“Through the Watches of the Night,” an original acrylic painting copyright by artist Susan Walton, S. A. Walton Studio, Hudson, Florida.

A pair of night herons roost in a mangrove tree at De Soto National Memorial, by the light of a full moon. Native “Spanish moss” graces their hideaway in the softest of natural lace, silvery in the moonlight.

It wasn’t always so peaceful. De Soto National Memorial marks a tumultuous point in history where Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernando de Soto’s army started out on a four year journey through the south in 1539.

But peace has returned, and now it is a refuge for this pair to preen together and prepare for their next adventure. The Gulf glimmers under a dark blue sky of twinkling stars and, for the moment, all seems peaceful and calm in this world. There is no rush of winds or roar of storm driven waves, no trouble in view, just two lives sharing one tree with a view into infinity.

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