BrightSpot

Developers and environmentalists gearing for a fight over wetlands ruling

2012-01-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

Developers and environmentalists gearing for a fight over wetlands ruling: South Carolina developers and environmentalists are gearing for a fight over wetlands and building when lawmakers open their news legislative session this week.

January 10, 2009

2009-01-16T13:59:00.001-08:00

Hooked up water so it would be easier to wash dishes at a sustained pressure and to take showers tonight.
We ate breakfast and were on the road to Mistletoe State Park in Georgia. Best showers. Looked around and took the Cliatte Trail.
Ate a lot of ribs at Popas Place in Thomson, Georgia.
Walked part of the Bartrum trail here at camp. I really don’t like to walk where people are riding bikes. We spoke to a GeoCacher. Really nice family and he gave Jerry a coin. It was cool. I think we might get into that again with the kids.

January 9, 2009

2009-01-16T13:55:00.001-08:00

Ate at Justins in Butler, Ga.
Replica of Louisiana record buck with 282 points
Arrived at Corps of Engineers Petersburg Campgrounds and chose site 25 to stay in for the next two days.
Bongo player greeted us.

January 8, 2009

2009-01-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

We ate and I made sandwiches and we headed to the Bradley Unit of the Eufaula Wildlife Management Area. It was too windy to enjoy much of anything and the ducks heard us coming. We walked back to the car.
At 2pm we met Trina Evans at Florence Marina SP and went to see the Rood Creek Mounds. It was nice and enjoyed listening to Trina. We were to be the last couple she would be taking on tours. She can only take groups. Budget cuts has really caused her some problems.
She talked about the Indians using Spanish moss in their pots. It made them stronger and even fired well.
Mossy Oaks Ceramics
We ate dinner at the Anchor Inn. I had steak and Jerry had catfish. Our waitress was over 50 and she was wearing hip huggers. She had a very rounded belly.

January 7, 2009

2009-01-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

Ate French toast and apples with craisens and headed to Eufaula Wildelife Management Area. The gentleman working said he thought Lakeside Restaurant was pretty good so we ate lunch with them. They had a really nice buffet. The meatloaf was great and the mashed potatoes were wonderful and real! Jerry liked the meatloaf and their deep-fried cornbread.
After we ate we went for a ride hoping to see some Sandhill cranes. We stopped at an historical marker and turned into the drive to find Fort Jones. We could not find anything so we decided to go to Eufuala State Park and ask someone about the Fort. It turns out that we were driving on Mr. Bradly who made Char-broiled BBQs. We did managed to get a tour of the Rood Mounds. We will meet Thursday at 2 pm. We drove around, added another day to our stay and went back to Tink.

January 6, 2009

2009-01-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

Foggy this morning and weather was going to be pretty bad with high winds and possible tornadoes.
Left Millers Ferry Campground and went to White Oak Campground near Eufala, AL. We will stay here for two night and probably go home. We are planning a trip to Eufala Wildlife Management Area.

January 5, 2009

2009-01-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

Millers Ferry visitor Center paddlefish on wall along with anything that is in the area.
The little town of Camden has a bypass for trucks.
Leaving Visitor Center building on right with large bell and windows painted red. Jerry rang the bell and it was very loud. The woman at the visitor center said that it was a Black Church.
We were told that Miss Kitty’s was a good place to eat so we headed into Camden to find the restaurant. We were having problems so we stopped and I walked up to a young lady and asked her where the restaurant was located.
After listening to a story about someone who was running with the wrong crowd she turned and said "Yes ma’am." I asked her for directions. "Well, you go down this street here, and see the building over there, well you turn left there. You have to turn there or you will run into the health building. You shor don’t want to run into the health building, so you have to turn left. Miss Kitty’s is in the brick building. It is a long brick building. It has other stores. You can’t miss it."
Ate at Miss Kitty’s. Miss Kitty’s mother cooks for Uncle Redd!

January 4, 2008

2009-01-16T13:49:00.001-08:00

Ate at Uncle Redd’s in Camden, Al.
Went to dam.

After 7 pm and the weather is very nice, pleasant.

January 3, 2009

2009-01-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

Left Poverty Point State Park. Jerry was up early. The train and the trucks woke him and he wanted to leave.
The roads in Mississippi were terrible. Thump, thump almost all the way. There was a lot of clearing by the highway and we asked about it at the Alabama information center. They said that after the storm the pine trees were all over the interstate. Storm, what storm? Gustav, the hurricane.
They recommended that we eat at Farm something, in Demopolis, Al. Will look it up later. The food was okay. I was hungry and ate more that I should have.
Arriving at Miller Ferry Campground we were greeted by Al Morgan and he sent us off to site 19. We hooked up and half an hour later it began to rain.

January 2, 2009

2009-01-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

Winter Quarters thing in front of fireplace in old home
Poverty Point State Park
Poverty Point Historic Park

January 1, 2009

2009-01-16T13:46:00.001-08:00

Bruin Lake State Park
WiFi

December 31, 2008

2009-01-16T13:45:00.001-08:00

Left Palmetto State Park about 8 AM. We drove until we were hungry and pulled into a picnic area near a creek and ate some sandwiches.
We ate lunch at Elijahs Café in Woodville, Texas. The food was okay, it reminded me of a chain food restaurant. The wait staff was just wonderful.
Arrived at Martin Dies, Jr. State Park late. Filled the water tank and took showers. I turned on the shower and it sprayed the bottom of my pants. The legs were removable so off they came. I noticed that the shower was aimed in such a way that it curved into the shower drain in the next stall, made me think of a pool shot. I had my shower and felt better.
We decided to forgo any walks and relax. I wrote post cards and Jerry did his computer thing. We called Dave and Charles.

December 30, 2008

2009-01-16T13:44:00.001-08:00

We left South Llano State park and headed for Palmetto State Park. Stopped at Dixie’s Restaurant for lunch. The salad was large, the meatloaf was not to good and the mashed potatoes were covered in gravy. The cornbread was great and they had sweet tea that was served in mini pitchers. Our waitress was very nice and attentive.
Upon arriving at Palmetto State Park we purchased medallion for hiking sticks, a CCC handbook and a nights pass at the park. After parking we went walking. We passed some mud boils that are inactive (since the 1970’s). There is also a swamp area that is kept wet by some kind of pump the CCC built. The CCC was a great service to our country.
We noticed Turkey Vultures coming in to roost and looked around to see that it was not just a few but over a hundred. We were told that they go to a chicken farm and eat the dead chickens that are thrown into a pit.

December 29, 2008

2009-01-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

Went into town for supplies and to drop off mail at the post office. Came back to Tink and had pork, mashed potatoes and peas for lunch. We had cereal for breakfast.
Walked the park and visited the bird feeders. Scrub Jay, deer and the Rio Grande Turkey.

December 28, 2008

2009-01-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

Left early heading to South Llano River State Park.
RV park with large arrows dotting the park. Reminding me of Two Arrows we passed earlier in our trip. It had arrows just like the ones at the RV park.
I was noticing road kill and saw a rather large spotted deer in the medium and thought that it was a really large fawn. Not far from there was a doe trying to cross the road and I thought it might be her fawn. The road kill was larger than she was! We ate at Isaack’s Restaurant and they had one hanging on the wall and I asked about it and was told it was a Spotted Axis deer.
Food at Isaack’s was okay. I don’t know if I would go again. Jerry had catfish, a rather large serving along with fried squash. I had a small chicken breast, one of the smallest I have ever had, and a baked potato. Jerry and I opted for the homemade vegetable beef soup. That took care of our salt requirements for the year.
We arrived at the park and picked up our hiking stick medallion and began with the questions. The Axis deer was imported from Pakistan and now is threatening the deer. They can eat grasses that the deer cannot eat during a drought.

December 27, 2008

2009-01-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

Woke up to a little bit of snow. Well our new neighbors furnace kept waking us up at night. We left Rockhound State Park early morning. We went to the dump station and emptied our black water and our gray water pipe was frozen. We decided to let it thaw and empty it later.
We passed through El Paso and saw the wall being built. I with have more thoughts on that later.
We stopped in Van Horn, Texas to eat lunch. Jerry noticed a movie poster on the wall and went to see what it was all about and was he surprized. Tommy Lee Jones filmed part of the movie "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada". We took photos and decided when we arrived home we would rent the movie.
We are at Balmorhea SP in Texas. They have a spring here that is 74 degrees year round. It is rather cold here and there was an old man swimming. Some tough ole man. We, of course, had to touch the water. It was warm and as soon as our hands left the water, it was cold.
We walked around the park and went back to the trailer. Not much to do here in the winter.

