A Saturday Adventure: Birding at High Island and a Visit to Galveston

We spent Saturday down by the water. It was a beautiful, mild day and since we had the whole day free, we planned a visit to the Audubon sanctuaries at High Island.

We headed out in the late morning, arriving in High Island just in time to grab a barbeque lunch at the St. Matthew United Methodist Church. It was delicious and exactly what we needed!

Our first stop was at the Boy Scout Woods Sanctuary, where we checked in, paid our entrance fees and got maps and recommendations of where to go.

We hiked all around the woods, and saw warblers and other small birds, as well as this snapping turtle!

It was a gorgeous day to be outside! 

The boys found blackberries and the wildflowers were blooming everywhere.

Indian blanket

Our next stop was the Smith Oaks sanctuary, where the volunteers promised many large birds and zero possibility of boredom. And boy, were they right! There were hundreds of birds at the rookery, a communal nesting ground for water birds. You can hear the birds before you see them, and it is an incredible sight, one that this photo does not do justice.  

We are new to birding and don't know much, but fortunately, we were surrounded by many folks who were more thank happy to tell us exactly what we were looking at and point out interesting details that we might have otherwise overlooked. At the rookery, we primarily saw great egrets, snowy egrets, roseate spoonbills and cormorants.

Snowy egrets have black beaks with black legs and yellow feet.

Great egrets are larger and have yellow beaks with black legs and black feet and are incredibly elegant.

 

The roseate spoonbills add a beautiful pop of color.

All these birds were hunted nearly to extinction in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as their beautiful feathers were popular decorations for women's hats. 

The only sad part was watching an alligator catch a great egret while we were there.

There are over 100 nests at the rookery with more being built. There are many babies and it was absolutely incredible to see.

 

 

 

 

People literally come from all over the world to visit High Island and it is practically in our backyard. What an incredible place.  

After visiting the rookery, we ambled back to the parking lot, taking time to stop and admire all the wildflowers in bloom.

 We saw several blue grosbeaks on our path.

Baby alligator

After thoroughly enjoying our time at High Island, we drove along the Bolivar Peninsula, stopping at Fort Davis Seashore Park, which was constructed in the late nineteenth century as part of a seacoast fortification program. 

Point Bolivar Lighthouse is at the end of the Bolivar Peninsula.

After a bit of a wait, we boarded the Bolivar Ferry and rode across to Galveston. The ferry was great fun for all of us!

The boys' sole request for the day was to go to the beach, so as soon as we arrived in Galveston, we headed to the family-friendly Stewart Beach.  We couldn't help noticing this Kemp's ridley sign.  

It was very windy, cloudy and not too warm, so we only spent about an hour at the beach, but that was enough for the boys to splash and build in the sand and get their beach fix in. 

 

We ended the day with dinner at Fisherman's Wharf, our usual spot. We watched as the Elissa returned from an outing!

And it wouldn't be a trip to Galveston without a stop at La King's. Our bellies were too full for ice cream, so we settled on small bags of taffy to enjoy at home.

Even though I feel like we're out exploring a lot, there's always more to discover, and much of it is so close to this huge city we call home. What a spectacular adventure. 

Good Reads {March 2016}

It's no secret that we love books in our house. We visit the library multiple times a week, even in the school year, and all four of us are constantly reading, reading, reading. Some of us read and walk, some of us try to read when it's mealtime, and all of us read before bed.

Here are a few of our family's favorite reads from March, many of which are middle-grade novels:

After You by JoJo Moyes
Almost everyone I know is reading this book, the sequel to the massively popular Me Before You, which I read in February when I was sick with strep throat and couldn't muster the energy to get off the couch! Grab your box of tissues and find a chunk of time to read, because once you start reading, you'll be drawn into Lou's world and you won't want to put either of these books down.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
This middle-grade novel won the Newberry Award in 1979 and was one of our school's book club selections in March. The story is a bit like a game of Clue -- which of the 16 residents of the Sunset Towers has murdered Mr. Westing? The game is afoot!

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Will chose this for his classic book report for his reading class, and really enjoyed reading the mysteries. He chose "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet" for his book report.

Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein
This is another sequel. Will and I both read Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library last year and loved it. Like The Westing Game, the book is packed with puzzles and clues as middle school contestants compete in a Library Olympics. Although I don't think it's as good as the first, it's an entertaining read.

The Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Another middle-grade novel packed full of games and puzzles, this was the second book chosen for our school's book club. It's a mystery full of ciphers and book references, perfect for book lovers!

The Six by Mark Alpert
I haven't read this book yet, but Will picked it up at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. and couldn't put it down. Geared more for older students, this is a sci-fi adventure about a rogue robot (Sigma) and the six teens who have to stop it.

Spies, Patriots and Traitors: American Intelligence in the Revolutionary War by Kenneth A. Daigler
Gene is working his way through this history of spies during the American Revolution. He picked it up at the International Spy Museum and reports that it is a fascinating history written by a former CIA agent, who offers a unique perspective on the subject matter.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London
One of the fifth grade teachers saw Will reading and walking down the hall one afternoon, and grabbed him and loaned him her copy of The Call of the Wild. It took Will some time to read it (mostly because of other reading commitments) but in the end, he really enjoyed this classic adventure about the heroic dog Buck who must survive in the wilds of Alaska.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Henry made it halfway through book six of the series last year, and is once again devouring them this spring. We had a Harry Potter emergency when we realized that our copy of the second book had a broken binding and all the copies were checked out of the school library. Book problems = emergency trip to Barnes and Noble for a replacement copy!

Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi
Henry is obsessed with this graphic novel series about two children who are trying to find their mother in a dark, mysterious world.

What have you read lately? We love recommendations!

Lately: March Miscellany

Our family life last month was full! From school projects and soccer games to many March birthdays and a spring break vacation, we have been on the go. It may feel busy and hectic at times, but everyone is happy and healthy, so it's generally all good. 

Here's a quick peek at some of what we've been up to during the last couple of weeks of March:

Henry's huge animal habitat project was due in early April. Even though the second grade teachers insisted this was "not a spring break project," it would have been hard to get it done without doing some work over the break! Henry had to do research, write a five paragraph paper, create a tripanel with photos and more, and make a diorama with a hand-crafted animal. He chose to learn about the Kemp's ridley sea turtle because he still loves sea turtles. He is now even more of an expert than before! 

Henry's diorama -- we used blue cellophane as the water.

These birthday bagels were Henry's special request for his big day.

It was Gene's first time to make them, but they were delicious!

We had a sneak peek of a dear friend's new brewery. 

Oh my word, the beer was good! We can't wait til they open!

Pushing buttons because nothing was hooked up yet at the brewery.

We have decided that Freyja thinks she is part dog. She sits by the fridge and begs with her paw up when she wants wet food. She also insists on following me around the house, sleeping with her paw touching me, and waiting at the back door when I'm away. She's a sweet girl!

Henry wrote a letter to Chop Chop magazine professing his love for root veggies. No wonder the farmers at the farmers market love him!

We visited the science museum for a members' night to check out the new Burke Baker Planetarium. It is phenomenal!

While waiting in line to see the new planetarium, we checked out the incredible chronophage clock.  

Henry and I had lunch together after his well-child check-up.

We have had some lovely weekends lately, so of course we've been grilling and eating outside. The weather is perfect!

We're looking forward to spending lots of time outside this weekend, soaking up the beautiful spring weather, eating good food, and enjoying time with family.