Yikes! Giant Spiders!

So much for blogging regularly (see my August 17 post). At any rate – I just got back from a dove-hunting trip to one of my favorite places in the world, my cousin’s farm in Bassfield, MS. Actually I spent most of my time down there bush-hogging, which is one of my favorite farming duties. I must have cut 25 acres of grass!

The hunting wasn’t bad either. I only got in one day of hunting because the season opened the day before I returned home. The hunting was poor in the morning, but we did pretty well in the afternoon hunt. The birds weren't flying in our field, but a friendly neighbor allowed us to come and shoot with them. I got 5 birds using 37 shells which is not too bad when it comes to hitting those little gray rockets.

The real excitement on the trip was my encounter with several really scary-looking spiders found in the Mississippi woods. I have been there several times but I had never seen one of these monsters before this trip. My cousin’s property is laced with wonderful lanes that run through pine thickets. We use them for driving four-wheelers and golf carts through the woods. On Friday morning I decided to take a walk using these lanes as my walking track. Sounds peaceful and scenic, doesn’t it? Well it was until I happened upon what South Mississippians call a “Banana Spider.” The spider’s real name is the golden silk orb-weaver spider (genus nephila). Apparently they are found throughout the world in temperate climates. And believe me, they are huge! I saw several that were as big as my hand (honest!). They also weave impressive webs that completely spanned the 6-8 foot lanes I was walking down. What's more, the webs were often head-high; perfect for catching an unsuspecting human. Well... actually they use their beautiful webs to capture all kinds of bugs and insects. An unsuspecting victim flies down the only path available to it, down the lane, and straight into a camouflaged death trap. Scary stuff. In fact, after I almost walked into two or three of the webs I finally turned around and headed back out of the woods the same way I came in.

According to some research I did on the web (pun intended), the spiders I encountered are not particularly poisonous but they do have a nasty South American cousin that is highly lethal. They also did not seem very aggressive. But let me be perfectly honest with you; I didn’t actually get close enough to tell if they were poisonous or aggressive. All I can say about them is they were huge and I would not want to walk into one of their webs, especially at night.

Pelican in Peril

We had an exciting afternoon at the beach. I was out in the water just floating around and I saw this guy chasing a pelican that was swimming fairly close to shore. I was thinking, “What’s with that guy? Leave the poor bird alone.” About that time I noticed several others were making their way through the water toward the bird. A lady said, “Did you see that pelican? He has a water bottle stuck in his throat!” I said, “No way,” but then noticed you could tell it did. You could even see the blue label of the water bottle through the skin on the bird’s enlarged neck.

Being a bird-lover I immediately joined the rescue effort with the guy in the lead. Unfortunately, just when it looked as though the bird was corralled it flew about 100 yards further out in the water, well beyond our reach in deeper water. Sadly we returned to the beach. The guy who was in the lead got his cell phone and began calling around to see if any wildlife people could come and save the bird. He did not have much success. About 20 minutes later I looked down the beach and noticed the bird had moved closer into shore. I walked down the beach and swam out to the bird, all the while trying to calm it by speaking to it. I got very close – I even touched its tail, before the bird flew again. Just then I looked up and here came the guy who had earlier tried to rescue the pelican to help me. Donna said that when he saw me get so close he began running down the beach to help me.

The guy and I made two more attempts to rescue the bird before it finally flew way beyond our reach in deeper water and we gave up and walked back to our chairs. I introduced myself on our walk back down the beach and found out he was from Minnesota. He was a real nice guy with a lovely family.

I went back to the house and got a snack before returning to the beach where Donna remained. I said, “Let’s walk down the beach and see if we see the pelican again.” Sure enough, we did, and it was closer than ever to shore. It also looked a lot weaker. We turned around and went back to get my Minnesota friend, but his family was packing up to go inside so he did not join me. Donna and I then walked down the beach and when we got near where the pelican was I asked a young man walking on the beach if he would help me. The young man agreed to help so we began wading out to the bird and this time the pelican let me get close enough to grab him. The young man then helped me by holding the bird’s wings while I squeezed its neck from below, forcing the bottle up toward his large mouth. All the while, of course, the pelican was trying to peck me. Finally I saw the top of the plastic water bottle so I reached in and grabbed it and pulled it out. The pelican then tried to take the bottle away from me again (I suppose he was protecting his “catch”).

