A neighbor in camp came in from a trip out to Oatman, AZ and raved about the poppy bloom off Rte 66. It sounds too good to miss. We set out this morning to visit the
burros and check out the poppies. It is magnificent. Clusters of bright orange California poppies dot washes and combine to create blankets of color that seem to splash up hillsides. We off-road on a two track (we can do that now in our high clearance 4-wheel drive pick-up…nice) then walk to make our way toward a lovely orange bloom. It is amazing the dozens of other flowers found along the way. If you are in the desert in the spring, get out and walk (carefully of course).
Heading home I google it. Rainfall timing and amounts have been perfect. They (not sure if there is an official “they” or just consensus) have declared a wild-flower super bloom in this section of the south west and it should last ‘til late May+. Love it.
60 ft boardwalk to the bunkhouse at the office complex. We did this one entirely on our own and it came out pretty nice – we think so and so did the Refuge staff. Tear out was good practice for a later project to remove a much longer boardwalk on a trail further out in the Refuge.
In total we hung or rehung 8 signs. All looking good!
(or at least persistently present) in a low fork of a live oak along the entrance road, a guard alligator who lolls on a small dock at the entrance, and a determined cottonmouth who now guards the boardwalk out at San Bernard Oak. The wintering geese showed up too, the white-fronted and the snow geese. Sandhill cranes and Roseate Spoonbills as well.
(out on the drive not in camp!) the very first day.
one a ten point, and several other young males along with a doe and her nearly grown fawn.
Pretty tasty with a new treat, Texas Twinkies: jalapeno stuffed with brisket and cream cheese, wrapped in bacon then smoked. Yummy with a kick.
We come upon a bronze statue of an eskimo curlew, now extinct last seen here on Galveston Island in 1962. It is part of Todd McGrain’s “Lost Bird Project” to memorialize species that have become extinct due to human impacts.
a great lakefront view. They lost water supply to the camp for a couple days. Not the best for us since we came in with just ¼ tank. We manage but shorten our stay a couple days. There was no host but no issues to deal with so not a problem. They are closing the campground starting Nov 1 for complete utilities upgrade.
AL at Noccalulu Falls Park, and in Roosevelt SP just east of Jackson MS.
and later as she opens gifts (with lots of help from Big Sis). I seems like it was just yesterday when I first held her. There are flashbacks to Willa’s first birthday too. It is wonderful to watch them come into their own but I do wish time would slow just a bit. I’d like to savor these moments a little longer.
A moist apple cinnamon cake (the flavor a nod to Hazel’s taste for apples) is covered with cinnamon buttercream icing. Smash cake decoration is all Hazel too, a field of grass dotted with clover and dandelions. 
She snatches up a fistful of grass anytime she can get close enough to it. She seems to appreciate the buttercream version as well. A three-tier layer cake wrapped in LOTS more cinnamon buttercream goes over well with the rest of the guests. We step up the “party factor” of Willa’s slice with some sprinkles.
Willa’s 1st b’day grasshopper makes an appearance for some cross-kitchen racing. 
Willa presents her hand-made dolly and we a stuffed bat adopted as a symbol of support to Bat Conservation International and their work to preserve essential habitat for bats and other animals that share it. A little unconventional I suppose but seems in line with her love of the outdoors.
. I get flashbacks from episodes as we walk set to set..a transporter room, the main saucer hall, Bone’s sick bay, Kirk’s quarters, engineering, a turbo-lift, and the bridge. Take a look at me in the captain’s chair…Kent too!
interesting military history that ended in its destruction followed by years of neglect. Fortunately, reconstruction is well underway and the enthusiastic kids giving tours seem well informed. We enjoy our walk through. Some of the fort-life demonstrations are done for the season but they still have cooking, cannon and small arms demonstrations.
We meander along the shores of ponds, through dense stands of stately pine, and among carnivorous pitcher plants and stunted pines along bog boardwalks. 
Sunlight streaks through the canopy of forest zones and splashes off the brilliant fall color of the surrounding mountains. We spot a deer standing so still among the trees that she didn’t even seem to blink her eyes. Turtles are sunning in the ponds.
A family of otters plays. Great blue heron are out hunting, ducks dabble and quack, and woodland birds flit about overhead. The first raindrops fall just as we get back to the car. Perfect timing for a beautiful walk.