Paddle the Wacissa

Georgia Thumper

2009-07-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

I found this Georgia Thumper on my front porch rail. I spent a while just looking at him before I headed for my camera, I am glad he stuck around for his picture to be taken.

He was getting tired of my company by this point and had decided to move along.

Sarah

2009-07-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

Sarah is expensive, ... private school, webkins etc. She demands so much of my time, ..."can we please play mancala?" , ...."you said I could help you" , ...."mom, can you please watch me do this". Still, Sarah brings so much pleasure to my life. It does not matter that I have had a difficult day at work once I see her smile. She doesn't walk towards me in the afternoons, she runs. "Mommy, I missed you." There will come a time in the not too distant future when I will not be very important to her but for now I am her best friend and I will cherish every moment that we have to share this bond.

She dressed herself for this "princess" photo, she may need a fashion lesson in a few years.

She enjoyed our last camping trip, regardless of the rain.

Introducing A New Friend To Wacissa

2009-06-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

You meet a few people in your lifetime that are unique and you are certain you were destined to be friends. I met Diane just a few weeks ago and she is certainly one of those people. Diane has an adventurous spirit and I hope to be just like her when I grow up.

When we first started our kayak trip I told her there were two ways to go past Duck Island. The right side has 5 very reliable gators. I'm certain there are many more but there are 5 that I can always count on seeing in less than the length of a football field. I have not seen one on the left side in a few years. She said, "I'm not scared of anything, let's go right".

Most people are afraid of the grass, not Diane, she was all in it. It was not long before a gator rolled just a few feet from the front of her kayak. Believe me, when you are sitting that low in the water, eye level with the gators and one rolls and splashes water on you it is SCARY! Especially if you didn't know it was there to begin with.

That's him, just staring at us, after he resurfaced.

We made it to Big Blue, had a few beer and sandwiches before heading back, I can't wait till next Monday, we are paddling the entire length of the river, it will take all day and there is no telling what kind of adventure we will have.

2009-02-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday was 70 degrees which was such a relief. We had record cold this week, 14 degrees that broke a 20 year old record. We got out on the Wacissa to soak up the sun along with some of God's greatest creatures.

The sky was unbelievably blue. This tree is crowded with White Ibis.

A juvenile White Ibis is resting on the left and an adult on the right. They do not become solid white until adulthood.

I found this gator enjoying the sunshine just below Big Blue. After a low of 14 degrees earlier in the week, he was glad to get warm again. Notice his reflection in the water.

He was quickly getting tired of my attention.

His first attempt at getting back into the water was not a success. There was a tree behind him. He soon figured it out.

This picture gives a good view of the soft white skin under his belly.

Final disappearing act, it's easy to see how you can miss them if you are not looking closely. I look closely and I bet I see one out of 10 that see me. Wonderful creatures.

Cloudless February sky with Spanish moss swinging in the breeze. Makes me happy to be in the South!

Deep In The Woods

2009-02-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

I took these photos deep in the woods alongside the Wacissa River, south of Goose Pasture. Most of these were taken just prior to where the Wacissa and the Aucilla become one and travel their final miles to the Gulf of Mexico.
Very small mushrooms.

It is breathtakingly beautiful along the banks. It is so remote,
I bet less than 10 people a year see this area.

This is the Wacissa side of where the two rivers meet. As you stand here you can feel the energy of the people who lived, swam and survived here 100's of years ago.

Check out the water stains on these trees. This is probably a result of the flooding from Faye.

Just one of the many amazing Oak Trees deep in the forest.

Grandpa

2009-01-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

Grandpa
I now understand what people mean when they say a part of them has died. There are people in your life that love in you many different ways. Grandparents are in a category all to themselves. I have the usual appointed four loved ones, Granny Key, Grandpa Key(deceased in 97), and Granny Pitts and Grandpa Pitts. I grew up on 13 acres in Jefferson County with both sets of grandparents living on each side of me. I spent every afternoon, weekend and summer with Granny and Grandpa Pitts. Grandpa Key died in 1997 and of course I mourned his loss but the loss of Grandpa Pitts was different. Grandpa has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Everyone loves you in their own way and the biggest part of my sorrow is this, I can never count on anyone to love me this much again. One week before he died, he had lost all of his expressions which caused him to look the same each day, no smiles were present. I told him I loved him and he found the strength to say, I love you too baby. No greater gift have I ever been given. I lost him on Christmas day after a horrendous battle with cancer but I was there with my parents, my grandmother and my brother and I held his hand while he took his last breath. He was a wonderful man, I can honestly tell you I never saw him utter an unkind word or show any temper. He was a wonderful christian by example, a hard worker that made it through hard times and served his country in the Navy, he was married 63 years to my grandmother. I pray that God gives me the strength to live in a world where I do not have his presence and love to shield me from the coldness of this world.

Mix and Match

2008-10-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

Sarah, my incredible 5 y/o! She hates having her picture taken but on a rare whim posed in a tree for me. Sept 08

It has been awhile since I posted, I have not been out on a Friday in at least 6 weeks. I went through some photos that I had taken awhile back and thought that I would post a few that were interesting to me. It is a mix and match, no certain theme.

Sarah just finished a week of cheer leading camp at Aucilla Christian, she posed for this pic but refused to cheer at the game. That's OK , maybe next year.

I slowed the shutter on my camera for this pic, this is hurricane Fay blowing my favorite bamboo.

There is not much to compare with the view of a summer sky through the cypress trees of the Wacissa.

Peak-A-Boo!

Can you believe the tail on this guy?

I found this little gal while mowing my lawn, ran inside, got my camera, laid on the grass and took this photo. If anyone had seen all this I am sure they would have thought I had lost my mind. Does anyone know what kind of Caterpillar this is? Please email me if you do, she was huge, 6 inches in length at least!

