The Tannin Color of Swamp Water

 

 

On April 13, 2013, Jeff and I visited the Francis Biedler Forest, located somewhere towards Ridgeville, SC.When travelling between Charleston and Columbia, I always see a sign for it, and would read about programs that were offered which piqued my interest, so I kinda put it on my bucket list. It's situated in Four Hole Swamp (45,000 acres) and, covering 1,700 acres, it is owned by the National Audobon Society which owns a total of nearly 17,000 acres. A 1.75 mile boardwalk meanders through stands of new-growth trees, courtesy of the destructive force of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, heading back towards the lake then round again so one loops through some of the older, more established trees. It is a swamp- a beautiful, gorgeous blackwater swamp of cypress and tupelo gum trees, (tannin from those trees give the water its dark color), with more cypress knees than I saw at Cypress Gardens. And,many of those older, more established trees are up to 1,000 yrs old - in fact, 4 Hole Swamp has the largest remaining stand of virgin Cypress/Tupelo Gum swamp forest left anywhere in the world!

How to choose which photos? It was difficult- love the refections of the trees in the water- it's practically a mirror! the twisted, hollowed out stumps, looking like homes for gnomes or elves. The bright yellow prothonotary, the swamp's mascot, utilizes the cypress knees for its nest. Luck and timing determines which of the animals in their natural setting will just happen to delight you with their presence. I was extremely fortunate to come across a barred owl as he was chomping away on a crayfish, then turned around for a perfect photo op before deciding to wing his way to a tree behind me, passing only about 3 feet away from my head. Spotted some ibis between the trees, saw a cottonmouth and brown-banded water snake sunning themselves, and came across a juvenile yellow-crested night heron. Only saw one regular turtle! But, did see one big ole snapping turtle scuttling across the bottom of the swamp before coming to rest. I definitely plan to return....

Its fleece as white as snow.....

 

 

Saturday, April 6,2013 was a spectacular spring day. Ideal for a trip out to the country. Rebecca, a friend from work, lives with her folks out Ridgeville way and she invited me along with our other friend, Pam, and her two girls to come out to see the lambs. Oh...lambs! Cute, adorable, spindly-legged, bleating lambs. What a place! There are lambs and sheep and 3 horses and 4 heeler hounds and chickens that lay eggs and anoles and 2 donkeys and lots of gold finches and even saw a downy woodpecker. Lots of azaleas and old-as-Methusala oak trees as well. It was calming and peaceful- idyllic. The only drawback, and a big one, is that it is located so very far away from civilization. But, it's a wonderful spot to visit.

The bride, pretty in white



Mar 3,2013 = a glorious spring evening, perfect for a wedding overlooking a lake, friends and family gathered, a duo singing quietly in the background. Except that, with the wind chill factor, it was literally freezing by 5pm. OMG!!!!! was it colder than cold. So, we all shivered ,and those clever of us who had read the weather reports who knew it would be chilly (not freakin' freezing! and, luckily,me for one!), pulled our coats about us as we watched what was, indeed, a beautiful ceremony. Rocky (Rochelle) Smith (who so happens, married a Smith) is one of my dearest friends, Shirley's, oldest daughter. Brent is a wonderful guy and the two of them are truly happy and well suited for each other. A couple of Jewish traditions were incorporated into the affair. At the end of the ceremony, the groom stepped on a glass:

"There are many ideas of why a couple breaks the glass during a celebration of marriage, but there are three thought to be most authentic.

• Temple: Breaking of the Jewish wedding glass is a reminder of the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem.
• Be Fruitful: A hope that your happiness will be as plentiful as the shards of glass…or that your children will be as plentiful as the shards of glass.
• Marriage is Forever: A broken Jewish wedding glass is forever changed, likewise, the couple are forever changed by the marriage and take on a new form."

And, during the reception, the men and women each formed their own circles, men about the groom, the women around the bride, all holding hands, singing and taking turns to go inside the circle to dance with either Rocky or Brent. Then, a song I even knew- Hava Nagila!!!!. It was quite the exhilerating, laughing, joyful time!!!!! Such fun! Which continued with a fantastic DJ playing hits from the 50's all the way to hip-hop. A fabulous, fabulous buffet- open bar. A super big hit were the glow sticks, which people would connect to make one large loop, allowing for several to dance together. And, the conga line- don't forget the conga line. Wonderful tug-at-your-heart speeches from Shirley and Steve (Rocky's dad). The evening was capped off with all the guests lighting the way to the couple's car with sparklers.

Didn't have the usual one-on-one time with Shirley, but I was included in the entire day's events and even helped video the ladies getting glammed up and helped in the decorating. It means a lot to me to be part of the inner circle, as it were. Participating as family, not merely a guest- that means the world.Love Shirley to pieces- shame that England is such a long way away and we don't have the opportunity to see each other more often. But, then, it makes each visit all the sweeter.