Santa Fe trip part 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

does the river remember
the time we spent
paddling over her
of the time we had
there must be memory
for her ripples were sad.

 

 

 

 

Trip to Santa Fe

Heading out Branford Highway toward Beachville with Rick today to kayak.

the torrential rain set in as we made our way to Sandy Point.

 

 

 

at McManus place, the waters are still high along the river.

 

After nearly three miles and two hours later paddling upstream, we made it to the Ichetucknee.

Camera was fogged from being in damp bag.

 

 

 

the mullet were jumping but I never captured one in flight.

 

 

The Santa Fe swings are still
low they hang as summer showers
the winding river fills
and we paddle

alone for hours
while over the flooded shores
over the docks once dry
the heavens pour
as quietly over we paddle by
looking down
upon the drowned.

We put in at the 129 bridge around 3pm after Rick finally finding my keys I had dropped in the camera bag. We were going to put in at Sandy Point but it had a $5 launch fee so we came back to the ramp by the bridge. It was raining steady and hard. The kayak atop the car was full of water from the trip through the rain.  I did not mind the wetness since I had all nylon on. I decided to take the cameras anyhow, this time in a fabric cooler with an insulated interior. They stayed dry today. We paddled steady upstream to Ichetucknee in the rain, taking about two hours, over three miles. The rain turned to sprinkles, finally letting up to a sabout the time we got to Ichetucknee, paddling far enough up stream until the black and aqua met. We only saw two boats the entire day. Few birds, lots of jumping mullet.
The River was wide due to the flooding. Made it back to 129 bridge about 7pm.
No stomach cramps this time.
Not this house mans time of month Rick said.

Palpable Sadness

You can cut our sorrow with a knife
while we have Carson to hold near
it is a far cry from feeling the life
blood your own grandson dear
Little Nathaniel of whom we miss
having not seen since March
longing again for the kiss
emotions drained and parched
Nightly its not so much standing
outside looking at the moon
but trying to understand
wanting to rid this gnawing gloom
praying to God through tears
who sent His Son far away
into a land of Pharisee stares
and saw that resurrection day
when down that dusty lane
from a life among the swine
His Son again came
with this I have to remind
myself and watch that
moonlit lane
In hope that Nathaniel will
return again.

journey to the moon

it was a promising evening for a moon journey. i was lazy and did not even set up the camera on the tripod which i usually do. Sure enough, I see a jet approaching east to west that looks as if it will intersect the moon. I focused on the moon and waited. Here it came! I was able to get three shots, with only this one with the jet entirely in the moon. I was stoked.

grassy knolls

we pushed upward into the swift current, pushing against time to make it back to the dock. The park closed at 7pm or sundown, no problem, we just could not take our time. It was a piece of cake for a strong and in shape Rick who regularly works out. I had just muscled my way across the grass flats and was resting for the next push. I do not like the pushing, preferring the slow, easy, non-work-out method of paddling. My stomach muscles were all knotted up. Life is a work-out or life is a
stroll philosophy were in collision.

The Circling

The circling over beds down under
the circling of osprey above
the circling of the whirlpools
the circling back to logs
the circling of the sun
the circling of the moon
the circling of the stars
the circling sought from
near and afar.

Tustenugee Tobacco

Tobacco makes a small comeback, along with cotton this year. First tobacco seen in quite awhile.
Used to be a major Columbia County crop.

Florida Folklore Part 8

The Seminole, who moved into Florida after the white man, brought more practical beliefs, and applied them to his daily life. The making of a dugout canoe is still attended by great ceremony. After a powwow in camp, the leader guides his tribe into the swamp to select the cypress tree that is to be converted into a pich-li, a craft often 30 feet long. Singing and dancing take place around the tree; then the men selected for the task fell the tree, remove the branches and bark, and bury the ash-a-vee (cypress log) in a wet mud bank where it is left for 18 months to age. The unearthing of the log involves more cememony and feasting. After about a week of drying, work begins on shaping and hollowing out with a pit-a-chen-a-lo-gee, which resembles a hand adz. As the work progresses the children join in, squatting around the canoe and beating on it with sticks. From the sound of this tattoo the cutters can tell when the desired thinness has been obtained.
Seminole beliefs are largely associated with warnings; to places and objects strange powers are attributed, and portents are seen in many things. The blooming of the sawgrass in the Everglades is notice of a forthcoming hurricane, and the Seminole thereupon migrates to higher ground. This belief has been widely accepted by white men, even though the sawgrass is known to bloom regularly without regard to tropical storms.

Leavitations

They tell of the race of little ones who dance in the springs, only to be frightened away by the giant Indian in the stone canoe. Well, I came upon some of their little, little ones and spent some time with them, as they tried to teach me their ways, how they can silently glide along the surface of the spring, not making a ripple. Then lo, this rock boat splashed and they were gone.

