over his shoulders. Tomorrow we head for the Carolinas.