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Okefenokee Swamp Energizes Imagination

February 7, 2011 by Pat Bean

Bridge standoff at Okefenokee Swamp Park. -- Photo by Pat Bean

 “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Pogo

Travel With Maggie

 It was a fall day in 2006 when I visited the Okefenokee Swamp, a place I had once thought was as fictional as Anne McCaffrey’s Pern. I knew it only as the imaginary home of the animals in Walt Kelly’s comic strip “Pogo,” which ran in newspapers across the country from 1948 to 1975.

 Many a Sunday morning would find me curled up somewhere reading all about Pogo the possum, Albert the alligator, Howland the owl, Porky Pine the porcupine and a host of other animals that grew out of Kelly’s imagination.

 In its early days, I saw Walt’s colorful drawings as simply a comic strip about the four-legged and winged creatures that lived in a swamp. As an observant animal lover, I understood the human attributes he gave his creatures, but it wasn’t until I was about 25 that I realized he was satirizing human nature as well.

When the water levels are higher, visitors to Okefenokee Swamp Park are given a boat ride as part of the swamp experience. A drought in the park in 2006 meant no boat ride for me. -- Photo by Pat Bean

 My discovery that the Okefenokee was more than the byproduct of a vivid imagination came even later than that. While the Texas school I attended taught me a lot about the geography of Texas and the rich oil fields that lay off its Gulf of Mexico shoreline, it skipped completely any information about Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.

 I had to learn that on my own.

For the record, the Okefenokee Swamp was once an ocean floor. It lay beneath the salt water until a sandbar, formed about a million years ago, cut the basin off from the sea. Time and the elements eventually turned it into the freshwater wetlands that today extends Georgia’s eastern coastline by about 75 miles.

Of course I compared what I saw on my day in the Okefenokee to my memories of it from Kelly’s comic strip.  What I saw made me glad Pogo’s home was not just an imaginary place.

Posted in Nature, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

We May Live Twice, But Not Forever

February 6, 2011 by Pat Bean

This Morning's Texas sunrise was not something I would have wanted to miss. -- Photo by Pat Bean

 “One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.” — Unknown

Travels With Maggie

At the suggestion of a friend, I watched a video on YouTube http://tinyurl.com/4cr4yow featuring a crowd jumping up and down and singing “I”m Gonna Live Forever,” the theme song from “Fame.”

It got my heart dancing a joyous jig, and my mind thinking back to when I actually thought that was a possibility. I’m both an optimist and a late bloomer so the realization that I was only a mere mortal didn’t completely sink in until I was about 40.

It was only then that I finally understood the words Ian Fleming wrote for his famous James Bond character to quote. “You only live twice: Once when you’re born. And once when you look death in the face”.

Along with the acceptance that the years ahead of me were numbered, also came the realization that I didn’t want to die with regrets for things I hadn’t done. From that minute forward, I had a new zest for life, and an appreciation for each day given me.

It seems odd that this second life of mine, simply because I accepted that death is a part of the whole, has been so much better than the first. Perhaps it’s because I take time to enjoy each sunrise because I know there’s always the possibility it might be my last.

Posted in Nature, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments »

Photos and Memories Color Up a Gray Day

February 5, 2011 by Pat Bean

Epcot Butterfly Garden -- Photo by Pat Bean

“When bright flowers bloom, Parchment crumbles, my words fade. The pen has dropped.” — Morpheus  

Travels With Maggie

Enough already with the weather. I’m going to take you on a trip down memory lane to a spring day in Florida, the one  I spent at Epcot with a son and two grown grandchildren. It was one of those perfect days, full of laughter and sunshine, good food and pleasant company.

Fantasia in green -- Photo by Pat Bean

While I enjoyed everything about the day, the fantastic landscaping is what remains most vivid.  Perhaps I remember Epcot’s gardens best because they were so full of color and life, in contrast to this day’s grayness.

In an art appreciation class I once took, I was asked what two things I found most appealing about paintings. My quick answer was color and surprise. The canvas gardens at Epcot had plenty of both.

Golds, Reds, Purples, Blues, Oranges, Greens and Yellows were mixed together everywhere you looked. The surprises were things like the dancing green hippo and alligator, or Snow White’s voluptuous green, vine skirt.

It would be nice right now if I had could think of something philosophical to say about all the beauty I saw that day, but nothing comes to mind. Perhaps because the pictures are overshadowing my words.