December 26, 2008

2009-01-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor left this morning leaving us without internet. He told Jerry that the Museum was a good place to visit. So we decided to eat at Ranchers Diner and go to the museum. I took a lot of photos of Indian art. There was also a homemade s w radio.
Bad weather report, high winds and snow, so we opted for another day at Rockhound SP.

December 25, 2008

2009-01-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day
Coffee and tea in the morning and off for a good walk. Telephone reception was bad so we only talked to Dave and Amber before we lost connection. We had to climb a hill to do that. We had spagetti and went for another walk. We have walked all the established trails and one unofficial trail to the digs. We went to the Geo Museum down the road.
The man that ran the place was a talker. He knew everything and then some. He was very nice. We are heading to Balmorhea State Park in Texas in the morning. We are making our way home.
Our neighbor is a meteor hunter. We thought he was a hunter but never expected that kind of a hunter.

December 24, 2008

2009-01-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

I woke up early and let Jerry sleep for another hour. We went for a hike and went into town for lunch. Somehow we lost a large box of kleenex in the truck and had to go buy another. We went to Peppers grocery store. The store was very crowded.
Afterwards we went for a hike on the Jasper trail at the park. Before beginning a van pulled up and I told Jerry that the guy had 3 kids, no, four, no, six. Jerry asked if they were all his and he said that only two were.
The guy asked the kids if they had to pee and they all had to so he took them up to the compost toilet. When I looked up the hill they all had their backs turned and were peeing on the ground. I had to laugh, I would like to be able to do the same thing.
Took a shower this evening at the park shower. I am going to find out who makes those timed showers. You push a button and only get a minute of shower? That is cruel. I just pushed the button every chance I had. When washing hair I scrubb longer than a minute. It caught me. While drying someone came in the bathroom and let in a very cold blast of air.

December 23, 2008

2009-01-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

Woke up and had tea and coffee. Jerry called Rockhound state park and found out they had no room but they did have an overflow area that we would have to share. No big deal for us, we are never home. Charles helped Jerry park. Ed came down to watch, he had a Casita parked up the road.
Jerry explained the weather to Ed and told him he should stay another day. They left, but I think they are back in their old spot. The wind is pretty bad.
We went into town to the visitors center to get information on places to go and places to eat. The woman working there could not recommend a place, but if she had a volunteer there the volunteer could make a recommendation. So, we asked her where she ate and she told us. We chose to go to the La Fonda Restaurant. They had a Mexican buffet. Rather good Chili Renos, they were cooked on the grill not deep fried. They had a good salad bar also.
We found out that the library had WiFi so that was our next stop. The internet was so slow that we were getting frustrated. We asked a man with a lap top if he was having problems, and he said that it was slow. If we wanted any speed we should go to the Patio Café.
We stopped in and asked about the connection and went back to the Casita to get our power cords. The Patio Café was nice. Very clean. The people were friendly and we stayed about an hour. Had coffee, cream soda and carrot cake. Thanked them and left for home.
The wind had died down considerable. Birds were flying and even perched on wires. I think we will be spending two more days here.

December 22, 2008

2009-01-16T13:34:00.001-08:00

We drove all day to out run winter storm. Spent the night at Walmart.

December 21, 2008

2009-01-16T13:33:00.000-08:00

Woke up early for our trip. I put water on for my tea and we made up the sleeping bags. We left about 8 am. We passed Two Guns and Twin Arrows on our way to the Grand Canyon.
We were almost alone on the trip into the canyon until we went to the entrance. There were cars lining up but since we have the senior pass we went through the gate with out a problem. Boy were we surprised to see the crowds once inside. We really thought we would have the place to ourselves. Once again proving how wrong we were.
I was really afraid. We were so high and the canyon was a drop I did not want to take. I did venture close enough to a hand rail to touch it. Once my hand was on the rail, I looked over for well, maybe a second but not two.
At the ranger headquarters we talked to a young woman, last name Toy. She said that they don’t drive to work, they find it easier when it snows to use skies or snow shoes.
Even with the fear of death looming over me, I enjoyed everything. It was breath taking in more than one way. I had tears in my eyes the first view of the canyon. This was beyond words. It was the heart pounding, the awe thinking and most importantly, the Godliness of it all. This great canyon inspires poets and artists. There I stood, such a small person in such a large world, and I could not find a word to pass on to my children to explain what was in my heart, no what was in my soul.
Walmart has store removable cap on liquor so you won’t drink it in store.

December 20, 2008

2009-01-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

Heck, it was a cold morning. Breakfast and a trip to the visitor center. Jerry realized that we did not know where the visitor center was and we drove to where we pay fees and Jerry discovered we had shorted the park by two dollars. We did get a map and found the visitors center and corrected our mistake.
There were two Hopi women there giving demonstrations on pottery and jewelry making. I was so impressed with the skill of C??? and ????? I talked to the jewelry maker and she was fascinating. She talked of her work and the work of her husband with pride. She said her husband was better than she but I just couldn’t believe that there was any better than her. Amazing work by both ladies. Jerry told me that the stone used for polishing the clay was pasted down form generation to generation. So was the skill.
Using water for mining.
We first visited the Homolovi II the largest of the sites. I was expecting pottery chars everywhere but only found one going on the path. Jerry suggested walking off the path. We did and starting finding them everywhere. I played my flute.
We went back to the Casita and had a sandwich and went to the Homolovi sit 1 to take evening photos. What a great day.
Tomorrow we are going to the Grand Canyon and are going to hunker down for the winte storm that is heading our way. We have plenty of food and water. Might even go into town for some food. It is
another we will wait and see.
We will be here for a week. I really like this place.

December 19, 2008

2009-01-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Left the Bosque del Apache at 8:10 an hour after we woke up.Just before we arrived at Datil, NM we spotted some large satellite dishes. We noticed a sign and turned on the road to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the Very Large Array. Amazing to find such a site in the middle of nowhere. Part of the movie "Contact" was filmed there. After leaving we were still amazed that we had happened upon such a place. What a great thing!
While driving along and talking about the chances of seeing something like VLA on a unplanned trip something caught our eye. Running beside the road was a Jack Rabbit. We guessed his speed at about 40 mph. Who would have thought we would see a sight like that. So we are seeing so many things and we are always thinking who would have thought.
We took a tour through Petrified Forest, knowing someone would be driving at night. The Forest was wonderful. I did not realize how many trees there were. I just thought a grouping of two or three but there was much more. And we were just seeing a part of the forest. We saw a little bit of the painted desert that was just as spectacular.
Well we were leaving just as the sun was on the horizon. We sat for a while and let the sun sink beyond the hills and I took over the driving. Remember the trailer is in tow. I did okay for first time really driving on the interstate. I was passing trucks! Even hit eighty on the speedometer. Of course I am typing with my knuckles because I can’t unclench my fists. The main thing, Jerry did not have any problems. Thank you iphone.
We arrived at Homolovi Ruins State Park at about six thirty in the evening. Dark and even darker roads trying to find a camping site. The first one that was a pull through was heading uphill and we drove around and finally found a site. We put the Casita in her site and went to pay. We paid for two days and went back for a rest. It was a cold night.

December 18, 2008

2009-01-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

Acostas Bed and Breakfast is where I ate my very first breakfast burrito with bacon, egg, potato and cheese, it was great! Jerry had a burrito with beans and egg.
Went to Walmart, did laundry and ate at the Stage Door. We had a chicken sandwich with tomato pepper soup. Not worth the money. Should have gone to Sub Way.

December 17, 2008

2009-01-16T13:27:00.001-08:00

Another cold and windy day. We hiked part of the Chupadera Trail. Just about five miles. The last part was too much for older people like me. The trail takes you under I 25 in New Mexico. It is a run-off channel and there is a warning before you go under. Don’t go if there is water. Well, I did not go for fear of losing my life in a tunnel. Jerry went through and came back a few minutes later. Walking up any hill really hurts my back and we were walking up and up. But it was all worth it for the view.

We ate at Acostas restaurant. I had sopopilla,(it was like a hot pocket) stuffed with hamburger, potatoes and cheese with a side of green chili. Jerry had tamale and a chimichanga filled with beans, potatoes and cheese. Both were good.

