Travels with Emma

I got taken out back to the shed today

2012-01-27T18:55:00.001-06:00

And I didn’t even do anything wrong!

The SHED is a local barbeque joint that has been featured on “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” on the Food Channel. If you like barbeque and are along the Mississippi gulf coast, this is the place to go.

Its name is a good one, because you won’t find fine dining here. There is seating inside and out with gravel outside and wooden boards inside. Thousands of one dollar bills are attached to the ceiling. Watch your step, though, because the footing is rather uneven.

JERRY and Wanda, in their Casita, were stopping in the area overnight, so we got together for a late lunch this afternoon.

I last met them while I was making my challenging trip from Indiana to the repair shop in Louisiana last fall. They are native Mississippians, and offered to give me a tour of Natchez should I head that way when my gig is up here at the end of April. I’m thinking that sounds like a great plan. They are a delightful couple, and they recently met JANNA and Mike in Florida when they found themselves in the same campground. Members of this RV blogging community seem to cross paths quite often. How cool is that? Thanks, Wanda and Jerry, for good food and fun conversation.

I’ll actually be seeing them again early tomorrow morning as they take advantage of our free guided crane tours here on the refuge. I sure hope I can find as many cranes for them to see as I did on the last tour I gave. The rest of the day I spent chilling out, and taking Emma for a hike. It was my day off after all.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Volunteer field trip day

2012-01-26T20:57:00.001-06:00

At a few of the refuges that I have volunteered at, an occasional day is set aside to take all the RV volunteers on a field trip. To be honest, it is one of the things that endears certain refuges to their volunteers. That was on the calendar for this morning, but I wondered if it would be cancelled as a front with severe storms began moving through the area. Our intrepid volunteer coordinator, Doug Hunt, cast the weather aside and said to hop into the van. So, we did.

Our destination was the Southeast Louisiana Refuges Bayou Lacombe Centre’, about 100 miles away. It houses the visitor’s center for seven of Southeast Louisiana’s National Wildlife Refuges. I’m sure glad I wasn’t driving that van, because we encountered an absolute deluge as we headed west through Biloxi. Doug then hopped off of the interstate and gave us a narrated tour as we drove through all of the towns along historic route 90. He has such a wealth of knowledge and stories about the southern Mississippi coastal area, that I truly enjoyed being a passenger on this excursion.

While the others toured the visitor’s center that I had visited last year, I went outside to enjoy the surrounding camellia garden. This morning’s rain gave me one of those photographic opportunities to capture the freshness of the blooms with the rain drops still upon them.

This one was my favorite.

Then we took the Grotto trail that led to Bayou Lacombe. Part of the trail was an old brick path that had to be unearthed after this became refuge property. There’s a lot of history about this land that would take me too long to relate; from a former governor to priests, a school, and a church…

After stopping for lunch where I had a delicious shrimp po'boy, we headed out to spend some time at Big Branch Marsh NWR.

We took a hike down a wonderful long boardwalk in search of the elusive and endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. I’m too tired to go into the interesting story of this species tonight, but I’ll probably go into it next year when I hope to be working with them at Okefenokee NWR in Georgia.

Let’s just say that we had one little woodpecker cooperate and give us all a chance to observe it. That sighting was the frosting on the cake to today’s outing in my opinion. As we headed back the 100 miles to our home refuge, it seemed awfully quiet in the back of the van as I believe several volunteers reviewed the day in a movie viewed from the back of their eyelids.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A great tour, and a decision

2012-01-25T20:00:00.001-06:00

I got a phone call at the refuge from NICKIE and Jim the other day. They are fellow RVers and bloggers, and they wanted to sign up for a tour of the refuge on their way to Baton Rouge this week.

As it turned out, they ended up being the only folks that showed up for the tour today, and what a tour we had! It’s always great to meet up with fellow bloggers, and what a joy to be out with people that harbor a similar interest in the natural world. They’re known as the intrepid-decrepit travelers, and since I’ve been feeling a little decrepit lately, we got along just fine.

The weather forecast wasn’t the greatest, but it tuned out that we saw a record number of cranes today. If I got the count right, we saw 38 Mississippi sandhill cranes today. We might have seen six of them twice, but even so, if you consider that there are only about 120-130 of these cranes left on earth, that’s quite a few. If you click on this picture you’ll notice all the colorful bands on their legs. This group was most cooperative for pictures.

Most groups of cranes took off in flight as we approached. I love the sound of cranes, and if you look closely you can see several of them with their beaks open trumpeting away.

During our journey through the back roads of the refuge that are closed to the general public, we came upon the lead biologist with two of his interns. I believe they were out in the savannah doing a bird survey. They use those long sticks to swish back and forth through the grasses on a transect to flush rails and sparrows. That’s about the only way to get a count of those types of birds using the wet pine savannah during the winter.

We also checked on the eagle’s nest while we were out and about. This time, I could see a little more than just an adult head peeking out from the nest.

I enjoyed my time with Nickie and Jim, and plans are in the works for me to visit them over in Alabama so they can show me their neck of the woods. I believe they have a condo outside of Mobile, and travel in their RV during the summer.

Now, as for my decision. As I’m sure most of you figured out, I made a commitment tonight to return to Alligator River NWR. I appreciated all of your comments on last night’s post, but two in particular hit home.

“I just read that "finding your passion" is one of the things to ward off Dementia -so more hours now may lead to a longer life :)” and

“Exciting your soul is a necessary survival skill. Making work hours feel like play hours is worth doing. Work hours that feel like work hours can kill your soul. But, you already knew all that. Besides, as much as we enjoyed our autumn drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains, it's not like they are going away anytime soon. :)”

Yep, and a number of you pointed out my aversion to office work, and preference to being outdoors. Hey, that gives me a couple of months to slowly make my way to the Outer Banks! Hmmm, guess I’ll have to get out the drawing board again.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A roller coaster day, emotionally wise

2012-01-24T19:19:00.001-06:00

Last night when I checked my e-mail, I read an interesting possibility for this summer on the Workamper Hotline. Seems there was a private campground very close to the Blue Ridge Parkway that was looking for workampers for the summer season in North Carolina. Solos would be required to do 16 hours/week for a full hook-up site. The campground is just south of the Smokey Mountain Nat’l Park and within 3 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I’ve never spent much time in this area so it caught my interest. I gave them a call, and left a message. They called me back this morning while I was working in the Visitor’s Center. It would require a commitment of six months, and most of my work would be in the office. At only 16 hours/week, I was pretty excited about the possibilities of being in this area. Just imagine the Blue Ridge in October with all the brilliant fall colors! I had plans to send my resume and pictures of the rig and myself to them tonight.

Then I checked my e-mail when I got home tonight. A little less than two weeks ago I had sent an e-mail to the volunteer coordinator at Pea Island/Alligator River Nat’l Wildlife Refuges to see if there were any openings for Aug.- Oct. this year. I volunteered there in 2007.

Since I hadn’t heard back from her, I was considering other possibilities such as that campground in the Blue Ridge. Well, the e-mail tonight said :

Hi Judy!! I've kept up with you a bit through other volunteers that have known you!!! I do have opening for that time and it is going to be a pretty busy place with our new hug Alligator River complex opening up....will definitely need help with Visitor Center/ a canoe trip or 2/ etc....Let me know if you want me to right you down in the books...I remember you liking Alligator River camper sites better than Pea Island, right?? Take care, Abbey.

While at these refuges in 2007 (pre-blog time), I worked the very busy visitor’s center, conducted canoe tours in the swamps, lead bear tours, helped sea turtle hatches make their way to the sea, and maintained the ‘Charles Karault Trail’. Pea Island is right in the middle of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and Alligator River has bears and red wolves. I also helped with the banding of young brown pelicans while I was there. It was one of the best gigs I ever did.

So, can you tell what choice I’m leaning towards? A lot more hours are required at the refuges, but the experiences just excite my soul!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

When it rains, it pours…

2012-01-23T18:46:00.001-06:00

And I’m not just talking about the weather. Although, we have had about an inch and a half of rain the last few days which has put a damper on my hiking plans for my days off. My title refers to fellow volunteers Sally and Tom. If you remember, from a couple of days ago, they went off on a trip to visit family and friends in Georgia last week, but had to make an emergency trip along the way to Florida. It turned out that Sally’s father had suddenly taken ill, and died once he got to the hospital. It was a shock to them, but they returned last Wednesday to the refuge. Then early Friday morning, Tom began to feel ill. Today, he ended up being admitted to the hospital for cellulitis. I don’t know too much about that, but I’ve been told it can be very painful. My heart goes out to these folks. What a stressful time for them.

With the wet weather, I’ve spent most of my time inside the rig. I’m not complaining about that though since temps have remained in the 70’s. Shirt sleeve weather in January! While I took Emma outside during a lull in the sprinkles, I stood on the stool at the bottom of my stairs and pretended I was 5’ 8” tall. It does give one a different perspective. If I were that tall, I could reach the top shelves in the cupboards and wouldn’t need the step stool to get things out of the microwave or the top shelf of my refrigerator. I think my youngest son is a little over 6’ tall. Can’t imagine what that would be like. I decided that dealing with an aging body and its limitations, like losing muscle strength and flexibility, and being a shrimp pretty much sucks. Guess it’s a good thing I can escape in my mind to being ♫ Wonder Woman!♫ ♪

I’ve watched Phyllis and Al pick up their Netflix mail almost daily, and am now thinking maybe I’ll sign up for that again. I’m not always near a Red Box, but other than zipping from place to place, I always can get mail. I’m feeling like I want to watch “Centennial” again, and it’s been years since I watched “Roots”. I liked both of those mini-series. Time will tell. It’s time to have my taco salad, so I’ll say goodnight.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

The Escatawpa Trail

2012-01-21T19:12:00.001-06:00

After doing the time consuming chore of a week’s laundry in the Splendide this morning, I had to get out of the rig. You see, I had decided to fix a pot roast for the first time in over six years, and the scents from the crockpot were more than I could stand.

So, Emma and I hopped in the car and drove about 15 miles down I-10 to the eastern Mississippi Welcome Center. I was able to get a booklet with coupons for businesses along the coast last year, but they didn’t have any this year. Shucks!

Emma, of course, couldn’t go inside the Welcome Center with me, but I knew that at the far end of the center’s rest area was the Grand Bay NWR’s Escatawpa Trail. That’s why I brought her along on this journey.

For a couple of reasons, this trail is my least favorite of the four established trails in the two different refuges. I chose to combine all three spurs of the trail today for a nice little walk. The total distance is only a little over a mile, but for me it always seems that this trail goes on and on for at least five miles. I’m always relieved when I finish it.

A little over half way along, is an overlook for viewing the Escatawpa River. It’s a nice view, but the fog from the nearby Pascagoula River area made things feel dull and not so gorgeous.

Even Emma was pretty bored with today’s hike and just whined as we tried to enjoy the overlook. As I trudged down the second half of the trail, I got to thinking about what it was that didn’t inspire me about this trail.

Could it be that the interpretive signs along the way are repeated several times? That’s part of it. I enjoy interpretive signs, but I don’t need to keep reading the same thing about snakes, pine trees, woodpeckers, and prescribed burns. I don’t know who thought up that idea, but it stinks in my opinion. The other thing that bothers me about this trail is that you can never escape the deafeningly loud sound of all those eighteen wheelers grinding down I-10. It’s part of my duties to check on these trails, but I can tell you I won’t be back to this one for at least a month.

After we got back to the rig, I plated up my dinner of pot roast, carrots, and mashed potatoes. I have to admit that it was rather a disappointment to me. It just didn’t taste like I remembered. So now what do I do with all the left overs? Did you ever try to buy a pot roast for one? I don’t think it exists. I’m hoping I can transform it into Italian Beef sandwiches in the next few days. We’ll see how that goes.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Friday feathers and another battle looming?

2012-01-20T18:54:00.001-06:00

It seems like it’s been a while since I’ve posted very many bird photos, so yesterday afternoon I spent some time hunting down my avian friends around the campsite.

Depending on where you live, the appearance of the American robin has different meanings. This truth was pointed out to me today by Doug, the volunteer coordinator. If you live in the north, the robin is the harbinger of spring. If you live in the south, it means it’s winter! Well, we’ve been inundated with robins here in coastal Mississippi, and despite the warmer temperatures it is winter.

A walk with Emma on the Dees Trail found us surrounded by brown-headed nuthatches. They seem to call continuously as they work the pine trees, and their voice sounds like a squeaky toy to me.

Great bunches of yellow-rumped warblers have also been moving through the forest. There are still plenty of insects for them to glean.

A late afternoon visitor to the trees around my rig was a red-bellied woodpecker. Woodpeckers have special strong muscles surrounding their skulls so they don’t knock themselves silly whacking away at the trees.

This morning we had two different student groups coming to the refuge. I wasn’t needed to help with the college group, but a little later 38 home schooled students and parents descended on us. Home school groups are interesting to work with for a couple of reasons. First of all, they are always a variety of ages. That makes it a bit of a challenge for presentations with such a wide range of abilities. Secondly, most have never attended a public school so they don’t have much experience with group dynamics. It has been my experience that getting them to interact with the speaker or other students can be very difficult.

