Winter in McIntosh

This post is just a compilation of some of my favorite photos from my time in McIntosh this year, and a few of the things I did between sunrises and sunsets.

"Morning has broken, like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird

Praise for the singing; praise for the morning. 

Praise for them springing fresh from the world.

Mine is the sunlight,

Mine is the morning...

God's recreation of the new day." (Song lyrics by Cat Stevens)

I spent a fun day with McIntosh friends, going to the play "Menopause" at the Ocala Civic Theatre.

Wonderful woodland walks...

Kayaking through Cross Creek,

Where time has stood still since before Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings wrote about it.

Time moves slow like the current.

A visit from my grandson, Ben, who is growing up way too fast.

Friends Tina and Claudia spent time with me here.

"Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden..." 

Blooming azaleas herald an early Spring.

Manatees shared the wonders of the Silver River with us.

Tina and I visited a large cat sanctuary. These beautiful rescued cats will spend the rest of their lives being cared for and pampered here.

"Praise with elation, praise every morning."

Tina and I and our dogs hiked the trails at Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka.

Full moon rising over Orange lake. 

A male cardinal at my campsite in Jacksonville. 

I was there to watch my daughter, Jennifer, run her first marathon with her friend, Celeste. Jennifer is on the right in this picture. 

A horseback ride was on the agenda here at Canyons Zipline Course. 

The canyons are the site of an old phosphate mine.

Tina and I finished out our time together with a paddle down the Rainbow River. 

Just one more week and I will be on the move again, but it has been a lovely relaxing winter.

Return to the Oneness

There was a magical time almost 20 years ago when my friend Linda invited me on sailing trip with her brother Robert and his wife, Peggydawn on their sailboat called the Oneness. It was a 10-day sail from Punta Gorda, Florida to Key West and the Dry Tortugas. Here is the Oneness at anchor in the lagoon of a ring of mangrove islands about halfway between Key West and the Dry Tortugas.

And this is Robert and Peggydawn aboard the Oneness back then. 

I was moved to write some poetry on that trip, so indulge me...

Anchored snugly in the fishbowl at Marquesas Key,

We watch the sun slip silently behind the glassy sea.

Its last rays reaching and giving up the light,

For the moon high above to reign over the night.

Far from the bustle of Mallory square,

Whose celebrated sunset just doesn't compare 

To the peaceful solitude of Marquesas Lagoon

Under a sky lit only by a pale half moon.

Anyway you get the idea that it was a special trip. This photo was taken at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas where we explored the Civil War era fort and snorkeled along teeming reefs in the crystal clear waters. It was my first experience snorkeling.

It's incredible to be witness and right in the middle

of a reef teeming with life; beside which we seem little.

A great barracuda slips silently from the dark,

Yet you've seen nothing 'til you've been ignored by a shark.

And so now it's been a long, long time. And I was blessed to be invited for another sail aboard the Oneness with Linda, Robert and Peggydawn. Here she lies waiting in the canal behind Robert and Peggydawn's house in Punta Gorda.

And it is going to be a beautiful day on the water.

Robert takes the helm as we motor out of the canal.

We awaken the pelicans roosting in the mangroves.

As we enter Charlotte Harbor we see we are not alone. A sailing regatta is underway over there.

Linda takes the helm...

As Robert prepares the sail. The Oneness is a 36-foot Nonsuch, with a large single sail and a wishbone boom.

This reminds me of another poem I wrote on that first trip when I was a sailing novice:

Ropes

Lots of ropes

Different colors, different sizes.

But never too many

Ropes

Only they are not called ropes

They're called lines

And each line is tied off with its own special

Knot

Lots of knots

And each knot has a name

Like cleat hitch and bowline

And some others

A novice isn't expected 

To remember

And then the sail was up, and we were sailing!

That's the moment all the cares of the world melt away. It didn't take long because I don't have as many worldly cares as I once had, lol.

There was the sparkle of the sun on the water...

Peggy relaxing...

There were many others taking advantage of a day on the water.

Everyone finds their own kind of fun. Some like power and speed...

And some prefer serenity...

Peace and quiet can be found here too.

Power and Speed...

Or serenity...which do you prefer?

There were sailboats of all types. This is a two masted ketch.

Speed and power...

Ah...

No power, no speed, too bad. Call Sea Tow.

Sometimes we had our hoo-wah moments of speed and the boat heeling over.

But mostly we looked like this.

And then it was time to lower the sail and return to the canal before sunset.

Others are waiting to enjoy sunset from the jetty.

Coming home...

Peggydawn is ready with the boat hook.

Days on the water do seem timeless...

Unfortunately, time does march on and ends do come. This may be my last sail on the Oneness, as she is for sale. It is time. It is a beautiful boat and well-maintained, so when she sells, I am sure she will continue to provide peaceful enjoyment to some lucky folks for years to come.

While strains of a love song waft over the breeze,

We're wishing these moments of time we could freeze.

To retrieve sometime later when the world closes in,

And bring us back to the Oneness, full sail in the wind.

I wish I could tell them how much it all means

To be part of this voyage, the dream of all dreams.

But perhaps they know for I've heard them say,

How much happiness they've brought in this very way.

God bless Robert and Peggydawn and Linda too,

For all the wonderful things they do.

For when you give to others, you are truly blessed,

And when you love one another, you have passed His test.