Laughing Gulls...My Kind of Bird

Anyone who has ever been to the beach expects to see a few sea gulls, even if they do not see any other kind of bird. When I go to the beach, I always look for them, too. I was not disappointed on our recent trip to Rockport. Here are a few shots of some Laughing Gulls. 

Laughing Gulls have a very loud, raucous kind of call that sounds just like they are making fun of someone with a rude kind of laugh. If you have ever heard them, you will know exactly what I mean. Richard and I would joke about them making fun of other birds as they passed them in the air. Gulls apparently have a very low-class sense of humor.

Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla) 

Chasing Ducks in Rockport

Rockport is a small town located on the Texas Gulf Coast. It has it's share of beach cottages, shrimp boats and bait stands. It also has its own wildlife sanctuary. The Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Little Bay and it is a great place to spot hundreds of different local and migratory birds. 

 Richard and I happened upon the sanctuary as we drove down the road that skirts the bay from one end of Rockport to the other. We were just exploring, not knowing what we would find, so when I spotted the sign for the sanctuary, several yards out into the bay, I started looking for birds and waterfowl.

We travelled quite a ways down the beachfront when I spotted these birds getting ready to settle in for the evening. For whatever reason, they seemed to prefer this particular guard rail, for it was the only one where they were congregating.

 Of course, I asked Richard to pull over, and he did. Of course, I had to get out of the truck and start taking pictures. You can see that all the ducks had their near-side eyes trained on me, and they went into their "alert" mode.

 And, I moved slowly closer and closer to them. This is the point at which I must have crossed the invisible line of danger, for they started taking off. They didn't fly far, not wanting to leave their roosting spot, but they didn't want to be too close to me, either.

Then, there were the stragglers. They weren't quite as alarmed by my presence. So, I kept moving closer. After several steps, more of the ducks headed for the water.

By now, there were only a few ducks left on shore. One by one, as I inched closer with my camera, they waddled slowly off the rocks and into the water.

Redhead Duck (Aythya americana)

Finally, there was only one duck out of that whole crowd left on the shore. He watched me. I moved a few steps closer.

He let me get within ten feet of him, and then he, like all his comrades, had enough of me. With a total lack of urgency, he turned his back on me and took a step off the concrete...

 And he slipped into the water.

You would think that was the end of my encounters with the Rockport ducks. I turned to walk back to the truck, and look what I spotted...two of the ducks had sneaked around behind me and were already back on shore.

Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula)

 Once again, I started my approach, and once again, they turned so their near-eye could follow my progress.

 Whoops. I crossed that line, again.

Into the water they went.
And so ended my duck-chasing for the day.

What's Biting? The Fulton Harbor Bait Stand

I know next to nothing about fishing. So, this post is all about making assumptions based on signage. That's my official disclaimer before I start writing about what a person might catch if they were to throw a line into the water near Fulton Harbor.

Here's a bait stand. That's a good place to start when planning a fishing expedition. This bait stand is  convenient, since it sits right on the edge of Fulton Harbor. You can even see one of the fishing boats in the background. 

Let's see...according to the wooden signs nailed to the exterior of the shop, you might expect to catch croaker, shad, eel, pin perch, piggy, sea lice, mud minnows, blue crab, table shrimp, ribbon fish, squid and/or mullet.

Well, after analyzing the list, I suspect some of the sea creatures are actually the bait, and some are the catch. I mean, who is going to spend good money to catch sea lice? And what in the world is piggy?

That brings me to the Fulton Harbor Bait Stand's own disclaimer....

I think you might need to be a fisherman to appreciate their sense of humor. With that being said, you now know where to go if you need bait or information if you are planning a fishing trip to Rockport or Fulton Beach.

Oh, The Beauty of Turquoise...My Favorite Building In Rockport, Texas

Every once in a while, I spot something as we drive down the road, and I ask my driver, a.k.a. Richard, if he will kindly turn around and let me take a closer look. That happened as we drove down the main street of Rockport on our first day in town. 

Actually, I told him that I spotted a house with a color scheme that I would love to use for our 1930's cottage we are in the process of renovating. So, he dutifully turned the truck around and we drove back to this cute little business, only to have him give me a look and ask me if I was serious about using these colors. I guess they don't make his heart sing like they do for mine...

I mean, take a closer look at this realtor's office. The turquoise, red and white are incredible together. It has great curb appeal. Look at the shiny red balls that dress up the landscaping. Shiny stuff always gets extra points, as far as I am concerned. 