For a little excitement, the fire alarm went off during the middle of the movie on the refuge. It turned out that there was a small smoky fire in the biology lab, and we had to vacate the building. Since these kids had never attended regular school, they had no idea how to quietly proceed out of the building. As I said, it’s interesting to work with home schooled kids.

After I got back to the rig, I glanced out the window. Oh oh, it looks like I’m going to have to do battle once again with those bushy tailed rodents.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Another learning day for me

2012-01-19T20:16:00.001-06:00

Some days when I wake up, I just really don’t know what I’ll be doing on the refuge. I like to do a variety of things, and today was a new experience for me.

First thing this morning, a group of 22 people from the Westminster Retirement Community near Mobile, AL, arrived for an outing that was billed for them as a mystery tour by their Activities Director. These were all folks who live in apartments in the independent living unit of the Community. Because of the size of the group, we split them in half. Our van only holds 12 people, so while half of the group went on a van tour to see the cranes, the other half waited at the Visitor’s Center to view the movie and explore our exhibits. Then we flipped groups.

My part in all of this was to take the two groups on a nature hike on the Dee’s Nature Trail either before or after their van tour. Since the little hike was a last minute decision, my second tour was better than the first one in my opinion. That’s usually the way it goes. As I learn my audience, I can better shape my tours to their abilities and interests. Both walks included a discussion of the Saw Palmettos that are found in the wet pine savannah.

So what do you do on a nature hike with a couple of dozen octogenarians? Well, I sure hoped they enjoyed it as much as I did. I learned a number of things working with this age group. First, and foremost, since many of them had grown up in Mobile and the surrounding area or lived many years in that area, they were a wealth of knowledge about how things used to be before the refuge, I-10, and all of the development. Such stories they have to tell, and I was a willing listener!

I also learned to slow my pace to accommodate their walking abilities, and to be sure to speak slowly and loudly for those with hearing impairments. We only did about a half mile altogether, but what a fun time it was.

Last, but not least, were the sounds that gave me a chuckle along the way. They weren’t exactly sounds I normally associate with the pine savannah. One of the maladies (?) of growing older is the lessening of the strength of one’s sphincter muscles. As we walked along, it kind of reminded me of my days in marching bands. Only this time, the brass section seemed to be made up of all tubas! Oh my! What’s a tour guide to do? I just kept talking! It was a hoot of a day… or should I say toot of a day?

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Pitching in

2012-01-17T18:49:00.001-06:00

As fellow volunteers, Tom and Sally, headed out to visit friends and relatives in Georgia late last week, they got a call that Sally’s father had taken ill. Her parents live in Florida, so they made a detour to head down there. The other day we found out that Sally’s dad had died, and they would not be able to return to the refuge when they expected. I said I’d step up and cover their Visitor’s Center assignment today. So I headed in to open things up a little before 8:00 this morning. There aren’t too many visitors first thing in the morning, and it’s a good thing, as my key wouldn’t open one of the doors. The refuge manager and I propped it open, and I got everything else set up.

Things went smoothly until 9:00 when a group of nine folks showed up from Gulf Shores State Park in Alabama for their scheduled tour of the refuge. Say what? There was nothing on the schedule that indicated a tour group was coming. They insisted they had made arrangements with someone. Alrighty then. One of the interns had taken our van for the day, but the group from Alabama said they had a van. So I hopped in the van with them and took them on a two hour tour. It turned out exceptionally well, as we were able to observe 20 Mississippi Sandhill Cranes during out journey. My key malfunctioned again when I tried to unlock the entrance to the area with the bald eagles nest, so we didn’t get to go to that area. Grrr! Everyone appeared to be quite satisfied with what we did see, so it all turned out well in the end.

For newer readers that didn’t accompany me on my stint here last year, I’ve included a couple of collages of what the Visitor’s Center looks like and has to offer. After Katrina, this facility was built and is quite nice.

We have a number of interactive displays, and a very nice 12 minute movie on the work of the refuge. This was the first refuge established under the authority of the Endangered Species Act in 1973. The gentleman in the center was instrumental in the founding of this refuge, and even stopped the construction of I-10 back then as it cut through the last remaining stronghold of the Mississippi sandhill crane. There were only 30 or so of these birds left on earth at that time. Jake Valentine is considered the “father” of this refuge. I sure wish I could have met him.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

I’m in an education mode tonight :)

2012-01-15T19:23:00.001-06:00

One of the things I like best about volunteering at National Wildlife Refuges is the chance to learn something new almost every day. So tonight, I would like to share with you some things I already knew, and something I’ve learned here at Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR. If you’re not in the mood for a lesson, then just X me out.

It was laundry day here today, and in between loads I sat outside with Emma reading my favorite book. I heard some scuffling around in the surrounding brush, and found a hermit thrush making its way through the underbrush. Do you see that rusty tail and distinct eye ring?

Those two features, plus the bold breast spots confirmed that this was a hermit thrush for me. Of course it helped that this is probably the only thrush that will be encountered in North America at this time of the year.

Can you guess why this thrush was hanging around my rig? It was those red berries it was interested in. Thrushes love berries! These are from the Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria). Don’t you love that Latin name?

…The leaves and twigs contain caffeine, and American Indians used them to prepare a tea, which they drank in large quantities ceremonially and then vomited back up, lending the plant its species name, vomitoria. The vomiting was self-induced or because of other ingredients added; it doesn’t actually cause vomiting. Tribes from the interior traveled to the coast in large numbers each spring to partake of this tonic, and it was also a common hospitality drink among many groups. It remained popular as such among southeastern Americans into the 20th century and is still occasionally consumed today…

I don’t think I’ll be consuming any part of that plant any time soon, but maybe it gives the thrushes a buzz? Think I’ll stick to my glass of wine in the evening…

THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

♫ ♪ Knick Knack Paddy Whack, Give Your Dog a Bone ♪ ♫

2012-01-14T18:42:00.001-06:00

Actually giving your dog a bone can be a rather controversial topic in some circles. As I was making a pot of ham and bean soup today with the big bone from my Christmas dinner that I had in my freezer, I was reminded of a conversation that my sister, Pam, and I had last summer. At that time, she had two dogs and was wondering about giving her dogs an occasional bone to chew on. We had both been raised being told you should never give a dog a bone. Bone shards might impact in their intestines and kill them. We both had never heard of this happening to a dog, and she related how she knew dogs that ate bones all the time.

Well, today I decided to let Emma have that leg bone from the soup. She immediately took it into the woods to gnaw away on it. I guess I’ll see how good this decision was. Do you feed your dog big bones?

After a week of being up, the little birds in the area are beginning to discover my bird feeders. The recent cold snap we’ve had has helped I’m thinking. It got down into the twenties for most of the night last night.

Had to make a quick trip back to Walgreens this morning to return two of the three pairs of sweat pants that I bought yesterday. Needed a smaller size with those two. Also picked up a wine order I had made in town.

I would like to let everyone know that I do read all of the comments you leave, and investigate suggestions that are made to me. There is such a body of knowledge out there in blogland. For instance, thanks to EVELYN, I now know that I have to sign up on-line with Redbox to rent those movies. I’m thinking it won’t be long before I get to watch “The Help”. Unlike AL, I prefer to watch movies in my rig. The full screen and sound in the theater is just too loud for my ears to stand, and I really prefer the option of putting things on pause so I can get up and move around if I like. I also have to admit that paying a buck for a DVD is a lot more appealing to me than paying the price at a movie theater.

“Knick knack paddy whack, give your dog a bone. This old woman goes rolling home.” Without any regrets, I hope.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A little shopping, a little tour prep, and one odd duck

2012-01-13T19:32:00.001-06:00

After talking to my daughter, Robyn, yesterday, I was on a mission this morning to the nearby Walgreens. Robyn had suggested that I get a wrist brace from Walgreens to help with the pain.

I went in with a list of two things to purchase; the wrist brace and a heating pad. As this body has aged over the years on the road, I’ve often wished I had a heating pad to ease minor aches and pains. I found both the brace and the pad pretty quickly, but as I made my way down the aisles, a few other items called out to me. There was a special on Jean Nate After Bath Splash that I couldn’t pass up. I don’t have a bathtub, and I live alone, but I still like to smell good before I go to bed. Then there was a sale on Lubriderm. It’s my daily hand treatment to use to ward off cracked fingers. Last week my battery run can opener bit the dust after only 5+ years. I found a new one at Walgreens. It’s a necessity for someone with troublesome wrists. And what can I say about the sale on Ghiradelli caramel filled dark chocolates? I also found three pairs of sweatpants for $10. That’s what I wear in the evenings, and the elastic had expired in the pairs I’ve worn for the last ten years, so that was a no brainer. I was lucky to get out of there just a little under $100!

On the way out the door to the parking lot, I noticed a couple of Red Box movie thingies. I’d like to watch the movie “The Help”. I don’t know anything about Red Box though. Do you have to be a member, or can anyone just go up and get a DVD? Things like this are usually not so close to the refuges I volunteer on.

This afternoon, I took Al out to show him where the eagle’s nest is located. He and Phyllis will be leading a tour tomorrow and this will now be an added stop for visitors. The eagle is still sitting on the eggs.

As we searched for a turn around spot for the van, we came across a few deer near one of the release pens.

Our approach scared up four Mississippi sandhill cranes, and one of the deer took off as well.

Then the second deer headed for the woods. These young cranes were just recently released on the refuge and tend to hang around the release pens for a while. I’m sure they settled right back into the savannah after we left.

Al and I went into the Visitor’s Center upon our return, and saw a look of relief on Phyllis’s face. Turned out there was a rather unusual young man visiting (one odd duck). Don’t know how long he was there with Phyllis before we arrived, but he sure had some interesting tales and questions for us. The thing that seemed to be bothering him the most was the identification of a bird that had pecked a hole in the gas tank of his motorcycle while he was in Central Park in New York City. (?) Well, every once in a while you get some most unusual individuals while working a visitor’s center. Some times it gets a little scary. At this refuge, there is a panic button to push that goes to the sheriff’s office. That’s a good thing especially when you’re working alone. Eventually, he left.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Yahooie Looie!

2012-01-11T19:42:00.001-06:00

It looks like an extended visit to Georgia and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is in my future for next winter. I can’t wait to explore this new to me region of the country. Gracie, the volunteer coordinator, and I were able to chat on our excursion to Grand Bay NWR today. I hope to firm up arrival and departure dates tomorrow. Can you tell that I’m excited about this? Having to be in Georgia late next fall throws a different slant onto what I might do this coming summer. I’m thinking the west is out, and I’ll be staying east of the Mississippi for a while. There are so many possibilities…

The Okefenokee group and I headed for Grand Bay NWR this morning to introduce them to this refuge and the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. I posted about this reserve last February. The afternoon activities included a canoe paddle. We were cautioned not to bring any photography equipment with us unless we had a dry bag. Well, I don’t have one of those, so I had to leave my camera behind.

We paddled down this bayou, and as it turned out, I could have safely brought the camera with me. You just never know, though, so I took their advice. Dog gone it, as I got into my canoe, I painfully twisted my wrist which only aggravated that miserable arthritis I have. Sometimes, growing older sure is a pain in the asparagus! I felt like a real dinosaur trying to maneuver over the struts to the back seat. Ugh! Why is it that the body can’t keep up with what was so easy a few decades ago? I gritted my teeth, and had a marvelous paddle.

After the canoe trip, we returned to the visitor’s center and the rest of the group took the tour of the building. I wandered outside trying to get a picture of the huge fox squirrels that can be found around here. Once again, they alluded me, but I purely enjoyed a flock of pine warblers that were bubbling through one of the big live oak trees.

After we returned home, Russell, one of the Okefenokee volunteers, took out a canoe for a paddle down the bayou here. I sure would have liked to join him, but my wrist wouldn’t permit it, and it was more important to spend some time with Emma outside. She had been cooped up all day in the rig. I’ll have other days to make this paddle…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

What a pleasant surprise!

2012-01-10T18:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I found out that a group of folks from Okefenokee NWR would be spending a few days visiting this refuge and surrounding area, and would be staying in the bunk house on the refuge. Doug, the volunteer coordinator, asked if I thought I would know any of them. I said I didn’t think so since most of my volunteering has been done west of Mississippi, and Okefenokee is in Georgia.

Imagine my surprise when three of the eight folks turned out to be people I’ve volunteered with before. Four years ago, I volunteered with Linda and Jay (on the left) at Anahuac NWR, and last year Katie and her husband, Bruce, volunteered here with me at Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR. That was such a wonderful surprise. It was like old home week. I’ve been interested in volunteering at Okefenokee, so I was able to get the low down on that refuge, and meet the volunteer coordinator. I’m hoping to corral the volunteer coordinator tomorrow to see if I might be able to go there next winter. Cool beans!

