Well here we sit today feeling like we are still in PA, as I look at the outside temperature it is 28 degrees and the freezing rain is still coming down. We were lucky according to the local weather men as just 10 miles from us on the north side of I 10 it was mostly snow this morning. Would have preferred the snow , the ice is very bad here as the locals have no idea how to drive on anything slippery and this morning every major road in the area was closed due to multiple car accidents. The Refuge was wise to not open today so we are all safe and snug in our RV's watching the ice accumulate outside . We will be back in the 60's by tomorrow afternoon and the sun should come back too. It looks like we won't be as busy this year with school programs as the Refuge has decided to scale way back on them due to Staff shortages. Even though Congress has passed a Budget there is still a problem with funds for them to hire new staff. Such is our Government in action. It's hard to make a commitment to hire when you don't know if the funds to make the payroll will be there when it's time to write the checks. Oh well enough about our Republic.                                   G

A short series of last nights Sunset. To nigh we will have sleet and snow.

Two Snow Geese pass by

I love the color

And done

Did some different pictures today, some of our neighbors.

I really love her face.

Mom and a 2 day old.

Just sunning

A Black Crested Night Heron.

Hard to see ,but in the middle is and American Bittern, they are known for their ability to blend into their surrounding.

We went to the Beach yesterday and drove down to where the Sister Refuge to Anahuac starts.

The Gulf was a little rough as we had 10 knot winds but it was 75 here yesterday so we took a long walk on the sand.

A lone Gull

Some not so alone Gulls enjoying the day.

Lauren and the Kia on what's left of old Texas 87. The black to the right is the old road bed that was destroyed during Hurricane Ike. The road used to go from Anahuac to McFadden along the Gulf and the State decided not to rebuild the road due to constant storm damage.

Just a great picture from this Morning with the Moon still not set.

Our local Coyote just passing by the VIS so I thought.

I guess he had a need or was it just commentary on the new VIS being built on the corner.

The present that the Coyote left us.

And then he moved on.

The walking path behind the VIS

A Cara Cara having and afternoon snack.

One of the Cormorant fishing in the Bayou .

Another week

   Another week has passed and it's hard to believe we have been here 3 weeks already. We have been busy with odd jobs around the Refuge and have been involved with planting the Prairie section of the Refuge with some new flowering plants to help feed the song birds as they migrate through and have started our voluntary clean up around the Refuge. I am just amazed at how much trash is discarded by the Sportsmen . Between the fishermen and the crabbers the disrespect for their environment is just mind boggling. When you talk to the locals they will tell you it's the tourists , but the tourists are bird watchers and they don't use chicken necks to bait the birds. It's really to sad as this area is really beautiful. We have also done some repairs on a small tranquility pond that was installed last year and have gotten the water works running again. The Visitor Information Station that has been under construction for the last three years, yes that's three years. Some things move really slow when you have no control over contractors, so maybe next month it will finally be completed. It will give a great view of the refuge as it's 15 feet above the surrounding ground level. Today everything is shut down here as it's a government Holiday . We will probably take a ride down to see the Gulf as it will be in the low 70's today.                                                                                                    G

Cormorants coming into roost for the evening on the Skilleren Tract

A couple of Hawks and the Suns Rays in late afternoon

A Coot taking a bath with friends looking on.

A lone Heron flies by

Rosette Spoonbills coming into roost on Shovelers Pond

Burning off the fields

Not much of a breeze and the smoke goes right up

We did some planting on the Refuge today on what they call the Prairie unit with plants that were gathered from a project that was terminated  in Louisiana on Prairie Restoration . Lauren and our Volunteer Coordinator with the President of the Refuge Friends Group discuss where the plants are going to be put.

There were lots of conversation about the placement of over six hundred potted plants of various size and how to best place them among all the other shrubs that are already there and starting to turn green already.

We also did some clean up along East Galveston Bay. The refuge has over 20 miles of water front and every time there is a storm a lot of  odd stuff washes up. This is and old commercial crab trap that came ashore . Today we picked up two .