A Day on the Bayou: Warning, This Post Contains Subliminal Messages September 16, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Coastal Restoration.Tags: coastal protection, Coastal Restoration, erosion, isle de jean charles, land loss, osprey, Photography, rainbow, sunset, Terrebonne
10 comments
So I actually shot more video (Yay!) than pictures today, but here’s a few scenes from my travels.
The moon when I woke up at 4:15 AM. (Subliminal message: Don’t go to bed at 8:30 PM if you don’t want to get up at 4:15 AM.)
A rainbow. (Subliminal message: Too bad this kind of picture might only be taken by boat in the future.)
Two rainbows. (Subliminal message: Too bad this beautifully manicured lawn might be under water some day.)
My friend the osprey. I’ve named him Oscar. (Subliminal message: Too bad Oscar may not have a tree to perch from in the future.)
A fish on a road. (Subliminal message: What in the hell is a fish doing on the road?)
A guy taking a picture of a fish on a road. (Subliminal message: Yep, Louisiana is sinking and you should tell everyone you know, especially your elected officials, that we need to save this amazing treasure.)
Some guys making a film. (Subliminal message: These guys are doing their part to get other people to understand that Louisiana is sinking and it doesn’t have to be that way.)
An incredibly cute kid. (Subliminal message: This kid deserves to live out his life in the place he was raised if he so chooses, but unfortunately the choice may not be his to make.)
An incredibly cute kid reading a book. (Subliminal message: Another kid who should be able to read this book about why Louisiana is sinking and it doesn’t have to be that way to her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren in the place where she grew up if she so chooses, but may not be able to because she may be forced off her ancestral home.)
A beautiful sunset. (Subliminal message: Help us save Louisiana.)
Demand Louisiana Shrimp August 23, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life.Tags: demand louisiana shrimp, lighting picture, louisiana, louisiana fisheries, shrimp, shrimping, stirke, wildlife and fisheries
6 comments
Ok, so I was so excited about my successful lightning pic the other day that it didn’t dawn on me that that storm might have been pretty dangerous for someone else. For all of my 5 regular readers, you may remember that my favorite pick for shrimp boats in this year’s Chauvin Blessing of the Fleet was the Tracie and Macie (see http://dianehuhn.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/let-our-sea-prosper/).
Well, it turns out that while I was trying to get a nice pic of lightning on Friday, the crew of the Tracie and Macie was trying to put out a fire caused by a lightning strike of their own. So sad. No insurance. Hope they are able to get that boat back in action soon. It’s a beautiful sight and a beautiful way of life. Click here for more details.
After reading about this sad event, I clicked on this link.
Look folks, our shrimpers are in trouble. And it’s really bothersome. Down here the Wildlife and Fisheries has a nice advertising campaign aimed at helping our local shrimpers. Their slogan is “Demand Louisiana Shrimp.” And well, if you’ve ever tasted fresh, wild caught Louisiana shrimp, you know that it’s just a given that you should demand it. Its a far superior product to any from any other part of the world. But our shrimpers are getting the short end of the stick. And that should stop right now. Actually, it should have stopped a very long time ago.
So, please, where ever you are, whether you’re in Detroit, Michigan, or Debuque, Iowa or Dularge, Louisiana–please demand Louisiana shrimp. And demand that the shrimpers who toil long and hard to bring it to you get a decent days pay for a decent days work.
Being in the Right Place At the Right Time August 22, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Louisiana Wildlife, Photography, Ramblings.Tags: lightning, osprey, Photography, south Louisiana
6 comments
So yesterday as I was driving home, a fairly large storm system was headed our way. Now I just happened to be coming up on one of my favorite scenic panorama areas from which I take many photos so I decided to pull over at my usual spot. The sky was getting pretty electric and I wanted to see if I might be able to get at least one good shot of a lightning bolt. This is no small task I might add. I’ve tried a number of times before with no or very little success. In actuality, I’ve only managed two shots of lightning in my whole life–both on the same day and both not very good–and I’m fairly certain that I came close to risking my life for one of them which wasn’t too bright of me. But at least I had the pleasure of saying that I’ve got a couple of lightning shots in my portfolio.
So before the rain started flying I decided to crawl up in the bed of the pickup for a better vantage point. Now I do understand that that is probably not the best place to be when the lightning is flying, but the storm was still well off to the west and I didn’t feel that I was putting myself in any danger. So there I sat. Camera at the ready. Bolt. Click. Damn, too late. Another bolt. Click. Click. Shoot. Too late again. Wow. Huge burst of lightning. Click. Click. Click. Curses. This is impossible. Oh no. Do I feel sprinkles? Yep. Ok, well I’ll see if I can get anything from inside the truck.
