Home » travel

Tag: travel

#SOL24-18 Alligator

Published on March 18, 2024

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 use my arms as a long set of alligator teeth as Bird sails down the slide, and I pretend to bite her, singing

Alligator, Alligator
I want to be your friend
I want to be your friend
I want to be your friend, too
[one final chomp, with bravado]

This child’s jingle always leads to laughter, as they evade my chomping. I am not sure which early childhood “mentor” teacher (is such silliness “mentoring”?) offered this earworm to me.

I have long wondered why one would be friends with an alligator.

What a scandalous idea to teach children, right?

Wanting to show my granddaughters a photo of a real alligator, I searched for “alligator” in my vacation photos. Google only recognized a sculpture of an alligator from someone’s backyard, taken more than a year ago.

Yet, I had taken several photos of alligators on our trip this past week to the Lowcountry, South Carolina. Where did these photos go?

We came across several alligators. Bounteous alligators. Seriously, at least two dozen alligators, lazing about, as we meandered the island over the course of our week-long vacation. They are everywhere, these dark green mysterious dangerous beings. Everywhere you go, there are also warning signs, big bold letters about ALLIGATORS LIVE HERE and USE CAUTION. Here are the warnings:

- Assume every body of water contains an alligator
- Stay at least 60 feet (4 car lengths) away from alligators.
- Alligators are ambush predators and can move faster than you or your pets.
- Keep yourself, pets and children away from water’s edge.
- Swimming or wading is prohibited in Sea Pines’ waterways.
- Feeding or harassing alligators is dangerous and illegal.
- When fishing or crabbing do not throw used bait or fish parts into the water

I am a cautious person. I am often an obedient rule-follower. I am also curious, especially about nature. I do love to take photos when I am out and about. So I snuck a few photos, when we happened upon alligators. Obviously, very bad images from a scaredy-cat photographer, because Google didn’t even discern them as existing. Let me share them with you.

Here’s an alligator on our side of the bike path, as we turned the curve on our bikes:

Here, we saw several alligators lazing on the opposite side of a lagoon:

Here’s an alligator in the forest preserve (you can spot the warning sign, on the left):

My less-than-vivid photos show you that I was hasty, hesitant, and not hovering over alligators. The only way one can begin to discern an image is through editing the photo and zooming in. I think I will share the image of the alligator sculpture with my granddaughters, so that they might actually ‘see’ one.

Yes, I was unnerved by these sightings. One hears and reads horrid stories about alligators attacking people. Terrifying!

“They” say that alligators will eat anything. When their stomachs are cut open, after they die, there is evidence of trash and leaves and metal and bones and more.

Once, we heard a really loud splash as we studied a turtle at the forest preserve, and immediately wondered – wait, is there an alligator nearby? We hopped right back on our bikes, and bantered as we pedaled quickly away –

I heard their eyesight is limited.

I heard you can’t tell if they are asleep or looking right at you.

I heard they only run straight, so you should run or pedal away in a zigzag.

I heard you should simply run faster than the people you are with.

(This last advice from my witty brother.)

_______

Let me close with an alligator poem, my attempt at a playful Double Dactyl, inspired by Wendy Everard, in today’s Ethical ELA Open Write.

Alligate-Alliwait 
Missus McGoo on bike
Slowing down taking pic
While full of fright

Step too close, pause too long
Irrecoverably
Alligate for the win 
Not pretty sight

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

#SOL24-16 Sunrise

Published on March 16, 2024

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 spoke not a word as we fumbled in the dark, searching for our sweatshirts and our shoes, and trying our best not to disturb their sleeping. The door creaked when we opened it, and we slipped out and closed the door behind us as quietly as possible. We walked down the unlit stairs, making our way in the grey, to the winding path. Trees loomed like benevolent spirits with their loose-fitting Spanish moss dancing in the early morning breeze. Carolina Wren and Carolina Chickadee provided the soundtrack to our spontaneous pursuit of watching the sunrise on the beach.

