One Big Bird

Sometimes I wish I had the expensive camera and lens with me when we take the dogs into the desert. Then I think about what all that fine dust would do to it, and I'm glad I take the cheaper (and lighter) setup into this environment.

All this to apologise for the quality of this shot I got of one of a pair of Golden Eagles I saw when I took Randir and Buffy out to look for some slow jackrabbits. When I first got out of the car, it was sitting on the ground and I thought it was a vulture. Then it took off. Unmistakeable.



The Buffster and the Oldster did get to run around eventually, although there were no jackrabbits. And I did wait until this giant raptor had moved well out of range.

Your Tax Dollars at Work.

See that line of white tower sections? On the left side is Interstate 8 in California, approaching Yuma. On the other side is... you guessed it: Mexico.

Yeah... that'll keep 'em out.

Calling All Amateur (or Professional) Botanists.

After the Turkey Run, we spent the evening parked at the home of a deerhound owner a little north of San Diego. Among the lush flora of their yard was this "alien being". The homeowner doesn't know what it is. Anybody out there help?

The Bird of Paradise at the bottom is just a bonus shot, because it's very pretty.

A Day at the Bosque.

No trip to Socorro is complete without at least one trip around the auto tour route of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in nearby San Antonio. Here are just a few of my favorite shots: I'll make a web album with a few more and post a link later.

Light Goose Feeding Frenzy

A Prairie Falcon

Distinguished Uninvited Guests

Crane Landing, or Ballet?

On the Road.

To Review: Way back in October, we shot the ASFA Region 6 Invitational. That was followed a week later by the LGRA & NOTRA OB Nationals, which was followed 2 weeks later by the Region 9 Invitational. We then made the loooooong trek- in 5 days- to Albuquerque, for the Region 3 Invitational, and a TCC hunt, also in New Mexico, the following weekend. That gave us three days to get to Los Alamitos, CA (no easy feat!), and then 5 days to scuttle back East to Hutto, TX for the Region 4 Invitational. By this point, we were so good at this, we stopped for a couple of days in Deming, NM and went hunting with Dutch Salmon. Another week, and we were in Tallahassee for an ACC trial. We're currently in "vacation" mode, in Summerdale, AL, at the Rainbow Plantation RV Park until it's time to head for Atlanta for Christmas, then the year end GANG trials in Cartersville. Along the way, we had a lot of fun, and lots of good eats. We'll follow up as time permits, with photos, travelogues, and food reviews.

And if only it would end there, but like sharks, we have to keep moving to stay alive. We're going to head back West to Louisiana for an AKC trial in January, then we're going to make it all the way back to New Mexico for a real vacation. We'll be at Dutch's Pack Hunt in January, and his Desert Hare Classic in February. In between, we'll play like touristas and take lots of pictures, and maybe even go to Old Mexico and do some shopping... get some real good Tequila.

For those who have been counting that's across the country one, two, two-and-a-half times in a couple of months. Like it says on the map: Insane.

Getting Stuffed. Healthy Version.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Boy are we getting our share. On Saturday, we went to the Wolf Bay Lodge in Elberta, Alabama for the "best seafood" in, (depending on who you believe amongst the posters to Chowhound, Chefmoz, or Roadfood forums), the Gulf, the state of Alabama, the country, or the world! I knew we might be a little disappointed when we read the menu, noting that everything is "fried". For the healthy grilled versions, it would cost a dollar more. The restaurant also seemed to be filled primarily with families... not the "foodies" I would expect to populate the dining forums at the above websites; and weighted heavily toward the geezer class, (your author included).

At any rate, I opted for the West Indies Salad, a Mobile area specialty consisting of a whole bunch of marinated crabmeat mixed with sweet onions, sold at "Market Price", which on this day was 15 bucks. Margaret had the sampler platter with shrimp, stuffed shrimp, catfish, and oysters.

Now, being fried doesn't necessarily mean artery-clogging breading. The coating was very light and tasty. The stuffed shrimp and oysters were especially tasty. The salad was excellent. But how would we know this was the best seafood in (pick your geographical area) without something to compare it to?

So last night we drove the 12 miles to Fairhope, AL on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, to try out the Old Bay Steamer, where they also offer fried seafood, but the way everybody eats it is steamed. They also modestly proclaim to have the "best seafood on the Eastern Shore". Well- they don't lie. In fact, I would call this the best seafood in the world! And the only way to eat it is to get the "The Big Steamer" sampler for 2- a large bar tray filled with about 2 dozen (whole)giant royal red gulf shrimp, 4 snow crab clusters(about 20 legs and a couple claws), a half dozen steamed oysters, corn on the cob, red potatoes, and way more cocktail sauce and drawn butter than would be healthy. I washed mine down with an excellent Abita Restoration Ale from Abita Springs, LA. Be prepared to make a serious mess! Two rolls of paper towel are supplied to each table, and you also get a large fingerbowl with lemon wedges and warm water. We can't wait to get back and do it again.

If you find yourselves in the Mobile area and want to go to the Old Bay Steamer, go online first and print out the $10 coupon- (good on any ticket over $50- and trust me, it's real easy to go over $50.)

Now it's time to break camp and head to Georgia for the Holidays. Margaret's already left, so she can make it to grandaughter's school presentation tonight. I'm following in the morning.

I have one more day of WiFi here at Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, and may use it to catch up on all our previous travel.. I'll at least post some pictures from the last few weeks. What a long, strange trip it's been.

It's a Dynasty.

It's official. Grand Valley wins, 17-14. And Cullen Finnerty finishes his career as the winningest starting quarterback in NCAA history, with a mind-boggling record of 51-4. Them's some big numbers.