Doug and I got all of them into the van and headed out in the drizzle to see if we could find some Mississippi Sandhill Cranes for them to see. We were very lucky today, and actually saw 26 of these critically endangered species. There are only around 120 of these birds left on earth, so we saw a large percentage of them. I’m sure many of you have heard of the plight of the Whooping Cranes, but there are close to 400 of those birds around. In comparison, the Mississippi Sandhill Crane is even more rare.

It was an all day tour that included driving and hiking. We were able to show them the essence of this refuge, and since they were all volunteers and staff from another refuge, they were most receptive to the day. It’s great to take folks of similar interests out and just enjoy nature.

See that little head peeking above that enormous nest? That’s an adult bald eagle sitting on eggs. That nest is built in the top of a loblolly pine tree on the refuge. In another month or so, the eggs will hatch. I’ll be keeping a watch on this nest to report its progress to you.

Despite the threatening weather, it was a great day to be out and about. Tonight I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to persuade Okefenokee NWR that I would be an asset to their refuge next winter. I’ll be heading out with them tomorrow to help with their visit to our sister refuge, Grand Bay NWR.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Just Chillin’

2012-01-09T19:15:00.001-06:00

I spent most of the last two days taking care of normal chores, reading, and doing a jigsaw puzzle. Emma and I are pretty well ensconced here for a few months, and we’re getting our groove together.

It was a nice little sunrise yesterday with only a touch of fog. The chattering of cranes on the savannah would have made it perfect, but since there’s no pond in this area the cranes aren’t seen or heard near the RV sites.

That pileated woodpecker made a brief appearance right outside my window yesterday. Don’t you just love that topknot? Kind of like a red Mohawk.

As we did our constitutional today, I found several different mushrooms along the way. I remember seeing this variety in the coastal area of Washington a few years back.

I’m still in a quandary about what to do when I leave here around the middle of April. My latest idea is to spend the summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Seems to me I change my ideas and plans almost weekly. Who knows where I’ll end up.

Talked to my daughter, Robyn, today and it looks like she and grandgirl Avery will fly from Chicago to visit for a few days toward the end of February. I’m really looking forward to that.

A front with the possibility of strong storms is forecasted to move through the area tonight. I hope it goes a bit north of me, but it could be that I’ll be up in the middle of the night to pull in the slides. The area needs the rain. The wet pine savannah isn’t very wet at all right now. The drought isn’t as severe as in Texas, but the normally wet areas here are dry. I’d say it’s not been too exciting for the last few days.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Final touches

2012-01-07T19:32:00.001-06:00

I had a few things left to do today to finish my set up here on the refuge. Most important was getting some bird seed for my feeders. Mice really like birdseed, so I haven’t had any on board for a while because of the mouse problem at Anahuac.

I headed for Ocean Springs and the Rouses Grocery store. I was a tad bit hungry when I arrived there, so you know what that can do to your shopping cart. They had a huge display of King’s Cakes with free samples so I was sucked right in. Yesterday was King’s Day, and, I believe, the beginning of the Mardi Gras season. Traditionally, King’s Cakes have a little baby baked inside, and the person getting the piece with the baby will have good luck for the year. Since the baby was on top, I decided to choose a piece to eat with it on it. Had enough bad luck last year, so hope this will help.

That cake is more than one person can eat, so I shared it with my fellow volunteers this afternoon. The cakes come in many varieties, but all are adorned with green, yellow, and purple sprinkles, the traditional colors of Mardi Gras. I chose the Bavarian cake because of the chocolate. It was stuffed with Bavarian crème.

As I was unloading my groceries, I noticed this pileated woodpecker working the pine trees around the rigs. Hello Woody!

In the afternoon, Emma and I took a hike around the Dees Nature Trail on the refuge. This was the area that had the prescribed burn last April. Fire has brought needed life back to the under story.

The remains of last year’s pitcher plants were evident. Can’t wait to see this year’s crop.

The trail goes through the pine savannah and along Bayou Castille. It was a gorgeous afternoon for a walk.

There are several benches along the trail where you can sit and enjoy the solitude and nature’s geometry. (A=Pi r squared) You can take the teacher out of the math classroom, but you can’t take the math out of the teacher…

Emma, of course, doesn’t give a crap about math. She just craps when and where she wants to, and sniffs her way through life. Phew!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Day one in the long leaf pine savannah

2012-01-06T19:18:00.001-06:00

Uf-dah! It was a pretty foggy morning as Emma and I did her first outs.

I was hoping for one of those spectacular sunrises as the sun starts burning through the fog, but it was not to be. The fog was just too dense.

We were socked in until almost noon. The forecast for tomorrow morning is the same, but I’ll be prepared with the camera just in case the weather guessers are wrong. As long as I don’t have to drive in it, I can appreciate the fog. It really softens the winter landscape.

As I headed to headquarters around 10:00, I found fellow volunteers Al and Phyllis on duty with a special assignment. They were both posted at the entrance to the parking lot to caution walkers about the speed bumps, and to hand out water… just like in a marathon race.

There were about 60 participants in this morning’s exercise. They are all members of fire crews from the refuge, and from the state of Mississippi. Just like PT requirements for the Army, fire crews have to demonstrate fitness as well. Each fire person had to walk a three mile course in 45 minutes. That might not sound too difficult to some, but do you see the vests they are wearing? Each of those vests contain 45 lbs. of lead in them. So, it’s not as easy as it may look. I just might (probably not) be able to do three miles in 45 minutes, but certainly not packing an additional 45 lbs. I’ve seen fire crews in action, both here and in Yellowstone, and believe me it’s a physically demanding job.

This afternoon I tackled setting up the DISH, my trucker’s antenna, and the propane extend a stay. It took me just about three hours to finally find a hole in the forest big enough to get a signal through. I had to use the full 100’of cable to find that spot. It was a most trying experience.

So what was Emma doing while I made my 8000 trips down the path and back trying to find a signal? She spent her time sniffing, digging, and rooting around in the leaf debris making a comfy place to lie down. I wonder if I could train her to sniff out a satellite signal? It’s about time she started carrying her weight around here.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I !

2012-01-05T19:14:00.001-06:00

The sky was blue with no winds as I took Emma for her first outs this morning. Yahoo! However, shortly after I started getting things ready to head out a dense fog bank rolled in. Hmm…what to do? I decided to continue with my preparations, and it was a good decision. We rolled out by 9:30 to begin our 220 mile trek to Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR. The last five miles to I-10 were as white knuckle as I had expected, and that 25 mile drive took me close to an hour.

Then we zipped along to just east of Baton Rouge. The construction traffic wasn’t too bad, but once we were on I-12 things soon came to a virtual stop. It took me almost an hour to go seven miles. Turns out it was an awful accident involving several 18 wheelers. Then it was an absolute must that I find a gas station. My first try was a bust. No way to get my rig with the toad in and out for gasoline. It would have been okay if I needed diesel, but of course I don’t. Eventually I was able to find a place to fuel up, and put in 73 gallons. I don’t like to get that low on fuel so I was becoming a nervous wreck.

Finally, close to 3:00, I pulled into the refuge. I had two sites to choose from, but I was not at all comfortable with trying to get into the one I had chosen. Too many trees too close together for my nerves. Luckily, Tom, one of the other volunteers that drives a motorhome, said he would maneuver it into the site; and he very carefully did so. I suppose I could have done it myself, but I’m not so proud that I don’t appreciate help when I’m nervous about something.

I also had some help from another volunteer, Don, with the initial set up. He had pretty much done all the improvements on this site, and he and his wife, Mary, helped me get the electric, water, and sewer connections done which involved traipsing through the undergrowth. We all moved the heavy picnic table in front of the rig, and I was good to go for the night. Tomorrow I’ll tackle the DISH set up, which will be a challenge, and finish up a few other things for an extended stay.

I also found that I knew another volunteer couple that is here. I volunteered with Al and Phyllis back in 2007 at Laguna Atascosa NWR. It’s amazing how our paths cross without planning.

Just before sunset, I took a quick walk down to the bayou where I did some kayaking last year. Yep, it’s still there. I’m happy to be back.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A day of rest

2012-01-04T20:08:00.001-06:00

Nothing exciting to report for today. I decided not to do much of anything or go anywhere. Due to the chillier temperatures from that cold front that moved through, I’ll be giving my fingers a bag balm treatment tonight since they’ve begun to crack again.

When I got here, I didn’t set up the DISH, but just relied on the antenna for TV reception. As I stood on the stool to crank it up, the crank fell out on the floor. This happened last year, but my friend Denny was able to fix it for me. Well, Denny isn’t around this year so I was stymied as to what to do. I really didn’t want to climb up on the roof to see if it was sticking up at all, so I stood on the picnic table across the street and sure enough, it was up off of the roof. Can you see the non-mechanical gears turning in my head? I finally thought to get back on the stool with a pair of pliers and began turning the post that was sticking out of the ceiling. I felt absolutely brilliant until I went back outside and found that all that I had accomplished was to move it further up off the roof!

Okay, back inside the rig, dummy, and turn it the other way. I can’t tell you how good it made me feel to hear that distinctive clunk as the antenna seated itself down on the roof. Now, if I could just figure out how to make the water hose stop leaking where it enters the rig. It leaks at both the top and bottom of the pressure regulator that the hose hooks up to. When I got here, I just let it leak while I filled the fresh water tank and have been using that tank full of water while I’ve been at the state park.

It was not a good picture day for me today. Emma and I went on a hike, but the pictures turned out miserably, and my lens cap popped off and went through the crack in the overlook we were standing on and splashed down five feet into the bayou. Ugh! So, I spent the afternoon rereading part of my favorite book. “Hanta Yo” by Ruth Beebe Hill. It is out of print now, but I have a hard copy that I pull out every three years or so. I find it a great read no matter how many times I’ve read it since 1979.

Tomorrow we’re off to Mississippi. Sure hope it’s an uneventful trip and I can find a gas station that’s easy to get in and out of.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Eating Cajun Style

2012-01-03T19:12:00.001-06:00

It was pretty nippy when Emma and I woke up this morning with temps in the 30’s. There was a crystal clear blue sky to go along with those temperatures, however.

The rising sun was highlighting the Spanish moss outside my window.

After breakfast, Emma and I headed out to do one of the three trails in the park. I chose the 1.75 mile blue trail. It wanders through the cypress swamp. The biggest challenge of this trail was not to end up tripping over the tree roots and cypress knees along the trail. I really had to concentrate on keeping my eyes down so I wouldn’t take a header.

My favorite shot along the way was of this great egret reflected in the calm waters.

I had to warm up inside once we returned from the hike. I just seem to get cold a lot easier these days. In the early afternoon, next door neighbor Kevin began doing his magic over the open fire. He was cooking the pork, sausage, onions, and secret spice ingredients in a big cast iron pot. It sure did smell good. After chatting with him for a bit, I headed back to my rig and noticed a hawk fly into a nearby tree. I hopped into the rig to change lenses, but what are the chances that the hawk would still be there when I came back outside?

I was lucky that this red-shouldered hawk was still there, and was keeping an eye on me as I tried to creep closer and closer.

I was able to sneak down to the deck on the water to get a front view before it found something interesting to attack on the other side of the canal. This is an adult red-shouldered hawk, so you know it’s good at what it has to do to stay alive.

It wasn’t long before it was time for me to join Kevin and Juanita and their two children, Shelby and Austin for a home cooked Cajun supper. On the menu was Pastalaya (a cousin to Jambalaya that uses pasta instead of rice), white beans with Tasso (a kind of smoked pork), and a fresh green salad containing hard boiled eggs that were laid by their chickens. (Actually, I think their chickens lay regular eggs and Juanita probably hard boils them ) The only thing on the menu that I had ever eaten before was the salad. Juanita had assured me that she didn’t like things as spicy as Kevin does, so the meal for this northerner was absolutely delicious! I’ve always disliked the red kind of pork and beans, but these white beans with Tasso surprised me with how good they were. They were most surprised by the fact that I had never eaten white beans. I will now. I provided ice cream with toppings for desert, and Shelby had never had butterscotch topping before. It was a great time sharing experiences: old and new.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Louisiana, America’s Wetland

2012-01-02T19:00:00.001-06:00

The winds abated enough by this morning so I could finally head out from Anahuac NWR. Mostly it was an uneventful 213 miles to Lake Fausse Pointe State Park in Louisiana. It turned out I had about a 25 mile drive once exiting I-10 to head south to the park. Those first five miles on the two lane road made me wonder what I had gotten myself into. LA 352 is just in awful shape out of Henderson. Eventually the road smoothed out as it traveled along the Atchafalaya Basin levy. It was a long 25 mile drive!

But, it was worth it. Having never been here before, it was a lottery shoot when I had to pick a specific site to reserve on Reserve America. Site #32 is a beauty. To get into this site, I had to go past it and then loop around so I passed it again in the opposite direction. As I did the loop, I decided to unhook the toad. I didn’t know there was a rig pulling in directly behind me. I got out and told them what I had in mind, and the gentleman in the fifth wheel hopped out to see if I needed any help. Well, you know how that goes. I have a system for unhooking, and he really didn’t interfere very much. Turned out that he and his family were arriving to camp in the site next to mine.

