
I love this old photo! Isn’t it great? Young adventurers right here along the St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon!
The young boys in the photograph include my little brother, Todd, (far right) and his two best friends just “livin’ it” on a homemade raft sometime in the early 80s. I remember my sister Jenny and I used to yell: “Where’s Todd?” And my mother would be peeling potatoes and just shrug her shoulders–“at the river?” We knew he was somewhere exploring and or fishing with his friends. What a beautiful time and place…

I read a great book a few years back by Bahamian actor, Sidney Poitier, “The Measure of a Man.” Poitier is the handsome, black actor who broke ground and starred in the controversial 1964 film, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” In his autobiography, Poitier says he learned everything he needed to know about navigating the hot racial politics of Hollywood by being a kid growing up in Cat Island because his parents gave him full reign to make decisions in the elements of nature …
A certain degree of freedom during childhood allows for great character building, critical thinking skills, and self-esteem. These traits of course translate into adulthood…
For me, “this” is perhaps the primary reason why we must fight hard today for our rivers. We must give the children of today and the future a place where kids can go and “just be kids”…..and learn….It may never agin be like it was in 1880, or 1930, or 1970 but something happens when a kid gets to play—to imagine….we must support and encourage this freedom of development.
The Army Corp of Engineers this week has kindly decided to lower the releases into the St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon at the request of Martin County to fulfill bacteria testing that cannot be accomplished with the gushing waters of Lake Okeechobee pouring through C-44 into the St Lucie River. This is good news and thank you.
We had tremendous rain yesterday and last night, but maybe, just maybe the waters by the St Lucie Inlet and southern Indian River Lagoon will be bluer and cleaner this weekend and coming week. If so, please do what Mark Perry of Florida Oceanographic (http://www.floridaocean.org) charged us all to do at the Rivers Coalition (http://riverscoalition.org) meeting: “Get out there and enjoy the river!” Take your kids! Take your parents! Let you kids be Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn for a day! 🙂
I will include below some of the latest data from the ACOE and SFWMD but you know, one day, I dream of not having to study this stuff so much, and just enjoying “our good nature” while watching the kids run around and play by a clean, healthy river…







another great article Jacqui
🙂
Jacqui,
The aerial photo may be older than the 1980s; It appears to be before the jetties were built.
W.E. “Ted” Guy, Jr.
643 SW Fuge Rd
Stuart, Fl 34997
(772) 287-4106 (home)
(772) 485-1866 (cell/car)
guywe2@gmail.com
Interesting no jetties! Mark Perry did write in saying photo was from his brother Chris in 1983. Great to hear from you Ted.
Great! I remember those âHuck Fin Daysâ on the river.
The photo may be from my brother, Chris, as he took a lot of aerials for realtors and development of Sailfish Point. Looks like the one attached which CP did in 1983.
Take care.
Mark D. Perry
Executive Director
Florida Oceanographic Society
890 NE Ocean Blvd.
Stuart, Florida 34996
772-225-0505 x103
772-486-3858 (Cell)
772-225-4725 (Fax)
http://www.floridaocean.org
Florida Oceanographic’s mission is to inspire environmental stewardship of Florida’s coastal ecosystems through education and research.
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
Mark thank you so much. I changed electronic copy to reflect Chris as photographer and year 1983. So great to have your comment and input. Thanks!
Thank you Facebook friends!
Beth Whitty Ernst, Susan Robinson Dingess, Eryn Tyler Pare’ and 44 others like this.
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Justin Warren Beard Looks like a pretty sweet 3-person standup paddleboard to me!
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Mark Florman I built a few rafts like that on the New River in fort lauderdale!
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Nick Peragine Great post, Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch.
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Leathanne Wright Love Love Love it!!
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Leathanne Wright
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