Cat Island

Last Saturday my friend B and I were excited to visit a place new to both of us: Cat Island--a 10,000+ acre NWR (National Wildlife Refuge) located near historic St. Francisville, LA. From January - July most of the area is under water, so we were worried that we might not be able to cross a couple of the one-lane bridges leading into the preserve. But we decided early in the day that this would be an adventure and treated the day as such. Bravely (trepidatiously?) we entered the refuge, and although I spent most of the day swerving to avoid pot holes, it was dry.

We arrived at our destination around 8:30AM, so the heat/humidity weren't oppressive. Yet. We were prepared with snacks and drinks, but I was unprepared for the amount of sweat that would drench me in such a short time. Thankfully, B had an extra cloth to lend me so I could mop my face. I had so much fun with B and I hope we get to do more exploring together. It's so wonderful to have a nature-lovin', photog bud.

Checkered skipper

Bee on "sensitive plant." I haven't seen one of these since I was a child.
The leaves look like small ferns that close up when you touch them.
Next time I'll get the leaves in the shot. B's is so much better than mine.

Butterflies were landing on us right and left.

B photographing the inside of a large cypress.
Is she dressed for success or what? I've got to get a vest like that.
There are so many pockets for all sorts of goodies!

This Bald Cypress is the largest tree of any species east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
The massive base splits off into two trunks and is 56' in circumference, 83' tall,
and is thought to be about 1,000 years old. Maybe even 1,500 years old!
A viewing platform was constructed around the tree to protect it.
A very nice article can be found here.

B has all kinds of neat camera stuff. See that strap? I've got to get one. Also, she has a clip-on
thingy that holds the lens cap. Since I keep losing my lens caps, this is another must-have.

B noticed this scary spider as we were leaving the big cypress. Yikes!

White Ibis with a leaf stuck to his bill.

Cemetery gate in St. Franisville, LA
More of our afternoon there in a future post, which includes exploring an open crypt!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Thanks to Tex for hosting the fun Good Fences meme!

Also, many thanks to Anni for


And Stewart for

LINK

Almost forgot to add Eileen's. Thank you!!

LINK

Sunday

Sunday morning we slept in, drank coffee, and read our devotionals. Finally, showers were taken, the dogs watered and fed, and the car packed. Off to Lake Martin to hopefully improve our kayaking skills. An hour later we were standing in front of the boat rental place, cash in hand. However, this time I asked for a more stable kayak and Mr. Champagne gave us two kayaks which were wider in the middle. Boy, what a difference! I wasn't afraid to use my binoculars or phone. Since it was just the two of us we took our time and meandered around the lake, stopping at times to just sit and soak in all of God's great beauty. It was the best day ever!

Double D is loving this too! He told me I am doing a good job of keeping him young.

Double D took this one of me. Rarely do I relax and smile for the camera.
I think we've figured out the formula!

Oh no! Our 2 hours are up; time to return to the dock. :(

Our iphones do a great job for landscape shots, but it's killing me that I can't take photos of wildlife with my DSLR. So, I have ordered a Canon Powershot SX50 just for kayaking. There is no way I can chance losing the DSLR in the lake. The new camera is supposed to have 24mm on the wide angle end and up to 1200mm on the zoom end. I doubt if I'd ever have to use 1200mm since we can get so close to the birds, turtles, and gators on water, plus it has Image Stabilization built in. The reviews are mostly positive, so I'm super excited! Anyone else have experience with this type of camera?

Fontainebleau, Part II

More of our day at Fontainebleau State Park.

Shallow waters with sandy beach.
I'm too afraid of the brain-eating amoebas to get in there.

Anhinga

How delighted I was to see a rabbit AND a fawn together. Awww!

Time to skedaddle!

Children playing on low-lying live oak branch

Linking to Skywatch Friday. Many thanks to the meme's host!

Jewell Meadows

Since I never finished posting about my Portland vacation, here are some photos from day 3 when we traveled to Jewell Meadows in hopes of seeing elk. The wildflower hike that morning had been a bit of a disappointment, but we persevered, feeling in our gut that the best was yet to come.

This nice volunteer who was kind enough to spend time educating us on the elk.
He even pulled out some antlers, showing us what they're made of and their large size.
He indicated that we might have better luck on another stretch of road, but he was highly doubtful we'd see
any elk because the cows were pregnant and very skittish.

Well, looky here! When I saw a brown dot in the field I yelled at my daughter, STOPPPPP!

We pretty much kept our distance so as not to frighten them.

We never saw the males, but there were three females total and they were very gracious.

My daughter heeded my STOPPPPP orders again and pulled over so I could shoot this.
I loved that the roof was almost entirely comprised of moss. 

Portland, OR is a beautiful part of the country. I love every minute of my time there.

Avery Island Wrap-Up

There are many more photos of Avery Island besides these, but I think I'll put this baby to bed for a while. I still have photos from Lake Martin on the same day to process, and those need to be posted, too. Hope you enjoy. As always, I appreciate the kind comments and visits. Y'all make my day!

There are signs like this all over the island. And yes, they are necessary.

My husband was convinced this wasn't real. Then the gator opened his mouth. Silly man! 

I really became bored with them after a while.
There is nothing beautiful about them, but it is a rush to get close.
If the sun is particularly bright, it makes taking photos of them very challenging.

Great egret with breeding colors and breeding plumage.

I must've looked at this picture twelve times, but only today noticed the eggs.

Observation tower where I took all of the egret photos.

Swallowtail kite. This is a first for me. Not my best photography, but putting it up anyway.

Another live oak with spanish moss. Azaleas are blooming like crazy everywhere.

Feedly has been acting a little strange lately, so if I missed your post, I'm sorry. Some of the feeds show up days later, all at once. I guess Feedly is experiencing growing pains. I'm still mad at Google. :(

Sharing with the wonderful Skywatch Friday.