Journal Entry 2, Day 3, January 8th

In the middle of making breakfast, we ran out of gas in the trailer, and I decided it was a good morning for a mimosa. I rarely drink; it usually isn’t worth the calories, but suddenly having to pause with the egg yolks already in the bowl gave reason to have some assistance with relaxing. Michael poured me a glass as I pulled out the electric skillet to finish the eggs.

“Damn it.”

“What?”

“I didn’t bring the cord for the electric skillet.”

Bless his heart, Mike felt a little deflated that he had not checked if we had enough gas stored before leaving. For as much as we had planned for this trip, we were beginning to find the things we knew would eventually appear, the imperfections in our planning.

I was able to make do with what electric cookware we did have parts for and enjoyed a beautiful meal of eggs with sautéed vegetables and fried hot dogs. I downed the strawberry mimosa like Kool-Aid. It went straight to my head as if I was given laughing gas at the dentist. Turns out, it was worth the calories!

With all the gas used up, the cold morning was even colder without the furnace burning. We had the heat pump, but it was still in the low 30s outside. I laughed and flirted my way through cleaning up the dishes and was still wearing socks on my popsicle cold feet when I took him back to bed for dessert. We made the trailer warmer the old fashion way, then headed out for a day at the springs. The buzz from the half bottle of champagne and dessert lasted long enough for Michael to get me to the Ichetucknee Springs State Park. I sobered the moment my eyes touched the water. I’ve been to Aruba, and I’ve seen springs on the internet, but nothing prepared me for that beauty, and I instantly started to cry. Tropical ocean clear water in the middle of the woods. It was absolutely euphoric.

While Mike was at the launch point blowing up the kayaks, I found the perfect spot to put the first 2 memory rocks, one for Sheila, and one for Daddy. I walked across the bridge that led to the Blue Springs trail. Halfway across, I turned to my right, and could see the springs in the distance. I launched the two rocks over the side of the railing, which didn’t fall far because I throw like a toddler at t-ball practice. Just the same, it was beautiful. One of the rocks had, “Wake your dreams” written on it. My dreams truly are awake. I’ve living my dream. I’m living it for Sheila and Daddy’s as well.

Thank you, Sheila. Thank you, Daddy. Thank you for making this possible. I love you both.

Once in the kayaks, it wasn’t necessary to paddle as the river current took us through the trees without effort. There was no noise…not a sound. Within the Georgia pines back home, there is always at least a little noise. The sound of a squirrel scurrying, or the wind in the trees. On the river, this day, this moment, there was no noise… just peace. On occasion, a bird would send a song to its mate, but then silence again. The river felt alive. With nothing around but peace, nature points out the things we miss. The earth is alive around us. With every turn the river takes, I’m in awe of the picture that it paints before me.

Manatees only come this far up river when it’s so cold outside. Lucky for me we’re here in January, and the first manatee I saw in person was just a baby. If not for the tail, I would have thought he was a boulder under our boats. For something so massive, he sure was cute. We saw a few more manatees further down the river. I always thought they moved like sloths, but they can swim pretty fast with that flat, fat tail. I wasn’t ready for the ride to be over when it was time to get out of the water, but Mike reminded me this was only the beginning of our journey.

On a plaque near the spring: “The Ichetucknee and its run, the most beautiful landscape in the world” Archie Carr, A Naturalist in Florida. “The Ichetucknee’s waters bubble up out of the ground and flow like melted diamonds across a sandy bottom through a natural forest.” Al Burt, The Tropic of Cracker. On the information board near the river: A Chief is Seized. It’s August 17, 1539… When Hernando de Soto’s scouts sight the abandoned Indian village of Caliquen, Cavalry Captain Ballasar de Gallegos is ordered to move ahead— “My men and I were sent to check for food and supplies. When we neared the village, we spotted a large number of Indians attempting to flee into the woods. We were able to capture 17. One was the daughter of Chief Aguacalequen. This afternoon, a group of Indians arrived with the chief. His efforts to negotiate with us for the release of his daughter failed. We seized him, holding them both as hostages.”

A thoughtful reminder of how this land and it’s people were stolen. Their sacrifices are to be honored.