The young girl’s reed hut stood strong in the dark of dawn. She had spent the whole afternoon working on this, patiently searching for reeds in the sand, separating the lengthy and straight ones, adding these one by one to create her tiny home. I had thought the tides would sweep this away, yet here it is, greeting us on the beach.

there’s a straw hut shadowed in the forefront

I saw immediately that we were not alone in the quiet, and I admit to feeling a bit of frustration. Who were all these folks, walking and waiting, just like us, along the beach? They walked in singles and pairs, perhaps two dozen folks in all. Their dogs raced with joy across the sand. There was a threesome of young athletes, performing jumping jacks, high knees, twists, skipping, and waving their arms high.

I wanted these strangers to leave
to leave the sunrise for me 
yet why do I presume to be
overseer 
of the sunrise?

Is it somehow more mine simply because it is my first time all week getting out of bed early enough to witness it? There is more than enough for all of us. There is so much joy in the viewing.

In a touch of irony, one dog walker calls out to me – “I took a lovely photo of you two in the early morning light, would you like it?”

Her photo was a gift, and a gentle reminder to be kind.

The stranger gave us this photo, showing the two of us together at sunrise.

We continued our walking, towards the sunrise, slowly, slowly, slowly.

It was magnificent.

I suppose if one watched the sunrise each and every morning, they might say this one was average. An overcast start to the day obscured the sun, and it was a full half hour after the forecasted sunrise time before the clouds released the sun to us. However, as our only sunrise of the week (thank you, last weekend’s time change), it was absolutely glorious to us.

Here is a close up of that young girl’s straw hut, in better light:

rippling 

light isn’t always boisterous
bright front and center
sometimes it is a quiet offering
wavering shyly along the margins
slow to comprehend
look to the edges for light
gift a stranger a sliver

one last glimpse of sunrise, as we return home

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

#SOL24-11 Beach

Published on March 11, 2024

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 are on vacation at the beach in South Carolina and it is absolutely beautiful here. I offer you a taste of this magical setting through photos and haiku (writing format inspiration from Barb Edler’s post yesterday – thank you, Barb!).

gift of this day
waking to wisps of seagrass
sheltering our earth

dear sweet gull soaring 
along the lapping ocean
under striated sky

spring glides on a bike 
with a wild giddy whoosh 
across shifting sands

pelicans in flight
holding the ocean
together

water draws the sun 
into its bounteous arms
kissing the day farewell

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

#SOL24-10 Firsts

Published on March 10, 2024

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

The FIRST real signs of spring were around Fayetteville, North Carolina, where we stopped for the night, to break up the long drive south. There were lots of flowering trees and bushes; here are a few photos to share the joy:

The FIRST flowering redbuds – my favorite spring flowering tree – were just south of Florence, SC. This means the redbud in my front yard in Maryland should not flower until I return from this trip – yay! I want to be home for this beautiful sight.

The FIRST time the four of us traveled together was last March. We had so much fun, we insisted on a reprise – here we are, my brother, sister-in-law, husband, and I, on vacation together in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

The FIRST celebration of the week is my brother’s birthday; later we’ll celebrate Tony’s & my anniversary – this is a joyful time for a getaway.

The FIRST blast of truly warm air was at the rest stop on I-95 near Ridgeland, SC. Until then, we’d had a cool rainy drive south. We spread our arms wide and spun around, rejoicing, in the parking lot – this feels like vacation!

The FIRST sighting of Spanish moss was on Carolina route 462 – this growth means Lowcountry to me. Spanish moss needs just the right mix of salty, marshy air, humidity, and heat, in order to grow and spread. It dances through trees in this part of the south, flowing from branches.

The FIRST slice from our vacation is this brief one. More to come!

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

On Moving On

Published on December 19, 2023

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

It’s not easy to move in December. 

