A few roads less traveled.

Jack picked me up this morning a little before 9:00, and we were off on another of life’s little adventures.  The plan was to go to the Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, MS.  Since Jack is still looking for more needles for his baskets, we took several roads less traveled through the Desoto National Forest to get to our destination.

Most of them were not paved, but meandered through the forest.  What a glorious morning it was.  We drove slowly, and stopped often.  It appeared that we had the entire forest to ourselves.  We found about four nesting sites for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker that are managed by the forest service, and I fleetingly saw two of these woodpeckers flying through the forest.

At many of our stops, Jack hopped out to measure the length of the pine needles.  These were great old stands of long-leafed pines. 

              While he was busy with the needles, I was checking out this year’s bloom of wild Jasmine.

The bloom has just started.  I really like the heady fragrance of these flowers.  I was also about collecting a few of the very large cones from the long-leafed pines.  Those cones hold a fascination for Emma, and are about the cheapest toy to keep her entertained outside.  She tosses and plays with those things like they were little hedgehogs or something.

As the road got skinnier and skinnier, eventually it petered out, and we had to turn around and plot a new course.  We did run into one rather irate land owner along the way, but we never went on private property.  We made a hasty retreat along that road.  Eventually we made it back to civilization and Jack, the last of the big spenders, took me to a Waffle House for a late lunch. (where he once again accused me of being a cheap date )

It was 2:00 by the time we finally made it to the Crosby Arboretum.  This is a wonderful place, but in my opinion, could use some volunteers to develop ways to make their many trails more user friendly. 

There are some gorgeous trails, and beautiful views, but a better trail marking system is needed.  Many trails intersect, and there is not good signage as to which trail goes which way.  We only encountered two other people along the trails.  There are lots of plant identification signs along the way, but I would like to see their descriptions include when the various plants bloom. 

When you pay the reasonable entrance fee, you are given a small bag of food for the fish and turtles in the ponds located along the trails.  As we walked to the outside pavilion, we found this terrier very interested in the pond water just beyond his reach.

Here’s the reason why.  When you throw the food kernels into the water of the pond, the turtles come on over to get fed.

But before the turtles can get there, many pan fish beat them to it.  That terrier was just mesmerized by all the commotion in the water.  Not much of anything is blooming right now, but I imagine this will be a marvelous arboretum to visit in a few more weeks.

After then checking out the Biloxi Airport to see where I’ll be picking up my daughter and grandgirl next week, we finally made our way home and arrived at the rig around 5:00.  It had been about a 200 mile journey today, but a fun and enjoyable time.  Thanks for the memories, Jack.  After a big hug and mutual wishes for safe travels, Jack was on his way until the next time our paths cross in August…

                                                                               THE END!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Cranes, Eaglets, and Shrimp

Well, only four out of ten of the folks with reservations for this morning’s tour showed up.  That’s a shame because we had several more people that wanted to go, but there was no room in the van so we had to turn them down.  To me, common decency would have been to call yesterday to cancel their spot so we could offer it to those on the waiting list.  One of the couples that did show up drove all the way this morning from Baton Rouge, LA, to take the tour.  They left their house at 5:30 in the morning in order to get here in time for the 8:00 departure time.

We only saw ten cranes today, but compared to last year at this time that was a good number.  We’ve been very lucky this year to see the high number of cranes that we’ve been seeing.  That will only last another couple of weeks before they all move into hiding to nest.

While doing the tour, we stopped to check on the progress at the eagle’s nest.  Two young had recently hatched, and if you click on the pictures and look closely, you can see some of the fluff of the young on the right section of the nest.

Tonight for dinner, Jack and I headed to a place I’d heard good things about, but had never been to.  Bozo’s Seafood Market and Deli in Pascagoula.  There was an interesting variety of things available at this establishment, and I would guess that it isn’t exactly a place most tourists would even know about to stop at.  There were lot’s of spices, mixes, and the common (down here) pickled items like quail eggs.  Near the back was an old geezer sitting at a small table.  That’s where you placed your order, and he wrote it down and took your name.

While we were waiting for our order, I checked out the seafood market section.  You could buy your shrimp, crabs, or crawdads to take home with you, or they would steam them for you after mixing in spices to the hotness of your liking.  Considering this place closes at 7:00, quite a long line developed while we were there.

We each opted for a fully dressed shrimp po’ boy and a beverage.  Not generally being a pop drinker, I bet it has been 50 years since I’ve had orange pop, let alone Orange’n Cream.  The po’ boys were very tasty, and very reasonable; only $5.99 for an 8” po’ boy. 

The seating and tables were pretty unique.  Each table had a painted 55 gallon drum for a pedestal with that square hole cut in the table top.  When you were done eating, you just pushed your garbage into the hole.  No wait staff necessary!  Another indicator of a good place to eat was the roll of paper towels on each table.  No fancy napkins here.  I really enjoyed this down home place.  Good food, oddball atmosphere, and as Jack told the folks back at the volunteer pads, “Judy’s a cheap date!”  Hmm… Jack has been gracious enough to pick up our dining tabs the last two days, and I’m thinking maybe it’s time to up the anti after that remark!    Only problem is, I’m not into those fancy-shmancy places to dine…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy 

How long is your needle?

