Thursday, December 22, 2011

Anna Whack National Wildlife Refuge, Texas

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Marshy Brady was the cute one.

We spent our first night on the prairie - WOWZERS can it storm here!  The volunteers here agreed that it was scarypants last night, which made me feel less like a pansy.  Everyone considered running for the community center except for those newcomers who didn't know about a community center.

We hold no grudges agains the Prairie, though, because it's awesome here.  And, if you're sick and tired of Judy's crisp, breathtaking, professional-grade wildlife photography, boy howdy! have you come to the right blog.

We rolled in yesterday, and Judy had a spot picked out for us.  We have a front-row view of the horizon.  I love horizons.

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Solstice Sun.  

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Judy, Emma and their rig.  Does the motorhome have a name, Judy?

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Crawfish nest?  The heck, Texas?

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Two of us are not Judy.  None of us are Emma.

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Prairie seashell.  I blame Ike.

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I took this picture!  I'm so proud, and I hope you see this one before you see Judy's.




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Snow Geese and the Seven Other Geese



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The rarely-captured Blogger



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Her Weapon of Choice


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This?  Not a toilet.


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Safety First:  only look at the sun when reflected in a marsh.



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She aims!  She shoots!  She SCORES!

We got to see some parts of Anahuac (ANa whack) National Wildlife Refuge that are only open to staff and volunteers.  Cool!   Judy knows every bird who has ever napped, snapped, or flapped on the Refuge.
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Galveston Bay

Judy invited us to stay on for Christmas dinner, and we accepted with grateful hearts and drooly mouths.

24 comments:

Rubye Jack said...

I'm glad you all will be at such a beautiful place for Christmas. The pictures are great, and yeah the prairie can be a very scary place when a storm comes up.

There's a Sunshine Award for you guys over on my blog, -just to let you know I'm thinking about you. :)

http://blueskiessunnydays.blogspot.com/

BeckyIO said...

Hey, I think that hawk picture is great! (I haven't been to Judy's blog yet, as luck would have it).

And I'm guessing the gray box-thingy is an observation deck of sorts? Pssh, I got nothing...

MariaB said...

Awesome pics! Especially the hawk! We miss you guys, and hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Lynne (WinnieViews) said...

So great when RV bloggers get to meet each other. Looks like you guys are having a fabulous time. Your photos are terrific Rox, and I must say that no one, NO ONE, can title a blog post or caption a photo quite as funny as you can!!!
Thanks for the belly laughs!

Hope you both have a great Christmas!

Jim and Sandie said...

Judy better stay on her toes - that hawk picture you took is fantastic. Spending Christmas with Judy will be so much fun. Have a great day.

Andra Watkins said...

These pictures are drool inducing, Roxanne. I hope you and Annie are hungry for Christmas dinner. Such a gorgeous place to spend the holiday. xo

MARIANNE said...

LIKE!

Travels with Emma said...

Your pics are nothing to sneeze about. I particularly like the sun in the marsh photo. You have an eye! Now, explain to me about the Brady marsh thing...

Sherry said...

These pics are great Roxie. I especially like the black and white header and the hawk and the solstice sun and the marsh reflections and well...........I think you done real good.

AND I know which one is judyeeeeeeeeeee!!

The Good Luck Duck said...

Rubye Jack, thank you for the award! And, the other blogs you mention look very promising - I'm going to investigate them further.

Whew, Becky! Always come here first; it makes my photography look much better. The gray box-thingy: I dunno. I lost interest after I learned it wasn't a toilet. HA! Yes, you're right, it's a photo blind.

Thanks, Maria! We miss you, too. I think we'll have a lovely Christmas, even without the snow.

Thanks, Lynne! It is a lot of fun to meet other bloggers. I feel like I'm meeting celebrities. You have a great Christmas, too.

Jim and Sandie, thanks for that! We couldn't believe that hawk would stand so still for so long for the paparazzi.

Thank you, Andra! It is really pretty here, and it will be a good Xmas, too.

Hahahaha, Marianne! The FB page! The FB page! :D

Thanks, Judy, that's very kind. And, you know the Marshy Brady reference now.

Thank, Sherry! And, I know now, too!

Donna K said...

You have some great pictures there...I'm impressed. Congratulations on the great sightings of the rare Blue Winged Blogwriter...I hear they are hard to capture on camera and you did a great job. You guys have fun and hope you all have a great Christmas together.

TexCyn said...

You got some good pics there! And you learned how to Prounounceonyceonncy...pronounce Anahuac too! Now come visit me too & bring a mop :-(

Suzanne said...

Really beautiful photos, Roxanne! I like to scroll down slowly, taking in the details of photo first, then zeroing in the hilarous caption, like a good cold beer with a tequila shooter. ;-)

What a great time it seems you and Annie are having! Enjoy the holiday with Judy and Emma!

heyduke50 said...

Texas storms sneak up on you and the next thing you it is too late to run for cover many of the times...

Karen and Al said...

Loved your pictures...they are almost as good ad Judy's!

Glad you are safe and the storms didn't blow you away.

Steven said...

I dub the rig "The Grey Goose".

Page said...

So want to be there.....

Be safe and be well!

Larry said...

Great Pictures! but I'm sure you've heard that before.

Paul and Marti Dahl said...

Nice pictures of that rare and elusive bird known as Judy! ;c)

Merry Christmas and enjoy the beauty of your location, a great gift from Mother Nature.

Sue Malone said...

That was downright fun, seeing photos of Judy instead of just seeing her great photos! Although, I have to say, you outdid yourself this time. I LOVED your photos of the refuge, the skies, the water. and of Judy of course. Merry Christmas to all of you.

Prettypics123 said...

Very cool pictures especially the sun reflected in the marsh! Its fun to read two different bloggers' posts from the same physical location. Fun! Cool. I hope you guys have a very great Christmas there and a wonderful start to the New Year.

kim said...

Great photos, and happy you survived the winds. Have a very lovely christmas with Judy, nice when you meet other bloggers along the way!

The Good Luck Duck said...

Steve, I like that idea. We shall call Judy's rig The Grey Goose. If she doesn't approve, we'll just call it that behind her back.

Thanks, Donna K! She is quite elusive.

Cyn, are you swamped from the same storm?? Wow. So, it didn't just seem bad in a rockin' RV?

Suzanne, thanks! What a flattering analogy, and thank goodness we don't have to choose between photographs and liquor.

Duke, your comment gave me a shiver down to my wicked good slippers. I just thought it was windy!

Karen, you're kind to say so. And, yes, I'm glad to be still right-side-up.

Page, it's lovely here. And, thank you!

Larry, I can't hear it enough.

Merry Christmas, Paul and Marti! Were you the ones who told Judy there was a tornado watch that night?? Yikes.

Thank you, Sue! I'm flattered. And, I agree - it's fun to see Judy on the other side of the lens.

Levonne, Judy made a similar comment. We "see" very different things at the same time and place.

Thank you, Kim! It is a lot of fun to meet bloggers I already "know." Our online "personas" can be very different from our "real life" selves, and I think both are the truth.

Pam said...

I DID see your picture before I saw Judy's! That would be because I read my blogs in alphabetical order. Thanks for snapping her with her weapon of choice, I've thought of asking her what she carries but never got around to it! Enjoy your time there over the holidays, I am very, very jealous!