Pre-Merry Christmas!

Vacajun on the Water

For an explanation of Vacajun, see this post. None of the events of our vacajun will be posted in order, but who cares? I have so many photos and I might get around to them before the end of the year and I might not.

This was our adventure kayaking with my daughter, Autumn, and her fiance, Jason. First timers!

Autumn got into the kayak just fine. She was a little tentative at first, but she got the hang of it pretty quickly.

Is this a Neotropic Cormorant? It looks different from our Double-crested Cormorants.

8'-10' Alligator. I asked the kids if they were scared and both said 'No.'
We had our kayaks in a semicircle around him and just watched.

Jason was all smiles from the moment he entered the kayak.

After a few minutes, already like a pro!

Thanks to the lovely Anni for the link-up!

A Joyous Vacajun

Autumn (my daughter) thought Jason said he was looking forward to their "vacajun" in Louisiana. She misheard him, but a new word was created and we love it!

Oh, y'all...I am drained. In a good way. The visit with my daughter and her fiance could not have been more perfect. This is what Autumn wrote on Twitter on the third day: "Amazing visit so far with @gailadixon. We saw a guitar god [Gregg Wright], found my wedding dress, kayaked and saw lots of family." 

Jason and Autumn both LOVED kayaking. My daughter kept saying she could see why we love it so much. And that was after paddling pretty close to an 8'-10' gator resting on a log.

Every moment was special. Bridal shopping was a priority, and by gosh, she said Yes to a Dress!

This dress was a contender. Of course I can't post the real dress just in case Jason decides to get nosy. :)

Here are snippets of the real thing. A deeply discounted Lazaro gown. She looks like a princess in it. When she stepped out of the dressing room I cried. 

After the kids left I had some problems getting my blood pressure under control. When one of the readings was 171/111 I admit I was a little scared. Double D wanted to at least call the doctor, but I am stubborn. I rested a lot and resumed taking my b/p pills and that is helping. I guess I had too much fun with the kids. 

Thanks for sticking with me. I promise to get to everyone's blogs today, though it might take a few days to get through them. I looked at my Feedly roll and y'all have been busy! Hope everyone has a great week.

Red and Grace

Last weekend, I went back to City Park Lakes to stalk Grace. She and her competitor, a Great Egret, were not having much luck fishing. It didn't matter (to me anyway), because out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a large raptor-type bird about two football fields away, on the golf course. Suddenly, another appeared. My heart skipped a beat. Does anyone else get as excited as I do when there is a chance to photograph a cool bird? I have seen many hawks, but never have I gotten close enough to get decent photos. Here was my chance, y'all!

I did my usual: walk stealthily as close as I dare, snap off a few, advance another few steps; lather, rinse and repeat. Finally, I was about 30' (9 meters) away. That was as close as the pair allowed. They flew into different trees, so naturally I continued my stalking maneuvers to the closest tree. The tree vantage point let me get even closer. I was thrilled!

Later, I tried my best to make an identification. The more I Googled, the more confused I became. Our trusty blogging friend, TexWisGirl, came to my rescue! Thank you so much. Just to make sure––not that I don't trust you, T––I put some of the pics on Facebook. Most all agreed it was a Red-tailed Hawk. 

Hope you enjoyed my hawk pics. Although I just posted Grace on Monday, I am using her again today for my HAPPY DANCE! If I danced in public (which is a rarity), this is what I would look like. Why a happy dance? My daughter and her fiancé arrive tomorrow! I can hardly contain myself. Unfortunately, this means I have to take another short blogging break, but hopefully I will be back with stories and photos to share. Y'all have a good week. :)

P.S. This is my 1000th post. Geaux me!

Nerdy Birdies

I really wanted to post my hawk pictures today, but I can't figure our what type of hawk it is. So in the meantime, you get these goober-heads.

Unknown hawk with both nictating membranes showing. Spooky!

Female mallard striking a pose.

Muscovy getting his bath on.

A different muscovy who spent the whole time I was there with his mouth open.

This is Grace.

Poor thing, she can't help it. One of her toes is bent backwards. I see how she struggles to fish and get food.
God bless her! We've gotten to know each other quite well.

Grace is looking like she's cutting a rug...er...rock. But she's trying to run from the
Great Egret who keeps chasing her off his favorite spot. Bless her heart.

I hope everyone had a bountiful and blessed Thanksgiving. Ours was great...a visit here...a visit there. My house is now decorated for my daughter and her fiancee's arrival on Saturday. Yes! This Saturday. I'm tickled pink. Cannot wait to see them. Four days will FLY. God, help me enjoy each moment and not worry how quickly it will all go by.

Happy birthday to Deanna Lynn, my sister. She would have been 51 today. May God grant her eternal rest and peace.

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