Delusions of grandeur…

Blue Angels on our shoulders?

Last year I was convinced the Blue Angels could see me waving from my deck, and that was the reason they performed so many breath-taking maneuvers right over my little house.

They fly faster than my shutter speed...

Since that time I have learned that almost everyone up and down the Fort Morgan Road suffers from the same grand delusion.

Absolutely everyone runs outside (you can see them on their decks with binoculars and cameras) but some people wave flags and others write messages in the sand as The Blue Angels thunder down the coast… and we’re all convinced they can see us, at 700 mph, as we frantically vie for their attention.

Well… they’re back at their home station at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station in Pensacola and I swear they’re even more impressive than last year.

Betsy and Terry were down from Kentucky last week and I had Betsy on the deck railing waving my UK and UL banners like a demented traffic control flagman.  Sophie hid under the table, but Terry came outside to watch the show.  Betsy waved them in so low that on one pass she swore she could see their faces!

Betsy waves them in

A few days later we took our bicycles over to Dauphin Island on the ferry, and we realized the Angels turned back towards Pensacola when they neared the end of the Fort Morgan peninsula.  Soooooooo,  it dawned on us they were probably reaching the edge of their airspace just over Surfside Shores and they performed one last maneuver before turning back.

Evidently my  personal air show is just a happy accident of geography instead of favoritism…

But I have a plan!

I have three cans of fluorescent paint Alberta left to me when she moved to Arkansas and I still have Brad’s ladder leaning against the back of the house. So I can spray-paint a giant ‘HELLO’ on my metal roof in lime green, and I think I’ve found a way to tie a banner to the dog…

(NOT my photo) Hoestly, they are closer than this!

Official Blue Angel website  http://www.blueangels.navy.mil (turn your speakers up!)

Hurricane Ida

The Eye of the Storm

I turned on the news when I awoke this morning and watched as the local weatherman on Dauphin Island explained that Ida had crossed over the barrier islands and was in Mobile Bay with landfall expected around 7:00 AM.  The satellite radar showed the rain had moved northeast of us on Fort Morgan and it was foggy and quiet outside.

I fed the dog, walked around the yard (a limb from the pine tree had narrowly missed the boat parked in my back yard for safety!) and got ready to take Sophie for a walk.

Northwest wall

Then it hit!

A blast of cold air roared across from the bay and two blackened pine trees snapped half-way off on the edge of the pond.  Sophie changed her mind about a walk and I came back in and turned on the TV. This time the weatherman was hanging on to his coat and was yelling into the microphone, the temperature had dropped almost 10 degrees.

We had been in the eye of the storm! I didn’t realize that, and I’m pretty sure the weatherman on Dauphin Island didn’t know.

Sophie refused to go back outside, so I drove down to the beach to get a look at the Gulf.

Debris washed up under GRITS house

The only real damage I saw was an overturned porta-potty and debris blown from a dumpster that should have been emptied a month ago. ( We were picking up debris from this construction site during the Coastal Cleanup.)

too much trash

The surf had washed under the houses on the beach, and the end of the walkway at ‘Million Dollar View’ was gone, again… but that was the extent of the damage here from Ida.

So long, Ida!

Hurricane Ida

Day One…

It looks like Ida is drawing a bead on Surfside Shores on the Fort Morgan Peninsula!  She is a category two now with winds over 75 mph.

The weather here is breezy but still beautiful.  Sophie and I were alone on the beach, but that’s not unusual.

The local experts predict the cool water in the gulf will slow the winds and it will probably deteriorate to a tropical storm before it hits land.

But I’m sure the ‘talking heads’ on morning TV will blow it all out of proportion and the entire Gulf Coast will take a real financial hit this week. Thanks Dianne, Harry & Matt!

Sunday morning

However, this might be a good time to check on my hurricane shutters, I’ve been meaning to do that all summer…

It’s a BEAUTIFUL day in the neighborhood…

Full moon, startlingly beautiful sunrise, and no one on the beach this morning…

and, finally some shells on the beach at low tide.

The water in the Gulf was endlessly clear and calm.

And the sunset was spectacular, again!    

Is a Bobcat a Wildcat?

Sunset 10/24/09

I saw one tonight.

I was driving home after running to a friend’s house at half-time, so I could get home in time for the Kentucky game… and I saw a Bobcat.

Sunset 10/24/09

Maybe it was because my little electric car is so quiet, but I got a good look at him/her as it crossed the road near Morgantown. I didn’t get a photo because I was gaping as it stopped at the edge of the road and looked at my car, and then loped across the dune… by the time I thought of the camera the moment was gone.

I knew they lived here, but seeing one tonite was an omen…. the Kentucky Wildcats will win tonight!

