Gator Water; What!?

Last night, we decided to get up early and canoe down Silver River this morning. Afterwards, the reality of what I had just agreed to began to creep into my mind.  We were about to get into an unstable boat, with my 4 year old tasty morsel of an gator bite, and paddle down gator infested water that held at least one 7 footer as of last week.  Did I mention my fear of drowning?  Guess how gators kills their prey!  One too many national Geographic shows, I know, but I was terrified!  Literally.  Determined not to miss out on this opportunity to see wildlife and deprive Kylee in the process, I prayed and prayed before I went to sleep.  I prayed for peace, I prayed for protection, I prayed that none of us would drown or become gator bait, I prayed the boat wouldn't tip, then I prayed for protection again, and where was that peace I asked for!?

Then the morning of the big day.  I was good as we jumped in the truck and headed to the trail head.  We approached the dock and the river was beautiful!  Birds were everywhere, their song filling the air as fish jumped right up out of the water.  Breathtaking!  That's when I saw the boat and panic begin to well up within me.  My stubborn determination to overcome this fear was met with a glimpse of...you guessed it...our first gator.  Right there in the water off to the right of us. 

My Nemesis

Almost as if life were taunting me, he just watched us, reminding me of all that made this trip terrifying.  My response?  I climbed my rump right into the boat. Two seconds later, as Kyle stated putting it in the water, I completely regretted that moment of boldness and was looking for a way to bolt.  Too late.  Dry land was gone.  So with a death grip on the sides of the boat that the jaws of life couldn't have pried off, we set out. 

It was at this point Kyle told me I needed to row, which was a happy distraction, though it made me let go of my secure grip on the craft.  As I put my paddle into the water, I noticed that it was crystal clear.  It was probably 2-3 feet deep and I could see everything!  Fish were swimming by, blades of sea grass were billowing in the current when a bird caught my eye.  Beautiful blue; he was hunting for breakfast.  The beauty and reality that the boat wasn't nearly as tipsy as I thought, allowed me to begin to relax.  Beautiful birds were around every bend and the air was filled with their songs.

Crystal Clear - See The Fish?

Little Blue Heron

We were pointing out Double-Crested Cormorants perched with wings spread wide when we spotted a pair of wood ducks.  Spectacular!  Such brilliant and beautiful color!  Definitely relaxing.  I was starting to feel comfortable, happy that the boat wasn't going to tip, when we spotted another gator.   Swimming over by the bank and bigger then the last one.  Surprisingly, I was okay.  No panic; no fear.  I was loving it!  I wasn't too keen on Kyle's idea to get close so he could get a good photo (that's why I want a telephoto lens), but we got as close as I was comfortable and he was happy.  Who knew that as the day wore on, I'd be comfortable getting closer and closer.

The water got surprisingly deep in places, I say 20-30 feet, Kyle says 15.  Either way, it was stunning to still be able to see the bottom and all that was in between, a school of fish, a turtle that we startled, more grass, Kyle even saw a sunken boat.  Incredible!  As I looked around in wonder and amazement, I became aware of this feeling that this is where I belonged.  I can't explain it, can't describe it, almost like a subconscious awareness, that this is what life is all about.  This is what we were created for, to explore and enjoy nature, or maybe it's just to be out in it, to be a part of it. Rustling in the trees drew my attention away from my thoughts as I looked for the big bird that had made the racket.  Only the trees were still moving.  A wild hog maybe?  Then we spotted them.  Monkeys!  A whole troop of them!  Big ones, baby ones, bright red butted ones; they left me speechless.  Of all the things I expected to see out on the river, monkeys never crossed my mind.  We sat and watched them jumping from tree to tree, grooming one another, wacking each other for climbing over one another.  It was crazy.  It was amazing.  It was the pinnacle of our trip.    

We paddled for 4 hours on that river.  Basking and delighting in every wonder and work of art that caught our eye.  Little Blue Herons, Great Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons, White Herons, I've never seen so many Herons!   The alligators and turtles with their bright orange or bright yellow underbellies were awesome.  And the jumping fish, 2 feet in front of my face coming straight at us, it was all...extraordinary.  The entire trip was extraordinary!  Thanks you Jesus for creating such beauty and splendor for us to enjoy.  I am in awe.

Wood Ducks On A Log

White Ibis

Great Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron

The Local Hangout

Great Egret

Our Motor

Mommy.  Daddy.  I'm helping "peddle".

Carpe Diem!

I enjoyed visiting my family for a month, while Kyle took care of some business in DE.  It was good to see everyone and catch up and especially fun for Kylee when Ezra (my nephew) stayed over in the house truck.  As much as I enjoyed it, it's good to be back out on the road.  Things are getting organized and we're more mindful of our clutter.  Kyle and I are trying to be conscious and eliminate it; Kylee seems oblivious to her messes, which just makes it feel more like home.


The doubts about our decision have disappeared amidst nature walks, the beauty that surrounds us, time with Kylee, reading, and cooking!  It's exciting to have time to do the things I enjoy.  And I have been taking full advantage and cooking up a storm: chicken-butternut tagine, roasted root vegetables with cumin and coriander, Mediterranean barley salad, morning glory muffins, and coconut pancakes with an orange-mango compote.  I experimented (that's not typical of my OCD personality) with chocolate cupcakes by adding some leftover mint and, according to Kyle, they were quite tasty.  I've been too chicken to try them.  ;o)

I even made my first pie!  Though I started to have a meltdown when it started running all over my baking sheet, it didn't take long to gain my composure and realize it didn't matter that the crust needed to be redone.  Kylee and I had fun making it and it tasted great (which always helps).   

