Haulover Creek--Again!

This morning Richard woke me up before dawn to drive north of Jacksonville for a kayaking trip down Haulover Creek, a place we visit frequently. It's also the same place we went two weeks ago for the Coastal Clean Up. This time we were dismayed to find new trash littering the spot upon our arrival. Vowing to pick it up upon our return, I sprayed myself with bug repellent and pushed off while the sun was still peeking up over the horizon. What a beautiful morning it was, and well worth leaving our comfortable bed so early in the morning on a day off!

I led the way as Richard usually lags behind for the most part, casting his line out every few minutes. Actually, he usually has a minimum of two fishing poles along and he keeps busy with baiting up and casting while keeping his kayaking from coasting into the reeds. I paddle slowly but steadily and I end up for the most part on my own with only a whistle or cell phone to call him in case of trouble. I take countless pictures and watch for birds, stopping only to change lenses or take a sip of refreshing water. It was very quiet and peaceful that morning and I watched as the sky change colors as the sun rose higher in the sky. I saw a large blue crab swimming along beside my kayak and osprey and egret flying overhead as well as a large turkey vulture watching me from high in a tree, on his perch. To those of you viewing my blog from time to time, this is probably getting a little redundant but this is what I love most, being outdoors, preferably on my kayak with my husband nearby and the quiet of nature around me and birds singing and flying overhead. It's simply the best way to spend a morning away from all the hustle and bustle of our busy lives. We were back home shortly after the kids got up, and after a refreshing shower I read the Sunday paper while my pictures downloaded from the camera to this laptop. I hope you enjoy today's pictures.

Oh, and I did remember to pick up the trash at the landing site at Haulover Creekupon our return. It was yucky and stinky but we put it in the truck and hauled it home. Haulover Creek's landing was much prettier when we left than when we arrived. I wish people that visit that site would be more responsible and leave it the way it was when they came instead of throwing their beer bottles and empty Doritos bags on the ground! Shame on you whoever you are.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

I'm currently reading this book and I recommend it for everyone. Halle Berry stars in the movie version. It is a classic first published in 1937 that was written in only seven weeks by author Zora Neale Hurston. It awakens the imagination and enlarges our humanity. It offers harrowing insights that somehow console and comfort us at the same time. Read it!

"I have been in Sorrow's kitchen and licked out all the pots. Then I have stood on the peaky mountains wrapped in rainbows, with a harp and sword in my hands." --Zora Neaole Hurston in Dust Racks on a Road. Those words she worte remind me of my doomed second marriage and the victory I feel now, happily bethrothed forever to the sweetest man on Earth, my protector....Richard.

God has been watching over ME and I am thankful.

Coastal Clean Up Day

Richard volunteered us for the Coastal Clean Up Day Saturday. We woke early and drove to Haulover Creek, one of multiple sites designated as clean up sites. Volunteers braved snakes, spiders, gnats and the heat to pick up the trash deposited by people that don't give a damn about Mother Earth. We arrived and immediately put on plastic gloves and filled trash bags of everything from beer bottles (too many to count) to old fishing line. By mid morning Haulover Creek was again prestine and the 8 of us volunteers posed proudly by a roadside pile of tires and trash bags. The total haul from all the coastal clean up sites was 5500 pounds not counting about 100 tires. Sadly, Richard and Michael went back to the same site this morning around dawn and found that it had already been spoiled with new trash! They launched the kayaks and enjoyed a great paddle down the winding creek, catching several fish, though they threw them all back. Here are some of the pictures I took yesterday.

Lofton Creek and a Precious New Memory

My girlfriend Rebecca and I took a long-planned trip to Amelia Island this morning, something we've wanted to do for some time. We launched the kayaks at Lofton Creek just after 9:30 under a partly sunny sky with a balmy breeze rippling the water. We paddled an easy going stride, soaking in the lush green of vegetation along the creek banks. Bird song rang out from among the tall pines, cypress and oak trees. Wild hybiscus, morning glory and iris painted a Monet-like setting for our eyes only, the only noise the gentle breeze rustling the wild grasses and the drip from our kayak paddles as we slipped through the murky water dotted with ancient tree limbs. The sun dimmed behind clouds and the sky took on a pearlescent tint as a hawk circled above us. Eventually the creek narrowed and became precarious, practically closed off by fallen tree limbs so we turned around to head back the way we'd come when thunder caused my curious gaze skyward. Small delicate droplets of rain began to sprinkle themselves on the water, like invisible fingers playing invisible piano keys. We paddled casually to the shelter of a nearby tree and then we were able to carry on. As we approached our landing, the rain pelted harder like the crescendo of an opera. We sought shelter this time under the bridge we launched by a couple hours earlier. It was like a quiet dark cave, save for the sound of trucks and cars passing over our heads. We let our kayaks rest side by side under our little hide-away and laid our paddles down, the noses of our 'yaks tucked into the bridge pilings so wouldn't coast away. There we sat, content for a few moments, wondering how long the shower would last but not really caring. It was an opportunity to share the mutual love we have, the simple pleasures found in nature. We'd photographed butterflies, cardinals, creekbeds dotted with wilf flowers; we'd heard birdsong, water rippling against shore, and quiet thunder. It was pure and it was simple and it was sweet.

After just a few moments, the rain stopped and we paddled on to the landing. There we enjoyed a picnic lunch sitting across from each other at a small picnic table and spoke of great, old memories we've made together over the last 25 years.

There's something very precious about spending a day like that, with a person you love a lot. I hope it's something we'll be talking about 25 years from now. We'll still be best friends, but we'll have even more memories to treasure.