Swamp People?

Well, I drove the 270 miles or so back from Balcones Canyonlands NWR yesterday through Austin and Houston once again.  Only this time it was in a big honking van.  I didn’t have the best night’s sleep while at that nice bunk house on the refuge since the other person staying there pumped up the heat to 77* for the night.  I was ensconced in my sleeping bag and sweating bullets.  I like cool temps for sleeping, so I even resorted to opening a window in the bedroom to the thirty something temperatures.

The trip back was uneventful, but I sure wasn’t fond of all the construction and bumper to bumper driving.  My plan to stop at a What-A-Burger for lunch didn’t pan out either.  It turned out that I arrived at the place I hoped to have lunch at 10:00 in the morning, so I just pushed on all the way to the rig.

Today, I headed into the Anahuac NWR headquarters to help Stephanie with last minute preparations for tomorrow’s Anahuac Wildlife Expo.  Although the weather forecast earlier in the week called for rain on Saturday, it now looks like it will be a very warm beautiful day.  The refuge hasn’t held this Expo since before hurricane Ike hit.  So, it’s been about five years.  Stephanie is a little worried that not many folks will show up since it’s been such a long time since this event has been held.

         As I went out to get my lunch bucket from the van, I was treated to a wonderful spectacle in the sky.

Over 100 white pelicans had decided to take flight and soar over the parking lot.  These pelicans nest on very northern fresh water lakes, and return here each year for the winter.  They just soar around together in the sky.  I don’t know why they do this since they only eat fish.  They make no noise, and seldom flap their wings while they play the thermals.  Kind of reminds me of B-52 bombers for some reason.  As I stood watching them, more and more birds joined in until their numbers reached about 200.  What a sight!  Some times it pays to look up and down and all around.

Has anyone besides me never heard of the Swamp People?  Apparently that is the name of a TV series on the History Channel (I think). 

I guess this show is very popular in this neck of the woods.  I found this picture when I Googled it.  Two of the people from this show will be participating in the Expo tomorrow, so I’m thinking Stephanie won’t have anything to worry about concerning people and families showing up for the affair.  I’ll let you know if people come out of the swamps to see them. 

In the meantime, I’ve got a little mystery to solve here at the rig.  Last week I bought a new toy for Emma to play with outside.  It was one of those stuffing free dog toys that was a Snoopy dog in a pumpkin costume.  She just loves those stuffing free things to shake up and toss around.  I couldn’t find it anywhere today.  I’m guessing that while I was gone to Austin, one or more of the local unleashed dogs snuck into the gated compound and made off with it.  As I left the compound this morning for work, six dogs were hanging around outside the fence just milling about.  It seems there are no leash laws in Winnie, TX, and dogs just wander around at will…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy