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Category: travel

SOLSC #7 – Salt Marsh

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

Here’s a little poetry about our gorgeous afternoon in kayaks.  Among many sights I mention in the poem, I saw a waterbird that was new to me, and I thought I’d share a link for this: anhinga .

exploring the salt marsh 
Lowcountry waters of South Carolina 
two at a time tandem kayaks 
double-headed oars in hand

sun so bright temperature soft 
not yet filled with summer heat

calm waters quiet current
glistening sundust sprinkled across the tide 
we maneuvered slowly 
around small nesting islands of Broad Creek
tiny islands that do not host humans
only birds lizards fiddler crabs
edges thick with mud and tough cord-grass 

clams blue crabs shrimp
fish fish fish
most of South Carolina’s seafood
spends all or some of its life
in salt marshes
oyster beds surround
lining pier posts 
lining sides of the creek
lining boats on the water

how essential this environment is

oh, how the waterbirds charmed!
heron gliding elegantly through the sky 
landing on the sludge of shore
muted grey-blue Great Blue Heron
snow white black-legged great egrets
laughing gulls with bright orange beaks
small seabirds indistinguishable and numerous
and several silvery-black anhinga, 
with a flopping dives into the shore
opening like hand-held fans 
as if camouflaging themselves
as fallen weathered palms 

one lively dolphin surprising us
dancing up from the water 
so close to our kayaks
swiftly we paddled
trying to follow the dolphin’s path
she was much too quick 
for our oars

such an extraordinary day
to witness

SOLSC #6 – Blocked

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

“I had a newborn and a three year old when I met my first husband. They were both boys. He had a two year old daughter. I married him for security, really. You should never do that, it is a very bad reason to marry anyone, just for security. But with two kids, I really needed his money. Sure, he had money. But he was cruel. He hurt my kids, I feel so guilty about that still. I left him.”

This confession was offered to me by the gray-haired grocery store clerk at the checkout, as she bagged our groceries for the week. (What’s the first thing on the to-do list on a vacation? The grocery store, of course!) I have no idea why she opened up to me in this way or what precipitated the life reflection. I felt as if time stood still as she spoke – I was so uncomfortable with the intimate details this complete stranger was sharing with me.

It didn’t help that she was moving oh-so-slowly to fill the bags themselves. I practiced my quiet breathing and said a silent prayer or two on her behalf, thinking how tough her life.

Back at our rental condo, as we put groceries away, I was telling my husband about this surprise and intimate sharing, chuckling at the awkwardness of it. Likewise, my sister-in-law was animatedly talking with my brother about our shopping, and I thought I heard her describe the grocery clerk by saying,

“She was a block away.” 

I burst out laughing – “Wait, how did you describe the woman at checkout? ‘She was a block away.’? I have never heard that said, but what a clever and funny way to describe someone who really isn’t ‘present’ with you.”

My sister-in-law looked at me confused – “No, I was saying, we put that first block of cheddar away and got the other one.”

This sent me into fits of giggles – I was totally dreaming up language! I guess I was the one who was ‘a block away,’ hahaha. 

Here’s a couple photos of our gorgeous location – we are here, at the beach!

We are here and the wind is strong!

SOLSC #5 – Car travel

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

We stopped for the day in Fayetteville, NC, leaving us only a four hour drive today. What a joy to be retired, allowing us the flexibility of time to not do all the driving in one day. 

I am so grateful for this time with my brother and sister-in-law; it has felt as if we’re on vacation since they arrived at our home this past Thursday.

Before going to dinner, we had a nice walk in downtown Fayetteville. Look at the beautiful redbuds in bloom! Oh my, this is sad and glorious – they used to bloom here in mid-April, this is early March…

We visited Lafayette park, where  I could only think about Daveed Diggs, singing so fabulously, in Hamilton, lol.  Fun coincidence – we were here on the exact day nearly 200 years after the Marquis  –

I really loved the city murals … here are just two –

Road weary from the day, I fell asleep easily,

wondering . . .

what brought the first one? And, oh my, many miles later, a second one? And still much further down the road, a third one? No sign of broken down vehicles, and yet, there were three different pedestrians walking the side of I-95 south. What are their stories? What a hard and scary place to be walking, with vehicles alongside you at 80 miles an hour.

Car travel leads to so many interesting sightings…

SOLSC #4 – Wind Wisdom

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

We have a strong, loud wind today, as we head out on our road trip south. This slice imagines the wind sharing her wisdom with me…

hellooooo

gooood morning!

Pardon my bluster, I didn’t mean to startle you. I assume I’m invited, too, yes? I’m planning on traveling south with you. 

Wait, is this gusty of me?

We get along well, yes? I’m not misunderstanding? 

Please don’t get all puffed up like that. I’m excited for you, and I’m not going to interfere with your travel. Let me help you load the car – for me, it’s a breeze. 

Oh my, look at your face! I can read right through you: you old introvert you! You always need your quiet and your space to think, but packing the car and hitting the road together is never like that…here you are, caught up in the whirlwind of everyone’s breezy conversations…

Let me help: take a deep cleansing breath along with me. As we breathe deeply, bend like the mahonia, sway like the butterfly bush. Yes, yes, just breathe.

Now, get your list out, let’s read it together and double-check.

  • headphones?
  • journal?
  • computer and cable?
  • I know you have your phone…did you pack the cable?
  • extra jacket

Okay. 

Yes.

We blew through that checklist!

You’ve got this. Lock the doors of the house – head out on the open road! Whirling twirling wonderful togetherness ahead. I’ll be with you always, and we can catch our breath, together.

To the day! To our fun travels!