What the geese said

I heard about a photo contest a local developer is running, selected entries to be displayed in the company's model home and perhaps used in its promotional materials for "Stillwater Harbour."  The theme is the "New Bern life style," which ideally might incorporate images from that neighborhood-in-the-making itself, right down the creek from me.  So I rose before the sun was over the horizon's clouds and drove there with my camera.

One newly built, attractive, and so far uninhabited house sits on the former quarry, with another house under construction beside it. Sixty-two additional vacant lots--er, "homesites," staked and sprouting various accoutrements for utilities--ring the water. (I think I've mentioned this place before in this blog.)

I went to the farthest lot, on a potentially picturesque overgrown outcropping.  Beyond the askew "sold" sign, weathered mobile homes and houses rested beside the unseen creek.  A rooster crowed.  Below, in the genuinely still water, some Canada geese glided by.  They had a few choice words for me: "Whaat, whaat, whaat, are you crazy?"--sounding, then, a little like my husband. "You're going to take pictures that'll help these guys sell our habitat?  Ya know, first it's 'a naturally-inspired lifestyle you’ll adore,' as the web site says, and then it's 'these stupid geese are a damn filthy nuisance.  Let's get rid of 'em.'"

Geese at Stillwater Harbour

So I said to the geese, "Oh geez, what was I thinking? Sorry." After all, the geese are our allies.  Not our buddies, of course; they are wild animals.  Yet, they have taken onto their feathery shoulders, unbidden, the responsibility of guarding the shade under our crabapple tree.  And, as I write this, one pair generously has brought their eight goslings into our unmanicured lawn to eat grubs and who know what other pests.

After snapping several shots of geese, water, and the tangled, muddy banks of the "Harbour," I headed home, resolved not to share my photos--probably not brochure-worthy anyway--with the contest sponsors. I don't resent new houses bringing new neighbors; that's inevitable, and no doubt beneficial for the city's economy.  And here we are, encroachers on creek and into Croatan, with our little herb garden in what used to be forest. Species snobs that we are, we save the cypress and massacre the mimosa. We grant safe passage to visiting geese but crush entire colonies of fire ants.

Despite such hypocrisies of my own, I wish Stillwater Harbour had a different strategy. What gets under my skin is the "mega" aspect of the place: "exclusive" and "luxury," with 100 (!) boat slips--yet, "peaceful and untouched"?  Yeah, right.

So, I won't be contributing to the marketing campaign by uploading a photo to their Facebook page. 


Although, a photo of a noisy, messy ol' Canada goose just might slow the juggernaut....