The biggest reward is family time, closely followed by travel.  Visiting all of these places makes us want to get out and explore.  Even if it's just a trail walk or stroll in a new downtown.  Every place is unique in it's own way with it's own character and flair and, my favorite, it's own bounty of wildlife, which, so far, has been amazing birds.  In the 3 weeks since we left Delaware, I've seen a couple of bald eagles (always exciting and impressive), four different woodpeckers (downy, red-bellied, red-headed, and pileated), a few red tailed hawks (one of which sat there while we checked him out), my first osprey, brown pelican and wood stork.  I have loved every minute of it.  Wildlife is by far what evokes the most enthusiasm from me, but the charm and history of each place has it's own appeal with unique architecture, varied plant life, and culinary experiences.  

On the lookout for gators.

Our first gator sighting!

I thought orange trees were bigger ;o)

Along with each new place are new experiences for Kylee.  Just this week we went to an agricultural museum that had a general store from 1890, a sawmill from 1770 and a cracker house from 1880. Crackers were self sufficient settlers of Florida labeled such because of the crack of their whip as they rounded up their cattle.  We also visited the education center at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (which makes it easy to understand why locals call it the GTM NERR).  This sure will make homeschooling easier as each place sparks questions in her inquisitive little mind.  We even squeezed in a Bible lesson at the Ag museum.  The guide was telling us how the Florida Cracker Cattle are an endangered species; farmers prefer other breeds since this one is skinny.  Kylee looks up at me and says,"Skinny cows eat fat cows."  I was thrilled that she remembered Pharoah's dream and her interpretation made me smile with amusement as I explained that it was actually a warning from God.  Skinny cows do not actually eat fat cows.

Cracker House

Back view of the Cracker House

The old time well.

Skinny Cows

The Cracker horse was Kylee's favorite.

Inside the Cracker House

 

Old General Store

 

GTM Education Center

Inside the education center

Love those moments with her as I see the world from her perspective and she gets excited about learning something new.  Happy that those moments are becoming more frequent.  We've been relishing this new lifestyle.  Can't wait for the new adventures that await us!

This Is The Life

I've heard people say they want a simpler life and, in all honesty, we used to, too.  We wanted to be able to spend more time focused on family, enjoying life instead of watching it pass us by.  This lifestyle IS our simpler life.  This week, for example, we've enjoyed nights by the fire, family game night, fed the ducks, I went for a "run" with Kylee and we had dinner with new friends (Trish, Wayne and Destiny).  Trish even taught me to crochet.

Besides enjoying the little things, Kylee and I snuck off to the Oconaluftee Cherokee Village, while Daddy brought home the bacon.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself; she entertained herself with dirt and climbing on tree roots.  What an incredibly informative tour that demonstrated how they made tools, homes, and weapons essential to their life of old.  It also dispelled frequent misconceptions.  For example, chiefs did not wear full length head dresses and they are not "Indians".  That's a term we've given them because Columbus thought he was in the West Indies. My visit into their culture definitely deepened my appreciation for the Cherokee people; Kylee, on the other hand, was not happy because they didn't dance (dances were over for the season). 

So we headed to a festival in Waynesville that had live music and dancing.  It wasn't Cherokee dancing, but Kylee was just as thrilled as if it had been.  In the mountains, it was exactly what we expected, clogging and bluegrass.  My girl even loved the music; well, the fiddle anyway.  She pointed the player out and told me it was her favorite instrument.  Music to my ears since lessons are planned for after Christmas.  Being an arts and crafts festival, there were booths galore!  Shelves full of jewelry, pottery, baskets, paintings, wood-turned wares, knitting (which made me pick mine back up - oh how I've missed it), quilting, toffee, and on and on for as far as the eye could see.  I was in awe, admiring each craft, the creativity and the skill that brought it to be; Kyle humored me for as long as his patience would allow.  So, his reward was a blooming onion; a funnel cake (so healthy) for Kylee and I, and the day was complete. We headed home, plotting the next day's adventure...elk.

Being so close to Cataloochee Valley during rut, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the elk and hear that amazing bugle.  So off we went.  I very quickly regretted not having my car unpacked yet; boy oh boy, I had forgotten how narrow those mountain side dirt roads are.  I really shouldn't have looked over the edge; definitely, SHOULDN'T have.  So with a white knuckle grip on the door, I peeked through one eye as our dually tried to pass other vehicles on a road one and a half car widths wide.  After what seemed an eternity, we made it to our destination.  The elk did not disappoint.  There's nothing like the bugle of an elk.  I sat knitting and enjoying the bugles back and forth between bull elk, watching my silly goose roll around in the grass, and just enjoying the crisp, fall evening, the beauty of the foliage, and being with my family.

 

As I look back over our week, I smile; This is why I chose this life.  We're spending more time together as a family, meeting new people and enjoying those little moments that got bypassed in the busyness of our old life. It's the little things that makes life meaningful.  We're finally LIVING life and I couldn't be happier.