Well, it has taken me a considerable amount of time to get back to my blog. Can't say that I've been negligent...my sleep has been off as usual, so it throws everything else off as a result.
It's become rather clear to me that to maintain my personal semblance of sanity, I need to venture out of doors each day for a stroll and some picture taking. We've been getting our usual daily 30-40% chance of thunderstorms report, but out of the last week's worth of said reports we've only had one afternoon/evening of rain. It got rather torrential, too. Perfection. Every day we do get our share of full and billowy thunderhead clouds, accompanied by the rumblings of thunder. I see it as the Savannah sky toying with me...promising me something that it's most likely not going to deliver on. These empty promises usually appear in the mid-afternoon and carry through the evening hours. Don't get me wrong...I'd much rather have the slices of promise than nothing. I've developed quite an interest...change that...a fondness for the clouds here on the Georgia coast. Practically on a daily basis I'm entertained with some of the most abstractly spectacular cloud displays. Various shades of white, gray, and blue to blue-gray. The thunderhead clouds (the ones that could indicate an impending storm) are the most enjoyable to watch. Sections seem to explode slowly out in stark round edged puffs...you can actually see the movements happening. The various hued clouds pass over and behind one another giving such eerie dimension and depth. They are like strokes within an animated painting. I've been photographing them a lot lately. There is something so inspiring there.
Day before yesterday I went out for a quick walk around the homestead here. It was in the neighborhood of 6:00 or 7:00pm. I headed down to the cul de sac down by the marshes and water...I often start my strolls there. Per usual, I had the camera with me. I feel like I've been slightly redundant with the photos I've been posting in the last number of weeks (both here and on Facebook), snapping photos in the same places. I always seem to find something new though. Something that I just hadn't noticed on previous visits, or something that is making it's presence newly known. This particular walk was no exception.
Once at the cul de sac, I wandered it's edge looking for things to photograph. Exploring. As I wandered around the curve I came around to the weathered carcass of dock remains that have appeared in quite a few of my photos. I love that spot. Think I've caught it in quite a few of it's moods. This time was to be different. There is a dip down a small bank to the muddy marsh floor around the decaying posts that once held up the dock. I could hear the faint sound of...well, scurrying. That's the best description I can give. But, the scurrying of a lot of 'things'. Slowly, I walked over to the bank and surveyed the mud. That's when I saw what looked like several hundred little creatures running around the marsh bed. They were small crabs. Fiddler crabs. The number and movement of them made the mud seem to undulate. As I watched them zipping around the brown surface of the mud (they were actually kind of hard to spot as they blended in), I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye. I quickly looked to my right and saw several of the small crabs weaving their way through the leaves and twigs covering the ground beneath and around my feet. I snapped shots of a few of them before they disappeared into the blanket of leaves pushing up against a small section of chain-link fence that skirted the top of the bank. Then I noticed a couple scurrying from patch of grass to patch of grass. They looked kind of comical flitting along in their sideways motion. I noticed that one of them had paused...or froze, not really sure which description is best. The chance to get a close-up of one had presented itself. As I lowered the lens of the camera in close, he seemed to freak out a little and took a few sideways steps in the direction of the leaves. Didn't want to hurt the little guy. I noticed a dry, brown, long and sinewy leaf/frond from a palm of some sort. I grabbed it and used it as kind of a gentle prod coaxing him over into a more advantages spot for a photo. Managed to get a couple before he clearly showed that he was ready to disappear with his buddies. Thanked him as he made his escape, and I looked to the wide open space of the marshes.
It was fairly gray...the usual time of possible thunder and rain was in full swing, so the calming effect was definitely there. I find such peace at those times. There are no real sounds of 'man' here...no cars, no sirens, no helicopters. Here my ears are not assaulted by noise. I hear the rhythms of nature. Could say that it's so quiet here, which it is compared to where I lived for 18 or so years (L.A.), but if you listen...really listen...you can hear the things that man has muted by 'progress' (i.e. cities). I had walked over toward the marshes and was standing by a couple of trees. I saw something small and dark zip around the tree at about my eye level. I walked around the tree and saw scurrying around to the opposite side another crab. Tried to snap a photo of the little guy, but he was too busy playing cat and mouse with me. Got a couple, but they're not worth sharing. Back to the marsh. With the graying sky came a strong and welcome breeze. It has been extremely hot here, and the humidity drives the heat index through the roof. Lately it's been in the 110+ range. The breeze was very welcome. The sound of the leaves and branches of the trees stirring around joined the faint whistle of it. The cat tails edging the marsh were bowing and dancing, as well. The cooling of the breeze made the moist layer covering me (due to the humidity) not quite as annoying. A slow walk along the marshes with the calm ethereal caressing of the breeze was wonderful, and just what I needed. My daily fix. The best medicine.
I made it halfway to the pond, but it was starting to get dark. My time for picture taking was drawing to a close. I really want to get a camera suited to night time photography at some point in the not too distant future. So, my walk drew to a close. Home for something to eat before settling down in front of the tube.
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