Lake Des Allemands

Friday, July 25, 2014 at my cousin's camp. Fun times.

There are several of these jetties around the campsites. Each year
erosion from hurricanes and other storms whittle away the land.
They have tried to protect them by reinforcing the borders.

Oops...'scuse me!

Some type of algae maybe?
Eggs from the Apple Snail.
Thanks, Wally!!!!

All along the banks are piers with each one hosting its own little garden.

Close up of the cypress knees.

I hope you enjoyed your trip around the bayou. There are more photos, but I don't know when I'll get around to posting them.

Chance Update:
Chance is back home after being hospitalized for possible Vestibular Disease. His progress is slow, but we're hoping for continued improvement in the coming days and weeks. The doctor explained that he will have a permanent head tilt which we can accept. However, he is not the same happy dog following me from room to room. He sleeps most of the time because I suspect it's too stressful for him to get around. Even trying to stand up from a lying position is difficult and he becomes very shaky. Yesterday he tried to turn around too quickly and fell completely over. Scared him AND me to death! But he has begun to eat and drink a little, which is encouraging.

Due to my limited time with Chance and working from home next week, I will be taking a short blog break. Probably just a week, maybe a little longer. Thank you as always for your kind comments and visits. It is truly appreciated! I'll miss you guys, but will see y'all soon!!!

Choo choo and Chance

After visiting Cat Island and Grace Episcopal cemetery, my friend B and I drove to the town of Jackson, LA to see the Greater Baton Rouge Model Railroaders club. B's husband and son have been involved with model trains for years. I didn't know what to expect and I was truly impressed! There are some talented folks out there. The following photography is out of my wheelhouse, but I thought they turned out pretty cool. What say you? If you're not a fan, it's okay to say so. I take constructive criticism pretty well.

On a sad note, my sweet Golden Retriever/Chow mix is in the hospital. Last night he collapsed in the hallway, his eyes darting quickly back and forth, drooling from the mouth. I flung myself over him, crying hysterically, thinking that was the end. "DON'T LEAVE ME, I'M NOT READY" I sobbed. Then hubby gathered him in his strong arms and placed him in the car for the trip to the vet. Thank God there's an emergency hospital within a few miles of us.

Chance will be hospitalized for a couple of days getting IV fluids and medications. They found elevated liver enzymes in addition to the collapsing issue. They think the inability to walk or focus his eyes is due to Vestibular Disease, which should resolve itself in 5-7 days.

Chance is my shadow and wears the title of Best Friend most days. He's 14 years old, so I know our time together is limited. It's so hard, y'all. Sorry to leave you on that note, but it is what it is.

Cat Island, Part Deux

These are the rest of the images from our Super Fantastic Saturday at Cat Island.

Silverleaf Nightshade

Massive Cypress

Bee on sensitive plant. Touch the fern leaf and it will slowly close.

A toad?

Deep in thought as he surveys the expanse of his kingdom.

Great Egret

Great Egret

Please visit the link above
for other birds around the world.
Thanks to our gracious host, Anni!

Grace Episcopal Church

Continuing on with our day in St. Francisville, LA, B and I made time to visit Grace Episcopal Church. The church was very beautiful, but I was more interested in the cemetery, as was B. Probably the most fascinating thing there was an open tomb. B titled her Facebook album, Tales From The Crypt. Dang, I wish I had thought of it first! lol B is a great photographer with a sharp wit. When we both decided this day would be an adventure, I had no idea we'd be climbing deep into a damp, dark grave! When she said 'Let's have an adventure' she meant it!

This must've been a baby or young girl. Isabel is her first name; couldn't read the last name.

Detailed carving of above grave. It said OUR DARLING BELLE.

Open tomb...down we go!

Sweet B. My ISO was too low, as was the shutter speed
which resulted in B looking all ghost-like.
Not a good photo by any stretch, but it fits!

Rear of church.

Linking up with Tex's

Missing My Blind

I miss using my chair blind. Even though it hasn't been a bad summer as far as heat and humidity goes, the idea of sitting in an enclosed structure right now is not appealing at all. When fall comes I'm going to be sittin' pretty in my blind.

These shots were from May 8th. For a large bird the Blue Jay sure is a scaredy cat. This one knew something wasn't quite right. Every click of the camera made him turn his head this way and that. Finally, he had enough of my shenanigans and flew off.

Although quite common in these parts, I find the Blue Jay a very beautiful bird and never tire of taking their portraits. Due to their skittish nature they are not easy to photograph, making them somewhat of a challenge. The thrill of the chase is part of the reason I love bird photography so much.

Please visit links of other
birds around the world!
Mucho thanks to gracious
host, Anni.

Bayou Brothers

These are my sweet second cousins. Brody is almost 6 and Eric is 16. We spent over 2 hours on the party barge and had a blast, zipping all over Lake Des Allemands. The boys know when I'm around that a camera will be pointed at them, but they didn't seem to mind. Well, maybe a little. I took 207 photos of these hams; it was difficult choosing a handful to show. Hope you enjoy!

Sharing with
Our World Tuesday

Blooms, Birds and More!

I've been meaning to post these since the end of April. So, without further delay, here we go!

Can anyone help ID this flower?

I think this is a Cosmos.

Walking trail at Bluebonnet Swamp.

Indigo Bunting

Juvenile or female Indigo Bunting.
Spring is such a confusing time for identification.

Leucy the leucistic Cardinal.

On a completely different note, do any of you like jigsaw puzzles? If so, there's an app for that! It's called...can you guess? Jigsaw Puzzle! They offer a free puzzle of the day and several other free ones to choose from. You can select the number of pieces from 4 to 400, background color, the ability to scatter pieces, show only the edges, etc. Oh, you can even choose one of your own photos. I have lost countless hours and a few bucks buying new collections. It's totally addictive! Don't hate me. You have been warned. :)

IOS Version

Android Version

Enjoy your weekend!! See y'all on Monday.

Sharing with

Saturday's Critters

Thanks, Eileen!