We released the bird after I got the bottle out and it flew out a ways in the water, seemingly relieved. Several people in the water nearby who were, no doubt, wondering why two guys were attacking a pelican, began cheering and clapping when they saw the rescue and me holding the bottle.

We waited and watched a while and eventually saw the rescued pelican fly off looking none-the-worse for the trial it had undergone. All in all it was an exciting event as you might imagine. The photo above is of me holding the water bottle the bird had stuck in its throat.

Each Day is Special, God Made It So

God can be seen every day by the seashore. Look in any direction, and there He is.

I see Him in the clockwork precision of the tides, ebbing and flowing right on schedule every day, day after day, year after year. I see Him in the orderly rising and setting of the sun and the moon, and in the course of the stars as they make their way across the heavens each night. I see Him in the refreshing late-afternoon showers that wash away the heat of the day and clear the crowds off the beaches. I see Him in the beautiful patterned shells, strewn in a kaleidoscope of color on the pristine sugar-white sand in the golden light of early morning. I see Him in the waves as they relentlessly tumble up on land and then gently retreat back into the sea. I see Him in the wind and its daily shift from sea breeze in the daytime to land breeze at night.

I see Him in the pod of dolphins frolicking just off the pier, with a baby dolphin doing its best to stick close to its mother, mimicking her every move. I see Him in the bright flash of color as the mackerel and other fish strike my lure while I am fishing; and in even in their eyes as they peer up at me once I have caught them before I release them to fight another angler on another day.

I see Him in the flight of laughing gulls as they return to roost each night, winging their way across the island as the sun sets. I see His hand in the unique way each of the shorebirds knows exactly where, when, and how to catch its next meal; the sandpipers and sanderlings dancing with the waves as they pluck crustaceans from the wet sand, the terns as they hover motionless above the surf before dive-bombing unsuspecting fish below; the pelicans as they crash into the surf, mouth agape, filling their pouch with minnows; the black skimmer using its elongated beak to skim small fish from the water as it flies just above the surface of the water; and the stealthy great blue heron stalking its prey along the water’s edge knowing just when to strike in order to catch an unlucky shiner.

The seashore is a microcosm of the larger world and like the stars and planets and tides and wildlife, each one is imprinted with beauty and precision by the Maker’s hand. How sad it is that we often live our days unknowingly, our hours slipping by, our minds and spirits oblivious to God’s order, His provision, His purposes, and the gift of life that each day brings. When I return home, perhaps I will remember these times by the seashore and remember that each day is unique and each day is precious.

"Captain" Steve

I know many of you have been holding your breath wondering if I ever got the boat started down here. Well, good news, I did! Actually I had to call someone Don and Myralyn knows down here (Bob Kelly) and he met me at the boat and he checked out a few things. Finally he sat down and tried to crank it and the boat was doing the same thing, just turning over but not firing. As I watched Bob I noticed a little red thingie (not a precise nautical term) below the throttle. I asked Bob what it was and he said, "Oh, that's the kill switch so the boat will cut off in case the driver gets knocked out of the boat." Then he flipped a toggle switch on the little thingie the other way and the boat cranked right up. It was that simple.

At any rate, I took the boat out into the bay for a spin then called Donna on the way back in and asked if she wanted to go out and, surprisingly, she agreed. So I picked her up at the dock and we went back out and drove around the canals and the bay for about 30 minutes.

The thing about boating down here is there are specific channels in the bays, canals, and in the intercoastal waterway that you have to stay in because the water is so shallow in spots. Once I figured out where the channels were (by watching other people) everything was fine.

So, this is "Captain" Steve signing out for a while. I hope to check back in later - I am going back out in the boat before lunchtime. Until then..... Yo ho ho, it's a seaman's life for me!

Independence Day Part Deux

Okay, so I beat Donna like a drum in Ping Pong - I mean I nailed her and she usually beats me.

Then we went down the street to the annual AMI Privateers Independence Day parade. It was pretty neat. They throw more beads than candy, ala Mardi Gras. We got plenty of them as you can see from the ones around my neck in the photo.

I know you are enjoying these practically hourly reports. About to go to the beach. Life is good.

Happy Independence Day!

Woke up this morning to beautiful skies on AMI - after morning coffee and time with the Lord I headed to the City Pier to cast a few times. Caught a nice mackerel. Then I took a bike ride, tried to get the boat started (again) and headed back to the house.

About to beat Donna in ping pong.

Happy 4th everyone!

PS - the photo above is City Pier at sunrise - beautiful boat anchored just off the pier.