I suppose 
the month
doesn’t matter so much. 

It’s just not easy to move.

It is not easy to move 
from your home of 30-plus years 
where you raised your kids 
acquired, stored, and forgot about 
infinite treasures
filling every inch of space. 

No, this kind of move is not easy.

It’s not easy to move 
to a new home 
several states away
planning 
what you want to put on a truck
what you’ll need in the days (weeks?) 
in-between 
being in one place and next
waiting for your stuff to arrive.

No, it’s not easy.

It is not easy to do this 
alone 
all by yourself. 

Which is why 
I went to help.

I just returned 
from a very hard and successful week 
at my college bestie’s
‘old house’
where we worked non-stop

sorting packing wrapping boxing 
taping lifting loading re-doing 
squishing counting rushing 
tossing donating keeping

In a few more days 
she will have a new home 
here in Maryland 

she will live 
not only 
closer to me 
but to 
her daughter 
her sister and 
other family. 

It is a wonderful move - 
and not easy!

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

New River

Published on October 24, 2023

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

To celebrate my oldest son’s birthday, we had a family getaway to New River Gorge National Park – a weekend of hiking and autumn leaf viewing. This West Virginia park is only about a five hour drive from our home in Maryland, and made for a wonderful location for a few fun days.

Our Friday was misty and chilly, yet quite beautiful for hiking. Let me share just a few of photos –

Much to our surprise – and good fortune – we had an even more special Saturday. We had no idea when we booked our travels that October 21st was the annual Bridge Day. The New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia is the longest single-span arch bridge in the western hemisphere, measuring some 3030 feet with the arch alone measuring 1700 feet. The bridge was completed in 1977; since 1980, there has been an annual festival in its honor.

On this single day, the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic. There is an enormous festival on the bridge, with vendors hawking food and crafts up and down the entire expanse. In the middle of the bridge, gutsy folks base jump off the bridge – which, seriously, has to be one of the most terrifying sports I have ever witnessed. It was wild to watch. Can you find the base jumper /parachute in the photo below? Who would dare to jump from such a height?

We spent a beautiful fall morning walking the bridge and enjoying the sights. Plus, of course, eating – yummy funnel cakes, barbecue, cotton candy, and pizza. Festivals demand that one partake, yes?

Later in the afternoon, we hiked Long Point trail, which allowed us to have a breathtaking view of the bridge from the side. We also enjoyed the surrounding fall foliage and we watched more of the daring base jumpers perform, from a much farther distance.

This is my oldest son (the birthday boy) and his daughter/my granddaughter, watching the base jumpers.

It was a fabulous weekend!

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

Acadia Travels

Published on July 18, 2023

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’ve just returned from a wonderful family vacation in Acadia, Maine. I missed the ‘Slice of Life’ last week for the first time in months, due to spotty wifi and unending fun. How to describe the many sweet moments and gorgeous scenery? Let me share a few photos and tales.

We explored from sandy beaches to rocky cliffs. Throughout the park, there were wild blueberries on the rocky edges of paths. Most were still a bit green for picking, but we snacked on a ripe few. There were historic cairns as guides along the trails. We had lots of animal sightings – frogs, turtles, deer, crabs, sea urchins, and more. On our first walk, just as my son and I were passing by a marshy area, a barred owl took flight not ten feet from us – magnificent!

Deep in the woods, I stopped from time to time to listen to the delightful chatter of new-to-me birds (thank you, Merlin app, for helping me identify these precious sounds!) – red-eyed vireo, dark-eyed junco, black-capped chickadee, golden-crown kinglet, and a variety of warblers with adorable names – black-throated green warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, magnolia warbler. I heard these birds so frequently, I began to recognize their calls.

Early morning at Cadillac Mountain, our views were obscured by mist and fog. It was exquisite, all the same – and made for somewhat cooler hiking. We hiked along Dorr Mountain trail and enjoyed more visibility as the morning progressed.

