Moving On - More Thunder and Lightening, More Birds

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

From the sound of the wind all night long at the Bolivar Peninsula RV Park, it seemed like a good day to move on. On the other hand, weather like this brings to shore pelagic (ocean-going) birds that normally stay out at sea and other birds not normally in the area. So, we did both – moved on and did some bird watching.

The rain began early, the thunder and lightening started as we drove southwest toward Port Bolivar to catch the ferry to Galveston Island. We wondered at the wisdom of crossing the five miles of water leading from the Gulf of Mexico to East Bay north of Bolivar Peninsula, West Bay north of Galveston Island, becoming thereafter Trinity Bay, then Galveston Bay. What we did know is that the ferry workers had lots of experience with weather along the north gulf coast in Texas, and they would decide whether or not it was safe to cross. It appeared that we arrived at the ferry terminal just as a ferry was unloading cars coming from Galveston, indicating that we would be leaving shortly. That might have happened if the vehicle two cars in front of us didn't have a dead battery and wasn't going anywhere soon. In the driving rain, with lightening and thunder all around, we waited for the ferry to unload. Then we waited for the other lane of traffic to load onto the ferry. When it was our turn, it became apparent our lane was not moving. That's when we learned of the dead battery in the car ahead of us in line.

At this point I feel duty bound to recognize the ferry worker who weathered the storm getting drenched while moving back and forth along the line of waiting cars, all with dry passengers, to sort out the mess and get the ferry loaded. He should have been paid double for working in those conditions.

All of the cars in our lane behind the stalled car had to back up along the concrete curbing in order to change lanes and proceed to the ferry. This means the last in line became the first to board. Which also meant we missed the boat. The good news, Laughing Gulls and Brown Pelicans were all over the place. The gulls along the edge of the dock looked like so many tourists waiting to dodge the next wave that broke over the wall.

We did make it across on the next ferry second in line to get off on the other side. Galveston looks nothing like Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula. This is a big city, a resort town. The difference in appearance between Galveston and Bolivar is money, I am quite sure. If Hurricane Ike hit both island and peninsula equally three-and-one-half years ago, then Galveston wasted no time in rebuilding. This is a vibrant, busy, commercial city. Crystal Beach, on the other hand, appears to be someplace spring break happens and weekend bungalows are kept. Galveston is a city where people live and work. Tourism appears to be Galveston's number one industry, with fishing a close second behind oil, which built the island. Crystal Beach and Bolivar Peninsular appear not to have recovered very quickly from Hurricane Ike, and tourism most likely takes a second seat next to fishing for shrimp and crab.

We drove the length of the island to the Galveston Island State Park where we will camp for two nights. After setting up our trailer, we explored the park for birds. The park spans the width of the island at the west end, not a very long span since the island is long and narrow. We had a choice of surf side or bay side for camping. Not a hard choice for us. Which side is best for birding? The bay side. That's where we landed.

As we drove to the various birding areas in the park, we saw five new birds for our life list, four of them we had been hoping to see: Neo-Tropic Cormorant, Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, Reddish Egret, and Redheaded Ducks (f), all water birds of one kind or another. The fourth was a Savannah Sparrow, a little bitty passerine, or perching bird. While we did not have the kind of Big Day we had on Sunday, we were still mighty pleased with the eighteen species of birds we did see, which included Forster's Tern, Roseate Spoonbill (look this one up online to see what a wonder this bird is), Tri-colored Heron, Pied-Billed Grebe (a first for this year), three Loggerhead Shrikes (firsts for this year), and another White-Tailed Kite.

After a nap which ran way too late in the evening, we awoke to cook up the fresh shrimp we bought in town with a little garlic and ate it served over brown rice with tomato and avocado on the side. Mmm-mmm good. Now we need to stay awake until way, way too late to digest before sleeping. That's when typing a blog is a good way to spend the time.

Until next time...

Pam

Our Big Day!!!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Up early (for me) this fine Sunday morning, caught a quick breakfast of yogurt and granola, then headed for coffee at the local one-stop Gulf Coast Market here in Crystal Beach where we are spending three nights in the Bolivar Peninsula RV Park.  When Duffy headed to the RV park office to pay for our stay while he waited for me to get ready, he put on his sunglasses saying he was going incognito so the mosquitoes wouldn't recognize him.  I don't think the sunglasses helped, but the wind did.  On our agenda today:  Bolivar Peninsula viewing spots, High Island, the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and the adjacent Skillern track. 

On the way to Anahuac, which involved driving north of the Bolivar Peninsula, then a long way west as though we were going to the town of Anahuac, we stopped at a couple of small, marked birding spots.  We thought we were in an abandoned refuge, but learned that these, too, had been hit by Hurricane Ike and not fully restored.  Not-for-profit groups maintain these, and as group members and funds are available, they are gradually restored.

At Anahuac NWR we found a tiny little building marked "Visitor Center."  Just a bit ahead was a much larger facility that was being built out of blocks.  Another victim of Ike.  The volunteer told us that this area had been hit by a twenty foot wall of water, destroying everything in its path.  The small building is temporary as the Visitor's Center is being rebuilt - the block building under construction.