We found an unusual plant and took a leaf to the visitors center to identify but no one could. We left it in hopes of getting it identified.
We are back at the Casita getting ready for a big day in town. We will do laundry, shop and go to the library to do our internet mail.

December 16, 2008

2009-01-16T13:26:00.001-08:00

Walked the marsh trail and one associated with it. Just about two miles. Nothing to exciting until the end when the snow geese in a field took to flight and flew over us. I also was amazed by the tracks left in the soft sand. Life we don’t get to see during the day.
Ate at the Socorra Spring restaurant. Had spinach dip and pizza. Both were very good. The pizza had just the right amount of sauce and plenty of vegetables. Most pizzas we get come with very little sauce and not too many vegetables.
Stopped at Smiths groceries store and picked up a few supplies. It has a Walmart across the street and it was doing a good business.
It is windy and cold. The Casita is just shaking and quaking. We took showers when we came back. My hair is clean.
Having short hair is nice when you can shower every day. Which we can do in the Casita with hook-ups but when you are conserving water, it is not possible. My hair was getting confused and did not know which way to lay on my head. With all those confused hairs I just wet it down and comb.

December 15, 2008

2009-01-16T13:25:00.001-08:00

I was not feeling well this morning and told Jerry to go alone. When I finally woke up I decided to cut up the pork tenderloin we purchased yesterday at Wal-Mart. After that I did some cleaning of the Casita and squeezed the limes we had purchased earlier. Jerry came back and we ate pork tenderloin, eggs and fried apples.
Gambrels quail at the RV park
We went on the Canyon Trail hike. It was wonderful. I was amazed at the trails the animals were leaving. I think we were seeing the kangaroo rat. I need to look up the pocket gopher.
Lunch at Buck Horn’s was a delicious taco salad.
A drive on the tour route at Bosque dell Apache. Sharp shinned hawk.

December 14, 2008

2009-01-16T13:24:00.001-08:00

We went on the wildlife tour at 9 am. Had sandwich with peanut butter with the cinnamon raison nut bread I made before we left home! The bread is pretty dry but it does the trick especially if you eat it with a banana. The trip was led by a volunteer named Judy. She was very nice. After the trip we decided to go into Socorro to eat.
The El Camino Family Restaurant was recommended by Don. We ordered our meal and instead of salad we ordered the soup, potato and chili. The soup was great and I could tell it did not come from a can. I knew the rest of the meal would be wonderful. Well, the mashed potatoes were not real, much to the surprise of the waitress. The roast beef I had was the kind you eat and you think it was on the edge of being tosses out the gravy was from a can or a mix and the corn on the cob was of the frozen variety. I could be wrong on all accounts but it was not good. I was very disappointed.
We decided to spend the rest of the day exploring. We tried to find the library in Socorro and we did find it! There was a young woman sitting on the steps getting wifi. The library was closed. I felt so bad for her, it was so cold and windy. But she had to get something done.
We drove around the park and stopped at the Deck Landing to take photos. Well at least Jerry did. I felt like I did my shots yesterday. I just called when the birds were coming. Which was helpful It was very cold. I had on several layers of clothing and my rain gear.
I forgot to mention that our guide said that she went to video when their photos were getting to the point where she thought the good shot she was taking was claimed by him.

December 13, 2008

2009-01-16T13:19:00.001-08:00

Woke up and went to our chosen site, as well as the chosen site for about 25 others. Not much happening, the cranes were not ready to rise and shine. We took photos and left about 9:30 am. We did not have to be there at 7 am. Maybe 8:30 am. After that we went to eat at Acostas Mexican restaurant in San Antonio, NM. We had hervo rancheraos, two eggs over easy, refried beans, potatoes, tortillas and the best tasting bacon I have had in years. Quite filling and good.
We went back to the park and did some Christmas shopping. Jerry signed us up for a wildlife tour with one of the volunteers. It was three and a half-hours and just wonderful. We found a Northern Harrier on land eating something. Just when we were about to leave a Red-tailed hawk flew in to take over the kill and when we thought we saw it all, the waterfowl took off and in came an immature bald eagle. The eagle took the kill and stashed it someplace and came back for other pieces. Then the Northern harrier came back to challenge the eagle. The eagle took his find and left. Soon the waterfowl came back to their impoundment.
I did see earlier a mountain blue bird and saw it again on this trip. The guide said that someone reported it yesterday and today he was able to see it.
Met up with CNPA group they invited us out to view photos that they had taken earlier. We declined the invitation because of driving at night.

December 12, 2008

2009-01-16T13:18:00.001-08:00

Left Bottomless Lake early morning and headed to Bosque del Apache.

On the way we stopped at Valley of Fires BLM area. They have an interpretive loop that is really nice and an easy walk. It was a bit windy and cold today, but still a pleasant walk. The people at the visitors center were friendly and knowlegble. They mentioned that the road from there to San Antonio, NM, is sometimes closed for bombing practice. On that same road they have a sign that states "Warning Dust Storm 2 miles". We asked about eating places along the way and they told us about Buck Horn, just past the Owl.

Arriving at San Antonio, NM we decided to go straight to the Wildlife Refuge and check out the visitor center. They gave us plenty of information, just like everyone else. We asked about food and they told us to go to the Buck Horn.

.
We dropped the Casita at Bosque Bird Watcher’s RV Park owned by Jackie and Billy Trujillo. It is just out side of the refuge and only $20 a night. We have full hook-up here. The nearest State Park would make it a 100 miles round trip. Well worth the money and time

We went to the Buck Horn. We ordered the famous chili cheese burger. It was good and it was large. I managed to eat it all and so did Jerry. It is a regular hamburger grilled and seasoned with salt and pepper, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, pickle and chili. I recommend it.
After eating we went back to Bosque Del Apache and drove the wildlife drive. We needed to get a feel for the park and also figure where we wanted to be when the birds came in and left. Where the sun set and where it would rise. We would get wind directions from the weather reports. Seems like it might be cloudy for the days we plan on being here. We will see.

December 11, 2008

2009-01-16T13:16:00.000-08:00

December 11, 2008, Thursday
Still cold out and frost on the truck. We are going to stay another day. Dump the Casita and fill her up with water. We both have runny noses and congestion from colds. My hair is dreadful, almost dreadlocks. I have nappy hair and it is not nice. It goes any which way while I am sleeping and will not brush down in the morning. Hopefully we will be able to shower soon. The bath house is far to cold to even think about disrobing. We might find a warmer site tomorrow.
We were able to take time out at the library and send out some email and I was able to go to the post office and send out post cards to the kids. The library at Roswell if very nice. Larger than it looks from the outside. Jerry said the bathrooms need some work.
We went to Bitter Lake and finally were able to talk to someone in the visitors center. I mentioned seeing a glossy ibis and the gentleman told me it was a white faced ibis. When he did his rounds he really thought it was a glossy ibis. We discussed this with the expert, looked up descriptions and realized that the glossy ibis is mostly on the east coast and it would not be in this area.
We took a few shots and went to Wal-Mart to get food for our trip.

December 10, 2008

2009-01-16T13:14:00.002-08:00

Photo is at Bottomless Lake State Park. Some great work by the CCC.
11 below was the low last night. The heater stayed on all night. Jerry was cold, but I stayed warm. The truck was covered in frost and I had two cups of tea. Our neighbors, who were tent camping were up early and I am assuming going to town for breakfast. The other neighbor, in a pacearrow, prepared to leave. When he left I noticed his passenger was a female cowgirl. Even stranger she was a dummy! Yet another neighbor is out walking his cats.
Went back to Bitter Lakes. More Sandhill Cranes than the other nights. So many that some just kept flying. As the cranes were coming in the snow geese were flying around, almost as if they were being pushed out. I tried to count one flock coming in and counted about 70, that is small compared to some of the groups coming in. I would think one flock had two to three hundred looking very impressive and stirred up most of the snow geese.
We heard some coyote howling and yipping in the distance and before Jerry could get his recorder out they stopped. I would like to have a recording of that.

