Friday, June 25, 2010

Sense of Place

Shannon and Jessica walking toward our rental from the community dock that fronted the salt marsh. Ours was the first yellow building from the right. There were very few people in the area all week. Rentals stood empty and dark, roadways were lightly traveled, beaches were sparsely populated. PERFECT, in my book but clearly the current economic woes were showing.

From the community dock one could launch a kayak and travel all the way to the ocean. Kayla and Lance had a wonderful time. However, there was no formal "launch" and one had to physically lower one's self down to the kayak. Not possible for most of us and was even difficult for them. Still, what a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

Me, Jessica and Shannon would wait and watch, and bring them water when they were finished playing in the marsh.

Shannon enjoying the view, looking at wildlife and pondering.

Shannon spied these mussels attached to various plants in the shallow marsh. I'm assuming they're a mussel of some sort, anyway.

From our northern-most deck, where we spent the afternoons cooling down and sipping wine, sharing stories about our day. This deck overlooked a wide expanse of shrubs and weathered, wind blown live oaks. These snags attracted all manner of birds and dragonflies. The house beyond the oaks fronts the beach and was a landmark when we walked the shores. The architecture is typical for the area. The houses were amazing - most were brand new, huge and empty....and for sale or rent.

Sunset over the salt marsh.

Field of live oaks as seen from our second floor deck.

The southernmost deck is where we enjoyed morning coffee and solitude, reading and listening to the marsh birds, the call of grackles and hum of insects. This afternoon a storm was brewing. We had storms all around us the entire time but never had any rain. We were in a bowl of sunshine. There's that phrase again...but that's what we were in!

It was hot and humid, wreaking havoc with our cameras. Condensation was common and this was the usual first shot! Hope this gives you more of a sense of place. We really enjoyed the peace and beauty of this spot. However, being adventuresome we are already planning our NEXT family reunion elsewhere so we can explore another section of this awesome country of ours. Any suggestions? Next, I'll show you some birds & critters that I spied and captured - digitally, of course!

4 comments:

Jenny said...

Great to get some 'sense of place' photos Debi. If you want somewhere weird then I would suggest the Salton Sea in California. It feels like a moonscape, somewhat surreal with amazing violets, greys and blues and er....an interesting smell of rotting fish. Great for birding, but on refection, maybe not so great for a family reunion! (-: The Hill Country in Texas was lovely, almost English except for the heat! Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler are specialities there! Hmmm, I think maybe my suggestions are too birdy orientated....I'll leave it there! (-:

Eve said...

I love your photos of the family. Perfect shots. Candid makes me smile. What a brilliant sunset. Where to go...I guess I'd say the Thousand Islands....sometimes you don't know what you've got til youre gone!! hahahah but I wouldn't trade my new home. I'll just go back and look at pictures!

The Giraffe Head Tree said...

You guys are the absolute best. Thanks for your kind words!

Gaelyn said...

What a fun place to vacation and kyak. I really like that last foggy shot.

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