Doing It On The Road(Part II)

Fishing Mud Island, Getting My Butt Kicked!

2012-02-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

I took a step and felt the mud ooze around my wading boot as it sank deep. Moving my other foot I felt it also sink and I wondered if I would be able to get them out before I lost my balance and fell over into the thigh high water. Of course I didn't have my life jacket on and as usual I was wondering where there was a firm path of shell and sand. Dave and Ken seemed to wade through the area with ease and Ron had wisely stayed behind fishing a shell ridge. Was I that out of shape or was it simply knowing where the firmer bottom lay?
It didn't really matter as I had already decided that today was one of those dues days,( A dues day is when you catch or find nothing but gain a little bit of experience which theoretically leads to a payoff down the road).
The day had started and I had no inkling I would be fishing Mud Island. I have been coming here for five years and it is the first time I have ever had the chance to fish the bay side of San Jose Island. Excited but knowing that it was my first time there I wondered if I would catch anything. We were after red fish and the others all had strike indicator bobbers on their lines while I was fishing a Carolina rig, a Lindy rig to my walleye fishing friends.

I waded and cast and stopped for a bit, waiting to see if I got a pickup. I saw Ken catch a sting ray and then Dave hooked one himself, It was a really large ray and he had to break off his line to get rid of it. After about a dozen steps I felt a pick up and waited for the circle hook to work its magic and it did! The fish made a small run and then came in too easy, it was a rat red. Now the people here call under size red fish rat reds and consider anything to small to keep and eat a waste of time, but I felt good to catch a red fish, regardless of its size. See I learned long ago, in a walleye tournament in Montana, that what ever you catch is what you catch and you should always be proud of your fish.
A little later I saw Dave set the hook and land a nice keeper red and he measured it before putting it on his stinger. It was as it should be, the captain of the boat should always catch fish and even when others out fish the captain its still about his/her skill and knowledge. The captain also gets the blame, but I have been there too many times myself and so it doesn't really matter, its all about time spent on the water, and dues days.
I never did catch another fish although I did have two pickups. We went to several other spots and Dave did catch another keeper, this time a nice twenty seven inch red. I was happy anyway, I had fished new water, got to watch experts wade fish for reds, and most importantly I hadn't fell over in the mud! Clear skies.

Whoopers Night Herons, and Black Drum, A nice Day on the Water

2012-01-23T02:20:00.000-08:00

Our friend George had caught his limit of black drum and red fish , while wade fishing, and of course we had to try fishing his area from the canoe! So we headed to Big Tree, launched the canoe and quickly drifted to one of George 's spots. Anchoring to an old post we cast our lines and waited patiently hoping the fish would be there.
The wind picked up, rocking the canoe and a fish actually took off, thrashing my pole against the gunnel. I fought the fish but finally lost it. Deciding the wind was becoming too strong we headed for shallow water, struggling as the wind blew us sideways.
By using the oar as a push pole we struggled to gain control, and finally did. Waves broke against and over the side of the canoe, but it was shallow and we gained the upper edge. It was a long, hard, and slow battle but we finally reached a cut where we could escape the wind and actually enjoy a bite of lunch.

Entering the cove we flushed four night herons and cast our poles into the back of the cut.
Renita handed out the sandwiches and had no sooner started to eat when a fish tried to pull her pole into the water.
Dropping her lunch she fought the fish and finally got the upper hand as she guided it into the net, a nice seventeen inch black drum. Casting into the same spot, we went back to eating and a pair of whoopers flew right over our canoe. Renita grabbed the camera and snapped a few images hoping to catch them in flight.

Just after she put the camera away her pole jerked violently and she was onto another fish. This black drum was a little larger and as she fought it it actually pulled us away from the shore and towed us for a bit before I beached the canoe and netted her fish. Did I mention it was her fish again?
As we continued to eat another pair of whoopers flew by and then Renita had another fish on. Now we had enough for dinner. My pole was getting bites too but my fish were little bait stealer's and that was ok as we are a team and the fish all go into the same deep fryer.

Finally finishing our lunch, the fish stopped biting and it was time to head back to the truck. Leaving the shelter of the cove we stayed shallow and reached our take out point. We were both tired from the exertion but we had had a full day of whoopers, black drum, and night herons. Who could ask for more? Clear skies.

Down In Del Rio, Broke Down That Is!

2012-01-14T03:41:00.000-08:00

We had just finished a three hundred mile leg of our trip to Quartzite. There we were planning to meet friends and have a good time sharing stories with our fellow Escapees,(An rv club not a gang of hardened crinimals). As I was setting up Renita walked over and said, "What's that hanging down?"
See she was just as charged and tired as I was as she had driven part of the drive. I glanced behind the rear wheel and then glanced again as I saw the metal bar hanging down. Now there hadn't been anything hanging down as I had checked before we left Fulton. Laying on my back I crawled under the fifth wheel and oh my it was half of a broken spring! I mean it was gone along with the other three leafs. The support brackets were also broken along with the spring on the other side.

Looking further I realized how lucky we were. The tires had been wearing on the frame and there were only two support members left, keeping the axles attached to our fifth wheel. Yeah, I said attached. We had been driving and we could have easily have lost our axles!
So I walked over to the rv park manager and asked him if he knew a good repair shop, after telling him about our troubles. He recommended the welding place down the road and even called the place for me. He went on to say that he had seen a lot of rvs with broken suspensions. He said that a few years ago the rv manufacturers had gone to a cheaper Chinese steel. Hmmm, imagine that.

The next day we drove the house to the welding shop. It was only half a mile away. There Corey came out and crawled under our fifth wheel, where he exclaimed, "Oh my!" He keep pointing and looking and pointing and looking before telling us he could rebuild the entire suspension, and rebuild it better then before.

So he ordered the parts and as you can see the springs are a heck of a lot heavier then the old ones, five leafs instead of four. Furthermore the brackets are massive instead of the thin metal brackets of the original Lippert components. The new suspension also raised the whole fifth wheel up one and a half inches.
Looking back we both realized how lucky we had been. Part of traveling full time is having break downs but this could have been a stopper. We could have lost the whole house. Having spent our Quartzite money on repairs,($757 for the new suspension and $600 for new tires), we needed to go back to Fulton. There we have some shows and classes to teach where we hope to recoup some of the costs. At least we now have a heavier duty suspension for our summer trip to Alaska. Clear skies.

ps If you have a fifth wheel be sure to add, checking the suspension to your pre trip checklist. I know I will be adding it on mine and not just a casual glance.

Black Drum , Fishing in the Sailboat Channel in Aransas Pass

2012-01-09T04:31:00.000-08:00

While I had never fished the spot, I had seen a boat catch a black drum there a year ago and I was getting desperate as daylight was burning. Casting to the edge of the drop I set my pole in the canoe. I hadn't had any luck in my other secret spots,(there are no secret spots in the sailboat channel).
Suddenly my pole doubled over and the fight was on. I knew at once it was a nice fish and visions of grilled black drum danced through my head, now if I could only land it. At last I slipped the net into the water and I had half of a dinner, a nice 19 inch black drum.
I had just finished putting the fish on a stringer when the other pole took off and I soon had that one secured in the net. Like clockwork the first pole doubled and I realized I had a really big one on this time. The drum made four runs, and as far as I am concerned black drum fight a heck of a lot harder then red fish.

The fish was just over the edge of a oyster bar and I worried that it would cut my line but I finally got it into the shallows and eventually I led the twenty five inch fish into the net. Some nice people in a small boat watched me catch the fish and then left in a great example of sportsmanship.
Then a guide boat came in with three clients. The guide proceeded to drop his anchor right on top of where I was fishing and then threw lines across mine. I yelled at him and he said sorry and then continued to be a jerk. He was proud of his boat and the name "All In" was adorned on the side. I felt sorry for the paying clients to have such a poor guide and so I stoically waited as we got tangled again and again.
I lost a red fish as it ran and became tangled in a line that one of the clients had cast across me. Didn't matter really as it was small and the guide finally pulled his anchors and moved off my spot. Soon I lost another drum and then caught and kept my fourth fish of the day.
Now I used to do the occasional guide thing in Wyoming, but I would never do what had been done to me. The old saying is is that many guides are people that have a boat and don't have a job and sadly I would have to put this guide in that category.
A Texas friend told me that it bothers him that guides make money off taking people out and catching and killing fish and that perhaps the state of Texas should regulate them better and charge them for harvesting any fish from public waters, ( a typical guide here charges about five hundred bucks a day for three clients and a guide can easily harvest several thousand fish in a year). Its an interesting point and one that does have some merit. Clear skies

ps I grilled the black drum on the half shell and it was the best!

Sarasota, Americas Best Beach, Not!

2012-01-06T04:56:00.000-08:00

It seems like everywhere we go we see a sign proclaiming a spot as Americas best parks, best scenic highway, best food, or Americas best beach. While Sarasota has a beautiful beach it certainly isn't the best beach, In fact I would have to rate it unacceptable.
See it has all the perquisites for a beautiful beach, white sand, blue water, shells for the beach combers, but it also has limited parking and beach access areas with no restrooms or change areas. Yup you heard me right, no restrooms!

It took us about an hour to drive from Treasure Island to Sarasota. We arrived on one of the busiest days, New Years Eve. and there was absolutely no parking to be had. The one major parking area was smaller then the ones at Fort Desota and so we ended up paying fifteen dollars for a spot near one of the beach access areas.
Walking through the crammed and small beach access parking lot we were greeted by the site of a beautiful white beach with squeaky sand. See squeaky sand is the result of a beach composed of pure quartz sand and it literally squeaks when you walk on it.

Surprisingly we found an area to set up our lounge chairs and it didn't take long before we were off and wading in the surf. I passed two teenagers who had their hands full of large sand dollars and so of course I started to look myself. It really didn't take very long before I found a really nice complete sand dollar and one that was huge and still alive. A little further I even found a beautiful mollusk, which still contained its inhabitant.

So showing Renita and Jenny my finds, Renita took some images and then I released the creatures back into the water. I gently tossed them past the point that a wader such as myself would be able to see them and collect them.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in growing agony as my bladder filled and yet we waited and waited, hopping to see a green flash. Lots of people left, but at sundown there was a rush to the beach by fellow sun worshippers. I heard the group next to us talk about the green flash but as the sun set we didn't see one.
As soon as the sun set we headed for the parking lot and a business with a public restroom. Most places had signs that said, paying customers only and so we ended up buying some candy bars. We had to wear out wet clothing back to Jenny's place and so it was a wet and uncomfortable drive home.
So all in all we had a fun day but I would have to rate Sarasotas beach as one of Americas worst. Anyplace that caters to tourists and their hard earned dollars needs to provide restrooms or at least ports potties. Its a health issue after all! Clear skies.

ps before I get junped by Sarasotas Chamber of Commerce, I would like to add that I walked a considerable distance in seach of public facilites, all to no avail or should I say no relief!

Canoeing the Peace River in Search of Megladon!

2011-12-31T04:37:00.000-08:00

The days plan was to head east to Payne Creek Historic State Park. There we wanted to check out an rv park for future trips and to launch our canoe in the Peace River. We hoped to be able to dodge alligators while searching for sharks teeth and mammal bone, and even fossilized invertebrate remains.
The drive was only about seventy miles but it was amazing as we passed groves of oranges and fields filled with tomatoes and strawberries. You hear about all the fresh fruit and produce being grown here but it still doesn't sink in until you drive by miles and miles of groves and farms.
Arriving at Bowling Green, after checking out a nice rv park, we followed the signs to Payne Creek Historic State Park. There we paid the three bucks to get in and stopped at a deserted but open visitor center that told of life here during the Seminole War.

A short drive took us to the canoe launch site and we headed upstream for the fossil beds which were shown as being out of the park. The current wasn't to bad and we didn't see any alligators. The biggest obstacle was the snags from sunken cypress. The paddle was beautiful and it reminded me of the cypress trees and Spanish moss in Louisiana. Renita took images of a juvenile white ibis and a little blue heron waded nervously as we passed.
It didn't take long before we reached a rapids, formed as the river flowed over a limestone outcrop. Beaching the canoe, Renita pointed out the numerous fossil invertebrates and she soon had a bag bulging with the days treasures.

Jenny was the first to discover fossil bones and their were really quite a few, but we had to leave them as we didn't have the necessary permit. I had brought a shovel, for digging for sharks teeth, but we didn't have a sifting screen so we spent our time surface picking.
Time passed to quickly and we loaded back up and pushed the canoe into the fast water. Avoiding a nasty snag the float down river was really a gently passage under cypress and live oaks, all festooned with their long beards. Its amazing really, how fast you can retrace your steps when floating down stream and although we stopped and looked for finds we didn't add anything to our collection.

As we unloaded our canoe three people arrived in a small flat bottom boat. They were soaking wet and had several shovels and a huge screen for sifting debris. They kindly talked of their day wading in the river and sifting mud and even showed us their treasures, including a mammoth bone and a medium size fossil megladon tooth. He asked if we had found any teeth and he gave us several small ones from his fossil cache bag!
It always amazes us how kind people are and we have been blessed with meeting so many as we have traveled as full timers. Now we know that we need a sifter, a bigger shovel, and my chest waders! It was a good first day on the Peace River. Clear skies

Connections, An Easy, but Cold, Day at Fort Desoto, Florida

2011-12-31T04:26:00.000-08:00

We have a friend who writes a good blog, http://chasingthe70s20.blogspot.com/. See he and his wife, Marsha are set on one goal, to find a place where its currently in the seventies.However it seems like that were ever they go it suddenly turns cold and so I am wondering if they are headed to south Florida.
A cold front passed through on Monday and last night the low here in St Petersburg was about 40, brrrr.It had been so pleasant here that I hadn't brought any cold weather clothes, but luckily I had my gore tex and was able to layer enough clothes to head out for a day of exploring at Fort Desoto.
We plan on coming back here next year, for November and December, so we are checking out areas to camp. The campground at Fort Desoto got good reviews and it really is a beautiful place with large sites on the water, and it even had a dog area so we thought it would be a great spot. Anyway we thought that way until we discovered it costs 41 dollars a night for a county campground!
Our daughter took us next to the actual fort and as we walked through it I discovered that the troops destined for Cuba, during the Spanish American War, had all left from here. I stared at a photo of Theodore Roosevelt and it was so amazing to feel the connection as we had visited his National Park last summer. Its such a long way from North Dakota to south Florida and here we were. It reminded me of other connections, including standing at Lewis and Carks graves and earlier visiting their winter camp on the coast in Washington.

The guns here never fired in anger but the Civil War history for the lighthouse on Edgemont Key stood proud as a testimony to the Union soldiers who used it to warn the blockade ships of a contraband runner. Another place told of the three hurricanes that came ashore here in the twenties and thirties, destroying the light house and most of the forts buildings.

After leaving the fort Jenny wanted to show us North and East Beach. Both places had huge parking lots that were almost deserted as a cold wind blew from the north. We carried our easy chairs out to the waters edge but it was mainly an exercise in futility as it was too cold to do much else than watch the brave wind surfers.

Fort Desoto park is really a nice place and a place that we will enjoy when we come back next fall. It has lots of possibilities for fishing and has a beautiful bike path. Its too bad it is so expensive and so we have to cross it off the list of places to stay during next years return. Clear skies

Manatees at The Tampa Bay Electric Company

2011-12-28T10:36:00.000-08:00

Being in south Florida, we of course wanted to see some manatees and so we looked at several possibilities before we headed out to the Tampa Bay Electric Companie's Manatee Viewing Center.
We arrived there at the same time as a cold front and had hardly gotten our rain gear on before we were met with a tropical downpour, the likes of which we have never seen in Wyoming.
Still we had to try and see the manatees so we fought the crowds pouring into the spaces underneath the covered walkways and braved the pouring rain. They were there, a group/herd/pod of about thirty manatees basically sleeping and occasional coming up for a breath. They looked like a bunch of floating brown bags with the occasional swirl of a tail.

A volunteer was giving a lecture under a covered area so we headed there to see the display of manatee bones and to get a respite from the rain,(I was already quite soaked as my five year old rain gear had performed miserably). He had a skull and flipper bones, along with several ribs which had been broken by a propeller strike.

He explained how a damaged rib regrows badly and eventually punctures a lung causing manatee mortality. I asked him about annual mortality rates and he said that about three hundred a year died from idiot human boat operators and net and fishing line entanglements. We also learned how manatees are identified from the scars from propeller impacts and sadly all had strike marks.
With varying estimates of 2500-5000 manatees one wonders how much longer the species will survive. As the cows reproduce only every two to five years, the math doesn't seem promising and it is another case of too many humans as another species may disappear from the Florida coastal area.

We enjoyed watching the manatees as they woke up from their siesta and started to actively search for food, some even looking below the deck upon which we stood. It was amazing to see such large mammals slowly move about the restricted area. Renita told me she had read that they were capable of achieving a speed of twenty miles per hour but it didn't seem possible in such a large animal,(they can weigh up to 3500 pounds).
Later we walked down a pier that took us through a mangrove area and explained the difference between red, black, and white mangroves. It didn't take anytime really to see the obvious differences and so now we could appreciate even more the day we spent canoeing the mangrove tunnels at Weedon Island Preserve.

Another volunteer told us that the numbers at the power plant grew to as many as two hundred manatees during a cold spell and also directed us to a speaker where we could actually hear the manatees talking. Their communications sound like a series of clicks, much like dolphins, and of course it was hard not to anthropomrphize the sounds into human conservation subjects.
It was an enjoyably day, even though I got drenched, and as we walked back to our truck a lady got out of her car and asked us, "Did you see any manatees?" We told her there were lots of manatees and that she should park her car and go watch them. I wondered how many she needed to see to make the short walk to the viewing area and mused that we would have been happy if we had only seen one.
Clear skies

Christmas at Treasure Island

2011-12-27T14:29:00.000-08:00

It seems surreal to be sitting here in south Florida. The temperature is eighty degrees and its simply perfect. We spend each day taking short trips and then walk to the beach to watch the sunset. The hibiscus are in bloom and the Christmas tree is lit, and what could be more normal?
People keep telling us that the place will soon be jammed with retirees. Mostly snowbirds from the east coast. They warn us of the terrible drivers, but we haven't seen any so far. We do plan on leaving for Texas on New Years day, so perhaps we will only see the crowd as it heads south while we head north.

Meanwhile we are so enjoying it here. We even went to an art museum, where they wouldn't let you take your camera. I was really hesitant to spend the money, as the tickets were nineteen dollars apiece, but it turned out to be some of the best money I have ever spent.
See the museum is the Dali Museum in St Petersburg and I was moved by the works of Dali as I have never been moved by art before. Sure the melting clocks and nudes would make you think I was joking but the self guided tour let us understand some of what was going on in the mind of the artist, and I never knew....., neither of us did.

I have spent my whole life dedicated to reason and logic and I now wonder if I should have instead dedicated my life to art and the world of dreams. At first I was simply overwhelmed by the visions Dali shared with us but now looking back I think I understand that my rational thoughts have been a good part but still only a part of my whole being, and I have tried to ignore the rest.
Our jewelry making and lapidary at least lets us try to combine both, as Dali combined both science and dreams in his work. Neither of us would ever be so presumptuous to compare our work with any other artist but at least we are trying to expand our boundaries by working stone and metal. At least we have discovered the beauty while we still have some time to do so. Clear skies

Riding the tide at Weedon Island Preserve

2011-12-23T03:36:00.000-08:00

The tide carried our canoe through a mangrove tunnel! Rarely did I have to stoke and Renita used her paddle to keep us straight as the tide flowed through the mosquito ditches. The mangroves were about twenty feet tall and their roots reached down toward the rising tide, or at least they seemed to be reaching.
Small black dots on their bark were really small black crabs and small fish darted for the protective cover of the roots as we glided by. Periodically we reached small coves, or lakes, where we spied on rosette spoonbills and American white ibis., Of course we passed great blue herons and Renita spotted a reddish egret feeding at one of the outlets.

We stopped for lunch near marker sixteen, where the tunnel trail had taken us to the edge of Tampa Bay.Across the bay the city stood and it was so nice to be in such a peaceful and quiet setting in the middle of the metropolitan area.

Stopping there we turned back and retraced our route encountering other kayaks and canoes. Many struggled in the narrow ditches as the mangroves seemed to grab their long paddle. One kayaker had taken his paddle apart and was wisely using half of the oar. Several sea kayaks passed us and they payed for their long narrow design, good for open water but trouble when the narrow trail sharply turned.

Every canoe trip is special and we have been blessed with so many. The roaring rapids of the Gunnison in Colorado, the paddles along the Lighthouse Trails of Texas, the stillness of the morning while solo paddling in Ely, Minnesota..... Each has its own special merit and the memories of each are why we travel.
We didn't paddle the entire four mile loop. It had been too enjoyable as Renita took lots and lots of images and we both stopped to enjoy the solitude. I know that from now on one of my favorite memories will be of gliding though tunnels in the mangroves of Weedon Island Preserve. Clear skies.

Elmers Island and Stories from Grand Isle

2011-12-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

There's a commercial on the television right now and its basically says that the Gulf Coast is back from the disaster caused by British Petroleum's oil spill. The gist of the commercial is that things are all fine now along the Gulf Coast and you should return there for your vacations. By all means do go back but don't expect the same Grand Isle that you saw before, or at least don't look to close....
We are on a vacation, and I know this sounds strange as most think we are on a permanent vacation, as we have parked our house and headed to our daughters house. She is a new nurse and is working in a hospital in St Petersburg, Florida. So anyway we left Rockport and drove to Grand Isle to see our Cajun relatives and friends.

