The Moment I Knew

When I was around four years old, in the mid-1950s, my family moved to Folly Beach, South Carolina.

The house sat across the road from a beautiful beach. I had never seen a beach before we moved there. I remember the white sand stretching as far as I could see and endless waves-no two ever seemed to look the same. There were tidal pools, seagulls, pelicans, sand dunes, and a blue sky.

Image courtesy of Jon Gleman

Jon is a retired biologist, ecologist, and NASA engineer. He has a deep love for our planet, and his writing draws inspiration from his experiences in nature as a youth and throughout his career. Jon hopes his writing encourages people to connect with nature and help protect our home.

Image courtesy of Jon Gleman

Jon’s new book, “Life’s Journey (Unfinsihed)” is available on Amazon.
The move literally opened a whole new world for me. This is where my love of the ocean began. Every day was a new adventure. I remember running up and down the beach with my brothers and sister. We’d splash in the waves and explore the tidal pools. At home, we set up a small aquarium in our living room. We put small crabs and shrimp in the tank along with some small fish and, occasionally, a seahorse, if we were lucky enough to find one.

New Home, Same Love

After much too short a time, we moved again, eventually landing in Miami when I was six. Our move allowed my love of nature to continue. Every chance we had, my brothers and I would go to the fields and woods near our house. We went fishing whenever we could, often from a landing off Old Cutler Road across from the Deering Estate. Usually, we’d wade out to the berm created when the channel was dredged for boats to dock at the estate. Even at high tide, a foot or so of hard ground usually showed. My mother would drop us off in the morning and pick us up at a pre-arranged time in the afternoon. We’d fish and snorkel the day away.

A Life Changing Read

When I was around 10 years old, my love of nature took a turn when my mother and I were in the book section of a department store. I found a copy of Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us. I sat down and started to read. She had me with the first page. What a wondrous world she opened for me! She was one of my childhood heroes.
Much to my surprise and uncontainable joy, my mother bought the book for me. It was a hardcover edition and relatively expensive, and I couldn’t wait to get home and read it from cover to cover. The Sea Around Us had a profound and lasting effect on me. After reading it, I decided I wanted to become a marine biologist. I shall remain ever grateful to my mother and Rachel Carson for turning a simple shopping trip into a life-changing event for me. Thank you both for opening that door.

The Moment I Knew

When I was around four years old, in the mid-1950s, my family moved to Folly Beach, South Carolina.

The house sat across the road from a beautiful beach. I had never seen a beach before we moved there. I remember the white sand stretching as far as I could see and endless waves-no two ever seemed to look the same. There were tidal pools, seagulls, pelicans, sand dunes, and a blue sky.

Image courtesy of Jon Gleman

Jon is a retired biologist, ecologist, and NASA engineer. He has a deep love for our planet, and his writing draws inspiration from his experiences in nature as a youth and throughout his career. Jon hopes his writing encourages people to connect with nature and help protect our home.

Image courtesy of Jon Gleman

Jon’s new book, “Life’s Journey (Unfinsihed)” is available on Amazon.
The move literally opened a whole new world for me. This is where my love of the ocean began. Every day was a new adventure. I remember running up and down the beach with my brothers and sister. We’d splash in the waves and explore the tidal pools. At home, we set up a small aquarium in our living room. We put small crabs and shrimp in the tank along with some small fish and, occasionally, a seahorse, if we were lucky enough to find one.

New Home, Same Love

After much too short a time, we moved again, eventually landing in Miami when I was six. Our move allowed my love of nature to continue. Every chance we had, my brothers and I would go to the fields and woods near our house. We went fishing whenever we could, often from a landing off Old Cutler Road across from the Deering Estate. Usually, we’d wade out to the berm created when the channel was dredged for boats to dock at the estate. Even at high tide, a foot or so of hard ground usually showed. My mother would drop us off in the morning and pick us up at a pre-arranged time in the afternoon. We’d fish and snorkel the day away.

A Life Changing Read

When I was around 10 years old, my love of nature took a turn when my mother and I were in the book section of a department store. I found a copy of Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us. I sat down and started to read. She had me with the first page. What a wondrous world she opened for me! She was one of my childhood heroes.
Much to my surprise and uncontainable joy, my mother bought the book for me. It was a hardcover edition and relatively expensive, and I couldn’t wait to get home and read it from cover to cover. The Sea Around Us had a profound and lasting effect on me. After reading it, I decided I wanted to become a marine biologist. I shall remain ever grateful to my mother and Rachel Carson for turning a simple shopping trip into a life-changing event for me. Thank you both for opening that door.