Apalachicola River: A Magical Place That Is Beautiful And Endangered

Rusted Building in the Morning Light, Apalachicola Riverfront

Please go to my new blog at: http://www.lynnebuchanan.com/blog/ to read my post about my recent trip to the Apalachicola River and my visit and boat trip with Dan Tonsmiere, the Apalachicola Riverkeeper.  

Tate's Hell Brought Me One Step Closer to Heaven

The Pine Log Creek Maze ©Lynne Buchanan

To read about my incredible journey through Tate's Hell, please go to my website and read the full blog there with many photographs of this amazing, pristine wilderness.  Here is the link: http://www.lynnebuchanan.com/blog/.  Enjoy!

The Matanzas Part One: The Threat Of Sea Level Rise And One Of The Last Best Rivers In Florida

Matanzas Grasses in the Early Morning Light

For all my readers, I am switching my blog over to: http://www.lynnebuchanan.com/blog/
Please go to the new blog and if you have an RSS reader enter this URL to receive automatic updates. You can also sign up on the About Me page...  It was getting too time consuming to update both the blog and the website, so I am switching entirely over to the website.  You can also get updates by liking and checking my Lynne Buchanan Photography Facebook page for updates.

Here are a couple of other photographs included in the blog.  Click on the link above for the rest of the photographs and the complete story.

Thank you!

Suspended

The End of the Road (Where the A1A was washed into the ocean)

The Merits of Saving the Indian River Lagoon

Sunset Indian River

Last month, I visited the Indian River Lagoon with Riverkeeper Marty Baum and his friend Gunnar Johnson.  The Indian River Lagoon is ground zero for water quality problems in Florida.  They have even had two funerals for this waterway.  It is heavily used by people and the hand of man has had a very negative impact on it, yet there are still beautiful areas and if we adopted better water policies the situation could be improved and it could bounce back, which is why Marty works as hard as he does.

Ball of Fire, Indian River

Riverkeeper Marty Baum on Patrol

Marty is a fifth generation Floridian and remembers when the waterways were crystal clear and a beautiful blue color all through the lagoon.  Today the water is dark and frequently almost black in places.  

St. Lucie Line

Marty drove us out to where you can see the line created by the dark waters of the St. Lucie juxtaposed against the clearer blue water of the Atlantic.  It was shocking to see the contrast. Marty, an avid fisherman for much of his life, only fishes for sport in these waters knowing what he does about the water quality issues here.

Clearer Ocean Water Beyond the Mouth of the St. Lucie

If Marty were to eat any of the fish he catches, he would catch them here or further out in the Atlantic.  When I saw the color of this water, I was both happy and sad.  Happy that clear water still exists, but sad at what has been lost in the Indian River Lagoon.

Island in a Dying River

The five mile radius around this island once boasted more biodiversity than anywhere in North America.  Now it is heading towards a monoculture.  Because of the tides and the way the rivers in the lagoon flow, this side of the St. Lucie gets more of the darker waters from Lake Okeechobee, while the other side gets more of the clearer ocean water.  We didn't see any fish jump and hardly even saw any birds on this side.  Coming back, we traveled along the opposite shore.

Pelican Landing on Bird Island

Marty took us to a bird island on this side that had quite a number of birds. I was happy to see that they looked pretty healthy, as I had read the horror stories of the pelicans dying along with the manatees and dolphins from 2011 to 2013.  Nevertheless, fishing in these waters must still be taking a toll on their health.  Unlike people, it is not an option for birds to decide to just fish for sport.  We watched these beautiful creatures for quite some time and a few highlights are included below. 

Pelican in Flight

Roosting on Bird Island

Landing in the Waters of the St. Lucie

Watching all these pelicans and other birds fly in and out, I wondered if they would still find enough to eat here if the water quality continues to deteriorate.  Marty and Gunnar told me about the second phase of a restoration program to reintroduce live oysters to the river.  Each oyster can filter 50 gallons of water per day.  350 volunteers grew about 60,000 oysters in the past year.  Old shells, after being dried out to kill bacteria, are put back into the river as well, to provide habitat for the new oysters.  Gunnar was helping in the volunteer efforts to put them in the water.  Marty said he couldn't risk it, as he had recently suffered from MRSA, which people have been getting from putting their arms or other body parts in the river if they have open wounds.  My hat fell off my head, and I checked my hands before I reached in to pull it out.  

Oyster Restoration Project

After we got off the river, Gunnar drove us up to the locks and we arrived in time to see one of the releases.  The water coming out was disgusting brown sludge.  It did not even look like water to me, which was even more I saw some catfish swimming just outside of the lock.  It boggled my mind that anything could live in that water at all, and I wondered in how many ways the systems of these fish had mutated.

The scum along the shoreline shows the effects of too many nitrates and other chemicals in the water, which alter the balance of life.  Certain weeds, grasses and plants along the banks may thrive, but the diversity within our waterways is strangled. It is this toxic water, along with the water released from Lake Okeechobee that makes its way into the St. Lucie and the Indian River Lagoon. Although the death rates of ocean mammals and pelicans are not as extreme as they were between 2011 and 2013, the images of the water you see here show how much pollution still remains.  The Indian River Lagoon still has a long way to go before it is heathy again, but Marty and other experts believe it is possible if the right steps are taken.  

