2/13 in Cocoa Beach, Florida

On my way from Myrtle Beach and Key West, I decided to take a day of rest and exploration in Cocoa Beach, Florida. I'd never been there before and don't know a soul who lives there, so I thought it might be a fun little stop. From the moment I hit the Florida state line, and possibly sooner in Georgia, I started seeing billboards for the Ron Jon shop in Cocoa Beach. My memory may be a little dramatic, but it felt as though there was another one at every other mile marker. I started to get a crazy inkling that maybe this was the big attraction in Cocoa Beach.

I spent most of the day catching up on rest, emails, etc in my hotel room since the temperature was in the 60s and way too cold for the beach. The only people at the pool was a Canadian family who probably thought it was warm enough. For whatever reason, it actually felt like temperatures were in the 70s or 80s on my balcony and the wind was blocked so I was able to sunbathe there for a while and even got pink on one side of my body. I know it's not good for you, but since that was the first sign of new color I'd seen on my skin in months, I got really excited about it. 

I decided that the Ron Jon's billboards would win after I had a hard time seeking out other activities and I decided to walk there via the beach. Being the day before Valentin's Day, a lot of people decided to make beach art to show their love. I enjoyed taking pictures of their art...

A man was walking down the beach saw me taking a picture of the shell heart and asked if I wanted my picture taken since I was alone. After he took my picture, was stood and talked for a bit and he told me he's a retired aeronautical engineer who now a "snow bird" who split his time between Cocoa Beach and the Poconos and that he really loved living in Cocoa Beach because he thought it had the bluest sky anywhere. I looked up and realized he might be right. The sky was the brightest blue I'd ever been under, as you can see for yourself in some of these photos I took outside of the Ron Jon shop once I got there.

I actually thought the sculptures themselves were a decent attraction, especially within their surroundings of the bright blue sky, colorful shop and towering palms. I then made my way into the shop and discovered that Coacoa beach has surf boards like Myrtle Beach has hermit crabs!

 I felt ever so slightly like a creep just walking around the store taking pictures, but I actually did buy something. I've actually had some naysayers with regard to this whole trip I'm doing who think it isn't wise for me to go alone or to have left my job, etc. So, when I saw a bracelet in the shop that had "I may be a dreamer" engraved on one side and "but I'm not the only one" engraved on the other, I felt very attracted to it and had to buy it. At some point on this trip, I'll meet someone who is on a similar journey and may have faced similar questions and challenges, and I'm going to give this bracelet to them.

The birds wrapped around my wrist in this picture are actually a necklace that my grandma, Maga Joan, gave to me as a good luck charm before I left for my trip. In addition to being a dancer, actress, writer, one-time surrogate mother to a baby gorilla, she used to be a photographer for the Peace Corps. She did quite a bit of traveling as a result and so her daughter, my aunt Megan, gave her this necklace as a good luck charm. Now that I'm in Key West I have cool story about this necklace that happened here.. but I'll save that for when I get around to my Key West post.

The checkout girl recommended I go to Sandbar for a bite to eat. I approached the outside and was a little concerned because it looked incredibly touristy and cheesy, but I do like pretty colors so...

... into the mouth of the monkey (?) I went. I'm so glad I did. There was a live reggae band and fun paraphernalia all over everything. The bartender was a sweet old woman named "Yo" who informed me that there were $1 margaritas for Mexican Monday and she was generous enough to make them as strong as a $6 margarita. They advertised the "best fish tacos" and I thought "wow, they have the best cannoli's in the world in Myrtle and now I can have the best fish tacos here... what are the odds!?" To be honest though, these mini grouper tacos with mango salsa were the best fish tacos I've ever had, so I guess there is truth in advertising once in a while! According to a signed surf board in the restaurant, the famous surfer Kelly Slater agreed with me. Overall, a great little day trip to Cocoa Beach!