A Little Swamp Fix

I have never spent this much  time in Louisiana without going out exploring somewhere in my canoe. And every little trip I take, I have to cross water that I KNOW holds more beauty than does the land.

Finally I got so frustrated that I signed up for the Honey Island Swamp Tour, just to see one of my favorite places.  I tried to talk Hulin into joining me, but he was sure the trip would be a disappointment next to what we got out of paddling there. In fact, one of my best memories was of spending my birthday on a paddle up  Gum Bayou off the Pearl River. We had high water and couldn't find dry land, so we landed next to a huge log and sat on it and ate the Mississippi Caviar I'd made for the first time. A tour boat came by and enjoyed the "natives".  Then we continued back until the bayou got too shallow to paddle.  I remember great and snowy egrets, and white ibises everywhere. That paddle was in early April and the southern spring was full blown.

Today was a day when we remembered it was still winter. The skies were mostly grey until just before we were ready to board.  I arrived and started thinking about taking pictures, then realized, in my haste to get in my physical therapy, gym time, and then visiting with Hulin's company, I had left the camera at home.  Then I remembered my "new" iphone - the iphone 5 Hulin gave me.  I quickly took a few pictures with it and then the low battery sign flashed on. I rushed to the car and started charging it.  Then I had to go beg to be put on the second tour boat in order to make it to twenty-eight percent.  But I took all the pictures I intended to, except for one and only lost a few I really wanted. 

This was the first time I remember being in Honey Island Swamp in winter. And I almost missed it, because spring was already entering from the wings. From a distance, the southern winter brown was everywhere, but up close, buds were swelling, some willows had already burst into leaves, and the swamp maples were blooming.  Birds were in extremely short supply.  I saw chickadees, one red shouldered hawk, and one eastern phoebe during the hour and half trip. 

Winter beauty from the Gift Shop

Our departure spot

The tour boat in front of little house boats that belong to locals

The Pearl River

Our boat and Captain Hunter

Swamp view 

A white blooming shrub and palmettos on Honey Island

We met a fisherman in gum bayou - he hadn't had any bites yet

Gum Bayou is where I've done most of my paddling in this area - the little yellow-green patches are giant salvinia, an invasive that clogs streams and lakes, stopping boating, killing fish and killing native vegetation that feeds ducks and fish

Monochromatic beauty

We caught up with the other boat in gum bayou

The sky got prettier and prettier as the tour progressed

The only alligator we saw. - the weather is too cold for the large ones to move around

I had never traveled down the Pearl River past huge modern houses to the shacks of the Cajun hunters and fishermen,  so I totally enjoyed this part of the trip. Captain Hunter told us that one professional fisherman takes hundreds of pounds of catfish out of the Pearl River each day. And one of the best baits for catfish is a piece of ivory soap.

We went under the I-10 bridge over the Pearl River and these power lines

As we traveled down river, we found more and more grass

This was a super high end house just along the river

We enjoyed the picturesque shacks along the river. Many of them have been abandoned after Katrina pushed a ten foot wall of water up the river.  Most of the others were just used for weekend homes or for hunting and fishing. But a few of the residents lived year around and one family had school age children and she has to put them in a boat every day and haul them down to the boat ramp, a mile or two away, where they board the school bus.

Along Main Street

Everyone has to take a boat to the boat launch where their vehicles are parked

Cajun town south of the big houses

Houseboat and travelers

We also saw a house with a several boats in front of it.  One of them had several dogs in it and on the front steps, were three dead hogs sitting up like they were still alive. On the way back, we met the hunters again, heading out with five dogs. Some of the dogs are released to search for the hogs and then others are released to catch and hold the hogs. The dogs wear kevlar vests to keep them from being gored.  Our guide, Captain Hunter, said that the largest hog ever taken from this area weighed 845 pounds. I was unable to document this and the biggest I could find, weighed under 600 pounds. The ones we saw today were about 100 to 150 pounds.

I really missed my camera here - look carefully to find the dogs in far left boat
and the three dead hogs on the steps

The boat I almost go had two hunters and five hounds chained into the boat - they were off to hunt another batch of hogs

When this publishes, I'll be playing with friends in Texas.  I'll not be paddling but will be enjoying hiking, birdwatching, and visiting. I'm especially excited that a Florida friend will be flying in.

The Trees of New Orleans City Park

February 5, 2017

On a visit to City Park in New Orleans, I fell in love all over again with the beautiful live oaks in the early morning light. I would like to share them with you.  Walking under the shade of the live oaks, gives one a very special peaceful feeling.