So I’ll stop with the chattering and let the pictures do the rest of the talking. I hope they’ll brighten your day as much as they did mine.

Color to spare for a gray day -- Photo by Pat Bean

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The Up Side of a Cold Day

February 4, 2011 by Pat Bean

 

"Don't wake me until it's warm enough to go outside and pee." -- Photo of Maggie, the boss, by Pat Bean

“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” — Joseph Chilton Pearce

Travels With Maggie

Maggie and I were supposed to pick up my grandson’s girlfriend this morning and then the three of us were to drive 222 miles to Harker Heights. The weather changed my mind. We’ll go tomorrow.

In the meantime I have a whole day ahead of me, as do others sitting out Mother Nature’s flurry.  School was canceled here in Lake Jackson, Texas, where my RV is cozily parked, and some workers, like my daughter-in-law, were told to take the day off.

So what do you do on a cold, snowy, icy, gray day when you want to stay inside and warm? Here are some suggestions.

Read a good book, like Ken Follett’s “World Without End” Susan Albert’s “Bloodroot,” Robin Hobb’s “Assassin’s Apprentice ” John Steinbeck’s “Travels With Charlie,” Tim Cahill’s “Road Fever” or any old color-coded John D. MacDonald mystery. I cried when this writer died. His Travis McGee character always kept me turning pages.

Make a pot of pumpkin soup: One box V8 Butternut Squash soup, one can Swanson’s chicken broth, one can unsweetened pumpkin, half a stick of butter, red pepper to taste and a bit of milk if you want it creamier. Mix together and heat.

A boy and two girls just wanna have fun. Playing dress-up: Michael Kim and Me

Play dress-up with your friends – yes grownups can do it, too – and take funny pictures.

Organize your photos.

Take a long nap. That’s Maggie’s favorite things to do.

Play board games, like Settlers or Sorry, or play Monopoly on the Wii if you’re alone.

Put off taking your dog for a walk as long as possible.

And ________________. Well, you fill in the blank space.

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Nasty Weather Doesn’t Hinder Passionate Birders

February 3, 2011 by Pat Bean

An amazing photo by Joanne Kamo of the fork-tailed flycatcher at Galveston Island State Park.

“Obsession is a young man’s game, and my only excuse is that I never grew old.” — Michael Caine.

Travels With Maggie

It might have been nasty and c old outside yesterday, but that didn’t keep passionate birdwatchers away from Galveston Island State Park. Judging by the comments on Texbirds, an online birding report, many of them earned gold for their efforts, the gold being a rare feathered visitor to the Texas Gulf Coast: a fork-tailed flycatcher.

Because the bird was wet, Joanne was able to see and photograph the yellow spot on the bird's crown, indicating it's a male. -- Photo by Joanne Kamo

This exotic South American bird, whose tail is longer than its body, has been hanging out at the park for several days. Among those who saw it was Joanne Kamo, a fantastic photographer whose photos accompany this blog. I drooled over them, especially since circumstances hindered me from going to see this flycatcher myself.

It wasn’t a matter of distance. The park is only 40 miles from my son’s home in Lake Jackson, Texas, where my RV, Gypsy Lee, is currently parked. That’s a mere walk in the park compared to the 200 miles I once drove to see osprey parents with chicks – and that day didn’t end until I drove the 200 miles back home..

That was the day I realized I had become a diehard birder.. Unless you’re one you really won’t understand. But if you’re interested, read “The Big Year” by Mark Obmascik. It’s all about three men in a race to see who can see the most North American bird species during 1998.

Meanwhile, like me, you can enjoy Joanne’s awesome photos. Or if you’re in the neighborhood, you could go see the bird for yourself. The latest Texbirds’ e-mails indicate it’s still hanging around.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Spring May Be Early, But It’s Not Here Yet

February 2, 2011 by Pat Bean

This groundhog is enjoying a past spring. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

 “Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.” — Maori Proverb

Travels With Maggie

Two famous groundhogs, Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania and Gen. Beau Lee in Georgia, didn’t see their shadows this morning. This means, according to an old German superstition, that we’ll have an early spring.

Groundhogs are members of the marmot family, and they hibernate in burrows during the winter. I doubt that any wild ones would have even stuck their noses out of the ground this morning, since a killer storm is currently moving across the country.

Phil and Lee are the mascots of two groundhog clubs, whose members actually do the weather prognosticating themselves. But the groundhogs’ supposed predictions of an early spring should still be good news to those buried today beneath snow and ice.

