A Noticing Trip

Before we saw the headline in today's paper announcing a 60% decline in sea turtle nests on Jekyll Island, Thomas and I spotted a turtle in the canal when we were returning from the garden. We fetched Bram from the house and spent a long time doing some noticing from the footbridge. "Noticing trips" is something we have always done with Bram; it involves going outside and and paying attention to what we see. Thinking about it is a must. Talking about it isn't necessary, nor is the sketching that usually follows it, but what is the value of joy if it can't be shared?
This morning we were all heartened to see how abundant and healthy the life in and around the canal is. We watched the giant bullfrog tadpoles, which Bram says are "the wonder of [his] world these days" and tiny minnows make rings in a reflected sky, listened to the sounds of breezes and birds and bees and to the intermittent bellowing of a lone bullfrog, out of sync with the other frogs who won't "sing" until dusk. "He's got jet lag," one of us said, as a jet took off across the field. As the morning heated up, we saw more and more dragonflies, in electrified blues and chili pepper reds as they skirted the banks and rode swaying reeds. I guess most people would call this kind of experience "enjoying simple pleasures," yet neither the things we saw nor the pleasure we took in them were 'simple.'