Grand Isle, The Blessing of the Fleet, 2019

Just like last year, a strong wind was blowing from the north and the shrimp boats were having to jockey past one another as they lined up for the blessing. Some captains were not as adept as the others and several gently bumped the dock, but the better captains didn’t have any problems as they passed by.

It was the second year in a row that we had been able to attend the Blessing of the Fleet. It used to happen in August but had been moved to celebrate the spring season. This year our friends Dave and Jane had joined us as the Blessing coincided with the Grand Isle Birding Festival.

The priest and deacon had arrived, along with the Admiral in charge and his wife who had been selected as this years Queen. The other royalty was in attendance as the Teen Queen wore her banner and tierra.

The first boat to pass was a Coast Guard Boat and it proudly led the small fleet. The Coasties didn’t smile or wave but simply stood at parade rest as the crowd cheered the brave men and women that protect them and the fleet each year. Thank you Coasties!

A large crowd had gathered to watch the event and after the shrimp boats lined up, began to pass in front of the dock. Father Joe first read from a book of prayers, asking God to protect the men and women who go out into the sea. Then as each boat passed, he would sprinkle the vessel with Holy Water, (the priest blesses water each year for baptisms and special blessings).

As the ship passed by, a deck hand would make an offering which was placed in a small fishing net. The crowd had gone silent and many were also in prayer as we were all moved by the solemnity of the event. The shrimpers were also moved and most had family and friends riding with them during the event.

There were other events taking place, a carnival had set up, and Connie talked Dave and I into riding with her on the Ferris wheel .She mentioned that it was probably pretty tame after the many times I had climbed Devils tower, but in reality I am not crazy about riding man made contraptions,

(At least when I climbed I could trust my knots and my fellow climbers).

There was also an auction of donated items and Gary had donated pieces of the lawn furniture he makes and sells.

After the auction a band played, and we all danced the afternoon away. The event ended and the venders and organizers started to tear down. If you are ever at a fishing port that holds a blessing of the Fleet, take the time to watch! Clear skies

Arriving at Grand Isle,The first day of Birding

High overhead, the bird wheeled in circles. It was riding thermals and had a long sleek body with long tail feathers. It also had a beak with the end tapering in a hook, somewhat like a pelican. The locals call them rain birds, as their appearance signals the approach of a strong cold front/storm. But their real name is a magnificent frigate bird.

It had taken us two days to drive from Rockport to Grand Isle. It’s about five hundred and seventy miles. We didn’t leave until ten forty-five am as it took us longer than planned to secure the fifth wheel for storage.

By the time we reached Lafayette, we were so tired that we pulled into a motel we thought we knew, but after registering we noticed the place was a dump. A woman parked in her truck saw how many bags we had. She warned us that we needed to be sure and lock our truck for the night.

We went out to our favorite restaurant and settled in for a troubled night, but everything was okay when we went out to the truck the next morning. After eating the free breakfast, we drove the final two hundred miles to Grand Isle.

After visiting with my sister and her husband, we met Jane and Dave, who had camped the night before in Palmetto State Park. We were all, staying at the Blue House, their rental property, as it was empty for the time we would be here. Everything else on the Island was rented as this weekend would be busy with the Birding Festival and the Blessing of the Fleet.

The first day of the birding festival arrived and after breakfast we rode to the state park. Seniors get in free but when we drove to the empty parking lot the campground hosts told us that we couldn’t park there as we would have to drive to the day use area and then walk about a mile to go birding.

I thought it was crazy for them to expect people in the upper seventies to walk that far to see the birds, but they insisted that we would be in trouble even if we only viewed the mulberry trees for a little bit. It turned out that the berries were not yet ripe, and the birds had not yet reached Grand Isle.

Walking out on the fishing pier boardwalk we watched a several hundred black skimmers flushed from their beach and flew to a secluded spot. Brown pelicans, and a huge flock of gulls stood in the distance unperturbed by some fisherman. The only brightly colored bird we saw was a cardinal.

Leaving the park, we drove down a road that separated the oil storage tanks from a large grassy field and we did get to see a flock of black necked stilts, a reddish egret, and several marbled godwits.

There was also lesser yellowlegs and Renita did spot a dolphin pod as it swam in a nearby channel.

So, the day turned out to be ok, bird wise. It was a far cry from last year as the timing was perfect and a huge fallout had occurred. In the evening we went to the carnival and venders both and I did ride the Ferris wheel with Dave and my sister Connie.

So today we plan on walking through the woods hoping flocks of birds have arrived during the night. They have had a tail wind, but things will change as the strong cold front will shift the wind to the north at twenty to thirty miles per hour, (the birds are migrating across the Gulf of Mexico). There is also rain in the forecast so we shall see. Clear skies

Most of the snowbirds have left but there are still holdouts. We still have six inches of snow on the ground with another snow storm heading toward Wyoming. Still most have left and you can see it among our friends as there are only six left for the Saturday morning breakfast.

OF those four are leaving Monday and we plan on packing up and pulling out on Tuesday.  Our plans have changed, and we are going to leave our fifth wheel here for the summer. A rv repair and storage place, (away from the coast), is going to pull and park it, store and watch it, and finally wash it and haul it back to our spot next fall.