Look closely, and you can see my granddaughter Frog standing on an outcropping. I remain awed by her prowess on the challenging rock scrambles of this and other hikes – she is only four and half years old, and moves with courage, flexibility, and desire. She was amazing! I, on the other hand, have returned home with new fitness goals for myself, in hopes of being stronger for next summer’s family hiking trip. I became so fatigued on this hike, I could only climb up higher on rocks by using my two hands to lift my leg up. Oh my!

Tony loved the hikes where you reach the summit and partake in these extraordinary panoramas. I was thrilled by these, too, but the Acadia tidal pools nourished my soul. We had planned our visits with low tide, allowing us to see the beautiful diversity of these fragile regions. The beaches filled with rounded rocks in brown, orange, red, yellow – these were absolutely exquisite.

I am filled with many special memories from this beautiful national park. Let me close with a poem I wrote yesterday, for Ethical ELA’s OpenWrite…a ‘venn diagram’ poem about the different parts of Acadia that Tony & I loved, and the overlap between the two.

Acadia

he treasured the vistas
panoramic views from mountaintops
sweaty exertion of climbing
weaving paths negotiating roots scrambling rocks  
our hiking chatter grunts laughter

tide pools mesmerized me
close intimate looking and tiny finds
slow steady careful stepping
so many lives both strong and fragile 
waves rippling rocks

invigorating
all our senses, tingling
immersed in precious wonder
being in nature
together

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

SOLSC #13 – Whirlwind

Published on March 13, 2023

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

Winter Storm Warning
…in effect from 5pm Monday to 8am Wednesday
…accumulations of 12 to 18 inches
…heavy wet snow expected
…travel will be difficult to impossible
…likely result in power outages
…a long duration and high-impact snow event

These words blasted across my friend’s phone, as she checked the weather for the next few days of my visit in Connecticut. 

Oh no!, she exclaimed, Maureen - I hate to say it, but you have to get out of here. Now. This is going to be a doozy of a storm.
 
What?! 

If not for AccuWeather, we would have been absolutely blindsided by this storm. The weather yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous winter day in New England - it was sunny and in the low 40s. Impossible to believe a big storm was hurdling this way! This was a perfect day for a brisk walk, and we took a wonderful one around the lake. The world looked especially beautiful. Here’s a photo of Harwinton Lake –

We enjoyed a three mile walk, with our usual nonstop conversation. The only pauses in our talking were the hills, lol. I always forget how much hillier it is in her neighborhood. I walk a lot at home, but I am not used to getting winded as I walk; my neighborhood is mostly flat. Note to self: I will set the goal of walking more briskly at home, picking up my pace.

Check out these fun rock sculptures someone built in their yard. They reminded me of people, bundled up for the cold and trudging through snow to gather together. It’s been a fun visit here.

But the weather forecast was clear: this gorgeous weather was not going to continue; the storm would begin Monday evening and continue through Wednesday.. So much for a loooong weekend with my college bestie; I needed to get home to Maryland ahead of this snowstorm. With that, I was looking up flights and changing my itinerary, and I was able to book a flight for this morning.

Fast forward – first thing this morning, I woke to a rap at my door – my friend had to wake me up, because I was oversleeping. The daylight-savings time change had wrenched my “I’m always awake by 7 a.m.” into an unexpected “Hey, it’s 8 a.m., you have to get up!” I raced about in foggy-headed confusion, and we were out the door for the airport.

A fitting end to a very full two weeks, I suppose. I crammed in every possible thing – including my sleep, lol.

My friend will have the thrill of shoveling and possible outages; I will rest and recover from all the fun I have had for nearly two weeks now. And, I’ll be home and ready to babysit my grandchildren later this week. Yes, it is time to be home.

Goodbye, Connecticut!

Welcome back, Maryland!

SOLSC #7 – Salt Marsh

Published on March 7, 2023

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

Published on March 6, 2023

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!