Splish Splash!

5 mins. to find sprinkler
10 minutes to set up sprinkler
5 minutes to dislodge balls from inside sprinkler that have been there for over a year
5 minutes for grandkids to slowly get wet
15 minutes of wet fun
10 seconds to say they've had enough are ready to take a bath!

The grandkids were up for the weekend and we had a blast. It was so hot Saturday that we pulled out the toy sprinkler and let the kids play. We figured this would give them at least an hour of so of fun and they could run off some energy, but it was over within 20 minutes after we got it set up. They were ready to go inside and take a bath! (Of course, my bathtub is as a big as pool--or so it seems to them).

The Artist

River life is something to ponder. As you can see, artist Randy Smith stares intently at the scene before him to determine what final brush stroke to add to his canvas. It was the start of the 25th Anniversary of the James River Batteau Festival and more than 20 batteax were afloat and ready to go downstream. The usual river characters were there with their period costumes and canons! The skies were blue, the temperature hot, and the humidity close to uncomfortable. The atmosphere was pumped with feelings of excitement and apprehension as crews formulated plans on managing the river. On batteau day every year, the dam at Buena Vista releases extra water so the batteax can safely float out of Lynchburg when the river is low. This year was no exception, and from later accounts the river was pretty low and several boats pulled out after crews were exhausted from dislodging their boat from the rocks.

As a former member of the Travelogue Batteau, my memories bring me pleasure. I remember that no matter the time of day, it as was always "3 o'clock river time"... and how much futher to go..."2 more miles, just around the bend." We went through hours of bends! I remember the slow moments on the river when we floated with the current and the fast moments when we went over small falls and tricky sloops. My first time on the front sweep had me in the water within 5 minutes and once on the back sweep I managed to make the batteau horizontal in fast moving water--a real danger as batteau have been know to take on water and snap in two if that happens! I remember the campfire atmosphere in the evenings as we gathered to share our wild stories of the day with a cold beer or a glass of wine (I stuck to soft drinks--really I did). Most of all I remember my river family. Our hearts were bound together by the river and it's events. Great memories.... just great!

Bleeding Seas

Epilogue:
I first posted this on June 17. Now that the bleeding is over, thank goodness, what happens next? I've already heard stories on the news that the oil is being broken up basically by Mother Nature. The ocean currents are stirring it up and supposedly BP put some kind of detergent in the oil stream to break it down faster. It seems to me that once a disaster is "officially" over, we Americans forget about it very quickly. I hope that doesn't happen here.

The livelyhoods of many fishermen and the tourism industry in the Gulf states may suffer from this bleed for a long time to come. BP is still drilling for oil, and though this accident has put a dent in their profits, I do hope the American government will hold their feet to the fire and make them pay enormous fines (and then use the fines to help supplement the industries they nearly shut down).

Finally, I hope this is a wake up call to all the oil industry tycoons who think it's all about making money. First and foremost, they must consider the safety of their employees and the environment. If they can not guarantee backup plans that will work in case of major accidents, then it's simple: don't drill! We don't need the oil if it is at the expense of the natural environment. If there is no liveable environment, then there is no need to drive anywhere!

BP, please, please, please, do the right thing. Don't wait for the government to force you to do the right thing. Set an example for the oil industry and the world that you care about what has happened--to the men who lost their lives and the families who will never be the same, to the fishermen who help feed this nation, to the tourism industry that encourages the world to visit our beautiful Gulf shores, to the wildlife that has been killed, to the water creatures who have had to leave their natural habitat, and so on.

FIRST POST, JUNE 17, 2010
"Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war..." (Loren Eiseley)

How sad it is to know that many Gulf coast beaches are now being raped by man's desire to get rich. See this NYTimes link: www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/us/29spill.html
(NOTE: Today on the National News it was reported that the oil is gushing at 50-60 THOUSAND barrels a day!)

As a young girl I was raised on the Gulf coast beaches and many a day we ran along the clean beaches playing and jumping in the salty water. The worst thing we had to watch out for was an occasional jelly fish. Today, boys and girls can't run along the beaches because crude oil has turned the once pristine sand into a red sludge and the waters are too toxic to swim in.

It is now time to separate the real men of character and integrity from the men of power and greed. And to help move things along, I'll be praying this happens quickly.

"...a third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed." Revelation 8:8-9

New World

Sometimes you have to look closely to see new worlds. This iris takes on a whole new look magnified. What can you see today from the ground up?

The Look!

This is an ospri. The photo was taken on Daufuskie Island, SC while my husband and I were visiting our daughter's inlaws for Memorial Day. At first, Larry and Bob thought they had spotted an American bald eagle, but after I zoomed in with my 300mm we were able to identify this magnificent bird.