January 16, 2014. Ormond Beach, Florida. The Beach Walk.

It was obligatory. Tomorrow we drive south so today was the last day for us to walk the beautiful flat beach of Ormond Beach.. It was also chilly, but we are Canadians after all, so we braved the 49 degree weather and went for a walk along the shore. Two ladies were feeding the sea gulls. It was a scene from a movie with the gulls swarming around the one lady while the other cowered by the stairs up the dunes. These gulls are trained to beg. In Nova Scotia, our gulls will not come near a human. Even when the girls try to feed the gulls, they stay well away and never come near the food. Our gulls work for their living. Today on the shore, the gulls were so tame that they ate from her hand. I walked quietly through a big flock of gulls and they never moved. I was amazed. Soon, this beach will be full of people so the gulls are used to the masses. And they are happy to eat the food the humans provide. I am beginning to see why people come to Florida for the winter season. The grocery stores are great and the land is flat so walking and biking are easy. And there is no freezing weather. Yesterday on our drive to St. Augustine, we saw many lovely homes right along the shore. I could see why people live here in Florida.