As usual the people were greeted us with the Grand Isle warmth that we are accustomed to and of course my sister Connie fed us with a weeks worth of food in two days. Oyster po'boys and pork tenderloins and cookies and candy all left me with a feeling that I might explode.
To work off some calories we drove to Elmers Island and took a walk along the beach hoping to see some birds and beachcomb and basically just check things out. It was a nice day, a little cool with a north wind, but a nice day none the less and so we enjoyed a long walk.

My brother in law brought me a clump of sand, broke it open, and you could see the tar and smell the stink of money,(oil). A little further I had Renita stand next to a mass of hardened oil/tar and Connie told us of a place just down the beach where the ground was saturated with so much oil that you could see it by digging down a bit.

There seemed to be a scarcity of birds. The shells, while plentiful, were all darkened and not the usual bright shades of red we expect along the Gulf Coast beaches. Connie told us of a crabber who put out a string of one hundred and forty pots and only caught four dozen, not enough to pay for the fuel and so there are no crabs for sale. The shrimping has been bad and one shrimper caught a black tiger shrimp, another disaster for the gulf coast's shrimping industry,(Some one imported the huge shrimp and had a commercial farm on one of the Caribbean Islands, Of course a hurricane happened by and now the huge shrimp are taking over from the native species).

While fish are still being caught, the red fish runs have not reappeared or at least the ones that I fished. Gary's fishing has been nonexistent. He is taking place in an experiment where they are studying men from Grand Isle, looking for long term health problems associated with the oil spill. How nice to be part of a long term study from a disaster.
We still enjoyed our walk and we still love Grand Isle. Hopefully, time will eventually heal the wounds and the place will come back, along with the tourists that the camp owners so desperately need, as long as there are no future oil spills. Perhaps it was said best in a book written long ago, this place could have been a national park. Clear skys.

Lagoons Arts and Craft Show 2011

2011-12-14T07:12:00.000-08:00

Last year we decided to start selling our stones and and wire wrapping. After all we live in a fifth wheel and it is busting at the seams. Our original goal was to use the money to buy more rock and pay for some of the wire and so we did our first show at Lagoons in 2010.
The show went well then and it lead to custom work and more sales after, which we have been told is the main reason for doing shows, ie, getting your name out there and earning a reputation. So we decided to do the Lagoons show again this year and prepared for it by making new items, rings and bracelets, along with lots more stones/cabochons.

The day arrived and we got up early. Stopping at Whataburger for breakfast we soon arrived and set up our booth. We could see at once that there weren't as many booths as last year and we had already noticed that there seemed to be more empty spaces in the park, hmmmmm.
Last year the show opened and the place was packed until noon, this year there was a fair crowd but no where near the numbers. We got lots of lookers and picker uppers but our sales were down. That's still ok, as we still made a little money at the show. Another dealer told us we need to start taking credit cards as our items were priced where most people prefer to pay by credit/debit card.

So the day ended and we packed up. It was fun and we were busy and it did rain all day so fishing would have been out for me. I did do a demonstration on wire wrapping a piece of beach glass. At the end of the fair another dealer came up and bought a set of adventurine cabs from us. It is always the best compliment when a dealer actually admires your work enough to buy from you. Along with the people we met we had a good day, and that's what it is all about! Clear skies

Winter Camp, A Plethera of Activities

2011-12-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

As soon as you get into your winter camp it seems like the activities start and your writing goes into hibernation. Your surrounded by friends and parties, fishing and birding and you intend to blog but the time slips by and suddenly you see the date and realize its been two weeks. .
When we pulled into our winter spot the first thing we saw was Mike and Loretta waving a welcome back and we realized why we came to Watersedge. Val and George and Dave and Jane and Pete and Werna and Wayne and Betty, it goes on and on.
Thanksgiving was near and so of course we signed up for the dinner and it was so nice to share a meal with warmth and love. Time to give thanks for all the friends we have made and met in our travels in the past year. We have been in 29 states and so many miles....

Other days we have spent fishing and birding and for me, learning to cast a six foot cast net. I have used a four foot net for years but I am finally getting the feel of the six footer and it works so much better at getting bait. Its area is so much larger and it sinks faster before the mullet can swim away.
The biggest excitement has been the whoopers who seem to have taken over the Lamar Peninsula. We have seen as many as ten, just driving along St Charles Bay. Yesterday I had three flights of three, four, and two flying near me as I wade fished for black drum. In each case I heard them first with their distinctive call, before I turned and watched them fly near.

Last weekend we attended our first Christmas Party of the year, as the Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Society celebrated friendships by holding a potluck diner and then exchanging gifts, mostly rocks of course! It was so nice to renew our friendships and we watched as new officers were sworn in, thankful that as travelers we didn't qualify.

Added to all the activities the past two weeks have seen us working on stone and registering for our winter shows. Our first is this weekend as Lagoons Rv Park has its annual Christmas Craft Show. It was the first show we ever sold and it hardly seems like it was only a year ago that we started selling.
All in all we have been to busy, but that's ok and how it should be when you retire. Only another retiree can understand how the time flies when you have been so blessed, and we have been blessed with so much! Clear skies.

A Day on The Water At St Charles Bay

2011-11-22T03:06:00.000-08:00

Birders say that a bird heard is a bird counted and its neat that you don't have too see them, but when your hearing is as bad as mine I usually have to rely on my sight. So it was a real surprise when even I could hear the whoopers calling to one another.
Suddenly their calls became louder and they rose into the air flying over the levee and directly over our canoe. Renita hurried to get out her camera and actually caught two of the family. Its by far the closest we have ever been to flying whoopers and of course it made our days highlight reel.

A little later a flock of about 200 American white pelicans arrived high overhead. They tumbled down as they made their descent and finally reformed into vees as they looked for a place to set down. We watched them for quite a while before they flew out of sight, probably heading for the back end of Copano Bay.

It was our first day canoeing/ kayaking with our friend Val, and even though the wind was strong we were able to make it quite deep into the bay. We passed two fisherman by at least one hundred yards but it was still to close for one as he started to swear at us. I couldn't hear him as he was far away but Renita said he used the "f word" multiple times and so of course I then steered our canoe down his line, you don't swear at women where I come from,(At least I didn't splat the water with my paddle).
We didn't get near any rosettes but several pairs flushed as an air boat roared along the shore deliberately pushing the birds up so the riders could see them. I prefer our method of quietly paddling near them and watching them feed. Of course we saw the ever present great blue herons and some snowy egrets.

Later we fought the wind back and it was hard paddling as we gave the waders a wide berth. I cast my net for bait and caught a small white shrimp. It always neat to see the diversity that your net brings in. I didn't catch any bait but it didn't matter. We had been blessed with whoopers flying over our canoe! Clear skies

Wilsons Cut, On Mustang Island

2011-11-18T04:46:00.000-08:00

We were finally on the Texas Coastal Bend and the wind calmed down enough for us to canoe, so we loaded the Mad River and headed for a place we had started to explore. It was on our kayak trails map and we hoped that we could actually do a loop through the black mangroves.

Launching we paddled down the man made cut and stopped to get some bait. A little further we came to the marker and turned north but the water quickly shallowed and we ran aground. Heading for some darker water we tried and tried several places but the tide was too low and it was not to be so we returned to the cut and headed toward Shamrock Island.

It didn't take Renita very long before she had the camera out, taking images of birds. Snowy egrets, rosette spoonbills, willets, and of course the ever present great blue herons all waded unconcerned along the shore.
We never did get any mullet and so we fished a bit with some dead shrimp but dinner didn't materialize.Corn bread tastes fine as a main course, when you don't have fish! It didn't matter really as the day was so nice and the paddling so good, and of course the birding. It was a day we really needed after so much time on the road! Clear skies.

South Padre Island and a Quick Trip to Mexico

2011-11-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

So Monday arrived and it was time forus to head to Mexico. I had lost a filling and I knew it meant a crown. Now we lost our insurance this year so it had to be cheap and that meant crossing the border as the price is one hundred and seventy bucks verses seven hundred or so in the states. I can buy a lot of rocks with that kind of difference.

The trip from Harlingen was quick and we paid our quarter to get into Mexico. We were the first into the dentist’s office and in no time I was in the seat and getting comfortable. Without going into any details it actually went ok and in about an hour I had a temporary crown and an appointment for the permanent replacement.

Walking up and down the street I bought some chocolate candy and we decided to head back home as it was way to early for lunch. Not much of a trip to Mexico but we got what we came for and next time we will actually do some shopping.

The next day was a day of rest and then it was time to check out Port Isabel and South Padre Island. As we approached the bridge to South Padre I looked at all the condos and shuddered as the development is everything I hate along the Gulf Coast.

Then we both saw the sign for the South Padre Island Birding Center and maybe, just maybe there was hope? We parked and entered the tall building and were greeted by a very knoledgable volunteer who showed us the map of the trails and talked about all the things there were to see, and it was good.

Stepping outside we started along the boardwalk and right away we got a new life bird, a least sandpiper. A little further and we took an image of a red knot. Or at least that’s what we think it is, and so now we had another new bird for our list.

We didn’t see any more new birds but we had a delightful time at the birding center. Redheads, pintails, snow egrets and three different types of herons all entertained us on our stroll. Least grebes and pied bill grebes along with common marsh hens were abundant and completely unconcerned by our nearness.

After lunch we drove north, where sand dunes threatened to close the road and a little further they actually did! Parking, we ignored the private property signs and walked to the gulf where I waded into the surf, and it felt so good to be back in the warm waters. The island is really little more than a sand spit at this point and I wonder who would ever build here?

Latter we drove back to town and climbed the stairs of the historic lighthouse. I had to laugh as the stair well was pretty claustrophobic and the outside platform was quite acrophobic. To have two different fears in the space of a few steps…..

All in all it was a fun day, birding, wading in the surf, a little bit of history and almost getting run off the road by a couple of idiot Texas drivers. In other words it was a typical day on the Texas Coastal Bend. Clear skies.

Laguna Atacosa National Wildlife Refuge

2011-11-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes its better to be lucky then good and I really think that goes for the luck of spotting birds. On the way to the refuge we had already bagged a new life list bird, a white taied kite. It had hovered on both sides of the road and while we didn’t get a good image we were able to clearly observe its beautiful markings.

So as we drove the sixteen mile beach access drive we stopped and glassed and just plain enjoyed the day. Renita was the first to notice a javelin, as it left it’s hiding spot in the brush to feed below us. There were quite a few long billed curlews, pintails, and the ever present great blue herons.

The visitor center feeders had been our first stop and of course the plains chacalacas fed greedily on the feeders. Grey jays were also abundant as were a couple of cardinals. An altimira oriole added to our days list and while it wasn’t a new bird,(we saw one by Mission two years ago), it was great to see it and get a good image at a feeder.

The biggest excitement was the sudden appearance of a cotote at the feeders and the chacalacas were the first to give warning. The coyote soon gave uo on the idea of a lunch and instead settled for a long drink at the feeders pool.

Several times we had spotted small flying birds and of course they turned out to be more curlews. The only other flying birds were the soaring vultures but at least they were the black or Florida vulture, instead of the usual turkey vultures<, (they are easily told apart by the white and black undersides of the turkey vulture).

Then, at mile marker 11, I saw a bird hovering, and it continued to hover as we both watched it. Renita got out the bird book, but we reallt didn’t need it as we had studied the pictures of the Aplomado Falcon. There really wasn’t any doubt, it was a female aplomado, one of the rarest falocns.

It had disappeared from the United States as a result pesticides and of its nest being raided for the eggs. Now there is a nesting pair in New Mexico and its being reintroduced here in the Texas Coastal Bend.

Again, its better to be lucky than good and to see a wild aplomado falcon was more then we could hope for our first visit. Now we only have one falcon left, but to see that we will need to travel to Alaska, a trip about as far as we can possibly go from the southernmost tip of Texas! Clear skies.

Choke Canyon State Park 2011

2011-11-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

I heard the beating wings as a thousand double crested cormorants flew by the point. Turning my head I knew they would be near as my hearing is so bad that for me to hear their wings, required it. They had just flown in a little while ago and the food they had looked for must be missing as they headed for the far shore.

A greedy Bonaparte’s gull landed near by my bait and helped himself to the sliced fresh clam, but it didn’t matter as the fish weren’t biting, at least not the drum I had hoped for to make our evening meal. A killdeer watched me as a flock of least sandpipers waded along the shore, unconcerned with my presence.

It was so quiet and I felt the peace that comes with having no place to go and nothing to do but enjoy the solitude. I watched and saw a monarch butterfly and then another reach the shore and I realized I wasn’t watching a few solitary butterflies but part of the migration. They kept coming to shore, singles and doubles and while it wasn’t a swarm it was steady and I watched them beat their wings and then glide a bit before repeating the pattern.

I wondered if this was the peak of the migration as they should be heading for Mexico right now and while we have heard of it we have always missed it. It made me feel good to see that so many have escaped the pesticides sprayed to lessen the damage caused by other insects.

Having read that the numbers have declined, a result perhaps of having to raise crops to feed the seven billion humans, I wondered if there were that many monarch butterflies. Are there any other animals that can be seen with our eyes and number as many as us?

To weighty a matter for me to ponder, I feel my goal now is to observe and record. So timing the end of the mornings migration I counted sixteen butterflies in ten minutes, all headed south as if the earth’s compass was commanding them to follow the magnetic force lines, and perhaps it is the force they align themselves with.

A fine morning at Choke Canyon State Park, no fish but butterflies and they are as important as the rest of us. It’s All Saints Day and I am reminded of St Francis of Assai who loved the animals so much and according to legend even befriended a wolf. I think I prefer to stick with butterflies, at least for now. Clear Skies.

Deming Rocks

2011-10-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

I will not mention any name(s) but we are not the only members of the class of 2007,( people who sold their house and went fulltime rving in 2007), that have rocks in their fifth wheel and I mean rocks plural. See if you hang around Deming, rocks and rock hounds are everywhere and you are bound to get hooked. Express even the slightest interest and we will even give you some free rocks to get you started! We have rocks to spare!

We left Mesa and drove the long drive to Deming, checking into the Escapee Park and being warmly greeted by Wallace and Wanda. Wallace is a rock hound himself and has more rocks then you can count scattered all around the park!

So it wasn’t long before we were talking about rock hounding, places to go see, and even sharing and trading rocks! Of course we ended up trading some of our Wyoming lepidolite for some Big Diggins agate, some Baker Ranch rough, and some assorted slices of other local rocks I know you may think that we have too many already but Wallace knows you can never have enough rocks!

Saturday morning arrived and we drove to Silver City. Stopping at a flea market, and guess what, we found several sellers with rocks in their booths. We soon left with our first pieces of turquoise, some green turquoise and azurite, and another rough rock of green turquoise.

I could hardly sleep thinking about working the turquoise and so I set up our grinder and made my first turquoise cabochon. I ground some other rocks into cabochons and soon our friend Marty was over and watching me. He could see I was having too much fun and he left with a sack full of slabs.

Another day and another rock shop and there was Marty buying rocks. He wasn’t the only one and Renita and I added to our collection with some beautiful cathedral agate. The shop owner had to show us some beautiful gold moss agate and it was like a junkie as I grabbed the slab and offered him my billfold,(well almost).

The next day we decided we had enough rock and it was time to leave Deming. That night our toilet broke and the repair kit parts I had already bought didn’t work, go figure. Getting online we drove to the Camping World in El Paso and purchased a whole new unit. It went in so easy that we had our repairs done that evening and I only had to make one run to the local hardware store!

Our plan to leave was again stymied as a massive cold front was blasting through and we decided to stay here for a couple more days until the wind died down. It was a good choice as we saw a motor home roll in with a destroyed awning. Hearing about a new rock shop north of town we headed there just to look at what they had.

The store owners were so kind and knowledgably that we just had to buy some more rock, We now own some excellent lapis and even some rare Tiffany stone, which was originally used in Tiffany stained glass lamps! Can you blame us?

After eating lunch at the fifth wheel we headed to the Deming Museum to look at the rock collections. Now we had seen the collections two years ago but we know so much more and so we spent some quality time holding hands and peering into rock cases. Lucky for us the museum sells rocks as a money raiser and being giving souls Renita picked out some slabs of New Mexico Crazy agate.

We are leaving Deming tomorrow and heading east, either that or we will need to rent a storage unit for all the rocks we have added to our traveling house. We don’t care if others make fun of us and tell us about the movie, The Long Long Trailer. At least we slice the rocks so they don’t roll out of our oven!

Clear skies.

A Surprise on The Apache Trail

2011-10-24T03:43:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while you get lucky with wildlife. It happened to us while taking a day trip when we walked up to an overlook and a couple already there pointed out an animal below. I put my binoculars on it, even though there was little doubt what it was and I motioned to Renita and the rest to hurry over and see what was standing sideways in the valley.
Sharon and Alan had invited us to join Nancy and Jim and make a day trip to Canyon, Lake, the Apache Trail and Tortilla Flats. Among other things they wanted us to see some possible canoe places and so Jim and Nancy picked us up and we drove to the Frey's.

It really wasn't very far from town as we passed the Elks Lodge and climbed up the Superstition Mountains. It was nice to have Jim drive and I was able to actually sight see, instead of having Renita relate to me on what I was missing. Topping it off, Alan was narrating as we had split into two cars, girls in one and boys in the other.
Before long we arrived at the Canyon Lake overlook and we looked below as high winds whipped the lake into whitecaps. I had to take off my hat as the wind threatened to blow it back to Phoenix. We got back into the car and drove down along the lake, with its campgrounds beckoning.
Continuing on we drove past the lake and Tortilla Flats where we planned on eating lunch. Our goal was to drive to a pass on the Apache Trail before returning. The road narrowed and climbed and narrowed some more. Turning into gravel it still was pretty good road by Wyoming standards and it looked like a fun place to explore.

Stopping at the first pass we walked and talked and of course Renita started to pick up some rocks. Soon she was joined by the rest of them and I shook my head as I thought about all the rocks we already have. I really didn't expect to see any wildlife as it was noon and hot and any animal with any sense would be in the shade, right?
That's when a couple pointed out the Arizona desert bighorn ram. It stood for a while and seemed to be sniffing the air. Was there a ewe nearby or was it wondering whether we were a danger? Regardless it stood there as still as a statue until before finally turning its head.

The others came over and I pointed out the sheep. It had a three quarters curl and the horns were spread out further than the bighorns we had seen in Wyoming and Utah. The horns also seemed to be more massive, almost like domestic sheep, but it was wild desert bighorn,( Renita later looked it up on her smart phone and there was no doubt).

It stood there for quite a while and we all, except Jim, got to see it with our binoculars. Trying to spot more we headed east along a ridge, but when we walked out to a vantage point the ram was gone. Heading back to the vehicles we talked of the luck in seeing such a rare animal in its natural setting.
It was a short drive back to Tortilla Flats we we had a massive hamburger crowned with a grilled pepper. The restaurant's walls were covered with dollar bills on which people had written their names and the date they had been there. I wondered how I could get people to leave dollar bills when they visit us but I guess we will stay with selling rocks.

The funniest part of the restaurant was the restrooms where the walls were painted with characters of the old west, and I had to snap some images. The girls went into a shop while I opted for a prickly pear ice cream cone and sitting in the shade with Jim and Alan.
It was a fun day and a good trip before we hooked up the fifth wheel and headed east to New Mexico. A pretty lake, a day with friends, and a desert bighorn sheep. This is what our life style is all about. Clear skies.

Sharon and Alan's Art Gallery in Apache Junction

2011-10-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest fears, when you start full timing, is the fear of not meeting people and making new friends along the way. Its turns out that its so easy that we look back and wonder why we thought that way as we have met and made friends with so many nice people.
One such couple is Alan and Sharon Frey, who are retired teachers who have changed their lives and have become talented pastel artists. We first met them in Fulton, Texas where they were learning their art, and we have just left Apache Junction, Arizona where their gallery is filled with a plethera of beautiful pastels!

As you walk into their winter home you walk into their working area. A table between two easels is filled with a rainbow of pastels, each waiting for Sharon and Alan to work their magic. Images from their travels are taped near their current unfinished work and its so amazing to see the steps they take in their creation of beauty.

The walls of their winter camp, or house if you will, are filled with examples of their work. Alan and Sharon both submit and have work accepted at pastel shows. Alan has won awards and Sharon has sold work and its small wonder as their art is so beautiful. My favorite one of Alan's is a pastel of an Australian sheep ranch. The actual building is one we visited at the Bryce Thompson Arboretum, (We visited it with them two years ago).