Now, take a closer look at the car parked next to the office. For pete's sake, it is a cute little red and black Volkswagen bug. 

Finally, take a look at the headlights. There are eyelashes on this car! I love it.

Well, Richard does not share my enthusiasm for turquoise, red and white, but that is ok. We may not paint our house turquoise....time to look at paint chips again.

Pettus...The History of a Small Texas Oil Town

If you travel on Highway 181, between Karnes City and Beeville, Texas, you will pass through the small town of Pettus. Like many other small towns in Texas, you will hardly realize you have passed through a municipality at all. The main indicator will be a small green road sign announcing the city, and a reduction of the 70 mile per hour speed limit to a more modest 45 miles per hour. So it is with little Pettus.

Richard and I travel Highway 181 when we visit Rockport for our twice a year stay in the HEB Rockport Lodge. Every time we make the trip, we always stop in Pettus. It has both a gas station and a Dairy Queen, you see. 

Looking at this picture, you can learn quite a bit about Pettus. First of all, it is an oil town. The white pickup truck in the foreground is a company truck for a hose and supply company that services the oil business. Also, in the background, you can see an old two story building that has a sign stating it is the Pettus Oilfield Supply company. Looking in the parking lots of the Dairy Queen, you can see all the pick up trucks, for those are the vehicles of choice for this part of the world. 

Pettus was founded in the 1850s, and originally called Dry Medio. After the Civil War, the townsfolks changed the name to Pettus, to honor John Pettus, one of the early settlers. He was one of Stephen F. Austin's original 300 colonists and he raised cattle and horses.

In 1859 and in the 1870s, there were a couple of Indian battles near the town, and in 1866, a right of way was given to the railroad, ensuring the continued growth of Pettus.

 By 1914, the town had over two hundred residents, a cotton gin, a lumber yard, five general stores, two churches, a town physician and a blacksmith. 

In 1929, oil was discovered in Pettus.  A company out of Houston stuck oil with it's oil well named "Number 1 - Maggie Ray McKinney" and ever since then, oil has dominated the business of Pettus. 

With the decline of oil production, the town has also declined. Now, there are only the three businesses you can see in my first photo on the main street through town...the gas station, the Dairy Queen and the oil supply company. That's it. 

While Richard was putting the $3.89 a gallon gas into our pickup truck, I scanned the area and spotted these two tankers on the other side of the highway. Pettus may be in decline, but it is still pushing oil.

Checking Out the Cardinal's Nest

This is the cabin Richard and I stayed in at the HEB Lodge in Rockport, last week. As we sat in the screened in back porch, Richard spotted a female cardinal flying into the little tree that grew right outside the screen. He called me over to the screen to look into the tree to see the nest he found. 

Sitting motionless, but watching us, I am sure, the momma cardinal filled the nest. We couldn't see if there were eggs in it from where we stood.

So, being the nosy photographer that I am, I took my camera outside and peered into the branches, only able to see the underside of the nest.  That wasn't good enough. Very gently, I pulled the branch holding the nest down, hoping it would move enough for me to satisfy my curiosity. It would not move that far.

However, it was too unsettling for the momma bird, so she flew out of the nest and perched in the nearby live oak tree. She chirped in alarm, but she did not really have anything to fear from me. I just wanted a peek.

Holding my camera as high as I could, I blindly snapped a couple of times, hoping I could get a picture of the interior of the nest while momma bird fussed at me from the live oak.

Ahhhh....so this is why she was so worried. There were four beautiful, speckled eggs nestled in the bowl of the nest. Aren't they wonderful?

I have watched cardinal families raise their chicks, and it is inspiring. Long after the chicks have left the nest, long after they have mastered the art of flying, the momma and the daddy still feed their young. I hope these four eggs hatch and grow into fine young cardinals. I wish I could be there to see them grow.

The Incredible Painted Church of Panna Maria

Panna Maria, which is Polish for "Virgin Mary," is a small town located about 60 miles southeast of San Antonio, Texas. It has the distinction of being the oldest permanent Polish settlement in the United States. It is worth taking a few minutes detour when travelling on Highway 123 to stop and visit the Catholic church located on the main street. 

The Immaculate Conception church was built in 1877. It's tower, shooting 100 feet into the air, is visible for miles. The main reason to stop and visit, though, is because the interior of the church has been lavishly decorated with beautiful stained glass, lovely statues, and incredible painted designs.

I hope you will enjoy looking at a few of the photos I took of this hidden jewel of a church.