'Simple Pleasures in Daytona Beach'

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From: Thomas Scopel

There are a tremendous amount of things to do in Daytona Beach and it is very hard to choose just one. There is the 'World Famous Beach,' a vast amount of parks, cinemas, shopping, golfing, racing, historical places and museums, and… the list could go on and on.

Right now, I am watching a squirrel scamper across the lawn and hide a peanut that he had just come to my windowsill to get. Of course, that is after the Blue Jays have come and it is only then, in between their flights in and out to get them, can he seem to walk across the ledge to get another to keep burying in the yard.

Every morning, while I am drinking a cup of coffee, I place a handful of peanuts outside on the windowsill. I sit not two feet from where they are and can easily see the birds and squirrels as they come and go taking a treat with them each and every time. It has even gotten to the point where I will have a blue Jay or two squawking or yelling for more peanuts while the squirrel looks in through the window screen as if to ask for more too.

This began about a week and a half ago when I received a massive amount of peanuts from my neighbor. I thought to myself 'What am I going to do with all these peanuts?' I own a parrot and he certainly enjoys peanuts but this was way too much. I decided that I would place a handful of them on the windowsill hoping that a single squirrel that I had been watching would come and get one. This particular squirrel had a small rectangular piece of the tip of its ear missing and I began to subsequently call him 'notch.' Coincidently, he was the one burying the peanuts.

Before I could even finish my cup of coffee that day, the peanuts had been taken by both the squirrels as well as the Blue Jays and they were lingering for more. I sat my cup down and grabbed another handful of peanuts and place them once again on the sill. This continued for a couple more handfuls.

Now, everyday, I place them out there. And although I have the window open and simply the screen blocking them from me, they are quite accustomed to my being there and basically pay me no mind at all.

Maybe tomorrow I will venture out and do some of the many exciting things that Daytona Beach has to offer. However, right now, one of my simple pleasures is to get more peanuts.


From: Suzanne Grill

MY DOG SWIMS WITH DOLPHINS

Losing my job of three years on New Year's Eve sent me into Simple Pleasures mode with a strong push. But I found it so easy to make a list of things I really enjoy doing, locally, without spending a lot of money.

One of my favorites is to take my Australian Shepherd down to the beach at the southernmost tip of Ponce Inlet, where dogs are allowed. We walk around the beach, mingle with families, other dogs and dog lovers, and wander up on the berm, where we always see a good amount of birds. The view at the inlet there always awes me, and I am so thankful I live here! I can visit there any day of the week, any time of year.

My dog, Stewie, races in and out of the water, with it seems as much delight as I take in watching her.
To my amazement, not once, but twice now, she has been swimming not far from the shore, and a dolphin [or two] has come up beside her and swam along with her, diving up and down in their rythmic pattern. The first time she was startled and ran up to the beach. The second time she barked a greeting and just kept on swimming. Now I believe, she looks for them each time we go.

It doesn't get much better than that.



From: Andrew Gurtis

Four or five times over the last two or three years our family - Aimee, Alex (14), Jack (6), Morgan (3) and me (42) - have paid the $5 / per carload fee at Tomoka State Park on North Beach Street in Ormond Beach. Simple but enjoyable activities include hiking through the natural terrain of scrub brush, live oaks and palmettos, observing the beautiful vista where the Tomoka River meets the Halifax River/Intracoastal Waterway or playing on the kids' playground. We've also rented a canoe and imagined we were explorers or pirates on one of the islands in the Tomoka. During each of those canoe rides we've gotten close to dolphins; haven't seen a manatee yet but maybe our next visit.



From: Tony Welch

If you haven't driven through Tomoka State Park and visited all the small turn off spots, you have missed great picnic spots, great walking tours, old sculpture and the glory that is natural Florida. Green leaves, warm breeze and quiet ... no matter how useful you can, yes, get away from I-95, motorcycles, litter, horns honking, loud rock music (in my spot only chamber music is allowed.) and serenity is king.

At my age, walking is difficult, but sitting on a bench with a bottle of eater and magazine beat prime time TV every chance it gets.



From: Mary Ann Echelberry

A TRIP TO THE BEACH

My husband wanted to show his Chicago cousin about Daytona.......Rode the Loop and then decided to take a ride on the beach.......Now is when the real meaning of Daytona shown it's light.

We had our Dodge 2500 Diesel truck that made it down the entry way to proceed down the beach. That never happened as we got stuck just off the ramp. Here we met some wonderful people that helped us try to get the truck out. It was a family with 2-3 kids. The wife got a blanket from the trunk of her car to put under our wheel.....others dug and dug to hopefully allow us to get out to no avail. The blanket was a new beach blanket but she said getting us out was more important than the blanket. This is what Daytona is all about.....people helping people to enjoy what was a terrifying experience as the water was coming up. Finally this stranger went down the beach to get the Beach Patrol to come and pull us out.......Remember the water is rising and I am a bit panicky. Our newly met aquaitances never left us until the Beach Patrol arrived. Our terrifying experience resulted in the truck (buried to the axels) being pulled out, meeting some "real" people and finally a trip down the famous Daytona Beach.



From: Greg Blosè, II

FEEDING THE MANATEES @ MANATEE ISLAND

I have been in the Daytona Beach area for years. Sure, I had heard of a place called Manatee Island on the Intercoastal Waterway near Beach St. in downtown Daytona Beach, but did not think they really had Manatees there. Then, one day I was in downtown Daytona Beach early in the morning and decided to walk over to Manatee Island. To my delight, I witnessed at least a dozen manatees being fed by wildlife experts with families and children watching on with amazement as the gentle creatures frolicked just feet away from the bridge we were standing on. Now, I make Manatee Island a regular stop on my weekend morning trips. Watching the majesty of these beautiful creatures just feet away is truly a simple pleasure which can be found in Daytona Beach.


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