Snake Road

My daily drive to the reservation is the inspiration for my little poem today.

Snake Road

__________

Creamy skies embrace the flushed dawn

Greeting you on this expedition.

The sun slowly peeks behind the yawn

Of the fading moon and its nightly position.

The road slithers ‘round and wide

Swinging and swaying like a tumbling wave.

You hug the curves and the animals hide

To avoid Snake Road becoming their grave.

A rainbow of greens and yellows and blues

Blur and streak with the arc and bend.

A leggy heron stares on with a hint of amuse

At the fish in his mouth who has met its end.

Stop! You skid and halt.

A dark grey dinosaur has emerged from the water.

It pauses, perhaps looking for its next assault

And with a toothy smile spots a slick black otter.

The otter dives safely into the canal’s abyss

Submerged and tumbling in the dark murky deep.

The defeated gator lets out a long hiss

And saunters back into the warm sun to sleep.

The road wraps through pastures filled with mist

And a herd of cowboys appear in the shadowy light.

Spider webs sparkle with the sun’s first kiss

A romantic and somewhat nostalgic sight.

The road will bring you to a different world

A timeworn and stoic place that’s grand.

Meandering the line of a serpent that’s curled

Gliding through the duality of water and land

The rain cometh and stay.

Afternoon storm one zillion and one.  

I've learned that although my rainbow umbrella is super cute, I need to invest in something a bit more rain proof..you know, like a plastic bubble.

In honor of rainy season I wanted to share a Seminole legend that I think of every time it rains.  This version was written down by a great storyteller and the first chairwoman of the tribe.

The little green frog was sitting on the edge of the water lilies sleeping away. A big ol' rabbit came hopping along, came upon the frog and said, "Hi there! Why are you sleeping? It's too pretty a day to sleep. Wake up! Wake up!" 

"I don't have to do anything," said the irritated little frog. But that pretty ol' pesky rabbit kept on until the little frog got really mad and told him, "I'll fix you up." 

So little frog started singing his funny little song or noise he makes to call the rain. Within a few minutes, the black cloud came and the wind started blowing. Then the rains came and soaked the ol' rabbit so much he got cold and ran home. 

Whenever you hear the frogs singing away today, better be near shelter, because they are warning you that rain is coming soon.

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Sure enough though, out in the Everglades when I hear the orchestra begin of chirping and croaking from the frogs I know the rain is not far behind!

Survivor.

The other week I was sent out to the field to help one of my staff (lets call him D) work on a project at an archaeological site.  Now, let me preface by saying I love the outdoors.  I love being outside in the the fresh air, away from the crazy.  But sometimes the great outdoors isn't so kind and last week became one for the books.

A seemingly pleasant start to the day

Day 1, 10 minutes in:

+ Crawled through an old barbed wire fence, scratched my arm, and crawled right through a spider web.  Spider more than likely leapt into my hair and built a new web.

+ Realized my Girl Scout training failed me and I FORGOT MY BUG SPRAY!  Florida mosquitos are something else.  They are overly attracted to me (I know, I know, I'm so sweet!) and the bites swell to almost 4 times their normal size.  At one point D thought I had been stung by bees on my face.  I probably swatted at least 1 gajillion mosquitos and I swear none of them died, they only multiplied.

+ Traversed a 6 inch wide log across a small pond of water.  Fell off the log.  The fun thing about the swamp is that when it only looks like 1 foot of water it is a lie.  D came to my rescue, gabbing my backpack and as I fumbled to my feet, my boots proceeded to sink into  3 feet of muck and I prayed there were no water moccasins floating near by.  Using all of my energy, I pulled myself out of the jungle quicksand.  My first instinct was to cry, but I had to be a big girl boss and plastered a huge smile on my face.  No biggie.

+ D was a trooper and hacked through the thickest parts of the jungle with his machete.  At one point we got a little turned around and made a huge circle, thankfully finding our flags (think break crumbs from Hansel and Gretel) from earlier. 

+ Stumbled across hundreds of hog tracks and prayed again there were none around.  D said calmly "Kate, if you hear any snuffing or grunting your best bet is to climb a tree."  Wild hogs can be very dangerous and all I could think was, "I don't know how to climb a tree."

+ Found fresh bear poo...twice.

