Craig Park is a lovely place to rest up a bit and enjoy the Florida sunshine and the warm Gulf breezes. The park surrounds the Spring Bayou which is visited by the manatees in late winter when the Gulf is still a bit too cold for them. They come into the Spring Bayou to warm up and to feed on the lush bottom vegetation. We did not see any manatees this year as they have already moved on up the coast.
Craig Park is maintained by the City of Tarpon Springs and there are lovely moss covered live oak trees which provide a home for the squirrels and shade for the many park benches under the trees. There is a cement walkway which goes around the Spring Bayou and at the west end of the park, there is boat launching ramp, tennis courts, and indoor bathrooms.
Jeanette loves to feed the squirrels peanuts in the shell. At first they seem sort of bashful, but after a couple of days, they come running down from the tree tops looking for their tasty peanut treat. The park even had an egret who caught on to the free handouts, and came flying over to see what was going on. He much preferred a few bread crumbs over a lunch of roasted nuts.
In the evening we drove to the Anclote River Park to watch the sun go down. A couple of pelicans were fishing for their dinner. They were quite successful as they either glided just few inches above the water, or sat on one of the pier posts and then dove into the water when they spotted a fish.
We watched the boats come into the Anclote River Park as the sun set over the river. It’s such a calming scene as the river becomes clothed in darkness for another night’s rest.