from the porches: prowling around

This afternoon after school Truett and I went out prowling around for any sights of any damage from Tropical Storm Fay. After all the sun was partly out and it definitely was not raining.

First, we headed to the Santa Fe River at the 47 bridge.

One thing we saw were aquatic plants racing down the river.

These are the same plants that I referred to last week as choking the river. Well, it seems all the rain has the river flowing and the plants have broken loose and are on the move.

They do have a pretty blossom though.

Next, I was enthralled with a huge tree stump in the swampy mosquito-infected land beside the Santa Fe.

Woah! For a minute there I thought I was in the Sequoia National Forest or the Redwood Forest in California. Truett wanted to go stand beside it, but I warned him of the hidden dangers. Snakes and mosquitoes! Mosquitoes and snakes!

After that we just drove down dirt roads in my somewhat clean car I may add. After all it wasn't raining for once.

Well, lo and behold. We came across a lonely deer stand in what used to be a southern yellow pine forest. The pine trees the last time we saw them were approximately 25 inches in diameter and were harvested for timber or telephone poles. Now think about that the next time you look at a homely non-essential telephone pole. It could have come from this very forest.

You know. When the children write about deer hunting and spending time in the deer stand I only have to imagine what a deer stand looks like. Heck. I thought deer stands looked like my playhouse. They talk about resting their guns on the window ledge and eating snacks and spending time with their dads. I certainly didn't expect this shack.

Or this one.

Oh, my. Yet another one. Then I began thinking about the poor deer that used to roam these piny woods and felt sorry for them. There's just too many deer stands out there in them thar woods!