The reason for this is simple. We are tired of pulling a fifth wheel across mountain passes and through busy cities where we first must watch for snow and then watch out for idiot drivers that try to cut in ahead of us. They have no idea of our stopping distance required and if they slam on their brakes, we will end up going right over the top of their vehicle, (we have had two close calls in twelve years, we drive very defensively).

It will also give us more time up north as we can stay through October, instead of leaving on October first. We also plan on heading south in our pickup camper, as we still love camping at the many beautiful parks and Corp of Engineer parks. There are also special rv parks that we can enjoy the good times. First and foremost, of these, is Betty’s Rv park in Abbeville, Louisiana.

When we leave, we will return to Grand Isle, Louisiana, where we always enjoy Connie and Gary’s hospitality. We also are timing our visit to the Grand Isle Birding festival. Connie has already reported the return of Indigo buntings and several warblers.

From Grand Isle we will head back to Wyoming, staying at motels along the way. Our plans this year are to arrive in Wyoming around May 1^st. By then the snow should be melted and the park should be open. Clear skies, and safe travels.

A great day on the water and a temporary change in our lifestyle

Every time I looked toward Terry and Roy, they were either setting the hook or fighting another fish in to their kayaks! Roy hooked the biggest one yet and as it reached his kayak it ran around the boat, spinning the boat and Roy in a circle. I laughed as Roy resembled a whirling dervish as he fought the fish!

He finally subdued the fish and was able to net it. It was another red fish and this one was twenty six inches long, a big slot fish, (the fish here in Texas must be from twenty to twenty eight inches to keep).
Putting the camera away, my bobber started to move and it was my turn to spin in a circle as the fish swam around the kayak. We had both anchored in the middle so the fish had an easy time as it made runs around my boat. It also ran around my floating live well net and I was able to finally get it cleared. For its next trick it ran around the anchor rope. Clearing the anchor rope, I was able to grab the fish, I had forgot my net, and added it to the live well.
Meanwhile Terry was getting a bite on every cast. He had found the fish and had motioned us over to join him as the spot was large enough fro all three of us to fish, (if you get into a school of reds or black drum everyone needs to cast to the school)!

We ended up keeping six red fish and black drum and we were all tired as we fought large broadside waves as we paddled back to the truck. It was an outstanding last day in the kayaks, with family and friends. This year has been our best kayaking and fishing year ever!

Our other news is that we will be traveling back to Wyoming without our Durango fifth wheel, (our Bighorn fifth wheel is parked on our lot in Star Valley, Wyoming). I have grown really tired of pulling a fifth wheel around the USA, dodging idiots, and pulling over the many mountain passes.So we are storing our smaller fifth wheel here. Our friends told us of a storage rv place where they pull your fifth wheel to their ranch, store it, and then clean it before hauling it back to our rv park. The place is away from the coast, and the price is great at thirty five a month, (plus a cost for pulling the rig and cleaning it in the fall).
We are still going to Louisiana for the Grand Isle Bird Festival and the Blessing of the Fleet and then staying in motels as we drive back to Wyoming. Next year the plan is to travel south in our pickup camper. This should allow us to stay longer in Wyoming as we won't be at the mercy of sudden October snowstorms. Clear skies and safe travels!

Colds. taxes, and finally some warm weather

Renita and I finally caught the cold that everyone here has been suffering from. It started as a slight headache and sore throat followed by a harsh cough. I took care of her and then it was her turn to take care of me. Thank goodness we are both much better.

Not much in the way of news as the most exciting thing has been figuring out the new tax law. Of course, we must pay in more as we didn’t have enough withheld under the new withholding tables. Our taxes were less but not anywhere close to enough to buy a new car as stated by the treasury secretary.

So other than going outside for a picture of the supermoon. Not very super, (and where in the world did they come up with the term worm moon), Its been a long week. I do have several images from a recent fishing trip with John, Roy, and Dan, but that’s about it.

Oh, it reached 78 yesterday! Clear skies

Birding at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, March 2019

It was March and we had not yet gone birding at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Having attended a lecture from Dr Elizabeth Smith, head of the International Crane Foundation, our appetites were wetted to see more whooping cranes, and so we packed lunches and headed out.

Our first stop was at Jones Pond, which was a shrunken marsh a few years ago and now has flooded nearly to the refuge road. We usually see alligators there but this year we saw common golden eyes, red heads, and blue wing teal, all ducks.

Also present were American coot and a common gallinule, also called a marsh hen.

Now there are about eight hundred and sixty whooping cranes today of which five hundred and five call the refuge home, or in the surrounding marshes, (this includes the birds in Lamar). We knew we would see a few whoopers when we reached the viewing tower.

Sure enough, we did see two pairs but they were far away, near the busy Intracoastal shipping channel. We also saw flocks of ducks, also far away, and snowy egrets along with great blue herons.

In the trees nearby a funeral of turkey vultures roosted, patiently waiting for something to die. A we walked down the tower walkway they checked us out but lost interest as we were still moving. Driving along the eleven-mile trail we had to stop so Renita could take a picture of an alligator sunning itself along the road.

