After seeing the boil and making it home by 10:30 pm, we revealed the items we had found.
I went last and showed my shark's tooth last. Oohs and ahhhs went around the table. A great finale to an amazing day! My shark tooth was a Great White and it measured almost 2 inches!!! Vacation Part 3 The night before we had taken the midnight sea turtle walk and were thrilled to see the baby turtles scurrying to the ocean. The next night we were out walking on the beach for our enjoyment per Vacation Part 2. Here’s where I’ll pick up the story. We were heading back to our house and Ashby knows the sequence of different turtle nests and knew that a couple were very near hatching. As we had walked up the beach, he had looked in at one nest and saw a depression. When we passed the nest on the return trip, he saw the little heads sticking up. It was about 9 pm. He made appropriate calls to turtle officials about the impending boil—the hatch of the nest. We were OK’ed to stay and wait. Per the prior night’s information, baby sea turtles use the sand as an elevator. The babies on top pushing the sand down and the ones below continuing to push it down until all are ready to burst out of the nest. We all were excited as expectant parents! The turtles instinctively waited until it was darker. At 9:20, we saw a mass of dark oval shapes come out of the nest and race as fast as their flippers could push them to the ocean. We had to use only our eyes which, by now, were adapted to the darkness. Lights of any kind distract the babies from the light color of the ocean surf. (We had no red light flashlights like the other night.) It is hard to describe the incredible feeling of awe to see these creatures repeat the ageless drama for the first time and only time in their short life. Nature is incredible in maintaining the life cycle. The best part of a vacation is being able to be in a different environment from where you live. Visiting the beach is totally different than living in the mountains of North Carolina. I love both places equally Walking on the beach in the morning and evenings are special treats with the added bonus of sunrises and sunsets Our family walks and looks for sharks teeth. On this particular night, I had not found anything noteworthy. On the way back, I looked down and there was the biggest shark tooth I had seen in a long time. I picked it up quickly, looked around to see if my son or husband had seen me and stowed it in my pocket. This was about 8:00. We have a tradition or game of keeping quiet about our finds so as to not make the other family members feel bad. Stay tuned for Part three! There is a continuation to this night! va·ca·tion [vey-key-shuhn, vuh-] noun 1.a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel;recess or holiday: Schoolchildren are on vacation now. How many of you have had a vacation this summer? Where did you go or was it a staycation? In the next 3 posts, I wanted to share just a few experiences from my recent vacation to a beach along the South Carolina Coast. Ashby, my son, works at a state park along the coast of SC so that is where our vacation happened. He had purchased turtle night walk tickets for his dad and me. We listened to the program on the loggerhead sea turtles and their struggle for survival. We were given red flashlights which don’t disturb or distract the baby turtles from their destination--the ocean surf. We learned that once the turtles are in the ocean they swim to the Sargasso Sea which is made up of seaweed that has plant air bubbles which supports the babies, lots of sea weed to eat as food and provides hiding places for the baby turtles. It is not your usual way to experience the beach but very pleasant once your eyes adjust to the darkness. We walked all the way to the point, hoping to see either a mother turtle nesting or babies hatching and heading out to the sea. We hadn’t seen either. Still it was exciting to be in total darkness to see the Milky Way, the stars and bioluminescence in the sand. We were almost to our starting point when the word came to walk quickly—babies were hatching. We made it in time to watch as they walked hurriedly to the surf under cover of darkness and out of view of predators. I saw the last little fella climb out of the nest, slide down the sand and head to the surf. Nothing was going to stop him. Stay tuned for Part 2. My morning started by meeting a couple for breakfast at a local breakfast/sandwich shop. The husband had commissioned me to make paper for a book project.
I kidded the husband about jumping to meet at this particular breakfast spot, because I learned it is their favorite. The wife and I had a wonderful, relaxed time talking. As the conversation moved along, I learned that the couple has been married for 60 years. When the wife was listening to his stories, there was a twinkle in her eye. When I asked if the wife, who is a potter, had a craft business, she politely said "No, it's just a hobby." However when I looked at the husband, without a word, he was nodding his head to affirm her business. The genuine love and caring between husband and wife even extends beyond their togetherness. They work for a business called Seniors Helping Seniors. Here are two people (at least in their 80's), with their own health problems, helping 90 and 95 year olds travel, clean and straighten their houses. I was blessed to meet and work with these two special folk. I expect that I will be hearing from the gentleman again. Imagine what the world would and could be like if more couples and people were this kind and generous. 'Red Hot in July' by paintingpamAre the temperatures rising in your area? Here are some reds to warm you up! Handmadeology |
Pam Granger GaleI am an artist who loves making paper. I then use my paper for lamps, journals, cards and art work. Archives
January 2016
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