Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Winnie, Texas

White-Faced Ibis (dark birds) and undetermined birds in forefront.

White-Faced Ibis

Northern Harrier

Willets

White Ibis

Loggerhead Shrike

Say's Phoebe

Say's Phoebe

 The wetlands are beautiful in this area of the refuge.

Brown Pelican (immature) and Cormorant (to right)

 As we were walking along we spotted this

Brown Pelican resting on the railing.

 The Pelican just sat there and posed for me.

It didn't seem to mind whether I was 

far away or getting rather close.

It just sat there and rested.

The Pelican picked a beautiful spot to relax.

American Coot swimming about the pond.

 This Cormorant was a striking figure

on the stark tree with gray sky as background.

 Usually a Grebe dives at the first sign of a human,

but this Pied-Billed Grebe just paddled around

making circles in the water.

Pelican in the distance... it finally took to water.

 The Great Blue Heron (above)

and the Great White Egret (below)

barely tolerated my presence.

They were searching for a meal and I just wanted

to take photographs of them.

 Great White Egret

On the way back home from our visit to Amelia Island

and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the G-man and I

spent the night in Winnie, Texas with plans to visit

the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge the following morning.

We didn't get out and about at the crack of dawn as most birders do

because we are just damn lazy!

Actually it was late when we rolled into Winnie

the night before, so we slept in and finally

got to the refuge around 9:30 AM.

There were not as many birds about as we have seen on other

of our winter visits. Actually, we were not able

to get to parts of the refuge because there was quite

a bit of roadwork being done.

I was quite happy to see that money is going into this refuge.

A visitor center is being built and roads are being repaired and paved.

This place is a real treasure and is a bit off the beaten path (so to speak).

It is about 15 to 20 miles off IH-10 from Winnie, Texas.

The area is a birder's paradise as there are many places

along the coast and inland to see migratory birds.

 High Island is the place for spring migration and is just a few miles from the refuge.

The "Birding High Island" website gives more information.

Winnie has many hotels to accommodate travelers & birders.

We may make a trip over there in the spring to see what's flying!

Amelia Island and Fernandina, Florida

Love this lobby shot...

The G-man & I stayed at the Hampton Inn in the 

historic downtown area of Amelia Island.

 Link to Amelia Island information

The view from our window was of the Marina

and it was pretty & serene in the 

early morning light.

Historic downtown on Amelia Island

Old train station, now the Visitor's Center.

This is where the first trains ran from

the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.

The freight trains still run and the whistle

can be heard throughout the day & night.

 

Pelican resting along the marina.

Creek and greenway

Thursday morning we walked along the Egans Creek Greenway

that was opened to the public in 2001.

Amelia Island lighthouse

Along the Egans Creek Greenway

 Nestled among the trees were homes

and most had docks on the creek.

Male & female Buffleheads were swimming

about in the creek.

We also saw a Great Blue Heron, Tri-Colored Heron,

and a White Egret, but they were too far

away to get a good photo.

 The Island lighthouse in the distance.

 The G-man & I walked along the Egans Creek Greenway

and only saw two birds.

One was a Least Grebe and the other an unidentified

bird flitting around in the bushes.

 The people who live along this greenway

are very lucky.

It is beautiful and a well kept walking area.

We saw many people out for walks or jogging

and a few walking their dogs.

Sunset over harbor

I took this sunset photo from the balcony at our hotel.

Clock tower on old courthouse at sunset.

 In 2011 Fernandina, FL celebrated its bicentennial.

It was established in 1811 and is a lovely town.

We ate at the Marina Restaurant the first night

and enjoyed great seafood. This is a family owned

restaurant that has been there for 43 years.

For lunch we ate at the Happy Tomato, 

a casual outdoor cafe serving good salads & sandwiches.

We ate at Espana, a Portuguese~Spanish restaurant.

The owners closed their Miami restaurant

and moved to Amelia in 2003.

I had Paella Valencia, a combination of

seafood, chicken & Spanish sausage over rice

and the G-man had a Grouper dish that he raved about.

 There are many cute shops, bookstore, art galleries
coffee and ice cream shops, and a myriad of
fabulous restaurants.

29 South Restaurant at night, serving American cuisine.

 The windows on this restaurant just begged me

to take a photo of them.

It is just one of the lovely restaurants in the

historic part of town.

Amelia Island is definitely on my list to visit again.
There are still many things to see and explore
on the beaches and waterways.

Marina sunset

Bayou La Batre - Traveling Again

Shrimp boats

 I read where Bayou La Batre

is the home of Bubba Gump Shree-ump.

