When I was a kid I clearly remember nuclear drills when we were shooed under our desks due to a "mock attack". Since then I have felt fairly safe in the US and my current home on Daufuskie Island just off Savannah Georgia. The Chinese seem to be very so far away and I figure Israel's Netanyahu will wipe out Iran's nukes when he gets around to it. But an attack by the Portuguese...now that is another matter. Well not the the Portugese people mind you, they are known to be kind hearted folk .... Portuguese Man of Wars.
The ocean onslaught came on Christmas Eve as they quietly approached our shores by the hundreds. Resembling an old warship at full sail their purple blue gas filled polyp tops outlined in pretty pink pushed them landward at high tide. Their camouflage, beautiful to ones eyes, act as a deterrent to be squished under heel and toe. But make no mistake, these siphonophores, also know as bluebottles, deliver an excruciatingly painful sting to humans. Venomous beyond belief their long, thin tendrils can extend 165 feet in length below the surface. More importantly their sting can be felt even when dead washed onto the shore.
Now I dont know if any Islanders were attacked by these creatures decked out in their masked finery but I must admit I succombed to their beauty and for a brief moment put finger to organism. I felt no dismay but that might have been a different story if picked up by a small child or "nosed" by mans best friend.
As I progress through the later years of my life I continue to be amazed at God's creations and the beauty of Mother Nature. In this case a simple organism brought me back to years past when death and destruction seemed imminent in my young mind. Thankfully this attack did not prove fatal and somehow, with God's help the year 2012 will provide some sense of peace. Daufuksie Island and its magnificent Bloody Point will continue to welcome folks from around the world and creatures from the sea. Yes, even the Portuguese.
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