I could not believe how big the River crayfish were at McKee Falls. I had decided to go to the bank of the Falls and explore. I saw what I thought could have been killdeer in the distance. Suddenly I looked down at my feet and I noticed at least three gigantic crayfish scurrying on the rocks back into the River. They all were at least four inches from head to tail. It was only minutes from dawn and they are nocturnal creatures. To me, it was a big discovery. I was not even thinking about them. I never did make a positive identification of the birds that were hugging the shore in the distance.

I made two discoveries at the shore of the Susquehanna River.  It was a mere four blocks away and I loved wandering to its shore never knowing exactly what I would see next.  I always wondered why I hardly saw any crayfish in the river.  Then one night I walked there with my flashlight and shone its light on the water.  The crayfish were everywhere.  Then I realized crayfish must be nocturnal creatures.  That is why I did not see them too often during the day.

Another time, also from my small town, I wanted to see the stars better.  There were just too many lights in town.  I even went up to the hill by the cemetery and looked into the valley and at the sky–still the same story.  There were too many lights to see the stars clearly.

Then one night I went to the River and there they were–the stars were in full display.

orion

So many things are in plain sight but you have to change your routine slightly, walk, maybe, to a different spot, go at a different time and discover beauty was there all along.  We are such creatures of habit and those habits sometimes imprison us and somehow you need to modify them to open up a different world that was at your feet all along.  (to be continued)