Rooks Bluff - or - What's in a Name

His grandfather’s friend owned the fish camp and it was his grandfather’s favorite place to be.

The Island King’s too.

The first time they took me up there I fell in love with the area and it quickly became a favorite spot of mine as well.

When I was pregnant with the Youngest Island Boy we were thinking of names and Rooks Bluff popped into my head.

Rook is unique and it reminds us of the Island King’s grandfather and all of the good times we’ve had on the river - so we decided to go with it.

We named him Rook.

I, personally, think it’s a cool name. It has a special meaning to his father and I, I’ve never met anyone else named Rook, and frankly, the name fits him to a T.

We drove up to Rooks Bluff the other day to look at how high the Choctawhatchee River is right now.

 And of course we took pictures in front of “his” sign.

As we were driving home he said “You know I hate my name, right?”

“Why?”

“Well, for one thing I can’t have a personalized key chain”

That’s true, there is no Rook on those key chains hanging in the tourist stores.

I told him that if he wants a personalized key chain I’m sure we can make or order one from somewhere.

He sighed and then said

“You named my sister after a musician’s daughter. You named my brother after a kid in a movie who saves the world – and you named me after a swamp.”

More truth. But…

I told him that he was named after a spot on the river that is very dear to his father’s heart, not a swamp.

“You just told Nay Nay and Pop Pop that ½ an acre of this property is buildable and that the rest of the property is swamp”

He didn’t believe me when I told him that he was named after the ½ acre that’s up on the bluff and not the rest of the property, which is in fact a swamp.

Mom and I tried to explain to him that his name is significant. 

He’s not buying it.

But he will one day.

And even if he doesn’t – it’s not like we named our boy Sue.