Full AT Moon

Full Moon happens Sunday March 28. Sun sets around 730 as the Full AT Moon rises. Oh my! Don't miss this event.

 On a clear night

you can see all the way
to the moon,
God's streetlight.

Margaret Simon, draft

My COVID Ditty:

My car is waxed

I have been vaxed

So I am ready to go Jack

Let you know when I am back

3-1-21

March 1!!!

 

This day awakens a grand memory in me because I began a great adventure on this date. Let me tell you about it. 

 

Jake was a senior at the Naval Academy, so this would have been 1997, March 1, early spring. The Navy gave the cadets spring break one month before the rest of the universities to "keep them out of trouble", I guess.

I also remember that for spring ’95 spring break, sophomore Jake and several roommates drove home to spend time with us, sleeping in our beds and eating out of our refrigerator and maybe go to NO too? I really don’t remember but I figger that was a part of it since I think they picked up matching tattoos there, hmmmm, strange, among other trouble. The part I do remember is that our visitors piled in my old yellow pickup and went to Jefferson Island to visit one of the McDonald boys who was fishing crawfish and he stopped to give a world class explanation of the pond crawfishing process for my visitors, great job, quite generous of Kim to stop and talk, of course this is something all the McDonald boys enjoyed.

Then we cut over to Lake Martin to look for an alligator, something every boy from New York or Philly wants to see when here. It was a cloudy day in march, cool and there was "no way" we would see a gator, too cold… As we drove the levee’ I spotted one as she lay out on the flotant vegetation on the Levee'/water’s edge. A big-assed 10 foot long girl (my dad always said that you could tell how long they were by how far they were between the eyes ie 10"=10' but this one was totally out bouyed by the floating vegetation), even I was impressed! Our Yankee visitors lined the road edge shoulder to shoulder, straining to see the gator as well as possible. I noted each had picked up a rock from the graveled levee road, they were nervously massaging the rock like they were planning their throw. Then I said, “Do you know what that gator is thinking right now?...(pregnant pause)... She is trying to figger out if she can get to you before you can climb back into the bed of that truck.” It was so funny, they all dropped their rocks and stepped back one step, no kidding, so funny! Just like a formal Naval Academy precision drill move.

Probably the most memorable thing was that Aunt Yvonne cooked a world class jambalaya for the crew that night, like only she could cook. That girl was the finest chef and she love her Jacob. We miss her.

 

Back to spring ’97... Jake called and suggested that we do a portion of the Appalachian Trail, the AT, the southern end. We researched and made a plan. We both drove to a remote parking lot on the AT that nether had ever been to. We were experienced Louisiana Boy Scout backpackers but this was the Big Time, the AT!! We were so excited!! We only had a few days to burn so we planned to drop one car at our take-out point and leave the other in the parking lot at Springer Mountain, Georgia the southern terminus of the AT and the Benton MacKaye trails. We were so excited!! Did I say we were excited?

We slept in the agreed upon parking lot, in our cars, to get an early start. Then took off very early to shuttle cars. When we arrive at the Springer Mountain parking lot early the next morning on March 1 we were hugely surprised. The lot was packed with cars and people were scurrying about, checking gear, saying goodbye in an irrational scramble to hit the trail. I still remember that strange, far off look in their eyes. I guess you have to get that way if you intend to make it to Maine in one summer, 4-6 months. March 1 was the historic start date for AT Through-Hikers, we had no idea. 

One hitch at this point was everyone had to hike south to the top of Springer Mountain to tag home plate before heading north to Maine. Crazy wild y'all! So we got to see their taillights twice. 

Another memory was of all the green foliage stripped off the trees in the forest. I assumed that just days before our arrival, an ice storm or big hail, I guess, hammered the trees. Jake and I had to wait a bit for the dust to settle and the parking lot to empty so we could park and start out. By midday all the hikers were gone and we had the place to ourselves. It is a long trek to Maine, glad were just there for a walk in the woods. 

My knees were a wreck in those days so I slowed progress down but we enjoyed each other’s company and the wild country we were in. It was a healing hike for father and son after not getting along during those high school days. 

That first night in the woods was interesting in that there was a training mission by soldiers from a nearby army camp. Night operation, they landed a chopper on the other side of the hill from our camp accompanied by small arms and machine gun fire. Thankfully they avoided contact with us.

The second day the AT goes right through a hiking/camping/outdoor store, think Pack and Paddle, right through it. I guess in case you forgot something. Great idea!

Day 4 we arrive at our dropped car, shuttled back and hugged goodbye headed home, smiling. Wonderful memory. Thank you Jake for that unexpected call.

3-2-21 Long slender shiny slightly iridescent hummer on my feeder, maybe broad-bill I thought I say earlier in the summer.

3-4-21 Crane Flies beginning to hatch, look like huge Daddy Longlegsesque flying insects. Hatch emerges from the St Augustine canopy, kind of stumble around a bit then fly off. The Mockingbirds take advantage of that early season protein source. They hang out on lower branches and swoop down to grab them off the turf surface.

Note: I saw a reference to Playla wetlands/lakes talking about the landform in southern Great Plains, other areas they're called prairie potholes. Conserved as a wetland resource. In Louisiana the Cajuns call them Platins and Marais. Some are  ephemeral some wet year round, the wetter ones have trees around them. On our Cajun Prairie we only grow trees along rivers, bayous, coulees and the Buffalo Wallers, because of tree-limiting soil and fire. The tree lined wetter ones were where the grazers came to cool off and roll in the mud. This animal action enhanced and deepened them by compacting the bottoms of the pond and removed silt burden. At ULL our Cypress Lake aka 'The Swamp', on mid-campus, is one such Marais/Platin.

3-6-21 My mystical, magical Red Buckeye Plant (Tree) was in full bud expansion when the big freeze (so far) of 2021 struck. It is now in full leaf without any apparent damage except for a 1-2 week slowdown. YAY!

3-7-21 Oh, Oh, Oh, Buckeye flower spikes expanding up nicely.

3-10-21 Fireflies flashing in the 2ac wood, first time this season for us. That's Lightnern-bugs fer those of you along the Gulf Rim.

Joe my firefighter son works one day at the station and two days construction. He sent a photo from the job site of a RTH on a low branch at the rear of the property. It had been dropping to the ground all day he said and grabbing and eating something. YAY! That's Red Tailed Hawk y'all, I call them headlight hawks because of the large white patch on breast under their chin, it shines in the right light. Another field mark for me, besides the red tail feathers, is the dark vest shaped area under the headlight and over the white vent area below.

3-12-20 I noticed the hardy but herbicide sensitive Red Buckey Tree leaves doing their annual "twist and shout". When I asked the County Agent what the cane farmers were putting out this time of year. He said "just pick one, they are putting it all out". One of the named poisons contains 2,4-D which drifts and impacts broad leaved plants including Red Buckeye. It is not enough to kill my plants but my family and I are being sprayed with the chemical, related to Agent Orange of Vietnam infamy and exposure is shown to cause Parkinson's.

Thanks y'all.

3-16-21 This is the beginning of the time of Gorillas in Chartreuse negligees, as my dad used to call Live Oak Trees in full flower and new leaf, quite a spectacle.

3-20-21 Spring Equinox, YAY! BSA drainage project. Ms Daisy in Little Brooklyn. Refreshing group to work with.

3-24-21 Frozen citrus plants are all sprouting, whew!

peace love possumhugs

BT