Levy Native Plant Preserve

In reality, it's February 17th, 2014, and I'm finally opening up Blogger again, though it feels like making myself go to the dentist. I haven't written much in the last four months -- and I think I'm suffering for it. The writer in me has crusted up.

In blog picture land, it's November 1st, 2013, our last full day on Eleuthera. It makes me sad to remember it. The last day of vacation is the worst. I just took 10 minutes to track down this little piece I wrote back in July when it was almost time to leave the cabin:

On the last day of vacation you try not to count the hours – 24 hours left…18 hours left...10 hours left…one more swim…one more dinner… one more time to fall asleep reading in the sunroom, the night breeze covering your skin. But part of you counts, and part of you is sad. No, no, you say to yourself. Don’t think about it. Just enjoy it. The last ice cream sundae, the last evening walk.

I feel different on long vacations. I turn into someone else, someone who thinks about search engines and conversion rates and cringes a bit in distaste, though a week before I remember thinking how fun it was to do what I do for a living. Out here in the mountains I can see how different my life could be – slower, more thoughtful, more pleasant. Less stressful, less anxiety-ridden. Quieter. I could let the light wake me each morning, eat my breakfast on the deck with the dog at my feet. I could walk along...

And then I stopped. Story of my writing life. 

Here's our trip to the Levy Native Plant Preserve. It was hot, so hot -- a hot I cannot even fathom today after months and months of icy weather and snow. 

The trees made the water orange. I remember these trees having something unique and interesting about them. I think they've adapted to salt water. I can't remember, guys. It was a long time ago. 

Whenever we travel I like to go somewhere where I can feel like I'm in the native habitat. I want to immerse myself in whatever place we're in, be silent in the middle of a landscape I could not see at home. 

Also I was hoping we'd see some animals I'd never seen before. No dice -- though we did see some lizards.