Anahuac NWR has two roads to follow, one that goes virtually straight from the entrance and one that veers off to the right.  We took the straight path.  This is a drive-through site over a dirt

track that leads through bayous, ponds, and marshes.  Including the usual birds to be added to this year's list (we start anew every year), we saw Boat-Tailed Grackles*, Great-Tailed Grackles, Black* and Turkey Vultures, Northern Mockingbird (Texas State Bird), Red-Wing Black Birds, Barn Swallows, Northern Shovelers (ducks), Blue-Winged Teal (ducks), Willets* (long-legged shorebirds), Wilson's Snipe* (wader), Snowy Egrets (waders), Great Egrets (waders), Great Blue Herons (waders), Killdeer (long-legged shorebird, also found inland), Double-Crested Cormorants (sea or fresh water birds), Gadwalls (ducks), Northern Harriers (hawks), Laughing Gull*, Long-billed Curlew* (long-legged wader), Lesser- and Greater*-Yellowlegs (long-legged waders), Roseate Spoonbills* (long-legged, large waders), Belted Kingfisher, White Ibis*, Glossy Ibis* (both long-legged waders), Fulvous Whistling Duck*, and Tri-Colored Heron* in breeding colors.  Oh, and did I mention an alligator resting in the grasses of the roadside channel, opposite the road, with one healthy, big, glossy eye open?

That's 28 birds in one day!  Eight more than our goal for the day! - purely a made-up number.  Twelve of these birds (marked with an "*") are new on our life list!!!  Whoo-hoo!  My were we whipped at the end of the day.  It took all the energy we could muster to fix dinner and go to bed.  Some of these new birds we've seen earlier in our trip, but they were new for us then.

I must have been so dazed with bird sightings that I left my bum bag (for my British friends, "fanny pack" in the U.S.) in the ladies' restroom, forgetting all about it until we were partway to the Skillern Track.  I called the credit union to cancel my credit and debit cards, but had a bad connection and limited service.  I lost the call midway through.  The Visitor's Center was closed when we returned, so there was no one to ask.  What a crummy end to a terrific day.

 Life, however, is filled with little miracles and many blessings.  Duffy knew where the NWR volunteer encampment was along the main road, so when we stopped in there and I walked up to a man working on equipment outside, he said "Let me see.  Pat Rader?  Fanny Pack?"  Oh, I am sure I was jumping up and down by then, never mind the wrong name.  The woman who had been working at the Anahuac Visitor's Center that day had taken it home with her.  She invited me in to her RV where she and her husband were enjoying their dinner.  I gave her a big hug.  I wish I could give a bear hug to the honest woman who found my fanny pack in the women's restroom and delivered it to the Visitor's Center across the road.  I am gratified at how many honest and friendly people are in the world.  What a marvelous, relieving end to a very terrific day!

(I had hoped to insert web photos of some of the birds here, but have yet to learn how.)


Monday, March 19, 2012


Today, I slept in.  I will not confess how long.  All I can say is it was nice.  Very nice.  When we finally got going, we made our way to the Gulf Coast Market to pick up a few things for dinner.  Instead of coming right back, we drove west along the peninsula to another birding spot along the beach to see what the storm was bringing in.  As we drove along the beach, we saw a gull we could not identify (may have been a Ring-Billed Gull) and lots of little Sanderlings or Sandpipers?  Or plovers or...?  The light was fading and we could not make out the details well enough to know any more than that there were at least three different kinds of shore birds there.  We are pretty sure, though, that we saw a Black-Bellied Plover, as distinctive as they are. 

Tomorrow, we're off to Galveston and points west.  Thunder storms are predicted.  Should be an exciting day.  The last thunder and lightening storm we were in set all of our electronic devices in motion like the Wonderland clock - having hissy-fits.

Until next time...,
Pam

The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail - North Texas Route

March 17, 2012

Friday, March 16th we spent preparing to travel and traveling west.  The steep bridge over Lake Charles in southern Louisiana near the Texas border was as slow going this time as it was when we headed east.  Road work had the bridge closed to one lane in each direction, with the other two lanes east and west shut down.  Traffic was backed up for miles.  Luckily, we were listening to a book on CD, enjoying getting caught up on the story.  It kept us from getting overly irritated at drivers bullying their way in to the single file line of traffic.

On the way, and once we crossed the Sabine river which marks the border between Texas and Louisiana, the welcome center at the Texas border on I-10 was  a wonderful find.  Racks and racks of brochures on sites throughout Texas were available at no charge.  We were just as surprised to have access to the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail brochures that we'd found on a website and had wanted to purchase, here also free of charge for the asking.

Once we had crossed the Louisiana border, Duffy arranged for us to stay at Claiborne West Park at the beginning of the Sabine Loop, known to birders.   The park has two, count them - TWO, grassy spaces without hookups for RVs to park for up to three nights at $3 per night.  Other spots were available for tent campers, but either no tent campers were there in March, or they were somewhere else in the park.  I'm not sure I would feel comfortable tenting from what I've learned about snakes and alligators in these parts.  In a beautiful, spacious setting, this is an ideal family destination for locals on a weekend, those who live comfortably with the wildlife. 

We walked down to the bayou where we watched an osprey and a great egret both watching for their dinner.  We strolled around the path on the berm above the pond looking for birds, then after finding a pair of cardinals, we headed back to our rig.  We were told alligators inhabit the pond, but we saw none, and we stayed back.  The most populous residents were hungry mosquitoes.  The park closed to the public at 6:00pm, so we had it pretty much to ourselves for the night.  A few people had parked outside the park entrance and walked in.  We talked to a couple, who belong to Texas Audubon and Golden Triangle Audubon, who were most helpful in providing information for our quest, including a recommendation to visit Sabine Woods, already on Duffy's list.

