Unrequited Love

You know that feeling when you first fall in love, with a boy or a girl, or a baby or a beach? How mesmerized and tingly you feel when your eyes are on the object of your passion? How you just want to capture whatever it is and hold it up for the whole world to see? How those emotions are so close to tangible you could almost eat and drink them and never be hungry or thirsty again and you know you are a little crazed, but there it is? There am I.

I'm in love. Ok, it's an interspecies love and probably illegal in 37 states, maybe 49. And I know it will forever be unrequited (even though he looks at me a lot). But that's ok. Really. You'll just have to bear with my madness awhile...or not. But I can't help it, I'm hopelessly smitten and obsessed. Again. How could I not be? LOOK at him!

Mr. Majestic

Yes, Beautiful, I see you too

Oh, are those not the most adorable claws you ever saw?

What form! What balance! What...ok, I'm wonked.

Aw, baby got an itch?

Those claws...

Magic light time looks good on you!

So cute when you try to look shy

Oh, I know. One day, when I've come to think he'll always be there, he'll be gone without a squawk. But that will be then. This is now.

Old friend...yes, I still think you're awesome...but...

Egrets in the sun

Have a full-up-heart Friday! Do something flighty.

p.s. If the Rapture happens tomorrow, I'll still be here, just so you know.

Rain Glory Rain

Yesterday was as glorious as the day before and today are grey and rainy (the sun came out since I wrote that last part, so who knows?). Postcard weather, yes. Something I, and some other people I've talked to, have been noticing is that there seem to be more birds chattering in the mornings and evenings. I don't know what they are all of the time, but I like it. Birdsong for breakfast.

In the late afternoon, Greg was in the yard, getting ready to take his nightly sail. He called me outside and asked if I'd seen the osprey that is roosting on the mast of a trimarin out in the bay. Well, nope, I hadn't, but I was sure happy he had. He told me that when he goes by, the osprey usually takes off...so I ran down to the bottom of the yard to try to catch the show. For some reason, I can get a clearer photo of the MOON than I can of this beautiful bird; this is my next project, to get a really clear shot of him. But in the meantime, here you go!

 After about 20 horrible shots, this is RIGHT before he took off

 "For a big guy, he's pretty quick"

 He circled around the bay, screaming, 

before coming back to roost for the night

This is from this morning - he spent a fair amount of time 

looking at me, but it didn't make him budge

These are the glories we work so hard to keep. There are now over 2000 signatures on the petition to withdraw any permits for the Terruno project. Victor Gonzalez is gating off and stealing an entire beach. I'm sure others have plans we've yet to hear about. Scraping and raping of the land to build is ongoing. That's the bad news. The good news is that progress is being made in ensuring that the entities that are already in place, with existing laws to stop this (EPA, NOAA, etc.) are going to comply with their OWN agenda, which is saving what's left of our waters and lands, and restoring what can be restored. Silence, in this case, is only golden to those with a lot of gold in their pockets. Speak up! Thus endeth the sermon for today. Amen.

Have a telling Thursday! Do something truthful.

Oh! One Eagle! Two Herons! Three Ospreys! Oh My!

My post is late because I've had to sort through the almost 200 shots I took early this morning. And I want to put most of them in this post...but I won't. After I realized the eagle was going to stay awhile, probably, I hauled butt up the road, in my down-to-the-ground nightgown, back to the house to get Laurie. I did get dressed to head back...and all fowl were still present and accounted for. Hooray!

With the full moon playing tidal games, birds were out in force this morning. The bird we've wondered about turned out to really be a bald eagle! Then I saw the herons...and finally, the osprey started fishing. Oh glory. Enjoy!

These aren't quality photos, but I hope you get the idea of holy wow! The eagle was in a tree across the entire river...hence the lack of purity. And what's my excuse for the osprey? I was trembling with wow-ness! Actually, these two came out pretty well. I don't know why they look so different unless one, the top one, is immature? So, bird people (and you know who you are!), what's the story? If I look it all up I'll NEVER get this posted!

Heron

Another mushroom, Alice?

The road coming out from the river road bright with morning sun brought this lily

An osprey?

The other afternoon I was coming home in the dinghy when I saw a bird perched on top of a sailboat mast. It was one of those 'what IS that?' moments; it wasn't a vulture...it wasn't a gull, what...was it an osprey?? I've heard they are here but I've never seen one and being camera-less, I had to rely on my own faulty memory, but it sure looked like one to me. Except for the fact that its beak was more like an albatros'...maybe one of you bird people can set me straight on this.

I used to live on Merritt Island in Florida at one time. The little house, on about an acre, was across from the Banana River. Behind the house was an old wonderful structure I was told used to be a fish house. It was built of what looked like telephone poles, wooden walls, huge sliding doors and a concrete floor. The wood was still redolent of wood smoke, a very fine aroma. I thought at one time I'd buy the property and make that the house...shoulda woulda coulda. But behind even that was a little creek and marshy area full of old trees that was a rookery for ospreys. Every afternoon, at 5 on the dot, one of the birds would fly out of the rookery and over my house. My landlord, who became a good friend, was across the street on the river side. I had 'river rights' meaning I was welcome to come over and watch the river or go fishing. We devised a not so complicated system of raised and lowered blinds in case dolphin were coming by in the afternoon, which they did most days, just in time for cocktails.

Off to the side of his property was an old dead oak tree. The 5 o'clock osprey (also in time for cocktails) would land on this tree, observe his kingdom and catch fish much easier that ourselves (and it was pretty easy for us, the river teemed with fish back then). Snagging his evening meal he would perch back in the tree to get a better grip and then soar off back the way he came, to share his meal with the family. We would salute him and watch the sunset on the water, dolphins plying their way north or south, with the occasional jumping fish and even more rare occasion of seeing otters playing by the shore.

Where I grew up on the Florida barrier islands

All of that to say, oh oh oh I hope it really was an osprey. I hope it lives nearby and that I'll see it again. Or maybe that was the moment I get, which is fine even if it's not enough. Greedy me.