An Over Due Day...

Here on the Georgia coast, temperatures have been high. The mid to upper 90's is the norm this week, and as always the humidity doesn't make the heat any easier to bear. On top of dealing with the scorching temperatures, I have been having some serious pain and stiffness issues with my right hand. My RA seems to have backed off for awhile now, but I recently was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It is always something. It is the Carpal Tunnel that has kept me away from my blog over the last little bit. I have had to take a small break from two of my favorite things...writing on my blog, and taking photos of the world of the outside. Thankfully, my hand is seeing a bit of an improvement, and I am now able to do both. Here's hoping that this respite will turn into a more extended break.

Daily we get predictions of possible scattered thunderstorms, which is common for this time of year. Our rainfall is quite low this go round, which is not the norm. The marsh grasses are currently a beautiful shade of green. I am assuming that living on the coast is showing a plus side...we may not have received the usual rainfall, but the waters of the Bull River are keeping things moist for the native plant life. The pictures in this entry were taken yesterday on a long missed trip to the outside. The first couple of shots have been seen on my blog from many different angles, exhibiting many different colors through the seasons. These are of the current summer time scene.

As I walked past one of my main stroll landmarks, the old dock remains, I took a moment to search for the tiny Fiddler Crabs that inhabit the mud flat just next to the bank. What I saw was rather interesting. There were quite a few of the crabs facing the rays of the sun. They were all flexing their claws out then in. It looked like some bizarre sun worship ritual. Below is a less than professional short video I took of some of them.

Glenn (my boyfriend) would later tell me that those were male Fiddler Crabs. Apparently, flexing their claws is a way of attracting mates. I guess they are showing off the size of their crab guns. It looks like that is the crab world's version of size does matter.

It felt really good to be out of doors and relatively pain free. Taking pictures was a doable act again, so I took advantage of the time. The above photographs of the marsh by my home were taken in the evening. Earlier, I had ventured over to the park I enjoy visiting...some of those photos are below.

It's a tree filled park with a canopy of branches. Hardly anyone is ever there...which is why I enjoy visiting it. It is located on the far edge of the island.

The pine needle, leaf, and twig covered floor has a weird spongy feel to it. I chalk it up to layer upon layer of tree fallout, coupled with ground moisture. As you can see from the above photo, the sun is able to punch through, but for the most part moisture hangs thickly in the air away from the drying sun rays. That's probably why mosquito's seem to like hanging out there, too. The closer I got to the jungle like foliage that skirts the edge of the park, the more the annoying little buggers buzzed around me. It was in the mid-90's, and it was very hot, but the tree branches above kept the intense rays of the sun at bay. Hot, but bearable enough to stroll around and snap some pics.

It was meditative in it's way, just like all of my other visits to the park. It is quiet except for the sounds of nature. The rustlings created by the breezes blowing through, plus a variety of unseen birds and cicadas.

I snapped the picture below of the tree stump because with the way the shadows were falling, it looked like the long missing tree was casting a phantom shadow.

It was so good to be able to engage in some of my usual activities. It was definitely good for my head. Very therapeutic.

I capped off my day by preparing some fresh berries. It was a good day.

Now to do some catching up on my blog posts...