Preferring to stay closer to where we would be birding, along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, on Saturday we pulled up stakes (hadn't even unhitched) and headed south through Port Arthur and High Island.  Our hunt for birds on Saturday took us to Sea Rim State Park on the gulf coast, Sabine Woods run by the Texas Ornithological Society, and Texas Point Wildlife Refuge.  These last two were wooded and included ponds and bayous, which meant there were mosquitoes by the thousands. 

Some of the birding areas we explored were small and appeared to have been vandalized.  Indeed they were - by Hurricane Ike in September 2008.  I recall this hurricane as it reached to Houston where so many Katrina refugees were still stranded, and devastated the coastline from Louisiana to Corpus Christi, TX.  The Bolivar Peninsula where we ended up spending the night at an RV park, has been rebuilt since the 2008 hurricane, which was one of the costliest in U.S. history next to Katrina. 

The homes that have been built or rebuilt along the beach front and even inland are two- and three-stories high, with pilings beneath the second story, and many times an outdoor patio on the second story.  Any storage areas at ground level are built with break-away walls to allow a surge in ocean waters to burst through.  In 2008, we have been told, the wall of water reached 13 to 20 feet high, depending upon who we spoke with and where they were at the time and how far inland they lived.  Even the elementary and middle school, in one building together, are built along the beach on stilts above ground.  Everything here looks tentative, not permanent.  I imagine that's become the way of life since this coastline was wiped out, utterly destroyed.

Until next time. . .,
Pam

Lafayette Layover

Saturday, March 17  (posted March 19)

Several days have passed since I last posted a blog. We had a great Internet connection in Lafayette, Louisiana. Sightseeing, however, took precedence, giving me more material to include in my blog. (I quickly I forget that the blog records the travel, travel is not meant to support the blog. :-) )

On Wednesday, March 14^th, Duffy and I drove south through Lafayette to the site of Vermilionville, a recreated Cajun-Creole village. The historic replica had actually been moved from its original location, and was the predecessor to Lafayette. Named after the Vermilion River that runs through Lafayette, the name was later changed to honor the French general.

Down the road from Vermilionville stands the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve – Acadian Cultural Center (one of the six national historic sites scattered throughout Louisiana including the one we visited in the French Quarter of New Orleans). We were encouraged by a volunteer at Vermilionville to visit the National Park Service site before going into the village, to see the 35-minute film and walk through the museum. So we did. The film was very educational for me in providing an understanding of the origins of Cajun and Creole peoples and cultures.

Deciding to come back on Thursday to wander through the village to view the history at leisure, we traveled on south to Avery Island, the site of the Tabasco plant, makers of the sauce that is a staple in kitchens across American and on restaurant dining tables everywhere.

To get onto Avery Island, which instead of an island in the water is actually a land-locked salt dome, we crossed a small bridge spanning a narrow river. At the gatehouse we purchased our entry ticket. The ticket taker in the small booth, a good number of feet away from our car on the passenger side, said, “Don't get out” and reached across the space with a long stick in his hand to which was attached a clothespin. I secured a $20 bill to the clothespin, which he then drew in, returning it with a day pass and my change. Not high technology, but it worked.

The salt dome that made up the island had been pushed above ground many centuries before by pressures below, and later became the site of the first salt mine in North America, according to the literature. Tabasco uses this natural salt to season its various sauces. Salt is also packed on top of the closed, recycled whiskey barrels to prevent insects and critters from getting into the curing peppers by way of small holes left for escaping gases.

Did you know that the peppers used to make Tabasco sauces are grown in South and Central America from seeds harvested on Avery Island? Did you also know that the peppers, a small capsicum variety, are mixed with a small amount of salt mined from the island and fermented in the re-purposed oak whiskey barrels for three years before being bottled?

A fascinating place 'Tabasco' on Avery Island is. Beautiful, lushly green and blooming with all sorts of spring blossoms. On the 'island', along with the Tabasco “factory,” is Jungle Gardens, a drive-through garden first established by one of the “Tabasco” family to reintroduce and protect the Snowy Egret, a large, beautiful, white wading bird which had become endangered in the early twentieth century. To this day, Avery Island is managed under strict ecological, environmental, and conservation standards. If I didn't have an aversion to really hot sauce, I might season my food all the time with Tabasco just to support their principles.

We did return the following day (Thursday) to walk through the village, taking in the history both written and living in the form of volunteer spinners, blacksmiths, woodworkers, and others not there when we were. The best find of the day was a small alligator floating on a bayou adjacent to the grounds. Good eyes, Duffy. Merely eyes and a few spines showing above water.

On Friday morning, March 16, after four consecutive nights at the Lafayette KOA (actually in Scott, LA), with the fourth night free, – worth mentioning because we are trying to get by on $100 per day and the trip up to now has averaged more than that – I got up early to do laundry at the park facilities, while Duffy finished some computer work. Then we packed up and headed back to Texas, breaking camp just after noon.

One of my disappointments in visiting Louisiana has been the food. I looked forward to trying Cajun and Creole local specialties and the crawfish that are now in season. But, for some reason MSG is included in all the sauces and seasonings used to prepare the local the ethnic dishes, transforming gluten-free foods into ones I cannot or dare not eat. Red-beans-and-rice became my Cajun/Creole staple. I was not so disappointed for myself, but for Duffy who likes to try new foods, and loves Creole dishes. He would not eat at a restaurant if I could not find something to eat it, too. We did eat out on occasion, and either I had Red Beans and Rice or salad with vinegar and oil, while Duffy sampled the house specialties. I love him for his devotion and concern, but still wished for him to taste more of Louisiana cuisine.