At the far end of my site, there is a deck with two little benches that overlooks the Borrow Pit Canal. It just looks like a river (bayou) to me. I paid an extra $2/night to have a premium site, and that includes a deck along the water. How cool is that? If I had a boat, I could tie it up here.

This cypress is right to the front of the deck.

Looking up the canal.

The view of my site from the deck.

As I began to back up the rig into the site, the gentleman from the fifth wheel suddenly appeared in my rear view mirror helping to direct me into the site. Cool beans! As we chatted while I tried to get my water hookup to stop leaking, he said he had the same problem. He and his family are native Louisianans, and they have invited me for dinner tomorrow to experience some down home Cajon cooking. It has something to do with pork, sausage, rice, and white beans. I’ll get the name of it tomorrow. Now I’ll just have to figure out what I can bring to contribute to the dinner. I’m so happy I decided to go on this little excursion before heading to my next refuge.

He also informed me that there is wifi at this state park. I can’t get anything on my phone or air card, so we’ll just see if I can get this posted.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Foiled again

2012-01-01T17:36:00.001-06:00

This time it was Mother Nature that interfered with my plans for the day. I was all set to head out this morning for Louisiana, but along about 6:30 this morning the winds really began to blow again. They certainly weren’t as bad as the Thursday before Christmas, but as I took Emma for her first outs my hair was blowin’ in the wind! When the winds are near 30 mph, I don’t drive the rig. It’s as simple as that.

So, I ate the bologna sandwich for breakfast that I had prepared for lunch on the road, and stayed in the almost ready-to-roll mode until noon just in case the winds died after the front passed through. They didn’t, so I’m here for another night. In the afternoon I called the state park to inform them that I wouldn’t get there today, but my plan was to arrive there tomorrow. I don’t want them renting out the site I had reserved because of a no show.

Upon reading some reviews about Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, I found out that there is little to no cell phone reception. That probably means my air card won’t work either, so I may not post again until I get to Mississippi on Thursday. EEK! It’s been a long time since I haven’t had internet connections… almost five years as near as I can figure. I’ll try to survive.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Ringing out the old

2011-12-31T17:03:00.001-06:00

I find December 31 a good time to take stock of what happened in my life in the previous year. In some ways, 2011 was very different for me, and in other ways it was the same. As I did last year, I will share some of these remembrances with you.

I spent the first two weeks of January 2011 finishing up my stint at Anahuac NWR. One of my proudest moments came when I was honored with The President’s Volunteer Service Award. I still have that letter signed by President Obama.

The middle of the month found me at Thibodeaux’s Premiere RV in Scott, Louisiana, having my new residential fridge installed and some other work on the rig. Little did I know that this would start a theme of residing in repair shop parking lots this year. While I was waiting I tried my first shrimp po-boy, and toured a number of places in this Cajun area.

Then it was on to Gautier, MS, for a three month volunteer stint at Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. To my great dismay, this morning I found that one of the folders of pictures from my time there is missing.

About all I have left are mostly flower pictures from the three hiking trails. When I get a chance, I’ll have to have my oldest son see if the folder is tucked away on the computer someplace that I don’t know how to get to.

I guess it’s a good thing I’ll be returning there so I can try replacing many of those pictures with this year’s experiences. At this point, I don’t even have one picture of a Mississippi Sandhill Crane.

When I left the refuge in May, I had to make another stop at Premiere RV to have the MCD shades installed, and some other minor maintenance items taken care of. While there this time, I toured the Tabasco factory on Avery Island, and my finished memory quilt was delivered to my daughter’s house.

The battle of the squirrels ensued while I camped all summer in Indiana close to my daughter Robyn’s house. While there, my sister and I took a trip down memory lane by visiting the neighborhood we grew up in in Chicago.

So many memories were made with the two grandgirls this past summer! My new name became Belt, and Phoebe’s became Buckle. I also checked out how well hung the Jolly Green Giant is on one of my fast trips to South Dakota to renew my driver’s license.

Then as I tried to leave Indiana in September, I ended up spending another three weeks in a repair shop parking lot because of no brakes. I found some things to do to keep me busy while waiting. A day after I got back on the road, my new refrigerator broke which resulted in me only having a cooler until I made it back to Premiere RV for the third time this year. I have ended up living for two months this year in repair parking lots. Not a record I ever hope to break.

Toward the end of October, I finally made it back to Anahuac NWR almost a month late for my assignment. These picks were taken in the last three days as I made one more farewell trip through the refuge. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I sure hope Murphy leaves me alone in 2012.

I wish you all a Happy New Year, and hope you’ll continue to come along with me on my Travels with Emma.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you next year, Judy

The last roundup

2011-12-30T18:46:00.001-06:00

As I gazed out the window above my bench table this morning,

I was surprised to see a cowboy in the field rounding up the doggies. That could only mean one thing. It was time for a cattle drive. I was hoping I would get to see another drive before I leave.

About an hour later, three mounted cowboys trotted past the rigs, and not far behind…

came the herd. My estimate was about 300 head were being moved to greener pastures.

Since Emma was going berserk, I put her inside the rig and went out to the fence to watch the parade go by.

As the cows flooded the road, I could have reached out and touched them. There were upturned horns, and downturned horns, and no horns at all.

And last, but not least, was the rear guard cowboy making sure no cattle wandered where they weren’t supposed to.

A cow herd of this size doesn’t move very fast, and they certainly pave the road with lots of cow pies in their passing.

I waited another hour before I got into the car and headed to town. I couldn’t avoid the pies as I listened to the blatt blatt blatt as my tires squished them and sprayed them on the underside of the car. Yuck! I was on my way to what turned out to be the worst Chinese buffet that I’ve ever eaten. My two recommendations are don’t eat Chinese in Winnie, TX, and don’t drive a road after a cattle drive!

As you may have figured out, I decided to stay at Anahuac NWR until New Year’s Day. Then on Sunday, I have reservations for four nights at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park in Louisiana. I’ve been slowly getting ready to blow this popsicle stand.

I thought the cattle would be in their new pasture by the time I left for lunch, but it was not to be. That herd was moving over four miles down the road, so I caught up with them. I leave you tonight with a picture out the front windshield of my car as I was directed by the cowboys to push through the herd. Easier said than done…

THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Why do I keep coming back here?

2011-12-27T19:44:00.001-06:00

I received a thought provoking, for me, email today from one of the readers of this blog. I’ll include a portion of it here:

Hello Judy,

Mice, mosquitoes, wind storms, few visitors at the VIS, wet, cold and dreary days. You really don't make Anahuac sound like a nice place. Yet you have returned 5 times! Is this all part of your plot to make it sound bad so that no one else will go there and you will always have an open spot? :-) Seriously, why do you keep coming back?

I can assure Grant that it is not a plot to turn people away from volunteering here. Each refuge, or national park, or state park or hatchery that I have volunteered at has its own set of challenges for volunteers to overcome, but these challenges have never detracted from the overall enjoyable experiences that I’ve had at each assignment.

(I took pictures of the neighbors today)

Mice? Yep, I’ve had an influx of them this year and the year after hurricane Ike. Would I prefer that they didn’t get into my rig? You betcha! My thinking is that the draught coupled with the mowing/tilling of surrounding fields were the reason this year, and Ike was the cause the other year. That means weather which, try as I might, I can’t control. It seems to me the folks in Arizona are a little chilly this year as well.

Mosquitoes? That’s just about a given at any refuge along the coast with marshes and wet areas. Kind of an occupational hazard. They make me itch, and I complain about them, but they don’t keep me away from the grandeur of everything else.

Perhaps I’ve explained away some of the drawbacks, but more important to me are some of the pluses. Stephanie is a great volunteer coordinator and understands my need to have a variety of things to do. Anahuac is one of the few refuges I’ve been at that truly matches the strengths of each volunteer to their assignments. Bird surveys, photography, tour leading, public interaction, and education are my strengths, and I spend the vast amount of my volunteering time in those areas here. In my five times here, I have only spent two days in an office situation (which I hate), and those two times were because of emergencies.

This post could probably go on for pages about my other reasons for returning, but I won’t go into those. The above is the most important to me. Will I return again? Probably, but I’m really going to try to stay away in 2012. When I started out, my plan was not to return to any assignment, but things change with different experiences. Now, if you’re still reading, here’s something on a lighter note:

It’s a little quiz. Remember those pictures from your youth where you had to find things? Let’s see how you do.

1. How many cow tails can you find?

2. Can you find the red-tailed hawk?

3. How many cow faces do you see?

4. Where is the cattle egret?

5. How many of these cows have horns?

6. What breed(s) are these cattle? (Click picture to enlarge)

THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Coming up with plan D?

2011-12-26T18:48:00.001-06:00

Aw shucks! It was another wet, cold, and dreary day today. That makes six in a row. I find I am less and less interested in doing anything the longer the dreariness persists. I’ve only taken three pictures in the last three days, so tonight’s photos are retreads from my time here at Anahuac.

My original ‘Plan A’ was to leave here today, and take my time getting to Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR (MSCNWR) by the end of the year. I scrapped that plan several weeks ago.

‘Plan B’ was to leave this coming Friday and caravan with my friends, John and Diana, to MSCNWR. They will be volunteering there also. It turns out that Diana has to stay in the area longer for some physical therapy, so I scrapped that plan too.

In the meantime, I made an appointment for Emma to have a spa day for a bath and nail trim for tomorrow. That meant I had changed my plans once again to leave on Wednesday. That would be ‘Plan C’.

Well that may just come under the axe as well. My latest plan involved spending several nights at Tickfaw State Park in Louisiana before beginning another volunteer stint. I went on line today to check out campsite availability, and found nothing available. What? I gave them a call, and sure enough; the campground is closed for a month as they repave the road in.

Okay, so I switched to Lake Fausse Pointe State Park instead. There seems to be a lot to see in that area as well, and the park looked very nice. Checked with availability on line, and once again got skunked for my time frame. Are you kidding me? So I gave them a call since Reserve America sometimes does funky things, but in this case it was true. Nothing is available until after the first of the year. Looks like I need a ‘Plan D’.

So here’s my dilemma tonight. I could still leave on Wednesday, and stay at a private campground somewhere east of Lafayette, LA, and then head for MSCNWR on Thursday. I’m really not interested in a private campground for more than one night, so that would mean pushing on to my destination on Thursday. Or, I could stay here until Sunday, and then do the state park trip to Lake Fausse Pointe with a stay of four nights or so. I’ll be mulling over my options tonight. What’s your vote?

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A soggy holiday weekend

2011-12-25T18:38:00.001-06:00

It’s been wet and overcast for days now, so this weekend was pretty laid back. I actually spent yesterday afternoon watching the entire Lonesome Dove mini series to the sound of rain on the rooftop. That’s a pretty boring day for me. Emma has been so bored that she ripped apart her stuffed duck. She’s had that for a couple of years, but it’s in the garbage bucket tonight.

I think even the wild barn owls are tired of this weather. One of those owls sits under the eave of the community building and coughs up its pellets onto the cement area in front of the door. These pellets are usually like small compact eggs consisting of indigestible bones and hair. Well, this morning’s deposit was a only slightly digested mouse. Yuck! Bill and Carol saw a barn owl sitting on a post just next to my rig last night. I wonder if that’s why I’ve had a decrease of mice in the rig this week. I hope it perches there each night.

At least this afternoon we were all able to share a Christmas Dinner in the community building. That was definitely the highlight of the day.

I volunteered to get and cook the ham so I could make my favorite raisin gravy. Luckily, Bob stepped forward to carve the ham for me so I could work on the gravy. Raisin gravy is a once a year treat for me, and I sure do enjoy it.

I was in culinary heaven with side dishes of mashed potatoes, a baked pineapple garnish, green bean casserole, broccoli cheese casserole, hot rolls, cranberry, pecan pie, and a chocolate pudding/angel food cake dish to go along with the ham and gravy. I don’t talk about food very often, but this feast was delicious! There wasn’t a thing on that menu that I didn’t like.

(from the left: Bill, Carol, Annie, Roxanne, Bob, and Dorothy)

Good food, good company, and good conversation warmed the cockles of my heart. I hope you all had a heart warming day as well.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Life’s little adventures

2011-12-23T18:40:00.001-06:00

I don’t know about the rest of you bloggers, but for me my time outside with Emma in the late afternoon is a good time for me to review the happenings of the day in my mind. It’s also the time when I decide if the day is worth blogging about. Sometimes, my biggest challenge is coming up with a title for the post. Today was one of those days. Quite a bit happened, and yet, none of it was earth shattering.

I also want to say that it has been very enlightening to have fellow bloggers staying here for more than an hour or two. I have really enjoyed reading about Roxanne’s and Annie’s perception of our shared experiences. It just reinforces how each of us in this world perceive happenings through our own personal window on life.

Anyway, on to today’s little adventures…

This morning, the Good Luck Ducks joined me for part two of the wildlife refuge tour. We visited both the VIS and the new Visitor’s Center after dropping off the five bags of sorted rice grains to the biologist.