Sunset 10/24/09

So… no picture to post of a Bobcat, but I did get a photo of our spectacular sunset tonite from the deck when I got home.

Sunset 10/24/09

Wish you were here!

Sending ocean breezes and best wishes to Kentucky!

Sunset 10/24/09

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I will admit I was a little hurt when the hummingbird I rescued and raised did not stick around for the winter like Squeak  (my mother-in-law owned an autographed copy of “The Story of Squeak”). 

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird by the Neitzels

He stopped by for visits that summer and sat on the clothesline while I worked in the garden, but he left in the fall and never returned. He did, however, change my fascination with hummers into a lifelong love story.

So I was delighted when the Neitzels invited me over to see their way-stations for migrating hummingbirds.  They had, Janice boasted, over a hundred birds buzzing their deck in the evening.

Steve and Janice Neitzel are renowned locally for their avian photographs, some of which they generously donate to the Fort Morgan Volunteer Fire Dept fundraisers, in addition to other worthy causes. And they have shared some with me for the new Fort Morgan website.

 

Painted Bunting by the Neitzels

Their yard, in the family compound, is littered with dozens and dozens of bird feeders, bird houses, and bird baths.  It was then that I began to realize they didn’t have to travel very far to snap those amazing photographs, the birds were coming to them!

 

And they did come…  I watched in awe as Janice & her brother fed Harriet, the heron, and the little hummers buzzed the feeders on the back deck and front porch.

Harriet the heron

 

 

Neitzel’s feeder

I attempted to film the hummingbirds swarming around Janice as she held the feeder, but discovered too late I had selected the wrong setting on the camera. That is one sure way to tell the difference between a professional and a rank amateur!

 

 

 

Recent photo by the Neitzels

 The evening on the deck was a treat and I look forward to the bird banding at the Fort this weekend. But I’ll leave the photography to the pros!

You can visit Steve Neitzel’s beautiful website at:

http://alcoastbirdman.com/-/alcoastbirdman/

Relaying the Rodeo Results

Evidently there is an additional similarity shared by equine and piscine rodeos – they have an intense competition with any contestant from the state of Texas!

The Sunday edition of the Mobile Press-Register boasts,  (Front Page and above the fold,  no less) “OUR FISH ARE BIGGER…   Rodeo catches show Bama’s dwarf those from Texas”

The story goes on to say,  ” Texas has its extra-large reputation, but to catch the biggest fish in the Gulf, you have to wet your line in Alabama…  For nearly every species, from red snapper to wahoo to the lowly ladyfish, anglers plying Alabama’s waters have consistently brought in larger fish than Texas anglers…”

Too funny!

And although the  results are still unofficial, Don Adcock’s 120.79 lb Amberjack will undoubtedly stand against the #2 fish weighing in at 73.69 lb but his 19.58 lb Grouper has dropped to third place.

There are several other Fort Morgan anglers still on the board and Drew claims his entry will win the ‘Most Unusual’ award.  He couldn’t even identify his catch and he’s been fishing the Gulf his entire life of 16 years!

Jim Waller of Milton, FL, holds a King Snake Eel with help from Stan Posey of Chilton, Bryan Dean (back row, to right of Waller) of Slydell holds a Conger Eel, and David McElroy of Cuba holds a Bearded Brotula with Mike Iles, all of the above fish rarely seen at the rodeo scales, were caught during the second day of the 77th annual Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo Saturday, July 18, 2009 in Dauphin Island. (Press-Register, James Durbin)

A funny sidebar…  While searching for an accurate definition of a Fishing Rodeo  I came across this post from Talking Points Memo entitled ‘Fishing Rodeo’  (http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/015252.php) .   It concerns Senator David Vitter (R) of Louisiana and and indiscretion with a ‘Madame’ a couple years ago…

<<By Josh Marshall

So what is a ‘fishing rodeo’? If you were reading the latest on  Sen. Vitter (R) last night here on TPM, you’ll know that Vitter met one of his several alleged Madam’s at one a few years back down in Louisiana.

Now, I’m actually a pretty experienced angler. But I’d never heard the phrase before. And presumably it doesn’t refer to actually lassoing the fish, which would be a serious challenge. One TPM Reader told me it’s basically a fishing event where they have a bunch of starved fish who will basically bite at anything. And so everyone’s guaranteed a big catch. And given what we know now, you can see how that sort of arrangement would probably be a pretty familiar one for Vitter.

But more readers say it’s just the regional name for a fishing tournament — that is, in Louisiana and other parts of the South. Have you been to a fishing rodeo? What was it? And did you see David Vitter there?

Late Update: Okay, the consensus seems pretty clear on this. A ‘Fishing Rodeo’ is not the fishing version of a Dick Cheney-style staged hunt. It’s the name for a fishing tournament — saltwater or fresh water — in Louisiana and Mississippi.>>

The truth is always funnier than fiction!