+ Was only steps away from disturbing a pygmy rattlesnake

+ By the time we got back to the office, everyone seemed to know that I had fallen into the water.  And that when I fell, I looked like a turtle with my backpack on and legs in the air.  Cute.  My boss even came up to me and said in a very concerned voice, "I heard you had a rough day.  Are you ok?"  Not embarrassing at all. 

When I got home, I counted over 70 mosquito bites on my arms and face.  I literally looked like I had the chicken pox (or the measles) and was convinced I had definitely gotten Malaria or Dengue (so far no symptoms...)

Day 2:

+ Made it across the pond!

+ Remembered my bug spray.  Thank you bug spray inventor.

+ Ripped the crouch of my pants open climbing through that darn ol' barbed wire fence.

Day 3:

+ Made it across the pond again!  I could have easily been a gymnast in another life...

+ Ripped the back of my pant leg on that stupid barbed wire fence.

All I can say is that I am a survivor of the Florida jungle.  I should get some sort of metal for bravery or courage.  Or maybe just for being a girl who survived the worst mosquito attack of the century.

Misty Moors

This morning I was at work by 6:50am.  I had to assist with preparations for a funeral, one of those "other duties as assigned"

It was a quiet and beautiful morning.  I watched the sun rise from the mist and looking out across the tall grass I felt like maybe I should be in Ireland or England, looking out over the moors.  

Just being able to experience this lovely sunrise made my sleep deprived body happy and I was thankful for the view.  I was thankful for quiet mornings and I was thankful for this beautiful life.

Mornings

On Monday morning my drive into work was eerie and claustrophobic.  Heavy fog guided me all 63 miles to my office door.  It wasn't until after 9am that the fog began to lift and the sun mustered its way through the thick clouds.  I ventured outside to breathe in the heavy, wet air.  

It was still quiet with most of my co-workers inside at their desks, typing away and sipping the sludgy office coffee.  I walked across the parking lot to look out to a nearby cypress dome and across the old watermelon field.  For a moment it was just me and the world, huddled and cozy in a soft gray blanket.

Morning in the Everlgades

Early morning drive through the Everglades

Morning Everglades

{by Yours Truly}

The car speeds west across the Glades

A blur of Cypress and Sawgrass blades

A million birds float through the air

And I sit and think and look and stare.

The sun is peeking behind my head

And the sky begins to glow and shed

Its darkened cape that hides the light

Of pink and lavender and orange and white.

The bright red rays dance across my face

As I watch the heron, full of grace

Flap his mighty wings and glide

Over the Sea of Grass so still and wide.

The tips of the grass shine like gold

As the morning light takes ahold

And breaks through the yellow, nebulous mist

Like the romantic compositions of Franz Liszt.

Out the window I catch a roseate spoonbill fly

Its pink feathers turning deep scarlet in the sky

So rare and lovely to see my friend

I'm giddy with joy as I watch her ascend.

I take long and lazy sips of coffee

The sun climbs higher, turning from red to toffee

I rest my head but keep my eyes wide

To count the gators that go floating by.

Halpate

Halpate means Alligator in Miccosukee

This guy.  

My staff and I headed down to Big Cypress National Preserve the other week for a bonding / educational field trip.  It was nice to get out of the office for the day and be surrounded by the environment that we are constantly studying for our work.

The sun was warm, but not too hot.  The favorable winter breeze whooshed through my hair as we walked several trails, enjoying the old growth hardwood hammocks and prairies. During the morning we saw herons and baby alligators, thick ferns, a dozen different white colored birds, turtles, and tiny carnivorous yellow flowers.

During the afternoon, we walked the Big Cypress Bend boardwalk in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve.  Most of the trail is a wood plank boardwalk, but the beginning and end consisted of a fairly wide dirt trail.  A few tourists passed us as we headed back to the car and called out, "There's an alligator up ahead!".  We've all seen a million and one alligators so I really didn't think twice about it.

As we rounded a corner, I could see something large and grey taking up half of the trail.  I realized quickly that we were going to have to sneak by a very large alligator who had decided that THIS was the most perfect spot to sun himself for the afternoon.  I said a silent prayer as we neared closer that I would not get eaten or that none of my staff would lose a limb.  We quietly slipped by, (snapping at least one photo--of course!) and watched as his eyes slowly opened halfway and then closed again.  He just couldn't be bothered.

