No, we haven't dropped of the edge of the earth!! It's just that we have been so tied up with obligations here at home we haven't had a chance to get on the road too much lately. Aside from
some rather short mountain and beach excursions we have been pretty 'domestic' lately. I suppose I got to missing you guys and 
started thinking about when we would be able to travel together again. Then I realized - hey! ... it isn't always necessary to be in some exotic locale to stay in touch with your friends!!! You can always keep them up-to-date on some of the 'goings-on" around here. So - with that in mind, I thought I'd share a couple of things from our recent activities with you. Seems like it is just 
natural to start off with a few reminders of beautiful Litchfield Beach. We were there a little over a month ago and shared some photos from our trip to the "Birds of Prey Center" at Awendaw, S. C. with you. A great place to visit. We got back home and immediately became immersed in a ton of activity with some of our favorite groups. I had a chance t
o participate for the thirteenth and final time in the Fifth Grade play at Satchel Ford Elementary school where we performed "Schoolhouse Rock - Live - Jr." as our friend Ann ended her teaching career. But things definitely didn't slow down for us! With Linda and Sherwood heavily involved in their obligations as Vestry Members, Linda with her art work and Sherwood going to all kinds of artistic and athletic events involving her grandchildren it got downright hectic. As for me - I'm involved in an organization by the name of "Sertoma" which is a derivative of the words "Service To Mankind." It is a civic organization and we are involved in quite a few community activities. One of our main projects is the operation of a camp for speech and hearing impaired and underprivileged children up in the piedmont area of 
the  | |
| Lake Hartwell from Camp Sertoma |
"joint" sponsorship project so we had some very capable people helping out. Despite the effort, everyone seemed to come together in a spirit of teamwork and I was absolutely amazed at what was accomplished. We had hundreds of folks join us in the effort and, on Saturday, April 27th - despite threatening skies and somewhat cooler-than-expected temperatures, the whole throng 
showed up at the park for the 2.5 mile walk along the gorgeous Saluda River. Along the way we raised a lot of money that will go toward scholarships to students studying audiology or other hearing-related disciplines, scholarships for hearing impaired students, stipends and grants for affiliated hearing-related organizations, educational programs to promote hearing health and - very importantly - approximately 50% will be returned to Sertoma clubs in our local community to help them in their work right here at home. My particular club will be sending five children to camp this summer and we are delighted to have the proceeds from this and our other fund-raisers to allow us to work with more children.
Shortly after the walk we had some "down-time" so we took our adopted family to one of our favorite places of all - Riverbanks Zoological Park. Ironically, the zoo is located not far downriver 
from where our walk took place. It is truly an incredible treasure for those of us living in South Carolina and we love sharing it with the world. In fact, on the day of our visit it seemed like we had some folks from just about every spot on the planet walking around with us!! I'm not going to do a lot of talking about this 
beautiful place - but - let me assure you, there is waaaayyyyy more to see here than just the animals. It is a great spot to visit for a day and I hope if you're ever in the area you will take the opportunity. These photos 
show a few of the critters we visited with during the day. The park has remarkably realistic habitats representing every continent and countless countries. From artic-dwellers such as the penguins to those 
who make their homes in the arid sands of the deserts in our own Southwest, Africa and Australia the range of species is just amazing. The amphibian and reptile exhibit is one that contains virtually every kind of creepy-crawly-
creature you can imagine - and some you probably can't!! The aquarium, although relatively small compared to those in Charleston, Atlanta and Baltimore, has displays of aquatic life from the Atlantic and Pacific as well as reef-dwellers from across the planet. When you think of the astonishing diversity of 
aquatic life-forms on our planet it makes us realize how tiny our portion of the "living family" is and I hope it makes us all sensitive to our stewardship role in protecting these amazing 
friends of ours. A quotation prominently displayed in the aquarium at Riverbanks is a one of my favorites and is by Albert Einstein. He said: "Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of
compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its
beauty." Man!!! If we could only do even a little bit better at that task think how much more wonderful our planet could be. Then we might even begin to think about how we could treat 
each other a little more kindly. I mean, think about it ... if we can admire and appreciate those sea anemonies, starfish, angelfish, coral and other strange things, why is it that we feel compelled to be so hostile to people that are essentially the same as ourselves? I'm thinking we have some 
work to do on our logic and philosophy folks. Yeah, we tend to think if they can't program an iPad application, sculpt a "Pieta" or write a symphonic concerto 
what good can they be. Well - excuse me - Steve Jobs, Michelangelo or Mozart I'm not - but I still think I have something of my own to offer. And I think these guys do too. Let's just figure it all out together. I'm really not an official "tree-hugger" folks and I don't advocate folding our tents as humans and drying up but I do believe there is a way we can protect the vulnerable life forms on the planet a lot better than we have. I mean, hey - even if they do nothing else, they almost invariably make us smile when we see them. And, often, that is exactly what I need to keep on going!!!! Of course, as I have made clear, I'm kinda partial to the animals at the zoo - but - there is so much more to see here. The botanical gardens are another whole day visit that you have to come for some time soon. During the summer there are musical concerts, art exhibits, lectures, all kinds of "behind-the-scenes" tours and summer apprentice opportunities for kids. Riverbanks Zoo is simply unparalleled as an enjoyable and educational place to visit. So - come soon!!! See ya.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We would enjoy hearing from you if you would like to send us a note!!