Murrells Inlet

Waterworld

A couple of lifetimes ago, almost 16 years to the day, the sun begins to rise above the Atlantic in South Carolina. If memory serves this was the last time I saw the sun rise over the ocean, a short while later I realized how easily alligators were seen in the freshwater marsh so while I returned to the park a few other times before sunrise, naturally I never made it past the marsh. I visited the ocean in the Pacific Northwest during our many years there but something would have gone very wrong for me to see the sun rise above it.

We may be landlocked here in Arizona but we did get some water the past week, starting with a thunderstorm one night after work. I sat on the back porch listening to the rain pounding down in the dark, breathing in the unique smell of the desert in the rain. Another day a short shower barely wet the ground but yesterday the skies darkened during an afternoon swim so I got out in plenty of time before a thunderstorm blew through, thankfully courtesy of the weekend this one I was home during the day to watch. Trixie was not amused but I stayed out until it grew dark, the odds are against me being able to see the rain so I try to soak it in when I can.

The Best or the Worst?

Sixteen years later and these pictures still make me smile, wondering if this is the world’s best toupee or the worst? The teeth were real enough, of which the crabs in the freshwater marsh were well aware (or were about to be).

Logs in the Marsh

I found a log floating in a marsh in South Carolina with the most wondrous patterns and textures. I don’t know what kind of tree it came from but I’d guess its bite is worse than its bark.

Change of Plans

On a summer morning what could be more refreshing than a quick swim in the … you know on second thought I think I’ll take a walk instead.

Three’s a Crowd

As the early light falls on the freshwater marsh at Huntington Beach State Park, predators of various shapes and sizes are already on the hunt for breakfast. Taken in the summer of 2005.

All-Crab Breakfast

On a sunrise walk on the boardwalk through the saltwater marsh at Huntington Beach State Park, I met this yellow-crowned night heron hunting fiddler crabs in the mud while the tide was out. The hungry bird snared one after the other, tossing them down its throat, so it’s a good thing the little crabs seemed endless in number. Taken in the summer of 2007.

When You’re Happy in Your Own Skin

It probably won’t surprise you to know this one isn’t from a local hike in the desert, saw this lovely creature in the freshwater lagoon at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina in 2007.

Food Goes Here

An American alligator yawns with its mouth wide open, I presume to left off heat, on a sunny day at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina in July 2007.

For the Carolinas

I met one of my favorite birds, a green heron, right before the sun came up at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina in the summer of 2007. I loved that little park, any place that gets me up long before the sun has to be pretty special. To all those in the Carolinas and elsewhere in Florence’s path, I hope you will be safe and sound. Look after each other.

A Swim at Sunrise

An alligator swims as the sun rises above Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina. I haven’t had the chance to test out the pool at our rental house since I started work right away but perhaps this weekend I’ll give it a go (but not at sunrise).