Okay, I am ashamed to admit this. Especially because I admitted in my first post that the main reason that we moved down here from Baltimore is that we really love living near water.
But during the winter months, I tend to not notice the various bodies of water are there.
That isn't to say that I don't see them at all. I am in no danger of driving into the Eastern Bay or the Kent Narrows due to my lack to notice. I just sort of see them in my peripheral vision and don't really pay that much attention. I mean, most of the time they are covered with ice or some kind of winter scum and aren't all that pretty or noticable anyway. Plus, I rarely if ever cross the Bay Bridge, so I don't have the whole of the Chesapeake smacking me in the face usually.
And then a day like today happens. The first real warm day of spring. There is a little bit of a chill still in there air, but you can feel the potential for warmer temperatures later on. The sun is out, and the light hits the Kent Narrows Bridge just right. There is a slight haze on the bridges that suggests how they might look this summer during the dog days of July and August. I love this time of year. The towns, Grasonville, Chester, and Stevensville, appear to be waking up from a long winter's hibernation, and the water looks like it could actually sustain a life form or two.
As I crossed the Kent Narrows Bridge today on my way back from the Safeway, I could see all the way to the lower half of Kent Island. I was suddenly reminded why I love living here. I love the fact that there is, just feet away from us, an entire ecosystem of life. An entire population of creatures that live in a world we can only imagine, but have no idea of the world above them. Rockfish, crabs, water snakes, and various other types of marine life are swimming among the sea grass, blissfully unaware that just above them we are rushing around trying to get kids to school, pay bills, buy food, and meet the myriad demands of human life on this planet.
I find contemplating their existence to be comforting. So, little fishies, enjoy the arrival of spring! At least until the weather gets a little warmer and I can try to catch you!!!
See you then!