Bolt. Bolt. Click. Click. Nothing! Ok, well, maybe I should just try to get some other interesting shots and make do with what I’ve got. Maybe every time I try taking pics during a storm it’s like I’m building up some reservoir of sub-conscious lightning knowledge. You know, like if I keep doing this enough, eventually I will just instinctively know where to point my camera for the next big strike. Yeah, I know that’s probably not possible. Lightning is unpredictable. I know that. But, maybe, just maybe. Some day when I’m old and gray. Oh wait, I am old and gray now aren’t I? Well, that’s not what I mean. You know what I mean.
Alright, time to get home. I’ll just work with what I have and chalk the rest up to a learning experience. I know I got some good shots earlier in the day of some cats in an old shed like this…
and this…
And I’m pretty sure I got an interesting pic of a water droplet on my window like this…
and I think I got a semi-decent shot of that bird. What is that? An osprey I think. I’m not positive though.
And then, there it was. In all it’s glory. Yeah, baby! Who said practice doesn’t pay off in the end?
Ummm…Yeah. Kind of Figured It’d Been That Long. August 17, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Ramblings.Tags: coastal protection, Coastal Restoration, marsh, marsh plants, Terrebonne
8 comments
Ummm…yeah. I kind of figured it had been about that long since my last post. And, no, I don’t really have a good excuse for leaving y’all hanging like that for so long. I mean, I’m sure a few of my five to seven readers have completely given up on me and who could blame them? Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of stuff, and it’s been keeping me busy. Not necessarily out of trouble mind you, but busy nonetheless. I mean not too busy that I couldn’t have found some spare time to write about why that kid was sitting on top of the mound of dirt eating a Subway sandwich with mud-encrusted paws. I mean, it wouldn’t have taken that long to put the story together for y’all. But, I don’t know, the days just kind of went by, and my memories got a little less and less detailed about the event, and then it just seemed kind of too late to try to do it now. I mean, shoot, no-body’s probably even checked my blog in a week or so. Maybe my blog should just die a quiet death–fading off in to the sunset of the interwebs. I mean, really. Is anybody really going to miss it? Maybe for a month or two, but eventually no one will ever really remember it. I mean, maybe from time to time, someone will have a passing thought and say to themselves, “Hmmm…didn’t I read about that on Diane’s blog? Wait a minute, was that Diane that had that blog, or someone else? Damn, that’s funny, I can’t remember. Hmmm…weird. I mean I’m pretty sure it was Diane, but I just can’t say for sure. I don’t know. It will probably come to me later. Like at 3:00 am when I’m trying to sleep. And I’ll be like, “oh yeah, that’s it. It was Diane’s blog. Geez, I wonder whatever happened to her? Hmmm…I hope she’s alright. I should remember to check her blog tomorrow to she if she’s still around. Hmmm…I hope I remember to do that. Maybe I should go write myself a note to remind myself? Nah, I’ll remember. I’m almost asleep and if I get up now, I might not be able to fall asleep. Nah, I’ll remember. Ok, just go to sleep and do it in the morning.”
Ummm…geez, how did I get here? I was just going to tell you that I just really didn’t have a good excuse for not telling you about the kid sitting on the big mound of dirt eating his Subway sandwich with mud-encrusted hands and just kind of let you know that if you want to read about it, that you could click here to go to Bayou Woman’s blog to check it out cause she already wrote about it and did a really nice job I think and what’s the point in trying to write my own version? I mean it just kind of seems like a waste of time, you know? I mean I should just bite the bullet and write it for you if you’re still out there or maybe will come back one day looking for the story. I mean I shouldn’t leave you hanging like that. It’s not really fair of me. But I don’t know, I’m just not sure that it’s necessary. I mean, I know it seems like the easy way out to just give you this link to read about it on someone else’s blog, but it kind of makes practical sense. Doesn’t it? Plus, basically the only thing I’ve written in the past three weeks aside from some emails and articles for the upcoming newsletter is what I posted on this site this morning.
Ok, I’m over it. I don’t feel guilty. I just wasn’t in the mood. So, alright, here’s the link to BWs site. Go read about why the boy was sitting on that big mound of dirt eating his Subway sandwich with mud-encrusted hands and try your hand and a Butch and Ti-Du ending of your own.
Ok, well, I might be back soon. But I can’t make any promises about that. Thanks for stopping by and hopefully I’ll see y’all soon! Later gators!
