Math night

We enjoyed math night at Ds school.  There were quite a few friends and families there.  Great to see lots of learning and fun (and some crazy costumes too).

Pretty diverse group and some positive efforts toward good learning.  Thanks to all the teachers and helpers!

Latest fun

Some old friends came to visit.  Bob and Tyler said we had to visit one of the local places.  I think they may visit again.

Come back soon for the orange harvest.  Have a great day!

Fall is growing in Baton Rouge

Fall is a beautiful time in south Louisiana.  It is also a great time to grow plants in the slightly cooler but still sunny days.  Aloe vera is blooming beneath the live oak Quercus virginiana.  These succulents don't mind the heat and this dry sunny area seemed to serve them well.   They don't generally bloom often, so these all blooming simultaneously seemed unusual. 

 Breakfast features fresh waffles and fruit as well as maple syrup hand imported from the north (at least until it runs out!)

 The camellias are blooming and will be doing so for the next several months.

 The chickens typically lay a couple of eggs a day.  (Hence the waffles...)

 A group came to visit from Clemson.  Hope was excited about their gifts.

The Clemson/LSU group enjoyed their time at the coast, installing some coastal mats and crab traps coated with concrete.  Thanks and go Tigers!  The Clemson (Tigers) cheered on LSU (those Tigers won their game too).  Thanks to all!

Trip to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge Louisiana

 We had a fun visit to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in western Louisiana.  This is really off the beaten track but a fascinating place to see beautiful birds, fish, crabs, and of course alligators and dolphins.

 These "oysterbreak" rings protect the shore and grow stronger by harboring oysters and other organisms.  They should also enhance the local ecology.

 Our friend Jim enjoyed this lovely coastal home - we thought it was beautiful from the outside, and the owner invited us in.  You can drive your car up to the second floor.  It is solid and beautiful.

 Old crab traps can be coated with concrete to encourage oyster growth, which should protect the coast and allow growth of coastal plants like those below.

Spartina alterniflora is a coastal plant "smooth cord grass" that grows well and provides habitat as well as protecting coastal soils. We are trying to encourage natural methods to protect the coast.

New York visit

We had fun in New York.  Thanks!

A visit to the coast

The coast of Louisiana is literally washing away.  Sediment that used to build the coast  is now directed out the mouth of the Mississippi.  We are glad to have the tall levees to keep our cities safe from Mississippi River flooding but we are missing that sediment. So we are working to solve the problem.  Unfortunately, the water is rising and the sediment is settling, meaning we have to find ways to actively build the coast.  Prior to hurricane Katrina (2005), people often did not realize the importance of these coastal lands in protecting cities and infrastructure.  But since then, most people are working to help solve the problem.  We are working with bioengineered reefs to literally grow the coast: oysters grow and reduce wave energy, protecting the coast and helping build coastal land.  Plants can grow in these protected areas, further growing the coast.  These rings are about 5 feet across and weigh one ton each.

 Our friend Jim likes this airboat that can go on water or even right over fragile coastal plants.

 The Rockefeller Refuge provides a location to study coastal denizens from birds and alligators to shrimp and oysters, as well as coastal plants.  What a beautiful place!

Well, enjoy your day at the coast.  And enjoy the coast and take care of this endangered ecosystem.