A Manatee Reprise

We were having dinner on  our balcony this evening when we noticed something large and dark swimming in the bay.  It swam very close to the boat in the picture and then headed to the docks under our balcony. 

It was, of course, a manatee.  A very large manatee.  It grazed all around the docks at its own pace and eventually swam to the center of the bay and disappeared. 

These are the most laid back of creatures.  They remind me of gentle hippos, a contradiction in terms I know, swimming in the Ewaso Ngiro River in the Samburu National Park, Kenya.

These are the creatures called sirenians after the centuries-old belief that sailors mistook them for mermaids.  Singing mermaids, actually, called sirens.

I was reminded of all this as we watched this mammal make its way around the bay.  Slowly, peacefully, quietly.  What a perfect way to spend an evening in Florida.