Journal Entry 08.03.2016 – More Explorations

Interesting day…

I spent the morning doing several drawings.  As a rule, before I paint, I draw the subject until I “have it” in my fingers.  Painting is a visceral experience.  Unfortunately, having neglected my painting for several years I also didn’t keep up the drawing.

Drawing is a way to “see” the world, through eyes and fingers.  Some people learn this way and I’m one.  I used to make notes during college, which helped me to learn the subjects.  I’m a visual person and it is just one way to learn.

You’ll find if you draw something, even a face, you’ll remember it forever.  Now if I see a portrait or sculpture of Chief Joseph, I instantly know it’s him, as I both drew and painted his portrait a couple of years ago.

Some people go through the world without ever seeing the details around them.  Even if this world is a holographic image, it is filled with beauty and wonder at every turn.  Even on a simple walk, I see beauty in the form of an elegant tree, the blue of the sky or a bird dancing on the telephone wires above my head.

Last Friday, I drove to Varn Beach, then shopped briefly at the Farmers Market and took a circular approach back home, following a road south of Flagler Beach called “High Bridge”.  It is kind of an ironic name as this section of road frequently floods during heavy rainstorms since it travels through an extensive marsh.  I didn’t stay long at the beach as it was already getting very hot early in the morning.  Late July and August are not the most pleasant months to be had in Florida, being both hot, intensely sunny and humid.  I’m still working on acclimating.

After High Bridge, I turned onto John Anderson Highway and headed north towards Palm Coast.  Then I turned onto Colbert Lane, a road that parallels the Matanzas River or Intercoastal Waterway.  I wanted to find the walking / biking trails located along this road.  As with some of the other roads in west Flagler Beach and Palm Coast, there is little development on parts of it.  I did discover the trailheads for Waterfront Park, Graham Swamp Trail and the Lehigh Trail.  The latter, the Lehigh Trail is a Rail to Trails connection in Flagler County.

The Waterfront Park is located on the Intercoastal Waterway.  A trail goes northward from the park along the Waterway towards the Hammock Dunes Bridge Trail.

From my early explorations, it is clear that Flagler County has a well-developed trail system for both walkers and bikers.  Also, there is quite a bit of preserved lands here, as well.  The ancient marshlands and hammock forests are being rapidly developed in other parts of Florida, so it’s nice to see some effort being made to preserve open lands for wild life and the indigenous forest and hammock scrub.

In vivid contrast to the preservation effort, a lot kitty korner behind this house was recently stripped of all its woods in preparation for the building of a new house.  It was quite a shock to see what once was a chunk of pine woods now completely gone leaving a muddy plat behind.  Whole neighborhoods have been hacked out of the old piney and oak hammock forests, marshes drained and made into ditches and canals.  Sooner or later, development will slow down due to the lack of fresh water, as the forest lands and marshes act as natural water sources and flood control.

I hope that you are enjoying my little explorations.  More will be posted later, especially when the weather begins to cool slightly in late September.

Much love and light,

Elizabeth