December 9, 2008

2009-01-16T13:14:00.001-08:00

This morning it was snowing and windy so we decided not to see the morning flight of the birds. I fixed french toast and we are just hanging out trying to get caugh up on some things, like my notes. It is almost noon and the sun is trying to shine through the clouds. The winds are still pretty strong and it is pretty cold. We ate lunch and decided to go town. It was too cold and windy to walk around town so we decided to drive around and see the sights

First stop, SAMS. We talked to a woman who was born and raised in Roswel and did not like the cattle farmers. She claims that when they moved in the flies were just terrible at her home. She complained to city officials and even the governor. They explained that they give the cattle some stuff and that it takes time for it to the flies. Things will get better with time. She went on to explain that the cattle folks move into an area for 10 to 15 years and get the government to compensate them for the poor quality of the land and the cows were not producing milk like they should. After the government buys them out, they move someplace else and start new. She said their homes were huge. They had too much money. She was not happy with the cattle people.

SAMS sells liquor.

December 8, 2008

2009-01-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning and there was no wind so we decided to leave and not extend our time. We had red sky in the morning, any better reason to leave? We are without hook up and need the reassurance of an electric hook up. So we are heading for Bottomless Lake SP.
We saw our first tumbleweed in Artisia, NM, and our first alien billboard in Hagerman. Arrived at the state park and went in to Roswell to do laundry and eat. Well, we ate first. The food was wonderful and Jerry had a real chili relleno. The waitress was very nice and offered some suggestions. Can’t say much for the ice tea. Southern tea has me spoiled. Although we can get bad tea in the south.

After we ate we did the laundry. Doing laundry tends to be dull and not very entertaining, this was not the case. We heard that they had WiFi so we inquired about getting the pass word. There was a note by the window that stated they hope we enjoyed the internet and that they know nothing about the internet. There was also a disclaimer that they would not be responsible for any damage to hardware, software and programs. Jerry was able to hook up, I could not. The password was about twenty digits long. Took forever to enter and not being able to connect was very frustrating. Finishing up, Jerry took the computers out to the truck and called his brother.

Someone shouted "Look at the wind and the tumbleweeds"!

The wind picked up and the dust was blowing. I took some photos. Then it started to sprinkle. The truck looked like it had been driving in a mud pit. The winds we have experienced in this area of the world are amazing. Amazing too, the dryers worked. It has been my experience going to a laundry mat that most dryers don’t work and you really have to ask which ones do work. Laundry done we were heading for Bitter Lake Wildlife Management Area.

The visitor’s center was closed and would be open on Tuesday. So we drove around the area. There were duck, egrets and up in the sky we saw snow geese flying in. How exciting. Lines of geese coming to the ponds. We stopped, got the cameras ready and proceeded on. We found where the geese had landed and put binoculars to our eyes and low and behold, sandhill cranes! There were about a dozen or more.

Out with the cameras and tripods. We were very quiet and slow moving, fearing we might scare them. As the geese kept coming in, I would scan the sky for more and let Jerry know where to point his camera. While looking I noticed a group coming in that were gray. I told Jerry that they were gray and that they could be sandhill cranes. They were. About thirty of them flying in formation. How exciting. Further out I could see another line and even further another line. I had my camera out and I was taking photos. It was getting dark.

They kept coming. I finally stopped taking photos and grabbed the video camera. There had to have been more than a thousand birds. All sandhill cranes. I have never experienced anything like it in my life. Finally it was too dark to film or photograph and they were still coming.

December 7, 2008

2009-01-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

We were going to leave today, but the forecast of high winds made us rethink that plan.
We hiked McKittrick Canyon. It was six miles round trip. Hard walking. The path was covered with rounded stones and every few steps you felt like someone put roller skates under your feet.

We went as far as Pratt’s cabin. There we ate lunch and rested.

On the way back we met two ladies who were walking back also. They said that they had a tear drop trailer made by the Amish in PA. Also told us that they have a DC electric blanket. We need to look into that little piece of pleasure.

December 6, 2008

2009-01-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

Visit to Carlsbad Caverns. Very nice. Not very quiet, Japanese tourists talked loud and constantly.

December 5, 2008

2009-01-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

Left Davis mountain in the morning. Drove I-10 and stopped at Kent, Tx. At a Chevron to get gas. I went inside the store, stood there while the clerk talked on the phone, walked around, stood infront of the clerk, and finally she got off the phone and I told her we wanted to fill up on four. She fumbled around and finally Jerry came in and said the pump wasn’t working. The clerk asked us why we did not fill up. Jerry explained that the pump isn’t working. She flipped a switch and you want to fill up now? No, we already spent too much time there. We went on!

We stopped at a gas station to get some gas and see if they some medicine for my cold. The were two horses tied to a post and a man was mucking the horse trailer. There was a place to put the muck at the gas station.

Leaving Davis Mountain we saw a porcupine and scrub jay. Ariving at Guatalupe we spotted a road runner.

December 4, 2008

2009-01-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

Very cold this morning in the twenties. Pipes were frozen and we were not able to fill up our water for our trip so we had to stay another day. We ate breakfast at the lodge. After breakfast we went to renew our stay for one more day. And talked to the nicest man Bert, who knew the area. He sent us off on the Davis Mountain Scenic Drive. A very beautiful drive.

After a short hike on this trail we drove to the McDonald Observatory.

Lunch was good and very satisfying.

December 3, 2008

2009-01-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

We had scrambled eggs and toast along with my tea and Jerry had a hot spiced apple drink. After breakfast Jerry went out to rearrange his camera box. He came in to tell me there were four deer in the parking lot. I went out and Jerry was walking toward the group. They did not run. He sat down on a large rock and began to take photos. They were quite relaxed and calm. He took photos for a long time.

I finished washing dishes and watched him. While he was taking photos a man came up behind him and told Jerry that he was a birder and that when he was pouring out bird feed the deer came running up to him. He was able to hand feed the deer. They are quite tame. The man had lived in a Casita for 7 months before he retired. His wife was living in their retirement home. It was just a place to stay for the last months of employment. He said that he hated every minute. He put it up for sale on the Casita forum and sold it in 2 hours.

We toured Fort Davis National Historic Site that morning and afternoon. They are restoring the Fort. I enjoyed the tour and the people there. Jerry stumped the historian when he asked what was a "Comanches rifle pit"? I am sure we have a pretty good idea and will google it when we get home if we remember.

We went to eat at the Black Bear Restaurant at Indian Lodge. Not very good for me but Jerry really enjoyed his catfish. An older couple there said that it was the best kept secret in Texas and they are regulars.

Back to Skyland Drive. The wind has really picked up and gusts are about 65 mph. Going up the mountain it was quite clear the winds were blowing. A haze of sand was in the sky and our view was not as clear as it has been. Jerry had purchased a beer to drink with the guys tonight. He called them from the hill and told them that he was going to drink it when we get back to the Casita. He talked to the gang, including Miquel who was visiting from Spain. Oh, the beer purchased for the occasion was Tacate imported from Mexico. Jerry really wanted a Lone Star.

December 2, 2008

2009-01-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

Coffee and tea and a drive up Skyline Drive to watch the sunrise. A little late for that so we decided we would eat, cinnamon bread with pumpkin butter, and go to the McDonald Observatory. I drove again. I am feeling more confident in my ability to keep the monster truck on the road. I don’t see Jerry jumping, hitting his breaks or bracing for the big one. I am going to try pulling the Casita on this trip.

A very nice woman who explained the costs and what the program entailed, greeted us. She told us that it would be cold in the observatory and we might want to put on a coat. Jerry asked about photography and carrying the tripod. She said it would be fine.

The person giving the program talked very fast and it was hard to follow what he was saying. We were catching most of what he was talking about. The slides were nice and he kept our attention. We are always pleased when a homeschooler is in the group. She was about 8 years old and was not afraid to ask questions. And they were good questions.

After the slide show we went to the Otto Sturve Telescope a 82-inch mirror. It was the second largest in the world in 1933-39 when build. It is still being used today. The astronomers ate, slept and worked in the observatory. They spent hours looking through the eye piece to make observations. They took trains into Alpine and drove to the observatory. Before interstate and paved roads. Forty miles might have taken them three to four hours and we can drive it in 30 minutes. That was hard work before the work began. It is located on Mt. Locke at 6,792 ft.

Today they have quarters set up for them and meals are made. The information gather by the telescope is view not through a computer, real time and analyzed. If you wish to gather information for an area in the sky, you send in the coordinates and information you wish to gather and they do the work for you, for a fee. A big change from the early days of astronomy.

