Look Up!

So today, HR and I traversed twenty minutes to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge across the Savannah River from us over in South Carolina.

The purpose: For Robert to complete his homework for a course we are taking on Georgia’s Ossabaw Island and the concept of Wildness. We had to go to a Place, sit for a While, and observe the Wild, in whatever way we describe the word.

(I had already completed my assignment earlier this morning, meditating by the Savannah River itself, a couple of blocks from where we live in Savannah’s historic district …

… but more about that in a later post.)

(Now you have something to look forward to.)

Anyhoo, HR suggested we have a little picnic there, before his meditation, even though the temperature was supposed to be in the LOW 90s. Ever the accommodating spouse, after fussing a little bit, I agreed. Why? Curry chicken gyros – spicy! From Savannah’s iconic little Mediterranean Al Salaam Deli.

Oh my goodness! If I could, I would teleport a bite over to you.

It never takes a lot to grab my attention. But if you put a pine tree in the mix, I am FASCINATED. Years ago, after reading nature writer Janisse Ray’s Ecology of a Cracker Childhood (read it if you haven’t!), Robert and I fell in love with the Longleaf Pine.

So, before I even started to eat my curry gyro, I spotted some tall, majestic pine trees all around us.

And what did I do?

I looked up, of course, wondering if they were Longleaf. Wouldn’t you?

(I will never forgive Robert for taking that ridiculous picture of me, without me knowing he was doing so, but since it works for this blog post, I’m going to use it. Don’t tell him.)

Alas, the pine trees were not Longleaf. I suspected as much. The pine cones were too small and the trees, majestic as they were, did not have Longleaf’s candelabra-like upward branches. (TMI?)

Later on a solo hike (HR was “meditating.” remember), I saw this:

Loblolly somehow intuited that I preferred the Longleaf. He asked me why. Having no real answer, I did the only thing I thought to do. I looked up. Up into his Heights.

And he said …

Loblolly is now a close second in my favorite pine tree cataloging.