We also took the trail through the bald cypress swamp down to Lake Anahuac. It was a peaceful little hike, and the woods were very quiet.

While at the Visitor’s Center, I visited the ladies room, and just need to tell you about the latest thing in hand drying. This is a state of the art building powered by solar panels. After washing up, you just insert your hands into this thing, and it automatically blasts your hands dry with warm air. No more having to rub your hands together while trying to punch the start button, and no more trees destroyed for paper wipe towels. Pretty cool, huh? ( I know, simple pleasures for simple minds.)

On the way back to the rigs, Annie suggested we stop for lunch at a little place I had told them about. Dolly’s Quick Food is a little shack on one of the back farm roads. The only other people I’ve persuaded to stop here are my sister and her husband about five years ago. Big improvements have been made since then. When I first stopped here with them, you just knocked on a window to place your order. There wasn’t any door with an enclosed porch then. This is definitely not an eat in restaurant. You go in, place your order, and then wait while Dolly goes back to make your lunch or dinner. That’s Dolly, on the right, working away at the grill behind the window preparing our eats.

I don’t know how long Dolly has been in business, but she sure puts out some good grub. Roxanne and Annie ordered chopped beef bar-b-queued sandwiches, and I ordered the pork rib sandwich. The adventure part for me here was to figure out how to eat a pork rib sandwich with the bones still in the ribs! Do Texans eat the bones and all?? You know, there were onions and pickles on the sandwich as well as the bread. It was definitely an experience.

Last, but not least, is the adventure I observed as I sat outside with Emma just before sunset. I will leave you with this slightly different ending picture, and in all due respect, fellow volunteer Bob does not know that I took this pic. He was working on making some gutter drains for the community building. I’m thinking maybe he has some roasted oysters there as he straddles that spout…

THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Got the crap scared out of me last night

2011-12-22T19:48:00.001-06:00

In less than the blink of an eye, I went from deep sleep to total awareness last night at 3:17 a.m. A wind blast hit the rig so strongly that I sat right up, and my hair was standing on end! The two slides were moving in and out, and the sound was deafening. I flew to the front of the rig to grab the keys to turn on the motor so I could pull in the slides. I’ve never rearranged things so quickly to pull in the slides as I did last night. Emma and I huddled together. I thought the slide toppers were ripped off for sure. That wind went on for what seemed like forever, and then the lightening, thunder and rain began. We had a real windy downpour.

We survived with no damage to the rig, but I had to hunt for some of my outside furniture in the morning. It seems everyone in the volunteer village has been up since the wee hours today. I thought of going to the community building for safety, but wasn’t sure I’d be able to get the door on the rig open, and if I did I thought it might tear my arm out of its socket. It was a scary four hours waiting for dawn.

By the afternoon, it had calmed down enough for me to give Roxanne and Annie a tour of the refuge. We started out at the Skillern Tract.

Two locals set up fishing along the bayou. There were about 2000 snow geese behind them honking away. What a grand way to spend the afternoon.

Here’s a teenage snow goose going against the flow of the adults. A rebel with a cause?

Found a pair of blue-winged teal in the marsh that had weathered the storm.

And a young white ibis on the overlook.

The storm had stirred up a new hatch of thousands of insects, but at least they weren’t mosquitoes. I hope my visitors enjoyed this quiet walk with nature along the trail. We then headed to the main part of the refuge.

A slightly soggy adult red-tailed hawk was the highlight of the drive down those roads. I was surprised to see it sit so still for us. Guess it had a bad night too. I just can’t imagine being out in the midst of that storm.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Houston, the Good Luck Duck has landed!

2011-12-21T19:30:00.001-06:00

What do a Good Luck Duck, a Christmas Bird Count (CBC), a web migration, and a crawdad house have in common? They’re all things that appeared or happened today, and the topics of this post.

ROXANNE AND ANNIE, of The Good Luck Duck blog, pulled into the RV pads this afternoon. It turns out spending a couple of nights at the pads works out in their plans to visit a friend on the Bolivar Peninsula, and I’m always happy to offer a spot to fellow bloggers. We had a good time getting to know each other in person before the temps dropped, and the sun set. Tomorrow, if it isn’t too rainy, we’ll do a tour of the refuge.

I was up way before the crack of dawn this morning to get ready for the annual Christmas Bird Count here on the refuge. This Wilson’s snipe is one of the birds we saw during the count. I took this picture yesterday during some showers. I like how the rain just beads up on the birds back. If you were a boy scout in your youth, you may have gone on a snipe hunt. I’m here to tell you that there really is such a bird.

On the two road sections that I was assigned to survey, my friend Diana and I counted 9200 birds. Of course 8500 of those birds were all Northern shovelers on one of the rice field ponds, but the other 700 included three long-billed curlews and a couple of loggerhead shrikes. Two of the best sightings for us today were an immature bald eagle and a Say’s phoebe.

After I finished the count, and Roxanne and Annie had arrived, we noticed a spider web migration occurring. It’s something I’ve never seen before. Long strands of spider web like material come floating through the air. The strand pictured here was about four feet long. These strands were floating on the wind well above our heads. I had the door of the rig open in the afternoon, and a number of these strands flew into the screen. Anybody know anything about this?

And last, but not least, I found these crawdad mounds behind the rig. Because of the drought, I haven’t seen any of these this year until today. Must have been the rain we had yesterday. The crawdads create these mud and clay marbles and push them up in a stack above their abode. The two I found were only three or four inches tall. When it’s wetter, these mounds can be as much as 10-12” high.

Well, that’s about it for today from the refuge. I’ve decided to head for Mississippi a week from today. I’m providing the ham for our Christmas dinner here, and Emma has a spa appointment for next Tuesday. I’m ready to move on down the road.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Getting blown to pieces today

2011-12-19T17:13:00.001-06:00

Yep, the wind sure is blowing today. A front is moving through with some rain forecasted, but I’m sure glad I’m here rather than up north a ways where there could be a foot and a half of snow. I accomplished very little today, but have enjoyed the down time.

Finally got a few pics of this female belted kingfisher the other day. She has been taunting me for a couple of months.

It was a slow day at the VIS yesterday. I only had three people stop in, and they were all in one group. That was my last stint working there this tour of duty. Can’t say that I’ll miss it very much. It’s pretty boring at this time of the year.

Thank goodness there were a few little birds flitting around just outside to keep me awake. (common yellowthroat)

Amazingly, I had about $65 in sales. That sure beat the paltry $1 I had last Sunday. It’s always rather windy along the coast, but today is even more so. My little outside table took flight a while ago, and the slide-out awning has been flapping all day.A feral hog got hit by a vehicle on the entrance road the other day, so the clean up crew has flown in to take care of things. I know you’re just waiting for some more trivial facts to liven up your lulls in conversation, so here goes. Vultures don’t have feathers on their heads because their trade is sticking their heads into decomposing bodies. What a mess that would be if they had feathers on their heads! I also want you to notice how white their legs appear. That’s because they defecate on their legs. It is very acidic. So acidic in fact that bird banders learned early not to put bands on vulture legs. Their poop got stuck between the band and their legs, and the result was a bunch of one legged vultures. These two little facts could really liven up your Christmas dinner, don’t you think?

I just think this is the neatest entrance sign to the elementary school in Winnie. Just had to share it with you.

Okay, enough rambling. Tomorrow is chore day (boring) so I probably won’t post anything. Then on Wednesday I’ll be doing the local Christmas Bird Count, and in the afternoon a Big Duck will be flying in. More about that later.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Sunset at Skillern

2011-12-17T20:44:00.001-06:00

One of the departing gifts that volunteers receive at Anahuac NWR is a $15 gift certificate that is good at the Friend’s of Anahuac Nature Store. Since these certificates were burning holes in the pockets of Barbara, James, and myself, we headed off this afternoon to cash them in at the new Visitor’s Center. I also had to pick up the salinity test equipment that had accidentally been off loaded out of the Suburban when we moved all of the environmental education equipment the other day.

After that extravagant shopping spree, we all headed out to do the salinity testing for the week. We only got two sites done when we had to return to the rigs. The back roads had turned to gumbo with the rain from the other day, and we had a phone call that required us to return. After taking care of some business and grabbing a bite to eat, we headed over to the Skillern Tract about an hour before sunset.

What we found as we entered the tract was the mother lode of snow geese settling in for the night in the moist soil units. They were so intent on honking away and chatting with their neighbors that we didn’t spook them at all as we drove the half mile road to the parking area.

After admiring all the geese, ibis, and Northern shovelers, we parked to take the trail along the bayou. The wind had calmed so the bayou was very calm. This pic reminds me of something that would be used for a jigsaw puzzle. There were such great reflections on the bayou.

As the sun slipped down to the horizon, we were in for a couple of real treats as we made our way down the trail.

An anhinga, perched on a tree branch, was about to give us a real show worth watching. I’m pleased to be able to show you its antics.

Do you suppose it knew it had a rapt audience? After that great display, it flew off into the sunset. We continued down the path to the overlook with a Wilson’s warbler, a ruby-crowned kinglet, and numerous sparrows flitting around in front of us.

On our way back from the overlook, there was one more treat in store for us.

A peregrine falcon swooped into one of the trees. I was so excited that I forgot to adjust my shutter speed as I crept closer and closer to this magnificent bird so all of my shots were woefully underexposed for the low light available. Picasa can help, but it can’t do miracles.

All in all, it was a great outing with my new friends who will be leaving on Monday. I can’t wait to see James’ photos. I’m betting he’ll have better photos of the falcon.

Good night, all!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A great day off refuge

2011-12-16T19:34:00.001-06:00

Every once in a while the refuges that I volunteer on take a day to provide a field trip for all of the volunteers. Some refuges do it more often than others, and some don’t do it at all. Personally, I think it would be a great idea for all refuges to do this. We all have different schedules, and this provides a common sharing time for all of us, and enhances our experiences after putting in all those volunteer hours. Today was such a day at Anahuac NWR.

Even though the skies were threatening after a good rain overnight, we headed out early this morning for our nation’s first National Preserve… Big Thicket.

After a brief time at the Visitor’s Center, we all headed out for a ranger guided hike on the preserve. We wanted to get the hike in first in case it might rain later.

It was a nice two mile hike on the Kirby nature trail. That’s the longest hike I’ve gone on since my back problems. We started out with ten people, but two had to turn back due to knee problems.

There were lots of colorful fungus along the way, and…

a nice selection of mushrooms. This was declared the first National Preserve by Congress in 1974 because of the many different habitats found in this unique area. It has since been recognized internationally as an important natural area because of its biodiversity.

It took us a couple of hours to do the trail, but it was a nice walk through the woods and several habitats.

A nice little forest of cypress knees was off of one of the boardwalks.

At the meandering bayou we headed back towards the parking lot.

There was a picnic table along the way back where we all posed for the mandatory group picture. Just so you’ll know, in the top row from the left is Stephanie (the volunteer coordinator), Barbara, James, yours truly, and Tammy (another refuge staff member). The front row from the left is Dorothy, Cindi, and Bob. Bill and Carol had to turn back early so missed being in this shot. We may look like a motley crew, but we’re all dedicated volunteers. I was kneeling on top of that wet picnic table, so that was more of a grimace than a smile. The funny part of this photo is that as the ranger tried to take this picture using my camera, the flash popped up and nearly knocked her ranger hat off.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A memorable day

2011-12-15T19:57:00.001-06:00

Many of my days on various refuges are memorable, but today marked a milepost in my volunteering career. The morning was spent moving all the educational materials from the community building at the RV sites to the new headquarters building. Four vehicles were jam packed with boxes and materials for the 20 mile transfer. After unloading about half of the stuff, it was time to head to a local restaurant in Anahuac for the farewell luncheon for Barbara and James and myself. After a delicious lunch, we were recognized for our contributions to the refuge.

For me, it marked a total of 4000 volunteers hours served at eight different refuges for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I received an engraved rotating photo block. Stephanie had gone to the trouble of printing and inserting four photos from my blog that I had taken at Anahuac this year. What a special remembrance of my times here and at all the other refuges. It is now ensconced in a special place in the rig atop the beautiful doily that LOREE made for me.

After that, Stephanie informed the three of us that we had a choice of what to do this afternoon. We could continue to unload the educational boxes, or we could head for the East Unit to watch this month’s aerial count of the waterfowl. You know what my choice was! I traded vehicles with one of the other volunteers since the Suburban wasn’t emptied yet, and off we went.

We had to make a brief stop back at the rigs because James hasn’t learned yet to not leave home without his camera. We chose a spot to wait that wasn’t too close to the waterfowl to disturb them. You just never know for sure where the largest flocks are going to be. Those darn birds have wings. It turned out the major huge flocks were southeast of the spot we chose, but it sure beat unloading boxes.

While we were waiting for the plane to arrive, I glanced out the passenger’s window and punched James in the arm. I wanted him to turn and look to the right. There was a healthy coyote giving us the once over.

That coyote was curious enough about us to allow me to sneak out of the vehicle and get a pic of him/her from behind the back bumper. We were probably parked along its normal traveling route as it hung around for quite some time. Wild animals are creatures of habit just as we are.

