I snapped this picture one evening in August as I was wrapping up a fishing trip on the lake in front of our house.  I didn't think much of it at the time other than I liked the effect of the sun disappearing off the horizon.  However, while we were in Charleston, I was admiring the sunset over the Ashley river area and this reminded me of the universality of our resources: Sun, Air, Water, etc....  I thought about the times I've been on the water and watched a plastic bottle or bag float by which has found its way into the "drink".  I've heard of plastic universes which exist in the most remote parts of our oceans.  It's a burr for me when I walk shorelines and find obvious, intentional pollution from whatever source; private or public.  In fact, this week my wife sat on a bench in a park and watched me retrieve a complete tire and rim floating in the Clinch River.  (It was a bit much for me to take home so I placed it on the grass hoping the local city workers will get it.)  I hear the stories of the immense pollution in Rio where the 2016 Olympics are to be held and the issues many nations are raising regarding their concern for their competitive sailors.  
With all of this I really contemplate the role I need to play in stewardship of the beautiful earth our Heavenly Father has placed in our care.  Whether it's recycling, reusing, and in many cases refusing (use the same cup instead of constantly getting a new one for every cup of coffee/tea/etc...).  With that in mind, here are a couple of ideas we have incorporated into our personal lives to minimize wastefulness.

1. Sailors Showers: Ever wonder how much water you waste during a shower?  Try this: A. Turn on the water and wet your entire body. B. Turn off the water and then lather up.  C. Turn on the water and rinse. 
2. Use the same towel for drying.  Think about it; you're drying your clean body with a towel so why not hang it up to dry for your next use.
3. Buy gallon jugs of Spring water and refill a portable water bottle instead of purchasing multiple, throwaway bottled waters.
4. I burn discarded papers in our fire pit (along with any dead wood I have) and by doing so, I eliminate the amount of garbage we discard to our local land-field.  Be careful on the types of paper you burn as some contain plastic which is not good for the atmosphere nor your lungs.

I know there are many more ways to conserve and preserve so feel free to comment.  I'm always looking for neat, new ways to do so.

We had a great trip to Isle of Palms this year.  It's been several years since our last visit to the Charleston Area/Barrier Islands (10 or so) and it was pretty eye-opening to see the beach erosion.  I know it's hard to see in this picture but if you can see where the wave appear to break farther out, this is a sandbar which is accessible during low-tide.  I took a few picture of Dump Trucks driving out on the bar and being loaded by an earth (sand) mover and then driving a mile or so north on the beach and dumping the sand.  I do recall on our last trip during one of my morning walks noticing the tide getting very close to the golf course but whether it's global warming, climate change, man-made erosion, there's definitely an issue on the island.  Makes me wonder about St. Simons, Wadamalaw, Tybee, etc....  Regardless, I still enjoyed our brief time there and hope to return sooner than a decade later.