Scenes from Aarons Beach

In spite of all outward appearances, this blogger blog is still alive, although barely. Last week my internet was down for a few days, but it wasn't as if I had any pictures to share anyway. Since then, however, I made a trip down to Aarons Beach one evening and snapped these and several others I'll post later in the week.

Speaking of later in the week, I apologize in advance for whatever more-inane-than usual gibberish may find its way to this blog the next time I post.  More than likely I will be under the influence of heavy-duty pain medication from the surgery I'm having on Tuesday. Although I am looking forward to some mandated bed rest and any excuse not to have to drive 100 miles a day to and from work, I can't say I'm looking forward to the surgery itself.

Assuming everything goes as it should, though, all of this will soon be behind me, and I can get back to life without fear of a gall bladder attack.  And I'll return to complaining about other things, such as my commute and the weeds that are taking over my yard and the ants that are so rampant in my house they are drafting up an eviction notice they intend to serve me any day now.

Have a great week.

These were taken during a kayak ride from a few weeks back.  I've been negligent in my photo-taking responsibilities lately, and these are only being scooped up off the cutting room floor because I have no others to post.  The weekends have been flying by, and the work weeks are becoming more and more hectic.  I've just not had time to focus on getting out to take new pictures.

Yesterday my bad back and I drove in bumper to bumper beach traffic six hours round trip to drop Daughter off here, and today before work I'm scheduled to talk to a surgeon about my 50-year-old gall bladder that has decided it's now disgruntled.

Hopefully at some point this week I'll be able to stop complaining about my back and gall bladder make the time to take some new pictures.

Thanks for your patience.

Father's Day

Sunday is Father's Day, and I'll be traveling to Longwood delivering Daughter to Girls' State, therefore not spending it with my father.

Middle and Baby Sis will take over the celebratory responsibilities in my absence.

Although his entire life has been riddled with not-so-minor health problems, he's always had the right attitude, which he declares is identical to Confucius's philosophical outlook:  "Don't worry about it."

Just yesterday he said a doctor told him his heart--which was defective from birth--is "perfect."

(Usually he's told he's almost perfect, so the promotion to perfect is reason enough for him to celebrate.)

Click here for a 2008 blog post bragging on my father.

He really is perfect.

Summer Evenings on Queens Creek

What's not to love?

I've been enjoying the evenings lately.  Although it's been hot during the day (which I really don't mind), nighttime brings enough coolness and calmness to enjoy a few minutes on the deck focusing on all the beauty of the creek, which causes an instant drop in stress levels.

The coming weeks will be brutal at work, so I'm going to rely heavily on Queens Creek to get me through.

She won't disappoint.

Heron

Wednesday evening, after a day filled with non-stop This and That and Then Some, I gave myself permission to sit down on the back deck for a minute or twenty as the sun was going down.

On the neighbor-across-the-creek's dock post, after a day filled with fishing, wading, preening, squawking, and his own version of This and That and Then Some, a heron was doing the same thing.

Giving himself permission to just sit.

And be.

Friends from my office visited me in Mathews recently and confirmed that just sitting and being in my back yard is all that's needed to reduce blood pressure.

(I didn't need a reminder, it's just nice to hear from new people.)

Of course Regular Life insists on sucking every bit of everything right out of me reminding me that it can't be all about sitting and staring for even twenty minutes! all the time.

I found out this week that I'll need to have my stupid gall bladder removed  some minor surgery soon, potentially during one of my busiest times at work.

Whatever.

The heron reminds me it's important to stop and sit sometimes.

And just be.

Middle Sister

Diane and I went for a gator ride Sunday afternoon.

Diane, also known as my middle sister, has returned to Mathews to live.

She and I were close growing up and attended the same college.  

After college and way too many several years in Northern Virginia, 

I wound up back in Mathews by choice.

I wanted to be close to my parents, and I also wanted my children to grow up where I did.

Middle Sis has felt the same calling all these years.

And now here she is.

Back home.

Where she belongs.

It's great to have her home.

Wader Too

Miller Cove on Queens Creek is the social hub of blue heron activity in the neighborhood.

Except, socially, herons are socially awkward actually textbook introverts, preferring to do their own thing in the peace, quiet and solitude that, for example, Miller Cove ordinarily brings.

The younger herons, lacking that life experience that brings cynicism and a slightly jaded outlook on mingling with others, trot casually along the shoreline even when that shoreline is in close proximity to a strange person with a camera in a brightly colored kayak .

High-steppin'

I've never seen anything other than a full-grown heron on Queens Creek.  By the time they are wading within eyesight of my back deck, they're big, big, big  birds.

But last night on Facebook, blog friend LLC shared this photo  of a baby heron.  

I want to adopt a whole nest of baby herons but realize logically herons are not ever up for adoption.  Plus once they come into teenagerhood, the drama just wouldn't be worth it.  So I'll just admire them in all stages of life from afar. It's the right thing to do.

Thanks, LLC, for the glimpse at heron infancy.

Have a great weekend.






 

Wader

Sunday afternoon at low tide, I hopped in the kayak with my camera and spent some quality time across the creek admiring an area I ordinarily only see from a distance from my back deck.

As I was admiring the muddy area and the different view of the pine tree the eagle likes to rest in, something else caught my eye.

Someone was taking advantage of the low tide to fish for minnows for dinner.

He didn't appear at all perturbed that I was taking his picture.

He was way more focused on fishing.

In doing  minimal a little on-line searching, I came across this (click here)  that seems to suggest this could be a green heron, which I didn't realize we had on Queens Creek.

(Or, on the other hand, I knew it and probably have written about it on this blog before and have forgotten. Take your pick.)

Welcome to June, it's here already.