Sprucing Up for Summer

 Last week I re-stained the patio fence

and did my neck & shoulder ever feel it.

Six hours one day & 2 1/2 another to complete the job.

 Lower left are two petrified logs from

a creek bed near our house.

 Mowing & edging makes it nice.

 Where to plant the new Vitex plant?

 My office/workspace is behind 

the double windows.

Nice view, eh?

 The G-man's tomato & pepper crop

and some mint & herbs.

 Just recently had all the wild Yaupon

removed from the edge of the yard

down to the dry creek bed.

 Much nicer now!

 Front flower bed with various plants. 

Rosemary, sage, lantana, peppers, etc.

 Enormous pine in front yard.

 The little magnolia has been blooming her heart out

and has filled the air with wonderful smells.

Huge fig tree... hurry figs & grow big.

One lone peach tree has survived, 

but the squirrels are determined to eat all the peaches.

However, the G-man is as determined to save the peaches.

He has caught & relocated 9 or 10 squirrels this week.

Maybe they are all gone & we can enjoy a few peaches

in a week or two.

That was my Memorial Day weekend!
Enjoy your summer, if you are in the northern hemisphere!

Botany Bay Beach, Edisto Island, SC

After leaving Charleston, the G-man & I drove south toward 

Edisto Island to visit a couple of nature preserves.

One of our stops was to Hammock Island where we visited an

old plantation that still produces rice and various other crops. 

 Pathway leading to the beach

The main thing I wanted to do was to see Botany Bay Beach

that is preserved as nature leaves it. 

Visitors may enjoy the surf, 

but no one is allowed to take shells or driftwood from the area. 

It is a quiet place with just a few people walking the beach.

Palms and palmettos

Botany Bay Beach looking south

 

Botany Bay Beach looking north

 

Shore bird enjoying the surf

 

The Bone Yard

All these trees have been killed by the salt water that 

has come ashore thus changing the ecosystem.

Rather an eerie look, but a great walk!

 

 Shells & Driftwood

People pick up pretty shells and place them on driftwood

or in trees so they will not get stepped on and broken.

More shell decorations.

 

Kayaking at Shem Creek & Charleston Harbor

The G-man on a sandbar in Charleston Harbor.

It was a beautiful morning early in May
when the G-man & I kayaked
out Shem Creek on Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
and into Charleston Harbor.

Pelicans swooping overhead.

The temperature was perfect as we set out
at 9:30 AM.
The 3 hour trip would take us to
Crab Island in Charleston Harbor
where we would see thousands of shore birds nesting.

Cheryl parked nose-into the grasses on the edge of Crab Island.

We were not able to go onto the island
as it is a nature preserve for the nesting birds.
Brown Pelicans, Royal Terns, Gulls & Skimmers
were among those working on families.

The birds were not the least interested in our presence.

Above is a female Skimmer sitting on the nest as the male stands guard.

We had a wonderful day, a good workout while
paddling out into the wind, but the return was quite easy.

The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge over the Cooper River
is seen in the distance.

Contemplation...

"We are not our bodies but something else"... I like that phrase by a blogger pal. I believe there is much more than the mere physical aspect of ourselves; there is consciousness. I like the quote of Deepak Chopra:

"Human beings are made of body, mind and spirit.
Of these, spirit is primary, for it connects us to the source of everything, the eternal field of consciousness."

and that....

"Each of us is here to discover our true Self...
that essentially we are spiritual beings
who have taken manifestation in physical form...
that we're not human beings that have occasional spiritual experiences that we're spiritual beings that have occasional human experiences."

I tend to think that we will be no more when we die; that we will go back to this good earth to do our part in replenishing its fertility. Mostly I think that is enough; that we have been placed on this Earth to do the best we can and hopefully leave it a better place when we leave.

But then I wonder about the conscious part of our being, about reasoning, about imagining and know we are more complex than most fauna & flora. Sometimes it is overwhelming to consider it all and this consideration gets put on the back burner for later contemplation. Sometimes it seems that simpler is better; it certainly is easier.

This Saturday, May 21 is supposed to be "Judgement Day" or day of the "Rapture". Did you know that on Facebook there is a page for the "Post Rapture Party" and it is open to all "left behind"? Upon my last check there are 22, 794 folks who have responded & who plan to attend. I'm one of those planning to be here 'cause the following weekend (Memorial Day weekend) the second anniversary of Padre's in Marfa, TX and I'd like to drive out for the festivities.

Judgement Day... what about the pets???

...but what about the pets?

Read this post "Post Rapture Pet Care" for reassurance
and don't miss the short video!

Gertie Girl

Just Crossing the Road

No it's not Chicken Little...

and it's not Turkey Lurkey...

it's not Henney Penney...

nor is it the Roadrunner!

It's a little Bob-White Quail crossing the road
by our house
and hiding in the bushes
in the neighbors yard!!!

We have not seen a quail in our neighborhood
before Sunday afternoon.
The G-man spotted him as he drove toward home.
Luckily the little guy stuck around
until I got the camera & we located him.

The G-man says quail used to be in these parts
until Fire Ants moved in the area.
Fire Ants will kill the babies...
That includes baby deer
and any small animal or bird on the ground.

It is fabulous to have this little guy here
and I hope it has a family!