2019 in Review

I began 2019 at Warm Springs National Wildlife Refuge during the government shutdown. I already had had much less to do because two new staff had been hired as well as another volunteer couple. So my duties were pretty much to clear away leaves, using a back pack blower.  I couldn't even do  that job or any other during the shutdown, except to finish a spread sheet of native butterflies and their host plants,  so soon was talking to my new boss, Suzanne Beauchaine, about arriving earlier than planned.  I also added in some more playtime since I had to pass through Louisiana and Texas.  I took one break and went to visit my friend, Laurel in South Carolina.  After a few weeks of not getting to work, I gave my boss notice of my leaving, then packed up and cleaned up the house.

A gopher tortoise enjoying his salad

On my trip home,  I anticipated a stop in Montgomery, Alabama to visit the Justice Museum and the Lynching Memorial. before stopping to visit Louisiana friends.  Alas, when I was about a half hour out of Montgomery,  I was rear-ended, which destroyed my boat, boat trailer, bike, bike carrier, car, and other processions.  I also injured my neck and am still getting treatment for it while trying to regain some of my previous life. The driver of the big work van who hit me, was too busy watching the muscovy ducks along the road - and still around for the picture - to brake.

Pieces of my trailer, canoe, and bike

The back of my car

The front of my car after I crashed through a cement-lined ditch

So, in addition to planned visits, to friends and relatives, and visits to  the doctors and therapists, I had to shop for a new vehicle. I'm loving my Toyota Rave which holds roughly one and a half times what the Honda Fit did. (Trying NOT to fill this one up.)

My new (used) Toyota Rave and my salesman

I finally got to the San Luis Valley in early March and immediately started helping to prepare for our Sandhill Crane Festival. Besides gathering everything we needed  together, and checking out our equipment, my main job was riding around on the tour buses and taking care of the amplification equipment.  (It was a TOUGH job but somebody had to do it.) Suzanne even went so far as to make a third volunteer job on the bus going to the archeological site, which turned out to be next to my house, so I could experience the tour, so I could enjoy that one also.

I had more snow than this when I arrived -  about fourteen inches and had to store my car until my driveway dried up

The sandhill cranes made it in time for the festival

This mastodon tooth was found near my house

The next big thing was our safety checkup.  I did some of the work getting ready for it.  I updated all the vehicle and building first aid kits for three refuges, inventoried the chemicals on two refuges, and inspected all the fire extinguishers on three refuges, pulling the ones which needed professional tests, as well as making a spread sheet for them so we can find them all easily next year.


In late May we had another catastrophe. We had some kind of a payment glitch and didn't get our expected adult supervisor for the YCC kids which work across the San Luis Valley for all the refuges, as well as BLM and the Forest Service. Without a supervisor, we could not have the program. I volunteered to take over the program until they found a permanent solution. I ended up working with them for two weeks, repairing fences and removing two strands in five strand fences so our elk can navigate across the refuge easier.  Then a summer intern took them over for the rest of the summer. I accidentally met up with them  at Bacca NWR,  when they had their finishing party and got to join them for supper and a wonderful hike to a male Mexican free-tailed bat cave. It was a tremendously fun experience and I was blessed to be in their presence. They were all awesome workers and people.

One of our two fence repairing teams - if we didn't nave enough work for all, we also picked up trash 

Loading up wire we pulled

We stopped near the end of the trail to the bat cave for this group picture. 

My personal main objective was to kill as much perennial pepperweed as possible. I also sprayed for kochia, mainly to keep it from overtaking the road and maintenance area. I'm expecting to have job security for as long as I can hobble.

My spray vehicle

In actual work mode - I drive with my right hand and spray with my  left

Another great project was a survey of the bees of San Luis Valley. I'm going to continue it this coming year, since I'm not sure I have found them all.  I was lucky in finding a sponsor in the Museum of Natural History, Colorado University of Boulder. They provided my equipment and will identify our bees for free. I ended up surveying throughout the valley, on private lands, BLM lands, and Forest Service Lands. One Forest Service guy even collected bees for me.

A box of bees ready to go to the Museum of Natural History 

Another personal project I started was to replace the almost pure monoculture of Kochia, an invasive, with native plants around my house.  It is one of the reasons, I plan to go back for several years. The refuge also let me have a thirty by thirty foot vegetable garden, another way to keep me coming back.

Yard improvements

I had spectacular sunrises over the Sangre de Christi mountains and sunsets over the San Juan Mountains. I spent a lot of time chasing them.

Sunrises were often spectacular over the Sangre de Christo Mountains

Sunset over the San Juan Mountains

Several friends provided play relief. My first visitors were Winnie and Wayne. We all did a lovely train ride, across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. We also did car touring and Winnie and I enjoyed the Great Sand Dunes and a hike to Zapata falls.

Starting on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad trip with Wayne and Winnie

Winnie's picture of me navigating the white water creek formed by Zapata falls

My best friend, Natalie,  kept telling me she wasn't going to visit, then the Houston heat got to her and she and daughter Ellen and two dogs came to visit. We enjoyed a car tour around Creed, Colorado and she and Ellen repeated the railroad trip.






Julie, one of my good friends I've met while volunteering, has been to visit me several times. This time I collected both her and her husband from the airport in Denver and then spent a week with them in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Julie and Jerry in Rocky Mountain National Park

Julie came back to meet me in Albuquerque, NM to play our way to most of the National Parks and Monuments. in New Mexico. We spent six days together trying to fit in another six before I dropped her off at the San Antonio airport.

Me visiting a pueblo at Bandelier National Monument with Julie

Julie at a sunset white sands hike

I came home for the winter to get my cataracts removed. I've just had my final checkup and barely need glasses. I have no more astigmatism.

My temporary look after both surgeries

I've been visiting friends across Texas  before and after staying with my daughter for my surgery.  Then I was expecting to go back to Alabama for my deposition on my accident case before staying with Natalie and also doing a birding/camping trip over Christmas. I got no takers to go with me  on my birding tour until my friend, Laurel asked if it was possible to go on a birding tour across Texas over Christmas. I replied that I already had one in place and I would refine the details and meet her in Mobile, Alabama, immediately after my deposition.

We met and drove to Natalie's house in Houston. When I introduced her to Natalie, I mentioned they were both Pennsylvania Dutch. They started chatting and realized they had attended the same middle and high schools and knew of each other. Then Laurel realized that Natalie had the same antique dining table she owned. I was entertained by their chat about mutual friends. Laurel also knew Natalie's cousins because they always sat behind her in home room, due to sitting in alphabetical order. We were with each other through the first eight days of January, coming back to finish our tour on the upper Texas Coast in case Natalie had leave to be with her  daughter for the birth of her first grandchild.

Laurel, Natalie and Willie - Laurel also had a beloved golden retriever

Laurel was happy with our tour and took pictures of many birds that were lifers for her. But I was dismayed to find up to a tenth  or less of the numbers of birds I expected and missed several species I expected to find.

Laurel editing her pictures at Goose Island State Park

The common pauraque of Estero Llano Grande State Park - we can always find it in the same tiny patch of land

Laurel photographing black-bellied whistling ducks at Anahuac NWR

This year has been a wonderful year with new friends and new adventures plus reconnecting with old friends. I'm hopeful that next year will be even better. I plan to make more connections with people in that area next year through joining some clubs.  I'm also hoping to get to start riding a bike again and get back more paddling moves. I spent WAY too much time getting treatments this year and  was not able to hold my camera for seven months.  So I'm sure this year will automatically  be better.