As she watched it, three raccoons ran across the road one almost running over her feet! The alligator decided it couldn’t catch them, or Renita, so it went back to its siesta. There were lots of sign of feral hog activity alongside the road way, and they are a constant plague across the south.

We ate lunch in the truck and finished the eleven-mile drive before we spotted several herds of deer on the side of the road. At the Heron Flats Trail we parked and were besieged by mosquitoes. Still the wind was blowing and at the observation platform, we were able to see a pair of whoopers.

It’s the first time we have seen whoopers there in the twelve years we have wintered along the Coastal Bend, (each whooper pair claims almost a square mile of territory and defends it against all other mating pairs).

Now we usually walk down the trail itself, but the mosquitoes were so thick that they drove us into the truck. Renita and Pam decided that they wanted to look for alligators and they braved the blood sucking parasites. They were rewarded with a close view of nine large gators.

One even, had just crossed the trail and surprised Pam as she walked the gator trail, not noticing the tail drag marks.

Renita hurried back to get me and when we returned, I almost stepped on a snake. There are eight-foot diamond backs rattlers here along with coral snakes, copperheads, and of course water moccasins.

I jumped a bit before I recognized the harmless snake, wondering why I had forgot my walking stick/snake stick. The gators were huge and plentiful, and one was about fifteen feet away from the trail. I did take a picture of the whooper pair. We were also were treated to a yellow rump warbler as it fed on flying mosquitoes.

As we walked back, or should I say, were driven back to the truck by the mosquitoes, (dengue fever has occurred in southern Texas), We spotted a yellow rump warbler as it fed on flying mosquitoes.. Our last stop was ta the alligator viewing pond, but it was anticlimactic after all the gators alongside the Heron Flats trail.

The hurricane damaged museum and headquarters has not yet been repaired. The hurricane surge here was twelve and a half feet and was less than expected. One can hope that money to repair the damage will not be diverted to other uses, (no wall comments please as we try to keep politics out of our blog). If you love birds this place is a must! Clear skies.

A busy week of Cousins, Birds, The Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Show, and another great day of fishing

As we were getting ready our first big show of the year, our cousin Angie texted us and asked if it was ok if they came down and visited us. They were particularly interested in the Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Show and were worried that they would bother us. Family and friends never bothers us, and we looked forward to seeing them!

They arrived on Friday, after we had set up for the show, and after catching up on old times, we took them on a birding tour of Lamar. It’s a short drive and we were rewarded with just what we hoped for, whooping cranes and rosette spoon bills, While Pete had seen them before, Angie never had and so it was a special day as we got to share one of our favorite birding spots.

We also visited Big Tree, the largest tree in Texas, and took the standard image of them posing proudly in front of the giant live oak. The next day they joined us at the show, and we were able to visit some more before we got slammed! It was the busiest we have ever been, for a two-day show, and it wasn’t until Sunday morning that we were able to take a little time to see the member displays.

It was another record show, we have been so blessed, and we are so thankful that our work is so well received! At times Renita and I both had to wait to record sales and make change! Of course, we talked and shared the geology of the rocks and we almost sold out of the ammonites we had brought here from the Cody collection, (just a few, we still have hundreds more).

The weather here has been particularly nasty and so the opportunities to go fishing have been limited. Still we had a rare nice day, and Bob invited us to go fishing. Waiting for the fog to lift we didn’t cross the bay until noon, but we did manage to arrive in time for a short but great bite.

Bob caught the first and second black drum and I pitched in catching another myself. Roy was along, but the fish seemed to ignore his hook, although he did have bites. Within several hours we had six blacks on the stringer.

The fish quit biting, or so it seemed, until I had a big fish on that seemed unconcerned as it pulled me into the posts, before breaking off. A little later Bob hooked the same fish only to have it break his line on a hard run. The fish didn’t seem to mind and again it bit Bob’s bait, again breaking his line on the first run. Its pretty obvious the spawning run has started. The record black drum in Texas is over seventy pounds).

Yesterday we attended a lecture from Dr Elizabeth Smith, the head of the International Crane Foundation. She told us that there were only two cranes in the western hemisphere, sandhills and whooping cranes, and only fifteen species worldwide.

Giving a brief history of the birds, at one time their numbers were down to ten birds, she talked of their recovery and even mentioned that in twenty to forty years they may reach a wild population of over a thousand and then be relisted as threatened instead of their current endangered species status.

(the above chart is from her presentation, be sure to visit the International Crane Foundations website and support crane recovery) This year’s count is still on going, but the numbers are now up to over five hundred! She talked about the habitat needed for whooping cranes, new counting methods, their food sources, cooperation in conserving wetlands, and the effects of Hurricane Harvey.

Luckily the birds weren’t in Texas when the hurricane hit, and they greatly benefitted from the increase in fresh water flow and reduced salinity. That means more crabs, one of their main diet items. She also showed us videos of whoopers killing and eating snakes!

So, its been a busy an tiring week! Thanks Angie and Pete for visiting us, thank Bob for the great fishing, and thank you Doctor Smith for the great lecture! We have been truly blessed! Clear skies