Florida Folklore Part 7

Long before the advent of the white man in America,West Indian natives made expeditions to Florida in the belief that one of its many springs held miraculous properties, and so the myth of the Fountain of Youth was current here when early European maps, drawn before Columbus sailed from Spain, located a similiar spring in the Far East.
Eternal youth was not to be found in the crystal depths of Florida's springs, but their mysterious caverns provided a source of much lore among the now-extinct Indian tribes. From them came water gods and many legends. One legend was that on moonlight nights hundreds of little people only four inches in height came and danced around the deeply submerged inflow of Wakulla springs until a huge Indian warrior in a stone canoe appeared to drive them away--an illusion perhaps created by waving water plants and the moving shadow from a projecting rock in the springs. Scores of these legends, collected in book form, give a romantic overtone to the wonders viewed by tourists through glass-bottomed boats.

Dream of Sanctuary

by john clare stokes

Last evening I had this dream of sanctuary
The humble white building was far in the country
beside a river that flowed into the gulf sea
Immaculate in appearance with the glow
from lanterns upon the walls casting
a shimmering light upon the board floor.
Entering there was this transformation
for the ceiling was vaulted heavenward
with soaring buttresses ornate with
likenesses of cherubim and pomegranates
the windows which from the outside
were of imperfect depression glass
were stained in every color of the bow
and more
with depictions of heaven and earth
praising toward a throne of light
we sat and from the organ the music of Bach
was heard with every musical instrument
accompanying
No one said, this is not gospel music
for in sanctuary
the earthly gave forth an aroma pleasing to the One
God all were in worship
Around the humble room were the
icons of the saints, set in the finest frames of gold leaf
not a person called it an idol
for in the sanctuary
the earthly was given a heavenly transformation
we used to singing our two and snoozing
never slumbered in song, hymn and spiritual song
we even heard an unknown tongue in Wano
with a Wild man giving interpretation.
There was all manner of banners and pageantry with even
those dancing in the spirit as Shakers
Not a person complained or called for ouster
for all was done decently and to the praise of
the One God we worshipped
When time came to hear the pure Gospel word
is wasn't of health, wealth and making light
of other men that we heard
But we as men in deepest need
were drawn away from the flesh and things
 carnal
drawn to a love beyond earthly description
toward a love that would not let us go
 of a Gospel in its
purest annunciation
as if we were shepherds in this quiet country setting
beholding angels giving glory.
And yes, down to an altar we went
and yes
we bowed upon knee and we prayed
and no one scoffed and said
why that is decisional and from Finney
but in the Sanctuary
it was proper and called for.
For in the sanctuary
all the things that man would pervert
and call unholy, unclean and unworthy
were transformed and welcome
A wedding feast to the Lamb
The bride, the church surrounding
in the Sanctuary.
And I awoke...
and the pastor was saying we are broke
and next week the yard sale
we pray will pay the bills.....
 

The blood of the moon

This is for Glenn Harris who I told last evening I would give him the list of some of the sources that helped me wade through the mire of Dispensationalism. What is that you say? Briefly, it is the dominate eschatology(end times) doctrine taught in most churches today, especially prevalent in Independent and Southern Baptist Denominations. Who out there did not grow up on the old Scofield Reference Bible with Cyrus Scofields notes set along side the scriptures?
Who hasn't read Hal Lindsey's The late great planet earth and the popular Left Behind series?
You cannot in our day escape the Dispensational doctrine. It even determines our middle east policy with a dare you not support the nation Israel bias.
The system as taught in its pure form is most dangerous, taking most of the book of Revelation from chapter two on and throwing it far into the future, for the Jews only.
It returns to a Jewish form of worship, of sacrifices and things done away with by Christ.
It chops the entire Bible timeline into seven distinct dispensations on how God dealt with his people.
It downplays the gospel and the blood of the cross by saying in the future millennial reign, the Jews will again have the opportunity to be saved.
With the Internet today, we are able to google and find many books and resources to help guide us.
In the time I was questioning the doctrine at an Independent Baptist Church(of which I was kicked out for spreading...poison), I did not have the Internet. I am indebted to Brother Richard Harding of Faith Baptist in Williston who started me on the journey out. At the time, there was an excellent monthly journal in the early 90's called the Researcher from JR Boyd (1909-1994)in Ontario, Canada. It was full of short, substantive articles on prophecy that Brother Harding recommended.
I then ordered the excellent booklets on the  rapture and Israel by Gordon L Ginn, Pop Prophecy, Not to Israel Only and other booklets. Abrahams Children by Cecil Lowry was helpful.
Then I came across an old book in my fathers library, The Hope of Israel by Philip Mauro. It was so helpful, I ordered all this Supreme Court Justices books including Dispensationalism justifies the crucifixion, The Gospel of the Kingdom and his book on Revelation, Things which must soon come to pass. Also in his library was AW Pinks, Interpretation of Scripture.
To get a true look into who Scofield was, The incredible Scofield and his book by Joseph Canfield was an eye-opener.
Dispensationalism,Today,Yesterday and Tomorrow by Crenshaw and Gunn helped.
Two other booklets, Expo of Revelationby Russell Jones and Thine is the Kingdom by HC Heffren were excellent.
Like I said,with the help of the Internet, much,much more is available with just a search.
It is worth looking into the history of this system from the two Jesuits, Alcala and Ruberia and the rapture theory and history from Aimee Semple McPherson.
There is no reason for us today to not be as the Bereans of Scripture and search these things, to see if they are not so.
We live in an age of many,many hoax's foisted upon a gullible church, mostly seeking self-actualization, wealth, health and a cheap gospel.
Be warned, wolves are rampant.