Sharon's work is equally impressive. My favorite work of hers is a beautiful pink hibiscus. Another standout is her pastel of the palm trees at the same arboretum. To see how they have progressed into such talented artists in such a short time is almost amazing, if you didn't know of how much they have worked and studied,( And if they didn't have the talent, eye, and love for art).
It's kind of funny how a blog entry turns out. I started writing thinking of telling how we wined and dined with them and with Jim and Nancy and Mike and Rose and yet this entry turned into discussing the beauty of Alan and Sharon's work. I guess that's as it should be as the beauty of their work and their friendship has touched our souls. Well done!
Clear skies

Ps you can see their work at:
http://artinthesun.blogspot.com/2011/10/we-are-not-in-kansas-anymore-toto.html

Visiting Friends in Surprise, Arizona

2011-10-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

We hadn't been through Arizona in two years and so we came this way to see friends. Its got to be the best thing about our life style in that it allows us to remake old friendships and meet friends and family where ever we go.
Of course we had to call Paul and Mary in Surprise and we were lucky enough to catch them when they had some time free. We were able to meet them for dinner and we got to attend the Octoberfest at Sun City Grand.
I had taught with Paul for 30 years and so we traded old and new stories but mostly new as we talked of kids and fishing and hiking adventures. Mary, it turns out had hiked down into the Grand Canyon and back up, staying the night at Paradise Ranch! They had just made reservations to float the Grand Canyon next year, a trip I have always wanted to do.

The Octoberfest was interesting as all the Sun City Grand crafters displayed and sold their work. We saw numerous crafters and one who did beautiful wire wraps. However they don't have a lapidary shop so no one was making and wrapping stones as good as ours.
The stained glass shop was filled with beautiful work and the prices were so cheap for handcrafted art. One of the artist advised me as to the technique of making stones in a mosaic, something I have thought of doing. In many cases they were just too cheap and we told the artists they were under priced but they all complained of the market, what can you do?

Its always a nice time, visiting with old friends and so we left with some new memories and some advice for our upcoming Alaska trip. Oh and Paul told me to get some egg sucking leech flies for fishing for salmon! Clear skies!

Running South to the Heat in Surprise!

2011-10-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

We left Salt Lake City and headed south for warmer and drier weather. The miles passed and as we climbed the temperature decreased until the truck computer flashed the warning ice! Snow was on both sides of the road but luckily it stayed off the road so we only had a long wet drive. Our goal was to make Mesquite, Nevada and we almost did as we stopped for the night in Bishop, Arizona.
There we spent the night in a small rv park, before heading to Lake Havasua. We wanted to stop and visit our friends Flo and John and just say hello before we continued out journey. Flo is undergoing treatment for cancer and we heard a horrible story of how they are having difficulty getting a supply of her chemotherpy)!

From Havasua we continued on to the City of Surprise, Arizona and we stayed at a nice rv park with a lapidary and silver smithing shop. Finding it open we were lucky enough to join the club and got to use their saw to slice up some dinosaur bone.
We were able to watch as the silversmiths made rings and we found out that they teach classes in smithing for a very reasonable price. Showing some of our work we were asked to teach a wire wrapping course and lapidary but we aren't here long enough so hopefully next time.

Now we don't do cities well, having lived in Wyoming for so long so I thought I would share a couple of stories with you. Driving in heavy traffic, I made a left turn in a construction area, it was a round green light, and I was stopped by a traffic cop who lectured me about the no left turn sign. He had a hard time believing I didn't see the sign but finally he let me go with a warning.

Last night we ordered a pizza, but when we went to pick it up we found out we had called a store in Phoenix and not Surprise and so we ended up buying some fast food. There are so many places here its confusing, it not like Jeffery City, Wyoming where your choice is limited to the Split Rock Bar and Grill!
So all in all we just don't think we are meant to live in a city. The temps here are in the pper 90's and we don't do extreme heat well. Tomorrow we hook up to visit friends in Apache Junction and then its heading for the coastal bend! Clear skies

Stuck In Salt Lake, Waiting for the Snow To Pass

2011-10-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

There are things we have no control over, lots of things. One is doctors appointments and another of course is the weather. Knowing this there was little we could do as we scheduled tests in Salt Lake City.

Yeah its October and yes we chanced a snowstorm and it is what it is. The good news is that everything is fine and after the storm passes we can make a run for the south. Its way to cold here with temps in the 30's and you can see the snow on the mountains that surround the city. It even snowed on us as we left the Walmart in Bountiful,(I showed Renita the new style snow shovels and even offered to buy her one but all I got was the look)!

At least we were prepared for bad weather and we have spent the time making sterling silver rings crowned with small cabochons we made last winter. So anyway another day for the roads to clear and the winds to diminish and then the run begins. Clear skies.

Fall Colors in Star Valley, A Week of Color

2011-10-02T06:03:00.000-07:00

The reds were a surprise to us as we are use to the bright yellows and golds of the aspen in the Black Hills of South Dakota, but not the reds. Yet here and there were bright reds from maples and lesser reds from scrub oaks and it was all so pretty. We used to live back east, Iowa anyway, and so we had seen their brilliant colors before, but not in Wyoming.
It was almost time to head south and run before the winter snows, but we have an unfinished doctors appointment and we did want to check out Star Valley and the Star Valley Ranch Rv Resort we had heard so much about. Calling ahead we made reservations to stay at a place where Brenda and Dave own two sites and rent them out. So we called ahead and made reservations.

Crossing the Wind River Mountains we saw beautiful aspen in full color but north of Pinedale and Matt and Patty's we started to see the beauty of the Hoeback, The Gros Ventres, and the Tetons. Heading west toward Alpine we encountered the Salt River Range and entered Star Valley. There we passed through Etna before following the sign to Star Valley Ranch and saw why so many people rave about the park.
Our spot was so nice and the park so large that we even took a tour of lots for sale, but not this year. We met John and Revy who invited us to lunch with them at the Senior Center and later that day we showed Revy how to wire wrap pottery pieces, or tried to before she received a phone call which stopped everything till another time.

Another day we drove to Afton to check out the town and its Elk Arch that spans the main street. Its billed as the largest elk horn arch in the world and I am sure they are right. Driving back we stopped at the Star Valley Cheese Factory for curds and local cheeses and of course I had to try their huckleberry ice cream cone.
Another day and a trip to Jackson to resupply, ( it is a long way to anywhere from here), and on the way back Renita noticed a local Art Store/Gallery in Alpine that advertised local artists. We stopped and the manager Barbara noticed Renita's pirate china pendant and we soon arranged a showing of our work for the next day. Barbara handed me a fossil ammonite pendant and asked me to wrap it for her.

The pendant was a challenge as we had never wrapped a heart shaped piece but I resisted the urge to look up others work on the Internet and came up with my own design. It actually worked the first time!
I am sure there are similar pieces, wire wrapping is an art that is over four thousand years old, but it is my piece and the pattern mine.
The next day Barbara raved about the heart and raved about our pieces. She gave us the ultimate compliment and purchased a custom Nambian Blue Lace Agate pendant and sterling neck wire, along with a large tiger eye pendant. We discussed her consignment policy and we agreed to leave some of our work at her store.

So now if you are ever in the area of Alpine, you can see some of our lapidary and wire wrapping at the Outback Art Gallery. Heck its worth the stop just to meet Barbara, a kind and gentle person with an eye for art from local artists. Its unusual to find such a shop anywhere as the so called art shops are often filled with imports from Bali and China, and yes I am talking of some of the shops in Jackson, Sedona, Petosky, and so many other places we have traveled. Clear skies.

Nugget, Mad Dog, and Slick, Perhaps we have been Jade hunting to Long?

2011-09-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

Perhaps we have been in the desert too long. We no longer refer to each other with our usual terms of endearment but we are now calling each other by our new nicknames. Renita goes by Nugget, Molly sometimes answers to Mad Dog and Renita now calls me Slick. Now there is a reason for this. See she found a jade nugget on Beaver Rim and I found my first jade slick. I carry it in my pocket and now can really be called a jade hunter as all jade hunters carry a slick.
We had left Cheyenne and drove to Jeffery City. There we hoped to find a place to camp, so we wouldn't have to drive back and forth from Lander on our daily excursions looking for jade. We hoped to prospect on Green Mountain, Beaver Rim, and the Microwave Towers, three areas that are famous/well know to Wyoming's jade hunters.

Pulling into town, its a ghost town that had 5000 residents in the 1980's, we stopped at the Split Rock Cafe and Bar. There we met the mad potter Byron who invited us to camp at his pottery shop/house and said we could plug in to his electricity.

Setting up quickly we jumped in the truck and headed to Agate Flats where we planned on adding to our collection of Sweetwater Moss agates. Our first stop was ok, but it wasn't as good as last year and so we tried two other places before finding the agates we were looking for. I did find another piece of a machine gun clip from a Navy plane from World War Two. The pilots were trained in Casper, Wyoming and used to strafe the Granite Mountains as they look somewhat like a battleship rising above the flat desert.
The next day we arose early, ok I did and Renita slept in, Packing a lunch we headed first to the Microwave Towers area looking for some snowflake jade. Aliong the way we drove through the Graham Ranch area where we stopped to let them know who we were, but no one answered the door. The road in to the site was actaully pretty good for a Wyoming back country road and I didn't even have to use four wheel drive.

Before long we arrived at the Microwave Towers. There we had to be careful to avoid the jade claims and before very long we found snowflake jade. Now jade hunters aren't impressed with the stuff but it does make pretty cabochons and we do love making pieces from rock we have found!
We glassed and spotted other claims and I pointed out where Ted Graham had the claim from which we got some pretty rock that we have in our,(Out friend Dick had bought it in the 1960's). It was so nice to actually see the country that had been the place of so many discoveries.

Returning to the highway we headed toward the Gas Hills and Beaver Rim. Now last winter our new friends Suzi and Warren Reeves had showed us the jade they had found there and they even gave us some slicks so we could throw them on the ground to see the "color", of a jade slick.
We didn't fins any slicks at the first place, a campsite that was called Riggsville after the twenty jade hunters from Oklahoma who used to camp there but we did find some green and pink jade. I was pretty happy about this as it makes really pretty cabochons and now we had our own, besides the piece I had bought from a Casper Jade hunter.

We stopped several more places and it finally happened, I found my first jade slick,(If you hold a quality piece of black jade to a strong light it shows green). Renita also found her jade nugget, which is actually a jade psuedomorph of a feldspar crystal,(It replaced the feldspar). Hence our nicknames, Slick and Nugget.
Our last day we headed up Green Mountain. We really wanted to check out the campsites and glass the landscape from the top of the mountain. The road was steep and rocky and we quickly decided we didn't want to take our house, fifth wheel, up there. We did find a piece of igneous rock that was filled with small fractured rubies and so we added to our rock collection. The view from Wild Horse Point was spectacular, even though smoke from wild fires partially blocked the view.
Too soon it was time to leave Jeffery City but its a place where we will return. If you ever get a chance you should at least stop at the bar and grill and meet Vicki,(Order the cheeseburger and home made fries). You also must stop and meet the Mad Potter and see his beautiful art! Clear skies

Pretty Rocks, The 2011 Denver Gem, Fossil, and Mineral Shows

2011-09-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

We left George and Vals and drove North across the McClure Pass. I had to stop once and let the tranny cool as I used lower gear to slow my descent. Connecting with I-70 we headed east for Denver. The drive was about as bad as I ever want, (heavy rains, heavy traffic, and super long climbs and downhills), and it will be a cold day in hell before I cross the Vail Pass again.
Arriving in Golden we parked and planned our next days excursion and we were both so excited that we had a hard time sleeping. The next morning we arrived at the Denver Gem and Mineral show and got in line with the other early birds,( The early bird gets the best rock don't ya know!).

Renita went left and I right so we could cover more ground before the other buyers snapped up all the best and cheapest specimens. I found Gursney agate and Morrisionite and Renita found some beautiful lapis. We stayed the whole day and left drained and broke but with beautiful rock for our lapidary wheels.
Another day and this time two different shows at the Denver Coliseum. There we saw the best lapis, turquoise, and sugaite that money could buy, but the price oh the price! At a dollar fifty a gram we didn't buy any and thats ok, maybe next year. We did find some Wyoming Jade, from the Rhodes collection. Its old jade from Green Mountain and Crooks Gap and we had to have some of this vanishing collection.

We bought some tuxedo stone, which we didn't know was actually sugar and acid treated Brazilian agate. Its made by soaking the plain white agate in honey for several weeks and then boiling it in sulfuric acid. We were so disappointed to be taken with treated stone, stone we try to avoid but at least we learned. We also leaned how to detect dyed lapis and so we decided not to buy any unless the dealers allow us to test it,(take a cotton ball and wet it with acetone and then rub it on the stone. If it turns purple its dyed stone).

The high light of the shows was when we met the paleontologist who made a guest appearance on Jurassic Park, Dr Robert Bakker( He was eaten by one of the beasts). More famous for his theory of warm blooded dinosaurs and the book Raptor Red, he shook my hand and attempted to identify the tooth I wear as a pendant,(He told me how to clean it and said he thought it might be a creodont canine ocyeana, kind of an Eocene Hyeana).

We ended up getting what we came for which was not just more rock but more importantly contacts and new insights into our passion for stone. Its funny really how lucky we are to travel and meet so many people with like interests. Again we have been truly blessed. Clear skies.

Fishing the Gunnison, Lessons in Flyfishing

2011-09-16T03:43:00.000-07:00

"There is no was to fish this stretch using roll casting, you have to first cast downstream because of the willows. Then you can cast your line upstream and fish the edge of the break", George explained as I sat and watched him fish. He next watched me fish and said that I needed to learn to high stick and better mend my line and here I thought I knew how to fly fish!

We had left Wyoming and headed south to visit George and Val at their Colorado hay ranch near Crawford, Colorado. It was our second trip there as last year Val had lead us down the Gunnision in a kayaking expedition and this year George was going to take me fly fishing.
So on our first day there, we had headed to a lower stretch of the Gunnision where George showed me how to high stick and mend. He talked of fishing Alaska and how I didn't need to make long casts, like you see in the fishing shows, that by high sticking I could catch the fish I would see in the resting pools.

Val, an expert fly fisher herself, added that we would need to watch the bears and be ready to break off our lines as they had learned that the sound of the drag meant a salmon or rainbow dinner. She quietly watched us fish before asking George if she could use his fly rod to cast to a spot he had missed.

I didn't catch any that day but I watched as George caught a beautiful brown and Val handed the fish and then released it back for another day. It didn't matter as I had just had a lesson in fly fishing nymphs from two masters fly fishers on a beautiful river in Colorado. Clear skies

A Busy Week Rockhounding and Getting Ready to Head South

2011-09-11T03:32:00.000-07:00

Note! I am standing in one of the tepee rings that dot the area.

From Gilllete we drove to Boysen State Park, where we got the last lake front campsite in the state park. It wasn't long after that the rest of the campsites filled and so we settled down for the Labor Day weekend,( when you fulltime holidays are a time to put up with the crowds).

Our plan was to rock hound in the Owl Creek Mountains for a few days and then pick up our Genie at Matt and Pattys house in Daniel. Finally, we needed to return to Flaming Gorge to license the fifth wheel and winterize the boat before starting the slow and round about journey to our wintering spot in Texas.
We spent three days scouring the ridges and draws along the flanks of the Owl Creeks. The problem here isn't finding good rocks to cut and polish but to be selective and only keep the best rocks you find. We concentrated on looking for green colored stone and found a coffee can full. The question is is it jade or adventurine? I did find some lepidolite and some amazonite and Renita found a large rock of beautiful Wyoming Bloodstone.

Leaving Boysen we headed to Flaming Gorge where we first winterized the boat. The next day we traveled to Matt and Patty;s house near Daniel, where they waited for us with hugs and kisses and a big pot of home made chili! There we also loaded our Genie Cabochon maker and rock saw which we had purchased on Ebay and after saying a happy goodby we headed back to the Gorge.
Our last day there we set up the genie and I ground and polished a few cabochons, which are the stones we wire wrap, and it worked great! Happy days as we now can work rock as we travel, instead of just collecting and hauling the rocks all the way to Texas. Oh, and I applied the one year rule and got rid of some stuff in our fifth wheel so we would have room for the new equiptment and more rock! Clear skies..

The 51st Escapade, Gillette, Wyoming

2011-09-04T04:05:00.000-07:00

We had just left Gillette. The Escapade was over, and we were heading to the desert and rock hounding. About fifteen miles south of town Renita started to shake and mumble. I thought she might be sick but it soon passed and she told me we had just driven by the mine she had worked at. I understood at once as I start to shake when I pass a high school.

Tired and happy we talked about the Escapade and how much fun we had. The entire week had been hectic and crazy and tiring and fun and everything was as it was supposed to be. During the week we had been on the sound crew, helped to host two happy hours, attended presentations, held a star party, and participated in the craft fair’s show and sell.

The sound crew meant that each morning we went in before seven and checked the sound systems. Later we would go to each presenter and make sure the sound system worked for them, even helping them with the head sets.

In the evening we moved equipment to the Central Pavilion, for bingo, and then moved it back for the next morning’s line dancing. Interspersed with all that we helped with the main room sound system and moved microphones during the Talent Show. Some days we didn’t get home till after nine pm!

We did find time to attend almost all the presentations. The fire safety and plumbing ones were great as were the Alaska and Pacific Northwest presentations by Mike and Teri Church. They were so good we wanted to leave for Alaska but it’s too late this year!

Happy hours are always fun. The new comers went smooth and of course the class of 2007 party allowed us to reconnect with people who started full timing the same year we started on the road. It’s called a graduating class as it’s all about the freedom of the road.

Our star party started a little rocky but it ended great as there were a lot of knowledgeable people who used the I pads I phonies and even ran the telescope. With all the help I could move around and usemy laser to point out the constellations and stars.

Finally we were able to set up and display our lapidary and wire wrapping. Many people complimented our work and several asked if we would teach a class at the next Escapade,(we had thought about offering a wire wrapped cross class as we are now making those but we just didn’t have the time).

The best thing about the Escapade is that it allowed us to reconnect with old friends and make new ones and if we had done nothing else that made it all worthwhile ! We are back on the road again and all is well! Clear skies.

Crazy Busy With the Sound Team, Setting Up for the 51st Escapade

2011-08-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

Well it really hasn't been crazy busy, but we have been doing a lot of learning about sound systems as we helped to set up sound systems for the 51st Escapade. Luckily we have had the patience and kindness of an excellent teacher Jerry who has explained every step needed to get the equipment up and running.

Renita and I actually set up a room ourselves and surprisingly it all worked. The sound systems for the rooms are pretty simple really but the main room is another matter. There we never did get the setup right until Lou showed up,(ok it worked but it wasn't perfect). His rv had broke down near the Powder River, and this being Wyoming, had required him to wait for parts for several days before getting fixed.

Now that we are set up things should be a lot easier. We have to check the systems every morning and then do a sound check with the seminar presenters before each session. Mainly this involves turning the equipment on and testing each of the three microphones, oh and telling the people not to touch any of the equipment,(oh and to swagger around as sound geeks can).

I did pick up a trick yesterday, if you carry a microphone cord around people think you are busy and so you can avoid a lot of last minute work, or at least help but sigh and say that you are needed elsewhere.

All in all it has been fun and we have met Jerry and JoAnn, Lou and Russ and it hasn't been any where as intimidating as we thought it was going to be! The Escapade starts today! Clear Skies

A Week of Wire Wrapping At Keyhole

2011-08-24T03:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we will leave our favorite park and drive all of 45 miles to Gillette. There we will actually do something we have avoided, work as sound assistants at the Escapade Rally. We both have trepidations about it, it seemed like such a good idea, and I am sure it will be fun, bot the Irish in me well ok, I will leave it at that.
The past week had been idyllic. Each morning I launch the canoe and paddle along Cottonwood bay casting for a few small mouth along the rocks. I actually caught a couple and I don't know who was more surprised, me or the bass. I released them so they could grow up and maybe bite my line next year.

After paddling we both have been doing some wire wrapping. Renita found a book with detailed projects, none of which we have ever done and so our goal has been to try new styles, techniques, and new forms, including rings.
I first made a simple copper ring as we use copper and brass while we are trying something new. Gold filled wire has risen to eighty dollars an ounce and sterling to almost fifty dollars. At those rates we won't be doing much else then copper and brass, but that's another story.

The book showed me detailed images of making two different styles of ring, a loop ring and one called a flower. After making simple ones of these two styles I was able to make another and added a small agate cabochon. Feeling brave I then made a silver ring and used a Montana Lavender Star Sapphire, of almost 20 carats. I had purchased it from a friend and I can't wait to show him when we return to Texas.

Renita made a beautiful sterling wire wrap of a cabochon she had ground and polished while we were down south. Its a type of agate called flower garden agate and looks like a bouquet of roses. She made a unique wrap and she added a sterling group of flowers to the top.

Her work of course is always elegant and she takes the art to a level that I usually don't attain. More wrapping included a loop bracelet, a wire wrapped feather with a tiger eye cabochon, and a spinner ring. Like I said it has been a good week before going to work and the rally will really be fun as we will reconnect with other full timing friends. Clear skies

Montana Moss Agates

2011-08-18T04:15:00.000-07:00

It was a really pretty snake, about four feet long and colored with yellow and green stripes. I noticed it when I almost stepped on it and Renita head my initial yell, "Snake",(ok maybe it was a scream). I have never particularly liked snakes since I was about five years old and my brother scared my sister Connie and me at a place called Witches Cave,(He later went on to become a herpetologist).
We were at the Matthews Recreation area outside of Miles City, Montana, looking for Montana Moss Agates and not having any luck. See the usual method is to wade the shallow Yellowstone river but it is still too high and the rocks are mostly underwater, too much water to see the agates.
Deciding to find another place we drove to the Kinsley Bridge and I had to stop for some photos. The bridge looks like it was made a long time ago and is a four span single lane bridge. The one lane is sheet metal planks covering a wood base and it looks like it hasn't been repaired since Custer made his fatal trip to Little Big Horn.
Taking some images I watched as several cars drove across the bridge and as I walked back along the river rock road I found some rock that was pretty close to agate. As I neared the truck Renita got out, bent over and picked up a beauitiful Montana Moss Agate from the road. Goodness gracious the girl sure can spot rocks from the passenger seat!

