A Place of Prayer
Sometimes I step into a place, my soul quiets and prayers seem to lift up with just a simple breath. These are places of reverence, of peacefulness offering veneration to our Creator with their existence. For me these special yet simple environs often are where I am especially awed by God’s hand in Creation…the beauty of nature. It could be an unexpected field of sunflowers framed by green trees and the bluest of skies or it might be a lovely old church in a quiet marshland setting. Last week as I was driving back to NC from FL, stopping along the way to experience some of the roads less traveled, I ventured off I-95 to Bluffton, SC. Bluffton is a quiet Lowcountry town near Hilton Head, SC. It is rich with history and one of the town’s churches, the Episcopal Church of the Cross, is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The church was consecrated in 1857 and sits on a bluff of the May River. Bluffton was a Confederate headquarters in the Civil War and when Federal troops invaded the town, most of the structures were burned down. Two churches were spared with Church of the Cross being one. The Federal troops took the church bell but it was found later and rings today during services. Church of the Cross is a Gothic cypress building with lovely arched windows with pink glass from England. Sitting right on the bluff of the river with the rich green marshland’s wildlife and sub-tropical vegetation as its neighbors, one quickly feels the ambiance squelching any stress or hurried lifestyle. Hence, I...
Read MoreGraceful Comorant
On my recent trip to Hilton Head Island, SC I had many opportunities to photograph a somewhat common shore bird, the Comorant. The Comorant is a large, dark shore bird usually seen along the Atlantic coastline and inland waterways, rivers and lakes, etc. These birds have webbed feet and long, usually pointed, bills referred to as a hook. They swim fast underwater catching fish. Comorants are unlike many other waterbirds and don’t have oily feathers. They are often see with wings outstretched drying their feathers. The have long bodies and long necks. I think the precisely designed blondish neck against the black body is lovely and they are quite graceful drying out their feathers after a dip in the lake for dinner. Quite entertaining to...
Read MoreWhat's Your Passion?
National Audubon Society
Help support the efforts of our National Audubon Society in conservation of natural bird habitats. Visit: www.birds.audubon.org