I feel fortunate to be alive after the harrowing drive home from southwest Florida. Too many fast trucks and idiots on cell phones not watching what they are doing. The speed limit is just a suggestion apparently to most. Had a great visit with friends and relatives though that more than made up for the dangers of driving. Even got a few photos to share.

Consider the tides. The angle of the earths tilt and its rotation about the sun, and the rotation of the moon around the earth give rise to the gravitational bulge on the waters of the earth that we call the tides. Depending on time of year and latitude you may have diurnal (one high and one low) tidal cycles or semi-diurnal (two high and two low) tides. And then there are mixed tides. Storm surge and other wind patterns can also affect the tides as we experienced in Hurricane Irma. During my southwest Florida excursion, I captured some wonderful photos at low tide. Low tide is not especially the best time to capture photos due to the exposed topography of the estuaries but that is when the birds can see and capture the fish and other critters trapped by the low water levels. It is prime feeding time for wading marsh and shorebirds. When the tides are higher, the diving birds are chasing the incoming or outgoing schools of fish. Raptors such as Osprey and Eagles also feed on the ebb and flow of tides. As my good friend Mike also observed, boats can get stuck more easily at low tide and you have to keep an eye out for gators lurking in the midst. So do consider the tides my friends when making your plans.

Life too has its highs and lows. When we are in our youth and riding the high tide of life, all the nutrients and experiences we encounter fill us with energy (but not necessarily wisdom). Then comes the ebb and flow into low tide. You get stuck sometimes and just have to wait till things get better. But as long as the "sun" rises so must we. Be Blessed.