Since we have moved over to Reynolds Creek Park, Judy and I have begun regarding the campground as “our yard” and take special pride in making sure there is no litter to be seen when a visitor drives through. Each day, we patrol and pick up after those whose mother always picked up after them. Sad, but why can’t everyone teach their kids to leave an area as clean, or even cleaner, than they found it? I’m still trying to find the culprit who parks his vehicle on one of the back lanes to drink a 6- or 12-pack of blue Bud Lights, only to toss the empties in the weeds nearby.
The other day, I mentioned I needed a lawn mower to cut the grass in my “front yard”. The next thing I knew, we had a full crew out here with mowers, weed eaters, trimmers, etc. doing all of the work for me. It seems that I am not “certified” for power equipment. I kinda like that idea!
The animals keep coming. Night before last in the deep gray of dusk, I spotted a gray fox on the road less than 100 yards away from the RV, and I finally saw one of the bobcats near the creek at the back of the park. The night before, a great horned owl swooped down after a small animal (field mouse or similar) directly behind the house in our “back yard”. Deer, as usual, are in abundance and we see many here at Reynolds on almost every drive-through.
That great blue egret is now allowing a close approach and almost poses for me.
The "fluff" seen on his beak is actually fish scales that remain after he "spears" the fish with his beak!
Two nights ago, once again, we were serenaded by neighborhood coyotes. As near as we can tell from all of the scat and chewed up deer bones, there are about 6 or 7 that patrol the 40-acre tall grass pasture that we call our “back yard”.
The weekend before last was the annual January “Youth Hunt” put on by the Corps. It’s sad that only 7 kids in the whole state took the Corps up on their offer for a free weekend of deer hunting and there were 15 slots available. There are plenty of deer to go around because the herd here is really huge and needs some serious culling. Jay, my Volunteer Coordinator, had asked if I would take pictures of the kids.
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| With space for 15 boys and girls, it was sad to have only 7 participate. I would have given my eye teeth for an opportunity for a hunt like this with either of my kids. |
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| Blinds were furnished by the COE, Waco Lake |
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| Time for Father & son quiet time |
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GrandPaw passing experience on to his grandson  Jay Morris (COE) looks on as the biggest buck of the weekend is dressed out |
Along the same lines, I am currently working with one of the rangers putting together a water safety billboard. It seems my photographic background and Photoshop skills are being called upon.
The last 2 weekends have seen me on some hikes trying to get in shape for Colorado. The first weekend, I took a 4-mile hike and, this past weekend, I held up for over 7 miles. I guess the hunt spooked most of the deer, because I saw almost none during the hikes. The winds were so high that most birds kept cover, as well.
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| Red Tailed Hawk |
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| White Pelicans |
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| Cedar Waxwing |
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| Northern Mockingbird |
I did manage to find a couple of eagles nests. They appeared to be abandoned, but there is one across the lake (about 3/4 mile) that I managed to get a picture of. If you look closely, you can see the Bald Eagle pair. Still, the hikes were enjoyable.
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| Mom & Pop are home on this one! |
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| One of the abandoned nests |
One of the hardest things I have had to come to grips with is the abandonment of some really beautiful and functional campsites due to the lack of funding. However, this does make for neat sightseeing in the back country.
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| This abandoned site requires a 3-or 4-mile hike down some heavy underbrush and infrequently used paths. I would love to tent camp under this ancient oak. |
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| A scene not far from the abandoned campsite. |
Until the next time…~dick~
