We began RVing in 2004, but this blog did not begin until we went into fulltime RVing in 2007. The blog has evolved to a time when we no longer have a RV, but we still consider ourselves vacationing on a perpetual basis.
The Weeks Bay Foundation hosted the Bald Eagle Bash again this year, and the party was held at the waterfront Tonsmeire Weeks Bay Resource Center (old Lulu’s location) at the Fish River Bridge on U.S. Highway 98 in Fairhope.
The unique taste of Alabama Wild Shrimp was prepared by these great restaurants under the resource center’s building: Beckwith Camp and Conference Center Big Daddy's Grill Bimini Bob's Blue Marlin Restaurant Bluegill Restaurant Fly Creek Café Islamorada Fish Company Jesse's Restaurant Les Roux LuLu's at Homeport Marina Tamara's Downtown The Tin Top Restaurant and Oyster Bar Wintzell's Oyster House
Over 900 people attend this party with great food, great music by Locust Fork Band, and, best of all, a great cause for preservation of "one of the most beautiful and diverse environments on planet earth ... in Baldwin County" (Phil Norris in THE PELICAN POST, Spring 2011).
Title sponsors for this year's event were BBVA Compass and the Coastal Land Trust. Other sponsors are shown on a sign among the photos from the event, which may be viewed on Weeks Bay Foundation's Facebook.
Even though the weather did not cooperate for this outdoor festival, the party for preservation was a good one. When the first torrential rain (accompanied by high winds and lightning) was over and the sun came out, NEW GROOVE cranked up and entertained the diners and the dancers. People did not allow the weather to dampen their spirits. A group of people started doing a line dance to the band’s music and eventually had the female vocalist out in the muddy parking lot hoofing it with them, or I should say leading them.
I was reminded of the optimistic lyrics of the Irving Berlin song sung by Ethel Merman and found at least three versions of it on YouTube. I liked this one the best.
The event was held at the new waterfront Tonsmeire Weeks Bay Resource Center (old Lulu’s location) at the Fish River Bridge on U.S. Highway 98 in Fairhope. The unique taste of coastal Alabama seafood prepared by local restaurants was under the resource center’s building, which was where most early arrivals took refuge from the rain. Each restaurant served up their top Alabama Wild Shrimp recipe to vie for Peoples’ Choice honors. At one point I let the Grand Hotel people know that drops of rain had totally obliterated their big jar where people were supposed to put their votes. One could no longer even read the restaurant’s name.
The event was well attended and was a great party with great food, great music, and, best of all, a great cause. It raised funds to continue the Foundation’s mission to protect the natural resources of coastal Alabama while supporting the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Even though the rain made it quite an “adventure” as some described it, it was a great success in terms of attendees and funds raised. It was obvious that many who came out had a great time.
America’s national symbol, as well as many other natural wonders are under continuous pressure due to habitat loss and increased human disturbance. Concerted efforts to protect wetlands and nesting sites will ensure the continued existence of the Bald Eagle as well as other creatures. The Foundation has been successful in preserving lands that provide critical habitat for many species of plants and animals.
The ten participating restaurants were troopers and served their delicious cuisine to those attending with a pleasant smile as if every day they cooked while drops of water fell on them. All of us need to support these restaurants and let them know we appreciated their spirit and their food.
Postscript on June 6: My clothes were still wet when I checked them on the line on the screened porch so I just threw them in the washing machine for a short load. No wonder I felt like I looked like a drowned rat!
estuary: A semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are often associated with high rates of biological productivity.
Because Wendell volunteers on Tuesday mornings at Weeks Bay Reserve, we decided to help with with the annual Weeks Bay Area River Cleanup, which involves cleaning up trash that may get into the rivers that feed into Weeks Bay.
While doing this and even afterwards we wondered if it is possible the exertion and endurance required to help in the cleanup may have approached being too strenuous for our "do-gooder" activities. A small group of people showed up for the cleanup at 8:00 A.M. at Weeks Bay Marina (old Lulu's location). Our assigned spots to pick up stinking trash were Manatee Point (east side of Fish River), Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog, and around and under the Roy Spivey Bridge near Kelsey's on Hwy. 98. The payoff was a free lunch at Weeks Bay Foundation on the north side of Hwy 98 just past the Fish River Bridge on the west side.
We already knew that the roads in this area have lots of trash on them, but we were certainly surprised with how much actual BIG junk winds up in these places. One group even had to call and say they didn't have enough room in their vehicle for all the trash they found such as tires — not just parts of tire treads.
