We Like Titusville

As I wrote a couple of days ago, Terry and I have long thought that if we ever hang up the keys, it might be in Titusville, Florida. And after spending several days in St. Augustine last week, we added it to our “possible” list when and if that day ever comes. However, while both places have a lot going for them, after having just come directly from there to Titusville, this laid back community on the Space Coast is still #1 on our list.

While St. Augustine is beautiful and has a lot to offer, it’s also just a little too busy for us with all of those tourists coming and going all the time. Things move at a slower pace here in Titusville and it just seems to suit us better. It has a WalMart SuperCenter, good restaurants, and anything you can’t find locally is not far away in Orlando.

The Indian River Lagoon separates Titusville from Merritt Island, home to the Kennedy Space Center and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. There are several small parks along the river, offering places to fish, picnic, or just hang out and watch the water. The Lagoon is a mixture of salt and fresh water and fishermen can hook anything from tarpon and snook to black drum and redfish. Boaters and fishermen frequently see bottlenose dolphin, manatees, and alligators.

We stopped to check out the small wooden pier at Rotary Park, right downtown. While not as high or as impressive as some of the ocean piers we saw further north, it’s a peaceful place with just a couple of fishermen casting their lines.

The A. Max Brewer Bridge connects Titusville to a causeway leading to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Under the bridge on the west side of the Indian River are the two concrete spans of Veterans Pier, and at the east end of the bridge there is a boat launch and fishing area. A fishing license is required, but access to all of the piers is free.

The 140,000 acre Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is home to more than 1,500 species of plants and animals, including a huge population of birds, alligators, manatee, and fish.

Merritt Island is also home to the Canaveral National Seashore and Playalinda Beach. Playalinda is actually a series of several beaches stretching for several miles on the Atlantic Ocean, the northernmost being a nude beach. It’s probably best I don’t go there. I wouldn’t want to make the jellyfish blush.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Big Lake Lynching, Book 2 in my Big Lake mystery series. To enter, all you have to do is click on the Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.

Thought For The Day – Your age doesn’t matter unless you are cheese.

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