Edisto Beach
There are lots of cardinals here, and they seem even more red than they are back in Minnesota. Maybe they tan? And maybe they are the same ones, doing the same thing as I am, escaping the cold weather for some sunshine and new views. One perched just a few feet from me on a branch. We made eye contact, but only briefly because birds are always twitching their heads like they’ve done meth. But in that glance he seemed to recognize me. Probably he remembered me because of all the free bird food I’ve given him and his little friends over the years, without so much as a thank you.
On the beach today I found a sand dollar. It reminded me of my grandma Beckel, who on more than one occasion brought me some sand dollars when I was very little. I kept them in a drawer for a long time, taking them out to wonder at their patterns. My grandma was a funny, witty woman, always game for anything, and kind to a fault. My mom shares many of those same qualities. It was nice to think of her then, my grandmother there on a beach, some 35+ years ago, before she passed, collecting those sand dollars and thinking, “Adam would like these.” I put the sand dollar in my pocket. Later, I found it there in pieces, because I’d forgotten to take it out and sat on it.
Today I finally rewired a cutoff switch and then tested two solar panels, one borrowed, one bought. I was able to run my wifi, computer, an exhaust fan, and all the lights in my camper while still gaining power on the battery. It helped that it was sunny with clear skies, but I should be fine to boondock in the national forest without electricity. That’s a big win.
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