Looking around she found another piece and I found some pretty rocks, aren't they all really, but nothing compared to hers. We decided to cross the bridge and as we did so I noticed gaps where the metal sheeting had broken, hmmmmm, but we made it across and parked alongside the road.
Now the road looked to be river rock that had been dredged from the river and before long I found my first Montana Moss Agate. Road picking is actually a pretty good technique when all else fails. We ended up picking up quite a few specimens and the day was a success,(well every day is a success when we don't work and finding beautiful rocks is a bonus).

Many of our friends think that we have found all the rocks we work and a lot of it is, but we also work lots of rough we buy as we rock pick flea markets, rock shops, and antique stores. We also have quite a bit given to us by people who have gotten tired of their own or inherited rock collections.
We ate lunch along the Yellowstone river and then hunted along the road finding more agate. We decided we were tired and it was time to visit the Pirgoue State Park, a place known for where you can wade across to the island and hunt moss agates.

Unfortunately the river was again to high for wading and we thanked our lucky stars for the agate we had found. On the way into town, Renita called a local rock hound who invited us to his house. It was a worthwhile trip as Ray invited us in and then proudly showed us his collection.
His specialty is Montana Moss Agates and he has about as fine a collection of cabochons as we have ever seen. Ray showed us some of his other collections and our mouths drooled as he proudly held up his huge mammoth molar!
Going into his back yard he showed us his two piles of moss agate rough and we bought some to go along with the rough we had found,(We keep found separate from bought). We arrived back home, our fifth wheel, with twenty more pounds of rock for the road! A fine day along the Yellowstone! Clear skies.

Walking Among the Petrified Cypress, Theodore Roosevelt National Park

2011-08-16T04:14:00.000-07:00

It felt so strange to be walking among an ancient forest of cypress with logs and stumps everywhere littering the horizon. It hadn't been that long ago that we had canoed the Suwanee river and admired the towering cypress of Florida and now we were here in North Dakota enjoying the cypress again.
I thought of how my brother in law Gary makes furniture from old logs, recovered from the beach of Louisianna after storms, logs that had been buried in mud but not yet pertrified. I knew the forest was millions of years old and it made everything seem timeless.
I remembered Huttons Uniformity Of Process, that everthing really is the same through geologic history and this was such a great example.We shared the petrified forest with a few other visitors but we were alone for most of the hike and that's so rare in a National Park.
Sitting down for lunch I thought of my Geology summer field camp and this was so much like the months I spent mapping while I had been hiking Wyoming. I wanted to take a short cut to the north unit of the petrified forest, but as was said in the Lord of The Rings, short cuts can make long delays, and we didn't have that much water.

Playing among the stumps I watched Renita peering bewtween a crack and I was reminded again of the girl inside her and of the child still within us all. Returning to the truck we were both surprised that we had hiked 4.8 miles, at least thats what our gps said.
It was a fine day and we decided not to hike the trail to the northern forest but to save it for another visit. Driving back we passed new oil wells, evidence of the North Dakota boom and again I said a silent thank you to Teddy Roosevelt for saving such a place from future oilmen. Clear Skies

ps Among the pleasures of fulltiming are the many friends we make along the way, and friends we meet again as we travel down the road. It was a real pleasure to run into Jim and Nancy, who write the blog, Running Down Our Dream, a recording or journal of their travels. If you haven't read it, you can click on the blog list along the side. Jim, a retired social studies teacher lets us see a different view of the places they visit!

Cottonwood Campground, Theodore Roosevelt National Park

2011-08-16T03:39:00.000-07:00

The air was still but it wasn't silent, it was filled with the sound of cicadas humming their siren call from the tops of massive cottonwoods. The cottonwoods along with junipers filled the campground along the Little Missouri River’s valley floor. No police sirens, no cars driving along filled city streets rushing to work. Just the sound of cicadas from treetops….

Later a storm front roared in, again the only sound of its arrival the cottonwoods swaying in the breeze. The sky took on a green that I have only seen a few times before and a massive wall cloud appeared in a break in the trees and we saw cumulus mammaltis clouds filling the sky! To hear the sky change from the hum of cicadas to the winds roar of a massive storm.

After the storm passed we got into our truck and drove to an open spot, all the while Renita continued to watch the radar on her smart phone as I gazed around the sky, our camera in hand. We never did see any circulation but we watched cloud to cloud and cloud to ground bolts of lightening dance across the sky.

To think we had seen the grandest shows in only a few hours. It’s a small wonder why we love the west and I really feel that Teddy Roosevelt felt the same way we do. He may have even watched as a storm swept across this valley and surely he had heard the cicadas sing from the tree tops of his Elkhorn ranch. What a great man to have saved so many wild places.

I don’t really know what I expected, coming here to his national park, I expected to see some beauty but not to be so moved. Tomorrow we will explore more and we already has discovered another unexpected treasure, North Dakota magic. Clear skies

Kawishiwi Falls

2011-08-06T04:21:00.000-07:00

As we travel we see many unexpected treasuries and one such is Kawishiwi Falls near Ely, Minnesota. Just east, on 169, a left turn takes you to a gravel parking lot and the trail head. Its only about half a mile through the dense northern forest to the falls.
As you hike the short trail the roar of the falls gets louder but you don't get a glimpse through the foliage until you reach the gorge. The falls splits into two ribbons of water as it cascades over a fifty foot drop. There the water makes a short trip to Fall Lake. As we reached the stream, below the falls, I spotted four otters playing in the water, but they quickly headed downstream to the lake, too quickly for me to take an image. Red head ducks were paddling around, well being ducks, and they ignored the people enjoying the falls.

I wanted to get below the falls and wade up to the cascade but there didn't seem to be an easy way down so instead we walked along the path and scrambled out to the edge of the river. You could see that the water flow was reduced from the spring torrent that usually sprays one as you reach the gorge, or that's what our new friend Gail says happens..Just above the falls a large cement dam looms where a power plant was built that's still in use today. Thank goodness they built the dam above the falls and didn't destroy the beauty of the place.

All in all a nice short hike, a beautiful place, and a beautiful falls, just don't forget the mosquito lotion! Clear skies

A Family Reunion at Fall Lake, Ely, Minnesota

2011-08-04T04:45:00.000-07:00

It is surprising how fast the years go and they even speed up once you retire. It had been too long since Renita and her brother and sister had all been together and so Pam set up a reunion at Fall Lake, near Ely Minnesota. Reunion time for the Chandler kids!
The drive was pretty easy from Wyoming to Minneapolis, but as we got north the roads deteriorated and Highway 169 was as bad as any Louisiana road. We arrived at Fall Lake to discover that our extension for our counter top had broken and was hanging from the other metal hinge. A few trees had to be cut down to drive into our campsite, we are staying at Phils Mother in Laws land, but there was enough room to park our fifth wheel along side the garage.

We were soon catching up on all the news and other families and as we sat there a bald eagle landed on the island right in front of the house. The eagles here are pretty used to people and we even later had one try to take a duck that was sitting on the beach within fifty feet of us!
Of course I had to unload the canoe and so our days have been filled with visiting, canoeing, swimming, and basically just enjoying the beautiful lake and its surroundings. The fishing is great but the catching is slow and we haven't added any fish to a planned fish fry, but cornbread tastes good as fish when you don't have any fish!

My highlight so far has been a morning canoe trip with our daughter Jenny. We paddled down to the power plant and waterfall, passing eagles perched high atop red pines. We weren't able to see the waterfall near the plant but we did see a flock of young grebes and a mother redhead with her ducklings.
This is our second time, this year, in Minnesota and we have driven more this year then any other, but the drives have been to family outings and so we have been truly blessed. From here we are heading back to Wyoming and the Escapee Rally, but we are going to avoid South Dakota and the nightmare of the Sturgis so it looks like we will cross North Dakota. Clear skies.

Heading to a Family Reunion

2011-07-28T04:27:00.000-07:00

Renita's family is having a reunion in Northern Minnesota and so we left the Red Desert and headed east and north, bound for Ely, Minnesota. The first night we traveled across the Wind River mountains and spent the night back at Boysen State Park, the Tuff Creek Campground.
It was quite a different place as the lake is now full from all the runoff and most of the campground is flooded. We were still able to back into a spot and we could see where the lake is going down, so we felt safe, except for the mosquito swarm.
I waded along the shore to a place where I had caught walleyes during a tournament, years ago. Armed with my favorite crankbait I cast into a swarm of minnows and hooked and lost a fish on the first cast. Two more casts and I landed a nice eating size walleye.
With visions of fresh walleye for dinner I continued casting and soon caught a second. Not that big but enough to make a meal for us and so I waded back to our fifth wheel where Renita waited with the camera. It isn't often that we can camp for a night and catch dinner, not as often as we would like so the day was extra special.
The next morning we left Boysen and drove through Wind River Canyon, and if you haven't driven through there its a road worth taking. We traveled through Thermopolis and crossed the Big Horns driving to Keyhole State Park where we got the same spot we had camped in June.
Another morning and back on the road again but this time a shorter drive to Rapid City where we got a spot at Three Flags Rv. Now I don't usually talk about rv parks but this is our first rv park with full hookups since June fifth, we have spent that much time boondocking in the Red Desert.
I stood there for a while before I remembered we could hook up a hose for water instead of hauling it to our fifth wheel. We are living high on the hog for a couple of days before heading further east to more boondocking! Clear skies

Catching Kokeenee Salmon at Flaming Gorge

2011-07-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

The first step to catch Kokeenee salmon at Flaming Gorge is to launch your boat. Now that is pretty easy but the next step is to start your engine and there we were with an engine that started but overheated due to a bad water pump. So I ordered a water pump and of course the company shipped it to my confirmed address, which is in Texas,(We use a mail forwarding service called Escapees). The problem is that we are in Wyoming.
So we had it forwarded to Matt and Patty's house and armed with the new water pump we headed south to Flaming Gorge. I carefully read the directions on how to change a water pump in my new book, Yamaha Service Manuel for 2003 Outboard Engines, (Thank you Amazon). I had never changed one and would have preferred to pay to have it done but the closest dealer is in Salt Lake City.
The motor came apart quite easy and there was the water pump! Now lets see it says to clean the drive shaft and remove the old parts after cleaning the shaft. As I removed the compression ring I discovered it was made of plastic and of course it broke. It would make sense to me that a new compression ring would be in the kit but of course it wasn't so I had to reuse it as I installed the new water pump.

I barely got the lower unit into the motor and got it all together. Hitching up the trailer we drove to the boat ramp and the water pump actually worked! I didn't have any forward or reverse but the water pump worked, hmmmmm. Back at the campsite I looked at the directions and noticed step 23, be sure the shift lever is lined up as you reinstall the lower unit.
The next day I dropped the lower unit and sure enough the shift lever was not connected. I reinstalled the lever and reinstalled the lower unit and we headed back to the boat ramp to test the motor. Now it not only pumped water but it shifted into gear! Yeah it worked!The next day we headed down to Anvil boat ramp. Launching the boat we drove quickly across the lake and joined the seventeen boats working theschool of salmon.
I put out our first line and we hooked a nice kokeenee before I could get out the second pole. tT came to the boat after making several jumps and Renita deftly netted it, salmon for dinner! Three hours later we worked back to the boat ramp and just before quitting another salmon hit, fought in, and then was netted by my first, and only, mate.

The next day we headed back to Anvil and just as quickly caught a nice koke. Soon another joined it in the cooler and then nothing for a while. Most of the other boats left and as it was about noon we got out our lunch. I am sure you know what happened next, a double hit and I landed both fish. Releasing them I put the down rigger back down and another fish hit, this one larger and it filled my limit.
Now Renita had not caught any fish as she didn't have a fishing license. The lady at the Marina refused to sell her one because we don't have a permanent address. Even though Renita showed her our fishing licence from last year and her valid and only Wyoming driver license.
It didn't matter as Renita drove the boat, netted the fish, and played boat captain while I played the deck hand role. Everyone knows its the captain that really catches the fish so she gets equal credit. It was a good day fishing and catching and oh how we love eating fresh kokeenee salmon. Clear skies.

The Green River Lakes and Square Top Mountain

2011-07-15T05:52:00.000-07:00

Across the lake the mountain stood. A sentinel of granite and metamprphic rock commanding the glacial valley with its size, shape and spires. I had only once seen anything that compares and that was when we visited Yosemite and viewed Half Dome. Why wasn't this a national park?
I thought a bit and then realized that it had been declared a wilderness and perhaps that was the correct desigination for this high place of beauty The only access to it is by a gravel road that bounces up along the side of the Green River, (the Green River Lakes are its source afterall).
Matt pointed out a herd of elk grazing in the high country, atop another peak that stood to the north and west and Jenny countered with more elk in a meadow to the west. Renita pointed out the trail that paralled the lake before heading into the valley that stood below Square Top and how I longed to don a backpack and head out.......
Not today however but perhaps in the future. There is a trail that leads to the Green River Trailhead from Elk Park, a place just thirty miles away. It's another reason why this place is so remote and so unknown. THe distances and approaches are so long that few venture into the Winds without horses.
We watched two boats fight the wind which blew hard from the south, raising whitecaps and threating to grab our picnic lunch as we sat in a meadow and ate our sandwhichs. We finished our lunch and walked along the lake for a bit, but not far enough. I know only too well how one must be prepared, and not just physically, to enter such a place.
We took more images before climbing back into our truck and returned home bouncing down the washboard gravel and rock road. The road itself is not place to take our fifth wheel, (allthough you could if one didn't mind that everything would be bounced apart). We arrived home and talked again of the day spent and the beauty that surrounds us. We have been truely blessed. Clear skies

A Short Hike in the High Country of the Wind River Mountains. The Long Lake Trail

2011-07-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

We loaded up the cooler for a lunch in the Winds and headed to Pinedale and points east. Our goal was to drive to the trail head for Long Lake and maybe take a short hike to check out our conditioning for the high country.
Its about twenty miles from Matt and Patty's house to the town of Pinedale and then another fifteen to the trail head at Elkpoint. Matt drove and pointed out local features to Jenny, who had just arrived the night before. We just listened to the kids talk, smug in our knowledge,(we had been there for two days).
After leaving PInedale the road became bumpy and started to climb. We were driving along a ridge to the south of Fremont Lake. The climb never seemed to stop as we passed several turnoffs and the Alpine Ski area. Half Moon lake was to the south of the road but we kept driving as we really wanted to reach the trail head and the end of the road.
Topping out at 9300 feet we left the safety of the truck and we swarmed with mosquitoes. Matt had remembered to bring bug spray and so after dosing ourselves we ate a quick lunch. Another vehicle arrived and three people got out, hefted their day packs and fly rods and started down the Long Lake trail. They stopped to tell us that the trail was steep but that the hike was worth it for the cutthroat trout waiting in the lake below.
Talking it over we decided to try and hike a portion of the trail. Aware of the recent grizzly bear attack just north we kept together and hiked with ease down the trail. Matt stopped and asked me if I realized how steep the return trip was going to be and I felt ok so we continued . It leveled off for a bit before crossing a stream and then plunging again.
Luckily it wasn't too bad, it never is going downhill and it did level off for a bit. We were about one and a half miles in when we got a great view of the upper end of Fremont Lake. Getting the glasses out we saw streams cascading from the high country. The water was really in an almost vertical free fall ad we thought it was snow at first but the binoculars allowed us to see the movement.
We still couldn't see Long Lake and we reached an agreement that we wouldn't go any further. It turned out that it was a good decision as the I later learned the trail plunged down a steep high another 900 feet before reaching the lakes shores. That would have been a total elevation change of over 1600 feet down and then back up, a bit much for a first days hike at 9300 feet above sea level.
Starting back up it stopped often and checked out our heart rates. The kids obligingly herded us along the trail with Matt following and Jenny getting out her skittles and forcing us to eat candy to keep our sugar levels up,(Well eating candy doesn't really take much force).
Surprisingly the hike back up went well and it reassured us that we were acclimatized to the elevation enough that another hike would be possible and maybe even a longer one. It was a good day to be walking in the wilderness and the first time in years that we had been together. Clear skies.

I have more imagess but our internet is really slow so I will add them later.

Watching the Sun Set

2011-07-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

The campfire was burning and it was the easiest fire I have ever started as the wood burst into flames from the previous campers still glowing coals,(with all the wildfire stories how could someone leave a still smoldering fire)? The lake was still after the thunderstorm had passed and we viewed two seperate rainbows to the south and east.
The sun set below Black Butte and the crimson color reminded me of the crimson petals of the Indian Paintbrush. As the colors faded to darker reds and then purple I thought of how lucky we were to have left the crowded campground behind.
Our nearest neighbor was a good quarter mile away and they had left their fifth wheel and driven back to town. There were others on our lakes stretch but most had also left as it was the evening of the fourth and tomorrows work called.

The night hawks came out and started their erratic dives as they chased the miller moths which were still feeding on the flowers of the Red Desert. The moths should be in the high county but the snow was still deep and its still winter there. Will the bears find enough feed to fattenup for their winter nap? The moths are such an important fat source.
It was so quiet here, probably the only place where fireworks weren't bursting from every yard and city park. Our neaest city is Manilla, Utah, about ten miles away from our desert campsite. No howls from coyotes or wolfs, they are still too far north near Yellowstone, but two doe antelope feed near us.
Their kids stayed close to their mothers and one had twins, somewhat unusal for antelope.

It was too cloudy for the stars to come out but that would have been too much for one day, storms, rainbows, a sunset across the Red Desert. What more could ones senses take in. I though of our artist friends Alan and Sharon and how they would color their canvas with pastels giving their impressions of the deserts clouds and sky. If only I had some dark red carnelian, I do have lots of purple lepidolite, hmmmm .......Clear skies

High Country Snow and Impassable Streams

2011-06-30T04:32:00.000-07:00

It hardly seems like late June here as the snow still dominates the high country and the streams are all swollen with melt off and mud. Usually by now the mountains are accesable but not yet. Are we entering a period of glacial cooling and a new ice age?(Better check on our winter reservations).
As we crossed the Bighorns we actually had enough snow to sled on at the Powder River Pass and every morning we look across Black Butte to see the snow still dominating the Uintas and the Winds, amazing.
At our sons house in Daniel, Wyoming the Sawtooths of the Gros Ventres were also white and its so late. I look at the high country and remember the times we spent in snow and think of white outs and rock falls. No high country for us yet.

We made a short trip to the town to Manilla to connect with our cell phones and crossed the Henrys Fork, a really world class trout stream. No fishing today though as its muddy and high as are the Green and the Wind rivers.

Its a good time for us as we are getting caught up on repairs to our house and boat and we are finding some time for lapidary and wire wrapping. Its so quiet here in the Red Desert but the quiet will be fleeting as the fourth of July is rapidly approaching. We so loved the holidays when we were working and now well holidays are days of crowded campgrounds. Clear skies.

A Beautiful Green! Prospecting the Owl Creek Mountains

2011-06-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

I was walking Molly by our campground and I saw a bright green color on the ground. I don't know how many times a bright color has caused me to bend over and pick up a piece of what turned out to be trash, too many times. But it wasn't garbage it was a rock and it was so green!
We had left Keyhole State Park and were winding our way across Wyoming with our eventual goal being the Red Desert south of Green River.As we drove through Thermopolis, Wyoming we saw that the rock shop was actually open and there was a spot big enough for us to park our rig.
Never knowing what to expect we saw the most beautiful lepidolite boulder sitting on the lawn and the whole lawn was covered by large boulders of the deep purple mineral. amazing. The store was being minded by a consulting geologist named Eddy and he proudly told us he had put over 60 hours into polishing the stone. He also told us he had a mine and it was a piece he had personally dug from his claim.

I told him of our purchase of a large piece of jade and jade with actinolite and it turned out he was the ebay seller and one of the claim holders of both pieces. He told of his years of rock hounding Wyoming and led us into the shop where he showed us sample after sample. It was an unexpected pleasure to meet a man with such a vast knowledge!

He also told us of some places to go rock hounding. Now we have been told of lots of places and some actually produce a small amount of rough for us to work so we took the info with a grain of salt, but we both got excited as he casually mentioned the possibility of amazonite, chryscolla, and even chrysophrase, yeah chrysophrase.
The next day we packed a lunch and headed out for the Owl Creek Mountains, hoping for more green. We stopped periodically as we bounced up and over a rocky four wheel drive road. Boysen was in the distance and the blue water contrasted with the harsh desert landscape.
Cactus were plentiful as were horned toads and even a rattlesnake that startled Renita as she surface picked the rocks. Returning to the truck I showed her a piece of bright green stone I had found. She listened and then mentioned that she had also found something interesting as she pulled a beautiful emerald green specimen from her collecting sack.
I tested the piece with my knife and it was hard so it would take a good polish. It was translucent, bright green and didn;t show any twinning so it couldn't be amazonite, which was what my specimen was. Could it be chrysophrase or a light emerald jade? What ever it was it was so beautiful and I watched with envy as she replaced it in her sack.