Many of you know that I’m pretty good when it comes to bird stuff, but I also revel in learning something new each day.  Well, today was an adventure in learning for me.  My friend, Jack, arrived in the area last night, and our mission for today was to find him some more long leaf pine needles to bolster his supply for making pine needle baskets.  I figured we would just go out on the Dee’s Nature Trail and rake up a bunch of long leaf pine needles and be done with it.  Jack’s verdict was, “Not so, Grasshopper, we need fresh green needles greater than 12” in length.”   After mumbling under my breathe a minute, my response was, “Yes, Sensei (sp?).” 

Before we left on this little adventure, Jack showed me three of the baskets that he had already made.  It is an old Native American skill for using materials at hand.  These small baskets are beautiful and quite intricate.  Back in the day, they were woven together with animal sinew.

Then he presented me with this little basket as a gift.  This basket represents eight hours of work after the needles are prepared for weaving by drying and then boiled in glycerin for 4-6 hours.  These particular pine needles came from north Florida.

After checking in with Doug, at headquarters, for some good places to look for needles, we were on our way.

After about 30 miles or so, we pulled over at several spots and Jack whipped out his tape measure.  Jack is very discerning.  (read: picky about his needles)

This bunch qualified for his acceptance; averaging about 16”.  He only takes a small handful from each tree so as not to harm these young trees.  It was a challenge for me to change my perspective from scouring the habitat for birds to judging the length of pine needles as we drove along.  What a hoot for me!

This bough didn’t cut the mustard.  Could you tell that driving down a road?  Jack could.  By the end of our search, I did find a tree or two that was acceptable.  Not sure how that will help my resume. 

Heading back toward home, we made a short detour to the Pecan House. (I thought it was called the Nut House)  Since my granddaughter Avery will be visiting in a week or so, I needed to stock up on some honey roasted pecans for her.  She fell in love with them when I brought some with me to Indiana last summer.  I tried to get a picture of Jack exiting from the quaint outhouse on the left, but it turned out blurry since I was giggling while I took the picture.

Since it was way past lunch as we returned from our excursion, we stopped at The Shed for some Bar-B-Que on the way home.  I’ve shown pictures of this dive before.  Jack had the brisket (on the left), and I had the spare ribs.  If you like Bar-B-Que, this place is tasty.

I’ve put in an order with Jack for one of these baskets using slices of black walnut for the center and handles.  He has said that he will use the needles from Mississippi that we collected today to make it.  Cool beans!  Now, if I could just find some real animal sinew for him to use to weave it…

I’ve got a packed van for the crane tour tomorrow.  Hopefully we’ll be successful.  Jack will be a key player in this tour as I’ve asked him to be in charge of opening all the locks to the gates we have to go though… ()

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Company’s coming

As I was vacuuming the rig this afternoon (which I hate), I got to reminiscing about clothes and bathing.  Weird combination, I know, but with such a mundane task my mind wanders.  Maybe it’s because I keep the vacuum in my clothes closet?  Anyway, my mind wandered back to my growing up years in Chicago. 

                                          (Still plenty of berries around here for my avian friends.)

I didn’t have much of a closet for clothes growing up, and I had to share a dresser with my sister.  I seem to remember that whatever I wore for school on Monday, I wore for the rest of the week.  The only thing my mother taught me to change each day was my socks.  I remember being shocked when Michael Jelonick, the son of a Polish couple, moved into our German neighborhood.  He wore one pair of socks all week!  

Bathing was accomplished on Saturday nights with the water in the tub being shared with my younger brother.  When I was a young teen, I acquired a new sister, and we were each allowed to have our own bath water, but then I had to share the bedroom, closet, and dresser upstairs. 

Skip ahead to my working years, and I showered daily and wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the same clothes two days in a row.  Perhaps things come full circle, as I now continue to bath more often than once a week, but unless clothes get dirty, I tend to wear them more than one day.

 

It seems to me we left a smaller carbon footprint back in the day, and I don’t remember anyone smelling too terrible. 

So, my friend Jack just called and he drove all the way here from Rockport, TX, in one day.  He said it was only 638 miles!  Egad!  We’ll be meeting up tomorrow morning to hunt down some long-leafed pine needles for his pine needle basket weaving hobby.  Basket weaving… just don’t think I can go there, but hunting down the longest and best needles is something I can get into.

I’ll be happy to get out and about tomorrow and quit for a while with the normal chores.  And by the way, I bathe and change my underwear and socks daily…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy 

I opted out of the parade today

The annual first Mardi Gras Parade in the area kicked off in Ocean Springs today. 

