Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Almost Time For The Beach











Every year we have a weeks vacation at Dauphin Island, this years visit will be the nineteenth. As usual...family...all are welcome without a verbal invitation. Just show up.
There is nothing more relaxing than laying around in the sun and sand. The only plans we make for that week are simply to go and other activities are totally unscheduled. There are all sorts of things to do there and if not right on the island you can catch a ferry and go across Mobile Bay to Gulf Shores. Charters are everywhere for the fishing enthusiast, souvenir shops and places to eat as well. The Esturarium exhibits interesting history and habitats of the Gulf Coast region and Fort Gaines is right across the street. Nature Trails, boating, skiing, fishing, scuba diving, biking...all kinds of things.


In 2005, Hurricaine Katrina distroyed much of the west end and took many houses. There was also an area nearly 2 km wide cut through the uninhabited west end. Many houses have been rebuilt and the island has been restored. The once upon a time fishing peir is now grounded.
The house we have always stayed in, Nida, was amazingly, and to our delight, still standing after Katrina although she had some damage. Nida is a nice house with a large deck and we have viewed some of the most awesome sunrises and sunsets from that deck. We have also seen some pretty terrific lightening shows.
So..In a couple of weeks I'm gonna be sitting on the beach with a wine cooler in my hand watching the boats go by.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Great Weekend But Tiring









Am I getting too old to enjoy getting out for the weekend camping trip or am I just exhausted?? We took the camper up to Turkey Fork on Thursday to ensure a spot for the weekend and then on Friday packed our necessaries and left. A quick stop at the grocery store in Richton and the rest of the weekend was for recreation. It was nearing dark by the time we got set up and settled down.
For some reason I didn't sleep very well and was up at 3 AM, so I went outside to attempt a few night photos. It was very quiet except for a lone whiporwill. The moon was nearly full so there was plenty of light. The lake lay sparkling in front of me. Very peaceful. I shot a few pics and noticed something move in the dim light, a raccoon on his way to the very table I was sitting on. The animals in the park are somewhat used to people and raccoons have found an easy source of food. Campers frequently leave food items out on the table making it an irrisistable target. I wasn't sure what it was at first and was a bit startled. As it closed in the only thing I could think of was to shuffle my feet. The raccoon was probably more startled than I. He was gone with one quick thud into the weeds and did not return.
On Saturday we launched the boat and went for a leasurely ride around the lake, looking for something to photograph. The cranes and egrets we had encoutered the last time we were there were not to be found. Only one. I got several shots and suppose he was probably irritated by my following. He was simply trying to get a meal. When we got too close he would fly alittle further away only to be persued again. He was quite stunning and handsome.
There were also a couple of turtles and a snake.
Later that day my sister, brother in law, neice and her husband came to visit. We grilled and had a very nice time. My sister and brother in law spent the night and around midnight the ol'men went to sleep. My sister and I stayed up..talking and taking some night photos. It was really nice to spend time with her. She went to the night shift and I recently took a full time Monday-Friday position. She is also a photographer and we played til 2 AM. Thats probably why I was so tired by the time we got home on Sunday.
On Sunday morning my sister and I went for a little troll in the boat and got more photos. I think she really enjoyed it even if she was frightened by the idea of being in a boat with me driving.
We packed up and were back home by 1:30. Just in time for a very long and needed nap.