Bosque Bello (Beautiful Woods)

We got an extra early start this morning. Thanks to the rain yesterday, my pups had a bad case of cabin fever, so we were up and at the beach an hour before sunrise. I didn’t mind, because I was feeling kind of cooped up myself.

Wednesday treasures included another conch for our collection, and cool surprise. I had a happy accident happen when I took a picture of a shell that washed up at my feet. Look close, you’ll see Curly’s reflection in the bubbles.

We went back home and then I got a case of cabin fever, so I decided to do some wandering. I wanted to go back to the old cemetery I’d visited on my second trip to Amelia Island. If you remember, I was headed there a couple of weeks ago but got sidetracked by the sign outside of the Crab Trap. That squirrel! incident ended up with me meeting Teddy and Suki, so it all worked out.
Today I wasn’t going to let anything derail me, so I entered my destination on Google Maps to keep me on course.

Bosque Bello means beautiful woods in Spanish. And what a perfect name for this cemetery. It was established in 1798, and if you know me, you know I love wandering around old cemeteries. The older, the better.
I usually spend my time reading headstones, imaging the lives that were lived, and looking at sculptures – trying to figure out who picked them out for the person that was buried, who missed them the most, who they left behind. Who they loved and what made them the happiest.
But today was different. Don’t get me wrong, I did see some that caught my attention.



But the trees, the bosque bello, had most of my attention today.


I wandered around keeping an eye on where I’d parked so I wouldn’t get too far away and forget where I was. But a big hawk flew by and I followed him, and I did get lost in the cemetery for a little while.

I found a bunch of lizards I tried to warn, but I don’t think they appreciated my help. I also found evidence of squirrels but not one single fuzzy-tailed rodent, so I think they were one step ahead of me and the hawk.

I knew my van was somewhere in the back, so I took advantage of the situation and let myself be lost.
And I found this –

When I made it back to my van I had such a feeling of peacefulness. I know this sounds weird to some people, but old cemeteries always make me feel hopeful.
To see so much life – today especially, with the live oaks, lizards, the hawk, the wildflowers – in a place that’s dedicated to death, makes me feel better about everything.
And hungry, so I took advantage of not having the wild thangs with me – no dogs allowed at Bosque Bello – and went to a place with a great view from the upstairs bar of the inter-coastal waterway.

I stuffed my face with the best shrimp Po’Boy I think I’ve ever had while I read Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward and washed everything down with a cold beer. It was the perfect way to end a beautiful day.

So, that’s my first Wednesday Wandering blog, I hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to leave a comment and let me know if you too, are a taphophile (someone who loves cemeteries).
p.s Yes, I know it’s Thursday – I’m a day late thanks to technical difficulties. I’m a lot of things, but a computer person is NOT one of them, so thanks for understanding. And stay tuned!