I’ve been thinking and thinking about what to say in this last blog about my South Carolina Lowcountry experience last Fall. Except it’s not an ending for me; I’ve just awakened to the unqualified truth about race in America. I could go on and on about this, and I have; if you’d like to catch up, you can start here with Part One.
I didn’t know what to expect when I began this difficult story, but I have been lifted up by the support and comments. So I feel I should finish it with hope, because y’all have given that to me.
I hope that as a nation we soon acknowledge that our history of slavery is far from over, that we’ve marginalized an entire ethnic group of Americans who can’t fully escape the chains of racial injustice until we admit how deep those waters run.
I hope our elected government commits to leveling the economic playing field for black Americans by giving full and overdue financial support to our failing public education system upon which they depend.
And I hope that We, The People, refuse to ignore these and more profoundly immoral realities any longer.
If we can’t do this, individually and as a nation, then we have no moral high ground to stand upon…anywhere.
The beauty of color
So back we go to the Lowcountry for the final leg of our journey.
As my husband and I were nearing the end of our last vacation day with our visit to Brookgreen Gardens, we came upon the Butterfly House. I’d never been inside one, so I was excited to…take more pictures!
[Remember to click on the photos to enlarge; twice for detail close-up.]
We had to buy additional tickets for around $3. Then there was a short wait; visitors stay in the House for 30 minutes and leave with the group. That’s because getting in and out has to be carefully done with assistance at each door; butterflies will fly away. So my next photo was actually my last shot when everyone else was exiting.
Really, it’s not a completely unfortunate place for a butterfly to live, except for the gawking humans strolling through every half hour….
Oh, but how can they blame us, flaunting their angel wings in front of mere mortals?
Yet getting a photograph is much harder than one imagines…even when there’s a houseful. But patience–and luck–paid off.
These delicate little teases were like chasing fairies.
And sometimes…magic happens: I caught the fairy!
Natural Habitat Zoo
Brookgreen Gardens has a small but varied natural habitat zoo. Designed so visitors can walk through and observe without endangering the animals or humans, they only accept those species native to the area and often previously injured and unable to return to the wild. I only got a few good photos as time was running out, the sun was low in the sky, and the cover of trees and blur of fencing made for poor exposures. But the swamp and critters were amazing, so I hope you get the feel of it.
There were several areas for birds, with netted domes as high as 60 feet. This was my favorite simply because…well, you’ll see.
I think this bird is a heron.
You can see the net behind this white ibis if you look closely.
Just to give you an idea of how this habitat is truly built into a natural swamp:
These frisky otters were impossible to shoot with my camera, but you get the idea.
Remember the gators from TBOE Part Two?
There were a couple of somber bald eagles…though they were not bald.
I loved the owls. They were having mice for dinner.
There were other animals, but if your computer isn’t crashing by now, mine nearly is, so I’ll close with one last picture.
Riding into the sunset
As we were leaving through the entrance/exit to Brookgreen, I noticed the huge, signature Fighting Stallions statue, by Anna Hyatt Huntington, on hubby’s side of the car. When he stopped for traffic, I thrust my camera at him and barked, Get a shot! Later looking at the resulting photo I thought, Oops, that’s good for just about nothing. How wrong I was.
So with that photo, I thank you for taking the time to visit, especially those who have gone through the whole series with me. Love ya’! Muah, muah, muah!!
THE END
loved loved the butterflies!!!!!! Thank you. Your right they do remind you of a little fairy, never thought of it before.
Last shot was pretty cool too, hubs did pretty good!
Poor hubs–he’s so patient while I take pics when he really wants to just GO. lol So having his shot end the series is kind of special.
Hard to believe we are at the end of this extraordinary journey. Harder to put my appreciation into words.
Thank you. Thank you for sharing the unbelievable beauty. Thank you for nudging us to become more aware. Thank you for the time & talent, you gave, for us to walk with you.
And as I wave goodbye, looking at the beautiful fairies….simply….Thank You.
Awww…now you made me tear up. Thank you for walking with me and being so kind while I felt my way along. Muah! XOXO
WTG, from the first this has been an amazing journey to take with you on so many levels. I haven’t commented on every part but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy every step that you took us through. I continue to be awed and amazed at your sensitivity and eloquence in expressing yourself and what you discovered as the surprise on this journey you took. Butterflies are indeed the perfect ending and they signify hope and beauty and no matter what happens we must always hang on to the hope and beauty of what the future can bring if we let it. I hope that you will keep each segment of this journey intact and preserved……it is way too important to ever be forgotten. The pictures you took were always amazing and I hope you have a great photo book with your story and your pictures….it is legacy that you should leave behind and that shouts to the world what an amazing human being you are.
Others are also noting the Banality of Evil, I share this link from Global Grind today http://globalgrind.com/news/53-white-people-shot-chicago-shooting-michael-skolnik-global-grind. Another good person is also speaking out so that others may too learn that despite how far we have come as a country and a people, the journey is far from over.
God bless you dear friend for having the courage and wisdom to put your story out there for the world to read and benefit from. I am proud to have you as my twitter friend, {{♥♥hugs♥♥}}.
Oh, babs…I’m speechless. Thank you so much for this. I can’t tell you how much your words mean to me. What a good idea, to put this into a photo book to leave for my family to have. Love the link: it’s a thought-provoking blog with good discussion going on in the comments. Hope…is good. XOXO ♥
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Your wonderful blog has inspired me to break out my old manual Minolta. I hope I remember how to use it….It’s a 1970′s era relic that I was told was one of the best. What type of camera do you use?
I’ve loved this series and hope you continue with your hobby. Any future trips in the works? You have a gift my good friend and I hope you continue to use it. I appreciate you!
I look forward to your photos. I use a fairly inexpensive Kodak ZD710, a digital about 5 years old. I love the warmth and depth of colors in pics shot with the old film cameras, but I’m not that good with settings like F-stops, etc. I do like being able to just plug into my computer and work with digital photos quickly, as well.
Still, I got to use a manual Minolta once on a rainy day taking outdoor shots at an old graveyard and got some really good photos. Good camera I wouldn’t mind working with again, especially with a good photo lens. I always wanted to take a class to learn more with one. Maybe you can give me some pointers and I’ll get my old film camera out and see what happens.
For future blogs: I have already gotten some cell phone pics and video from the Atlanta Aquarium to put up next. Then I plan some road trips.
I appreciate you, as well. ♥