Time Flies June 28, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Big Fun on the Bayou, Fishing, Friends, Louisiana Wildlife, Ramblings, Relief Work.Tags: alligators, wetlands, louisiana, redfish, Fishing, saltwater fishing, hurricane relief, marsh, outdoor, eagle, honey bees
3 comments
So I can see from the date of my last post that I have been a bad blogger once again. It’s been a fun-filled week of new friends, volunteers (who are now new friends), relief work, paper work, good food, too much sun, gator spotting, eagle spotting, and fishing. And oh boy, did we fish!
And fished some more…
and a little more for good measure.
Oh yeah, and a little more fishing just to be sure.
And since a limit a day keeps the psychiatrist away…
And although it looks like I spent every waking moment fishing, I actually did engage in a few other activities. Like chasing what I thought was an eagle around the rec center for 2 hours in the 104 degree heat trying to get a good pic, but not being too successful…no matter since it wasn’t a real eagle…
and trying to get a good picture of a gator at night…
and trying to keep a safe distance, but still get a good pic of some honey bees…
and trying to get just a little better close up…
and carting around tools and supplies for a great bunch of guys from Tennessee (the Volunteer State I might add)…
and becoming the incredibly proud owner of a GJ original (although I was so excited I forgot to turn it the right way for the camera).
And now it’s time to pack a bag for a few adventures of the Michigan variety and get a little bit of this action going on.
My Adventure With The Swamp Dwellers, Part 3.14159265… June 20, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Big Fun on the Bayou, Friends.Tags: alligators, Bayou, cypress, Fishing, mauvais bois, south Louisiana, swamp, swamp dwellers, Terrebonne
17 comments
OK, so we rounded a bend in the canal and I caught sight of a dock and what looked the outline of two bayou beings of the human variety.
The two bayou beings are first cousins, separated by 30 years, but joined by their deep love and respect for the enchanting south Louisiana landscape.
I learned that the older cousin is 84 years old, but I honestly wouldn’t have pegged him for more than 72 or 73. It might sound odd to describe the movement of such a man as graceful, but he just seemed to spring lightly about the dock. I could immediately picture him moving swiftly across the flottant while his younger cousin, nearly double in stature, would most likely be lumbering well behind on the verge of breaking through any second on his way to China.
As we chatted about the fish that had gotten away, I could not stop looking out on this view. Unfortunately, my photos just don’t seem to do it justice.
I sat entranced by the wealth of history carried by this older cousin. He was born out here. Grew up hunting and fishing and trapping. Living off the land. Crossing the canal by pole. It felt odd to realize that this man and my father were born in the same year. Not that my father was a city boy. He did his fair share of hunting and fishing and exploring along the banks of the Grand River. But I got the sense that their lives were vastly different, but both much more tied to nature than their succeeding generations.
As the older cousin explained how, at 84, he still works trapping nuisance alligators (seriously, how cool is that???), an occassional bass would splash about toying with us and all of us would momentarily pause the conversation looking at each other to determine who would grab the fishing pole next to try our luck. First the younger cousin…
then BW…
then the older cousin…
and I certainly couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try my hand. (Thanks for the pic, BW!)
But alas there would be no bass upon our plates so we settled instead for a most delicious, old-fashioned, camp meal of boiled steak and potatoes prepared perfectly by the younger cousin.
Before we knew it, the day had gotten away from us and it was time for BW and I to bid adieu to my new friends…
and book it on home while the sun took it’s leave at our backs.
If you’re ever down the south Loozy way, I would highly suggest you arrange a tour with BW and make it a point to drink in this magnificent jewel for yourself. But, sadly, you’d better not wait too long. If we can’t get some real action moving soon to restore and protect the Louisiana coast, this treaure will be lost like so many before and a whole way of life washed away with it.
Alright BW…when are we going back?
For more scenes from this most amazing day, click here.
My Adventure With The Swamp Dwellers, Part Drei June 18, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Ramblings.Tags: Bayou, cypress swamp, Deliverance, redneck gumbo, swamp dwellers
6 comments
So I am pleased to report that there is a nice little bayou breeze action going on this evening. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still insanely hot. Eighty-eight degrees with a “feels like” temperature of one hundred according to weather.com. But in the shade with the breeze it really doesn’t feel much over 95.
And now back to my adventure with the Swamp Dwellers. Really, it was about as far from a scene from Deliverance as you can get, but I really like that movie and have been thinking about watching it again. I love that part when they’re digging the grave for the creepy pig-squealing guy and Drew goes all spastic. Plus, it’s like how come you guys didn’t bring your paddles to help you dig?
Alright, where was I? Yes, yes. We rounded a bend in the canal and…you know, I’m getting tired of this story. I think I’m going to go eat leftover Redneck Gumbo and watch Deliverance in the cool AC of my home on wheels instead. Maybe I’ll finish it for you tomorrow. I don’t know. Does anybody really care?