Thank goodness :)

Misty Mornings

I remember when I was little and we would awake to a foggy morning.  These mornings were very rare and my sisters and I would have a little bit more pep in our step to get out the door to walk to school in the low hanging clouds.  Oh how wonderful and eerie it would be to skip down the sidewalk, with the unfamiliar humidity on our faces, and hoping that a fairytale monster didn't jump out from the dense fog.

The fog is no stranger to the Everglades, especially in the winter months.  The other morning though, it didn't overtake the whole world, but sat on the sides of the road.  The white mist grazed inches above the dew drenched pastures in long, smooth bands.  Most of my carpool companions were quiet with sleep as I watched the mist slowly fade as the world began to wake.   

Sunset

Commuting to and from work has its ups and downs.  Sometimes I'm not sure how much longer my mind and body can take the 2 1/2 hours in the car.  But on days when the sky is set on fire, and each tip of sawgrass turns a rosy pink, and a million white birds fly into the blazing clouds its hard to not be content with the view out my window.

Living on a Prayer

I was taking an afternoon walk the other day on the boardwalk at work and something caught the corner of my eye.  At first, I thought it was just a twig, but as I stopped to take a closer look, a Praying Mantis turned her head to stare me in the face.  Two giant, beady eyes looked at me and then without further ado, started on her way.

Row Row Row Your Boat

Over the last month, I have been coordinating the move of a very old canoe.  

All part of a days work, I say.

 :)

I just received our radiocarbon dates back the other week and it is exciting that it has been dated to AD 1150-1250 (that is the date that the tree was cut down).

My Collections Assistant and I have spent several days on our hands and knees, carefully and slowly brushing and vacuuming up years and years of dust, cobwebs, and lizard bones.  The canoe will sit proudly on the Brighton Reservation and begin another chapter of its very long life.

A video of our cleaning escapades to entertain you on this fine Saturday!

Winter on the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation

 

 

Winter on the Brighton Reservation.

 

Lovely, cool breezes drift through the ancient oaks that are covered in thick green moss and grey Spanish moss.  Wild oranges break up the never ending sea of green.  Light dances on the saw palmetto leaves and I feel like I have time travelled a thousand years back in time.

 

 

 

 

Tribal Council Meeting

When I walk into Tribal Headquarters in Hollywood I am transported into another world from the familiar Big Cypress Swamp.  Business suits swarm the halls and there are lots of very important looking people.  I always make sure to put my confidence face on and spend a little extra time on my hair these days. 

Today was Tribal Council Meeting, which is once a month.  I don't usually have to attend, but the Council was passing a resolution on a matter that myself and co-workers had worked months and months on.  (It passed!)

This is what I observed today.

I watched as grown men nervously took the stand to read resolutions before the Council and get pummeled with question after question.  You never know what kinds of questions will get thrown your way and so when people flail under this scrutiny I can hear my dad in my head saying, "Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance".  Perhaps one day I will have to present, but for each time I don't, I am forever grateful!

I stared at the oil paintings of past council members hanging on the council chamber walls, wondering just how different it would have been 50 years ago.

I giggled silently to myself as I heard someone behind me knock over their water bottle in the back row and watched as it noisily rolled its way down the slightly inclined floor, under rows and rows of seats until it hit the shoes of my Executive Director...in the front row.

I saw huge business deals being agreed upon, projects for bettering the tribal community approved, and heard the new President of FSU give a presentation on strengthening their relationship with the Tribe.

I was reminded that I am a small fish in a big pond.  Working for only 1 of 60 tribal departments.

I watched democracy happen, with reservation representatives advocating for their community's best interest.

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P.S.

TGIF (even though it was a short week for me with Veteran's Day).  I'm so sleepy I think I may actually go to bed at 8:30.  Is that pathetic?  

And not to rub it in anyone's cold cold face, but it was a balmy 80 degrees today so anyone who wants to come visit me the door is open!

:)

5 y e a r s

As I waited for the plane to taxi into the Kansas City airport, my stomach dropped as my phone dinged to let me know I had a voicemail.  I quickly dialed and listened as someone in the HR department asked if I would call them back as soon as possible.