Our next trip was to the Hobby-Eberly Telescope called the HET for short. It has a 433-inch mirror the fifth largest in the world. It is optimized for spectroscopy. It was dedicated in 1997. It located on Mt. Fowlkes at 6,659 ft. After absorbing all the knowledge we could we were hungry for food.

We ate at the deli that they had. It was okay. We looked for Christmas gifts at the shop. The woman working there told us about the javilinas she has around her house. She feeds them, has been for about two years. The male was the first to start hanging around and he would bring his lady and her kids for food. If food was not where he expected it to be he would bark like a dog. This year he had a pregnant female and she was gone for two days and showed up with two little ones for food. She said that she felt he trusted he because the other babies were much older when they came around.

Arriving back at Davis mountain we decided to walk the Quail Trail. It was not where we expected to find it and Jerry walked up the road looking. I was still getting my stuff together when a park ranger drove up. I flagged him down and asked him if he knew where the trail might be. Well, he was new to Davis Mountain, this was his second day, but he would try to help. He drove up the road, stopped and pointed. I gave him a thank you wave and we started our walk. We walked up and up stopped to rest and walked more.

At some point I looked down from this very narrow and rocky path and decided we needed to turn around. If any one of us lost our footing and slipped the only thing that might save us would be a large rock or a prickly pear cactus. That is something we did not need.

Back at the truck the park ranger stopped again and gave us a map. We introduced ourselves to Jason Corbin. He was so nice. Glad he is with the Park Service.

We decided to leave and go to Skyline Drive to spend the evening hoping for a great sunset. It was great. We walked around trying to out guess the sun. We watched as clouds began to roll in and knew we would get something. The colors are just amazing and we try so hard to capture what we feel in our hearts, but it is tough. No it is impossible. It just cannot be photographed. Oh well tomorrow is another day.

December 1, 2008

2009-01-12T15:45:00.003-08:00

Left San Angelo SP early and arrived at Davis Mountain about 4pm. The scenery began to change after we past through Rankin, Tx. The speed limit changed to 75 mph, a road runner popped its head out of the grasses, praire dogs were living along I-10 and the mountains were getting higher. The Post Office in Toyahvale, Tx, is only open from 9 to 11 am.

We ate dinner at the Indian Lodge a CCC construction. Indian Lodge State Park in a park in Davis Mountain State Park. Fajitas for two was enough for four. I am stuffed. I need to stop eating bell peppers they do not agree with me. I drove the truck up Skyland Drive and home to Tink.

Jerry went out to get something from the trunk and came back claiming that deer were all around us. Looked around and saw javelina. Later one was snorting and making noise just outside the trailer. They are not pretty. Our camp site is at 5000 feet. State Park Balmorlea near here has a spring that feeds 74 degree water into its swimming pool. The pool water runs over the pool into ducts that irrigate the fields. It might be worth checking out some day.

November 30, 2008

2009-01-12T15:45:00.002-08:00

Coffee and tea first thing this morning to take off the chill. The wind is blowing and it looks dreary out side.

Jerry wanted to take a photo of breakfast with a Budwiser and Clamato drink to send back to the guy. I fixed french toast and fried apples. We will see how the photos turn out. After breakfast we went to the Dinosaur Trail hoping to see the tracks in the rocks.

The wind is really blowing now. We open one door at a time getting in and out of the truck for fear of losing the contents. We finally figure out where the trail begins, we think. It is such a shame that the trails are not marked properly and it is hard to figure out where to go. Oh well, another rant. So, off we went to find the tracks. Another great walk. The dirt was soft and I could see the tracks of other critters crossing.

Finally we came across the river bed and knew the tracks were just beyond the fence. We were happy. Thinking back to seeing photos of tracks in text books, I thought I would never be this close to the same thing.

After lunch we went to Academy a sporting goods store. It was cold, where else could we go? I needed a hat and so did Jerry. We ended up with a hat, neck warmer, socks, and a Coleman oven.

I love my hat. It has ear flaps that reminded me of the hats the guys had, the ones that were hats with fake fur fold down ear warmers. Still working on our list of things needed we, on the advice of Cody at Academy, we went to HEB.

Herbert E. Butts. It was the biggest grocery store ever. They even had a cook that was giving us healthy alternatives to eating. He had a stove and an oven in the store and he baked and cooked and even had an assistant. He was a very social person and added to the experience. It was a very busy place and we grew weary of the crowd. I wanted to pick up some Hard As Nails for a nail that was breaking. I pulled over the cart and parked it as I knew my trip would be short. Well who knew that there were so many choices. I picked the best and headed out of the department. About that time a woman was yelling for her child to come closer. Seeing the child I told her that he was peeing on the door. She said that she knew he had to pee and I said,"No, he is peeing on the door!"

He finished and headed back to his mom and she was scolding him. It was funny and sad. Mom should have taken him to the bathroom, he was about four. Rant.

So back to base camp. We see that we might have a good sunset and make plans to take some photographs. Brrrrrrr is it cold and we need to prepare for that. Hey, I have a cool hat and my rain coat that will cut the wind. The sky was brilliant and hopefully we have some good photos. The wind is really blowing and we get back to the Casita.

Jerry is ready for a shower and I am ready to rearrange the kitchen. Jerry takes his shower and I go to work. He comes back and tells me how incredible his shower was and that I should enjoy the experience. He set the timer so that it would be warm when I was ready. Jerry is so thoughtful. It was a great shower.

The wind was still blowing and it cut through my pants and three layers of shirts. I make it to the Casita. Having a firm grip on the door it opens and hanging on for dear life, stepping in and thanking God for the gift of safety. Having feet on firm ground, the wind picks up and the shaking and quaking of the Casita send another prayer to heaven. The winds and gusts are shaking me and the Casita. We rock and roll for some time and then it quiets. Made it through the day.

November 29, 2008

2009-01-12T15:45:00.001-08:00

Woke up to a cold and windy day. Coffee and tea and a peanut butter and banana sandwich to start the day. Made another list for shopping at Walmart and Lowes. We really needed to repair the Casita before leaving on the next leg of the trip.

On the way into town we decided to take another drive through the area. We found a road that we were not familiar with and turned. What luck. It was a totally new area to us and we even found someone who told us about more hiking trails and things to see. Amazing, there is so much to do and no one told us! Thanks to the kindness of strangers we now have a hike to do once we fix the Casita.

We ate at the Sunset Grill. Both of us ordered the gyros. We were talking about making a bad decision for food when our gyros arrived. They were not like Nicks House of Pizza in Camden, SC. It was good and fresh tasting. We were happy. After getting the things we needed we headed back to the Casita to get her fixed up for the trip. The repairs went quickly and we were on our way for another trail.

As we arrived at the trail head some bikers were finishing up their ride. We talked for a few minutes and were on our way. About 20 minutes into our hike we came across another biker who did volunteer work for the park. He gave us some great advice and told us of other places to go. He also explained the dam to us. The dams only purpose in life is to prevent flooding. Houses are built on the flood plain and so lets build a dam so they won’t get flooded. He talked about how they had long horned cattle on the property a couple of years ago and that they were making a big mess of things just like the bikes were making. How Audubon wanted to restore the area to the original prairie land. We discussed how little wildlife we were seeing and what he had seen. He said that he saw Jaguarmundi, black panther and that there was a bear in the area.

Jerry told him that we had not seen any jack rabbits or deer, and the last time we were here we saw a porcupine. After half an hour of sharing stories, we continued our hike.

It was really pleasant and most enjoyable most of the time. The loose rocks were difficult to walk through, but they were for short periods of time. We finished our hike and decided to find the pictographs. Spotting smoke close by we changed our route and investigated. A house, just on the edge of the park was on fire. I really felt for the home owners. While hiking we heard the sirens of the fire trucks and I thought that it was taking a long time to get to where they were going. We could see flames and the smoke was thick. I also thought about the fire spreading to the park. It is so dry.

We did walk to see the petroglyphs. There must be more and we are going back in the morning. We are staying an extra day. We want to see the dinosaur foot prints! Yes another person told us about this great thing. Park service? It must be some secret. Only on tours! Why is it that something that would attract visitors would be kept from the public?

I drove the truck around the park and we saw deer, porcupine and the jack rabbit. A great ending to a great day.

November 28,2008

2009-01-12T15:45:00.000-08:00

Leaving Inks Lake and driving down US 87 we past plowed fields and sheep grazing. In one field I noticed some gray objects and grabbed my binoculars to get a better look but by the time I could raise them we were past the field. Just when I was about to put them back Jerry pointed to some birds flying. They were Sandhill Cranes. That must have been what I spotted dotting the field.