It is worth noting for those of you who have not been to Louisiana and plan to go at some point, that this state has some of the worst drivers we have ever seen. Tailgating, cutting off cars in traffic at high speed without signaling, weaving in and out, passing when there is no passing lane, all are traits of Louisiana drivers. It's amazing that there are not more collisions than happen already, and we saw plenty. Highway on and off ramps look like after thoughts, barely distinguishable from the frontage or side roads, and about as well marked. This might be due to the flat terrain in this part of the country. We will take a big breath when we arrive again in Texas, where there are other driving patterns and idiosyncrasies to become accustomed to all over again.

Onward – the return west and the great Gulf-bird-hunt begins. Could this be our Big Year? :~)

Until Next Time,

Pam

Anecdotes

March 13, 2012

Several things I forgot to include in previous posts:

1)  On Wednesday last week (March 7), while sitting in the library, Duffy got to talking to a man also working there.  Inquiring of the man a good place to eat dinner, he recommended either a walk-up Texas Bar-B-Que place or a Mexican restaurant.  Later, when we sat down at a table in the El Rodeador Restaurant (spanish for rodeo), the same man was there.  He claimed to have gotten hungry telling Duffy about the food.  In talking with him, we learned that he had lived in Olympia, Washington while his Dad was in the army stationed at Ft. Lewis.  His sister still lives in Yelm, and his father and step-mother in Tacoma.  He visits them once a year or so.  Talking further, we learned that he also lived in the Yakima area in Washington, specifically Zillah, east of the Cascade Range.  We got to talking about our favorite Mexican restaurant and tortilla factory, El Ranchito, in Zillah.  Turns out this man later became an auctioneer working all over the country.  He was the one who auctioned off the El Ranchito site when it closed.  We did not know whether to love or hate this man - love won out.  It was not his fault that the family who owned the restaurant for so many years decided to close down.  He said the Mission brand now makes the El Ranchito brand, having purchased the rights.


2)  In New Orleans on Saturday, March 10, while listening to Doreen's Jazz ensemble on Bourbon Street or somewhere close-by, the man with the bicycle I mentioned in an earlier posting, claimed to have most recently lived in Anaheim, attended Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, recognized Doreen, the clarinetist, from Junior High School, and remembered her exceptional musical talents, and let her know they went to school together.  He had just happened upon her on the street, and wished American Idol could find her.  Who knows, maybe he will promote her one of these days...if that's what she wants.  She is not as lost as one would think on the streets of New Orleans:  http://www.doreensjazz.com/.  It would be great to hear them perform at the Washington Center in Olympia sometime.  Anyone reading this have influence with the Center?  What a stroke of luck that we happened upon them on the streets of New Orleans!

3)  All of the weird weather began just after I was gathering laundry and liquid detergent from the trailer and the car on Sunday afternoon, March 11.  Jeremy and Lindsay Reynolds invited us to do our laundry at their house.  It was time and we were ever so grateful.  As I told Lindsay, it takes a certain amount of talent to be a klutz, and I have the talent!  I opened the back hatch on the Honda Pilot which lifts up, and out tumbled what I was looking for - the liquid Seventh Generation detergent I bought in Burleson, Texas.  Unfortunately, the container tumbled out onto its lid, breaking the lid so that it imploded into the container, spilling liquid detergent all over Lindsay and Jeremy's circle drive in front of their house.  Terrific.  Not.  The detergent was as slick as ice and I danced around it to keep from ending up head over teakettle on ground, too.  I could just envision soap washing into the storm drain and sending bubbles up into the street and over the sidewalk.  I used a towel to mop up most of the detergent - and it was not just a little bit.  I added no detergent to that first load of towels and whites.  No need.  Not the way I would recommend adding soap to the washing machine.  :~(  I must have been the one that brought on the deluge and severe thunderstorm.  I just needed to make certain all the soap washed off of the driveway so no one would slip and get hurt.  You're welcome, Louisiana.

4)  The strange goings on with our GPS not working and cell phone not charging in the car yesterday, March 12, was not a burnt fuse in the Honda after all.  They both worked okay this morning.  Even the refrigerator in our trailer was acting goofy - instead on remaining on the setting I had selected (3 out of 5), the light kept bouncing to one light after another.  I could only stop it by turning off the refrigerator, then turning it back on again.  It appears the highly charged air and lightening of yesterday's massive storm caused these things to go haywire.  I only hope no pacemakers worn by folks in the storm's path did the same thing.

5)  Today, we stayed put here in Lafayette, LA (actually Scott, LA just to the west).  I slept until 10:00am, having typed yesterday's blog until this morning at 2:00am.  Once I showered and Duffy finished his business with Kurt by phone, we set out at nearly 3:00pm for Walmart.  The first time we tried to find the store here, our GPS got us lost.  We found the store, some distance to the south, and when returning to the campground we took a wrong turn and headed a couple of miles west of where we wanted to be - what's new?!  Can't blame Miss Direction, we were not using the GPS.  Our track-retracing-gone-wrong took us north of the freeway.  In trying to work our way back east, north of the freeway, we saw the flooding damage.  My goodness, whole fields and pastures, yards and roadways were covered by water.  We ended up making a U-turn and heading back the way we had come to go south across the freeway.  The water was just too deep to chance driving through.  Now, here we are snug in our cute and cozy Baby Beluga once again.  We will probably stay here two more nights (fourth night is free) to see the things we could not see yesterday and did not see today.

Until next time...
Pam

Daunted, But Not Defeated

Those of you on Facebook already know about today.  Those who have not seen it there, today was a day like no other for us, and possibly like no other for me since I was a child traveling through North Dakota with my family through a gully washer of a storm on the way to Jamestown.  Only this one was worse, much worse.

