Since moving to Florida, I haven't felt quite at home... it's felt like some sort of hot, exotic vacation destination that I've somehow become a part of.  I work, so it's not really a vacation, but I don't have any roots or memories that keep me mentally/emotionally tied here... and while I don't know how long I'll be living here, I do want to feel at home while I do.

In an effort to make Florida feel more like home, I'm trying to learn more about the area and see as much as I can.  Today was Labor Day so what better way to bid farewell to summer than with a trip to the beach - on Jupiter Island!

Blowing Rocks Park is a barrier island sanctuary that features a variety of natural habitats and a beach with a limestone shoreline.  The weather didn't permit us to spend too much time there, but we did get a chance to visit the lagoon path and education center, as well as the highlight of the park:  the Atlantic shoreline.  While we were there the tide was rising so we had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the lower beach before it was under water.  Between the upper and lower beaches is a wall of limestone that, when the tide is particularly high or the water is rough, can cause the incoming waves to shoot as high as 50 feet in the air.  We didn't get to see that on this trip, but we're already making plans to visit again... maybe during a hurricane!  It was also nice because there were so few people at this particular beach - and the drive to get to it boasts some of the nicest homes I've seen in Florida yet!

This is me among the jagged limestone walls as the water was coming in.  The sand is very coarse and littered with shells, and I was able to catch a glimpse of some interesting* bugs while climbing to the upper beach.