"A Day in the Life"

 It was a Thursday, April 25, and my niece Lori's husband James had posted this famous exchange from the movie Miss Congeniality. The pageant Emcee, played by William Shatner, was asking a contestant:

Stan Fields: Miss Rhode Island, please describe your idea of a perfect date.

Cheryl "Rhode Island": That's a tough one. I'd have to say April 25th. Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.

Well, that post alone made me drop my day's chores list and see if it truly was a perfect date.

About 9 AM, I headed out from home to buy a new pair of "flip-flops". My Rainbow pair was wearing out so I headed to Ron Jon's Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach. The perfect store to start my perfect date. I had seen an ad for the brand Olukai and checked them out, choosing the style Ohana - Dark Java. No photos as they were on my feet in the parking lot.

Since I was this far North and I had my camera, I decided the perfect thing to do would be to head to Jetty Park. It was nearing 10 AM and the temperature was about 72F. Even if there was nothing to photograph, it would be a nice walk in my new sandals out to the fishing pier. I took this shot...

A green sea turtle coming up for air while eating off the rocks at the jetty. I was amazed how perfect the camouflage was. It is hard to tell where the turtle ends and the rocks begin...

Of course, there were birds. I love taking pictures of birds. This Ruddy Turnstone Sandpiper had found the perfect place for a quick breakfast. The tables, with water access, are used by the fishermen to cut bait and clean their catch. I think this guy was part of the Food Mafia...

A pelican was just standing there when I took a few shots. Maybe because I was taking photos, he decided to stretch out into this perfect yoga position to just add to my perfect day.

As I was heading back to my car, it was nearing lunch time and I had skipped breakfast. I saw this fisherman. I did not ask if he had caught anything, it was now about 75F, but I think he was also having the perfect day.

Normally, after leaving Jetty Park, I usually stop at one of the many eating establishments at Port Canaveral like Rising Tide, Fishlips, Rusty's, Grills or a few others I like. Since it was a perfect date, I decided to try a new place, one I had never been before. I had seen great reviews on a place called Dolphins Waterfront Bar & Grill at Cape Crossing Resort and Marina.

They advertise themselves as the largest tiki bar and restaurant on Florida’s Space Coast. It is much bigger than I thought it would be.

I took a few shots of the menu:

But left off the Entrees and sandwiches. They did have a $10 Happy Hour menu...

Of course they have beer, but I ordered a Landshark bottle before I saw that they have Guinness on draft. Now that would have made it a perfect day, but Jimmy Buffett's beer is palatable on a 78F day.

They have plenty of tables both under the large tiki structure and outside of it  near the water.

I started off with a cup of their own recipe seafood chowder with both fish and shellfish. It was delicious. I almost picked up the bowl to drink the last few drops.

I had asked the hostess what she would recommend for lunch and she said the Poke Bowls were excellent. But when I saw they had Loco Moco on the menu, that brought back perfect memories from my trips to Hawaii to visit Ohana. My favorite Loco Moco was at a little roadside shack on the Kona coast of the big Island. My sister Pat, her daughter Lori, and I were driving around the whole island. We were near where the Triathlalon is held every year

Loco Moco - 1/2 lb. butchers blend burger patty served over jasmine rice, finished with a wild mushroom demi-glace and topped with a sunny side up egg

Yummy! It was delicious but I should have got the healthier Poke Bowl, but it was MY perfect date!

After eating, I took a walk around the place and took some more photos. It is located on the historic Canaveral Barge Canal; that is the SR-3 drawbridge in the distance. Weirdly. you have to cross the bridge, do a U-turn, and then cross the bridge again to get to the entrance of the Resort.

I give Dolphins Waterfront Bar & Grill a 3.5 (Great to Excellent) and plan to return.

So how do I keep this perfect date going, with perfect weather and a camera wanting to take more pictures. I decided to head to the Brevard Zoo. The weather was so perfect, I ended up there for almost two hours. The truly amazing thing was  I was wearing my new footwear, and normally I do not walk the Zoo in "flip-flops". But these new shoes were so comfortable, I forgot I had them on. Perfect!

Even the Giraffes were enjoying the weather. Some were being feed by guests on the platform, others were in the shade of the trees or lying down.

The Eagle was yelling at me to take his picture...

This spider monkey child was happily imitating bird sounds as a bird in the tree nearby was singing...

The blue-throated Macaw was enjoying the food in the pail but decided he wanted the whole pail to himself. He did not lift it though...

And I took over 200 photos at the Zoo. So it was time to head home for the perfect nap. New shoes, visit to the Port, new restaurant for lunch, a Zoo visit and then home. I tried to make it a perfect day.

And when I got home, a beautiful House Finch was snacking at the bird feeder.

I titled this post after my all-time favorite Beatles song. The lyrics of the song are a lot sadder than what my day was like, but the tune catches the feelings I felt om my search for the perfect date, perfectly.