We didn't find any more large pieces with the emerald green color but we found more that were still high quality rough and each piece spoke to us as of the beauty locked inside their wind and water abraded exterior. The amount we found that day was enough to fill a coffee can, which may not sound like a lot but it is when its so beautiful.
To finally, finally find such beautiful rock, after the miles and miles of deserts we have paced, made us realize again how lucky we have been. To have the chance to travel full time, to discover the joy of rock hounding, to enjoy the beauty and solitude of the desert, and yes even to dodge the occasional rattlesnake, are all treasures of our lifestyle. Its a lifestyle that most don't understand. Clear skies.

Persistent Mountain Bluebirds

2011-06-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

Just when we thought the problem with the stove vent had been fixed a new problem arose. I was outside working on the truck bed and I noticed a male Mountain bluebird was hovering near our hitch. It soon disappeared into the fifth wheel hitch and sure enough it was building a nest there.

Now I am pretty green but we are leaving Monday and so the bluebirds have to find another place for their nest. I reached in and cleaned out the construction and luckily they hadn’t laid any eggs yet so I just kept at it while they fluttered and displayed their ire!

The male became extremely agitated and started to fly around me making loud chirps. We both felt bad but not as bad as if we had failed to discover the nest and had hitched and taken off with their eggs in tow.

Being Green one has to draw a line somewhere. If not now with the bluebirds what’s next, letting a raccoon make a home in our basement, skunks, or even bears? There is no way I am sharing my maple syrup! Clear skies

Resting at Keyhole State Park

2011-06-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

We left Rapid City and headed to our favorite camping spot, Keyhole State Park. There we hoped to find a spot big enough for us as our usual camp ground, Tananka is closed for improvements,(The State is installing electricity and water!) Our plans were to do some doctoring, canoe a bit, and basically just relax.

Pulling into Arch Campground we were lucky to find a beautiful spot, site Ar3, with a huge backyard and right on the water. Ponderosa Pines sheltered the site and mountain bluebirds were all around us. Soon after we parked and set up, a pair of mountain bluebirds found that w had a missing vent flap on the stove outlet and they tried to build a nest! A quick trip to town and some screen blocked their efforts,(Although mountain bluebirds are one of our favorites.
Resting, I threw out a couple of poles for northern but my frozen mullet stayed untouched. A severe storm rolled in and the lightening chased us into our house, for the rest of the day. The afternoon storms turned into every afternoon storms and we even had tornado warnings but the dark clouds moved north and south of us.

Reports of golf ball sized hail at Devils Tower reminded me of the time I climbed a new route with my friends Frank and Steve. That day we were caught high up on a small ledge and just hunkered down as a lightning storm crashed around us and sparks arched from our rack of pitons. Pelted with large drops of rain I for one had wished I was wearing my Sunday best and sitting in church, but now that I look back at it I realize that time on the ledge was priceless! The storm finally cleared and we finished the last pitch to the top along a route that had already been climbed.

We have spent the time reading on our Kindles and taking walks. Its nice to just plain sit for a spell as we have just finished a tour of over five thousand miles. We plan on being here till the day after Fathers and then off to Boysen State Park, more free dry camping! Clear skies

Teepee Canyon Agate, Somewhere in the Black Hills Of South Dakota..

2011-06-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

We left Minneapolis and headed west for the Black Hills of South Dakota. The first night we boondocked at Cabelas, where I only spent 124 bucks while camping for free and then we journeyed further west to Rapid City.Its one of our favorite places and its also a great place to rock hound, among which is the rare and expensive Teepee Canyon Agate.
Now the Teepee Canyon itself was named by George Custer who, while exploring the Black Hills the year before his massacre, named the canyon because it was filled teepees. There aren't any teepees there anymore but a small house marks the valley, which is just west of Jewel Cave National Monument.
I had led field trips of students there for the past thirty years but I had never really done anything with the agate, only gave it away. We hadn't yet learned any lapidary and the thought of all the agate I gave away made me want more but this time to work and wire wrap.

As we neared the hillside we passed through the huge area devastated by an arsonist and it was pretty apparent that the area would be mostly prairie for a long time. Parking I grabbed my pick, a bucket and our new crack hammer and headed up the slope. Renita opted to work the bottom scree and it made sense as I had often found nice material there in the past
The hillside itself was man made as the road was widened and the area you see me in the picture is the area where the agate is contained in hard chert nodules. The nodules themselves are embedded in a thick and hard layer of limestone in the Minnelusa Formation. One way to mine the agate is by driving pry bars into the stone and slowly working the rock out to get at the nodules.
You would think that after all this work they would take the nodules home and saw them but many break the nodules with their hammers, destroying the agate and sending pieces flying. I was looking for the pieces.

Quickly my bucket filled up as I found cabochon sized pieces of the beautiful agate as well as large nodules that had been discarded but still deserved to be sawed. Renita watched me as I slipped and almost fell over backward down the sharp rocks but luckily I only cut one leg.
Being more careful I slowly moved the bucket down the hillside. I showed Renita my pieces and she led me to her five piles of possibilities. Looking at them carefully I added many to the bucket, hmm more rock for the fifth wheel, lots more rock. Our field season is just beginning and already we have added about two months worth of rough to saw into slabs. Is it possible to have too much rock?
Tracing our way back to Rapid City we stopped at several rock shops where more rock begged me to buy it but I actually resisted the temptation as I do have some control, not much but some. Perhaps I can ship some rock to our friend Mark and we can share the rock after he cuts it. Clear skies

Lake Superior Agates, Duluth, Minnesota

2011-06-02T03:57:00.000-07:00

As we left Dave and Jane's we mentally flipped a coin and headed northwest to Duluth, Minnesota. There we thought we would take a trip along the north shore of Lake Superior and hunt the fabled Lake Superior Agate. The drive was easy and the traffic light as we traveled along US 2.
Mile after mile of trees and we even caught a glimpse of Lake Superior as we passed through Ashland. Renita got out the Woodalls and she found a nice place near Duluth,(She not only is our navigator but also our accommodations director and of course our jewelry color coordinator, etc...).

The next day we headed north along scenic highway 61 and passed rocky beaches, where streams emptied into the lake and promised that their bed load contained agate, if only we wold stop. Our plan was to drive to the Split Rock Lighthouse and then slowly wind our way back looking for agate.
Now we have been along the north shore before, but never seriously agate hunting and so we enjoyed the scenery as we hunted unsuccessfully for the mythical agate. We tried to go to Gooseberry Falls but there were so many people there we couldn't find a parking spot.
Passing through the town of Two Harbors, Renita spotted a rock shop advertising Lake Superior Agates and we found a parking spot,(It was Memorial Day)/ The shop had beautiful pieces and lots of interesting stone with reasonable prices but not reasonable for us to buy and then resell. Too rich for our tastes, we didn't buy any but at least we got to look at some beautiful agate and learn the color of the stone.

Further south we stopped along a small beach and Renita even found a real Lake Superior Agate, amazing! We picked up some wannabees but left most were simply leaverites, after I cracked a few open with our new crack hammer and discovered they were not agatized.
Returning to our fiver I took Molly for a walk and found two Lake Superior Agates in the gravel of the rv resort road. It was a nice day and we enjoyed our hunt but if you want Lake Superior Agate you are better off to look anywhere else then look in the heavily picked shoreline of Lake Superior. Clear skies,

Norway Michigan, Albino Deer, Rapids, and Waterfalls

2011-05-31T04:09:00.000-07:00

We left St Ignace and headed west to Norway, Michigan. There we had multiple goals, visiting friends Dave and Jane and maybe buying a genie cabochon maker from Kingsly North. Viewing wildlife and scenery is of course one of our main goals and that's what the time there turned into.
Dave and Jane are two friends we met at Waterssedge, the rv park we winter in, and they have a beautiful ten acre piece of land near Norway Micgigan. We had talked with Dave, he was fishing, and he told us to just pull in and hook up. Soon after we arrived Jane got home and Dave followed later that evening,(He did have some northern and walleye fillets and so we of course talked about the fishing).

The next day they told us of Goodman park and some waterfalls on the Menomomie River and so we loaded into their truck and head out to sight see. Arriving we walked to the falls and decided that the river was way to high to canoe. The falls themselves were not passable in any season and the water was a strange reddish color from all the iron, dissolved into the water,(We are near Iron Mountain and old iron mines).

The next day we went shopping and headed to the Rock Shop where we found out that the cabochon maker was not in stock and would be dropped shipped to our address, not good when you live in a fifth wheel and travel full time. The trip wasn't a waste however as their geopicks were on sale and so I purchased one. It was about time I had one as I bought Renita a pick axe for our anniversary last year and she won't let me use it.
We also bought some rock, more beautiful tiger eye, and some orbicular leopard skin agate. They also had some stunning Mexican crazy lace agate and I am kicking myself for not buying any. We spent the rest of the day checking out local artists and their shops and we traded stories and techniques for wire wrapping.

The last day in Norway was spent sightseeing as Dave took us to see an albino deer and Piers Gorge, a possible place to canoe. Again the water was way too high and the rapids were class three or maybe even four in places. They were way above our skill level and Dave suggested we should raft them some late summer, hmmmm.
We had a nice time there, buying rock, visiting with friends, and plan on returning there as part of a future fall leaf trip. The Upper Peninsula is such a nice place to be and a real relief after the heavy traffic out east. Clear skies.

The Soo Locks

2011-05-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

We decided to stay another day and drive the short drive to Sault St Marie. There we thought we would just kind of play it by ear, oh and buy some fudge if there were any shops around. As Renita drove we talked about the locks and she said she had never seen a ship lock through.
So we got to the Soo locks and passed through security. Inside was a small museum with displays and of course the usual film describing the history of the locks and their importance to the US and Canada. It surprised me that a whole division of troops had been placed there to guard the locks during World War II.

After watching the Corp of Engineers film, a real film epic as only the US Government can make,
We headed out to view the locks . A ship wasn't due to lock through until 1:30 pm so we left the locks and walked along the street, full of shops that sold fudge.
Buying some at the first store we returned outside only to see the ship had arrived early and was already being lowered. We returned to the truck, passed through security and joined the crowd, ok probably ten others, as the ship finished its lowering and then left the lock heading down to Lake Huron.

Now when I was younger, I had seen lots of ships locking through the locks on the Mississippi River and my cousin and I had even locked through once ourselves, in a small rented boat, so it wasn't that exciting to me but it was still neat and new information to stick in ones brain and so we watched as two other small barges and tugs passed downstream.

We shopped some more and we actually found a shop filled with stuff made by a local family of artists. It contrasted nicely with all the other stores filled with the usual junk form China. Renita was so impressed that she even bought some wire wrapped necklaces and pendants and as we make them ourselves, well the quality was that good. Surprised at the low prices we talked with one of the artists who said that they had to be low to be competitive with the other stores, and that there were a lot of customers that didn't have much money. It was obvious that she knew their market.

We ate lunch in the truck as it was really cold, before finishing our shopping, well I mainly munched on fudge. The drive back to St Ignace was short and of course tree lined . Others places beckoned but not today. We do hope to return this way someday as we head to into eastern Canada and down through Maine Clear skies.

Hunting Petoskey Stones? Start At Baileys Place

2011-05-24T03:31:00.000-07:00

Leaving Connecticut we headed west through rain and downpours. Mile after mile of trees and rain, punctuated only by the occasional river crossing. The Hudson, the Delaware, the Susquehanna all large rivers and then more thick forests. Mile after mile we stopped only for a brief nights stay at Walmart's in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
As soon as we came down the Appalachians and entered Ohio the forest gave way to the prairie and farm fields appeared. We were still in a hurry and so we drove west and then north entering Michigan. We had done this leg before and so we splurged and spent a night in an rv park, resting, showering, and dumping the tanks along with recharging batteries.

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge we tried a new park, new for us anyway at Tiki Rv in St Ignace. We planned on making it our base camp for a few days as we were after the famous Petoskey stones, yup its time to start collecting more rocks!
Our first attempt was marred by storms as we drove west on the highway and stopped to check out rocky points along the north shore of Lake Michigan. We found some rock, but it was mostly dolomite and it usually destroys fossils during its formation. Dark storm clouds promised and delivered heavy rain and so cut our day short but it was nice to get out of the truck.

The next day we decided to recross the Mackinac straits and head to the city of Petoskey, a likely spot for Petoskey stones? Google searches had turned up several shops including a rock shop called Baileys Place. Renita called ahead and talked with the owner who was looking out the door as we arrived.
As soon as we entered she greeted us warmly and it became obvious that we had entered the presence of a master lapidarist whose expertise was in Petoskey stones. We told her of our prospecting and of our love of stone and wire wrapping and she told us how Petoskey stones were prepared. It involved cutting slicing and stabilizing, something we have never done so she took us into her workshop and showed us a crock pot filled with Petoskey stones sitting in a bath of opticon.
She warned us of the fake Petoskey stones, actually coral from Indonesia and fossil coral from China and she showed us how to recognize it. She also told us to go to town and look at the fake stuff being sold as Petoskey Stone,(Shame on you few merchants who sell such junk to unsuspecting tourists, the color and the center of the fakes are quite different).
Baileys told us that a place to look for our own stones was right in town along the shoreline, She also said that the last six years had been unusual springs and that the ice hadn't plowed up any new material during the spring ice out, making the rock hounding poor.
Driving into town we parked behind Glens Supermarket, where theres a large lot, and after eating a hurried lunch we headed down to the shore. I waded out and saw the green moss growing on the submerged rocks that Bailey had told us about. Returning to the high water mark I started to shovel stones with my feet as the surface has been picked by thousands of rock hounds.

It actually worked as we found a tumbler full of Devonian age coral mostly favosite,( a Devonian coral), fossils but even some Petoskey! I was surprised that we found so much in such a heavily hunted area and wished I had a rake to run over the stony surface. To add to our fun I even found a morel mushroom and so for a while rock hounding was forgotten.

Driving back we took the east shoreline and while we didn't find any rock hounding areas we were treated to an occasional view of the lake and mile after mile of forest. The floor of the woods were covered with white and pink trillium and it made the drive almost magical to see so may flowers..
It was a day well spent as we ended up with lots of Petoskey rough to work. Besides the pieces we had found Bailey had sold us some beautiful rock for sawing, slabbing, and cabbing and so it starts anew as nine pounds of rock are stored in the fifth wheel. If you hunt Petoskey stones you should take the drive to the Town of Petoskey and stop at Baileys Place, where you will meet a mistress of stone, Thank you Bailey! Clear skies

The Peabody Museum, Yale

2011-05-22T02:19:00.000-07:00

We always look for museums wherever we travel, and we really really really look forward to museums with rocks and fossils, so when my brother and his wife suggested we could visit the Peabody Museum we had to go.
Arriving at Yale we parked next to the museum and fed money into the parking meter. The old stately buildings looked fitting for such a storied place and the front of the museum was beautifully carved stone, what could be more fitting.

Our niece Ltjg Louise treated us and her parents to the admission tickets and we hurried upstairs to the minerals display. but before we reached the third floor the meteorites stopped me in my tracks. There were large meteorites from Canyon Diablo and The Red River Fall and of course I had to have models for scale of the two out of this world stones. To see the actual stones and touch them was a thrill as they are in just about every meteor book.
The minerals called and I hurried to the third floor and stopped as I reached the first display of diamonds in the rough. Having hunted Wyoming diamonds for the past two summers, and not finding any, I stared at the stones refreshing myself and my mind with the image of a rough stones, how I someday hope to find a double pyramid shaped specimen!
Th opal display showed all the fire one could expect and there were even tiger eye slabs, polished and shimmering with their chaytoyancy. I looked at the stunning specimens and realized how some of our specimens were of the same quality, its all in the cut after all.
The Egyptian room was fascinating and I wonder what my sister in law Mona felt as she gazed at the plunder of tomb robbers. Probably about the same as I did as we later strolled along dinosaur displays many collected/robbed from Wyoming. Dinosaurs from Wyoming need to stay in Wyoming!
We enjoyed the Native American display,(Hmmm no case filled with Germino's bones), where we both marveled at the bead work and the ivory carvings and I felt my need to carve jade growing stronger as new projects materialized in my mind.

Stuffed birds, (my brother appreciated the humor in the image of him next to the dodo bird), and mammals, of course students attempting to draw specimens, and other museum visitors all seemed to blend into the experience. Of course a gift shop was at the end of the museum and I was a little disappointed to see the usual artificially dyed Brazilian agate slices.
Now the Peabody Museum isn't the best one we have visited and certainly not the biggest but it does have nice displays and is well worth visiting. Of course its simply the tip of the iceberg of fossils and specimens stored in the back rooms.It was still well worth the visit to walk the floors and enjoy the stories written in stone and bone. Clear skies.

Note big isn't necessarily best. If you want to see a great mineral display be sure to visit the Geology Museum in Rapid City South Dakota and for one of the best dinosaur display go to Thermopolis and its dinosaur Center. There they have an actual archeopteryx fossil found in Wyoming and quite simply priceless, the one at the Peabody is a cast.

A Connecticut Wedding and a Family Reunion

2011-05-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

The bride walked down the aisle and was given to the groom by her father. Tears welled in many eyes and they exchanged their vows. the vows written by each other and promising to always be at each others side. I thought of my vows ad our wedding and I listened as the minister struggled to describe what marriage is.....
I thought of what I thought our marriage is, about a man clinging to his wife and a wife to her husband. About always being there, about how we have stood besides each other in sickness and in health and I thought of how much the newly weds were in love. It was so obvious that they were really meant for each other.

During the reception we danced and talked and met the families friends. So many have been blessed to be their friends and they have been blessed too. The wedding was the first time in twelve years that my sister, brother and I had been together. it has been too long.

I watched as my brothers wife and family renewed their love for one another. My brothers wife even had an uncle from Quebec and another who had traveled from Norway. Family from Oklahoma, and Florida, from Louisiana and Connecticut and we of course represented Wyoming. Friends from South Dakota and Maine and of course many others from where we do not know.

Later the bride and her father danced and oh my were tears flowing, blessed tears. Later we threw birdseed and helped to carry gifts to our truck to take them to my brothers house, while the bride and groom left on their honeymoon. I wonder if they know how blessed they are, if not they will someday.
Clear skies.

Springtime In Connecticut

2011-05-14T02:14:00.000-07:00

We finally reached our goal, Connecticut, and I must say it is spectacular.Of course being from out West there are way too many trees and we have almost gotten lost several times, but the spring flowers and blossoming tress are like a paradise.
Our nieces wedding is tomorrow and we have had a great time as its a family reunion. Its the first time in twelve years that siblings have all been back together, too long. For now let me just post some pictures of the flowers in my brothers back yard. Clear skies

Pink Dogwood

Blood root

Azaleas

Lily in The Valley

Bleeding Hearts?

Jack In the Pulpit

Gettysburg

2011-05-11T03:56:00.000-07:00

In the Northeast corner of the Gettysburg Battlefield a flame burns bright against the clear blue Pennsylvania sky. Eastern blue birds sing and flit back and forth along a split rail fence claiming their territory, or at least their favorite perch. One of the sides of the monument reads, "An Enduring Light to Guide Us in Unity and Fellowship". If only every American could travel here and read the message carved in stone.
In our travels we have visited Vicksburg, Fort Sumter, Antietam, and now Gettysburg. They all tell of the same messages. We fought for states rights, we fought because free slaves would take our jobs, we fought to end slavery, or we fought to preserve the Union....

The Battlefield itself is covered with monuments, Little Round Top, the Peach Field, the Wheat field, Devils Den, Cemetery Ridge and the Copse of Trees. The monuments all tell of the sacrifice our ancestors paid. The Pennsylvania Monument dominates the battlefield, and rightly so, but there are so many others including the Louisiana Statue standing across the mile wide field memorialized by Pickets charge.

I have always been interested in the history of our country and why we fought the Civil War and sadly it seems to me we fought because the end of slavery meant the loss of so much money to wealthy slave owners and the loss of their way of life.
The parallels today of what is happening in our country and the greed that seems to drive it all sickens me. I was raised a Catholic and the Bibles Beautitudes were hammered into me by sisters who dedicated their lives to teaching me what is really important in life, and so I became a teacher. If only people could see what we have seen and traveled the roads we have traveled......Clear skies

Shenandoah National Park,A short Day on the Skyline Drive

2011-05-09T02:39:00.000-07:00

Before we left Winchester we wanted to explore a little bit of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. The parkway road travels through much of Virginia and North Carolina along the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is about 450 miles long. We hope to travel along it some future fall.
Friends had told us not to take our fifth wheel along the road but of course we wanted to see for ourselves if it would be possible to go this way,(We have traveled the Natchez Trace and strongly recommend it!).
It didn't look to good as we neared the parks North Entrance Station. A sign warned that the side of the arched overhang was only 12.2 feet but the arch looked higher and we are only 13 feet tall. We showed our pass and started to climb, driving through a thick hardwood forest.

I had to pull off before we reached the first overlook as I had a line of cars behind me. I thought of the traffic jams in Yellowstone and why we avoid that place in mid summer. We reached the Shenoandoah Valley Overlook and saw Massanutten Mountain and Signal Knob in the distance. The South Fork of the Shenandoah River was far below and the sky was filled with a haze that prevented us from seeing the sights clearly but it was still a beautiful panorama of hardwood forests.

