Kathy chose {Water} as the theme for the month of August and growing up in an ocean city, I spent a lot of time at the beach. Summers were spent in the water, swimming, riding the waves, and when I was brave enough attempting to stand on a surfboard.  I was never really successful.  I grew up with a father who loved fishing so off the the ocean we would go.

Over the years I learned that water sustain an unbelievable amount of life.  Aside from our own lives the ocean sustains so many varieties of sea life. I have scuba dived in Mozambique, and on the South African coast and been blown away by the beauty that lives below the water surface.  Both plant life and creature life is rich with splendor that just takes your breath away.

Even in my back garden there is water and life.  Just looking in the canal today there is fish life, turtle life, and on occasions, though not today, there is alligator life.

Water is defined as ” a colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms.”

We depend on water to survive and this is why it breaks my heart to see the green algae that is coating the rivers in Florida and on Lake Okechobee, and the red tide that is washing up on the west coast of Florida’s shores killing everything in it’s wake.  It is so sad to see that whale sharks, manatee, turtles, fish are washing up dead at the edge of the ocean.

I recently watched a documentary on the amount of plastic that is killing our sea life.  We as consumers and beach goers need to take responsibility for our garbage and have the policy of what we take in we take out.  We need to be worrying about what we are doing to the very liquid that sustains all life.

I picked images this month that, for me, focused on the beauty of water.

The simplicity of water drops on a leaf. These water drops sustain not only the plant but the dragonfly, the lizards and various other critters.

The fish in the canal causing ripples as they dive for pieces of bread.  This river sustains the life of the local fish, the turtles, the alligators that travel up and down and so much bird life.

The gorgeous jewels made by water drops on a spiders web are some of my favorite {Water} images.

Tiny Moorhen Chicks live and feed in the water.  Their diet being different plants that sit in the shallow waters.  They have tiny wings and great big feet.

The gurgling of a river found in Columbus Georgia.

The beauty of the ocean on a flat day and the opportunity to to take the paddle board out and enjoy what the ocean has to offer.  On days like this there are pelican on parade, fish jumping in the ocean and if you are lucky you may get to see dolphin.

An absolute treat for me is to see an Osprey dive to the ocean to pick up a fish.  The water sustains the life of the fish, and the fish the life of the bird.  This cycle could not happen without the water.

And there is nothing better than being out on the ocean as sunset enjoy the beauty of the end of the day.

Water is critical to our lives.  I would encourage you to learn more about how you can help keep our oceans and water ways clean.  This is so important to all of us.

Thank you for joining me for this month’s Share Six.  This is a circle blog.  From the sneak peak images I have seen, you are going to want to follow the circle.  Please take time to visit my friend and very talented artist Kathy of KG Ledbetter Photography and see what she has for you this month. Keep following the circle to see what the other photographers have shared this month.  Don’t forget to leave a little love on their page as well.

You can also find me on Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Google+ and Viewbug.

Now it is your turn. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook at Share Six and come and share your images on the theme {Water} throughout the month of June.  A new theme will come out on July 6.

Remember you can follow us on Instagram at @sharesix  and tag your images #sharesix_water.

You can also find the Share Six webpage at http://www.sharesix.wordpress.com

We look forward to seeing your images on the theme {water}