ONE ... of My Favorite Things!

                                       One of my favorite things to see .........

                                                            because .........

                                                    it means I am doing this!

                             Sculling - one of my all-time favorite activities! =)  

You may question the terminology and want to call it rowing but www.usrowing.org says:

     Sculling: Athletes (cough, cough) with 2 oars - one in each hand - are scullers.  

Wikipedia adds:  Sculling generally refers to a method of using oars to propel watercraft in which the oars touch the water on both the port and starboard sides (yes, I know which is which) of the craft. By extension, the oars are also often referred to as sculls when used in this manner, and the boat itself may be referred to as a  scull.

SO. .. I'm a sculler, riding in a scull, using sculls (really? - I call them oars) to scull.  
                       (Is this the Department of Redundancy Department? =)


                                                    Anywho ..........!

                                                 I LOVE to scull...!!!

                                      SO..... that means I get to see this:
                                

       Yes, there are mountains in Belize - within view of the lagoon. Elevation: pretty low! =)

                                                                 and this - 

            It could be Martin's private water ski lake - hidden off the main lagoon - except ....

                                              it's only about 2 feet deep.

                                                         and these -

                                                  Which are Mangroves

                                            What is a Mangrove you ask?

                                     Lesson # 2 in this blog coming right up .......

Mangroves are a survivor plant; with their roots submerged in water, mangrove trees thrive in hot, muddy, salty conditions. Due to a series of impressive adaptations - including a filtration system that keeps out much of the salt - the mangrove lives where water and sand meet. It has a complex root system holds the plant upright in the shifting sediments that are typical of ocean areas.

I'm just gonna say: They are pretty amazing plants that grow in salt water, are along nearly every shoreline in the area & provide pretty scenery along with a place for all the terrific wildlife to nest in, sit in or hide under.

                                 Here's a baby mangrove - just starting out.  

                                    More mountains and wide open spaces

              Trees & bushes everywhere - mostly saw palmettos and mangroves here 

                                  A mini-sandbar - picnic, anyone? =)

                                   Blue sky, puffy white clouds, glass water

I've been known to even cross the oars on the scull, lay back (albeit not totally comfortable) and just relax while I drift & look up at the blue, blue sky. Side Note:  Martin's Grandma Lou always said "The blue color of the sky was only possible by God's hand."  She had searched her whole life (she lived to be over 100+ years) to find the same color, in man- made items - but it was never quite as vibrant.

           All of this - so I can be outdoors & have exercise I enjoy! Pretty sweet, I'd say!