The plus side of this activity was that we now know where to get sacks to put such trash in and a place to bring them and even where to get the proper gloves to do this. God knows there's plenty of trash waiting to be picked up all over our area including County Road 9 and Highway 98. We can see some reasons for some of the trash along the highways and byways, but it is sad to realise that people who drive along them do mess with Alabama. Maybe this state needs lots of signs like Texas does. Just a thought.
estuary: A semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are often associated with high rates of biological productivity.
While Wendell was volunteering today at Weeks Bay Reserve, an employee remarked that he had seen dolphins jumping out of the water in Weeks Bay for the first time ever. Naturally, my first question was, "Did he get any photos?" Apparently not.
Wendell and I had wondered if the heavy rains we had had recently could be the cause of this different behavior at Weeks Bay, so I sent an email to the manager at Weeks Bay asking him if he had any idea why this unusual Dolphin behavior happened? He replied that he did not know any reasons that would directly cause the dolphins' behavior. He went on to add: "Jumping for a dolphin is common — we just haven’t seen this behavior in Weeks Bay."
I have seen dolphins in the Gulf and even in Weeks Bay traveling one behind the other the way they normally do, but I would be very excited to see them jumping like they are doing in the video below.
estuary: A semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are often associated with high rates of biological productivity.
Our first visit to Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve was last February, while geocaching with Dave and Barb. Now Wendell volunteers at its Interpretive Center one morning a week.
All aboard!
Now settle into a comfee seat and enjoy the ride.
We've been looking forward to the fledgling voyage of the new Weeks Bay pontoon boat. After several days of rain, the weather on the day of the trip could not have been better. The group on the boat was comprised of Weeks Bay staff and volunteers, along with a few other lucky people who knew someone connected in some way with the Reserve [raising hand☺].
This voyage was in both Weeks Bay and along the Fish River. While on the ride, a collection net for plankton specimens was put out, and all the passengers got to look at them through microscopes and recognize some of the types. One type I recognized was animal plankton that looked somewhat like crabs with two big eyes. We also learned that so much of the earth’s surface is covered with water that the ocean’s phytoplankters (plant plankton) produce 70-85% of the planet’s oxygen – much more than that produced by rain forests.
Perhaps our collection of photos will help you feel like you were along for the ride:
estuary: A semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are often associated with high rates of biological productivity.
Our first visit to Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve was last February, while geocaching with Dave and Barb. We gave up on finding the cache because recent rains had made the boardwalk where it was located waterlogged. Remember Bog Reflections? Later that same day, though, we did find a cache located on the estuary itself.
We knew then we would want to come back.
Most of our morning was spent on long boardwalks seeing and learning about Weeks Bay habitat.
It’s easy to see why these plants were given this name, when you look at them. They come in several varieties and colors and have an appetite for insects. Since neither of us had seen a pitcher plant until today, our experiences fall into the familiar category of “don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything like this before.” As we've traveled during the last several years, we've said that phrase so many times we've lost count.
Fauna: We encountered lots of butterflies, a tiny salamander and a black-tailed squirrel different from any we'd ever seen before. Unfortunately, it scooted up a tall tree before we could take a decent photo of it. Weeks Bay is also home to many varieties of birds, and its website serves to encourage birdwatching.
After completing the tour of the pitcher plant bog, we briefly visited the Interpretive Center, then explored another long boardwalk.
So can you tell that we really like this place? We’ve been sorta at loose ends ever since we completed our previous volunteer jobs at Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery in Kentucky. Since it's so close to home, we're considering volunteering one day a week or so at Weeks Bay, to help visitors enjoy this beautiful natural area while we learn more about it ourselves.
But for now ... The full-time RVing community's premiere geocaching experts have moved next door! Barb and Dave O'Keeffe have shown us the ropes with excellent hands-on training, so we've decided to not bother sticking our heads in a book for the time being. They operate as a team (Barb's the Navigator / Recorder, Dave's the Looker / Finder) and have been downright fun to learn from.
Dave helps Wendell celebrate his first geocaching find
Barb recorded three successful cache finds today:
We began along the Fish River, where Dave found the day's first cache attached to the underside of a Mobile Bay Civil War Trail marker.
Wendell's first ever Mardi-Gras-licious geocaching find was located in a local Baldwin County park