We drove further and passed and stopped at other overlooks, Marys Rock Tunnel approached and we drove through it and it looked like we would fit if there weren't any traffic going the other way....
Stopping we took some images of the tunnel from the Tunnel Overlook. A group of young men asked us to take their image and I had trouble with their camera but at last I got it.. They thanked us for rour kindness and I thought how nice young people can be.

Reaching the Pinnacles Overlook we glassed Rag Top, a rocky peak far in the distance. I walked into the woods and looked for morels but it was too early at this elevation and it was definitely to early for any berries. I didn't see any copperheads among the rocks, which would have been really cool as I have never seen one in the wild.

Returning we took Highway 211 and left the parkway passing under another low entrance station. Several cars were parked along the roadway as we headed down the mountain and I knew they were looking for mushrooms as the growth here looked further along.
It didn't take long for us to reach Winchester and our house, which is what we call our fifth wheel. We had checked some things off our list and had added to our knowledge of the east, it is time to head into Pennsylvania for a few days at Gettysburg and then to my nieces wedding in Connecticut. A long awaited family reunion. Clear skies

Antietam and Harpers Ferry, Hisory All around Us

2011-05-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

The Cornfield, Bloody Lane, Burnside Bridge, all names familiar to readers of history. The ranger who gave us our introductory talk told of how the Civil War could have ended in 1862 with Lees annihilation at Antietam and how Burnside was too slow developing his attack after taking the bridge. Could it be that simple?
We left the visitor center and walked to Dunken Church, a prominent sight during the battle of Antietam. From there we drove the auto tour reading of the courage and honor of men long dead, The stories and monuments of the cornfield, such sacred ground. The monument to Hood's Texans who suffered 82 percent causalities in their charge but stabilized the Confederates line.

From there we drove to Bloody Lane and walked the lane a bit before climbing the observation tower for a look at the battlefield. It was simply too much to take in trying to imagine the waves of Union troops attacking the position and then to walk among the ghosts of the dead confederates in the lane.

From there we finished our tour by walking down from the heights defended by Georgians, as Burnside threw attack after attack across the bridge that now bears his name. The bridge and the woods seemed so peaceful. A Baltimore oriole sang its song and gave us a good glimpse of his spring plumage. Looking at the Confederates positions across the bridge one wonders how anyone could have had the courage too attack them.
Our history lesson wasn't done as we asked the directions to Harpers Ferry and headed down narrow roads along the Potomac. Arriving at the park we showed our entrance pass, parked, and were quickly on the bus. The recorded history of the Harpers Ferry started its talk and I couldn't hear because the young people behind us were chatting. Using my sternest teachers voice I turned and said, Miss, we are trying to hear the recording would you please be quiet? The twenty something was pissed and snarled back at me but at least she shut up.
Getting off the bus one of her male companions made a comment as to my rudeness as they passed and Renita remarked at how nicely I asked for them to be quiet. There is no way I could be a campground host as many of our friends do, I have simply used up my patience dealing with rude people.

We walked along the streets of Harpers Ferry. It was cool and the busy summer season hasn't started. There were no people reenacting the early life of the famous city. We stopped and gazed at a daughters of the confederates monument, and the read the verse of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, posted next to it,

Crossing the railroad bridge we took a look at the town and the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. Renta started to sing Oh Shenandoah and we both felt the history of the place. It was a fitting end to a long day of history lessons and we were both tired as we drove back to Winchester and our house. A day well spent. Clear skies

Heading North into a Giant Traffic Jam

2011-05-06T02:08:00.000-07:00

We left Charleston and headed North through Columbia and then Charlotte, North Carolina. The traffic was ok and we turned off I 26 onto ! 77. It picked up a bit as we crossed into North Carolina but we hit Charlotte at the right time and it wasn't heavy. About the only thing I remember was crossing the Pee Pee River.
Entering Virginia we stated to climb the Blue Ridge Mountains and the truck traffic became heavy as the rigth lane was full of slow moving trucks and the second lane had trucks that were trying to pass. Our Chevy climbed the hill with ease and we passed vehicle after vehicle climbing to the gap,(Out west we call these passes but here they are called gaps, hence the term water gap?).
It was a beautiful drive and then we saw the sign, I 81 was closed ahead due to a sinkhole collapse. We were ready to stop anyway as we had driven over 340 miles,a a long day for us, and so we took exit 101 on I 81 for Claytor State Park.
The park was virtually empty and we had our choice of campsites. Campground D had a bunch of pull throughs and even though the online site said that the maximum was 35 feet we didn;t have to unhook our truck as we stayed attached and just slid.
Going to the kiosk I discovered that while camping cost just 26.25 we had to pay 5.25 in a pet fee for our dog! 5.25 for a shi-tsu! I talked with another camper and he said that you only had to pay 15 dollars for a week, how kind of Virginia, I thought as I decided to spend as little as possible in a state that charges for dogs.
It was pretty there and we did have a nice walk to the lake. We saw cardinals and titmouse and lots of eastern towhees and it was cold so cold! The temperature dropped to forty degrees that night and it frosted in the area but not where we were at. We left the next morning having no idea of the mess we were heading into.
The news had reported on the sink hole and the first sign we saw said a detour had been made so we thought no big deal right. The sign read that the detour was from exit 195 and then back on I 81 on mile marker 200. It didn't sound bad until I had to stand on my brakes as the truck in front of me suddenly stopped at mile marker 187, oh no a seven mile traffic jam!
A Virgina DOT pickup backed past us with its sign telling people to slow down, and I realized that the Virginia people didn't have a clue. It took us an hour to go two miles. As the next hour passed we reached an exit for I-64,(mile marker 191 and still four miles from the detour), and using the GPS and truckers atlas Renita found a route so we headed west and then north on US 11(At that point we wer still four miles from the detour exit).
It turned out to be a great decision as we only had to stop for a few minutes as we crossed under I 81 and we found the spot where the traffic was exiting the jam and merging onto 11. We made it past the jam! We did have to stop a few places but after 20 miles of detour we reentered 1-81 and sped back up!

We had planned on driving to a rv park at the north end of the Blue Ridge Parkway but Renita consulted the Woodalls and found out it was rated a two, which is real bad! It was priced at 38-68 bucks a night and as I was tired I had almost resigned myself to finding a walmart when She found another park at Winchester, Virignia.

It was far enough north for us to visit Antietam and Harpers Ferry but still close enough for us to Check out Shenandoah National Park, so we grimaced a bit and paid for four mights at forty six dollars a night! At least it was a nice quiet place outside the city limits. Time to rest a bit and become tourists as we sight see some history. Clear skies.

Charleston, Walking Around the Downtown.

2011-05-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

We left Fort Sumter and headed for the visitor center. Now Renita had already discovered that Charleston had a free trolley system and so we left the truck parked on the street and took the trolley to the visitor center.
After watching a lady making beautiful sweet grass woven baskets we determined that the parking spots were too small for our truck and so we got back on the trolley to spend a little time at the City Market. As we got off the trolley the City Market reminded me of the market in Boston but as we entered I didn't see any food stalls and I realized I was in for it, a day shopping in Charleston.
It seemed to me that every other stall was another basket weaver and while they were really beautiful we wondered how they would survive the low humidity of Wyoming. We decided not to purchase one but they were pretty neat.

Strolling down the City Market we really didn't see art of the quality of Savannah. We got back on the trolley and rode some more and there were named shops that Renita recognized but they meant nothing to me. We did find some local stores that sold some quality one of a kind jewelry but again we were somewhat disappointed.
The next day Renita wanted to return so we drove to Charleston and found a parking spot that we actually fit in It cost eight bucks but it was for all day and we don't often pay for parking, welcome to city life! We passed several sea food cafes and decided we would have sea food for lunch as it would be our last day on the coast.
Walking past construction we found more shops and even found a local artist who made blown glass art. He was even selling pieces which his parents made and then wrapped in silver wire, similar to our work. It was fun to talk with another person who understood and appreciated our work as he admired Renitas sodalite silver wrapped pendant.

Deciding to find a place to eat we noticed a sea food place called Hyman's Seafood and it had a lot of people in it so in we went. It urned out to be a lucky find as we had one of the finest sea food meals we have ever had! I had the scored and fried flounder and Renita had grilled Mahi Mahi. While eating the owner sent us free calamari and green fried tomatoes and he even showed up after the meal to talk about the restaurant and welcome us to their restaurant.
Now I don't usually give a place a plug in my blog but if you ever find yourself in Charleston and love seafood you must eat at Hyman's. Seafood. Its that good! Oh I almost forgot to mention we were given free ice cream in a cup and of course I had the peach!

Walking and shopping we passed Calhouns monument and grave, Charleston College, and scores of sun worshipers spread out on the lawn!. I told Renita I felt sorry for the students as many couldn't afford much in the way of clothing and she gave me the look I know too well.
All in all we have enjoyed our time here, there is a lot more to see as we have barely scratched the surface and its a place we will come back to someday. The food was excellent but we both enjoyed the old town center of Savannah more than the downtown shopping in Charleston. It is simply too big for us. Clear skies

The Flags of Fort Sumter, Charleston South Carolina

2011-05-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

I do not celebrate the death of any man, but I do celebrate justice so often denied or delayed. Our middle east wars still bring me so many memories of students who have sat in my class room and served and even died. Manuel Davila was the first who gave his life in the first Iraq War and I still remember his smile. He died from friendly fire but he still died while serving.
At one time I had thirty four former students serving during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and while I understood the necessity I said a prayer for all of them and for all who have served. As the towers fell down I cried for the firemen and policemen who gave their lives as I thought of my son who serves as a state trooper.

So I don't celebrate the death of any man only the cost of freedom as I post the pictures from our visit to Fort Sumter. The first picture is the actual battle flag that flew during the bombardment and was lowered at the surrender by Major Anderson. The second flag is the Palmetto Flag of South Carolina that flew after the Confederates captured and manned the fort.
Such honor and courage and such a price we pay for freedom. Clear skies

The Sweetness of Savannah

2011-04-30T02:06:00.000-07:00

Renita has long wanted to visit Savannah and while it wasn't on my list we were heading through Georgia and so we stopped to check it out. As usual she was way ahead of me and now its a city that we will most definitely come back and visit again.
The rv park we stayed in wasn't the greatest but it was handy and it was right off of interstate 95. We were able to get our prescriptions filled at a nearby Walmart so that is always good. We talked about taking the tour but discovered Savannah's free express shuttle and ferry service, connecting the historic downtown, River street, and the Trade Canter.
Parking at the visitor center it didn't take long before the shuttle arrived and we loaded aboard, heading for River street. It started to rain and even begin to rain hard but it stopped temporarily when we got off at the DOT shuttle stop River Street.

Now the whole street is lined with shops and I could see that I was in for it, but you never know, and it turned out I was pleasantly surprised as we quickly discovered a shop filled with local artists displays. It turns out the city is filled with galleries and shops and it was fun to be in a city with so much art on display. Renita even showed off her pendant, she was wearing a piece I made called "Red Desert at Night", and a shop owner asked us if we would sell her some of our work at wholesale! An interesting idea but something that would turn our lapidary and wire artistry into something too much like work.
It started to rain again, and this time harder, so we boarded the free ferry and cruised across and back, enjoying the view of the river front and the small but elegant city ferry. Savannah definitely has style!

Landing back on River street we checked out a few more stores before walking to Congress Street, looking for Paula Deans restaurant.
It poured harder and so we camped under an awning waiting for the shuttle. When it finally arrived the driver stopped and started again so quickly that I had to chase it waving my umbrella.Some of the other riders saw me and the driver stopped and we loaded aboard.
The next day we got up early and arrived downtown in time to get our name on the list at The Lady and Sons Restaurant,(They start taking names at 9 am for lunch and fill quickly). It was a beautiful day and so we walked along the City Market checking out all the art galleries. There were so many and all filled with local artists work. It was a pleasure to see something different from the usual imported tourist junk from the same overseas countries,(It has been surprising to us that so many places sell the same imported items).
Lunch time arrived and we were quickly seated, ordered, and served. I had the crab cake and Renita decided on the asparagus sandwich. We even ordered a plate of fried green tomatoes, something we have never had before. It was fun to share bites from our plates. We both decided that fried collard greens were a unique and acquired taste. My crab cake was filled with blue crab and Renita's sandwich was excellent,(Did I say all the food was fried, except the rice and black beans?).
Of course I had to have the Key lime cheesecake with almond slivered crust. I could barely it it all, but I managed to finish the huge piece, savoring every bite. We really enjoyed our meal, the waitress was top notch and we even had a nice chart with the manager. Its on our list of a place to return to again.

We walked around the historic town center filled with tree lined boulevards and beautiful squares. To see a city built for beauty and not simply a place to fill with shop after shop was a real joy. The edges of the Historic area was lined with massive churches. Of these two were open to the public and we marveled at the beauty of St John the Baptist Cathedral and The Lutheran and Presbyterian church's architecture.

The magnolias were in bloom, the massive live oak trees lined the squares, and we felt safe and secure as we strolled thought the area. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful city. We were treated to the southern charm and hospitality by everyone we met. Yes, Savannah is a place we hope to return to someday. Clear skies.

Suwanee River State Park, Canoeing Down the Suwanee River

2011-04-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

The water almost looked black, but it was really a dark tea color stained by the rain running though so many leaves. It would than become acidic and full of tannins causing such a unique color. Rising above the water the banks were interspersed with layers of white sand and porous limestone rocks speaking of the caves that lie below.
The banks were broken by fingers of cypress roots, looking like arthritic hands really, that seemed to reach for the water. The cypress trees were full of bright green foliage and beards of Spanish moss reaching down ten feet or more contrasting the color and matching the brown trunks. Suddenly the water erupted as a giant prehistoric fish rose and cleared the water throwing it everywhere.

Leaving Alabama we continued our journey, looking for a place to spend the night. Lo and behold we found a small park that sounded familiar, Suwanee River State Park. It turned out that it was the river that Stephan Foster used for his famous song, Way Down Upon the Swanee River, (yup he misspelled it).
Of course we had to stay there and of course a canoe trip on the Suwanee was in order.
Our campsite was large but difficult to back into, although there were some really good spots in the small campground. Setting up, I took a walk and talked with a couple that had canoed the river. He talked of the large splashes but said he didn't know what the cause was. That evening we finally found out that Gulf Coast Sturgeon were in the river on their annual spawning run.
The park rangers even warned us of people getting seriously injured as the leaping fish, some as big as 300 pounds, would crash into boats. We decided we would stay along the shallows and be as quite as possible during our canoe trip!

The next day we launched early and paddled upstream. We quickly passed a family wading in warn water as a spring flowed from a large sinkhole. A little futher and we were rewarded by a large spalsh as a sturgeon ros einto the air and crashed back into the water. Luckily it was quite a ways away as were all that jumed for us today.
As we rowed we saw large turtles on snags. They would usually slide off into the water as we approached, but one especially large lined box turtle stayed his gorund and dared us to take his spot. I guess whe your a large turtle there is not much that scares you.

Renita remarked that the cypress roots reminded her of gnome castles, thir many spires reaching into the sky. I told her that it couldn't be gnomes as they only inhabit the shores of Minnesota lakes. Perhaps they were faries instead of gnomes, but I knew that I better keep my mouth shut.
We didn't see any water moccasins on low branches and we were both glad of that as we have heard so many stories of agressive snakes. Luckily we have never encountered any of these and the ones we have seen in our travels have been asleep or aware and warning us to stay away, a warning that we always obey.

Too soon we grew tired as we paddled upstream. The river wasn't flowing very fast but still we were fighting the current. Turning downstream we floated a bit and Renita took image after image. We didn't find any rocks to collect and thats ok, we have too many already in our rolling house.
The joy of fulltiming had rewarded us again with an unexpected treausre of new found place of beauty. Landing we talked with a family that had also just finished their float and we all agreed it was a fine morning way down upon the Suwanee River. Sorry, I couldn't help myself :). Clear skies.

Fort Morgan, Gulf Shores, and Rainbow Plantation, Alabama

2011-04-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

We left Grand Isle and drove on the worst roads that we have been on in four years of travel, Louisiana should have taken the stimulus money and fixed their roads! Driving to Summerdale, Alabama, we arrived and set up the fifth wheel at the Rainbow Plantation, an Escapee Rainbow park, If you travel as we do you need to become a member of Escapees).
The first order of business was to fix the damage from the rough roads. Books had spilled out of the upper cabinet, two glass display cases broke, but luckily not a single one of our rocks were damaged. Next was a to do list and after a trip to Lowes we replaced our kitchen faucet with a Moen, what a difference and it has a lifetime warranty!
Being on a roll we rebuilt the bathroom sink and quickly made short work of little problems that have irked us for some time. You would think we would have done this while in Texas and winter camp but we are both procrastinators....

Anyway we finished the repair list and so it was time to play! Deciding to go to Dauphin Island we headed south to the beach and then east to Fort Morgan where we discovered the ferry trip was thirty dollars! As it was already noon we decided instead to explore some history and walked the battlements of the fort.
The fort was five sided and made of brick, an old style fort,(crennulated/ this style fort is where the name fortification agate came from as the agate pattern resembles the aerial design). Perhaps the neatest thing was that we were able to walk along the moat and so we got a really good appreciation of the walls and structure. The museum, I thought actually took a neutral stance on the Civil War and had nice displays,(Unlike the Mississpipi rest stop where a prominentt picture was the sinking of a US Iron Clad and a picture of Jefferson Davis was also displayed, I am curently reading Us Grants autobiography and he didn't have a high opinion of Davis ).

A days outing to the beach was also in order and so packing a lunch we headed south to Gulf Shores. Four years ago we had parked near there and so it was nice to go back and have drink at the same beach pub, after walking the crowded beach, it is spring break here. Renita accused me of taking pictures of ladies in their bikinis but can I help it if they are in the background?
Now the beach here was the first time we had seen white sand beaches and the beach sand had actually squeaked when we stepped on it. It doesn;t squeak anymore, thanks to Bp, and we did find tar balls on the beach at Fort Morgan.

We enjoyed our time at the park vising with other escapees and we even shared our wiring techniques with Linda and Jan and Pat, three ladies we met during the beading group meeting. Linda actually collects rocks and so of course we had to show her and Joel our collection. We even traded some beach glass for some Lake Superior agate!

It was nice to revisit a place where we had started our journey four years before. The damage from Katirna has been mostly repaired and a lot of new construction marks the shoreline.. There is even a new condo high rise being built. The crowded beach and the water front condos reminded me of why we don't like the Florida and Alabama coasts, and why we winter on the Texas Coastal Bend. Clear skies.

Every Day is a Blessing, The Beauty of Grand Isle

2011-04-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

Every day is a blessing and every day we have been here we have found beauty despite the negativeness of the previous posts. Days spent with my sister and her husband are always joyful and special as they guide us to hidden beauties of this place.
One day they took us hunting for sea glass and for pirate treasure, old pieces of pottery/china from the days when Jean Laffeyette ruled the region. Another day Renita and Connie went up the bayou while Gary and I went fishing near Grand Tere. A third day was spent at the annual bird festival and we even got a new life bird!

Being obsessed with rocks, it should come as no surprise that we also collect sea glass so of coarse they took us to their secret place where we found lots and lots of old coke cola bottle glass. The pieces we really like have something written on them and we found pieces that had Thibidaux and Baton Rouge, We even found one with Sherman, Texas, the story that glass could tell!
The pottery we found was in a new place and I will give you a hint It involved wading and finding the pieces in the surf, not on land. We found more then we have found in all of our trips to Grand Isle and we have some with different patterns then we have seen before.

Last year I had the best fishing of my life as Gary took me to Grand Tere and the reds were running. There we caught red fish on every cast and they averaged thirty four inches long. This year we couldn't land on Grand Tere as BP were still cleaning the beach there and we watched as a line of workers walked the surf picking up tar balls. While the fishing was off considerably I wouldn't read anything into it as I did manage to catch a nice 28 inch red and we watched as the dolphins corralled a school of pogies and fed and fed. One slapped the water four times with his tail, stunning the fish and then calling the other dolphins as terns dived and rose from the sea carrying a large pogie in their beaks.

A third day was spent at the bird festival and we walked the paths through the Nature Conservancy Land. We walked past a group of birders who told us of their find, a black whiskered vireo. I looked at the picture and asked them how they knew it wasn't oil on the birds whiskers and they didn't even laugh, don't make jokes with birders!
Every day spent here has been a blessing and we leave tomorrow with sadness but also with anticipation of new states and new birds, and best of all the unexpected beauty we find with this lifestyle. We give thanks to God for our many blessings. Clear skies

Walking Beaches, Another day on Grand Isle

2011-04-15T03:34:00.000-07:00

Another day arrived and this time we decided to walk the beach near the state park,(the state park beach is still closed). To get there we drove down to the fire station where there is a beach entrance, marked by a couple of palm trees courtesy of BP.
As we crossed the beach and walked toward the park we saw a much different beach. There were shells here although they were dark in color. Apparently the beach we had walked on was actually steam cleaned as its the city beach and the place relies on tourism...
Here the beach became a much less inviting place. Before long we walked into a real mess, not sure what it was but it was a real mess. There were birds here which flew away as we approached. Three vans filled with men working cleanp up for BP passed us as we walked. Thye waved and my brother in law told us of an encounter he had had last year after the spill.