Nature Sanctuary

I’ve had some interesting jobs in my life.  Cataloguing John R. Gaines’ art and library was undoubtedly the most interesting and lucrative, but working as the secretary for the Biology Department was the most inspirational. 

Dr. Mary Wharton had already published her second book when I was hired, as a sophomore at Georgetown, so she was only teaching a few classes each semester.

I was fortunate to have her for two environmental science courses including field trips where we trooped behind her, struggling to keep up, as she pointed out Trailing Arbutus or False Indigo.

Many years later I bought several books at her estate auction to benefit her beloved Floracliff Nature Sanctuary.  http://www.floracliff.org/marywharton.html

 

When my wonderful friends visited from Kentucky last weekend we had too much terrific food, drink, and laughter.

 But we also enjoyed many walks on the beach and a hike across to the bay. I stopped at a bookstore this week to try to find a local book like Dr. Wharton’s  ”Guide to the Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky” but there was nothing to compare.

So I can’t identify the flowers and plants we saw, but as I grow older I do identify with Dr. Wharton’s appreciation for the beauty in nature.

 

A Whale of a Fish Tale

On my second day of work, when they all noticed I drove a hybrid Insight and had to admit to being a ‘tree hugger’, Jimmy told me this amazing fish story.

Jimmy is our very capable Tech and a really nice guy. He’s a longtime friend of my employers (who also own the Shady Lady, an impressive charter fishing boat) and he often accompanies the Clemons on their outings. The previous weekend they had been out in the Gulf and had the very, very rare experience of seeing dozens of Killer Whales. He’s been promising to loan me the video, but work has been busy and we both forget until we get to the office.

the ultimate 'Shamu' show!

But word of the trip has spread around the marina and last night it was on the local news. Rumor has it that CNN has picked up the story and it will be on this weekend.

WEAR TV only aired a snippet of the video, but it was absolutely astonishing. Their website this morning  has a photo and the story, but hopefully another station or CNN will post the video this weekend.

If Jimmy forgets to bring the tape to work this morning I may just follow him home and get it myself this afternoon. I am sooooooooo envious, it’s a once-in-a-hundred lifetimes experience! But, they have promised to take me out someday when the weather improves…. I’ll be happy to just see a dolphin!

The story from WEAR TV

Killer Whales Sighted in Gulf Of Mexico

 You’d expect to see them at theme parks and in the movies, but one group of local fisherman met some very large marine mammals in a very *unexpected place.

It’s a sight rarely seen, and seldom video taped.

Capt. Eddie Hall/Shady Lady,
“One of the guys on the boat, Jimmy, had spotted what appeared to be whales!… so we ran over to them and we were right, it was killer whales.”

On October 31st, Captain Eddie Hall and crew witnessed something they won’t soon forget… Approximately 200 killer whales spotted in the Gulf Of Mexico, about 60 miles south of the captain’s home port of Zeke’s Marina In Orange Beach, Alabama.

“There was some of them that would come 2 feet from the boat and dive right underneath the boat, and when they would dive, they would actually wake the boat.”

Most people would have to take a vacation to Sea World In Orlando to catch a sight like this.

Actually seeing killer whales in the gulf is very rare.

So rare, even scientists like Doctor Keith Mullin Of The National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration could go for years without seeing any of them.

Dr. Keith Mullin/NOAA Research Biologist,
“We do our own surveys and some years we don’t see any, some years we’ll see one, one year we were quite lucky we saw 3 different groups of killer whales.”

Even our own fishing expert and host of gary finch outdoors couldn’t believe it at first.

Gary Finch/Gary Finch Outdoors:
“In the 30 years that I have gulf fished, I have never come across a school of killer whales.”

But the video is too impressive to deny…

Not only because of the beauty and mystery of the whales, but because of the landmark in the background.

This oil rig provides a positive location for the whale pods, and information like that is valuable when exploring the unknown waters of the gulf.

Have your camera ready… because you never know what you’re gonna get.

Last Updated: Thursday, December 4 2008, 07:23 PM

The WEAR website is: http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/fl/topstory/topstory3.shtml

Update: A better website with video is   

http://www.orangebeach.ws/2008/News/2008-12-03-Killers_in_the_Gulf_of_Mexico.html

Because more television crews were on site today, I will happily add those links as I find them!

http://www.nbc15online.com/news/local/story/Killer-Whales-Spotted-In-The-Gulf-Of-Mexico/KHEuY-R23UCAdn42K4Lvvg.cspx

http://www.wkrg.com/local/article/killer_whales_in_the_gulf_of_mexico/21653/

http://www.weartv.com/players/news/top_stories/wear_vid_5201.shtml