Naturally

As my staycation draws to a close and I look back at the to-do list I created for myself, I unapologetically admit I accomplished the underside of half the items on the list. Technically I have the weekend too before I return to work, and something tells me there is some writing and a movie or two in the works. We'll see.

In the meantime, I can think of no better way to have spent my last day than with my husband. He took the day off so we could visit the Six Mile Slough Preserve together. (It's pronounced "sloo" for those who don't know.) He had never been there before, and I just knew he would love it. All the bird and preserve watching I did over the last week got me thinking, and I asked him if he'd like to take the day and go with me. He was pleased at the idea, so we packed a couple of bottles of water and a couple of apples, and off we went to the Slough!

In his words, "It was a nice relaxing way to spend part of our day." He is so at ease in nature. He's pensive, meditative. He barely talks. He's just the way a human should be when walking through a piece of nature- an observer. He serves as a role model to me, to slow down and hush up. There is so much to see and hear, and if you're too loud you miss it all.

As we strolled quietly along the boardwalk, I found myself contemplative. David Orr once wrote,

"Elemental things like flowing water, wind, trees, clouds, rain, mist, mountains, landscape, animals, and changing seasons, the night sky, and the mysteries of the life cycle gave birth to thought and language." (Orr, 1994, p. 142) 

Thought and language. Yes, I did a lot of thinking. The word natural has come to mean so many different things. I won't even try to touch the bastardization of the word when it comes to the food and drug administration. Nothing sounds more artificial than a commercial preaching the use of "all natural ingredients." But I digress. Writers have these crazy internal dialogs all the time, and yes, on most days I consider myself to be a writer.

These were my thoughts about the word natural. I have been married to my husband a few months shy of 20 years. Our relationship and the time we spend together feels natural. I never feel pressured to be, feel, or act a certain way. I feel more myself around him than anyone else in the entire world. I am in a sense, stripped down and naked in front of him at all times- even when I'm fully clothed. We walked side by side down the boardwalk at first, even held hands for about 20 seconds. Then we let go in agreement it was too hot and sticky to hold hands. The boardwalk is narrow enough for one person walking in each direction, so we often didn't even walk next to each other, and that was okay. It didn't mean we didn't want to be with each other, it didn't mean we were enjoying any less "togetherness" in our day. Nothing even needed to be said. So we strolled, watched, pointed, and  whispered. And we spent the most glorious morning walking through the slough. Here are some photos from our journey. I can't wait to get back again soon- maybe with my writing group next time!

One of the first things you encounter at the Slough is the Rock and Stroll Garden. It's an inspirational garden  adorned with personally engraved river rocks people purchase to support educational programs provided by Friends of the Six Mile Slough Preserve. My favorite was this one here to the right. I can only imagine what the donor was healing from, but I can definitely understand how someone would find healing in the solace of this beautiful, calm and peaceful place. At the far end from the archway opening, I found evidence of one of the preserves inhabitants. I'm glad no one picked it up. Nothing is supposed to be taken from the preserve, alive or dead. 

As I waited for my husband to take one last phone call before disconnecting to enter the boardwalk, I visited the large sandstone rock at the edge of the garden. It has a plaque posted that I find particularly meaningful as an educator, especially one who teaches University Colloquium at FGCU. We spent last night's class exploring and discussing the Earth Charter. I explained to my students that the Earth Charter is a global call to action. The Monday Group of the 1970's really had it going on. They certainly felt called to action when they became aware the Slough was at risk, and were inspired to help preserve it for future generations. Read more at the Six Mile Slough Preserve website.

One of the incredible phenomena in the Slough, is the clarity of the water. When you look deep under the surface, it may appear to be mucky, but it's really not. It is constantly moving with life! However, at a glance on the glass surface of the water almost anywhere in the Slough, you can see a reflection of the tall trees and the sky. It's magnificent! 

I captured a whole lot in this photo above, more than I initially intended to. First, I noticed the simple beauty of a single flower shooting up from the water. I also thought the leaves floating around it looked like green pac-man! I tried to look up what these green leaves are, but I couldn't find a name and image match. Something tells me I have a friend who knows. I may need to ask a naturalist at FGCU. The tree that looks like it's hanging down from the top of the photo is actually a reflection of the tree in the water. If you look closely at the bottom right corner, or the tip of the top left corner, you can even see the reflection of clouds from the sky. The water mirrors the beauty of the preserve all around you. Below is another spectacular image of the trees mirrored in the water. It's as if I was lying on the surface of the water in a raft on my back, looking up toward the sky at the majestic treetops and snapping a photo. I was actually standing on the boardwalk taking the photo downward at the water. The image is crystal clear. Nature at its finest, indeed. 

We continued along the boardwalk, happily gazing and stopping to look closely at the water and point out observations to one another. I snapped this great photo of Paul, insisting I need "vacation photos" for this really to be considered my vacation. He laughed and stopped for a pose. He's a good sport.

On the latter half of our walk, we encountered this interesting arch formation amongst the trees. Because the Slough is a preserve, those who tend to it do so with as little intervention as necessary. They recognize that small fires, storms and falling trees are all a natural part of the ecosystem. Unless the tress impede the boardwalk or negatively impact another living thing in the preserve, they're left alone. Sometimes the trees die and break, other times they adapt and grow in another direction. You can see examples of both throughout the preserve, but I found this one particularly interesting. It arched over a large log, and I just imagined fairytale like creatures gathering there for a wetlands wedding! Imagine two turtles tying the knot under this arch. Beside them on the log, the great Blue Heron officiating. Sounds silly I know. But I can't help where my imagination goes. I'm a writer!

As we approached the final leg of our walk, we could see we were approaching the bird watching shelter. We decided to stop there and share an apple. We hoped to see some birds, but knew it was getting a bit late. Most of the activity in the Slough happens in the earliest part of the day and toward sundown. We decided our next trip would be in the upcoming month or so as the weather cooled a bit and after the time change. Instead of coming at the beginning of the day, we would like to come about an hour or so before the boardwalk closes for the day. We hypothesize the sunset would provide a beautiful backdrop and we might possibly see more wildlife activity.

We didn't see any birds here, but out on that tree branch there were two good sized turtles sunning themselves. We sat quietly and watched as we ate our apple. Once we moved along, we saw a little more activity than we did at the start of our journey. Though I didn't get many photos because I was enjoying the experience in realtime, we did see an anyhinga spreading it's wings and drying out, we saw a line of turtles sunning along a log, we saw a catfish and several bass in one of the ponds, and low and behold, we found these. Two beautiful white Ibises, fishing for food, scratching their itchy feathers, and fluffing out their wings. All this while a couple of squirrels chased each other about in the trees. It was an absolutely beautiful day at the Six Mile Slough Preserve. Happy last day of vacation to me!