After the fly by, we continued down the East Unit roads in search of getting a mottled duck picture for Stephanie. They are so skittish that we didn’t see any close enough for a photo. There was a great cooperative ruddy duck along the way however. I love the way they hold their tail feathers up in the air. Next spring, this guy will sport rusty red plumage and a bright blue beak.We found plenty of mosquitoes on our drive, and this nice flock of white-fronted geese, but no mottled ducks today. Barbara and James are heading out on Monday. I’ll miss them. We’ve had a great time together out and about on the refuge, and they’re always ready for an adventure. I hope to volunteer again with them sometime.

THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Bits and Pieces

2011-12-14T18:37:00.001-06:00

I took the last two days off from volunteering to take care of those ordinary chores like laundry, cleaning, and grocery shopping. The weather was also blotto, but that doesn’t mean that things were entirely boring to me. I actually got a hair cut today. You ladies know that can provide good or bad surprises. As I looked at my hair clippings on the floor, it reminded me of something my friend, Barb, told me. She told me some people refer to folks of our coloring as Q-tips. Guess I’m a little whiter on top than I thought.

For you folks that wondered what it was they were planting with the leaf blower in the field next to my rig last week, here’s the answer. After my day of experience of seed sorting, I’m guessing there is a lot of little blue stem grass seeds out there. Of course I don’t know how many will sprout with all the white-crowned sparrows and other little birds that have moved in to take advantage of the bounty.

With crummy foggy weather, there’s not much to photograph but my traveling companion. It’s not easy to get Emma to cooperate for that.

I have toast in the morning quite a few times each week, and I noticed recently that every time I made toast there was a fishy smell that seemed to fill the rig. I have one of those long one opening toasters that I keep at the back of my kitchen counter. I couldn’t understand why that smell since it had been a week since I’d fried some shrimp in the rig. So, last night I decided it must be time to empty out all the crumbs in the bottom of the toaster. As I unplugged it and pulled it to me, I shockingly found an unpeeled shrimp in the bottom! What the hay? Egad! It’s no wonder the toast reeked! That shrimp was fairly mummified. I must have toasted it about five times. I still don’t know how it got there.

Fellow volunteer Bob came over this afternoon to check the underside of my rig for openings that mice might be able to access. My present battle score is: Mouse 7, Me 20! I give the mice a point if they lick a trap clean, or set it off without getting caught. With having disposed of 20 dead or on their way to being dead (don’t ask…it has to do with a new dance I’ve learned ) mice, I was of a mind to blow this popsicle stand. He found one area about the size of his pinky finger that I missed with the steel wool. So I’ll give it another night or two.

After only a couple hours of partly cloudy skies this afternoon, Emma and I watched the fog roll in across the street. It was only about 4:30, but in came the fog again.

Emma suddenly went into orbit. It wasn’t her usual cow or hawk bark, so I jumped out of my chair to see what was disturbing her world. At the edge of the field next to us was a pack of three stray dogs approaching in the mist. (hard to see in the descending darkness and fog) I always feel kind of sorry for stray dogs, but was happy in this case that Emma dissuaded them from approaching. You just never know.

So I had two days off to do boring chores, but there’s always something interesting to me if I take the time to see it. (or if you somehow mysteriously flip a shrimp into the toaster)

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A seedy assignment

2011-12-12T19:56:00.001-06:00

At our volunteer meeting last week, I hopped up and volunteered to do an assignment for the biologist that involved a trip to Louisiana. OMG, I didn’t realize what I was getting into. Stephanie suggested that perhaps I’d like to take someone with me, even though the biologist said it would only take one person to do this. (little did he know) Barbara and James said they’d go with me. So, this morning we left the rigs at 8:00 to head for St. Charles, LA, about two hours away.

Our destination was the Louisiana Environmental Research Center. They do all sorts of research into prairie plants and restoration work of native prairies. It was a surprise to me to learn that plants of prairies in the United States are the same no matter where they are located. So the plants found in a Louisiana prairie are the same as the plants that are found in Minnesota or South Dakota prairies. You can’t transplant plants from the north to the south, or vice versa, but the species are the same. Prairies have suffered throughout the country from development and agriculture.

Inside the building are bags and bags of prairie plant seeds. We had brought four bags of our own that had been gathered for the prairie restoration project just before the hurricane Ike devastation. Our assignment was to determine the identities of the seeds and their percentages from four different plots.

This was not an easy task. I won’t go into all the details of how we decided on taking all these counts, but we did take samples from each bag to categorize. Had we used all the contents of the bags, we would have been there several days!

You all probably have figured out how enthusiastic I am about birds, but seeds not so much. Well, let me tell you that CC was the person at the center that helped us with the investigation, and she is just wild about seeds! By the end of the day, I can’t believe how excited I was about finding a different kind of seed.

The tools of the trade today were tweezers and forceps to separate different seeds. CC was especially excited to find the Indian bush seeds.

We also had access to this kind of wind machine that separated seeds by their weight, with the lightest seeds flying to the top of the tubes. The bottom retained the largest heaviest seeds. We soon gave up on this machine as it took too long and the trash stems and such just kept jamming up.

By the time we got home, close to 10 hours had elapsed. I wouldn’t want to do this assignment every day, but I sure learned a lot. I’ll be a lot more enthusiastic about prairie seeds in the future, and I’ll sure look at them in a different light. I so enjoyed CC’s excitement. There are so many things in this natural world to get excited about, but who would have thought of seeds?

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Fiddling around and a mouse trap review

2011-12-11T19:38:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine has lent me a 2X multiplier lens to use on my camera for a couple of weeks. I’m not sure that’s the right terminology, but I decided to try it out today before I had to work the VIS at noon. This multiplier goes between the camera body and my telephoto lens.

I drove the refuge roads and began clicking away. I took over 100 photos using it, and ended up with only two pics that were sort of okay. Most of the pics were terribly out of focus. Of course, I was hand holding the camera as I drove along. Probably the use of a tripod would help since it is doubling a 300mm lens.

But there is also a difference between what I see through the viewfinder and what I end up with. Putting the multiplier on the camera means I can’t use automatic focus, but have to use manual focus. I adjust the focus so the subject is crisply in focus before I shoot, but there’s some kind of disconnect there. The results are not what I originally see. I’ll try it some more to see if I can learn how to correct that.

It was an incredibly slow day in the VIS today, so I was happy a young Cooper’s hawk came along to give me something to do and look at.

I took these two pictures without the multiplier, and like the results much better. She was sure giving me the eye as I snuck around the gazebo to get her pic on top of the flag pole.

Now for the mouse trap review. I’m going to show you three different mouse traps, and comment on their productivity.

This is the trap I bought at Wal-mart. It’s easy to load bait and set, but needs a mouse that weighs as much as an elephant to set it off. Mice just eat the bait and go on their way. I must say that I can’t use the old fashioned wooden traps. I can’t set them without them going off and scaring the crap out of me. I’m afraid I’ll break a finger.

The second trap is made by Tomcat and I purchased them at the local hardware store. They’re pretty good, but tend to wear out because the latching mechanism is made of plastic and doesn’t hold up like metal would.

The third trap is made by Intruder and was sent to me by JANNA in Montana. (I just like saying Janna from Montana ) I had several of these traps here at Anahuac the winter after Ike when the mice were simply overwhelming. They are hard to find, and I appreciate her sending one to me. To give you an idea of their performance; I caught three mice in this one trap in under eight hours. I think it has something to do with that spring that wraps around on the outside. So there you have it. My unscientific mousetrap review. I had no mice last night thanks to the two good traps and stuffing steel wool into the crack where my water hose comes into the rig.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

WARNING: Dead duck pictures tonight

2011-12-10T18:32:00.001-06:00

If you’re squeamish about seeing pictures of dead wildlife, or are anti-hunting, I would suggest that you not read this post. However, if you’d like to learn about what happens at a wildlife refuge hunter check station, then read on.

Today was the Anahuac NWR Hunter Check Station Chili Day. The Friends of the Refuge group puts on this chili feed once a year for the hunters that hunt on the refuge. We normally have a couple of canopies erected for people to sit under to eat out of the sun, but the wind was blowing way too strongly for them to stay up today. We pushed the tables up against the check station where it wasn’t quite so windy, but still had some issues with things taking flight. There is chili and rice and all the fixings along with an assortment of deserts (like the cupcakes I made the other night). After being out since early morning, the hunters can use a hot meal.

Hunters check in at the station beginning at 4:00 in the morning each hunt day. Many of them start lining up on the entrance road in the afternoon before the hunt day so that they can get first crack at their favorite spot once the door is opened. They must also quit hunting by noon, and be checked out by 12:30 each day that hunting is allowed.

At check out, each bird is recorded along with the location where they were taken. The first thing the check station operator does is determine the species, the sex, and the age of each bird. He starts out by wiping each of the birds down to absorb any water that is on the bird so it doesn’t skew the bird’s weight.

The wing length of each bird is also measured as in this adult male blue-winged teal.

Sometimes the sexing of the juvenile birds can’t be done by plumage (feather coloring) alone. Then it’s time to check the bird’s vent area for a cloacal protuberance (the duck and goose equivalent of a penis).

Hunters are generally a friendly lot, especially when they’ve been successful, and are most willing to show the distinguishing features of the different species. That’s a male widgeon on the left, and a male blue-winged teal on the right.

They’re also proud to pose with their take for the day. Young lady hunters aren’t common, but this father daughter team did quite well. The gentleman on the right brought in the only goose taken today. It was a beautiful specimen, and he had quite a story to go with it. As he and his companion were leaning against the bank, the goose flew over and he took aim. He got it with one shot behind the eye. As the bird dropped, he had to roll out of the way or the goose would have landed right on his face! It isn’t everyday your bird lands right in your lap.

Mottled ducks are a species of concern on the refuge, so if one is taken the hunter is asked if the refuge can take a wing and the gizzard of the bird. I don’t know that anyone has turned down this request.

The check station operator knows exactly where to cut the bird to extract the gizzard without hacking the bird to pieces. The gizzard will be checked later to see if there is any lead shot in it. Lead shot can poison and kill waterfowl as it does not dissolve. Other shot dissolves.

It was a good hunt day, and I don’t think anyone got skunked. Everyone also seemed to enjoy chowing down after they checked out. Many of these hunters come back year after year, so it’s kind of like old home week.

My personal hunt score is: Mouse 5, Me 11! (Thanks in part to a super trap that JANNA sent me from Montana!)

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Sorting rice and ??

2011-12-09T19:11:00.001-06:00

Last night as I was making the cupcakes up in the community building, I pitched in to help Barbara sort the five bags of harvested rice stalks we had been given by the biologist.

Each of the five paper grocery bags is full of stalks like this harvested off of the refuge. Each bag has a code on the outside identifying the field it was taken from. The study is to determine productivity. And who better to do the tedious work of separating the seed from the chaff than the volunteers?

We put the results of our sorting into separate smaller bags. Here’s the weeds found in amongst the rice stalks.

Then we break off all of the stalk heads and put them in a pile. Each individual rice seed (?) was to be removed from the seed head and then counted before being put in a specially labeled bag. This small pile is the result of several hours of work the night before by Barb and James. One night of all of this and Barb talked to the biologist and suggested he find someone else to take off the individual seeds and count them. I guess an intern will get that little job.

The flexible part of this assignment is that we can do it up at a table in the community building in the evening, and chat or bake cupcakes while we’re doing it. For some reason, not too many people are clamoring to help us with this. I can’t imagine why.

This afternoon, a secret admirer that reads this blog showed up to take me out to dinner. Imagine that! He opened the door and helped me in and out of his vehicle as we made our way to the exciting community of Winnie. I’m not used to someone asking me to wait while he got the door. He wined and dined and sweet talked me until I decided it was best that he drop me off at the rig and return to his motel room. Do you remember when I had that bittersweet short shipboard romance last year? Well, I’ve decided to give this a little more time, and have allowed him to visit me again in about three weeks when I’m back in Mississippi. There’s something about those tall long-leafed pines…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Sunrise, Sunset

2011-12-08T19:09:00.001-06:00

Today was scheduled as an RV volunteer work day. It’s not like we don’t work other days, but today most of us met in the morning to work together at headquarters. The task? Weeding all the beds surrounding headquarters and the new Visitor’s Center.

There were seven of us that took on this assignment, and I must admit that some of us didn’t find this to be our favorite way to spend a morning. But with seven sets of hands working away, we were able to get everything done in two hours. I’ll tell you that two hours of being bent over was my limit for my recovering back. By the time we finished, I felt like the crooked man with the crooked back.

An hour or so before sunset, Emma and I headed over to the Skillern Tract to see what we could see. Emma was more than happy to go for a little hike.

The marsh and roosting area were very busy. The cormorants began arriving and filling the trees for the night. The grunting that they do reminded me of being near a huge pigpen.

While we were on the observation deck, a vermillion flycatcher flew over head. I was thrilled to see this colorful little guy.

Not far away was a female American kestrel looking for a snack before bedtime.

