Archive for December 2021
Airports, Airplanes And Another Adventure: Mississippi Day One
As with most of my better qualities and many interests, I have to thank my dad for my love of airports, airplanes, and adventure. He would take me and my siblings to the small Hazleton airport, located a few miles from my home in Northeastern Pennsylvania after work and on Sunday afternoons. He loved watching…
Read MoreMississippi Day One: Exploring The Charming Gulf Towns Of Pascagoula And Moss Point
How did I wind up in the charming little town of Pascagoula, Mississippi is a good question. I am not sure. I will say it was totally random, having never heard of the city until about a month ago. I wanted to get away and relax. . My visit to the Dominican Republic was fun …
Read MoreMississippi Day Two: A Sunrise, Pitcher Plants And Woodpeckers But No Sandhill Cranes.
I awoke refreshed on Thursday in Pascagoula Mississippi. Sleep will do that to you. Especially when you are traveling. I still needed my coffee and was delighted to have a Kurig coffee maker in my room. As I sipped on my coffee I was deciding where to watch the sunrise. I knew my next destination…
Read MoreThe First Snowfall: Another Hike On The Greater Hazleton Rails To Trails
We had our first snowfall here in in the Hazleton area of Northeastern Pennsylvania on Sunday. Well the first measurable snowfall anyway , we had a few dusting earlier in November. I awoke to find a winter wonderland in my back yard in the Green Ridge section of Hazle Township. . It was beautiful but …
Read MoreMississippi Day Three : A Pleasant Morning Walk In Pascagoula, And An Afternoon Of Altered Plans, Again
I had a plan for the day when I awoke in the quaint Gulf town of Pascagoula on Friday. I was going to watch the sunrise from the beach on the Gulf in Pascagoula. I planned to only walk a mile or so along the beach in the morning. Then, I planned to drive back …
Read MoreMississippi Day Four: A Morning At Lake Mars Pier And The Fontainbleau Nature Trail In Ocean Springs
My plan for Saturday were to drive my new KIA rental car to the Fontainbleau Trail near Ocean Springs Mississippi. The trail is a part of the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refugee. If you have been following my blog, you would know my plans weren’t working out to well on this adventure. So I…
Read MoreMississippi Day Four: An Afternoon Hike And Sunset At The Lake Mars Pier And My Own Private Beach
I knew, after my Saturday morning visit to the Lake Mars pier in Ocean Springs, that I would have to return. The skies cleared and it was a sunny afternoon so I decided to take the 20 minute drive from my hotel in Pascagoula to the Lake Mars pier. I hoped to photograph the shore…
Read MoreMississippi Day Five. Fog, Then Sunshine And A Lot Of Birds At The Lake Mars Pier And The Beautiful Shoreline.
On Sunday morning I learned that the Mississippi bayou gets some pretty thick fogs. I experienced this as I drove back to the Lake Mars Pier in Ocean Springs early that morning. It delayed my arrival to watch the sunrise at 6:34 a.m. but that didn’t matter since the thick fog obscured the sunrise for…
Read MoreMississippi Day Five. An Evening At Point Park Pascagoula, No Sunset But Some Cool Clouds
My morning hike tired me out on Sunday so I decided to stay in Pascagoula and watch the sunset from the beach at Point Park. It was windy and cool when I arrived at the park with some interesting cloud formations in the skies over the beach. Point Park, as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs,…
Read MoreMississippi Day Six: A Beautiful Beach And A Lot Of Birds On My Last Morning At The Lake Mars Pier
It was my last morning in Mississippi. It was a wonderful visit so far. A lot more to explore than I expected. So many beautiful areas to observe Nature. I decided to return to my favorite, the Lake Mars Pier and nearby beach in Ocean Springs early Monday morning. After my two cups of coffee…
Read MoreA Few Photos Of The River Otters And Resident Birds From a Walk In The Susquehanna Wetlands
I was looking forward to hiking in the Susquehanna Wetlands this weekend after my trip to Mississippi and Alabama. On my last hike, two weeks ago, I saw a family of river otters playing in a pond in the wetlands. Seeing these graceful and playful beautiful animals is always a wonderful experience. And I am…
Read MoreMississippi Day Six: Another Change Of Plans Leads Me to A Hike In The Muddy Creek Wetlands In Alabama
After my morning visit to the Lake Mars pier I returned to my hotel and was planning on driving to Mobile Alabama to visit the Botanical Gardens there. I chose a hotel near the Botanical Gardens so I could visit on Monday afternoon and again Tuesday morning before my flight back home. I checked out…
Read MoreA Couple Mid December Hikes in Community Park.
It has been three weeks since I last hiked in the Community Park near my home in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. It is mid December now and in many years here in Northeastern Pennsylvania the lakes and ponds would be frozen and covered in snow and ice. . Not this year. On Tuesday afternoon I…
Read MoreMississippi Day Seven. A Walk Before The Rain On The Campus Of The University Of South Alabama
Before my recent visit to Mississippi and Alabama I never heard of the University of South Alabama. I chose the Holiday Inn Express hotel where I was staying in on my last night in the Deep South since it was close to the Mobile Botanical Gardens which I planned to visit. Unfortunately the Botanical Gardens…
Read MoreA Dreary, Cold And Uneventful December Hike In The Susquehanna Wetlands And River Lands.
I changed my routine last week and hiked in the Susquehanna Wetlands and River Lands on Friday afternoon. (I usually hike here on the weekend. And I usually refer to this nature preserve as the wetlands but it also includes both the nature preserve, the wetlands, and a park with a lake and picnic areas,…
Read MoreBald Eagles, A Red Tailed Hawk And A Kingfisher On Another Dark And Dreary December Day In the Susquehanna Wetlands
It was another dark and dreary December day here in Northeastern Pennsylvania on Sunday. Temperatures were near freezing with a strong westerly wind. I decided to return to the Susquehanna Wetlands in Luzerne County. I had just hiked there Friday afternoon, on another dark and dreary day. I know there are dozens of beautiful hiking…
Read MoreA Hike In The Unexpected And Magical Christmas Eve Snow In the Susquehanna Wetlands
At this stage of my life there are only two days in the year I welcome snow, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So I was surprised and delighted when I awoke early on Christmas Eve to find my back yard in Hazle Township, Luzerne County covered with over an inch of newly fallen snow . …
Read MoreSunshine, A Pair Of American Wigeons And No Snow On A Year End Walk In The Susquehanna Wetlands.
After seeing so much wildlife at the Susquehanna Wetlands on my walk in the Christmas Eve snow on Friday, I decided to return for a year end hike on Sunday morning. I have come to love this small nature preserve a little more with each hike. I enjoy hiking and searching for the many critters…
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