We left Lindsay and Jeremy Reynolds' home in Baton Rouge this morning at about 9:30.  After making two stops, one for gas and the other to get trailer tire pressure checked, we set out on the short fifty-two mile trip back to Lafayette.  We were returning to the KOA in Lafayette where we stayed last Thursday on our way east.  We figured an hour's drive and we would be able to set up the trailer in the campground in time for a long nap before a swamp and bayou tour by boat at 5:00pm.  I had made reservations for the tour by phone just as were leaving Baton Rouge.

Not for a minute did we think it would take us four-and-one-half hours to travel the distance.  But I should backtrack just a bit to explain that the rain started last night, on Sunday about midnight.  Then came the lightening and thunder, sometimes so bright and loud that I jumped in my bed in the Casita.  I was getting to bed late as it was, after finishing our laundry and the previous blog post.

Neither Duffy nor I were very awake come this morning for lack of sleep amidst all Mother Nature's drama around us.  When we left the home of our friends, it was sprinkling.  When we left the gas station, rain was falling in giant capsful.  As we hit I-10 heading west, the daylight skies lit up even more with enormous bolts of lightening all over the sky, sheet lightening that seemed to less dramatically illuminate the entire sky, and all followed by thunderous drum rolls reaching deafening crescendos.  Duffy was driving.  I know if it had been me at the wheel, I would have been so tense, a massage would have been called for at the end of the day.  With crazy Louisiana drivers passing us by on the freeway awash with storm waters, Duffy kept an even pace at a reasonable speed.  Louisiana drivers are much worse than any I have seen anywhere, save maybe New York and New Jersey.  At times visibility was down to just barely being able to see a taillight in front of us.  Much of the time, for a good two-thirds of the drive, traffic moved at a crawl, alternating between a dead standstill and creeping along.  We turned on a book on CD to while away the time, since we were not going anywhere fast.  However, there were times that the storm drowned out the voice of the reader and we had to pause the story until the thunder and rain subsided.

A little over halfway to Lafayette, it was clear that we needed to get off the freeway.  We pulled out at the Atchafalaya Swamp Visitor's Center and sat in the car for an hour or more.  (This area experienced flooding as well, but we were on high ground.)  Since our plan to stop at a restaurant for breakfast on the way had fallen through, I zipped back to the trailer for our travel beverage & soup warmer that plugs into the accessory port in the car, Starbucks Via coffee packets, yogurt and granola to give us some sustenance.  Good idea, coffee water was nice and hot, but we must have blown a fuse in the car, because after that neither the GPS turned on when plugged in to the same port as the beverage warmer, nor did my cell phone charge when plugged in to another port.  So once we started out again, we had no working GPS (to help us find the location of the swamp tour) and no cell phones, since batteries in both Duffy's and mine were discharged.  Fine kettle of fish.

When the rain abated, we started out again.  It did not take long for us to catch up to the heavy rains and thunder storm again or the slow-moving traffic.  Inch, inch, inch.  So much for the nap.  Inch, inch, inch.  Do we go to the KOA or directly to the swamp tour, if only we knew where that was?  I had gotten the address over the phone from Cajun Country Swamp Tours to put into the GPS, but now we were dead in the water (no pun intended).  Inch, inch, inch.  As we approached Lafayette, driving past the stalled traffic backed up for miles in the right lane, I looked to the right, or north, to see a blockade at the first intersection, closing travel up Highway 49 to towns and neighborhoods north of Lafayette.  Later, when we reached the KOA, we learned that 12-18 inches of rain had fallen in that direction in the past six hours or less and homes had flooded, people were stranded.  We could believe it, but were surprised anyway at the quantity of rainfall that fell. 

At this point, we considered ourselves very fortunate, even blessed, to have made the drive successfully through the raging storm.  Reports I read just before writing this blog indicated that the amount of rainfall was unexpected and record breaking; the storm was worse than anything, even hurricanes, some people had seen in over forty years.  NO, WE DID NOT BRING THE RAIN!!!

Nevertheless, forgoing our naps, we set out immediately after disconnecting the trailer to find the site of the swamp tour (still not fully understanding implications of the force of the storm), and a bite to eat, since we still had not stopped at a restaurant.  We had just over an hour before we needed to be at the boat launch someplace near Breaux Bridge, just east of Lafayette.  Now, that's not much of a clue to help find the location.  And given the number of bodies of water in the area, it could have been anywhere.  I had the address, but no GPS.  We stopped numbers of times to ask directions, but no one, NO ONE, knew where this place was.  I was starting to get a bad feeling about following through with the tour.  Our instructions were to arrive fifteen minutes before departure, and when we finally found the boat launch, only after asking the Breaux Bridge Police Department when three or four other folks could not help, we were three minutes early and no one was there.  Not much of a surprise.  The woman I spoke with earlier when making reservations said he (the tour guide) was often late, so just to wait for the white pick-up with red lettering to drive up.  Well, we waited.  Twenty minutes or more.  We had pretty much decided not to go anyway, feeling like if anything more would go wrong, it would, and being in an alligator-infested, bloated swamp wasn't the way we would choose to end it all.  Should I have been reassured by the promise of a discount on the tour rate if I lost a finger or two to an alligator?  (I think the woman was kidding...at least I hope so).

We loped back to the KOA and fell into bed for the, by now, requisite nap.  No matter that it was 6:30pm going on 7:00.  Oh yes, and we had plugged in our cell phones to the power source in the trailer before setting out on our scavenger hunt for the swamp tour.  I had a message:  the swamp tour had been canceled. 