Veri Vest, Tx. Another strange name.

Wall High School in Wall, Tx, has an oil pump on its property.

We did not know that Texas grew cotton. We passed miles of cotton fields and those huge cotton bails, well, they looked like large blocks with shower caps. Another surprise in Texas.

We arrived at San Angelo State Park excited. They were training a new person and our bill started out at $300 and went to $1200 and much to our pleasure dropped down to an amazing $30. Every time she made a mistake, we threatened to get a recorder and tape her mistakes. It was funny and everyone was laughing.

We did not get a secluded spot and were with a group of campers pretty close. That is okay with us, we aren’t spending the day sitting in front of Tink all day. We are gone and doing our photography and exploration. While setting up Tink, a couple walked by with their dogs. I immediately identified the dog. It was a labradoodle. Cody’s best friend. We talked for awhile and they were definitely not into the same things we were. They invited us to see their photographs on the lap top and also to view ours. Jerry and I thought of the movie "RV".

We drove around and decided to stop at the prairie dog town and see if we could get a photo. Jerry did pretty well.

November 27, 2008

2009-01-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

We began our day early with coffee and tea. We had a three mile hike to Devil’s Drinking Hole. It started out to be a bike trail and there were bikes on the trail. When the rock formations began, the bikes ended. The rock climbing was not bad. Good shoes are a must for traction. The older I get, the less I want to fall. I am still recovering from last weeks tumble.

The pink rock that we walked on is called Valley Spring Gneiss (pronounced "nice"). The cracks and crevices supported many different plants. Each step was interesting. How could such a dry place support any form of life? They manage to get a foot hold and with little moisture they survive. We had views into the valley and views up from the valley. People wander and make paths through out the area.
After breakfast/lunch we walked Pecan Flats named after the pecan trees that grow in the area. There are some really nice tent camping spots on this hike. Jerry and I wander off the path and what should take an hour usually takes us two to three times as much. We walked a road for more than we would like to have walked, and finally came upon the primitive camping area. It was pretty so Jerry took several photos. The rest of the walk was on the pink rock that I am beginning to really like. This is one of the best hikes we have taken so far.

It was a big black and white cat, sitting on the rock and meowing. I meowed back and Jerry warned me about being nice to cats, they follow you home! Did not want that to happen.

November 26, 2008

2009-01-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

Today we walked the blue trail after breakfast. It was rocky and beautiful. The rock climbing wasn’t what I thought it would be, it was pleasant, not strenuous. The views were spectacular.
We ate at River City Diner. Nothing to really say, just like a Ryans or something of the sort. I was disappointed. Leaving the diner we took some back roads through town. The nice main street that was a few blocks from 218 surprised me. Works of art lined the street and little eateries. I felt like I was visiting the real town. Wish we had seen this part of town before we ate. We would not have eaten at the Diner!

On the way home we took 4 into Inks Lake State Park. Driving up the hill and driving down the hill was like a roller coaster. Going down hill you could not see the top of the next hill. And the truck felt like it was going to be launched off the top of the next hill. Fun drive.

Well the time on the road is beginning to take a toll on both of us. We are tired. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we might just hang around for a little while. Go for a hike and be thankful for all we have.

November 25, 2008

2009-01-12T14:30:00.000-08:00

Left our camping spot at Martin Dies, Jr. State park at 7:46 am only to be stopped by a camp host. He wanted to know if we would like some parking tips. Not that Jerry was a bad parker. It must have been really hard for Don to watch us park on that first day. That was very nice of him. He showed us a couple of things and then Don sent us on our way. It was so nice to bring back his fond memories of backing a little trailer. He said, "short trailers are harder to back than the long ones".

In South Carolina the trucks have the cute silhouettes of squirrels, deer or some kid pissing on something. Today I saw a silhouette of an oil derrick on the back of a truck. Shortly after seeing the truck we spotted gas at $1.53.09!

We made it to Inks Lake State Park and found a place to stay. When we arrived someone was practicing on his or her trumpet. We hoped that it would not go on for a long time. And it did not. We took a 3 mile hike and went back to Tink and ate some cinnamon bread with peanut butter.

November 24,2008

2009-01-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

Woke up to fog. By the time we had coffee and tea the sun started to come out of the shroud. A very nice start to the day. After breakfast we headed off to Big Thicket National Preserve.

First we stopped to get something to drink at the gas station across the lake. While making our purchase Jerry told the clerk that they could make a bundle raising the gas price. She told us that that was price gouging and it was illegal. Hurricane Ike proved that there are quite a few individuals who would like to make a profit from raising gas prices. That was a major problem during evacuation. On this trip I have notices some of the damage left by Ike. And also how slow the recovery is going. Far too many houses with blue tarps for roofs.

We arrived at Big Thicket visitor’s center to gather information. Amazing building. Clean and beautiful. The education center was well put together with informative displays. The staff was very friendly and even offered us lemons from one of the staff’s garden.

After a large downpour of rain we were on our way. Walked three miles on the Turkey Trail. Hurricane Ike changed this landscape forever. It was still a pleasant walk. One surprise for me was the downed Swamp Chestnut Oak. I could not believe how yellow the wood appeared. I estimated the rings and it seemed to be 70 to 80 years old. There were many large cypress trees and just as I looked up to see how tall one was a beautiful pileated woodpecker landed on the side of the tree. If only it were the Ivory-billed.

We went to the Pitcher Plant Trail. It was very handicapped accessible. It was dry but it had pitcher plants, thousands of them. We walked the boardwalk and a little off trail bushwhacking. I tripped and fell. I hurt my pride and realized once again that I do not like to fall. Took a picture of a crawdad chimney just before the big fall.

After our walk we went to eat at the B B Que Pit. Texas bar-b-que is made with beef and with a tomato based sauce. Our sandwich was with chopped meat. It was a bit to salty for our taste. Jerry called the place " A walk back in time". It was hard not to look at the old photos on the wall and think back in time. I asked Jerry who wrote Lil Abner and he said "Al Capp". I pointed to one of the walls and he was amazed. There on the wall, framed, was a large sketch of Lil Abner, and Al Capp signed it! When I say large, it was about two-foot square. It was a gift to the owner. How nice is that?

Arriving at the "Tink" we noticed an armadillo near the restrooms. Jerry took several shots with his camera. I remember thinking that this is such a usual thing for people in Texas to see that they might think Jerry a little crazy for taking the time to photograph an armadillo! We have planned our next leg of the trip to Inks Lake. Hopefully we will have a place to stay. This is beginning to be interesting.

November 23, 2008

2009-01-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

Took a walk in the morning and stopped at an outdoor wedding area and Jerry posed for this photo. We packed up and left Lake Lincoln. We are heading for Martin Dies, Jr. State Park.

We stopped in Vidalia at the local Walmart to buy a fish scale to weigh out propane tanks to see if we need to fill them up. The store was dark and we asked the sales person about the lights and she told us that the store has sky lights and if enough light is coming through the sky lights that the lights will turn off. It is to save energy. She seems to think that is sometimes gets too dark and she has trouble seeing. Good for Walmart, bad for workers?

We were getting hungry and after leaving we were discussing food and drove by several eating establishments. Jerry asked if I saw one with a lot of customers. Yes I did. We turned around and stopped at Jackie’s Riverside Restaurant, 1530 Fourth St., Jonesville, La. The food was great, the staff was friendly and the food was great. Jerry had fish and had more fish. Fried Catfish filets. The pork tenderloin was tender and flavorful. The fried chicken was juicy and delicious. The peas were just out of the can, but the real mashed potatoes were special. Fried okra for Jerry, peach cobbler for me. They also put out some cherry cream pie, just as we were leaving and Jerry almost turned around. They said he could sit down and have some. I ate too much. Well, we ate too much.

So if you miss Jackie’s about 45 minutes later you can eat at "Large and Juicy Old Fashion Hamburgers" in Holloway, La. It is next to a gas station.

Which reminds me, gas prices have not been that bad. Our only regret is filling up only to see the price five to ten cents less at the next station.

Arriving at Martin Dies we found out that they just opened two weeks ago. They had to clean up after Hurricane Ike. We have taken a walk around the area and plan on staying two nights. Hopefully take some pictures in the morning. After our walk we went for a ride and on the way back I saw a deer and told Jerry, "Deer, no rabbit first then deer, there is a frog!" Jerry prefers me to mention animals rather than scream "Watch out!" It is the only time I get my right and left, right!