No snow where I’m at, but the weather experts say the 23 degrees the temperature gauge reads would feel more like 9 degrees if I stuck my head out of my RV. For the record, I’m currently parked in a son’s Lake Jackson, Texas, driveway. And 9 degrees, or 24 for that matter, is pretty darn cold for the Texas Gulf Coast.

It’s a mere mosquito bite, however, to what other parts of the country are experiencing.

According to a story in the NY Times, about a third of the country is paralyzed. Nearly 13,000 flights have been canceled and the number is expected to rise to 20,000.

It’s a day for those of us who are holed up snug and warm to send vibes of hope to those who have been caught up in Mother Nature’s frigid tantrum. It’s also a good day for those of who are safely cosseted to count our blessings.

Mine includes family, friends, my dog Maggie, my health, a zest for life, good coffee, comfortable shoes, a decent computer, birds to watch and roads to travel.

That’s just 10, but there are hundreds of others. That’s OK. I have the whole day ahead to contemplate them.

Posted in Nature, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

As in Life, a Rainbow Hides in Every Storm

February 1, 2011 by Pat Bean



This is all I could see outside my RV window at 7 a.m. this morning. -- Photo by Pat Bean

 

“If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm.” — Frank Lane

Travels With Maggie

I’m writing my blog this morning as pelting rain drums a tune on the roof of my RV, which is rocking and rolling with the wind. A clash of distance thunder sounds the cymbals.

There’s something in me that loves an enthusiastic storm, especially when I’m all snug and cozy in warm flannel pajamas with a good book to read. A cracking fireplace blaze would be nice, but when living in a 22-foot home on wheels, one has to make sacrifices.

My canine traveling companion, Maggie, since it is only 7 a.m., is still sleeping. If left undisturbed – and thunder and lightning don’t normally wake her – she’ll sleep until about 9:30 a.m., when she’ll wake up and give me that “I’m ready for my morning walk RIGHT NOW” look.

This scarlet cheer was tucked beneath a hedge. -- Photo by Pat Bean

This scarlet cheer was tucked beneath a hedge. -- Photo by Pat Bean

If it’s still raining, we’ll use my large umbrella. Maggie knows the drill. And she won’t dawdle, as she normally does.

I usually dawdle, too, another reason why Maggie and I are the perfect traveling companions. I carry binoculars around my neck and frequently stop to search out any bird sounds I hear.  Yesterday a knock-know drumming alerted me to a cute little downy woodpecker in the tree above my head. A soft whistling then refocused my binoculars to a tufted titmouse in the same tree.

 I also take time to snap a picture or two with my small digital camera. Remembering to stick it in my pocket for our walks took me a long time, but these days I feel naked without it.

The first bloom on the Japanese magnolia tree in my son's yard. This tree blooms before it puts on leaves and is always a winter treat. -- Photo by Pat Bean

A few minutes ago, on a whim, I shot a view of the storm outside through the inside of

my RV window. Looking at it, I thought about the photos I took yesterday of winter color around my son’s Texas Gulf Coast home, where winter never fully settles in for the duration.

 The contrast between the images speak to me of the silver lining behind every storm.

Do they say something to you?

Posted in Birds, Nature, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Numbers Can’t Compare to a Meadowlark’s Golden Throat

January 31, 2011 by Pat Bean

A chukar on Antelope Island, where this game bird was transplanted, is usually easy for a birdwatcher to find. I've seen many of them, and each time was as delightful as the first time.

 “Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right now. Don’t miss it.” — Leo Buscaglia

Travels With Maggie

I keep a list of every bird species I see for the first time and a list of the all the places I’ve been. I’m always delighted when I add to these two lists. But thankfully, I’m not like the birder who passed me on a trail on Antelope Island in Great Salt Lake a couple of years ago. .

Maggie and I were dawdling along, she sniffing the flowers and everything else we passed as cocker spaniels do, and me watching red-winged blackbirds flash their scarlet marked wings while listening to a couple of breeding male meadowlarks trying to out sing each other.

Barely slowing his pace, the middle-aged hiker asked if I had seen a chukar. I replied that I often saw this partridge-like bird in the rocks near the bend up ahead. About 10 minutes later, the man ran past me going the other way.

Prong-horned antelope are also easy to find on Antelope Island if one takes the time to drive around and look. -- Photo by Pat Bean

“Got it … that’s 713 birds for me now.” His voice was like the rumble of a passing freight train.