My Adventure With The Swamp Dwellers, Part Deux June 17, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Big Fun on the Bayou, Friends, Photography.Tags: Bayou Grace, bayou woman, Coastal Restoration, cypress, land loss, mauvais bois, saltwater intrusion, south Louisiana, swamp, swamp dwellers, water hyacinth
4 comments
Ok, so we load up the gear, get the boat in the water, get the trailer tucked away, and off we go. Still I have no idea where exactly we are off too. BW whips out her cell phone and lets the folks at our destination know that we are on our way, hangs up, looks at me with this little grin and says “We’re going to the last surviving cypress swamp and meeting up with the swamp dwellers.” Actually, I’m not a hundred percent sure that’s exactly what she said because my heart leapt and my head went dizzy with “surviving cypress” and “swamp dwellers”.
I will confess that for a split second I did get a little nervous. I mean, “swamp dwellers”, geez, that kind of terminology in the brain of a Yankee just conjures up scenes from Deliverance if you know what I’m mean Vern. But then I was like, wait, they’ve got cell phones. Why having a cell phone automatically means you’re not a psychopath waiting in the swamp to kill me and feed me to the gators, I don’t know. But it works for me. Plus, I trust BW and I don’t think she’s in the Yankee trafficking business or anything.
So anyway, as we cruised along Lake DeCade, BW pointed out how the local landowning company in the area has been fortifying the bank of the lake to try to prevent erosion. And for the most part, it appears to be working except for this area where there has been a breach.
This is just one small area, but you can see how rapidly the marsh behind the breach has become water. It shows, however, how quickly and relatively inexpensively protection can be established by private interests. BW informed me that the land company reinforces the entire shoreline of the lake each year in a time span of about 6 weeks. Most government entities who shall remain nameless can’t even decide whether or not they should make a decision about doing a study in that time span.
Sorry, getting off track. Seriously, this heat is frying my brain. Where is the ice cream man when you need him? Has anyone started on that petition yet?
OK, so BW slows the boat and turns in to this canal…
and tells me that the ridge in the background is known as the Mauvais Bois, which translated means something like “bad woods.” This is the last living cypress swamp in our area. Notice all the water hyacinth along the banks of the canal. Water hyacinth is an invasive species in south Louisiana and can basically double it’s population in a span of two weeks. It’s really nasty stuff and can quickly take over an area, impact water flow, block sunlight from getting to various aquatic plants, and starve the water of oxygen. BW tells me that it made it’s way to Louisiana via the 1884 Cotton Exposition held in New Orleans. Apparently the Japanese delegation distributed plants that they had imported from Venezuela and it quickly became popular as an ornamental plant in ponds and such. The rest is history. The picture below that I took today on Bayou Petit Caillou near the Bayou Grace office is a good example of how quickly water hyacinth takes over. Just a few weeks ago, there were only a handful of plants along the banks of the bayou.
But I digress. Back to the story. But, seriously, does anyone have a big tub of ice or something I can lie in whie I write this? I’m not even going to torture myself and see what the “feels like” temperature is according to weather.com.
Nope, I lied. I just checked. Apparently it is 89 degrees with a “feels like” temperature of, are you ready, get this, 105! I know you think I’m exaggerating. But I only wish that were true. Here’s proof.
OK, so really, back to the story. BW tells me that much of the marsh in this area is known as flottant. Flottant, as you may have guessed from the name, is a kind of floating marsh. I think it’s generally made up of Maiden Cane (but maybe BW can correct me on this bit of trivia.) As I was l to later learn from one of the Swamp Dwellers, if you’re a small person like he is, you shouldn’t have too much trouble walking across it. But if you happen to be a little on the bulkier side, you’d better watch your step or you’ll be on your way to China.
As we crept farther down the canal, we began to see these big, beautiful cypress trees…
and BW explained that the cypress knees we saw are actually like a big protection system for the trees by anchoring them in the soft muddy soil.
I am so thrilled to see this because most of the cypress trees I’ve encountered in my travels around the 5 bayous look like these, killed by saltwater intrusion.
