Day Three Hundred and Twenty-One

The Loggerhead Marinelife Center AND Guanabanas

The Loggerhead Marinelife Center is Hunter's new favorite place to be. His friend, Haymitch the Loggerhead Turtle, is currently living there, along with many other injured turtles needing care. Juno Beach is among the most densely populated nesting beaches in the world, and this wildlife center does its best to save every lost, battered, and sick turtle it can.

Haymitch was described to us as a "drunk turtle" when they brought him to the center. He was, well, acting like a drunk turtle back then! He had swallowed a piece of plastic and it poisoned him into a sort of drunken state. Currently, he is feeling much better, but they've kept him a little longer just to make sure his health is fully recovered. He was Hunter's favorite Loggerhead today. And mine too. He's a people-turtle, and a diva, so whenever you'd stop by his tank, he'd come over and wave and then swim to the top so you could see his pretty face!

Hatchlings!! Every single one of these hatchlings was brought to the center by local beach go-ers. We're in hatching season right now, and so at night, the turtles come out to lay eggs. When they hatch, sometimes, the babies run the wrong way and never make it to the ocean. In the morning, people pick up the lost Loggerheads and take them to the center. Outside The Loggerhead Marinelife Center, they have a large white cooler that you're supposed to place the hatchlings in. None of us had ever seen such a thing!

Here are some of the hatchlings up close!! They're smaller than Hunter's hand and each one will grow to over 300 pounds! 

The Three Amigos and Haymitch! I think I might just be volunteering at the Center in the near future! We had so much fun!

Wanting to keep the fun going, we took our party to Guanabanas; a local restaurant hotspot in Jupiter right on the Intercostal! The food was fantastic and almost as good as the view! Hunter ate an entire giant hotdog and did it to be "just like the lizards!"

Mommy and baby are loving Florida life. And I don't blame them.

It doesn't get much sweeter than this. My two friends are such a blessing and have brought us such joy this week. I love having my family around. It makes this life so much brighter than it already is.