How sad, I thought, that he didn’t take a minute to admire the flashy scarlet markings on the blackbirds or to enjoy the melodic voices of the two meadowlarks.

Numbers on a list are only that. It’s being present in the moment – seeing the golden hue on a meadowlark’s throat as it tilts its head toward the sky in song, or the magic of a sunrise slowly coloring the sides of a canyon – that makes my heart beat faster. I enjoy such wonders whether I’m seeing it for the first or the hundredth time.

But I’ll still keep my lists. I like making them. They’re also a great way to recall the wonders I’ve taken the time to enjoy.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Not Ashamed to be a Tree Hugger

January 30, 2011 by Pat Bean

 

The Big Tree at Goose Island State Park on Texas' Gulf Coast. -- Photo by Pat Bean

“I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines. — Henry David Thoreau

Travels With Maggie

One of my favorite places to escape for a few days when I’m visiting my son on the Texas Gulf Coast is Goose Island State Park, where I always take time to visit “The Big Tree.”

She a fat old broad, more than a 1,000 years old. Her special status is a result of her massive girth – 35-foot trunk circumference with a 90-foot crown – than her 45 foot height. Many live oaks are taller. It’s the combination, note the tree experts, that won her the title, State Champion Coastal Live Oak, in 1969.

Trees fascinate me. This is evident when I take a trip down memory lane with my photos, I find I’ve captured many of their images with my camera

You now have proof. Pat Bean is a tree hugger. This tree grows in Custer State Park in South Dakota. -- Photo taken by a fellow traveler, right after I took her picture hugging the same tree.

I see trees as living art. In summer, their green coolness is a Monet painting; in autumn their bright purple, red, orange and yellow leaves belong on a Gauguin canvas, and in winter, their stark dark and light pattern of limbs remind me of an Escher.

I even have several photos of me with my arms around a tree that I asked the occasional travel companion to snap. While I might be a bit ashamed to be a “Survivor” fan (yesterday’s blog), I take great pride in saying I’m a tree hugger.

Just one problem, Goose Island’s Big Tree is too big for me to hug properly.

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Ashamed, But Still a ‘Survivor’ Fan

January 29, 2011 by Pat Bean

A real "Survivor" moment in Kenya. This young male lion actually scratched its back on the tire of the Land Rover just beneath my feet. -- Photo by Pat Bean

  “I don’t want to be thought of as a survivor because you have to continue getting involved in difficult situations to show off that particular gift, and I’m not interested in doing that anymore.” — Carrie Fisher

Travels With Maggie

I’m hooked on the TV series, “Survivor.” I’m not proud of the addiction. It means I can no longer boast that I’ve never watched a soap opera. “Survivor,” with all its melodrama, plotting and backstabbing, is certainly that.

It’s a rare contestant who doesn’t lie, cheat, gossip maliciously and betray. That’s the way to play the game. Being a good guy or gal usually means you get voted out early because the competition knows you’ll most likely be the one to win the million-dollar prize.

I’m a peace-loving person who wants everybody on the planet to get along and respect each other. More than once I’ve gotten up on a soapbox to spread this message. Yet Survivor nights find me watching a group of rowdy, inconsiderate, half-naked – sometimes even naked although CBS censors the privates — buffoons make war against each other.

Why am I hooked? It’s a question I’ve asked myself. When I do, this old-broad traveler actually comes up with answers. .

No adrenalin moment here, but an elephant coming out of a river at Tarangire National Park in Tanzania looked for awhile like it was going to charge our vehicle. While I didn't pee my pants, I was too afraid to move to take a picture during that "Survivor" moment. -- Photo by Pat Bean.

First there’s the exotic settings, like Australia and Africa, that appeal to my wanderlusted soul. Then there’s the idea of surviving the new and the strange, which on a more sedate scale, my dog, Maggie, and I do every time we head down the road to places we’ve never been or seen before.

“Survivor” is arm-chair travel at its adrenalin best. I find myself living vicariously through the actions of the players, standing in their shoes – or standing shoeless beside them – asking myself what I would do if I were them.

Sitting in front of my motor home’s small TV, or watching the show on my computer when I have no digital or cable connections, I fantasize winning each immunity challenge while still being the good gal who doesn’t lie, cheat or betray. Of course I always win. Such fantasy keeps my brain stimulated – and that’s a good thing. Or so I tell myself.

According to the ratings I have a lot of company. So why do you watch “Survivor?”

Posted in Nature, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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