Ummmm, Houston we have a problem---

...looks like a moonscape...

But, it's one time when I climbed up the sand dunes on the beach and snapped the shadows of the day.

CONNECTING TO:

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SUNDAY'S SUMMARY

Most of our week this week was just going out and doing some birding in all of our regular haunts. Over the Memorial Day weekend, on Monday, we went and checked out our favorite bookstore 'cause they were having a 20% off holiday sale. Half Price Books...that means if I found a dollar book on the clearance shelves, it would only cost me eighty cents. Most books were well picked over and I only found one. Coming back to the birding places, being that it's getting on into summer, not too many migrating birds are here any longer, so it's more localized, year 'round birds we see. And then, not too many of them either. We drove to one area that was new to us, but not new to the listing of birding spots along the Texas Coast Birding Trails. It is called Pollywog Ponds. It's about a 30 mile drive up on the interstate highway, heading toward San Antonio. According to what I've read online about the area, it's a great place to find some more unusual birds. But let me tell you right now, I was totally disappointed in the area. Not only do we have to drive up a road that is all caliche [pronounced kah-leech -hard clay], once parked and starting our walk after climbing over some huge metal gates...it was nice for about 500 yards. We could hear birds singing merrily as we walked along...not even nearing the ponds yet. Anticipation was faltered when we starting hitting a hidden path that had overgrown to knee high grasses and webs. But we continued further in. Only to come upon a barricade of fallen trees. We both circled the area, to no avail. There was no going further ---too dense, and reptile warnings existing, we decided to turn around, and head for Hilltop Community Bird Sanctuary instead. While traversing the path [paved and well kept], we spied a kiskadee and a cardinal. That was it. I did get photos of both, and will add them to my birding photo blog. Oh, and when I got home, I went out online and found the website that is the city's government site, and filed a complaint and commenting that even tho city budgets are at a near standstill, I suggested to them to post somewhere to get volunteers to clean up the mess ---Bud and I would!!! Here is what we 'ran into' after the path disappeared before our eyes...

Another day this week, we drove to the island and just wanted to sit down on the jetty, enjoying the sea breezes - watch the waterfowl, and view all the large ships coming in. There were a LOT of tankers out on the horizon, waiting in line to get a pilot to help navigate them into the channel. We counted seven through the haze on the horizon. We sat, I became quite friendly with one great blue heron who seemed to not be afraid of humans. When we got up and walked farther out to the sea [on the jetty of course], he decided to walk along with us. I told Bud that I wish I had a can of sardines packed in water...I truly think he just may have eaten out of my hand. But I only had gum and water with me. None the less, he was very photogenic. We sat and enjoyed the surroundings over an hour. Listening to the surf crashing behind us, and the gentle waves slapping the boulders on the jetty. On one buoy out in the center of the ships' channel there was a pair of brown pelicans enjoying the day as we were. After taking some photos and again, being left without any chances of those huge tankers coming in...we decided it was time for lunch in town. [we ended up at our favorite deli and had a Sgt. Pepper Roast Beef sandwich with chips, pickle, au juis and a large serving of frozen chocolate/vanilla swirled yogurt.] As we walked along the jetty to leave, we both spotted several dolphins feeding in the calm waters....one with a calf!! Of course they're most difficult to get a decent picture of them, 'cause they only breech the water for seconds and back down they go to move we know not where they'll surface again....

Friday was grocery shopping day...ugh!! That made up most of our week.