Avery Island :: Part I

 

About a week ago our homeschool co-op met up for a field trip to Avery Island.

 

 

The 250 acre preserve is a gorgeously lush garden home to alligators, several varieties of birds and lots of mosquitos. Thousands of Snowy Egrets nest here to breed each spring…. an amazing sight to see. And the gators? Oh my. We'll save that for tomorrow!

 

 

In the spring down here in the south I have noticed many of the plants lose their leaves. So among the incredible blossoms you see red & yellow leaves speckled about the ground. The live oak also lose their leaves in the spring and if you are lucky enough to have one (or three) in your yard, you'll be cleaning up and tracking in leaves and pollen for about a month this time of year. Crazy southern seasons, for sure.

 

 

 

But spring? Spring that really begins in March? Oh will I ever gladly take it. I have never seen so many beautiful flowers and the blossoms are buzzing wildly loud with bees. It's really a euphoria of sounds & colors for my northern soul…..

 

 

 

 

 

What is about spring that gently pushes a reset button for us? As if we all calmly exhale….. I don't know if everyone is like that. The blossoms, the birds the little green shoots stretching up towards the sun…. happy laughing children, all of it seems to grab ahold of my heartstrings and shout "look at all this good in the world!"

 

 

My heart fills up with gratitude and I think, it is. It is so very good.