These shoes are made for walkin'

Flash back to all the dilemmas I was having with my shoes....today, the two pair of new shoes arrived.  Late this afternoon, I put on one of the new pairs and my feet fairly smiled!  Thank goodness.  Now I can ship the three pairs of too small shoes back and exchange them for the correct size.  Talk about "Happy Feet!"

This morning, instead of doing the Doeskin hike, I decided to just "be a presence" at several of the public pullouts on the refuge.  It is spring break for schools in Texas this week, and we are having a peak in visitation.  While I slowly drove through the Doeskin Ranch parking area, a truck that had been following me began honking it's horn.  I got out to talk to the driver, and he wanted to tell me that he lived on Cow Creek Road and had noticed someone driving on refuge property last night about 11:00 and using a spot light.  I thanked him for his concern and said I would report it to headquarters.  There is no law enforcement crew on this refuge, so I suggested he just call the police if it were to happen again.  After talking to the refuge manager later in the day, it turned out it could have been people hunting for the feral hogs that are a bane to the refuge, however no one had gained her permission to do so.  So, at this point it's a mystery.  It's nice to have our neighbors watching out for us!

Then I went to the Shin Oak Observation Deck where people come to observe the black-capped vireo.  As I pulled into the parking lot, one of the cars made a hasty exit.  Hmmm, interesting to see what effect an official vehicle has on people.  I did speak to a retired couple from Maine on the deck, and was able to give them some pamphlets and directions to see the golden-cheeked warbler.  We had an enjoyable chat, and I think they'll return when the vireos get here.

Then it was on to the Flying X Ranch where I met the new folks that will be doing the vireo studies this year.  These young ladies are working on their masters and doctorate degrees, and will be living at the X until the middle of July.  I had also been invited to partake in a corned beef dinner by John and Lynne, other volunteers, and you know I couldn't pass that up.  The meal was delicious!

It was back to headquarters after that where I helped Peggy sort through hundreds of bird pictures.  We grouped them in families for better organization.  So, that's a typical day in the life of a volunteer.  I'm investigating a rather interesting story that I'll share with you tomorrow about toothpicks.  I'm sure you can't wait.   :)

I'm scheduled to move my rig up to the Flying X in about nine days, and I've been debating whether to move or stay where I'm at.  So today, before lunch, I took some time to sit at the picnic table at the site that I would occupy.

It's certainly more windy up here, but the view is wonderful.

After sitting there a while and seeing this field sparrow, I think I'll be moving.  It's a lot of work to move, but I'm ready for a different view out my window.  There will also be afternoon shade outside my door.  At my present site, I have full sun almost all day and the temperatures are going to get hotter, so I think today helped me make my decision.

As you can see, I'm having some problems with the editing on blogger this evening, so I guess I'll call it a day!

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy