Walking an hour and more on the boardwalk trail
Through the Six Mile Cypress Slough looking all around
No need to watch underfoot for roots or stones or ice
The way uneven frozen terrain requires careful steps.
The air on my skin like the warm breath of a pleasant day
Invites us on our morning excursion in the nature preserve
Lets us begin our day inspired by beauty
Catching a glimpse of lovely elusive birds.
Another morning our senses are touched and stroked
Walking Bunche Beach along the shallow Estero bay
Gentle waves pulsing quietly beside us
Blue expanse of sky and water undulating.
Not far away inland freshwater Harns Marsh
Bounded by the four mile hike around on the berm
Delights us with an abundance of wading birds
Host to the spectacle of strutting cranes trumpeting their calls.
And for a special day Sanibel Island across the causeway
If you time it right going early at low tide to the wildlife refuge
The destination in the gulf everyone knows and visits to see
The thousands of shorebirds and many huge white pelicans.
These are the places close around us we enjoy now
In December and January returning often whenever we like
Or venturing a bit further to other favorite sites
Relaxed and happy to be here together.
Winter we remember as a time of difficult days
Surviving the harsh cold or shut indoors bundled up
Needing to endure to remain working to earn our keep
Before our turn in the subtropics to live a life of ease.
