It was back to work in the Visitors Center today. At least March brings more visitors so we’re averaging about 40-50 folks a day now. That makes the time go faster. I enjoy interacting with them, and often pick up useful tidbits from our conversations. Our visitors come from all over the country. I think that’s because we are so close to I-10. It’s a convenient place to stop, visit a restroom, and stretch your legs. Many snowbirds are starting their migration north, and I-10 is a major thoroughfare.
In between visitors, Diana and I continued the work on developing the trail guides to include what’s blooming this week. As I’ve said in the past, I do most of the photography, and she does the magic on the computer to put it all together. We got the Fontainebleau Trail Guide into print last week, and are concentrating on getting the Dees Trail Guide ready this week. I’ll try to post pics of these guides tomorrow.
Sometimes the blooms differ depending on which trail you hike even though they are only a few miles apart.
After work, Emma and I took up our normal places outside the rig. As you can see, she was very much up to maintaining her squirrel vigil. She’s the only dog I’ve ever had that spends so much time looking up into the trees for those fluffy tailed rodents. I guess this is her self appointed mission in life. I sure would like to let her loose after those varmints. My guess is she’d do her best to go right up those live oak trees after them.
One of the tidbits I picked up today from one of the local visitors was to use fabric softener sheets to ward off the no-see-ums. I stuffed one in my sock, and put the other on my chest as I sat in my rocker. I think those little black gnats are worse than mosquitoes! It will be a few days before I can report on their usefulness. I do know the bites from these little bugs are driving me nuts during the middle of the night.
There was a message on my phone when I got home from a friend. She told me that the volunteer coordinator at Cibola NWR in Arizona is looking to have all new volunteers next winter. I have wanted to volunteer there, but there were issues, that I won’t go into here, about doing that in the past. I’ve already kind of committed to Okefenokee NWR next winter for six months, but I’ve had some reservations about being in one place that long. This information opens up some new possibilities for my mind to ponder. Yes, it makes my head swim. It would definitely take some rearranging of my schedule to go there, along with a 2000 mile drive in January from Georgia to Arizona, but you only go around once in this life. It’s been a few years since I’ve been out in the desert southwest… And maybe there aren’t any mosquitoes or no-see-ums! 
Hmm, I’ll have to think about this for sure.
THE END!!
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