Will we try again tomorrow?  As much as we want to go on a tour of the Louisiana bayous and swamps, prudence cautions us not to.  Flash flooding is forecast for tomorrow in the surrounding area, so we are thinking about hunkering down and staying put.  If we do go exploring, it will be with advice from the weather service and those who experience this kind of weather on a regular basis, and will probably be to an indoor visitors center or museum.  With all the water, swamplands, bayous, bays, rivers, and lakes in Louisiana, and as flat as the land is, with potential for flooding, we think we can wait until another trip to explore the wild outdoors.

Check back for the next posting to learn what we decide to do.  Until next time...
Pam

Southern Hospitality Louisiana Style

March 11, 2012

We have arrived at our easternmost destination:  Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Here we found good ole' southern hospitality in the home of Lindsay and Jeremy Reynolds, friends we met at our church in Tumwater.  This will be our third night with them, we are so grateful for their graciousness, and have truly enjoyed getting a chance to visit and know them better.  Thank you, Lindsay and Jeremy!  It has been great!

Duffy and I have slept in the trailer parked in the driveway of their home, enjoyed meals out with them on Friday and today after church.  This morning, we attended a church with Lindsay, in her search for a church home.  We were all three impressed with Pastor Dr. Juliet Spencer's message at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church.  The sermon topic was "I want to talk about me...," words of a current country western song, regarding our penchant for always asking for things for ourselves.  Even through intercessory prayer, she noted, we are asking God for something.  Rarely do we pray to God to simply say "Thank You," "I am so glad You are in my life."  The benefit or reward of having God in our lives is plain and simply the relationship we have with God.  This is God's reason for drawing us near to Him, for desiring our worship and praise.  Today's was a great sermon in the common Lenten series.  Plus, the church was friendly and had a well organized welcoming committee.  It could be that Lindsay just found a church home for herself and Jeremy.

On Saturday, Duffy and I drove to New Orleans.  I would like to write that we arrived early and spent the entire day taking it all in.  Not so.  We left at about 11:00am, right on Rader Time, and took the wrong road.  Highway 12 would also go to New Orleans, but it was not the way we wanted to go, having planned to stop by Oak Alley Plantation off I-10 on the way.  Doubling back, completely confusing our GPS, aptly dubbed 'Miss Direction' for obvious reasons.  Thinking that I would not find anything I could eat in the French Quarter of N.O., we set out to find a restaurant favored by locals while we zig-zagged our way to I-10 and across the mighty Mississippi River to the plantation.  The recommendation, Carli-Co Cafe in Gonzalez, LA. was just what we were looking for.  We can vouch for asking the locals.  It was a great choice.

By sometime after 1:00pm, we arrived at our interim stop along the Mississippi River, a plantation home called Oak Alley.  The front and rear entrances of this multi-story, white, columned home are framed by two long columns of enormous, historic oak trees in the front and back.  Twenty-six of these oak trees decorate the grounds.  The approach toward either entrance is like walking beneath a huge green canopy - just gorgeous. 

From Oak Alley we drove on to New Orleans, arriving at 2:00pm or 2:30pm, not what you call early.  But, early enough for us.  I don't know what I was expecting of New Orleans, but I had envisioned something totally different than I found.  The city, and even the Quarter, did not have the charm with which I had endeared them in my imaginings. 

Approaching the Quarter through downtown, it was apparent some big event was happening in New Orleans, for we saw droves of people in royal blue shirts with KENTUCKY printed on front and back.  They all seemed to be heading in the same direction we were going.  It was not until today that we learned the collegiate Southeastern Conference championship basketball game between Vanderbilt University of Nashville, TN and University of Kentucky in Lexington took place this weekend in New Orleans.  Number 1 seed Kentucky was overturned by Vanderbilt according to today's news.  I don't imagine the happy Saturday blue-shirts were as cheery today.

In our hunt for the Quarter, we stumbled upon the Jean Lafitte National Park Service Interpretive Center (that may not be the correct name) in the Quarter, where we collected information about events and happenings.  The best advice we received was to leave the French Quarter, find our way back to our car and out of the city before the night's St. Joseph parade starting at 6:00pm.  Definitely good advice we chose to heed.

On foot we next located first Jackson Square (a central park one-square-block large) and then St. Louis Cathedral in the heart of the district.  Across the street from the park, on the side opposite the cathedral is Performance Square, a wide space in the sidewalk with concrete bleachers rising from it on the river side.  A group of acrobats were entertaining the crowd with their high tumbling antics to hoots and hollers, cheers and spare change.

At St. Louis Cathedral, a wedding had just taken place as evidenced by the bride and groom who sat side-by-side in a horse-drawn carriage waiting to depart for the next stage in the festivities.  Onlookers included invited guests on the cathedral steps and uninvited tourists like us watching from the park and just outside the park gates.  We moved through the crowd and crossed the street to the cathedral side where we waited on the corner.  Just as I was taking a picture of the retreating wedding carriage down the street, I realized a small group of people stopped for me to finish the shot.  One woman and three men comprised the group.  One of the men was very tall,  very big, wearing a dark suit that barely fit his solid bulk, and sporting an ear-bud in his left ear with a cord disappearing beneath his shirt collar.  Another man, similarly dressed and outfitted with an ear-bud, made up the second person in group.  The other two, clearly man and wife, were dressed in light to darker shades of blue.  The man in blue, smallest of the three men and white-haired, asked if I got the shot.  When I replied, "Yes, thank you" they passed us and moved on down the street.  Later I verified online that the couple were Governor and Mrs. Steve Beshear of Kentucky and their secret service agents or equivalent.  Evidently, the Big Game was important enough to bring out the governor.

