Lone Wader

Returning to my car after a nice lunch with a friend, I found a neon orange parking ticket on my windshield.  I first thought . . . whoops. My bad. But then I was mad at the ridiculousness of having to pay for parking at that particular place! Why? My mood changed, and my love of all things Wilmington started to recede.
To soothe my irritation, I stopped by Airlie on the way home. In spite of the heat, there was a nice breeze and enough shade from the old magnolias and live oaks to be comfortable. Down by the creek were a lot of herons in the distance, grooming themselves on the driftwood and in the trees. This fellow was wandering around in what I thought was an oyster bed, but after looking at this picture, I really don't know.
Mother Nature can always make me feel better.