One of the matriarchs 

Her trunk was amazing

Some of the outlying branches that have rooted

This huge tree had once been at least a third larger

Everything in this picture are parts of the same tree

Other live oaks were beautiful along the waterway

The Spanish most was beautiful backlit by the early sunlight

Some palm trees were also impressive

This looked like a sick tree, but it might be another species

This crepe myrtle sees to be a champion tree and will be spectacular  

A small magnolia

I went to the Park to see the Botanical Garden. It wasn't open, but I had a great time anyway.  I'll tell you the rest of the story in a later blog.

A Visit to Walter Anderson Museum of Art

February 1, 2017

One of the places that I want to paddle to is Horn Island, a barrier island off the coast of Mississippi., near Ocean Springs. It's been on my bucket list since the 1980's and Hulin and other paddling have told me stories about their trips out there. Hulin also told me stories of a reclusive artist who spent several years mostly living there. He would load up his rowboat and then row the eight miles to the island, sometimes at night. He left his wife to mostly raise their four children,  and ended up painting thousands of paintings and doing some huge murals.

Hulin and I decided to visit his museum located next to the Community Center in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The drive took almost two hours, including having to sit and wait for a wreck to be cleared.
We walked up to the Community Center first because Hulin remembered the entire walls were covered with Walter Anderson's paintings. The doors were locked but were of glass and I was in awe.  We continued on to the museum and found we could visit the murals through the back of the museum.  After watching an interesting video about the life of Walter Anderson, we explored the museum.

The sign in front of the museum

 We started with the video.  The next pictures are all from that room.

This display was in the room in which we watched the video

I fell in love with these crabs

The information said this was a painting of goldenrod

This alligator gar reminded me of the many times I've hit one
with a paddle - it's very disconcerting to do it at night and
 feel that you have hit a soft telephone pole that rolls

The next set of pictures are from the community center, the walls of which are completely covered with paintings. I could have spent more time here but Hulin was finished with the museum before I got my fill of this one room.

The view of the front of the room

There were many different subjects, and I didn't figure out why -
 but I like the nature based ones  best

I loved finding the wild animals in the murals

I loved this repetitive pattern of many of his paintings 

Another fun find in the murals - a group of terns

Some of the animals were more stylized than others

The paintings disguised two doors

These two drawings were in the hall behind the gift shop.

I loved this for it's simplicity and movement

This was the only tessellation I saw

This was unique in that it was the only portrait

I found some surprising crafts and art in addition to Walter Anderson's drawings and paintings, both in oil, during the early years and watercolor during his later years, except for his murals which were in oil. Both his older and younger brothers were also artists and craftsmen. The eldest, Peter was a highly admired potter. Walter and his younger brother were also associated with Shearwater Pottery.  Walter did a lot of the painting on the pots and worked there throughout his life.

One room was devoted to the youngest brother,  Mac Anderson.

Oyster Tongers

Coots on the Bayou - this feels like places I've paddled from Texas to North Carolina

Black Skimmer

Little green heron fishing

The pottery figures were amazing

These two small cow figures had great detailing

A decorated cat with personality

And one with a very different personality

Some of the older brother, Peter's work

Peter shook this after bringing it out of the kiln to make the curves

There were several pieces of furniture in the display. 

I loved the birds worked into the legs of this table

And this chair looked so comfortable and stylish

From 1938-40, Walter spent most of his time in psychiatric hospitals. After that, he became something of the town bum, riding his old bicycle around and spending more and more time on Horn Island. He moved from his family to Shearwater cottage.  After his death, is family found a locked room.  Inside the walls and ceiling were completely covered with murals. That room was brought to the museum and added on.  Following are some of the things that stood out.

Such a pretty possum

The light was surrounded by this painting

I was amazed at the vibrancy of the paintings - he used the leftover paint from
 painting the murals in the Community Center

Skimmers

We finished the trip by going to Realizations, the Walter Anderson shop,  where Hulin bought a T-shirt. I loved the Pelican standing at the door to the shop.

The shop pelican looking ready for Mardi Gras - decorations are already up in many places -
it will happen on February 28

I wondered if Shearwater Pottery was still a viable business. I looked it up when I came home and found we could have visited the showroom. Three of Peter Anderson's four children are still active in making pottery.  The next time I'm over this way, I'd love to visit their showroom.