How long are you going to do this?

This is what Terri, the office manager of the refuge, asked me today.  She was referring to fulltiming, and volunteering at National Wildlife Refuges.  My answer was “Until I die in the traces, or can no longer drive the rig.”  I realize that things can happen, and my plans may change, but I really enjoy this lifestyle and hope I have many years left to enjoy it.  I’m a life time member of Escapees, and told her about that and the CARE program in Livingston, TX.  (If you don’t know about Escapees and CARE, let me know and I’ll do a post about that)  I’m hoping not to end up living with one of my kids in my old age and becoming a burden to them.

It was another day of working in the Visitor’s Center today, and the electronic counter on one of the entrance doors said I had 44 visitors today.  Since it counts people as they enter and leave, I probably really had only about 25 folks stop in.  There is another door without a counter, and some people enter and leave that way. 
Early on, I noticed one of the Lewis’s woodpeckers fly into one of the elm trees surrounding the VC.  I grabbed my camera and ran outside since that would mean he might be in the sun.  I’m not sure I’ll get a better pic than this of this dark colored woodpecker, but I’ll keep trying.  None of the red in his plumage showed up in this angle.  :(

I had a visitor today ask if we had a form to leave comments for the refuge manager.  We don’t, so she just wrote her comments on a piece of paper, and I took that to the appropriate person.  That resulted in a little project, thank goodness, for me.  I’m developing a comments form that will be available for visitors.  That sure beats playing spider solitaire all day long when no one is visiting!  The biggest challenge I face in doing this is working with an ancient version of Microsoft Word.  I told the volunteer coordinator that that’s why I always had a secretary in my former life.  They could have whipped up this form in minutes, where as it is taking me hours!
Once I got home, Emma was more than anxious to get out of the confines of the rig.  We sat outside for several hours, after taking a good walk around.  I just wish I could hear, smell, and interpret  everything she does.  Here she is on vigil status protecting our home!  :)

I have tomorrow off from the VC, and I’m going on a tour of the refuge with fellow volunteers, Jan and Karl.  They have volunteered here for 14 years, and are amateur (not really) archeologists.  They’ll be showing me petroglyphs and an authentic sod house among other things.  I’m pretty excited about that, as we will be going to areas of the refuge that are not available to the normal visitor.  Cool Beans!!

I leave you with tonight’s sunset….
                              on a drying Walla Walla sweet onion on my picnic table.  :)

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

A screen saver kind of day

Emma and I were on the road shortly after 7:30 this morning for our excellent adventure of visiting Grand Teton National Park.  In order to get there, we had to drive about 69 miles through Yellowstone NP.  For you dog owners out there, I want to tell you that each time I’ve gone through the entrance gate with Emma, the ranger on duty has given her a dog biscuit.  How welcoming is that!  I was ready with the telephoto lens on my camera in case we encountered any wildlife along the way.  Surprisingly, not even a bison was out and about. 
I was looking forward to seeing big mountains, and big mountains is what I saw!  It was a glorious day, weather-wise, and it seemed like every picture I took could be used as a screen saver or background picture for my computer.  I was on a Rocky Mountain high!
 I had a real challenge not posting 100 pictures tonight.  The views were just out of this world.  The water of Jackson Lake was very calm this morning, resulting in great reflections.
I took a gravel side road to get these wildflower pictures.  I think the two on the left are lupines.  They kind of remind me of the bluebonnets of the Texas Hill Country.  I’m not sure what the name of the yellow flowers is. (click on any pic to enlarge)
Emma and I drove to the summit of Signal Mountain to have our lunch.  Dogs aren’t allowed on any trails or in any buildings in the park, but they are allowed at picnic areas and parking lots.  There was only one picnic table here, but I figured that qualified!  :)  It was right on the path at the top of the overlook.
These were the views as I ate my sandwich.  Can you imagine a better place to have a picnic lunch?  I wrapped Emma’s leash around the table leg and she crawled under the table to take advantage of the shade.  Many  people came up to the overlook as I ate my lunch, and Emma greeted every one of them!

The hoot of the day came when one woman returned from the overlook and said “What a well behaved dog you have.”  I almost choked on my bite of sandwich!  No one has ever said that about Emma before!  She’s such a wild child.  Do you think maybe she’s FINALLY growing up???  I can only hope.  :)
After my repast, we went back down the five mile incline and continued on our way.
Along the way, we took the scenic route to Jenny Lake where these shots were taken.  I wasn’t able to stop at any of the visitor’s centers in the park because all of the parking lots were full to over flowing.  I couldn’t leave Emma in the car to hike back to them because of the very warm temperatures, and of course she wasn’t allowed inside.  Maybe some other time.  :(
I bet you thought I wouldn’t get a bird picture in today.  Ha!  This Grey Jay, and several others, were hanging around the Jenny Lake pull off looking for handouts.

The loop trip today ended up being right around 280 miles, and it took us a little over nine hours to do it.  It truly was an excellent adventure today!  I’ll leave you with this parting shot of Grand Teton National Park…
Those yellow splashes in the foreground are blooming sage.  What an enticing aroma permeated this pull off.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to your later,  Judy

Why blog?

Sometimes, people are shocked to hear that I blog six or seven times a week.  I got to thinking about that today.  Why do I blog?  Well, for me, there are several reasons.  Historically speaking, I've always kept a journal of some sort in my adult life....trips, bird sightings, etc.  Then when I sold my house and went fulltime RVing, I kept a journal of my travels.  It wasn't daily, but almost.  I would email friends and family occasionally about my experiences, but that became somewhat of a chore.  Eventually, I started reading other people's blogs and really enjoyed it.  So, about a year and a half ago, I decided to take the plunge into blogging. 

So, I guess my blog is my journal in progress.  I can add pictures as well as thoughts, and I do go back and read previous entries to verify places I've stayed, activities, and other things.  I fully expected that a few of my friends and relatives might read what I wrote occasionally.  As it turns out, most of the people that read my blog are folks that I've met, or hope to meet, on the road.  There's a community out there of wandering souls that keep in touch through blogs.  It's like a cyber city! 

But the main reason I write this blog is to center myself and review each day in my mind as to the wonders I've seen or experienced.  It has helped me appreciate those little things in life that in a busy world you just pass by without noticing.  What a hoot this life is!  I think I'd write this blog even if nobody read it.  However, I do really appreciate all of you that do honor me with following along on my journey.  You all do travel along with me.  :)

So, enough of that....you know, it's been a few days since I've posted any bird pictures, so hang on to your hats!

I've been noticing a white-crowned sparrow skulking around in the shrubs outside lately, so tonight I threw a handful of seeds onto the ground outside.  It didn't take long for the birds to find it.

This Lincoln's sparrow also stopped by to pose.  Notice the fine streaking on the breast and the greyness of the face and back.  Many people (birders) refer to these guys as LBJ's...little brown jobs, but with some patience, you can figure them out.  ;)

Of course, Northern cardinals are very common in Texas and this female stopped by for a look.

Emma thinks her job in life is to protect us from all manner of intruders, whether they be four footed or winged.  She takes her job seriously, which is a real challenge to me to get pictures.  :(

Sometimes, getting a picture of her is like trying to catch the wind!  She's a true whirling dervish!

She, Emma, most often takes "flight" when a vulture soars over our site.  I guess she wants them to know we're not dead meat!

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

That's more like it!

Today dawned bright and promising over the marsh with just a little low fog.  Temps were in the lower 30's, but soon soared to the low 60's by the afternoon.  Now that's more like what I signed up for!  :)  What a beautiful day it was today.  I took Emma on a couple mile walk this morning before I returned to the rig to take care of domestic chores like laundry.

                                   

Of course, the warmer temperatures brought out many insects.  Isn't this an interesting looking specimen?  I wonder what purpose those arrow shaped sections have on it's hind legs.  Remember, you know it's an insect because it has six legs and a head, thorax, and abdomen.  Can you tell I've been working on the education programs???

A reader recently commented that I haven't posted much about Emma lately, so........

here's a not very good picture of her enjoying a good run off leash around the RV compound.  I wish I could harness that energy! (actually she is usually harnessed on the leash, but her energy doesn't seem to transfer up to me)

After covering about a half mile in circles at full tilt, her nose brought her to a stop amongst some of the debris left from the hurricane where the barn used to be.  I'm sure there are some tell tale olfactory remnants there from our abundant rodent population.  It was a glorious day for a romp.

Do you know how day after day your hair is just fine, and then one day you wake up and it's obvious that it's time for a cut?  Well, today was that day for me.  So, tomorrow I'll be looking to get my hair cut.  I'll try at the hairdressers in Winnie, but I don't know if they take walk ups.  If they don't, it looks like a trip to Walmart in Beaumont will be in order.

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