Snakes give me the willies~~~~~~

I have to admit these water snakes are beautiful though.

A Change of Scenery

2008-08-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Sunset on the Gulf

I didn't realize what an unusual photo this was until I viewed it at home, pelican's on the left, gulls in the middle, a bird in flight and a fish jumping in the lower right, that's a lot of action.
This pelican almost appears to be a puppet on a string in this photo.

Believe it or not, this photo was taken in the parking lot of McDonald's in Perry, Florida.

These photos were taken last Sat. while we sat in the Gulf of Mexico. We put our boat in at Hagan's Cove in Taylor County around lunch and sat through a mist of rain for the rest of the day. There were a few people there braving the rain to scallop. We were just there to ride, no scalloping, although we did eat some at Roy's Seafood in Steinhatchee later that night. We were rewarded at the end of our ride by a beautiful rainbow and an unbelievable sunset. It's not often that we leave the river but this trip was well worth it. Good friends, Cold beer and being on the water, who could ask for more?! Sometimes everyone needs a change of scenery.

Day of the yellow crowned night herons

2008-07-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

He was comfortable enough to groom in front of me.

Green Heron

Great Blue Heron

White Ibis

Common Moorhens and babies

In flight

I got on the water Friday around 9:45AM and was delighted to have more photo ops than I normally have. It was as if the birds were posing for me, esp the herons. I was delighted with the sights. I saw Peggy today, we had a nice long chat in Big Blue. I am incredibly busy with work and family for the next two weeks so these posts will be short. Here are a few photos and even fewer words.

Family

2008-07-15T18:29:00.001-07:00

Sarah discovering the new 4wheeler

Sarah

Cody and Kristin

Sarah turns 5

These are a few photos of my family. Cody and Sarah are very busy trying to grow up. Cody has Kristin back so there is not alot of time for Mom. However, there is still one place that we can come together and still be friends, the river of course. Here are some photos of us enjoying life.

Sarah just got a new 4 wheeler and she in convinced that at 5 yrs old she does not need my help.
Note to Mark and Deb: You were right, be prepared to hide soon!

Friday Tradition

2008-06-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

Grooming

I work hard Monday through Thursday but don't expect too much on Fridays. This is the day that I put aside to enjoy the river. There is an unspoken rule that I have learned about the Wacissa, if it's planned it doesn't usually happen, my best times there have always been unplanned and unexpected.

This is where I messed up Friday. I planned on being there early after dropping my daughter off at school and I planned on taking underwater photos with the help of my snorkel this time. Well, I got there late, got into the water with my camera, no battery in the camera, go figure.

As for the unplanned, I ran into Peggy which is always nice. We had a great talk along these same lines. We have to remember to sometimes leave the cameras at home and just paddle for the sheer enjoyment that it brings. Sometimes you get so caught up in looking through the lens that you forget to really see the river and enjoy it with all 5 senses.

In addition, John was in the spring cleaning it out. He put in two days of hard work, trimming trees, removing grass, collecting trash and blowing silt off the bottom. The results were worth all his hardwork. The spring is opened up with a beautiful white bottom again. THANKS JOHN!

I still wanted to post a few photos that I have taken in the past several weeks, enjoy.

Offerings

2008-06-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Turtle Ballet

Check out the dragonfly he caught!

Today was not a good day for me to be on the Wacissa if I wanted to hide from anyone. Honestly, I got on the water around 10:00am and thought I was the only one there. Once in Big Blue, there was a steady stream of friends. First I encountered a very dear patient, Trent. We had a great conversation about the river and his recent cataract surgery. Next, Jack Rudloe, a local author and owner of the Gulf Coast Marine Specimen Lab. Jeff, another friend, was hidden in the shade, I managed to sneak up on him for a good scare. Sorry Jeff.

I titled this blog "Offerings" for the simple reason being, the Wacissa offers me something wonderful and new each time I am there. First and foremost are the friends that I enjoy week after week. However, each time I go out I meet new and interesting people, the list gets longer each day. For instance, today I met a man from Hawaii that lives on an island and tags birds for a living. Can you imagine?

The second offering is the wildlife. I truly believe the river only offers this to the ones that respect and love it. Each day there is something different. This past Tuesday it was deer. I left Blue through the back creek and saw numerous deer along with two spotted fawns. I was able to view them from 20 feet for at least 10 minutes. Yesterday it was the bream. They were extremely curious and eager to "kiss" my underwater camera. Somedays it's salamanders, who knows what tommorows theme will be. One thing is for sure, I will be an appreciative guest ready to embrace what this wonderful old river is willing to share with me today.

New Camera

2008-06-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Since this is a new blog for me I will introduce myself. I am 38, I have a 17 y/o son, a 5 y/o daughter and I am a nurse. I am happiest when I am in or on the water. There are people I know that wish they lived elsewhere or love to go on vacation to exotic places. I am not those people. I live 5 minutes from the Wacissa River in Jefferson County Florida and I have no desire to be anywhere else. I spend every Friday, Sat and Sunday on the river regardless of the weather. If it rains we are prepared, if it's cold we are prepared, if it is hot and sunny then I am in heaven. If I am not here for a period of more than 4 days, WATCH OUT! I get mean.

Yesterday was the first day I had paddled in about a month. I have had two major surgeries in the past month, one of them an emergency. I am not supposed to be out but I can't explain the healing this river offers me.

I have a new camera that I am trying to learn how to use. I met two wonderful photographers and paddlers last year, Peggy and Abby. I aspire to take photos like theirs. Here are a few I took today. Enjoy!