Winter Solstice's Blustery Tradition

For the 5th year in a row, Winter solstice was cold and windy at Shell Mound.

About 35 hearty folks came out to celebrate the shortest day of the year with Friends of Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys NWRs. The hot tea was a hit and disappeared quickly. The iced tea and lemonade . . . not so much. 

Musicians John Thalacker, Doug Lindhout, and Sandy Lindhout came to entertain, but their instruments and fingers refused to play in the misty cold.

Donna Thalacker led a guided walk along the Dennis Creek Trail and Peg Hall along the Shell Mound Trail.

We all stood on the pier and watched the sky where we knew the sun was setting behind the clouds. We thought good thoughts about our Indian ancestors and about our Refuge that protects this legacy for all of us. 

We will be back for Summer Solstice in June and maybe next December, we will see the Winter Solstice sun set in a cloudless sky near Palmetto Mound. Plan to come!

On the Shell Mound Trail

Sun is setting there behind the clouds