2009 : My first Florida picture from my hotel room the night before my interview

I was returning from an interview and knew that this was "the call".  I had either gotten the job or hadn't.  

As I scurried off the plane, I scanned the busy airport for a quiet place to make my phone call.  I stepped aside as my shaky fingers dialed the number.  

After the required formalities, Josh from HR got to the point.  They wanted to hire me for the position.  I couldn't believe it!  It had been a whirlwind.  I had applied to the position, the next day had a phone interview, and here I was only hours gone from the actual interview and they were offering me the job. Was it meant to be?

Christmas 2010 : The first time wearing my winter coat!

I blurted out a yes as fast I could.  Yes, I would take the job.

After I hung up, the reality struck.  What in the world had I just done?  My current job at a museum in Denver was coming to an end.  I needed a job, but Florida?  It was possibly the furthest place I could move from my Colorado home.  Bobby and I had talked about the "what if" but suddenly I worried maybe he wouldn't come with me.  I mean, we had been dating for almost 5 years, but still how could I ask him to move across the country for me to the foreign land of Florida.  

2011 : petting a panther

While waiting for my connecting flight back to Denver, I made the calls to Bobby and my family.  Everyone was overjoyed for me, but I could tell that they were also very sad.  I was moving away.

The next month was busy.  Packing, finding a place to live, getting work things in order, and starting to say our goodbyes.  

The night before my mom, Bobby and I embarked on our 3 day journey to the southern tip of the United States, we had dinner with Bobby's family and spent the rest of the evening with mine.  I could barely look at my sisters as we hugged goodbye.  We slept on the floor of my older sister's living room that night, but we didn't really sleep.  We both had butterflies in our stomach and tears in our eyes.  I remember though, feeling some peace as I realized I wasn't doing this alone--that Bobby would be my side. 

2012: I got married!

I often look back at the journey and can't believe that I did it.  I survived it.  

I jumped full force into my new job and loved it.  It took awhile longer for Bobby to adjust and find his niche, but he did.  The first few months our GPS was a life saver.  We learned which grocery store was better than others and that I would never have straight hair again :) .  

My mom always says that Colorado will always be my home and she is right.  Its where our family is and many of our close friends.  But Florida is our home too.  We are making a life here and after 5 years it feels like our space-- our own tiny world. 

2013: Weeki Wachee Springs

Florida will always be the place where I grew up.  In 5 years, a lot has changed and I still continue to grow, but looking back at my first few weeks here compared to now, I am different.  Good different!

Aurelia: A sweet addition to the family

Remember this? My first blog post!  I started this blog as a ways to document this journey and I love looking back at my posts to see how far I've come amidst the ups and downs.  I love looking back at major life choices and knowing that I made the right one.  I can see how it all fits together like a puzzle and that sometimes it only makes sense looking back years later. 

Life is good here in Florida and I look forward to the next 5 years!

2014: Miami

Florida's Autumn

Autumn.

Glorious, beautiful, warm Autumn.

It's finally here, even if for a few days, and I am soaking up every minute!  Besides the cooler mornings and lower humidity, it is not always easy to see the signs of Fall in South Florida.  But after living here for awhile, you begin to see the small changes and appreciate Florida's Autumn.

 Baby alligator enjoying the afternoon sun

 Juvenile Ibis 

 Cypress needles changing and getting ready to fall

 Early morning at work, with smoke from the traditional fire pit

Blue October sky out on the Boardwalk

Work Scenes

Work has been chugging along lately and although I don't think I can ever say I am not busy, I am feeling like I am finally getting caught up after a whirlwind summer!  I recently hired a new Collections Assistant and she is, to use the coolest 1990's term ever, da'bomb.  

Some days are quiet, other days staff are running through the office like their chair just caught on fire :).    It amazes some people the amount of activity that goes on in our preservation office and museum, being so far away from the metropolis.  But appearances are deceiving and our little trailer full of offices is like a buzzing bee hive. 

Today one of the tribal elders/ Chief Justice invited me to lunch and I escaped my desk for an enjoyable break over at Billie Swamp Safari. Mostly though, my days are spent at my desk or in the Lab, multitasking like its nobody's business.  Every few hours, I step outside onto our tiny porch and look out at our campus.  

