Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Covid Captivity: Week 7, Day 1

  I don’t know how people in cities and those who can’t leave their homes are keeping their sanity through the pandemic.  I really can’t complain because we have had quiet and scenic and safe places to frequent nearly every day this spring.  Even the weather has cooperated with surprisingly cool, sunny spring days. 
  

  Remember Lulu my folding bike, named after my hiking/biking friend from childhood who died way too young?  

  Lulu has been getting a workout lately.  

  Last weekend we loaded up our bikes for a ride down on the harbor.







One of the marinas in town had some very large fishing boats present, much larger than the ones we usually see docked here.  The blue double-masted one is the biggest I’ve ever seen and would fish well out from the Gulf Stream.  There were some swanky yachts, too, that we don’t normally see.  

  



  We pedaled on to the public boat landing on East Bay, just reopened by the governor after being closed for a couple weeks because of the virus.


  To the right you can see the town and the same fishing boat with the blue masts.  In the foreground are two men from North Carolina who have just paddled their small kayaks 140 miles to Georgetown on the Waccamaw River Trail.  


  I wanted so much to talk to them about their trip, but there was a group of people fishing at the beginning of the ramp the kayaks were on and no way to get by them and maintain the proper distance.  Shortly after I took this picture both kayakers were on their backs, napping in the sun!  

  “The 140-mile Waccamaw River Blue Trail extends the entire length of the river in North and South Carolina. Beginning near Lake Waccamaw,  the river meanders through the Waccamaw River Heritage Preserve and Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge before merging with the Intracoastal Waterway where it passes historic rice fields and ends at Winyah Bay near Georgetown. Its black waters, cypress swamps and tidal marshes are home to many rare species of plants and animals. The river is also steeped in history with Native American settlements, Civil War sites, rice and indigo plantations.”
  
  We would love to do this trip someday!  

  The public boat landing has some pretty landscaping in bloom right now.  I’m not sure what either of these large bushes are.  




















  Last summer anti-littering groups got together and built creatures from the sea at landings throughout the county.  They invited children to help clean the litter from the area and fill the sculptures with trash they picked up.  The East Bay landing got a shrimp because so many shrimp boats are based here.  



School-at-Home: Middle grandson Aiden and his dog Nettie 

I hope you are keeping your spirits up, enjoying some new pursuits,
 and staying in touch with friends and family. 

Don’t forget ...



😉

13 comments:

  1. It is so true, Cynthia, that those of us who have backyards, and live in rural areas, are so much more fortunate than urbanites. We have space to enjoy, areas to walk where others don't congregate. Life in a small apartment in a city, with little or no access to the cleansing power of nature must be quite horrible.

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  2. Your quote is absolutely correct but I don't think we're going to get there.

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  3. Anonymous has a lot to say above, I do wish if you have an opinion that you would have the common courtesy to put your name to it.
    Glad all is well with you Cynthia and that you were able to get out for a bike a ride. I am so grateful for where we live I can only imagine how difficult it must be for those living in large cities with no gardens. Take care.

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  4. I remember riding a bike. I was a long long time ago. It is a good thing to do now.

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  5. Good on you going out and riding around in safe places.
    Love those word at the bottom of your post.

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  6. Like you I worry about those living in cities. My 86-year-old uncle lives in a small flat in London and hasn't been outside for the last six weeks. I'm also concerned about those who have pre-existing mental problems, this can only make their illness worse. I was on the point of buying one of those folding bikes once, but then the railway company decided that it was OK to take ordinary bikes on the trains anyway. Take care and keep pedalling!

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  7. Pretty shrubs! I like you bright bike! Glad you can get outside! :)

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  8. I do remember Lulu. It's so cute! The water and boats are so pretty. We were just talking about how lucky we are to live here in the country and have lot to keep us busy. I've spent two mornings working on bunny lots, spent two afternoons mowing. Sure keeps your mind off the Covid 19. The flowers on those two shrubs are so unusual, and pretty. Aiden and hiw little dog are both cute! You take care.

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  9. That last quote is poignant. Our state of emergency in Thailand has been extended for one more month, I am that person in your opening line! So far so good, I'm taking each day as it comes and feeling like its a massive game of survivor in more ways than one. i would love,love, love to get out in the countryside though! Love the pic of your grandson :)

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  10. The days are strange with a groundhog feel to them. Daily walks are essential for our mental wellbeing so I am pleased we are allowed to go out for a daily walk, even if it is in an urban area, although keeping an appropriate distance from others is like playing a game of chess with pieces that keep moving.

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  11. What was that lovely flower? Not one of the sculptures. I have to admit I hadn't been outside to walk in a couple of days because of weather and not feeling well (migraine). Yesterday we did get out and didn't see a soul. The last time we went local there were just too many people on the paths and it was uncomfortable. I'll post photos from yesterday.
    How's your mother in FL?

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  12. How wonderful that you were able to go out into nature on your bike. I haven’t been on a bike in years and years.

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  13. Yes we are lucky to live in rural places indeed. When I step outside I don't tumble in crowds of people. There is place to walk and ride a bike without bumping into people all the time. Keep going, sometime this misery will come to an end??? I hope...

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