Moving on a little farther, we came upon one of many groups of musicians set up in the street playing their distinctive music.  This group sounded more than amateur.  The Souzaphone was stenciled with the name Doreen's Jazz of New Orleans, phone number and web address.  The group was made up of clarinetist Doreen, her husband the Souzaphone player, a nine- or ten-year-old girl, perhaps their granddaughter, on drums and a guitarist.  When the woman, seated in a folding chair, raised her clarinet to play, oh my, the sounds that came from that instrument.   She was clearly Doreen, the group's namesake.  And, this was the next best thing to going to the Preservation Jazz Hall, closed until 8:00pm that evening when we would be on our way back to Baton Rouge.  We stayed around to listen until they wrapped up the concert just before the parade in the Quarter was to start.  Doreen has a low, melodic, sometimes growlly voice.  She plays a mean clarinet.  The other musicians on the Souzaphone and guitar were equally good.  Dorian, the young drummer, played with an expertise of someone much older.  Well, this non-amateur group dubbed Doreen's Jazz of N.O. was also selling CDs, one of which we bought and listened to all the way back to Baton Rouge.  Subtitle of the CD?  "New Orleans' Best Kept Secret."  And the group probably was.

Today, we have been hanging out with Lindsay and Jeremy.  First, was Sunday worship with Lindsay.  Next, we returned to the house to join Jeremy in search of a restaurant (mmm-yummy Mexican food) and a driving tour of the LSU campus where Jeremy is a doctoral student in theater.  Back to the house for rest, relaxation, blogging, napping, laundry, and a wonderful dinner made by Jeremy with Lindsay's assistance.  Good food, good friends, good conversation.  How better to end a long-anticipated visit?


Until next time...
Pam

Vacation at last!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Now that we've picked up the Casita, checked it out (for the most part), and Duffy has caught up on his accounting work for Kurt's business (for the moment), we feel like we are on vacation at last.

For the last three nights (March 6-8) we stayed in the Pineywoods of east Texas in the Texas State Railroad (TSR) campground in Rusk.  Every morning TSR employees or retirees and train hobbyists gathered to run the engine of the old steam train up and down the track, blowing the whistle and connecting/disconnecting to the passenger and dining car.  On weekends, the old steam train carries passengers from Rusk to Palestine, a distance of about 25 miles, and back again.  This coming week is Spring Break for students in east Texas, so the train will be running then as well.  During our stay, we and the camp hosts were the only RVs in the park.  When not at the park, the library, and McDonalds for coffee and WiFi, were home to us.  So far, the parks that listed WiFi as an amenity have not delivered, until now.  (Hurray for KOA in Lafayette!)

Yesterday morning we left Rusk, following our GPS down Highways 69, 63, 69 again, 96 and I-10 into Louisiana, driving south in Texas then east to LA.  Duffy's plan was to head east out of Rusk to Louisiana, then drive south to Baton Rouge.  Miss Nuvi (or Miss Direction), our GPS, often has other ideas.  We opted for the fasted way, avoiding such things as traffic snarls.  The road across Lake Charles - huge! - up and over a very high bridge that looked like an alp, was reduced to one lane each way, with traffic reduced to a crawl in both directions.  Once across the lake in LA, we came upon several accidents that had us once again moving slowly on the interstate.

I took over at the wheel in Texas and made the drive to Lafayette, where we spent the night and from where I am writing this blog.  We had the air conditioner running all night, and now that it has cooled down and thunderstorms have moved in, the vent fan is trying to pull the moisture out of the trailer.  I, however, am snug as a bug at our table.

We, intrepid birders that we are, have had little time to observe wildlife.  Nonetheless, Duffy has been logging birds we have seen for the first time (either 'ever' or this year) since we left home.  In east Texas, we saw Black Vultures flying overhead.  Duffy only got interested when he realized after many days that they were not just Turkey Vultures.  Black Vultures were confirmed as we passed six or eight of them sitting along the roadside and got a better view of their black heads.  The other new bird that I was able to confirm was a Tufted Titmouse, a little crested gray bird with a very melodic call.  Check one for Pam!

The other new discovery in its own habitat was not a bird, but a Redbud Tree, blooming in the distinctive rich pink of the species.  Confirmed by the banners over the town of Bura in SE Texas reading Redbud Festival.  That clinched it.

Today, with excitement, we will arrive at the home of Lindsay and Jeremy, Louisianans who lived in Olympia while Jeremy was working at The Evergreen State College.  During that time Lindsay taught music in an elementary school in Tacoma and was the Youth Pastor at our church.  Living once again in LA, Jeremy is pursuing his PhD and Lindsay is teaching.  We are so looking forward to spending the weekend with them and perhaps even going to New Orleans with them tomorrow, weather depending.  We Washingtonians don't mind a little rain!

Until next time,
Pam

March 1-6, 2012

So, what have we been doing for the past six days?  Easy.  Learning to live in our new home on wheels.  Getting used to spaces to put things, remembering where we put all that we brought along for the nooks and crannies.  Buying an "egg-carton" memory foam mattress for the bed top to making sleeping more comfortable - and yes, it has worked.  Learning that just because it's cold outside we don't want to turn the heater up all the way.  Waking up at 3:00 in the morning perspiring does not add to a restful sleep.

We stayed three nights at Rustic Creek Ranch, a Jellystone themed RV park in Burleson, TX, southwest of Fort Worth, with hints of Yogi and the gang everywhere.  We rested from the long drive, did laundry, shopped for meals and incidental Casita add-ons to protect the finish or improve usage of space.

