Tag Archives: Texas

The Goose Island Oak: Rockport, Texas

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Possibly 2000 years old…

The Goose Island Oak Photo by Nicki Hurd

The big Tree of Lamar is said to be a survivor of extreme weather, climatologists estimate this tree has endured forty to fifty hurricanes, floods, wildfires and droughts.

This charter member of the Oak Society of America is located on the Lamar Peninsula near Goose Island State Park.  It is estimated to have been anchored here for between one and two thousand years, and it may be one of the oldest oak trees.  Age is determined by radiocarbon dating, or counting or cross-referencing tree rings.  The Live Oak  (Quercus virginiana), is a species of Oak trees that grows from Texas to Florida, and up to Virginia.    The gulf breeze limits the height of oak trees.  The Big Tree is more than 45 feet tall and has a crown spread of 90 feet.   It is big because of its girth not height, the circumference is over 35 feet.

The horizontal length of the branches (in botany limbs are called the ramus and the large branches are known as boughs) of oak trees is bewildering to me…the core strength the limbs must have.  They look like they are defying gravity.     Trees are much stronger in the vertical axis than they are in the horizontal, because the cells at the tree trunk are long, skinny and have a tremendous amount of beam strength, which allows the tree trunk to hold up  numberous branches.

Classified as the Champion Live Oak in Texas, this beautiful Live Oak is showing its age.  The boughs are supported and it has a lightning conductor.    It has been treated for pest and disease. There is a fence surrounding it, allowing it some space, to keep us pests away…as it is almost impossible to resist the temptation to sit and lean against it and meditate on all that has gone on around this mighty oak, to touch and congratulate the Big Tree for persevering and trying to discover its secret. August 31, 2012

 

Aransas Wildlife Refuge: Austwell, Texas Coast

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Winter home of Americas tallest bird.   All of the whooping cranes alive today are descendants of the last 15 remaining that were found wintering in Texas in 1941.

White-tailed Deer Photo by Andrew Leggett

It has become a tradition for us to stop and visit Aransas Refuge when we travel to Rockport.  It is on the way, and just under 38 miles north of Rockport along the coast. Thanks to innovative scientists and conservation, the Refuge is world renowned for hosting the largest wild flock (the only remaining natural flock) of endangered whooping cranes each winter.   In 2005, 216 birds were counted.  According to wildlife biologists, today the number has increased and counting individual birds is no longer feasible.

The Whooping crane is the largest American bird standing nearly 5 feet tall with a 7 foot wing span.  These glorious birds dance together in flight to mate and mate for life, are elegant flyers, able to utilize wind and thermal gust without flapping their wings.  The cranes are Texans during winters in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, and Canadian during summers in Wood Buffalo National Park.

We love bird watching here and have seen Whooping Cranes, Roseate Spoonbills, and Great Egrets.  During the first visit as we entered the Refuge we were greeted by an Armadillo “little fellow in armor” snacking.  On the nature trail, as we were crossing the  bridge to the observation deck near the water, I spotted a Ringtail that has “the face of a fox and the tail of a raccoon”.   We have observed many Javelina  and a very large Alligator (he looked hungry).

At the entrance, the lady that checked us in inquired about Andrew’s out-of-place accent, and informed us that she was originally from Pennsylvania but moved below the Mason Dickson line as quickly as she could???  We made our way to the two new lookout towers that wind above the trees.  After photographing the butterflies dancing around the wildflowers at the base, we climbed to the top and followed a few great egrets, but witnessed no alligators this time. We drove the 10 mile loop and did not encounter any wildlife, until two lovely White-tailed deer, took the time to pose for photographs for us as we were just about to exit.  5-25-2012

Rockport – Fulton, Texas Coast

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Our favorite place on the Texas Coastal Bend.

View from Kontiki Beach Resort
Photo by Andrew Leggett

15 miles north of Port Aransas, fishing piers decorate the coast line of Rockport-Fulton a charming, less touristy option, and the county seat of Aransas County.

Rockport was recommended to me years ago, the first time I traveled to the Texas Coast, and it has lingered in my heart since.   Every holiday in Rockport-Fulton has been both interesting and filled with “fishing on the bay” relaxation.  During this visit we stayed at Kontiki Beach Resort in a suite on the top floor, a corner unit with great views.  I was thrilled to have found it and been able to book it as late as we did, considering it was a Memorial Day weekend and a popular holiday for traveling. After checking in, we headed to the locally owned and managed (by a charming family) Stevie Lews BBQ Kitchen, where the chickens run free all over the parking lot, and  loaded up on BBQ.  After a nice stroll on the long fishing pier, we relaxed on the balcony and enjoyed a continuous sea breeze and the great views of the canal and Aransas bay.

The following morning, after sipping our coffee on the balcony, we popped into the visiting center in the open sea air market area before breakfast at a Mexican restaurant on Highway 35 south, The Original Vallarta.   After a long wait, our breakfast came and tasted fresh and homemade.   Next, we cycled along the scenic Water street.  It  was pleasant, but got steaming pretty quickly.  We headed to cool off with a nice hot cappuccino at the Daily Grind on Wharf St, which was once a different coffee house that we had been to a few years past. It has a new name and new owner, and shares the space with two art galleries. After finally cooling off enough to move, we made our way into  the John Martell Photography gallery; photographs on canvas, mostly of birds, great shots, and very well done.

The next space was Texas Brush Works, the studio space and gallery of a lovely lady that informed us that she was a former school teacher, in Arizona, and is now retired and happy to do her art here, where she gets many visitors because her studio is attached to the coffee shop.  I purchased some greeting cards of her artwork, one called Java Art, (horses painted with coffee) and a few pieces of jewelry. After returning to Kontiki, we chilled in the pool, grilled steaks, and reclined on the balcony. We finished the day with our rods in the canal, watched the fish jump past, as they grabbed our bait and swam on.

The third day we ate at Charlotte Plummers Seafare Restaurant, located on North Fulton Beach road, and sat on our favorite landing deck. The Seagulls were very aggressive; we had to battle for our food. We were scolded by our waitress … “never look away from your food” as she approached just in time to swat away a gull ready to take a piece of my fish. The lady at the next table over got bombed and had to replace her drink, as her dining partner giggled.      Andrew’s Birthday May 2012