I was laying on the couch by the fire place when the phone commenced to ringing. I answered and hear the voice of my friend John. It was 9am Christmas Eve and he was inviting me to go kayaking with him and the most of his young'uns. I said yes and away we went.
We decided to check out a couple islands on the South East side of the Gandy Bridge. It was chilly and grey with a light sprinkle of rain and we boldly pressed on towards our goal.
On the first smaller island we found (Opuntia) Prickly Pear Cactus. The fruit are quite delicious but make sure you skin off the needles or you will feel like you have a mouth full of sand spurs!
The color of the juice from this fruit is so vibrant it looks fluorescent.
We also found an iron skillet full of ants. This would be very handy for anyone camping on the island.
We then paddled over to the second islands about 8 minutes West. It is a larger more open island with several large Casuarina trees growing on it. Also known as the Australian Pine they are an non-native plant. They are wonderful to camp under on a windy night as the sound of the wind through the needles is very calming.
We paddled over and dragged our vessels onto the shore.
The island has been in the bay for well over two decades and has been a great camping place for us over the years.
Like all dredge islands it is slowly eroding away.
We found the largest, healthiest clump of Saltwort I have ever seen in the bay. The leaves of these plants are full of moisture and make a great salty treat to eat.
I sure am glad I said yes and was not a stick in the mud. A little Creation Therapy was just what I needed. One of the best ways to draw close to our Heavenly Father is to spend time in His creation without the distractions of the changes we so often make.