However, we did not see any restaurants of that ilk.

Draw bridge

 It is so nice to be traveling again.

Except for a weekend trip to north Texas

in October, this is our first time venturing

away from home since the Bastrop Complex Wildfires.

 Not only is it our first time away; 

it is my first time of taking enjoyable photos since the devastation.

I have just not had it in me to take photographs.

 I spend a great deal of time trying to figure out

how to make our surroundings pleasant.

It is so different living in the middle of a burned out forest.

We have planted trees, rye grass, plants

and are trying hard to get our yard landscaped,

but still we look out and see burned trees by the 

hundreds if not thousands... very sad.

 It has also been difficult to leave home.

We were out of our house for 3 weeks during the fires 

and now it is hard to leave.

Miss Kitty is still suffering from the trauma

and Gertie is much more relaxed at home,

but still the G-man & I have to get away even though it is difficult.

 I really do enjoy traveling through the south;

it is very different than Texas.

East Texas does have some of the flavor

of Louisiana & Alabama with its bayous,

but it is very different from the rest of Texas.

Fishing cabins??? Interesting!

 I found these "cabins" interesting.

Sort of reminds me of fishing villages in Maine,

but the houses are miniscule in comparison.

I'm sure these must be weekend camps.

Walkway on Dauphin Island

 We drove on to Dauphin Island in hopes of

seeing different birds that what we see at home,

but the day was windy causing the birds to hunker down

and stay cozy.

Lake on Dauphin Island

We are on our way to Amelia Island, Florida for a couple of days

and then on to Ponte Vedra Beach, FL for a golf tournament.

The G-man is playing at PGA Sawgrass in 

Golf Channel's Amateur Tour tournament.

He'll have fun and hopefully he'll score well.

More later!

Sharing Mother's Applesauce Cake

Applesauce Cake, a photo by Mick Telkamp on Flickr.

This year I wanted to bake my mother's handwritten applesauce cake.
I dug out the recipe Mother gave me a zillion years ago
and began making my shopping list.
I chatted with my SIL about ingredients, but
she was not much help because her recipe was a vague as mine.
Annette did say she thought Mother used cane syrup,
so when I went shopping the hunt was on for that special syrup.
The cake turned out wonderfully; it was moist and springy.
Gerald REALLY liked it and I thought it tasted just like Mother's cake.
This wintry spice cake recipe is below.

1/4 pound butter
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 egg
4 tablespoons Hot Water
1 1/2 cup Cold Applesauce (homemade applesauce)
1 pint pecans
1 box raisins (I used half black raisins & half golden raisins)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Make apple sauce by cooking peeled & cut apples with cane syrup until it is thick & syrupy. Mash the apples as they cook. The finished sauce will be very dark and thick. It will NOT look like canned applesauce. Cool apple sauce in refrigerator until it is cold.

Cream the butter, add sugar & mix til it is creamy then add egg and beat well. Add applesauce and Hot Water. Flour raisins & nuts with an extra 1/2 cup of flour and add to applesauce mixture. Mix the other ingredients (salt, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, flour) & sift 3 times. Blend dry ingredients with applesauce slowly & well. Bake in moderate oven 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

To keep the cake moist I wrapped it in aluminum foil until it was all gone!

Happy baking!!!

Jambalaya Grits

 Jambalaya Grits was my contribution to the New Year's Eve

festivities with friends.

Lots of fun was had by all.

Great food, a bit too much wine & champagne.

The recipe is from the Junior League of New Orleans.

2 tablespoons bacon grease
2 tablespoons flour ( whole wheat is what I used)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup quick grits
3 fresh tomatoes, peeled & chopped (approx 1 cup)
1 cup ground ham
Bacon, cooked & crumbled as garnish
1 green onion chopped as garnish

In a heavy skillet, heat bacon grease & gradually add flour, stirring constantly until roux becomes light brown. Add onion, green pepper, and celery; cook 5 minutes. Cooks grits according to package directions and add to roux. Add tomatoes and ham. Sprinkle with bacon & chopped onions & serve. Serves 6.

I am suffering greatly from allergies right now

and by the end of the party I had almost lost my voice.

It isn't much better today and for the first time

since I've been with the G-man I missed the official

Audubon bird count for Bastrop County.

Because we have a cold front in today with a good bit of wind

most of the birds were hunkered down somewhere

trying to keep warm.

I've been watching movies on TV today and 

following the birds example I am hunkered down keeping warm.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

May 2012 be filled with love, happiness, peace & prosperity.

Happy New Year from Cheryl, the G-man & Gertie