A Sunny Morning on Wilmington's Christina River

A nearly cloudless sky led me down to the Christina River in Wilmington this morning. Past the tents set up for network TV to broadcast with the Wilmington skyline in the background, past the restaurants with outdoor seating areas, and continuting south along the Riverfront trail, my goal was the DuPont Environmental Education Center.

Once an industrial "brownfield," the environmental area opened in 2009 with a marshland creating a natural area to replace an industrial wasteland. There is an education building with a permanent exhibit  highlighting artwork featuring wildfowl paintings. 

A stairway leads down to a loop boardwalk around the marsh. At this time of year, the birds have pretty much eaten all the wild rice and seed grasses, so the only visible fauna was some ducks swimming in circles on the pond. I did learn that a couple of bald eagles were spotted earlier just to the north, but no such luck for me. But it was very peaceful during my walk as I imagined beavers splashing through the marsh (but they have not decided to return to the area yet).

Heading back north, I passed lots of dogwalkers, many with 2 or 3 dogs on leashes, and lots of parents with small children on bikes or in strollers,  almost all wearing face masks (such smart people taking advantage of nature and paying attention to science). I was motivated by the thought that Timothy's restaurant had a grilled salmon and citrus asparagus salad on their menu that sounded like just the ticket. Luckily for me, they had a table facing the river in an area with no other diners where I felt comfortable (not wanting a crowded indoor dining situation).  The salad was delicious and large enough to take a nice portion home for dinner. That's what I call a nice morning (and lunchtime)!