myretroperspective

This afternoon Emma and I set off to discover what there was to see in the area around the Isaac Creek COE campground.  The host couple at the gate assured me that there was nothing to see. Before we headed down the road, I stopped to view the other side of the dam along the Alabama River.  It’s getting hot down here in the south with temps nearing 90* today. After driving around for about 20 miles, we did come upon the Haines Island Park.  It was down a road that eventually became unpaved.  The dirt roads down here are a bright orange/red.  That’s interesting. There was a nice view from the top of the ridge by one of the picnic tables and playground.  We then headed down a steep curvy red road toward the river. I found the campsites which are obviously for tenters along the Alabama River.  They were very secluded with lovely views of the river.  There was no water or bathrooms, so it is most rustic.  It was also empty of any campers. A

It was a pretty sweet day today, but before I get into my travels, I have to share a little incident from this morning as I was trying to leave the refuge.  Volunteers come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities.  A couple that I had volunteered with at this refuge last year arrived last night for their three month stint.  I was happy that I didn’t miss meeting up with Katie and Bruce again before I left town.  They are a hard working volunteer couple that are a joy to be around.  Like me, they pretty much mind their own business.  There is another couple here that works hard, but the husband’s mission in life is to get into everyone else's business, and all the politics that are involved in any refuge they are at.  He drives some of us crazy.  I must say he was instrumental in getting my rig out of the campsites this morning.  It took a half an hour, and I would have been more than a nervous wreck if I had done it myself.  Now for the good part.  As I was out on the entrance ro

After an incredibly boring day in the VC on Thursday, I decided to lock everything up at 3:00 and head for home.  There were only three visitors total for the day, and no one was in the parking lot.  So I made that executive decision, and just before I walked out the door, I shouted, “I Quit!”  Of course no one was there to hear me, but it made me feel good anyway.  My volunteer stint here at Mississippi Sandhill Crane NWR has come to an end for another year.  No farewell luncheon for us five volunteers leaving here this weekend this year.  It’s kind of anti-climatic.  We were each given a free pass for a boat trip to Ship Island, but by the time we got it, time had run out to use it.  I had thought of going today, but it’s an all day trip, and I had to get busy packing things up and getting ready to roll.  Since there is only one of me, it takes a little more time than with the couples.  Yesterday, before I went into work John helped me fix one of my MCD shades. (passenger’s windo

a new section to the blog where i share little letters to those around me. enjoy! dear kindi student, i know you think it's cute when you try to stick your fingers up my butt when i'm writing on the board, but you're the only one. dear mister, your entrepreneurial mindset once scared me but now it's become one of your most attractive qualities. i'm hoping the same thing will happen with your habit of waking me up at the crack of dawn. dear korea weather, last year you made a habit of being beautiful all week long and bringing a typhoon every weekend. please don't continue that habit this year.

In four days I’ll be heading out from the refuge with my volunteer stint over with.  Toward the end of each volunteering assignment I seem to get short-timers attitude.  I’m pretty much tired of being here, and am ready to move on.  Being stuck in the Visitor’s Center for the last six weeks or so, and being ill has just heightened my desire to put this place behind me. As Sunday morning approaches, I’ll be all revved up and a nervous wreck until I’m well underway down the highway.  After the first day’s drive, I usually settle down into a calmer traveling mode. Tomorrow begins the slow packing up of outside items.  I’ll probably even take down the feeders, so this afternoon I spent a little time trying to get those last shots at the Hard Rock Bird Café. Lots of blue jays have been all over the woods since the first day I arrived back in January, but today was the first time one visited the Café.  In years past I’ve offered the interns at the places I’ve been at a ni

A post of few words this evening as I spent today on mundane chores, but got lost this afternoon in pitcher picture heaven. These blooms may look the same as the flowers from the white pitcher plants, but they’re not.  These are only a little over an inch wide and only rise about six inches from the savannah floor. They are the blooms of the parrot’s beak pitcher plant.  Once insects are lured inside the ‘beak’, a small trap door closes, and it’s curtains for the bug!  This pitcher plant is very small and spreads its beaks under the grasses.  This was a new plant for me, and I really had to search on hands and knees for it.  Cool beans! Once I got back on my feet, Emma and I took a rest at one of the benches along the Dees Trail. Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

For the last six weeks or so it seems that I have had to work the Visitor’s Center almost all of my workdays.  I really enjoy the VC one day a week, but three days every week gets a little B-O-R-I-N-G for me.  Several factors have contributed to this lackluster change in my assignment here.  Circumstances arose that required more time indoors.  I’m not complaining too much, I just wanted to set the stage for what occurred this morning.  I had a visitor fairly early this morning that was hoping to see a crane (all visitor’s believe they’ll see one at the VC).  She had stopped here a number of times on her cross country trips trying to glimpse one.  I explained that it was breeding season; there are about 130 cranes spread out over 19,800 acres, and that the chances of spotting one at this time of the year was less than good.  She, of course, was very disappointed. As she was watching the refuge video, Doug came in to lead the 10:00 Birds and Buds trail hike.  I told him about her,

It was time for Emma to get all of her shots renewed, and I wanted to get another year’s supply of heartguard  and the flea and tick treatment.  Emma was happy as a clam the whole time.  She wagged her tail and smiled at everyone until it was time to have her nails trimmed.  If ever there was a look of disdain on a dog’s face, this was it.  She didn’t jump around or squirm (hard to believe, I know), but just stared at the ceiling with this disgusting look on her face.  I had to laugh.  Before long, it was time to pay the bill, pick up the heart and flea stuff, and be on our way.  As I put all the paper work into the folder I have for her, I tried to verify that the rabies and distemper shots would be good for three years.  The girl behind the desk said they were annual shots.  I told her I expected three year shots, and fully expected that Emma would be taken back for further shots.  Not so.  She simply changed the paperwork for the rabies to be good for three years.  She said they o

Family on Easter Sunday! One of the things I miss MOST about our time in East Asia is making holidays special.  Everyone is far from family & loved ones so you go out of your way to share each others' traditions and celebrate birthdays, successes, holidays- even cinco de mayo was celebrated by our American group in EA more than I've ever celebrated it here. So, when my dear husband suggested we invite his mom, older sister, brother-in-law, younger sister, younger brother and younger brother's girlfriend to celebrate Easter with us and stay in our 2 bed/1 bath bungalow, I was eager to see if we could make it work!                             He even gave my gift-giving-self freedom to get personalized "Easter mugs" for everyone- it was a practical-enough idea in that our whole family are coffee LOVERS and this way we wouldn't get our mugs confused. initials of everyone's first names- flowers for the girls Couldn't have survived the weekend without t