On Saturday, March 4th (Happy 40th Birthday son Kurt!!), day four of new Casita ownership, we drove the short distance to Granbury, TX even farther to the southeast to spend a couple of days with my cousin Sandee and her husband, Mike.  Mike is a Baptist preacher/Bible teacher, and together Sandee and Mike hold the Fellowship Church in their home.  We were blessed and honored to witness and participate in their ministry this past Sunday, March 4th as we joined their small congregation for Sunday School, morning and evening Worship of our Lord.  Their loving ministry and preaching in the Word of God has been changing lives in the Granbury area and beyond for the past number of years.  The greatest blessing was to reconnect with one another, getting to know each other deeper and learning that we share very similar values in our Christian faith.  Happy 12th Anniversary next Monday, Sandee and Mike!

Granbury sits on winding Granbury Lake, created by the upstream damming of the Brazos River.  It's a pretty little town, and as most Texas communities dates back to the 19th century.  Sandee's daughter and her family live in a beautiful home overlooking the lake with access to the fun the lake provides.

Yesterday, Monday March 5th (Happy Birthday, sister Susan!), we drove back to Casita for a part we had left behind and to get an adjustment or two made, then on to Rusk in east Texas and the Pineywoods.  We've heard of the Pineywoods, and are enjoying staying in a campground beneath the scented boughs in a former Texas State Railroad park and museum, that has been purchased by American Heritage, is a Good Sam Park, and runs the steam train from Rusk to Palestine, TX and back on weekends.  Too bad we are here mid-week.

It is just about time for the library to close, so will wrap this missive up now.  Tomorrow, we are off to Baton Rough, LA to visit friends Lindsay and Jeremy.

Until next time,
Pam

Lost in Texas - Not!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

After losing WiFi access for a time, I am in business again.  Today is Tuesday, March 6, and I am catching up after a long dry spell with no Internet access, even in parks that advertised WiFi connections.  I should remember we are on vacation, I guess.

So, I am playing catch-up with the blog and going back to the Day of Delivery.  We left west Texas and Van Horn on the morning of February 28 with a goal of making it to Rice and Casita-land in time to eat dinner, sleep in a motel, then head for the manufacturing plant the next morning.

At about 9:30 a.m. on February 29, we took ownership of "Baby Beluga II."  Well, actually it took four hours of "Welcome;" tour and introduction; signing the papers and paying the money; and removing Duffy's bike from the rack on the back of the Honda Pilot, emptying boxes of trailer supplies of all kinds from the car, putting the bike in the Honda wrapped in old sleeping bags, and carefully piling the boxes, etc. into the trailer.  All we did when we got to a campground across town was move enough boxes out of the way to make the bed and dive in.  Aaahhhh!  Our new bed at last.

Yes, we are excited about our new Casita!  With one additional foot and a few inches of extra height, we have a bed in which we can both sleep, and space in which Duffy can stand straight when he's not ducking to miss the roof mounted vent or air conditioner.  Read on only if you are interested in a detailed description - I know some of our readers are.  I hope to include photos in future postings.  However, today I am sitting in the Rusk, Texas Library using a public computer.

So, here's the scoop: 
The windows are larger, all of them open including the back "picture window," and they are covered with blinds rather than curtains. 

The refrigerator is larger, has shelves in the door and a freezer, and does not need to be "turned on" from outside (pilot light lit from the outside).  This one runs on propane or electricity with the push of a button - Yeah!!

The bathroom has all the usual - shower, sink, and toilet - yet the toilet is raised and the tank enclosed in a raised box to make cleaning around it easier.  Another yeah!!  This model has a roof vent with a fan, which the other one did not have.

We ordered the model - 17' Spirit Deluxe - that has a side table (Duffy remodeled our first Casita to include this) that we can leave up all the time.  Storage is built in beneath the benches of the tables with cabinet doors that keep the contents from tumbling out.

Our Casita has a roof mounted air conditioner that also serves as a heater - Yeah!!  The roof vent with the fan is like a skylight that allows light to filter in, and either pulls air in or out by the flick of a switch.  This too, can be adjusted to cool or warm the air.

We requested larger tires, so instead of the small 13" tires on the old Casita, this one has 15" radial tires.  The Casita sits higher off the ground - a good thing - and has a pull out step to assist climbing in.  We have an electric hitch, an option added by request, that makes life a whole lot easier.  The propane bottles switch automatically when one runs out and there is a "reader" included that lets us know roughly how much propane is left in either tank.

The microwave in this one has all the conveniences of home, rather than just a dial.  There are timers for this and that kind of food, and a simple mode of operation - a necessity for us simple minded folk.

The front door opens wider than the door on our first Casita, due to a different kind of hinge installation.  We can open the door all the way and latch it to a "catch" on the outside of the Casita to stand open, with the screen door - yes, screen door! - open.  Yeah!!

This new design includes wrap around overhead cabinets, utilizing interior space better.  We've had no problem filling it up.

Duffy likes having the sewer hose housed in the rear bumper - all 25' of it.  Whoo-hoo.  Think he's odd for getting excited over a 25-foot long sewer connection?  You would understand if you knew what he went through before.  Not only that, but the gray- and black-water drains have been moved from under the center of the trailer (requiring nearly crawling in to connect and disconnect the hose) to the driver's side where it can be reached.  The gray and black water tanks both drain into the same outlet, eliminating the need for a separate hose for gray water drainage.

There is more to come, so until next time,
Pam