First Impressions

Well, I'm here!

The group from Massachusetts made me at home. I enjoyed a pancake breakfast with them this morning after a very short night (delayed plane flight, a van that wouldn't start) .

Later on in the morning, we drove out to a nature preserve in the general area where pirate Jean LaFitte used to [literally] hide out in the early 1800s. It which was very well laid out for visits. We walked a couple of miles, partly on a raised boardwalk-style arrangement and partly on a paved trail.

Alligators - of special interest to visitors - were in evidence in many places, from the trails they leave on frequently patrolled hunting paths, to their icy little eyes poking above the surface growth in the water. One was about 5 feet long, most were much smaller. Cicadas were numerous, noisy, and well-hidden. You hear this wave of sound which starts in one tree and then another bunch take up the yelling while the first one stops. You never see them - except for the one dead cicada providing a tasty meal for some ants. We also spotted several black-crowned night herons and a great blue and a gecko or two.

A variety of large and colorful butterflies flapped by from time to time as did an equal variety of dragonflies on search and destroy flights in glowing red, yellow, blue, and green MUCH better than anything from crayola. Did I mention?

Hot.
Humid.
Hot

Bakersfield people will be ready for this. Right? Although we do have this disarming way of saying, "It isn't the heat. it's the humidity that gets ya." Well, hooray! On the Gulf Coast WE HAVE IT ALL! YAAAAY!

What was last week's group doing?? Just as we thought: gutting out houses in their protective gear. The pattern seems to be full days of work on M and T, a partial day on W with a program of their providing and a nice big dinner provided by a local church member, two more days of demolition, then whatever time your flight plans allow on Saturday which in our case, I now realize, is none at all.

In this particular area, flooding is still visible in some places about two feet above ground level, looking like a giant bathtub ring stretching down the block. I also notice that in the neighborhood of this church, many (not all) houses were built about three feet off ground level which for many of them was enough to keep the water out of the house itself.

That's it for now.

Dave