The Sixty-First Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Society Show

Each year we only sell at six shows. One of the biggest is the Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Societies, (GCJMS), annual gem and mineral show. This year the show was held at the usual site, the Fair Grounds, in Robstown Texas. This year twenty-seven dealers showed their fossil, mineral, rock, and gemstone creations. It so nice to see so many of our friends in the Society and to reconnect with other dealers. Last year the show’s attendance had dropped a little and so we were concerned about the numbers that walked through the door. We should not have worried!

Both Saturday and Sunday’s sessions were well attended. We make virtually everything we sell. Each summer I saw grind and polish the cabochons and in the winter months I wire wrap the pendants and bracelets. Often, we compete with booths in which the dealers don’t make any of their wares, (resellers). One of our friends, Cecil knaps and makes arrowhead, knifes and other Native American artifacts. His work is exceptional!

Our niche is that because I am a geologist, we aren’t just selling jewelry, but we are telling the story of almost every one of the stones. We even prospect some of the materials! One of my favorite stories involves a rattlesnake that Renita encountered while hunting Sweet Water Moss Agates. That time she spotted the snake and told me to get a good picture of it. The prairie rattler had just shed and was a beautiful greenish color! As I neared the snake it rattled and reared up. After taking a couple of pics she yelled at me to get closer, and I always do what she says. Happy wife happy life! I could fill the blog with stories but back to the show.

My cousin Angie and her husband Pete traveled down to the show and helped us both days. Pam and Roy, Renita’s sister and her husband also attended and helped us on Saturday. Thanks to them and all the GCGMS members who worked at the show! It was a good two-day show, and it met our expectations. Not only do we sell but we also buy supplies and fossils for our own collection. This year several dealers were retiring so we purchased larimar, red tiger eye, dinosaur eggs shell fragments. We also bought a large fragment of a woolly mammoth skull for our private collection. Now we are preparing for the summer shows in Wyoming. Maybe we will see some of you down the road, (full time rvers never say goodbye). Clear skies

A not very friendly Cottonmouth, birding at the Aransas Wildlife Refuge

We had already had a great day at the Aransas National Wildlife Reserve! A family group of whooping cranes were close to the road at Heron Flats, along with another flock of five about a mile east on the same flat. Now we were driving on the Nine Mile one-way road when I noticed something in the middle of the road. I yelled snake and Renita stopped the car.

It had already been a great day of birding at the refuge. The family group of whooping cranes had posed for pictures and was the closest we had ever been at the refuge.

Usually, the whoopers are far away as each family stakes out a one-and-a-half-mile territory, which they strongly defend! Our next stop was at the Tower and the marsh was empty of whooping cranes. Walking the Oak Forest Trail is usually a good place to take photos of various egrets and herons along with other shorebirds.

As we watched a American Kestrel hunted for its lunch and I got a great short as it hovered oved the marsh. It dove and took something back to its perch, but we could not see what it had caught.

On the bay, a great blue heron landed, and an American White pelican flew over my head.

Willets fed in the shallow water and a Marbled Godwit got close enough for a picture.

As we drove over it Renita parked the car so we could identify the road killed serpent. Walking back, we all noticed that the head had moved and that the snake was alive. It had been sunning itself by warming up on the road. The snake had a triangle shaped head and did not like our presence.

It opened its mouth and showed its fangs and white cotton colored mouth/throat. It also had a cat’s eye pupil which always indicates a poisonous snake. Of course, it was a cotton mouth! They are known for being aggressive, but this snake just wanted to escape. It rattled its tail mimicking a rattlesnake, even though it did not have any rattles. Continuing to open its mouth it struck Dan, but he was too far away for it to hit, he has owned snakes before and knows to keep clear. Barb and Renita joined us in watching the beautiful snake as it crawled toward the roadside ditch. Stopping there, it tried to hide in the short grass and its camouflage was pretty good, but it still stood out.

If we hadn’t known it was there, it would have been easy to miss the reptile and step on it. We left the snake unharmed; they do have an important place it the ecosystem and make up one of the menu items for whooping cranes. The wind came up during lunch and it kept the mosquitos at bay as we ate at the picnic area. Now usually we walk the one plus mile of the Heron Flats trail. But today was not a good day as the mosquitoes were swarming and when we reached a sheltered area I got bitten even through the heavy shirt I was wearing. My lotion had worn off and it was time to turn around. Usually, we see quite a few alligators but today there was only one.

It was resting on a log on the bay side of the trail. We have never seen one on that side, so it was another first for the day. From now on we must be leery of gators lurking on either side. It was another fun day at the Aransas Wildlife Refuge. The birds had posed nicely, and we even got a new bird for our life list.

It was a Savannah Sparrow. Many of the sparrows are hard to identify but I got a great picture and was able to id it with our bird book. Clear skies

Smith Oaks Forest, Dons Drip, and another trail along Smiths Pond

After lunch we decided to take the trail to Nicole’s Niche and Dons Drip. Driving to another parking lot we would be closer, but it ended up being a waste of time as we could have easily reached them both from our lunch spot near the Rookery. Last year at Dons Drip we become involved in a birding controversy as a warbler had been misidentified. I wrote about it and won’t repeat the story here). This year we did not see any birds using the drip and we had the place to ourselves.

Continuing along the leaf covered trail, to Nicole’s Niche, I kept a constant lookout for birds and snakes. Not seeing any I walked to the drip, a place where water has been piped to form a bird bath and a bird sip. I noticed movement next to my foot I saw a four-foot-long snake threatening to bite me. I had almost stepped on it, and Renita was so close to it that I said “Lookout, snake!”. She screamed, loudly I might add, and then jumped in the safe direction. She had almost stepped on it! So much for spotting any birds. I reminded her that one must be quiet to see birds or bears, (I will not repeat what she said as she also gave me the look)!

The snake rattled its tail, but it was only mimicking a rattlesnake. We later identified it as a Texas Rat snake. They can and will bite but this one only threatened. If you blow up the picture you can see its eye is round not catlike, which is indicative of all non-poisonous snakes. Last year at Dons Drip we had been involved in a birding controversy as a warbler had been misidentified. I wrote about it and won’t repeat the story here). This year we did not see any birds using the drip and we had the place to ourselves.

Walking the other trails, we photographed a rosette spoonbill flying bye and passed an alligator trail where it crossed the path from one pond to another. Keeping an eye out for its snout we wanted to make sure we didn’t end up as lunch, but we never spotted it.

Renita spied a female anhinga across the pond and took a good photograph of it as it perched and dried it’s wings. On the way back to the car I saw a resting water moccasin floating next to the trail. It ignored us and I tried to take its picture, but I forgot to use the manual focus and the camera focused on some nearby grass.

Darn it. It had been a great day, it always is at High Island. The Houston Audubon Society does an excellent job maintaining the eight birding sites. Well done Houston! Now it’s on to Grand Isle, Louisiana where family and more birds await! Clear skies