A True Miracle - With A Very Odd Name

Hey gang!!  First, I want to apologize for not sending more posts from our recent trip but I was having a hard time getting things done on the iPad with "Blogspot" the program I use on the road and the one I have been very complimentary of in the past.  But - we had a great trip and a
lot of fun with some friends Hugh and Julie - who joined us this time.  The weather was nice (most of the time) and we spent a lot of time laughing and eating - and - thinking about the wonders of the coastal estuaries we woke up to each morning.  For those of us who grew up with the South Carolina coast as an integral part of our lives - or - for those of us who have adopted this wonderful place and are still getting to know it's wonders, there is one feature of the beach that is inescapable - the smell of the "pluff mud."  For those of us who would like to claim the Gullah title of "Binyas" as opposed to the pejorative "Comeyas" that means we have "been here" and didn't just "come here" from some frosty location way up north like North Carolina or Tennessee - the distinct smell of the estuarine marshes along our coast is incomparable.  Let's set the stage first.  Our planet is blessed with some of the most magical phenomena that could be imagined in the cosmic catalog of ecological processes - including the ebb and flow of the tides based on the lunar cycle.  That cycle causes areas along the coasts of our continents to experience periodic flooding and draining and the margin of this activity is a place of incredible importance.  Where the salty water of the ocean meets the fresh water of incoming rivers and streams there is a place of unimaginable fertility - the salt marsh estuaries.  It is here thatMother Nature works her magic and establishes a place of absolutely extraordinary fertility.  Here the marsh grass (often referred to as "Cord Grass" or "Spartina" creates both a filter and source of nutrients that is astonishing.  As the tides ebb and flood their currents bring with them the ingredients of life on our planet.  Deteriorating grasses, infinitesimal animal life and residue from other life-forms that have completed their cycle on earth flow gently into the creeks and settle to the earth as the waters recede creating a mystic soup we call "Pluff Mud."  It is here that the shrimp, clams, oysters, snails and countless other denizens of the coast are nurtured creating a bounty for the myriad fish, birds and mammals that inhabit the coasts.  And - creating the distinctive smell that the uninitiated might describe in negative terms but what, in actuality, is the smell of creation.  For it is here that the absolute miracle of our planet occurs - the place where death is defeated by life - where resurrection is proven.  But it is much, much more than a simple description like that above could adequately explain.  This is the place that assures our own existence on earth.  It is here that the processes that protect our oceans, our fresh water supplies and even the food chain upon which we depend are safeguarded.  This is it, guys!!!  But, here's the deal.  Once you have been here;  once you have smelled the fragrance of the marsh at low tide; once you have stepped into this incredible goo and felt it slide between your toes, once you have seen the creatures scurrying around on it's gelatinous surface - you are hooked.  You are a citizen of the coast forever.  And - we welcome you!!!  It is ours, folks.  Yours, mine, everyone's!!!  We just have to be smart enough to understand, appreciate and protect it.  It is a wonderful, wonderful thing and I am glad we share it.  See ya.