Then we round a bend in the canal and I get my first glimpse of the Swamp Dwellers…
Tune in tomorrow for Part 3. I’m heading to the gym to sit in the industrial-sized ice maker for a while. But in the meantime for your viewing pleasure…
My Adventure With The Swamp Dwellers, Part 1 June 16, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Big Fun on the Bayou, Friends.2 comments
So I woke up the other morning, made some French Press coffee and grabbed my mug of joe ready to head out the door to take the Blue dog of his morning jaunt around the Rec Center. Now when I opened the door I was greeted with a blast of hot air. Upon checking the weather channel, I learned that it was already 86 degrees with a “feels like” temperature of 99. This should just not happen at 8:30 in the morning. Can we start a petition or something to get this kind of thing stopped? I mean really people, this is not funny. It’s only the middle of June. What am I going to do when August rolls around?
Needless to say, I decided it would perhaps be a good day in lay low in the AC and watch that stack of educational DVDs about the wetlands that have been sitting on my counter for a while. A few hours later after eating some dipping dots to chill my core, it was time to brave the heat and let the Blue dog take another trip around the Rec Center. When we got back, I noticed that I had a voicemail from Wendy Billiot, legendary Bayou Woman extraordinaire. The message went something like this. “I’m launching my boat unexpectedly and I need you to come with me on an adventure. So as soon as you…” I have no idea what the rest of the message was because I promptly began dialing Wendy back while simultaneously grabbing my camera bag and keys and heading for the door.
My first attempt at reaching Wendy, whom we shall henceforward refer to as BW, landed me at her voicemail. Now I thought, she couldn’t have gone already. According to my phone, she just called me like 5 minutes ago. So I left a message and continued for the car hoping I wasn’t too late. Within moments I rejoiced at the sound of Hail to the Victors (seriously I must be the only person in the state of Louisiana with that ring tone.)
When I answered, BW told me to get a few provisions together and book it on over to Dularge and call her when I hit the pontoon bridge. So I promptly headed for the gym, grabbed the closest cooler, filled it will ice and headed off to the Pig for some beverages. The cooler secured, I headed down the bayou toward the crossroad.
As I hit the pontoon bridge, I was ecstatic that I didn’t get get caught waiting for one of the hundreds of barges or tugs or shrimp boats that travel through each day. I gave BW a call and let her know I was about four and half minutes out from the marina. Literally fifteen seconds after hanging up, I rounded the corner and saw this.
With a heavy sigh I inched up to the guy who had just flagged me down, rolled down the window, and said “Hey buddy, how long you think?” To which he replies, “Shouldn’t be too long. We just got to strap down that crane. You should have been here earlier while we were loading her up. It was a real sight.” Now here’s the dilemma. When someone on the bayou says “it shouldn’t be too long” you really have no idea what that actually means. When a Yankee says it, you instinctively know that it basically means any where between 3 and 5 minutes. But when a Bayou Person says it, well, let’s just say it could be 5 minutes or 45 minutes. Kind of like when a Bayou Person tells you something is just down the road and 15 miles later you’ve arrived at your destination.
Knowing that the only alternative route to span what should be a 4 minute and 15 second drive to my awaiting adventure will actually be 20 miles out of my way, I decide to take my chances and sit tight. I hit BW on speed dial and informed her of my plight, then learned that the flag guy was actually from Kentucky and that while it certainly gets hot in Kentucky, it usually doesn’t get this hot. But you know it’s not really the heat, it’s the humidity that really gets to you. And no, he really isn’t exactly sure what they’re doing. They had to do some drilling and work on a pipeline and he thinks it has something to do with some levee they’re building, and hey look, you can head on your way now.
So a short while later, I was back on track and decided that “shouldn’t be too long” translates to about 10 minutes in Kentucky time. I think it just keeps getting longer the farther south you go. Four minutes and fifteen seconds later, I pulled into the marina, grabbed my camera and the cooler and met BW at the boat launch.
Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 of my adventure with the swamp dwellers. I’d keep going, but the only way I can get a signal this evening is sitting outside and I just checked weather.com and it’s currently 88 degrees with a “feels like” temperature of 100! Yep, 100 degrees my friends. It’s 6:45 PM and it feels like 100 degrees. What the what? I keep hearing this do do ta do diddily do music. Am I hallucinating? No! It’s the ice cream man! See ya later gator!
Only On The Bayou June 12, 2009
Posted by dianehuhn in Bayou Life, Louisiana Wildlife.4 comments
Yes, yes. I know. I have been a very bad blogger. Ten days and no posts. And I’m sorry to say it, but I’m going to be a very bad blogger again today. However, I’m hoping that today’s photo will make up for it. I wish I could say that I was the one who took it, but photo credit goes to Matt Stamey of the Houma Courier. Seriously, this could be one of the best newspaper photos I’ve ever seen.
No serious human injuries, but apparently the guy hit by this car was coming home from a day of frog hunting. Do they make froggy-sized body bags? I mean really, all I can say is…I LOVE THE BAYOU!!!
