The love of nature begins within the family.
Our children learn and understand what we teach them.
(Kyle 5, Alex 3)
My sons, Kyle and Alex, years ago with their father, Randy, looking at what he caught in a dip net. It didn't really matter what we did together outside, the kids were happy to be with us. We just happen to like nature, and we shared that love with our children.
My sons, Kyle and Alex, years ago with their father, Randy, looking at what he caught in a dip net. It didn't really matter what we did together outside, the kids were happy to be with us. We just happen to like nature, and we shared that love with our children.
(Kyle- 7)
My son, Kyle, after he planted his first few bulrush- helping out the family environmental restoration business, EnvironMend. He was so proud of himself that I had to capture the moment. Because of the nature in our business, mainly snakes and alligators, the kids were only allowed to help with newly constructed lakes.
(Alex, age 5, and Kyle, age 7, at Mt. Arenal, Costa Rica)
The funniest thing is years later, when he attended the Environmental Research and Field Academy (JERFSA) in high school, one of Kyle's professors said that he didn't seem enthusiastic on class trips because he didn't participate enough in the wetland plantings. Kyle explained to me later that it was because the other kids needed to know what it was like, he learned a long time ago how awesome nature was.
(Kyle, 21)
His love of nature took him to the beach where he has been an avid surfer his whole life.
His love of nature took him to the beach where he has been an avid surfer his whole life.
Kyle is now studying to become an engineer with a solid environmental background. He learned about stress fractures with his surfboard when he 'shot a tube' and it closed down on him, breaking his surfboard into pieces. Yes, respect the ocean, it harnesses extreme energy.
My youngest son, Alex, just finished his first year of college on the Dean's list. Although he's an excellent musician, he's not sure exactly what he wants to major in yet, but he excels in science and journalism. Both Kyle and Alex help me with EnvironMend when they're not attending school.
Throughout the years, my kids basically grew up with plants and our love of environmental restoration. One of the places that holds very special memories for us as a family is the Holman Ranch, located just west of Vero, FL. The Holman Ranch had to be one of the very best places to visit for work. We collected plants there for over a decade, until the place was sold. Used as a certified pick site for environmental restoration, we visited often and developed a wonderful friendship with the family. Peter's crazy horses followed us everywhere, while the cows could care less.
One of my favorite wetland/transitional plants to use, Blue Flag Iris, produces a beautiful periwinkle blue flower annually- usually around March. Fields of Blue Flag Iris in full bloom covered the land on both sides of the road leading up to the ranch in the Spring, a very warm welcome.
The Holman Ranch was a special place and I have great memories of my kids running and playing where some of the greatest baseball players relaxed- and played too. The lodge on the Holman Ranch was used by the LA Dodgers during spring training as a retreat during the 1960's-1980's.
The lodge was a simple old-style Florida house, lifted up off the ground with a tall roof and large mounted ceiling fans for circulating the warm, humid air. The great room, completely paneled in pecky cypress, had heads of deer mounted all around; a large fireplace with a huge cypress mantel took up a whole wall at the far end of the room. The largest deer bust with the most points was mounted over the mantel, staring glassy-eyed across the room. A long solid wood table with matching benches on each side ran the length of the room. Pictures of many of the players in their Dodger's uniform were mounted on the walls throughout the room and down into a long hallway that led to the bedrooms. Each picture was carefully labeled, year after year. Time stood still.
Small dormitory-like bedrooms dotted both sides of the hallway. The rooms were simple, with custom made wooden bunk beds and a matching dresser, the pecky cypress still looked new and smelled fairly fresh. Autographed mini baseball bats were mounted in each room and framed photographs of the different players that were members of the Dodger's club throughout the years were neatly mounted throughout the rooms. All young and bright-eyed with hopes and dreams of a great career. The Holman Ranch helped make a lot of dreams come true, including mine.
(Blue Cypress Lake)
Nature has so much to teach us. Infusing nature in life keeps a necessary balance.
In life, sometimes we are the student, and sometimes we are the teacher- but no matter what,
we are our children's first teacher.
In the end, we conserve what we love.
We love what we understand.
We understand what we are taught.
-Baba Dioum