He was wade fishing and a Coast Guard person approched along with a BP hirling. The Coast guard man waded out to him and told him that he was not allowed to be in the area. Now you have to know Gary to appreciate this.... he asked him who says so and the Coast Guard person pointed to the unknown man and said he said so.
So of course Gary asked him who he was and said that if the unidentifed man wanted him to leave he should tell him so as he wasn't breaking any laws or trespassing on land. So the Coast Guard person waded back and had a discussion with the unidentified man who them waded out and told Gary he had to leave.

Gary repeated his statement, asking him who he was and why he could be ordered off. Suffice it to say that he wasn't arrested and the two people left. It seems that BP set up a bunch of shell companies so that they could put blame on others. Hmm, kind of like the original drilling problem.
Both Connie and Gary told us of closed daily briefings where the press and public were not allowed even though the Coast Guard and public officials gave reports on the progress. They told of armed deputies patrolling the beach and ordering/keeping people off. They told of how they had lost respect for the Coast Guard as they simply were toadies for BP. How sad. Clear skies

(Yesterday four Louisianna people where denied entry into the BP shareholders meeting even though they held proxie passes, it seems that in England BP rules, and maybe here too.)

Grand Isle, Louisiana, Walking the Beach

2011-04-12T03:23:00.000-07:00

My sister stopped and pick up a tar ball. "You can feel that they are squishy." she said as she held it for the camera, and there were lots more. What we first thought was blackened firewood was actually tar balls, still coming ashore a year after the disaster.

We looked for shells, but Renita only found a few, a far cry from previous walks on this beach. A few shorebirds walked the surf line, but nothing like years past, My sister and brother in law told us stories of the spill and cleanup efforts and you could sense the Isle's people are still reeling.

There were signs of life and I took an image of some ghost shrimp mounds at the tide line. A school of finger mullet were backed up on shore, perhaps a school of fish had chased them there or perhaps they were resting from predators.
We had to stop our walk as we reached the state park boundary and the beach there is still closed, Why? There is much still closed and without any explanation ,(Elmers Island ). We saw some young people burying a friend in the sand and we didn't see any signs of oil as they dug down deep.
Later, we went to an art show and saw images of dead birds and spilled oil. One of the saddest things was the art work drawn and painted by the Isle's school children. So much sadness from kids who had just recovered from Katrina and now faced more turmoil. It made me think of how protected our children were while being raised on the high plains of Wyoming.

I could say more but the storied they told us are still too fresh and my mind is reeling from the promises they had been told, some kept but most still broken. The stories of greed and the stories of how some profited from the spill are what sickens me as much as anything. Of out of state doctors and lawyers buying boats and then parking them on the island. They would then register them as vessels of opportunity and receive a thousand dollars a day for a boat never used while at the same time some of the shrimpers received nothing.......
Did you know the workers on the oil rig were sequestered for two days, and not allowed to see their families, until they signed a release form excusing BP and others from any claims? There are many more stories but this post has been to negative for me, and I won't darken your mood any more. Clear skies ,(Save the Birds).

When In Doubt, Take the Ferry!

2011-04-09T05:40:00.000-07:00

The last two years have seen us at Boerne for a 2007 Class Reunion,(Its called a graduation class and its for people who sell their house and go full time). So when we left Rockport we headed a different way to Grand Isle, Louisiana. We decided to take Texas 35 to Texas 6 and the take the ferry from Galveston Island.

The trip along the coast was fun. It was new country for us as we have never taken this road before. Passing Hog Bayou, a place we canoed, we continued along the road as refinery and refinery and chemical plants passed by. I had no idea that the Texas coast was so developed with so much industry.

As we drove through Galveston, most of the hurricane damage from Ike was no longer visible. It wasn't until we crossed to the Bolivar Peninsula we saw many new homes, lots of construction ,and a few places with slabs or wrecked houses. It reminded us of visiting the coast after Katrina and seeing so much damage but still seeing so much reconstruction taking place.
As to the ferry ride, they are always fun and so we got out of the car and walked to the observation deck. There we watched ships passing bye and basically just had a good but short boat ride. By taking the ferry we missed Houston and only had to be on Interstate 10 for a short stretcht before we parked in Beaumont,Texas.
Our rule is remember, Always take the ferry! Clear skies.

Stepping up to the plate, We are on the Road!

2011-04-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

Aftre taking one look at our problem, The service manager called a motel and set us up with a room. The next day the General Manager called and told us to keep all our reciepts as they would reimburse us. On Monday we met with the General Manaager who told us we would be on the road by late Wednesday,and we were!
I have never seen a company admit their mistake and work so hard to make things right. They air freighted parts from the factory and they got us done. So no pictures this time just a big thank you to Brian and Dave at the rv repair place.. Clear skies.

Dropping a Tire

2011-04-07T03:27:00.000-07:00

"That Lady is yelling something at us." Renita said and so we slowed down and she rolled down her window to hear her. The car pulled even with Renita and the lady yelled to us, "You dropped a tire!". For some reason we both thought it must be the spare but wen welooked into the driver side mirror we could see smoke billowing out of the place where the rear driver side tire used to be . Yup used to be. I slowed and stopped and was able to turn into an abandoned Walmart parking lot without any further damage. The tire and rim and lug nuts were all gone!

Planning on leaving Rockport, Texas, on the first of April, we made an appointment for our usual maintaince, repack the bearings, check and adjust the brakes, check and test the refrigerator and propane systems. Just the usual stuff. Our appointment was fro 8 am and I fumed as of course they worked on someone else first. After all I had made the appointment a month before.
Driving by at ten thirty our fifth wheel still was sitting there and I started to fume a bit. Renita suggested we go birding and so we went to Goose Island State park for lunch and to renew our Texas Park Pass., I told her that if we weren't being worked on we should just hook up the fifth wheel and go but she said I should be patient. No telling a Brackin to be patient is wasting ones breath, but when we returned our unit was being worked on and they assured us that it would probably be done that afternoon.

They called and said it was done and we left the camper place at five pm, yeah! Two miles down the road the tire and rim came off, damaging the side of the fiver and the back fiberglass cap. We were both somewhat in shock as we looked at the damage. How could a wheel and rim come off unless they had forgotten to tighten the lug nuts?
Rentia called the camper place and even though it was after five, their closing time, she finally got a hold of the service manager who came out, took one look at our rig, and then started apologizing. He called their mechanic and a bit later he showed up with another tire and a new hub.

Meanwhile the service person had made reservations for us at a nice motel. He told us that the business would pay for all of our expenses, and told s to unhook and let them haul the fifth wheel back to the shop. Now both he and myself had already looked for the missing tire and rim and hadn't found them. A lady had stopped and told us that she had seen it bound into a swamp and thank goodness it hadn't hit anyone,(We never did find the tire).
The next morning the general manager of the business called us and said apologized for their negligence. He also assured us that they would try to have the fifth wheel repaired by Wednesday, and told us to keep all of our receipts. It had been four years since we started our full timing adventure and we had slept in our fifth wheel every night since.

Quickly the motel became tiresome and eating out every night does not make for a good diet. On Monday we met with the gm and he told us of their own internal findings and said the mechanic had stated that he got busy and forgot to tighten the nuts on the wheel. He said they were leaving no expense and were going to try and have us back on the road by Wednesday.
Now we know a lot of others who full time and who had time in the repair shop. We can now commiserate with them. With everything you own being in our fifth wheel we had to go back to the ship to get clothes, medications, etc... all the things you take for granted. While we have always tried to be prepared we had never planned for being back in a motel.
Wire wrapping, birding at Port Aransas, getting Molly trimmed were all on the to do list. Fishing wasn't an option, nor bike riding as or poles were all put away and the bikes were also packed in the area we call the basement,(the storage compartment).
Our kindles and the computer both provided us with a means of amusement, and I joined the Kindle Nation, (thank you Bobbie for the idea). Between the two of us we downloaded over thirty free books and so we read and worked on our plans for when we leave Texas. Clear skies

A Day Birding with Lannie and Judy

2011-04-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

Our last day had arrived, before we left Texas, and the weather was perfect. Now the plan was to pack and relax but Lannie and Judy stopped by and offered to take us on their Baby cat, birding and fishing along Matagorda Island and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Being flexible we readily agreed.
Soon we were racing along the water. We had launched at Goose Island State park and as we turned north into the Intercoastal the first pair of whoopers showed up. We passed the first two and headed further north where a pair were feeding along the waterway. Stopping in the shallows, as only a skinny boat can do, we were able to get great images of the magnificent birds. They seemed pretty unperturbed by our presence and it was a great day already!

Further up a pair with their chick were feeding and we were able to take more images. Lannie stopped and we fished for a bit and while they both caught black drum we didn't have any bites. When we left, the water was so shallow that we couldn't get up on plane and so Lannie spun the boat in a circle and was able to ride the wake up on plane. It was boat handling such as we have never seen.
The next stop was the rookery, where egrets. roseettes, and great blue herons all nest. Again the skinny boat was able to get up up close and we took image after image. It was really neat to watch Lannie run his boat through the oyster bars and while we stirred up some mud we never hit bottom.

We fished up by the junkyard, which us quite a bit past Rattlesnake Island, and there Renita out fished us as she caught some rat reds,(small red fish but fun to catch none the less). The big fish weren't biting and Lannie suddenly said that he didn't like the looks of the weather.

Now anytime a boat captain says he doesn't like the looks of the weather its time to get off! Again the little Baby Cat boat took us along a long run before we safely arrived at the boat ramp. It had been a great day and Renita said she wants a Baby Cat, maybe some day. Thank you Lannie and Judy! Clear skies

Lessons in Jade

2011-03-26T02:33:00.000-07:00

The story goes that a man went to his lawyer and said he wanted to sue a chinaman. It seems the man had paid the chinaman to teach him how to recognize jade and the first day he went to his store he was handed a piece of jade and told to sit there with it.
After an hour he put the jade down and left. The next day he returned and was handed another piece of jade. Again he left after a while. This went on for quite some time. One day, after arriving at the store, the chinaman handed him a rock that wasn't jade and so the man demanded his money back. The lawyer told him to forget the lawsuit as the chinaman had earned his fees.

In our travels we have been so blessed to meet so many people and have met with so much kindness. Our lapidary teacher, Jerrold, had told us of a man named Warren, who carved jade and had hunted it in Wyoming for many years. We were finally able to meet him at the lapidary shop and after talking about jade hunting in Wyoming, were invited to his house to see his tools, collections, and carvings.
As soon as we entered the door we were met by his charming wife Suzie,an artist in her own right, whose medium was wood, tapestry, and sculpture. Warren proudly showed us his jade set that he called ,"Endangered Species", which was a set of four jade carvings of Texas animals that had neared the brink of extinction. They both told us stories of Jade hunting near Jeffery City and proudly held the first pieces of jade they had discovered.

Warren showed us his other carvings and handed us pieces of Wyoming Nephrite Jade, all ones that they had found or that he had aquired, again all from Wyoming. He told us that there really wasn't any Chinese jade, all the old jade carving were nephrite jade from Turkestan,(from a area called the White and Black Jade rivers), and that jadeite was really a substitute when the nephrite had run out.
He also told us that a lot of the highest quality jade left Wyoming for China where it was carved and worked into much that we see today. Of that the most prized was the green imperial Wyoming jade and the black Edwards jade, both rarely seen ,(although many dealers sell any black Wyoming jade as Edwards jade).
Of course we had forgotten our maps and so we asked if we could return the following week to go over places to prospect and also to learn some of his jade carving and polishing techniques. He kindly agreed and said that if nothing else he would teach us how to cut out cores and how to make homemade saws and drills.

The next week we arrived at their house with maps in hand, and Warren and Suzi sat down and entertained us with stories of jade prospecting and jade hunters. Of course Suzi told us of her rattlesnake encounter and it was obvious that horny toads had made an impression as Warren had several carved from different minerals, both jade and turquoise.
He had me pull up a chair as he called up google earth and the zoomed in and showed me where they had collected every single piece of jade thay had shown us.. Here was an eighty six year old man that had a mind as sharp as the day they found the stone. The time went to quickly and he handed us boxes of small jade slicks, telling us to pick them up and feel the jade.
Suzie then said , "Warren isn't it time to release some of them?:, and he insisted that we help ourselves to the slicks, so that we could hold jade and learn its rind, feel, and color. We both picked out some of the pieces to add to our collection, Pieces that we will not work but will simply treasure as we remember the stories they had shared. Thank you Warren and Suzie! Clear skies.

Family Time

2011-03-17T02:55:00.000-07:00

I've been silent for the past two weeks, ok I did write about the Gem and Mineral show. but its been good silent as we have had company. Pam and Roy had had enough of the Iowa winter and headed south for their yearly visit and while it was crowded in the fifth wheel, the two weeks actually worked out fine.
The weeks were filled with so much and most importantly filled with sister time. I don't think the girls passed up visiting a single store in the Coastal Bend, ok maybe a few, :), luckily Roy and I were able to skip the prolonged shopping and spend some quality time fishing.

We did of course go for the picnic on the PINS, beach,(Padre Island National Seashore). A day there is always well spent with shelling and fishing and walking. The fishing was poor as the seaweed weighed down our lines and made it impossible to hold in place, but it was still fishing. The water had warmed enough so that you didn't need waders and of course the resident Great Blue Heron had to visit us begging for a fish lunch.
Of course we talked rock and lapidary. Roy is also new to the obsession, and he showed us his work, all done with an inland lap and a tumbler for polishing. He really does amazing work, I envy his free form heart shapes and he was kind enough to share his techniques as we did ours. We both came away with new ideas for cabochons.

Another day Roy and I went to the North Jetty at Port Aransas. We didn't make the first boat but we did take the eight o'clock ride and the jetty was still uncrowded as most people fish the free south jetty. Roy caught a 22 inch sheepshead and we ended up with another fine fresh fish dinner.
A second day of fishing was at the Packery Channel jetties. There the sheepshead were also biting and Roy caught a nice flounder. I added a 26 inch red fish to the grill and it doesn't get any better than fresh grilled fish on a half shell.

Of course we had to go see the whoopers in Lamar, stopping at Big Tree. The Ault family obliged with their ususal show and the Big Tree, well its a big live oak tree. It is so amazing to see a famly of whoopers taking possession of a pasture in a subdivision.
Our friend Dick had invited them to his house, where he showed them his work and rock and of course they were as amazed with his displays as we have been. There are so many talented artists here. Dick is in the process of sorting his collection of rough. He has been getting rid of all but the top pieces and so Roy and I left with a lot of Rio Grande Agate cobbles.
The two weeks went so quickly and as they left, with blessed tears of course, hitch itch set in us both and we look forward to our own travels. A wedding in Conneticut, and new states to join the ones we have already visited. The road beckons and we have satyed here too long. Clear skies.

Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Show 2011, Robstown, Texas

2011-03-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

It was finally time for the big event, our clubs 49th annual gem and mineral show. Roy and Pam had come to help and shop for rock,(they also do lapidary and sell jewelry), and we were excited to set up our display of Wyoming Jade.
We had just finished the last seven Wyoming Jade cabochons and had wrapped them in sterling silver so they would complete a sixteen piece set. The display would be a slab of rough and the corresponding finished piece, along with a map of jade prospecting locations.

In addition, we had also been invited to fill a last minute cancellation and show and sell our work. Its a juried show so we were pleased that the clubs board had approved our entry! It was to be our first juried show.
Jerrold and Linda and Mark W, were also going to put some of their work in our store and so we were all excited.
Our friend and mentor Dick C. had also decided to sell some of his lifetime collection and so we hoped we could sell some of our work so we could buy his cabochons, his work is the finest we have seen! He was also selling his wife's, Evelyn, collection of cabochons, matching sets of earrings and pendants that had won her a National Lapidary award.

We met the other club members and loaded the trailer at seven am on Friday and after the short drive to Robstown, we helped to unload and set up the show. We had quite a few volunteers and so it went quickly.
The next morning Renita and I left early and drove to the show. The setup of our store went easy and while it was the smallest store it was composed of one of a kid handmade pieces in which we had done the lapidary and wire wrapping. Our uniqueness is that we don't buy and resell ready made pieces and their wer only two other stores that did the same.

The doors opened and we got pretty busy, explaining our art wire and lapidary work, inviting people to join the club and learn to work stone, and thanking them for stopping buy our booth. We even sold some of our pieces and of course I ran over to Dicks booth and bought cabochons.
We also invested in a beautifully chatoyant five pound boulder of South African gold tiger eye, after all isn't that what its all about, buying and collecting more rock,(note to self buy new tires with a higher load rating)?
Saturday drew to a close and we were all happy with the days events.
Sunday morning came too quickly, I had been up late wrapping custom orders of turquoise and Texas Moss agate. I hope the people would love their rocks. Having people select your style of work and asking you to wrap their treasure makes it even more special. It seemed forever before they showed up and they were ecstatic! They even promised more orders and that's the way its been for us, the weeks after the show bring phone calls and requests.
Its all about getting our names out there and showing our lapidary work and wire art. Renita makes outstanding free form cabochons and I would put our precise wire wrapping up there with the best. To say we are having fun is an understatement and to say it is such a surprise is an equally true. Life is good! Clear skies.

Deep Sea Fishing Aboard the Gulf Eagle

2011-02-23T04:40:00.000-08:00

The fishing boat would plow into the wave and then seem to stop as the captain would ease the throttle before the ship would crash into the trough with a slow falling feeling. After each crash of the metal hull the ship would surge forward, it was going about seventeen miles per hour, as the skipper would accelerate the throttle and the diesels would roar until the next large wave tried to swallow the vessel. Some said twelve feet and one said fourteen, but I thought they were closer to eight feet high waves. I do tend to underestimate waves however.
I had picked up Charles and Bill and we had taken the ferry to Captain Kelly's deep sea fishing for an eight hour fishing experience aboard the Gulf Eagle. There we met Steve and his son and son in law and another fourteen people all ready to board the ship. The fishing would be for king mackerel and then shark and I really really wanted to catch some shark to eat, but both would be new species for me.
As we left the harbour and passed the Port Aransas jetties two families were eating inside the cabin. It wasn't long before the motion had an adverse effect and their fishing day was over, I missed all the excitement as I was sitting on the port side, protected from the waves spray. I was giving a cowboy state yeehaw as we crashed through the waves and the ride reminded me of being in an amusement park,(My friend Bob had suggested such a viewpoint when we were caught in big waves years ago).

The ride continued but the waves actually lessened after about two hours, and except for an occasional rogue wave it wasn't bad as we started to drift fish for kings. I was the first one to let out my ribbon fish and almost at once I had a hit but no hook up. Beside me another fisherman started to fight a king and then another and another as the ship soon had four fish on. I waited to rebait before I noticed ribbon fish on the seat and Helped myself to another ribbon fish.
Gaffs were flying as the deckhands brought fish after fish aboard. As each fish was landed the hands asked the fisherman for their initials and then they would slice them into the skin on the side of the fish before putting the fish into a huge cooler in the back.
Suddenly my pole jerked as a king hit and then the fish took off on a spectacular run, stripping line from the huge Penn 113h reel. I don't know if I touched the spool but the line broke and the deck hand gave me an exasperated look. Grabbing another pole I moved to the back and rebaited.
As I let out line I got a huge backlash and of course another king mackeral hit, hooking itself and then running until the line snarled, caught, and then snapped. The Captain told me to not thumb the spool, and I hadn't but it didn't matter the fish was gone.
The mate retied another rig, as gaffs continued to reach about and bring aboard king after king. I hooked up on a fish and soon brought it alongside where it was gaffed and brought aboard!, Fish for dinner! Corn bread does make a pretty good dinner when the fish aren't biting but we had been eating too much of it lately. Rebaiting I soon had another fish on and just like that I had my limit of two king mackerel.

Joining the fisherman on the other side the Captain took the ship back into the wind to make another pass. We had thirty one king mackerel on the first drift and the hands had kept track by keeping a running tally on the side of the deck house using a red wax pencil.
On the second drift the fish had gone deeper and the mate dropped a jigging pole down finally getting a strike and bringing the fish up. He handed the pole to a small girl and she fought the fish with a determination. We all watched and wondered if the fish or her would win as she almost lost the pole into the water.The school followed the hooked fish up and it didn't take long before we had our limit of kings.

The Gulf Eagles engines started and the ship turned to the southwest as we headed for shark.This time we anchored as the hands baited the hooks with bonita chunks. Each pole was rigged the same, an eight ounce slip sinker attached to a wire leaded and a stout number 6/0 hook. We drifted sideways as the anchor held and the ship was pushed by the wind. Bill caught a small, but legal shovel nose shark but that was all.

Moving to another spot we anchored and I actually felt several strong pulls on the line as my pole bent over, shark on! The fish fought pretty good but I was able to get into a rhythm of winding and pumping the fish up. It made several runs back to the bottom, pulling line out but the drag worked and the fish stayed on. I soon got the upper hand and I had my shark aboard,(I hope Pam and Roy like grilled shark).
The boat caught another keeper shark before Steve's pole doubled and he set the hook on a really large fish, He fought the fish and followed it as it ran around the boat! Setting my pole down I got out my camera and followed the action to the stern and then starboard side of the ship.
It was a really big fish and Steve had his hands full, but he did finally bring the fish up. It was a large black tip shark but not big enough to keep,(they have to be 54 inches from snot to the fork in the tail). The hands asked me if I had gotten a picture and as I nodded agreement they held and broke the line releasing the fish.
The excitement was over and we fished some more but no more shark. The captain announced that it was time to reel them up and head back to Port. It had gone so fast and the trip back seemed to drag on as oil platforms and then anchored tankers passed by.

