Thinking of the Gulf: A Special Guest Post from Blackbird Letterpress

A special guest post from Kathryn of blackbirdletterpress.com
As you know, Poppytalk will hold a special market next month, an Oil Spill Response Market, where part of the proceeds will go to help this disaster. I encourage everyone to join in, makers, artists, and crafters, in any way you can.

I live two hours from the gulf, closer if you drive another route. My husband, David, and I go to the coast as much as we can. He loves to fish, and I love the place. We go out to a fishing camp that's 6 miles by boat from the closest marina. It's quiet, pristine, and beautiful. The marsh is like no other place I've ever been. I lived in Montana and the Yellowstone area for almost 10 yrs in the 90s and until I went to the marsh, the mountains were unsurpassable in their beauty. But the marsh holds something vastly different, it's mysterious, abundant in species, and as I said quiet. We see dolphins off the deck, the pelicans are everywhere, the Ibises are spectacular, and my favorite bird, the Roseate Spoonbill is seen flying in all it's pink in the Fall. All of those things will change very soon.

The camp is west of the spill (what a stupid thing to call it but that's how it is known-more like a dump or invasion) and though the oil has been spotted very close by, it hasn't reached it yet. We went out there last Sunday and did not see oil. The birds around the camp were clean. With oil still gushing, it is inevitable it will be there soon. Now, I don't feel sorry for myself as I feel bad for the working fishermen that have made their lives there (and generations), the marinas, and the small businesses dependent on the gulf. I cry for the birds and the fish and all the creatures. It is a tremendous loss, and I don't think people realize the impact that it will have on the whole continent. I think the response is slow and sketchy. But it is what it is. I commend poppytalk for having this special market. Every little bit will help.

Here are some pics from last Sunday near the camp. you will see the clean boom out (for now), a bird pic, view from the deck, and a close to sunset pic with water like glass.

This impacts me directly in my free time, so don't feel bad for me. It does not have the same impact on us as it does to the people and creatures that live right there. But it still is a very special place to us, a place we feel at home. And with any luck, maybe it will stay intact, even just a little.

Remember the coast,
Kathryn....blackbirdletterpress.com

Some places to donate to: Oxfam, Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research (in charge of the bird rescue), National Wildlife Federation, to name just a few.