Reading a map is not my strong point and Jerry knows it is true. Even if he knows it in his heart of hearts, he still asks. He knows, now, not to ask. He has Nuvi to make the right choices. She not only has the ability to tell her left from her right, she can find short cuts down gravel roads, and if Jerry makes a wrong turn the "lady" can tell him in the most condescending voice that she is "recalculating". I snicker to myself every time she says, "recalculating." She is his mistress, and I like her.

November 22, 2008

2009-01-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

When we were in Georgia Jerry mentioned that Georgia is known for having strange names for their cities and town. So here goes for strange names. Lower Peach Tree, Sunny South, Pine Apple, Pine Hill, Smuteye, all in Georgia. There was a Coffeeville, Al. Soso and Hot Coffee, Ms. We were driving down a back road and on the side of the road stood two youngsters. As were passed them, they gave us the biggest smile and waved to us like we were important. We would have thought we were until the car behind us received the same treatment. Go figure. As far as wildlife goes I saw 18 turkeys in a field off of 84 in Alabama and four woodstorks. We stayed at Lake Lincoln State Park. It was just a place for us to stay the night.

November 21, 2008

2009-01-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

Woke up. It was cold, very cold. Woke up. It was still cold. Woke up. Jerry turned on the heater. Made coffee and tea. We discussed "Tinkle’s" incontinent problem and decided to ask for outside help. Our camp host, Ron, directed us to Cobb and Son.
As we made our way through the back roads of Alabama we admired the land. Homes and farms. The farm fields giving way after each hill, they were rolling hills. Some had cows laying about chewing their cud watching their calves others had bulls chewing their cud watching cows!
Alabama has some roadwork going on. Four lanes are popping up everywhere and if that is not enough, they are paving their back roads. If our roads were as nice as their back roads before paving, we would be very happy. I looks like Alabama is doing very well. Nice roads.
Well finally, Cobb and Son RV Repair. They were pretty busy, but kept telling us they would be with us soon. That was nice, most places tend to ignore you until you leave! It wasn’t a long wait until Jerry was out in our little "Tinkle" looking into the intimate parts of her anatomy, poking, jiggling and pulling at things. I stayed in the waiting room. I could feel her embarrassment.
I finally moved out to the truck to be just a wee bit closer. Every time the truck jumped I would peek out the side view mirror to see someone running in with a piece or running out. I feared the worse. I was fixated on the mirror. In and out, she was attached to a hose. Jerry watching. Was that fear in his eyes? As he exited Tinkle, head down, walking toward the passenger door, I knew that this was it. He opened the door and held part of Tinkle’s body. It was her shut off valve! It had a crack and that was causing the leak. "I know how she feels." I thought.
As they were replacing the valve, Rick, ran out and went for another part. There was a crack in another valve. Jerry was very good about keeping me well informed about her progress. Before I know it the hose was removed, Jerry was smiling and Rick looked like a very proud person. Tinkle was fixed.
We can continue on with our vacation. On the way back from Cobb and Son we went to the Eufaula Wildlife Management area. We asked about birds and what was flying in the area. We were told not much. We drove around and they were right, not much. They did say later in December there would be more. We decided to leave Florence Marina in the morning and hope to stay in December. We had spaghetti for dinner and I put extra garlic on the toast! We very seldom have a 5 o’clock happy hour, but this was a special day.

November 20, 2008

2009-01-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

We left the house at 8:30 and arrived at Florence Marina at 4:15. We ate lunch at Hardee’s in Forsyth. The trip was uneventful. We had stuffed peppers cut up with extra sauce and some garlic toast. We are having another problem with a water leak originating with the hot water heater. The first time we were at Santee State Park. Maybe we should call our Casita "Tinkle". We will fix it in the morning and proceed to Eufaula Wildlife Refuge.

So....

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ask a brother for help on a location and he sends me this photo of Dad, Henry Jr., Mom and me(hiding in her belly).

The center of town is to the right, something large is to the left. The important thing is to get a fix on exactly where they are standing.

Looking at the photo, I can hear the conversation taking place before the shutter snapped.

"Joan, you stand by the sign, holding little Henry. I am going to put the camera on the roof of the car, set the timer and take our photo. Look casual....look like we are having a conversation".

"Ready," he yells as he runs up to the sign. He strikes a relaxed position and begins a conversation with his lovely wife.

She is totally entertained and is laughing at his foolishness. That is amoure!

My brother makes me laugh. He takes after his father.

Friday morning I made a

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cup of tea and got started with my day. Tea is a good start on the day for me. If I have toast with it, milk is added.

Now to tackle that cantalope. My favorite knife is sharpened, let the cutting begin. Thoughts of Dad came to me. I can almost see him doing the same thing. Sure miss him.

Field peas cooked for about an hour. They were really starchy and the sausage did not add any flavor. Pass the salt.

What in the world are

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field peas? Jerry's brother gave him a bag of them (along with some tomatoes, peaches and a cantalope). They come in a dried up, shrivelled up, seed pod that requires some work to get to the pea. I really struggled with this "southern" monster. At times they just peeled open and other times a knife was required. After all the hard work, they were bagged and put up for Friday's dinner.

Wednesday evening I

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made hamburger buns. We are going on a trip this weekend and not wanting to go out (too darn hot) to get buns I decided to make them. Not very hard to do. Wednesday is also Jerry's night out with the "guys", so when he came home I had this sandwich ready for him to eat. He gave me a bite....delicious!

This being a cooking week for me

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I made some pita bread. We use these to make Jerry's Super Chalupa. Jerry(my husband) makes a great bean dip and it is spread on top of the pita. We chop onions, tomatoes and olives(green) and sprinkle on top of the dip. That is all covered with cheddar cheese slices and put in the microwave until the cheese melts. Served with a side of sour cream and jalapano peppers, can make your eyes roll back into your head.

We went bird watching

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the other day and stopped at Pat's Peaches to get....peaches and a watermellon. Yum! After consuming some of the goodies I made peach chutney.

Goes good with pork, chicken, BBQ...will it just goes good with anything!

http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/chutneys/peach-chutney

Austin went to Camp Old Indian

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Austin spent a week with the Boy Scouts in the mountains. He was a little reluctant to go, being away from home for a week is a little hard for a boy. He went and had a good time. He looks so small with his backpack.

He looks glad to be home!

We have a flower in our pond!

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Well, Hello dad!

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This is my dad in France, where I was born. Not sure exactly where, but I will find out later.

This is my mom?

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Went to Parsons, WV for a week to visit family. My brother, Joe, is in the process of organizing our family photos so I will delight in adding them to my spot with some comments. This is my mom, Joan Thompson, standing on a roof top in Parsons, WV. It is very strange to see photos of your parents before you were even a part of their lives. Did they have much of a life before I came into the world to change theirs? And posing like that? Here is the worse part......it is kind of sexy! Yeah, mom had sex appeal.

This is dad. He is so good looking. He took the photo of my mom. They made a good looking couple and great parents. He liked to work with his hands. He would spend hours working and we kids would like to sit on his stool and watch him. It was fun for us to help him clean up the messes and talk about the tools and how dangerous they could be.

Okay, roaches

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This is a clear head roach. It is big. Before we started our trip there was a post some where on the internet about the critter that I did not wish to meet. We were going in to the dining hall for dinner and this roach flew into the hall. People were dancing. I think I actually saw an over 70 yr. old doing a moon walk!

Have you ever wondered

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Where do cashews come from? From Cashew trees. I now know why cashews are so expensive....

The Turtle

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One of the things on the check list was to see the Leather Back turtle come on shore and lay her eggs. Well we waited and waited. It was dark and just a small slice of moon, vision was very limited. Our guide for the watch was standing next to me and he pointed. "Don't say anything, if you do everyone will come!" It wasn't long before a crowd had gathered and we kept our distance while mom went to work. They said that when she starts laying her eggs that she goes into a trance.....nothing will bother her. The photo was taken while she was in her trance.

The Beach

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This is the beach that Leather Back turtles come to make their nests. We waited for hours, sometimes in the rain. It was worth the wait.

Jerry looking for birds

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Jerry looking for a Green Heron.

http://jerrybright.googlepages.com/home

Nat on Stilts

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Natalie learning to walk on stilts!