As we headed back to the car, I watched one more cormorant heading for a roosting spot. Must be time to go home.

I got a call late this afternoon from Alternative Resources in South Dakota. They are my mail service, and they were wondering if they could open a package I had received to condense it down with my other mail to avoid having to send two mail packages and save me some money. I gave them permission to do that and then asked if there was a letter there from Samsung. There was, so I asked them to open it for me to let me know if the full refund check for the defunct refrigerator was inside. I’ve been waiting since the middle of October to see if they were truly going to refund the full purchase price after all the hoops I jumped through. Yahoo! I’m happy to report that they did!

Well, I’m off to the community building this evening to bake 24 cupcakes for the hunter Chile Day on Saturday, and to pluck wild rice for the refuge. (I’ll explain both of those things in a later post.) Stay tuned.

THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A day of challenges & an anniversary story

2011-12-07T19:59:00.001-06:00

The clouds had rolled away by this morning so I picked up Barbara, and off we went to the East Unit to try to find some mottled ducks for my photography assignment. It was a day for multiple layers of clothing and gloves.

As we neared an area that had thousands of ducks in it last week, a Sprague’s pipit was rummaging around in the grasses. Nature photography has many challenges, and birds hopping around in amongst vegetation is one of them. It’s frustrating to not get a clear view.

There are only a few cattle egrets left that haven’t migrated south, and I wanted to get a good picture of them doing their cattle thing. Problem is they’re so white that it’s hard to get detail to show up in them. They’re also very flighty so you can’t get very close to them.

Considering the cold temperatures, I was surprised to even see an alligator today.

There was no shortage of raptors, however. I would have liked more detail in the face of this young red-tailed hawk.

It was low tide when we neared the intracoastal waterway so lots of mudflats were exposed. Only challenge here is that the birds, like this marbled godwit, are so far away. There’s no way to get close enough for an outstanding shot.

I could get close enough for these shots of the exposed oysters. Oysters Rockefeller anyone? I really don’t mind these kinds of challenges. Give me a day out on the refuge any time, and I’m happy as a clam (or oyster).

Alas, we didn’t find any mottled ducks to try to photograph, so on the way back we stopped at the boardwalk that leads to the handicapped hunting blind. This may be my best bet for getting the pictures I need. On a day without the bitter cold temperatures and biting winds, I may hunker down here to patiently wait for the ducks to come to me. I’ll be sure to bring a gallon of bug spray with me though to combat the mosquitoes on a warmer day.

Back at the ranch, the battle of the rodents continues for several of us. My score so far: mouse 5, me 3. When I checked the one good trap today, it had gone off, but no mouse attached. I bought two more of the traps I like this afternoon.

Now for the anniversary story. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I was not yet born at that time, but I do have a remembrance. My father was in the printing trade at that time, and was exempt from the draft because his job was considered essential. He died when I was eight, but I think he always regretted not being able to serve his country. Every weekend, however, he spent time in the basement of the house in Chicago playing records on the victrola which resonated through the house. Almost 60 years later, I still remember the words…

Let’s Remember Pearl Harbor,

As we go to meet the foe.

Let’s Remember Pearl Harbor,

As we did the Alamo.

We will always remember,

How they died for Liberty.

Let’s Remember Pearl Harbor,

And go on to Victory!

I will always remember…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Cabin fever?

2011-12-06T18:39:00.001-06:00

Three days of rain, wind, and cold temperatures means I’m chomping at the bit to get back outside. I did spend Sunday afternoon working the VIS, but that’s an even smaller space than the rig. Yesterday was a totally inside day, so I was happy to go to a volunteer meeting at the maintenance office this morning as it’s a ten mile drive there and back, and I could see if the rain had improved things on the refuge for the birds. (Oh my, try diagramming that last sentence.)

The meeting took a couple of hours, and afterwards I decided to take a drive down to the bayside boat launch just for the chance to prolong going back to the rig. I found a common merganser, on the right, and two hooded mergansers working the waterway off of the bay.

The male hooded merganser is a rather perky looking little guy. They’re all pretty skittish, so I really had to make these shots from afar. That’s the first hooded I’ve seen this year.

As I reached the bay, I found a couple of white ibis working away with a gull flying in to monitor their success.

It’s kind of humorous to watch the gulls follow the ibis around.

I’ve seen gulls snatch food away from ibis and even ospreys…the little marauders!

It was low tide so the crab traps were visible sticking out of the bay. It also meant the flats were alive with shorebirds, but the overcast conditions made for poor lighting for photographing them.

I was hoping to capture a shot of a seaside sparrow, but all I found were several savannah sparrows in amongst the beach rocks and oyster shells.

Heading back to the exit, I found a neotropic cormorant shaking and stretching on one of the water structures before it took off. It was an enjoyable break from sitting inside, that’s for sure.

I’ve had the opportunity the last few days to do some thinking about this coming summer. I’m not going to just sit somewhere; I want something to do. In September I applied for a couple of camp hosting jobs outside of Estes Park, CO, but even after leaving messages I haven’t heard anything. Since they planned to make their decisions by the end of October, I’ve crossed that possibility off of my list. I have two other ideas in mind. Volunteering at the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming would mean a 32 hour/week commitment for the entire summer, or volunteering at the Cle Elum Fish Hatchery in Washington would mean a 20 hour/week commitment for two or three months. Of course, I haven’t officially applied to either location yet…just dreaming. It’s time to put my dreams into action however. I’ll be working on that in the very near future.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Is salinity testing boring?

2011-12-04T20:20:00.001-06:00

Not on your life! At least not for me. Come along with me on yesterday’s adventure on the refuge. I picked up fellow volunteers, Barbara and James, as I left the RV pads. They were interested in going along with me since I would be on one of the roads not open to the public while I went about my testing. (the last two pictures tonight, and any with me in them were taken by them even though they’ll have my watermark)

First stop was down by the bay. After a walk through some cow plops, we made it to the water structure of Ditch #1. The probe is dropped to the bottom of the waterway and then raised a couple of inches off the bottom. We take three readings at each stop to get an average.

Since I had help with me, we shared the duties. The readings turned out saltier than last week, and the water was flowing in the opposite direction. Tides do play a factor in these readings. As you can see in the left hand picture, I bring my walking stick along to help me maintain my balance as I climb up onto the water structure. Staff adjusts the openings in these structures to change water flow.

The second stop was at a popular crabbing location on the refuge. After we took our readings here, I talked to some of the folks to find out more about the fine art of crabbing. Having grown up in the Midwest, I knew nothing about it.

Luckily, this gentleman was more than willing to educate me about the process. The first thing you do is toss a string with a chicken leg tied to the end into the water. Then you let it rest there a while.

After soaking for a bit, you gingerly pull on the string to see if there is any resistance.

If there is, you slowly pull the string in and get your net ready. If you pull too fast, the crabs let go of the chicken leg.

If you know what you’re doing, you scoop the net under the end of the string to catch the crab. This one scoop resulted in four crabs on that one chicken leg! Then you toss the leg back into the water and begin the whole process again.

Then you toss the crabs into a cooler. I asked the man what he did with all of these blue crabs. He boils them, and then picks out the meat to add to his shrimp and sausage gumbo. As I’ve said before, learning something new each day makes life interesting.You always see something new on the roads in the refuge, and yesterday was a day for pelicans. We didn’t see one pelican along here last week.

This week the pelicans were around every curve, both white and brown.

We also had the treat of finding some roseate spoonbills in the marsh. Pink is not a color often found in birdland. That coloring is the result of the shrimp that they eat.

One thing remained the same on this road however. If you step out of the vehicle, you will surely be most popular with the mosquitoes!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A lesson on nature’s food chain

2011-12-02T20:09:00.001-06:00

One of the things that I enjoy most about volunteering on my nation’s National Wildlife Refuges is that hardly a day goes by that I don’t learn something new. Today, I learned a lesson about the food chain that I’ll share with you. A little background first. When I talked to Stephanie yesterday, she gave me a new assignment. The refuge needs some pictures of mottled ducks. Now there’s an assignment I’m more than happy to try. What with the drought, finding mottled ducks to photograph meant I’d have to do some scouting on the East Unit. That’s a unit that’s not open to the general public except for hunters on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays. Since today was Friday, I was given permission to be on the East Unit and ‘hunt’ down my quarry. Following the law, my ‘shots’ are lead free! Fellow volunteers, Barbara and James, accompanied me on my excursion.

We found thousands and thousands of ducks and geese, but not too many that were willing to pose for a close up.

However, we did come upon a Northern harrier that had caught something to eat. Perhaps one of the shorebirds in the moist soil units? (remember the food chain) All was calm until…

…another harrier decided that it wanted what the first harrier had.

That’s when the battle ensued. Eventually, one of the birds dominated and returned to eating its dinner. My thought was that it was a good example of survival of the fittest. Until…

…along came a crested caracara to steal the prize from the winning harrier!

That sure surprised me. Who would have thought that a young carrion eating bird could scare off a raptor of similar size that hunts for a living? I’ve always thought of caracaras and vultures as the natural world’s garbage men (or perhaps I should call them sanitation workers to be more politically correct), and hunting raptors at the top of the food chain.

Like I said, you learn something new everyday. To the victor go the rewards, I guess. We couldn’t figure out what is was that this big battle was all about, but it sure didn’t look very tasty to me!

Here’s the score for those of you that inquired on my personal battlefront: Mouse 3 Me 1! Yep, I caught one of those little buggers after figuring out that the new traps that I bought couldn’t be adjusted and needed an elephant to step on them to make them go off. Before his demise, that little mouse took avail of the peanut butter lined dental floss, and left it clean as a whistle. So much for catching on his teeth! I have one old trap that worked, and I’ve re-baited it for tonight just in case my marauder wasn’t alone.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Back to the birds, and a goodbye

2011-12-01T18:54:00.001-06:00

Time to drive the refuge roads and do trash detail again this afternoon. Yesterday I went on a drive to specifically see birds and got skunked. Today, I went to look for trash and found birds galore. Go figure.

Before I left, I watched an interesting way to plant a field. The other day, a tractor came by the field next to the RV pads and mowed and disked the area. Today, staff was out there planting. Two guys shoveled seed while one guy blew it off of the trailer with a leaf blower while the truck slowly drove along. Then a tractor came by with huge rollers to flatten the seed into the ground. I’ve never seen this kind of planting before.

Found one of the gazillion Savannah sparrows that inhabit the refuge in the winter.

I then came across a meeting of egret minds. What do you imagine they were discussing?

In a rice field along the entrance road, about six thousands snow geese were working the harvested field.

In amongst the snow geese where several Ross’s geese. They kind of look like miniature snow geese. There are two in this picture. One smack dab in the middle of the pic behind a snow goose, and another about three feet in front.

Then I finally found my first alligator of the year. With the drought, they’ve been harder to find this year. I’m posting this pic especially for DONNA of Cave Dwelling fame. This will be a safe way for her to see one.

While the gator lay there sunning, several white ibis and great egrets flew into the wet area.

Don’t think I’d be feeding this close to a ten foot alligator. I was hoping to get an action shot of the gator procuring dinner, but nothing ever happened.

Late this afternoon, I read that my friend PIDGE has decided to come off of the road with her husband. She has been experiencing medical issues and now has her truck and fifth wheel up for sale. She has also decided to quit blogging. I’ll miss reading her Frugal Traveler posts. Best wishes Pidge! I know that’s a decision all of us RVers will have to make at some time, but I can’t stop feeling that the decision came sooner than she wished.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Wingless Wednesday

2011-11-30T18:15:00.001-06:00

My plans for this morning included Emma and I driving over to the Bolivar Peninsula. I was going to dazzle my readers with all sorts of shorebird pictures from the beaches. As it turned out, I could hardly find a bird, the shoreline was birdless, and the skies were full of mosquitoes. Oh well, it was a beautiful day and the skies were blue.

There’s still evidence of the devastation of hurricane Ike from three years ago. (click to enlarge and see details)

But there are also a lot of new homes that have been rebuilt on the peninsula. There is even a new laundromat located in a mobile home elevated 18’ off the ground. I’m not sure I’d want to carry my bags of dirty laundry up that many stairs, but I guess you do what you have to do. I think these houses look funny way up in the air, but I can understand why it is done. I enjoy all the vibrant colors of houses that can be found in the beach communities.

As I returned through High Island, I finally stopped to read the historical marker that is located along SR 124.

I’ve driven past this marker many times in the five times I’ve volunteered at Anahuac. It’s about time I learned some of the history behind this now famous birding location, and why it has its name.

That marker also explained why I’ve seen all these oil pumps on the outskirts of the town, and most are still pumping away.

Just to the south of High Island is a tall bridge that goes over the intracoastal waterway. I believe this waterway goes all the way from Texas to Florida, and has lots of barge traffic. So much so that the border going through Anahuac NWR has had to be reinforced to prevent erosion. This view, from the top of the bridge, is to the east as it wanders its way through McFadden NWR.

On the west side of the bridge you can see the 35,000 acres of Anahuac’s marshlands. You can just make out the new reinforcements along the northern edge of the canal.