On shore the fish were hung on hooks for pictures and it was pretty impressive, seeing forty kings and three sharks. The fish cleaners took over and it was the smartest forty cents a pound one could spend as they cleaners made short work of your fish, filleting and bagging them.
We talked on the way back about the days fishing and how could it be better. We all had our limits of fish for the table and we had all avoided getting m sea sick. It had been a good day aboard the Gulf Eagle, a day I would recommend for anyone interested in fishing for kings and shark! Clear skies.

Golfing At Corpus With Friends, Gabe Lozano Golf Course

2011-02-19T04:28:00.000-08:00

The rule is if you don't use it in a year you should take it out of the rv. While this rule is usually followed, I simply couldn't get rid of my golf clubs. So when our rv park neighbor got to talking about his golf game I managed to worm my way into an invite to join a group when he had an opening.
Now I was sitting, standing ready, on the first tee and wondering if I could even get the ball past the ladies tee. It had been two years since my last golf misadventure and I was hoping that I wouldn't hold Jerry and Frank back.
I addressed the ball and took a swing, only to slice the ball into the rough by the next fairway. Not a good start. Luckily I have some Irish blood and I asked for a Mulligan. My second chance was actually pretty good. Luck is better then skill sometimes.

Ending up with a seven on the first hole, a triple, I really didn't feel too bad and I doubled the next two holes. Doubles seemed to be the name of the game until I got a bogey and then another! Now my friend Bob had told me years ago that my goal should be to be a bogey golfer and that shooting in the mid forties would place me in good stead, so I was pretty happy to end up with a fifty two for the front nine.
Of course I started the back nine with a double but then things started to click, even though I was getting a bit sore from walking the course,(the real reason I should golf more as walking is good). I then settled down and shot a few more bogeys, hoping for a least one par on my return to the links.

We got to a par three and it was two hundred and ten yards from the white tees. I took out my driver and actually kept my eye on the ball. It hit in front of the green and rolled to within five feet of the cup! Oh my goodness a chance for a birdie put. Carefully lining up I stroked the ball and it went into the dead center of the hole,my first birdie in four years!
I never did get a par and I ended up with a forty eight for the back nine. It really surpassed my expectations and I found myself wishing, or looking forward to another day on the course. Good friends, a rosette in the water on the third hole, and a birdie......Clear skies.

Lagoons Park Craft Show Again, our Second Show

2011-02-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

We had been anticipating the February Arts and Crafts Show at Lagoons and so we spent the cold January and early February, making and wrapping cabochons/ We also redid our display cases and arranged our tables making a palate of color, hoping it would be less confusing.
The big day arrived and we were one of the first to arrive! It didn't take long to set up our tables ad we had a good hour to kill before the show opened. Walking around we enjoyed looking at others art work and we did notice quite a few wire artists, including another who wrapped sea glass.

Nine o'clock arrived and the hall filled with people. We were both busy explaining our work and showing our rock collection. We sold our first piece, sea glass from Grand Isle and then another. It was a good start and we hoped for more but the real goal for us is to make contacts and give out cards.

The day moved swiftly and by noon the crowd thinned. It never really picked up again but it was ok, we had made a profit and had learned a lot about shows and sales and picking your audience. Another couple were rock hounds from Idaho and they showed us several rocks w could collect in their state, including star garnets and white and black zebra stone.
Two o'clock rolled around and we tore down, which really was pretty easy. It has been a learning experience this year and we have had a good time, so that's what its all about. Our final show in Texas is the Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Society Show where we volunteer and don't sell. That will be relaxing. Clear skies.

More Whoopers and Ice Storms and the Sun Came Out To Play!

2011-02-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

Renita called me and told me I needed to get over to Lamar as two families of whoopers were having a territorial fight. She was with Judy and Cissy and Judy said she had never seen whoopers fighting before! Of course I grabbed the cameras and binoculars and headed out the door and of course the fighting was over by the time I arrived.

It was still a sight as there were now three different whooper families, the Alts, the pair with twins, and a new pair that was so close I could take their picture through the truck window! I felt nervous as I watched them feed on crustaceans exposed by the extremely low tide. Occasionally they would stop their activity and look at me and so I drove away as I didn't want to stress them with the cold front approaching and their need to put on more fat.
That night the front passed and the temperature dropped to the twenties. Our hose froze and so I took it off and stowed it inside to thaw. The forecast was for an ice storm and so we put in the slides as I didn't want to test the weight bearing capacities of the slide outs. One half of an inch of ice would add over 1000 pounds to the normal load on the roof alone.

Luckily the ice storm didn't put much ice on us. Enough to shut the areas roads and bridges down, and enough to kill the flowers and many sea turtles and possibly the fish. I took Molly for her morning walk and took photos of the ice on the sago palms.

This afternoon the sun came out and the temperature warmed above freezing. I reattached the hose and we washed the dishes and even cleaned up. Our house has so much more room with the slides back out and the whole experience made us wonder why we were in South Texas, but only for a little while, The whoopers and birds and fish and ocean have a hold on us and our new friends in the lapidary shop and jewelry factory,(our recreation hall), all add to our enjoyment.
Our daughter called and she said she wondered how we were dealing with the cold. She casually mentioned it had been thirty below in Minneapolis and we told her how our daughter in law Patty, had said it was 29 below at their new house just south of the Hoback in Wyoming. We hope of course that this will be the last major cold front of the season, but it is still winter. Clear skies.

Happy Hour With the Alt Family

2011-01-30T03:52:00.000-08:00

Dad was getting pissed! It was bad enough that he had been subdued and those humans had actually attached a radio transmitter to his leg. Now more were arriving and slamming their car doors. Can't a Whooper get any peace?
We decided to take a break and head over to Lamar for some birding. It was pretty nice and the sun was out so the plan was to go birding before happy hour at the park, but plans change. Loading up the binocs and camera we headed out and crossed the long bridge to the Lamar Peninsula.

As soon as we reached the bay we saw trucks and cars with birders and a little further we saw the Alts, putting on their show, as only whoopers can do. See the Alts, an adult pair of whoopers and their chick, have taken possession of a pasture with a deer feeder.
The total count of whoopers is up a little at about 290 birds and it seems to us anyway that the population is expanding their wintering area. The lobstick family at the refuge claims about 600 acres, all though the male lost a fight with a younger male and lost some of it.

Finally the Alts had had enough and flew away as another car door slammed shut.. We drove a little further to the Big Tree shore where a second whooper family has taken possession of its own territory. This family has twins, which is pretty rare for the whoopers. Further out we still watched them while we talked with other birders and one let us look through his spotting scope,)all though our binocs are quite good).
We finally realized it was happy hour back at the rv park, but happy hour with the whoopers is special too! If only everyone could see the majesty of these birds, their height and bearing and regal red crown! Its not hard to believe that they are five feet tall and it has been reported that one killed a feral pig with a peck from his beak!

Watching we saw rosettes spoonbills land and feed. A reddish egret perched atop a duck blind. Near us a flock of turkey and black vultures seemed unconcerned with our nearness.It was happy hour after all and the Alts did return back to their pasture, landing not far behind us and rejoing the birders and birds happy hour. Clear skies.

Custom Design, Taking Our Art to a New Level

2011-01-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

The opportunity to work with stone and metal wire has led us to the point where we simply had too much to carry and so we started selling select pieces. We found that as we made new pieces the fun was in the grinding of the rock and the shaping of the wire and that the finished piece was enjoyable for a little while but then it was better to sell it and make more.
Our designs evolved and our sales increased. We even got a custom order and then another and another. Three were from other wire wrappers and one was from our mentor Dick, who asked us to wrap his best pieces of falcon eye, a blue tiger eye, making a pendant and earrings. The challenge had been laid down.

So we looked at the abstract design and looked and finally tentatively wrapped it in copper, to see if the design worked and it didn't. The copper however gave us the chance to twist and redesign the metal and so we both gave each other input before the silver wire was cut and twisted, and it worked and it is the finest set we have made. Clear skies.

Happy Hour at the Beach 2011, Mustang Island

2011-01-15T03:13:00.000-08:00

Pete announced that Thursday was the day for the happy hour bunch to do the annual day at the beach fishing expedition and so we all headed out early to get the best spot to fish and still be close to the barbecue. Hopefully we would catch some fish and then have a fish fry back at the rv park, also an annual event.
Renita and I headed out, stopping along the way to buy some fresh shrimp/ Our friend Lannie had already provided us with some frozen mullet and so I expected it to be a good day for reds and maybe even a shark.
We were on the same ferry boat with some of our group and we followed them to the beach turn off at the beach access one. I had bought a tow rope to pull out stuck people but the beach had been prepared by a grader that was still working and it was easily the firmest beach driving we have ever had. The surf was really low as a cold front had passed and the wind had shifted and so I had a good feeling as this would allow me to wade out and throw into and past the third cut.

It felt cold as I waded out and I watched Charles and Jim as they both waded and cast. My new big surf rod let me make the cast and I threw the mullet to what I thought was a good spot for a big fish. Alongside me I watched as Charles caught a pompano and then a double of whiting. Even though pompano are my favorite I still left the mullet on hoping for a shark.

Pete and Reva, Dale and Howard, everyone seemed to be catching fish but no shark or redfish bothered my bait. I still held out hope and watched as they caught fish after fish and that was good as I could taste the fresh fish being fried back at camp.

The grill was fired up and Steve became the grilll master, expertly cooking the doggs and brats, while the ladies set out tables and spread out the food for the beach feast. Of course I made a pig of myself and tried every desert, The whole group stopped fishing and ate and of course we had way to much food.
Finishing lunch I headed back to my poles still undisturbed by any big fish and I watched as Reva caught a pompano. It was too much for me to stand and I brought in my line and rebaited it with fresh shrimp. The tide had been coming in and it was harder to wade out as the surf was a growing stonger, but I stilll managed to just make the third cut.

My pole jerked shortly after and I reeled in a small whiting. Another cast and another whiting and I threw this one into Charles cooler as an offering to the upcoming fish fry. More casts and more whiting as the tide continued to come in and it became harder and harder to wade out into the surf.
At the end of the day, Pete informed us that the final count of fish was sixty whiting and two pompano. It was enough for a fish fry and even though I didn't catch any reds, black drum, or sharks it was still a good day on the beach with friends. Clears skies.

St Charles Bay and Big Tree Wildlife

2011-01-05T04:56:00.000-08:00

The weather along the coastal bend of Texas, has been really great this winter. A couple of cold fronts have come through but then the wind switches to the south and the temperatures rise to even the eighties. We took advantage of such a day and went canoeing on St Charles Bay.
Our wildlife viewing started on the drive as we neared the Big Tree put in spot, A family of whoopers has decided to spend the winter in Lamar and have taken possession of a cattle grazing spot on eighth street and so we passed five vehicles parked and viewing the whoopers. Arriving at the launch site, the tide was in making it was an easy launch as we slid the canoe into the water.

We have stopped using the stabilizers and we have picked up quite a bit of speed, and so we quickly headed towards a cut into the peninsula where several abandoned summer camps lie shrouded in tall weeds.
It's usually a good spot for herons and even cranes and the spot didn't disappoint us, in fact it even provided us with a surprise. In the back of the cut floated an alligator which seemed to view our approach with disdain. Turning the canoe toward it Renita had the camera in hand as I tried to get closer but the gator swirled and sunk below surface. Was it being cautious or was it starting its stalk of some Wyoming snack?
Turning the canoe away from the gators last location I couldn't help but think of the kayaker in the news who disappeared as a large crocodile pulled him from his craft. My fears were needless however as the gator soon reappeared in the same location. None the less the warm temperatures made it the fist swimming gator we have seen while canoeing!
We headed further up the peninsula and passed several waders and yakers,(kayakers). One was landing a nice trout and so of course my thoughts turned to fishing and we tied up to an abandoned duck blind to cast out our poles. No fish bothered us however and so we reeled in and headed further up the bay to a large oyster bar.

Looking for the opening into a back bay, we had canoed it last year, we passed it unfound and instead paddled around the oyster bar.which makes a prominent point on the west shore of the bay. Sandpipers fed along the shore and great egrets and American ibis, both extremely common here, waded the shallow water.
A great blue heron sat perched on a duck blind, also empty, and the water was a smooth as the first ice on a northern lake, as we continued along effortlessly. Of course mullet were jumping and it was just a beautiful day canoeing the coastal bend.

A small cold front passed and the wind shifted to the north, blowing us back to our take out point. We never did have a bite but it didn't matter, it was winter time and we were in t-shirts and shorts. Every moment we spend on the water is a blessing and a reaffirmation of our decision to go full time. Clear skies.

December 2010 at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

2010-12-31T04:57:00.000-08:00

A deep seated roar seemed to surround us. It not only came from the air but it also seemed as if the water itself were vibrating. The others on the observation deck looked around and the only one unconcerned was the American Bittern that was concentrating on its fishing and possible morning breakfast.
We had decided to take a break from our busy schedule,(go ahead and laugh if you wish), and go birding at the Aransas National Wildlife refuge. It was kind of like our personal bird count for the end of 2010 and we hoped to at least see a few whoopers.
Leaving Wateredge it was a short drive to the refuge and Renita started to record our daily bird list. Quickly she started it with a northern harrier and then added a cara cara as we passed seven scattered next to the road way. A red tailed hawk perched on a pole and of course we saw northern mockingbirds and the usual little grey birds, although I was sure one was a black crested titmouse.
Arriving we registered at the refuge headquarters where the volunteers seemed a little unsure of themselves but they probably had just arrived and we got the expected whooper totals after a little prodding. Our first stop was at Jones Lake and the parking lot was full of cars as lots of birders where taking advantage of the holiday season.

As we walked out on the deck one side was full of cameras with large lenses and one of the photographers motioned to us to come near and see the American bittern. It was totally unconcerned with all the attention as it concentrated on its fishing and we got a great and close view of what for us was a new life list bird!.
A huge gator was across the lake and it shook the air with its mating call. It was the first time we have ever heard an alligator roaring and it really did seem to shake the air and water, much like one of those horns that shook everybody at the World Cup. Another gator answered in challenge but it was across the lake.
Renita pointed out the huge gator as it continued to roar and stretched out its head, pointing it into the air as it arched its body and emptied its lungs. Such a primal sound that has been heard for millions of years and we felt lucky to actually hear it.

We left the throng and mosquitoes at Jones Lake and headed to the Rail Trail and Observation Tower. As we climbed the Tower ramp we were greeted with a strong south wind that shook our spotting scope so much that it was almost useless. Across the flats a pair of whoopers were feeding and I thought I spotted another pair much further down the way, on some spoil piled along the Intercoastal waterway.
Next was the rail trail where hundreds of pintails started to fly away in wave after wave! A greater yellowlegs stood perched and sleeping on one leg while several lesser yellowlegs searched for food,(They have a updated bird list at the visitor center and it sure helps me zone in on the kind of birds to expect at each spot).
It was lunch time and we ate as we drove along the eleven mile road where more lgbs,(little grey birds), and a kestrel highlighted the drive. Our next stop was at Big Tree where we climbed down the eroded bank and then walked along the beach.

Turning around I noticed a rock underneath a stump and as I neared it took form, a large pleisticene fossil bone! Excited I noticed more bones underneath the stump and I turned over the stump to uncover someones cache of possible mammoth bones.
Hoping it was a park rangers find and not the pile of a fossil poacher I recovered the bones with the stump and headed back to tell Renita. I saw several smaller bones exposed along the beach front and even found a part of a fossil tooth, perhaps a piece of mammoth tooth , and took a photo of it before returning it to the spot it had laid in.
A sign nearby warned that the site was a place of archaeological significance and I was a little confused as to whether it was due to the mammoth bones or if it was the old site of early human habitation. We stopped at the headquarters to report the fossil bones and sure enough there was a display of mammoth bones and tusk pieces on the wall.

Of course we also stopped at Heron Flats where we saw a small flock of spoonbills and another and larger one of snow geese. We walked down the trail a little bit and there were the alligators and they looked like the same ones from last year. Another couple came by and the man suggested to his wife that she should go over by the gators for a picture but she ignored him and didn't respond.
Our final stop was at the small pond near the visitor center. A green kingfisher had been reported there that morning but we didn't see much as the rushes have overgrown the pond. Renita drove back to Rockport and we talked of the day, the beauty of the American Bittern and the bonus of the alligator's roars. A good day afield and an inspiration for more birding! Clear skies

A Day on the Beach at Padre Island National Seashore, Merry Christmas to All from the Coastal Bend

2010-12-24T04:46:00.000-08:00

The forecast was for temperatures in the 80's and so we had to head for the beach. We hadn't been to Padre Island National Seashore this winter and as it was officially the first day of winter we donned our shorts and beach gear and headed out.
Its about a thirty mile drive and we had to cross the ferry, but it wasn't very busy and we first stopped at the Parks Headquarters to inquire about the driving conditions. It was rated good to fair and it really was pretty good for a while. We drove along the beach until we passed the five mile sign where it states that four wheel drive is recommended.
We continued on until we started to notice many small shells. Backing up to the waters edge I set out two poles while Renita busied herself with the lawn chairs and it didn't take long before we were both busy with fish and wildlife. I caught a whiting and as soon as I landed it a great blue heron approached, hoping for a handout. It didn't get any as we believe wildlife should find their own food so the bird decided Renita was an easier touch and stood near her for most of the time we were on the beach.

About then my pole doubled over and I knew it was a good fish as it worked the surf rod pretty good, but it really wasn't that difficult a fight as it was my new pole and reel. a special setup for big fish and I soon was able to land a whiting and a twenty four inch black drum,dinner!

We fished some more and then ate our lunch, which of course brought in gulls and other freeloaders. I wonder if the dinosaurs used o crowd each other for handouts, or at least scraps. I returned to fishing as Renita walked the beach in the never ending quest for the perfect shell and she did find some sand dollars.
The tide was coming in and we headed back toward the beach access point, making several stops along the way for more shelling excursions. More sand dollars and a few new shells made it into our truck and I wondered where we would put them all but there always seems to be more room.
That night we had grilled black drum on a halfshell,(black drum fillets with their skin on), grilled to perfection. Seasoned with cajun spices and basted with a little butter it was about as good as it gets and fresh black drum is one of my favorite fish. We both felt a little guilty as we cleaned our plates and Molly was a little put out as not only had she missed happy hour but she didn't get any fish.
Sitting on the beach we talked about our Christmas past memories and we both agreed that our favorite Christmas event was spending a day in the Bighorns, sledding, cross country skiing, and finding the perfect Christmas Day. We have been so blessed in our lives and every day is a blessing, a day on the beach isn't so bad a memory either. Merry Christmas everyone and of course clear skies!

The Lagoon Arts and Crafts Show, Our First Show

2010-12-18T03:48:00.000-08:00

"Its really important to have a business card and have them out for your display. I get most of my orders after the show." she said, We were being shown around the community center where we would be setting up our display and we had run into another show participant.
So we updated our card and bought some materials at Lowes for our display,(we ended up not using the materials of course), and did a practice set up on using our main room floor as a display surface.
Saturday arrived and of course we couldn't sleep much, or at least I couldn't, I got Renita up early and we arrived at the site a little early, but not to much. Others were already there setting up their booths.

As we set up others came by and looked at our goods and of course they were looking at our pieces. One vendor, a friend even told us that our prices were too low and that people would think that our rocks were cheap fakes from China but the prices she suggested seemed so high to us.
I put out a picture of Renita grinding a cabochon and a display that read, "We saw, grind, and polish our cabochons from the rough and then do the wrapping ourselves", hoping people would read a little about us and understand. Renita even went around to look at other booths and to check their prices and they seemed so expensive.
Nine o'clock arrived and people streamed in. We had a good flow past our booth but it wasn't as crowded as it usually is. It turned out we were competing with a show in Goliad and the Renaissance Fair in Rockport and so the other vendors fretted but we seemed busy.
People stopped and looked and some even took our card. Renita had bought a bunch of cheap silver plated necklaces and we sold a bunch of them. I got rid of a geode slice and we even sold a few of our pieces, enough to make a profit for the day! That with our presales made it a good day as we had yet to pay for an order of silver wire that would soon be arriving in the mail.

The people thinned out in the afternoon and it seemed the few that stopped by were mostly interested in meeting us and talking about their own rock hounding. Contacts are important. Many of our friends stopped by, even our mentor Dick. He was wearing a bolo tie of translucent petrified palm wood that he had made this morning and of course it glowed, as all his pieces do.
I even got a chance to talk to the wire wrapper and rock hound who had inspired us to become ones ourselves, and look at their pieces which included some made of expensive sugalite. Two o'clock arrived and most of the vendors were already packed up and so we filled our bins and I rode a golf cart to the vendors parking lot, retrieving our truck.
We were tired from the show but happy that we had made a profit for the day, and yes we did have post show sales that raised our totals, enough to almost pay for our soon to arrive supply order. We had sold enough that we signed up for the much larger show in February! Clear skies