Most American’s lives are too easy; that sounds like something Dennis Miller said, Obama thinks on the O’Riley news commentary show months ago.  I think so, too!  If you think I’m a little nuts or maybe more, you may be right!  If it works or I can make it work, that’s enough.  That’s all I ask.  Of course not everything will work, but what doesn’t I’ll discard, keep what does, and never fix what ain’t broke!  It’s also real nice if I can wear a T shirt, sandals and shorts every day in the winter and I really try to avoid noise and populated places.  That’s as close as requirements go.   Life is much more appreciable when it is a little challenging. I don’t think it was meant to be as easy as it is for us. In this country our poorest are richer than most people in the world. We don’t need a shower every day, flush toilets, elevators, smart phones (my dumb one is fine, especially if it’s off most of the time), three meals a day, air conditioning, etc. We are very lucky and I am very thankful for my good fortune.
    I’m fascinated with what I see and for my life that’s enough; explanation and understanding are finite, like the concluding darkness of putting out the flame of a candle. I don’t need to understand or have the explanation. I want the wonderment to continue. I like it! I’m happy with the intrigue of the roads to NoWhereLand and my options are limitless. Humans are limited; few swim, none fly, and generally we stay within a few miles of where we’re brought into this world, and humans are always warring somewhere. Mother Nature’s critters live much simpler lives, are content to take care of their basic needs, let others do the same, and some, such as an anhinga and others, can soar with the eagles, swim with the fishes, and dive to the depths with them, too! Wow if I could do that!!!
    My nest (a slide-in camper on a pickup truck) is well stocked with all my essentials and has all the amenities that my tent had that I used for ten plus years during meanderings to our country’s warm and remote natural places in the winter. I call them Adventures. They occur one day at a time with little planning, except for a general route from Ocean City south to Florida and then west staying where it’s warm as much as possible.
    Photography is my game. It isn’t rocket science; if it were I wouldn’t be doing it! The cornerstones of nature photography are doing it in good light, being there, being ready, and always be looking for the unusual. Of course I miss a lot, but I get my share of good ones too. Many of my eye catching, head turning, unique ones that have impact will be here supporting my articles.
    My articles will contain tales of my wanderings with a little philosophy, humor, photo, travel, and camping how to’s and prattle, which I hope you’ll find enjoyable and doesn’t bore you to tears.  I’m always amazed that people actually tell me they read what I write!
    As I meander I’m truly free! I don’t have to do nothing, no way, or anyhow, as John LaMere says it! Nothing, absolutely nothing! The way life should be. It’s 85 degrees, there’s no requirements, no people, no hassles, and few restrictions. I have no plans or agenda. I’m going to sleep when I’m tired; if I go to bed at 6 pm and get up in the middle of the night, who cares. I’ll eat when I’m hungry. The usual 8am, noon and 4-5pm doesn’t apply! I’m going to stay as long as I’m enjoying myself. Sure it would be nice to be in Key West for Christmas and New Year’s, but it isn’t necessary. I’ll get there eventually.  Here it really doesn’t matter. The US Park Service didn’t screw it up like they wanted, at least not just yet. (Bus-sized RV sites with electric, water, & sewage hook ups is what the USPS intended - terrible idea!  This is a naturalist’s delight; city, noise making, yuppy people would not appreciate what is here and the construction would’ve destroyed a lot.)
    They did dissolve the neighborhood, though. None of the familiar faces were present when I drove through the main camp ground. I guess they all found other over wintering locations; too bad. Here alligators abound, there’re panthers, bears and lots of critters that can’t be seen anywhere else in the country, but in America’s Jungle, where Mother Nature shows me something most other people never see in a lifetime! I had my heart set on catching a mess of blue crabs, but as everywhere I’ll meander, if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate it ain’t gonna happen! It turned windy, cloudy and rained! Not crabbing weather; I’ll try again for sure.
    I‘m about 1,200 miles south of Ocean City camped deep in the EverGlades at Big Cypress (www.nps.gov/bicy/) in a campground called, Pink Jeep. From here I’ll go on to the Keys (sunrises, kayaking & warmth), then back to south west Florida for the EverGlades City Seafood (country rock music), a few more perennial stops, then I’ll be heading for the oasis of Cibola NWR south of Blythe, Az. where there’s a river, lake, wetland, lots of wildlife - all in the middle of the desert!  After feasting on the buffets in Las Vegas, I’ll be off to where I’ve never been before and probably won’t go again, British Columbia. (That part of the trip didn’t happen; too cold.) And then I’ll be heading back to Ocean City to feast on Maryland Blue Claw Crabs. If this didn’t make sense, maybe my following articles will explain the details and maybe not!
Bob R  o.c.FotoGuy
more photos @ picasaweb.google.com/o.c.fotoguy2009
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PHOTOSAsYouWantThem.biz, articles @ Coconuttimes.com