Edisto Beach State Park, Edisto Island, South Carolina
Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will bless you for it.
We had planned on returning to Botany Bay today at low tide so we could walk the entire beach. And then Blaine checked their website for some unknown reason, and discovered that they’re closed on Tuesdays! God is good!
So the question became, now what?
After some discussion, we decided to try out the kayak again, but inland this time. After our dolphin sighting yesterday, we were once again fantasizing about being out in the water with them – close enough to touch, grabbing a fin and having one pull us through the water – the possibilities are endless!
We returned to the boat dock at the Environmental Research Center and put in. It’s a little cool today, but not bad. And bright sunshine. We were able to wear shorts and long sleeves. Mostly, it was shorts because it’s really hard (impossible actually) to get in and out of a kayak without getting your long pants wet. 😊
We have arrived!
Note the tide line on the boat ramp. That’s a pretty big difference.
But was a splendid day filled with blessings!
We left near low tide, and you can see in the pictures what a difference the tides make in the water level! What they don’t show you is the speed of the water receding from the marsh into the ocean.
We first tried to paddle into the marsh area, but we weren’t getting very far very fast, so we turned around and joined up with the main ‘river’. Besides, there were no dolphins today. ☹
Our first wildlife sighting!
Shows the depth of the tides.
This is where all the homes and boats were.
When we turned around, we saw the name of this boat/yaght/whatever the proper name is . . . .
Favorite Son.
Hmmm . . . wonder what he did to earn that title??
Pure glass!
So, we spotted this sailboat, an suddenly, we heard the sound of a blow hole! You know, the pfffffttt, noise whales and dolphins make when they come up for air?
We were so excited!
. . . . Until we discovered it was just a guy cleaning his hull . . . .
: (
Barnacles tell the tale of the tide.
And water fowl. And they provided a small adrenaline rush, which is what we live for. The small “Oh! Isn’t this exciting!” rushes – not the big “Oh. We’re going to die!” rushes.
Egrets! Up close!
We figured this might be the only dolphin sighting we get today. : )
Looks like a showdown . . .
Those are cormorants. The birds that dive underwater and stand with their wings outstretched to dry.
Pelican’s Roost
Whadaya think, James?
Do we stay, or do we go?
I dunno. Marvin, whadaya think?
GO!
We think this guy was getting up there in years.
He’s lost his color, and no pelican let’s you get this close.
And when he decided to leave us – he just waddled off.
Slowly.
We left him alone.
Look at those feet, though!
Kinda comical to watch him walk. : )
This one never left his perch.
Boat storage!
Look how they have to hoist them up here!
At the end of the row of houses, there was a large beach area, uncovered by the current lack of water. We parked and got out, and began surveying the area for lunch.
Lunchtime!
It was then we spotted them! Up close! Dolphins! They hung around and cavorted right in front of us for a few minutes before moving on. Well, cavorted might not be the best choice of words. More like strolling, but without legs and feet . . . Not exactly like our fantasy, but close enough! 😊
Dolphins!!
As we were coming ashore, a boat sped past causing waves that spilled over the back of our boat.
The result? Blaine got wet.
Besides the dolphin sighting, fighter jets flew over us, too!
Once we’d finished lunch, it was time to head back. The tide was coming in. And we were blessed with two more up-close, elusive sightings! We waited until there were no boats speeding by. : )
The very elusive Kingfisher!
Oh, we’ve seen a lot of them in the past, but they always take off before you can even think of taking a picture. Usually, we barely even see them perched, as they take off very quickly.
We think they left these old traps for the oysters to bed on.
Great Blue Heron
And just as we were about to make our turn, yet another blessing! Dolphins! Wow! It was wonderful!
More dolphins!
And this time, we’re in the water with them!
No ride though . . . . : )
I confess, I have no idea how this video got on here like that! The only thing I did differently, was cut a 35 second video down to 13. Maybe I should trim them all in the future? Pretty cool accident, though!
Another heron!
These birds have massive wingspans!
Four and twenty blackbirds . . .
That’s us!
These pictures were taken from the Jeep on the way home.
After we got the boat put away, we picked up our chairs and headed for the beach, just to sit on the shore and watch the waves for a bit. Waiting for us was another display of shell art!
Art on the beach!
As you well know, we don’t sit well. Neither of us. But somehow we managed. What is it about bodies of water that so relaxes and mesmerizes us? Oceans, lakes, rivers . . . they all have that effect. At least on us.
Blaine’s got his scope and he’s looking for . . .
Dolphins, pelicans, pirate ships, whatever he can find . . . : )
And he found it!
Tide’s getting a little close!
Time to go!
But dinner – over an open fire, watching the sun set over the marsh – is calling . . . .
That’s a pork roast, we bought already marinated.
It was good, but very salty.
I’m not even going to mention the sodium content of this thing!
I’ll marinate my own in the future.
As the sun sets over the horizon . . .
I know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t eat all that!
Palm fronds aren’t really a good thing for a campfire.
They make a lot of smoke!
This is what you get when you use your phone to take a picture of the clear, star-filled sky!
We could even see the Milky Way!
This is what you get when you use your flash to take a picture of the clear star-filled sky. Ha!