Lake Martin Mish-Mash

Sunday morning we lounged around doing our usual: drinking coffee and having our routine discussion which always begins with a question: "What are we going to do today?" We are always eager to go somewhere, so the only thing stopping us would be the weather. The apps we consulted with weren't too favorable; at any rate, we threw caution to the wind, threw on some shorts without even showering first (unusual for us), and drove west to Lake Martin/Cypress Island Preserve. I really didn't expect to see much, and as I figured, the nesting egret/heron numbers were vastly diminished from the prior few months. There were a few little blue herons still nesting and that was about it. I always feel I am boring you with my chit-chat, so let's just get down to business.

First thing I saw as we drove in, a Great Blue heron.

Dragonfly resting spot. See him? I've read that they drink alligator tears.

Baby Little Blue heron

Alligator Gar.
Double D noticed a family (school?) of these in a side canal. He first thought it was an alligator,
but we soon realized it was a fish. The Park Ranger told us it was a garfish; however, that is incorrect.
I tried so hard to get a crisp shot of their ferocious teeth, but they are SUPER FAST.
One can certainly see how this fish got its common name.

Another baby Little Blue with a meal. I think it's a large tadpole.

Possibly a Slaty Skimmer dragonfly.

Abandoned boat on the lake.

Cypress Island Boardwalk.

More photos of our day to come. Stay tuned!

Linking up with Tex's

And also with Anni's

Barataria Preserve

Last weekend was absolutely beautiful as far as great light for photography, so we meandered over to Barataria Preserve, one of the many parks located within Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in Marrero, LA. It encompasses 23,000 acres of wild wetlands, marshes, bayous, swamps, and forests, and is habitat for over 200 species of birds. There are also alligators, nutria and other wild mammals thriving within the vast acreage. We could hear many different birds, but the trees were too dense and green to see them. We did, however, spot various snakes, banana spiders (HUGE!) and an alligator basking on the bayou bank. I'll spare you the spider and snake photos. :) Although it would make for a better Halloween post. Nah...

It's amazing how green and thick it still is in Louisiana. The unseasonably warm weather is causing us to have a late fall.

Even though it was a relatively cool day (about 75F), it was very humid, so the mosquitoes were munching pretty hard. The day before I had watched a marathon of Monsters Inside Me, a tv program about parasites growing inside humans. I was really mad at myself for not bringing the bug spray, praying I wouldn't get malaria. Inside my head I was screaming, "You're gonna end up on that show! Stupid, stupid girl!"

Well, whaddya know? A little fall color.

Palmetto Trail

Right after I removed the big lens from my camera, we came upon this gator.
Double D helped me change back to the 100-400mm lens promptly.
He had offered his services as my caddy for the day, so you can bet I took advantage of that!

Warning: Rant ahead.
I am SO OVER the humidity around here! Let's not even discuss my hair; it goes limp as wilted lettuce as soon as I step outside. When you add the humidity to the bad haircut I received recently, along with my sweat glands going into overdrive--well--it's a disaster area up there. I can't be ladylike and perspire, oh no, I SWEAT. Like a man! And my soppy, wet hair is there to announce that fact to the world. Some days I think I'll just buy a wig and be done with it. Maybe a hat....anyhow, this weekend coming up promises to be a little more delightful, so Double D and I are discussing our next day trip. Stay tuned!