We LOVE the Inland Bays!
February 14th is a time to celebrate love. It’s a mushy subject, yes, but it’s difficult not to get caught up in the excitement of Valentine’s Day. Here at the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, however, we’re doing things a bit differently. Here, our the Inland Bays are our BAE*….get it?
So without further ado, here is why we <3 the Inland Bays:
I love the Bays because they bring out the best in everyone.
If you think about it, whenever you’re out on the Bays all you see is smiling faces. Whether you’re waving to fellow boaters, enjoying the sun on a bayside beach or eating at a waterfront restaurant you can’t help but enjoy yourself and the people around you! Big smiles for the bay!
I love early fall on the Bays when the light makes the flowering marsh grasses golden and the water shine a deeper blue.
It’s a quieter time, the water is warm, so are the breezes, and the fishing is good. I love it when the seaside goldenrod blooms along the shore. I love knowing that this is best time of year and that it’s time to make time to enjoy it.
I love the frequently brilliant sunrises and sunsets that are reflected on the waters of the bays – especially when days are short, and the sun lies low in the sky. In winter months the colored skies at dusk and dawn are also filled with thousands of honking snow geese flying in sinuous v-formations. In this quieter season, one can stop for a meditative moment to admire these glories of nature.
I love the views that the Bays offer when I drive to work in the mornings. No matter the time of year, coming over the Indian River Inlet bridge with the ocean on my right and the Inland Bays on my left feels almost magical. My favorite time, however, is in the spring and summer, when this same view includes a show from the osprey coming back to their nest with a fish in their talons.
What I love most about the Bays is that it doesn’t require a certain amount of attention to enjoy. I can go for a hike and be extremely present, always looking out for birds and other wildlife, truly connecting to my natural surroundings. Or I can go and sit in my kayak on a creek, daydreaming and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face, not really paying attention to anything. Or I can go fishing and feel the rush and excitement of feeling a fish on the end of my line, my heart pounding and adrenaline rushing.
But no matter what, I always feel good when I am out enjoying the wonders of the Bays. There is always a sense of peace, humbleness, and excitement.
Of course, I love the James Farm. I love it this time of year when everything looks dead and dormant, but, if you take some time you can really see it’s not. I love it in March, around St. Patrick’s Day, when the osprey return, and we mow the meadow on the east side of the road, which seems to jump start spring.
I love summer at the Farm, as well. The stream of kids coming back from an active day at the Pasture Point Beach, exhausted and whining about the last hundred yards to the car. I love Eco-Bay and Bruce and Mary and Zerkel. I love the interns making up an excuse to slip down there on a Friday afternoon. I love making an excuse to slip down there on a Friday afternoon. Fall probably has the most to love; the colors, the warm sunshine but cool mornings, the proliferation of mushrooms. A Thanksgiving walk at the Farm sets up a great day of overindulgence just fine!
I also love the Citizens Monitoring Program, and I love “my” volunteers: Greg mowing the grass; Bill, my technical expert; Charlie, Angela, Liz, Larry, Sue, Sue, Ken and Mark. I don’t always find Chris’ jokes funny but I love them just the same.
I love the late summer. The water is warm, the crowds are gone, and the humidity starts to drop. The days are still long so there is tons of time to enjoy being outside and on the water. A little breeze, some warm sunshine, and a bay all to yourself, what could be better than that?
Happy Valentine’s Day – from your friends at the CIB!
*Millennial speak meaning “true love” or “sweetie”. Literal translation: Before Anyone Else.