On the battlefront at home, here’s the score: Mouse 2 Me 0! That little bugger licked another trap clean of its peanut butter last night. One of my readers suggested I tie some dental floss around the peanut butter so the mouse would get its teeth caught on it. That sounded a little hokey to me, but I’m willing to give it a try. Have you ever tried to lace dental floss through a glob of peanut butter while trying to keep the trap open but not snapping on you with one hand? Good grief! I sure hope old age and cunning will outwit youth and dexterity. If not, peanut butter coated dental floss is an interesting concept.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

A little hike, a little disaster, and a little battle begins.

2011-11-29T18:51:00.001-06:00

It was a day filled with minor defugalties. (spell check has no suggestions for that spelling, but it’s a word I’ve used forever to describe small problems) Yesterday afternoon I set out to do my laundry, but another volunteer was using the washer and dryer. So I went back again this morning at 8:30, and yet a different volunteer had beat me to the laundry room. So, I packed up my cameras and Emma and headed for the Skillern Tract for a little hike.

The Skillern Tract is one of the few areas open to the public on the refuge that has water in it, and it is handicapped accessible. Because of the drought, most of the moist soil units are bone dry. When working at the VIS, we suggest to all birders that they drive a further 10 miles to visit this area.

It’s a very nice walk through riparian habitat along East Bay Bayou. This morning, the trees along the bayou were just bubbling with American goldfinches and sparrows. I also saw blue-gray gnatcatchers and an orange-crowned warbler, but they were reluctant to pose for a picture.

The paved trail culminates in a wooden overlook (pictured above in the collage). The marsh surrounding the overlook was loaded with feeding blue-winged teal and northern shovelers.

There were also several good sized groups of black-bellied whistling ducks. They were more interested in resting than whistling while Emma and I were there. It was at this point that I decided to change lenses on the camera, and was shocked to see that my telephoto lens had four huge cracks across the lens. Disaster! It took me a moment to calm down and remember that I always use some kind of filter to help protect my lenses. Phew! The lens itself was fine, just the filter was cracked.

This noisy little marsh wren was chattering away at us as we left the overlook. Now Emma is no bird watcher, but she finds enough other things along the way to sniff and investigate. Today was no exception.

Being a true dog, her first reaction to this scat (probably from a raccoon) was to roll in it. When I dissuaded her from doing that, her next step was to try to eat it! Yuck! Dogs are so disgusting sometimes.

Back at the ranch, I decided to check on the five mousetraps I set yesterday in various places around the rig. I had discovered evidence of an unwanted guest the other day so bought some more armament yesterday. That crafty little mouse had managed to eat the peanut butter clean off of two of the traps without setting them off. So, the battle begins. Mouse 1, me 0. This is just the first inning, and I’m determined to be victorious.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

The wind, she’s been a blowin’

2011-11-27T19:17:00.001-06:00

The latest cold front came blasting through early yesterday afternoon, and what a wind came with it. The rain was pouring down horizontally across the RV pads, and anything not secured went flying. The winds have just now finally abated a bit. I struggled to open the door, and then had to hang onto it for dear life so it wouldn’t be ripped out of my hands.

I was scheduled to work the afternoon in the VIS today, but I left early to take a drive around the refuge roads. I made my way down to Frozen Point where there were plenty of whitecaps on Galveston Bay, and the birds were hugging the shoreline.

That wind was making their feathers stand on end!

Frozen Point got its name back in the day before this was a refuge. A horrible storm from the north blew in with very high winds and sleet and snow. The northerly winds sent the grazing cattle on the ranch south to seek relief. The temperatures plummeted, and some of the cattle actually stepped into the bay. As they huddled against the storm, many of them froze to death; hence the name.

This great blue heron kept trying to stay ahead of me as I retraced the road back to the VIS.

I also took a drive down to the boat launch where there were no boat trailers due to the gale force winds on the bay. It was also low tide while I was there so this snowy egret was working the boat ramp inlet.

I imagine with the colder temperatures and biting wind the birds needed extra energy. Good thing the marsh is such an estuary for fish, shrimp, and crabs. Too soon, it was time to head into work. I had encountered only two other people as I drove the refuge roads.

I thought I’d give you an idea of what the temporary VIS looks like. (sorry to say it’s been temporary for three years now) While just a small shed, it is jam packed with items to purchase in the nature store. Only had 16 visitors on this chilly breezy day, but we did have about $111 in sales. I guess that makes the volunteer time there worthwhile. Most of the folks today were local, but three people did visit from Maryland.

When I got back to the rig, I took Emma out to play in my ‘front yard’. As she was shaking her toy, somehow the tie out released her collar, and off she went at about 40 mph! She runs like the wind, and in short order had covered about a half a mile in several grand circles around the area. Luckily, she is afraid of the road, and returns for a drink of water after her runs and investigations. Does she listen to me and come when I call her? Absolutely not! She’s the only dog I’ve ever had that is so recalcitrant.

THE END!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

It’s safe to park next to me now :)

2011-11-25T18:31:00.001-06:00

I was hoping to post pictures of how I do the salinity testing on the refuge tonight, but there was a fly in the ointment with that plan. I’ll have to do that next week.

I picked up fellow volunteer, Jim, to take him along with me since I would be doing a back road that hadn’t had much use since hurricane Ike hit. It turned out that the only pictures I could take were from the safety of the refuge vehicle. We’ve got several white-tailed kites on the refuge right now.

We did one test on the back road, but were accosted by thousands of mosquitoes. I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and had to put the hood up and pull the strings to only leave a small area open on my face. My only other exposed skin was my hands. After that one trip out of the suburban, we decided to forget about the rest of the tests. I’ve never seen the mosquitoes that bad. Sitting in the car, the windows were covered with them! We itched our way down the road and could only take pictures through the window. (white pelicans)

Great egret.

Last night I posted about the woes I’m having with water pressure in the rig. Many people responded with suggestions. That was just what I was hoping for. All of us here had tried everything we could think of. I had already changed hoses, removed the water pressure regulator, and cleaned the new water filter.

The other guys had checked all the connections, filters, and washers. We remained stymied. I was still reluctant to fill the fresh water tank and just use the on board water pump for showers. I really don’t want the water from here in that tank. I know it has gone through all of my pipes, but I can’t think of any way of getting that kind of crud out of the tank after I leave. I use that tank for drinking water when I am not here.

As Emma and I sat outside this afternoon with no one around, I decided to try the one suggestion I hadn’t done yet. Several of you had commented on it, so it certainly couldn’t hurt to give it a try. I told Emma to cross her toenails as I removed the water filter from the holder. I put the holder back on without the filter and turned the water back on. I then held my breath as I went inside, stepped on the toilet pedal, and pushed down the sprayer lever. Viola!! That little sprayer just came to life!

So now it’s safe to park next to me because I’ll finally be able to take a shower. Isn’t is amazing how some of the littlest things in life can make your day? The toilet bowl sprayer works once again today, and yesterday I got to have two pieces of turkey breast skin with a little salt on them. (a once a year treat for me) Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

When did you take your first shower?

2011-11-24T19:18:00.001-06:00

Growing up in Chicago, we didn’t have a shower in our house. We had a footed tub in the bathroom that was filled half way on Saturday night. If I was lucky, I got to take my bath first before my younger brother. The water was used for both baths, don’t you know. I remember, especially in summer, scrubbing away at the grey ring around my ankles. Now you can understand the importance in being first. I don’t think I took my first shower until I went away to college.

(Tonight’s photos are of the little birds sharing our RV pads. Eastern phoebe.)

So what brought this memory back to my mind, you might ask? Well, I’m having an issue with water pressure in the rig. The water out of the pipe has plenty of pressure. If I use my water pump, I have plenty of pressure. But if I use the water hook-up to the rig, the water fairly trickles out of the faucets. There is enough pressure to wash dishes and brush my teeth, but take a shower? Not hardly!

Loggerhead shrike.

A nice feature of many rigs is a spray nozzle next to the toilet to help clean the bowl. I really like this nozzle. Now, all it does is drip when I press down the lever. When I was in the throws of my worst back problems, I couldn’t stand long enough to take a shower anyway, so it wasn’t as great an issue. I resorted to a sponge bath each night by waiting for the bathroom sink to fill. Now that I’m more mobile, I really would like to take a shower. That’s what reminded me of my once a week bath when I was growing up. I don’t have any grey rings around my ankles because of my nightly bowl of water bath, but my nice shower stands unused.

The other volunteers and I have tried everything we can think of to figure out this dilemma, but nothing has worked. At this point, I have two options to get a real shower. I can go up to the community building to take one there, or I can fill the fresh water tank and use the water pump. I hesitate to do the second option because I’m not crazy about putting that water in the tank. It is not drinkable because of all the minerals and iron in it, and I’m really not wanting to put that in my tank. I’m thinking I’ll be calling Thibodeaux’s in Louisiana after the holiday weekend to see if they have any suggestions.

Wish I could preen and clean up as easily as this mockingbird!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T18:58:00.001-06:00

One of the things that I do as a volunteer on the refuge is pick up trash that the fishermen and general public throw out their windows on the refuge. Perhaps by the end of this post you will understand why I don’t find this assignment distasteful. Although, I do find the fact, that it is necessary to pick up after thoughtless people, is disgusting.

Willet

Great blue heron about to take off.

Little blue heron

Immature bald eagle

I would like to wish all of my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday. May it be tasty and trashless.

THE END!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

The Poop Bag Caper (and other thoughts of similar magnitude)

2011-11-22T18:56:00.001-06:00

Welcome rain arrived today, so I decided to head to Beaumont on a few errands. Last Saturday, I posted that I was having trouble finding the doggie poop bags that I’ve bought in the past. Dollar stores have been the best places to find this item at an affordable price. However, lately I’ve struck out on this quest at every dollar store. On the way back to the rig, I stopped at the Family Dollar store in Winnie to inquire if they had what I was looking for. (I found them there last year) My response when they said they no longer carried them was to say, “Awe shucks!” A reader had suggested I use diaper refuse bags, but I couldn’t find any of those at Target today either. It’s been a long time since I’ve perused the diaper aisle at any store!

After I left Family Dollar, an employee came running after me asking if these small bags would work. He said they no longer use these small item bags and I was welcome to them. They’re only 8”X8” so they’ll work perfectly. I know Emma’s full of it, but bags from the grocery store or Wal-mart are really over kill. Now I’m set for a couple of months.

I was hoping to take JIM AND GAYLE, fellow fulltimers and bloggers, on a tour of the refuge yesterday, but the threat of mosquitoes and severe storms sent them leaving for a more southern location in the morning. Too bad. Maybe we’ll cross paths again sometime. The funny part of their departure was that I noticed their rig go flying by the volunteer rigs about 10:00 yesterday. Who would of thought they’d take the very rural FM 1985 on their way out of Anahuac?

On my way back to the rig this afternoon, I noticed three crested caracaras in one of the pastures near my site.

I think the three of them are a family group. The bird on the left is a juvenile, and the adult is on the right. This is not the first time I’ve seen them traveling together.

They’re a distinctive looking bird of south Texas, and are mainly eaters of carrion that they find by cruising low over fields and pastures.

Another cattle drive occurred yesterday, and the cattle were moved into the area of the refuge just 15’ to the left of my rig. Can you guess how this effects Emma?

Now she’s on constant patrol whenever she’s on her tie out. Obviously the rig needs protecting from those marauding bovines behind the barbed wire fence.

THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy

Marbles

2011-11-20T19:33:00.001-06:00

When I was a youngster, I had a marvelous collection of marbles. They came in all colors of the rainbow, and I enjoyed just rolling them around in my hand. There were some beautiful cat’s eyes and many others that I can’t remember the names of. I’ve often wondered what happened to that prized bag of marbles. I don’t remember actually playing a game of marbles with them, but I’m sure I did.

When I arrived to open the VIS this morning, I was surprised to find a new supply of things to sell at the nature store. Among those items was about a couple of dozen bags of differently colored marbles. Each bag had a picture of an animal or natural phenomenon to go along with the colors in the bag. I was drawn to them, and ended up buying four different bags.

I ended up choosing Bumblebee, Wicked Owl, Ladybug, and Goldfish. What’s a grandmother to do with four bags of marbles? I do have a couple of grandsons that are about the age to perhaps be interested in marbles. Now I just have to figure out how to play marbles. Do any of you remember the rules? My granddaughters aren’t quite old enough for this, but I’ll store them next to the box of colors and coloring books for youthful visitors. In the meantime, I just may have to dig some of them out and roll them around in my hands.

It was a pretty slow day in the VIS with not much happening besides many many big construction trucks rolling by to dump their contents for the ongoing paving projects. Between the drought and the construction, there aren’t many birds to entice visitors down the refuge roads. A few little lantanas are still blooming in the butterfly garden…

…and there were a few what I think are some kind of sulphur butterflies feeding on the Turk’s cap. Not too exciting. I’m hoping to meet up with fellow bloggers I’ve never met tomorrow, and have offered to give them a tour of the refuge. We’ll see how that pans out.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy