Sunny Sunday

Sunday morning brings sunshine, spidery tendrils of frost glistened on the decks and long shadows on shore as we continue along the southern end of the NC ICW.  It's so chilly even the diving birds are in foregoing breakfast and are hunkered down, shoulders up, in tight groups on shore facing into the wind, waiting for thermal warming to make the prospect of diving for breakfast more appealing.  On the near shore a herd of white tail deer graze on the beach grass across from Mc Mansions standing shoulder to shoulder glazed in beachy pastels of peach, aqua and yellow.

Early afternoon finds us having quietly slipped into South Carolina and me enjoying an endless array of blue herons, Great white Egrets and one stately Bald Eagle perched on a long finger dock stretching out into the ICW, I never tire seeing the magnificence of these intrepid hunters.  Thanks to a waxing moon, a banner low tide provides the feathered critters with fertile feeding ground and me with wonderful "eye candy" watching all antics antics as they jockey for the ideal fishing positions (not unlike their human counterparts).  Unfortunately the low tide also provides a few navigational challenges and today was my turn at that helm for navigating through the dreaded "Rock Piles." Ironically several miles prior to the rock piles I suffered a  momentary disorientation regarding half a dozen red channel markers, a very confusing confluence of tributaries with nasty current and brought us into 6 feet of water  (we draw 5.5 feet) so I was sufficiently shaken up to think the dreaded Rock Piles not worthy of my care...as long as I dedicated my full attention to staying between the red and the green channel markers and didn't have my attention wander to Christmas shopping or bird watching, there was no issue with the narrow channel where all those ugly, nasty, jagged rocks stuck up out of the water close enough on either side of the boat to throw a rock at; and who needed those nasty big signs to warn you of DANGER stay in the channel, that are positioned outside the channel, do you think so????  I really needed to ferret out the DANGER signs amidst the red and green channel markers......thank you....I think not....but we made it safely....

At evening we anchorage in the beautiful Cypress River section off the Waccamaw River, a magnificent 140 mile long river that heads through NC and SC, bordered by Spanish moss draped cypress, live oaks and the remnants of rice fields from plantation days.  Our anchorage was completely surrounded by cypress trees shrouded in moss, a slight current kept us pointing so the nearly full moon graced our dining table.

Monday morning dawned to a cloudless sky with a creek haze lazily drifting, dancing across the long sun's rays peeking over the tree tops.  After just entering the main channel of the Waccamaw we were treated to the tree top splendor of an osprey warming herself  and further along a golden eagle, perched in the highest branch of the tallest tree,  resplendent with the sunlight reflecting off her breast as if lit from within.....a glorious sight......