6 Deer and a Boat

It’s been few weeks since I’ve gotten outside – well, I did get on the trail in the snow – but that is just behind the house. That is more backyard time, not back to nature time.

So yesterday, I drove out to James River State Park and ate some lunch overlooking the river. Had a turkey and cheese, some beanie-weenies, and a Frostie root beer. I walked in the wonderful weather, breathed in the smell of trees, woods, nature. Beanie-Weenies are kind of my go to item that is more of a joke, but only one I get.

In this trek, there was a simple moment that made my mind be refreshed. It was scene from afar, at first. I was in my FJ and there she (?) was on the side of the canoe ramp road. Beautiful and majestic. A creation of God that was alert and agile a looking to just cross the road. I stopped and just watched, just took in the moment.

She looked up, then her head shifted right, shifted left, and at the right time, she darted across the road. But it was that moment, that quiet and wonderful moment, where I saw she was not alone. Two – Four – no, Six deer crossed that path. Jumping, in a dancelike grace, from one cover of bushes to a deeper cover on the wooded hillside.

I’ve seen deer before. Even more of them. One time on Skyline Drive I saw around thirty in under a minute. But it had been awhile, quite awhile.

I held my breath. And in less then 15 seconds, my heart was refreshed. I wanted to get out and hike for miles. I wanted to trek up a mountain side and take in the beauty of a scenic overlook, any scenic overlook.

But not today – time was slipping away and commitments were elsewhere.

But before I left, one more look – at a boat – a very historic boat.

The James River State Park is home to the James River Batteau. This is a historic flat-bottomed boat that was the shipping/cargo boats of the 18th and 19th century. Flour, tobacco, and iron went up and down the waterways. You can stand in the boat and experience history.

There are a few exhibits and they even do Batteau tours on the river – but not today.

Sometimes, even for just a few minutes, you need to get out and take it in. For me, that was yesterday. When was it for you?