Trinidad and Tobago Vacation

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June 6-15 we vacationed in Trinidad/Tobago.

William is back!

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Before he left Afghanistan he recieved the Bronze Star. The whole family is very proud and happy to have him home.

March 12, 2008

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Natalie and I spent the afternoon at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. It was a beautiful day. We visited the elephants....

Sat on the very hot Tortoise....

Took time to say hello to the Vulture....

And finished our day in the beautiful garden!

Somewhere far away

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This is my son, William. He is showing off the Bausch & Lomb binoculars we gave him for Christmas a few years ago! They were for bird watching. Well I guess he is bird watching, I just don't see the birds.

Stevens Creek, SC

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Dimpled trout lily (Erythronium umbilicatum)
Miccosukee gooseberry (a federally threatened species), there is another population growing in Jefferson County, Florida. Amazing that the only two populations are so far apart.

Lidnsey

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This is to Lindsey. A FOB (forward operational base) in Kandahar, Afghanistan adopted Lindsey. She was the one who would listen to each and every troop that was stationed at the base. She looked up with those big brown eyes and touched the heart and soul of our troops. She followed, she sat, she ate and she loved. Just as our troops needed someone, she needed them. The bond between them grew and the love exchanged was free. She looked forward to seeing them coming back and they looked forward to her being there. A constant in their ever changing life. I guess you could say that Lindsey was their home. Looking at your loved one. The spark that said "I love you". Well Lindsey is gone. Not forgotten. Unfortunately, the troops have to look at each other and, well, you cannot scratch your sargent behind the ears, but if your are quick you can rub his belly. Woof, woof, woof for Lindsey.

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Another view of the road to the ruins.

A view from the ruins.
What should have been a quiet walk.

This is just a view of half of the vehicles that did haul ATVs.

February 17, 2008 Fergusons Landing

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More artifacts.

February 17, 2008 Fergusons Landing

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This is the frosted glass from one of the buildings. Beautiful.
The tire tracks of the ATVs come close to this manhole and cover.
Large rusty bolt and pottery.
We all know the horse shoe.

February 17, 2008 Fergusons Landing

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Road to ruin!

Chain links.

Plumbing.

The main structure.

February 17, 2008 Santee State Park

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Exposed drop off with exposed roots.

Close up of roots.

Catfish head.

Me and catfish head.

February 16, 2008 Cathedral Bay SC

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Cypress with a twist.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker?
Two trees together.

February 14, 2008

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Today we decided to take a trip around Lake Moultrie and check out some of the boat landings. The only walking we did was at the fish hatchery. As we walked out onto the beach we spotted someone else. I pulled up my trusty binoculars to have a look. He was carrying a shovel. As soon as he saw us, he went into the woods. And we knew why.

Several years ago Jerry and I were at a small state park walking around looking at the flora and fauna and a small child approached and asked if we were park rangers. We told him “No, we are not”. Because we wear light color clothing and wide brimmed hats he thought we were. We got rid of the kid. We told him where he could find a dead bird.

Another story….somewhere in Texas…near the border. A young couple was having talking with a couple of guys on the other side of the river. Jerry and I pulled up got out of the truck and put on our hats. We talked to the young couple for a few minutes and I noticed a young Mexican kid wading across the river with a bottle. He walked up to me and asked me if I was a ranger. I told him “No”. He looked me in the eyes, tilted his head toward Jerry and said “What about him?”. “No.” The kid turned around and with bottle in hand and left!

My guess is that the person on the beach was there for no good and when he saw us in our hats, he left thinking we might be park ranger looking for looters. If I was a ranger I would have chased him down and whooped his butt! We looked around and found no evidence that he had a chance to stick his shovel into the sand. We might have saved an artifact and changed his mind about digging someplace else.

This a great photo of the exposed roots of a cypress tree.
Exposed beach with power plant in the background.

Two views of Francis Marion's grave.

February 13, 2008 Santee Wildlife Refuge

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The sign with the hours. We made note of the closing time and went on our tour. There are so many things to see. We stopped several times and took short little walks.
One was to examine the new canoe trail. It is not fair to judge the trail with the water low. I did have a vision on paddling to the pond and sitting for an hour or two to see what wildlife would appear. While there we noted the time and realized we needed to leave. It was hard to focus on the gate when, if we took our eyes off the road, we would see something else to make us stop. And you guessed it, we saw
what we thought was a hole in the bank that an alligator might spend its nights. Wow! Oh! Look,
an alligator! Not a big fellow, but an alligator. What beautiful eyes. This is wonderful. The sun was shining on its eye. The sun was hidden by clouds and peeking in and out, just teasing us. Now, time is running our. The gate will close in about ten minutes. Well we made it to the gate with 10 seconds to spare. We sat there and thought about where we would go next and still the gate was open. We drove down the road to another landing and looked around. Driving back the gate was still open. We had plenty of water and energy bars, maybe we should have spent the night. Just kidding. Someone would have driven through to make sure no one was left in the area.

February 11, 2008 Santee State Park

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Here you see the shells of clams and snails that have died and washed ashore. I thought this shows the rythum

February 11, 2008 Indian Bluffs Recreational Area

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I am not sure what the bumps are on the sand. It makes for an interesting landscape.

This is just pretty with the curves.
There was a fire on the other side of the lake and the wind was blowing in the other direction. I was a little dissapointed until the wind shifted and I was able to catch it drift over the lake.
This is the swimming area of Indian Bluff. We were there several years ago with the twins. They must have been about 4. Jerry was in his kayak and the kids asked him to swim with them. He jumped into the water only to discover that it was over his head. He thought they were walking on the bottom. They had on life vests and were bobbing in the water.

Leaving Indian Bluffs we met Rosie Price. She was very nice and we talked for a few minutes. They are getting ready to publish a book about the Edisto River. He took the photos and she added the narration. She did not think she could do such a thing and was proud to tell us she did better than she thought. I felt her pride.

February 10, 2008 Blacks Landing

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Now we were off to Black’s Landing to see what Santee Cooper was doing that was so exciting. As we pulled up we noticed three gentlemen standing on the dock. Below them was the boat ramp with Santee Cooper employees and equiptment. A little bull dozer and a track vehicle with a large shovel. When the three gentlemen heard a rumble in the back ground one said here comes some rocks. I asked about the project and they began the story. A few seconds later the truck came and I retreated for fear of the deadly “rock dust”. “No fear mam, it isn’t dusty.” replied one man.

I looked at the boat ramp and figured that there must have been four loads of rocks unloaded and I began to wonder….how long had they been standing there? My thoughts? For what it is worth, they have nothing to do. I have seen this in small towns across the states. Nothing to do? Watching grass grow? Watching someone work? It is like sitting on your front porch. Oh, you don’t have a front porch. Well, a fun thing to do is watching the world go by, you know, watching. The kids playing across the street, kids laughing, giggling, and coming in your yard. Kids don’t come in your yard? Oh, kids don’t walk down the street laughing giggling and having fun. Well, those guys are the kids that use to laugh and giggle walking down the street and now they are having fun watching other people. Yes, the are laughing and giggling the way only old men can laugh.

So what I thought was to be a tragic tale of old men I realized it was a reminder of youth. Take that thought as you would like. As age catches up with us, so does youth. We are able to recapture the sights, sounds and laughter of youth through bleary eyes, muffled ears and a giggle that remains the same.

Santee Cooper is digging a canal from Blacks Landing out to the Santee Canal.

I think the cost to the owner is $180,000. A high price to pay but it should be worth it in the long run.

This is General William Moultrie. He is in pretty bad shape and needs some restoration.

February 10, 2008 Lake Marion SC

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Ever wonder about that Clemson hat that flew off your head while fishing? This is what is left. Look carefully and you can see the Clemson name.

Part of a tool left behind. I think it is an auger.

Our first stop was at Ferguson's Landing. From the boat ramp we were given the honor of visiting an archaeological site. The Santee River Cypress Lumber Company was closed down and covered with water in 1930 when the Santee Cooper Dam was built. Unfortunately, the ATVs were there before we were and most of our photos have tracks running through ruins.

What is left of an old boat. It was hand made.

February 10, 2008

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The sawmill was very large and covered several acres and the foundation block stand like tombstones of times past.

My first day

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First day with a blog. We are planning on traveling aroung the country this year and would like to keep everyone tuned in to our adventures.