Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Yoga Vulture

Remember the black vultures of two posts ago---the ones with the vast white-tipped wingspan, ugly gray heads, and hooked beaks?  An encounter I had with one of them told me that, while they are a common sight over the Savannah marsh, one should never forget they are there.

Every morning during my week in Savannah I walked out the long boardwalk across the marsh to the small solid island the locals call the "Hammock," and then further out another long boardwalk to an isolated fishing dock over a deeper water marsh---part of the Savannah River---there to practice an early morning yoga routine to the rising sun---to breathe the breath of the universe in and out again.  Aaaahhhhh!

On the last two mornings, two of those black vultures that are always soaring over the marsh began circling overhead.  They looked for all the world like they were investigating my yoga poses---or checking to see if there might be any carrion involved.  And on the last day, I opened my eyes to become aware that one of them was circling  low and slow and close enough to alarm me out of relaxation pose into an upright position with much flailing of arms and waving of yoga mat.  

At the time it didn't seem an unnecessary precaution against the possibility that he thought I was dead meat.  In hindsight, I'm glad no one was around to see a crazy woman on a fishing dock in some sort of mysterious communication with the universe. Thankfully he lost interest, and flapped a couple of slow rattling flaps to move on.  dkm

Toward the "Hammock"
Entering the Hammock
On the Hammock
Beyond the Hammock
The distant dock
Yoga Vulture after he moved on

12 comments:

Unknown said...

You had me almost spit my water over my keyboard and hubby looked at me all curious and I had to explain why I was laughing so hard :D
Glad you didn't go into deep meditation. Could have been a real rude awakening :)

dkm said...

Amen! And I'm not proud to admit it took me a few moments to see the humor in the incident!

Unknown said...

Well, it's easy for me to laugh ;)

Jane Robertson said...

I wonder whether it was curiosity or anticipation (breakfast!). I'd love to think it was curiosity. You may be the only person IN THE WORLD who has practised yoga in the company of vultures...

I love the photos and can see why you headed out to the dock each day. The vegetation on the Hammock reminds me a little of native NZ bush.

And I love the final photo of his lordship soaring....

dkm said...

Ha ha---I doubt it---I can imagine monks on a hillside somewhere in Tibet being eyed thus. There is need of vultures the world over, right? :-)

His lordship---funny---not a benevolent one by my experience, though I recognize the good he does for his kingdom of the marsh.

Patricia Lichen said...

Oh very funny! I love the story and the photos both!

Mike B. @ slugyard.com said...

Hmmm...not sure how to take that! I imagine the vulture would have figured it out eventually!

Crosby Kenyon said...

The vulture communicating to its friend: "The beast almost had me, I tell you! Drawing me in like that. It was this close!"

hannahmiller said...

love the pohotos!

dkm said...

Ha ha, Crosby Kenyon! And you Sideshow blog is captivating!

Pukeko G said...

So was it you that Otis Redding was singing about as well ?? Nice to see you again :o)>

dkm said...

Pukeko!

Ha ha--if you mean Sittin on the Dock of the Bay, yeah, that's me!

"Sittin in the morning sun . . .

. . . left my home in Georgia . . ."