kissalostsoul

After a nice string of incredibly beautiful sunny fall days, I awoke to cloudy threatening skies this morning.  That was okay though since I had to work the Pea Island VC today.  I’d much rather have gorgeous weather on my days off.  It is interesting how the weather effects visitation at the two VCs.  On Pea Island, more folks seem to stop in on sunny days when they’re on their way to the beach.  At Gateway, we seem to have our biggest crowds when it’s raining.  Go figure… The relatively low human turn out at Pea Island today allowed me plenty of time to monitor the activity at the bird feeders which are visible through the pond facing picture windows.  I was surprised to see this unusual looking fellow.  I’m going to call it a partial albino, adult male red-winged blackbird.  I know partial albino is not the correct term, but the scientific name for this abnormality of scattered white feathering just seems to not be rolling off my tongue or fingertips this evening.  Near the

After taking care of several errands yesterday, Emma and I enjoyed an evening of sitting outside.  As usual, she was on full alert, just in case something threatening should happen to come near.  It wasn’t long before she found something of interest. Her nose was working overtime, and she soon took off at a run with her back hairs standing up, to the back edge of the volunteer compound.  Barking away as she went, of course.  I was right behind her to be sure she stayed within the fence. Sure enough, the three little bears were making their way through the field behind the bath/laundry house.  The grasses pretty much hid them, but they all made their way to the woods.  Don’t know where their mama was.  I didn’t see her.  Much of her barking seems to be a false alarm to me, but last night she was right. Today after checking the internet, I found out that low tide on Pea Island was scheduled to occur in the early afternoon.  Considering I’ll be on my way in just over two wee

After having my picnic lunch on Tuesday at the Edenton National Fish Hatchery, Emma and I got back in the car to head home.  I didn’t know it then, but there were a few more small adventures awaiting us in the afternoon. As I was driving the two lane roads back to US 64, I was surrounded by farmers’ fields on both sides of the road.  Much of the crops consisted of soybeans, but there were quite a few cotton fields.  Having grown up in the north, I had always wanted to see a cotton field up close and see what cotton looked like before it was a shirt or pair of pants.  What it looked like to me from the roadside was a field of snowballs on stalks! This field brought to mind memories I had from watching a movie a number of years ago.  I figured out it was “Places in the Heart” starring Sally Fields.  In it, as I remember it, she portrays a mother trying to provide for her family by growing cotton.  In the movie I remember them picking cotton by hand and

With the weather forecasted to be outstanding today, Emma and I hopped into the car and headed out for Edenton National Fish Hatchery early this morning.  Edenton NRH is a warmwater hatchery which means that the fish raised here do best in water temperatures above 65 degrees.  It is one of the oldest hatcheries in the country, and was first established in 1898.  Currently, the hatchery mainly works with restocking Atlantic striped bass and American shad.  As I understand it, these fish spend their early life growing in the rivers along the Atlantic coast.  Then they spend their adult life at sea, and return to spawn in the rivers yearly.  Their numbers have drastically decreased because of pollution, dams, and over fishing.  The first thing to explore upon arrival is the aquarium.  There is a 700 gallon fresh water tank inside with all of the fish species that can be found in the coastal North Carolina rivers. There are 36 ponds where the young fry are raised until they’re

I’ve only got about three weeks left until I wander out of North Carolina and head for Georgia.  When I arrived near the end of July, it was brutally hot and muggy everyday.  This morning, I had the furnace on to take the chill out of the rig.  Lots of changes in the last nine weeks.  The corn ripened and has now been harvested.  The soy bean plants are yellowing, so it won’t be long before they’re harvested as well. I was out fairly early this morning to do the loop of refilling the pamphlet boxes.  There are a total of twenty boxes that I have to restock, and it takes about 70 miles of driving to visit them all.  It’s been kind of interesting to see which boxes get the most use.  For several years now, it has been one of my endeavors to get an outstanding picture of a belted kingfisher.  It’s an endeavor that continues to elude me.  Belted kingfishers must be about the most skittish of all birds.  It seems impossible to sneak up on them, and the minute they detect you, they get

 Photo and Copyright Gabi P.  On Saturday 22.09.2012 the civil Wedding of Prince Dominik zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg and Countess Olga zu Castell-Rüdenhausen took place at the Townhall of Rüdenhausen. The bridal Couple alked the short distance from the CAstle to the Townhall where the short Ceremony started at 11h00 local time.  Photo and Copyright Gabi P.   Present where also their parents Fürst Johann Friedrich and Fürstin Maria zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, and Fürst Alois-Konstantin and Fürstin Ansatasia zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. Also the grooms sister Christina von Rohr, née princess zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg and some of the brides uncles. After the Ceremony they posed for the few onlookers before they wealked back to the Castle where a celebration with more guests took place. The religious Ceremony will take place on 06.10. at Sintra, Portugal where the Family of the brides mother has an Estate.  Photo and Copyright Gabi P. 

Yesterday, before George, with a little bit of help from me, fixed the check valve on my hot water heater, I spent a good share of the day driving the perimeter of the refuge to refill the pamphlet boxes.  The pictures in tonight’s post are all from that drive. Being Saturday, today was my day to man the Pea Island VC.  In order to open at 9:00, I have to leave the rig before 8:00 to get all the way out there.  It’s usually a pretty smooth ride at that time in the morning. This morning was no exception.  It was a smooth drive until I arrived in the parking lot.  That’s when I noticed that something just wasn’t right.  It seems that overnight someone came and cut off the rope on the flagpole.  Only half the rope was there, and the half that was dangled fifteen feet in the air.  There was no way to possibly fly the flag today.  I just don’t understand what possesses some people to do something like this.  After reporting the vandalism to the law