Dry oases

Isn’t it always the case in life that it’s the dialog that matters most.

That’s what you look for in friends or on any subject that matters: just a chance to informally flip an idea back and forth for a while.

It’s in speaking out loud, whether to a friend or an acquaintance or even just a by stander on the street, that a mind starts to build and fuse ideas, share a laugh, and might take one to an unexpected place you’d never thought you’d tread.

Hydrology’s the perfect case example of that.

It’s my profession, and a bit of a passion to be sure, but its greatest reward is that there are so many others out there both far and near that are also intrigued by the watery world around us.

There’s a misconception out there that online journals help you connect with the far away world in its most distant reaches (I have a few readers from Australia).

But blogs are just as good with connecting us with the close-by corners that are right under our noses and that otherwise – in the day in day out grind that we live our lives – we may never have had a chance to share an idea with.

That leads me to my “email bag.”

Here’s a few photos and narrative I received by email from a Big Cypress local.

Traversing the Big Cypress the last thing on your mind would be the need for an oasis.

But after miles of cypress and prairie, you will find areas that suddenly are green and thick with foliage.

Unlike the desert oasis, these areas are formed not by water but by the lack of it. A spot of high ground surrounded by water.

Like the desert oasis, they provide habitat for many species, especially in the wet season.

Man also seeks out these oases in the swamp.

Built in 1954 the people who built this brought materials over many miles of tough terrrain to enjoy this spot. Termites and hurricanes have gotten the best of their hard work, but the wildlife and foilage haven’t noticed a bit of change.

Thanks for sharing Brian, and thanks for taking us to one of those unexpected places we never thought we’d tread.