I participated last year by riding and tossing necklaces from the refuge’s float last year. (All of tonight’s photos are from then)

I had a very enjoyable time doing that last year, but I chose not to do it this year.

It was one of those experiences that I was glad that I had, but this year I volunteered to stay back and run the visitor’s center instead.  I’ve been in a lot of parades in my life, but this one was like no other.  Mardi Gras folks are a different species, I’m thinking.

Besides, there were quite a few volunteers and interns on the refuge that have never had this experience.  I wished them well, and quietly manned the VC and talked to our visitors.  Luckily, the forecasted rain held off, and today’s parade was as exciting as last year’s. 

I’ve decided to not move, and just stay in the site I’m in here in the volunteer village.  I’ll leave that nice site I had last year for Diana and John to move into next weekend.  It’s been warm enough here for little plants to begin blooming, so I’ll  be starting my photo documentation of the blooming trails pretty soon.  That will get me out of the VC.  Yahoo!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Am I turning into a social butterfly?

During January, I had the opportunity to meet up with some fellow RV bloggers.  First there was NICKIE and Jim, and then there was JERRY and Wanda.  As many of you know, getting to meet other bloggers is a real hoot.  It’s like running into old friends.

I took a look at my calendar for February, and it’s beginning to fill up with other visiting friends.  I haven’t got all of the dates even filled in yet.  My friend Jack will be arriving next Monday, and then PHYLLIS and Leonard may be arriving with others from their NOMAD group next Friday.  The following week, I’m hoping to visit again with NICKIE and Jim in Mobile (not penciled in yet).  Then on the 18th, my daughter Robyn and granddaughter Avery fly in from Chicago for a three day visit.  After dropping them at the airport in Biloxi, I’ll meet up with Colin and his wife, Denise, for a birding day.  Colin is my friend and fellow volunteer from Anahuac NWR, and they are from England.  During the last week of February, Peggy and Paul, fellow volunteers I’ve worked with at Balcones Canyonlands NWR in Texas, will pull in for the night on their way to Florida.  Phew!  This is going to be a busy month crammed in around my volunteering duties. I’m betting I’ll set a personal record for eating out.  I generally seldom eat out, but with so many visitors, I’m sure I’ll be introducing them to The Shed, and Huck’s, and maybe a few other places.

The Dee’s Nature Trail outside the visitor’s center winds for about 3/4 of a mile through the wet pine savannah and along the Bayou Castille.  Along the way are four benches for hikers to rest if they wish.  It’s not an arduous hike, but there are two spots that Emma and I always stop at.

It’s hard to see in this photo, but the bayou winds its way north in front of us.  It’s just so peaceful to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.  It’s never crowded on the trail, and Emma and I walk it almost daily.  It provides her with plenty of olfactory stimulation, and gives me peace of mind just a short distance outside my door. 

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

Should I play musical chairs?

After a very dry summer and fall, the five inches of rain in the last week has helped to bring the wet pine savannah back to normal.  On her first outs this morning, Emma and I found the terrain back to what it looked like when we were here last year.  The small cypress swamp bordering the entrance road actually had standing water in it.  I was happy to see that.

Last week, volunteers Mary and Don completed the construction of a clothesline toward the back of our area.  I can’t remember the last time I hung my wash out to dry.  I use the Splendide inside my rig when I’m here, so the loads are small, but how nice to be able to let them dry in the fresh air.  While I was hanging up the wash, I got to thinking about my location.

Phyllis and Albert pulled out in the rain yesterday leaving the site I had last year open.  These are some views of the volunteer village.  Top left is our entrance road, and you can see that headquarters and the visitor’s center is a short walk away.  Top right is a view of the sites as you enter the area.  Bottom left shows the locations from the clothesline area, and the bottom right is the view of my site.

This is the site I had last year which is on the other side of the entrance road from the other sites.  I really liked this site as I had a little view of the bayou, and the birds seemed to bubble through this area.  Do I want to move back there before my friends John and Diana arrive?  That is the question.  I like the site I’m in now as it will have a little more shade as the weather heats up, but I needed help getting into it.  I’m a little nervous about getting out of it, and I know I can get out of the other site by myself when I leave.  It may come down to a coin toss.  I have about a week to think about it.  So, play musical chairs or not…?

This afternoon, I decided to move one of my bird feeders to a slightly different location.  I had hung a feeder from a tree outside my table window, but in order to refill it I have to balance myself on top of a two foot tall log that tends to wiggle when I get up on it.  I could just see myself taking a header one of these days.

What I decided to do instead was to use one of those poles you stick in the ground with two hooks on top.  There was one in between the sites that wasn’t being used by anyone that had an old empty bird feeder hanging from it.

As I grabbed the old feeder to remove it, these Green Anoles startled me.  There were three or four of them living in the feeder.  What a shock!

I don’t think they were pleased with their relocation.  I moved the empty feeder to a picnic table, even though this one didn’t appear to approve. 

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy