While most of the debris has been cleared by now, there was still evidence of the devastation in the area. Of the 8700 homes on stilts on the peninsula, only 1800 weren't wiped out.
Most of the businesses were not on stilts, but built on the ground. The result...just about all businesses were flattened, like this True Value Hardware Store. Other than a rebuilt doughnut store, there really isn't anywhere to eat out anymore. The Stingeree Restaurant, where I have gone in the past, will re-open on Wednesday.
This is another of the shredded homes that I saw.
You can't keep these peninsula people down for long. New homes are being built once again. The difference that I could detect is that the stilts are made of steel as opposed to wood. I'm not sure that will make a noticeable difference should another hurricane with the force of Ike hit, but then I'm not an architect..
One of the few businesses that was open was an auto repair shop. I decided to stop to see if I could get an oil change on the Focus since it was within three miles of being due. To say they were happy to see me was an understatement. There were three mechanics standing around just waiting for some business. Since Ike, their business has been cut in half. The wife (and co-owner of the shop) worked the office, and we had an interesting chat while the guys worked on the car. I learned that when they were told to evacuate, she and her husband only took their computer and two days worth of clothes. She said they were not told how bad the storm would be. They had boarded up their home and business, but left everything, including their fifth wheel, behind. They expected to be back in a day or two. As it turned out, they weren't allowed back for two weeks, and had lost everything. When they returned, the battle with the insurance companies began. She was pretty bitter about how they were treated by the insurance people.
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She was also sad about the loss of trees and owls. The local Audubon Society is giving all residents free trees to plant on their land. The shop has twenty acres, so they were given fifteen trees. She misses the owls, and felt that is the reason for the horribly large number of mice that are now everywhere on the peninsula. Who would guess that a hurricane would cause an explosion in the rodent population? Many of the customers that they now get come in with complaints about their vehicles that turn out to be caused by the mice chewing the wires in their vehicles!
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Wow, that was an informative 15 minutes I spent getting the oil changed. Both owners thanked me for my business and wished me a Happy New Year. I'm glad I could contribute a little to the recovering economy of Crystal Beach.
This was the sunset outside my rig on Christmas Eve. It looked better in person. ;).
Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy
The building on the right, with half of it blown away, was the Visitor's Information Center (VIS) the last time I was here. The temporary VIS, on the left, is a 10'X12' shed where I will work once a week greeting and informing the public. Besides demolishing most buildings, Ike also eliminated about 90% of the alligator population. There are no bullfrogs any longer in the pond behind the VIS. Shoveler Pond, on the auto drive loop has very little birdlife on it. In the past, it was teeming with waterfowl, turtles, gators, and other wildlife. 
Since I'm back on a National Wildlife Refuge, you know I'm going to have more bird pictures to post. ;-) This is a tri-colored heron. Too bad he wasn't on my side of the fence
I drove down to the Bolivar Bay boat launch and found this cooperative Willet.
Willets are abundant on the refuge.
Two kinds of vultures occur here; this is a turkey vulture.
I snapped a fleeting photo of a female Cooper's hawk approaching one of the overlooks. There were also plenty of great blue herons, great egrets, killdeer, and snowy egrets around, but they weren't in the mood to pose. There are definitely less birds around than in the past, but I shall endeavor to seek them out for you.
This year, I also participated in the collection of abandoned crab pots. That's Stephanie Martinez, the volunteer coordinator and pilot of the air boat. The bay is closed to crabbing for a few weeks, and volunteers and staff go out in the bay on 
Northeast of 
I drove up there on one of my days off, and enjoyed some of the trails. It was a little too early in the spring to enjoy the many wildflowers found in the preserve.
Along about St. Patrick's Day, someone dumped off a young mutt at the volunteer sites...and that's how I came to meet Emma. She has been my "wild child" traveling companion ever since.
While thistles can be a nasty plant, I do find their blooms to be gorgeous. There were plenty of them to be found on the refuge.
I began my first volunteer assignment at a National Wildlife Refuge. There are over 550 National Wildlife Refuges in the country, and Anahuac (pronounced anna-whack) is located southeast of Houston, Texas. It is on the Gulf of Mexico coast and consists of mostly marsh lands. The difference between a marsh and a swamp is that swamps have trees, and marshes do not. Both have abundant mosquitoes. ;)
I even found a little green tree frog clinging to my awning brace.
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