The white Ibis are back, sauntering with their long beaks through the grass.  A hawk circles overhead and Mr. Raccoon sneakily slips inside the trashcan.  

I can feel a change in the air.  The sky is a slightly different shade of blue these days and the mornings are staying darker later.  Soon my commute will be dark both ways and I will watch the giant ball of fire sleepily rise over the Everglades, casting lean shadows and turning everything orange.

"Hello. What Museum Do You Work At?"

Well, its that time of year again where I get to go hang out with all the cool kids from around the state for our annual museum conference.  Last year I presented at the conference and this year I am presenting again--exciting stuff!  Conferences can be such a great atmosphere -- inspiring, encouraging, thought provoking.  I always come back re-engergized and ready to take on my to-do list.  Conferences can also be strangely exhausting.  Its constant meet and greet, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and long days of sessions and field trips.  I always try to work on my "elevator speech" before I go to places like this so when someone asks me what I do I don't stare at them blankly and say, "uhhhh..."

Tonight I am preparing for my trip.  Its a packing, laundry, eyebrow plucking, nail painting, go over my presentation kind of evening.  

Luckily I am sharing the driving tomorrow up to Jacksonville with some co-workers so hopefully the long drive will be a bit more manageable.  

I don't think I've ever experienced such a busy travel year for work as this past year.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy seeing new places and am grateful for the professional opportunities, but lately I am longing just to be home.  Its only a week or so until Bobby is off jet setting across the country for the rest of the month for a couple of tours.  We are quite the traveling couple!

Wish me luck on my presentation (I always get a bit nervous!)

The quiet woods

 

 

As I trekked through the woods today in beautiful Pensacola I felt a rush of joy and peacefulness come upon me.  The tall skinny pines reached toward the quickening grey sky and the wind whispered high above our heads.  For a moment, the clouds broke and the sun seeped through the thick, green vegetation creating a glowing fairy forest.  I breathed deep.

 

As my co-workers and I wiped away sweat from our faces and looked on at the archaeological site before us, we could hear the familiar low and distant sound of thunder and I wondered if we would make it out before the rain came.

 

We soon headed out of the site, leaving the quiet and almost untouched forest to the chirping birds and buzzing insects.  We hopped back into our cars, driving along the rust colored dirt roads and headed back to civilization. 



We drove for awhile longer before pulling off onto another dirt road.  This time a cotton farm where some locals were going to let us borrow some boats to go up the Escambia River to look at some more sites.  With the storm approaching the boat tour was called off and instead we sat around the large, dusty farm equipment rehydrating ourselves and eating boiled peanuts.  I quietly leaned up against the back bed of a pickup truck and listend to the slow southern drawls of our Muscogee Creek friend tell stories about how much the river has changed and spending time in the woods as a young boy.

 

 

 

why you shouldn't wear spanx in the summer.

Today I spent most of the work day in Miami.  It was lovely. We had a site visit to an incredible archaeological site right smack dab in the heart of downtown Miami. 

My future apartment building which overlooks the Bay...I wish.

My co-workers chatting about the site

Usually during consultations or meetings we are strongly encouraged to wear our awesome work shirts with our office logo displayed gigantically over my left boob.  While many of my work shirts are polos (and I do love myself a polo), they are not that flattering. I'm still not at my ideal weight and tend to have some confidence issues with my stomach area so I decided that I would pull out my trusty spanx to help me feel better about having to wear my work shirt today.

Note to All:

If you live in an area that gets above 95 degrees and 100% humidity and have to stand outside at an archaeological site for 3 hours don't wear spanx. 

Just don't do it.

While your silhouette may be seamless, you will be miserable and it will take every ounce of you to not peel them off in the on-site bathroom  porta-potty and stuff them into your purse.


Lesson learned.

Arthur

Tropical Storm Arthur sat off the coast yesterday and today, creating bands of continuous thunderstorms.  Last night as I got into bed, I watched the room light up every 30 seconds with lightning and low rumbling thunder drifted through the sporadic darkness.  I imagined the storm sitting over the dark sea, causing crashing waves and salty spray flying wildly into the sky.  Did the fish dive deeper into the choppy water to hide from the storm?

Here's hoping to a quiet hurricane season.