Astoria, A Great Little Fishing Town Along the Columbia River...

Sunset, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

Sunset Geometry ©Lynne Buchanan

When I was in Oregon for a Flash Powder retreat, we went into Astoria on two different occasions.  Located along the Columbia River, this fishing town has a great vibe and lots to look at.  The sunsets we saw both nights were wonderful, one we saw from down by the piers and the other from the top of the column.  

Sunset from the Column, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

Breaking Rays, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

There were lots of interesting pilings covered in green algae that made interesting patterns along the shoreline.  In the daytime, the emerald hues called the most attention, while at dusk they created patterns that lead towards the horizon.

Algae Covered Piers, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

Last Light Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

The seals were hiding on the plants under the buildings on stilts.  They made lots of noise and found their way into lots of unusual patterns.  It was difficult to photograph them with the shadow and light, but then this one seal came right underneath me and kept looking up.  The light caught him perfectly making his whiskers appear golden.

Seal in Repose ©Lynne Buchanan

Decomposing Dock ©Lynne Buchanan

One of the things that fascinated me most about Astoria was all the old docks and patterns created by the decomposing docks.  I can't wait to use these images as transfers in my multimedia paintings.  The textures were incredible.

Wall Painting, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

Old Car, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

There were lots of quirky things in Astoria too. The wall painting with the fish and cat above had some weird hovering beings in the shadows.  The old car below actually must still run, because the first time we were in town we saw it here and the next time it was on another street.  Amazing.

First Signs of Spring ©Lynne Buchanan

The first signs of spring were on the trees and filled me with such happiness, especially silhouetted against a blue sky with fluffy white clouds.  Last time I was in the Pacific Northwest it was raining constantly by the time I left, so I was very grateful for the beautiful weather on this trip.

Magic is Happening in Seaside

View from the Cliff, Seaside ©Lynne Buchanan

Tidal Pool ©Lynne Buchanan

The late afternoon light on the beach in Portland was amazing.  Such a drastic change from the bleak morning.  Amazing how changing the light and climate is here, and when the late day sun came out I couldn't stay inside any longer.  The flowers, glasses, clouds, and sand patterns were such a visual delight and could have been been over the top, but finding the right path into the scene created visual harmony.

The Illusion of a Path to Somewhere ©Lynne Buchanan

Zigzag to the Inlet ©Lynne Buchanan

The first photo looked like footprints to somewhere, but they were raised up instead of indented, a positive impression that tricked my mind.  The light lit up the zigzags patterns in the sand and made them vibrate.

Driftwood Drone ©Lynne Buchanan

Driftwood By the Sea ©Lynne Buchanan

Pointing to the Last Light ©Lynne Buchanan

The driftwood on the beach created shadows, lines and such drama with the light and shoreline.  Such fun to look at from different handles and engage with.

Divine Magic ©Lynne Buchanan

God rays always are always a welcome sight, especially when they are so evenly and perfectly spaced.  The way the energy from this orb that gives us fire to grow and evolve was just about to burst from the top of the cloud was such a fitting sight in this workshop with Flash Powder Projects, where we are all working to open to what it is that makes us create our art.  If I needed a sign, here it was...

Portland Has it All

Field of Wildflowers ©Lynne Buchanan

Lupine ©Lynne Buchanan

This was my first visit to Portland in the spring and it was so beautiful.  My friends drove me through the Columbia River Gorge to this incredible field by the side of the road that we wandered all over.   Flowers covered the field and for a moment I forgot about droughts and other problems facing our planet, although they said even here there was not enough snow this year.

Hood River Rocks ©Lynne Buchanan

The Alchemy of Water ©Lynne Buchanan

After the field, we drove on to a little overlook of the Hood River and climbed through the trees to the rocks.  Watching the water fall over and around the rocks, finding its path in the beautiful light was magical.  I especially liked studying fall into crevices and then spill out on the other side, transformed by the flow of water, something that we take fore granted but which we should cherish as the source of life that is it.

Mount Hood with Clouds Approaching ©Lynne Buchanan

There was snow on the top of the mountain and the trees looked so beautiful dusted in white as the 

dark ominous clouds hovered over our heads.

Under the Burnside Bridge ©Lynne Buchanan

Rainbow over the Hawthorne Bridge ©Lynne Buchanan

When we got back into town, I decided to walk up and down along the Willamette River.  A storm was approaching, which added a lot of drama and made the lighting conditions interesting.  First part of a rainbow appeared, then part of a second, and then when I continued past the Hawthorne Bridge, I saw the full rainbow over the bridge.  I was about to change my lens to the widest one, when the skies opened up and I had to take shelter.  

Waterfall, Portland Japanese Garden ©Lynne Buchanan

Japanese Maple ©Lynne Buchanan

The last day together, we returned to the  Portland Japanese Garden.  Last time I was there in the fall and there were no leaves on the Japanese Maple, nor were the plants in bloom.  It was so spectacular. The gardens were beautiful in the fall too, though the explosion of color in spring is quite different.  Looking forward to returning to Portland again soon!  You can experience every weather and lighting condition in a single day, which is quite unusual.