In Paradise

This evening I ignited the burn pile by the pond. I've been adding fuel to it for weeks, so it had more or less reached critical mass, and when lit it became a magnificent roaring blaze. Wish I'd had someone to share my bonfire with, but it was spectacular enough, even if I was the only witness.

I spent this evening down by the pond enjoying the fire, drinking beer, listening to the pulsing symphony of the cicadas, and watching the setting sun paint the clouds. I stood there until the sky had turned a deep dark blue and the bats were flitting between the trees. Never mind the mosquitoes, I'd much rather do that than watch TV. Might be a sign of my age. Beer and bonfire, birds and bats, the cicadas buzzing overhead...paradise. Nice to experience real contentment once in a while.

A little earlier in the evening I saw a Yellow-throated Warbler creeping around up high in the pines that border my backyard. This is my favorite warbler species, and it's nice to be able to see one right where I live. Funny, but the best look I've had at one this year was not here in Texas, but in California (a vagrant I found in Lassen Volcanic National Park).

Middle of the afternoon in late summer - the worst possible time for birding in Southeast Texas, right? I killed some time poking around my yard this afternoon. Within less than an hour I saw the following birds: Inca Dove (3), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2), Downy Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker (2; an adult and juvenile that was starting to show some red spotting on it's head and neck), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Red-eyed Vireo (1), a Yellow-throated Vireo (1), Carolina Chickadee (mobs at my feeder), Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Pine Warbler (1), Summer Tanager (1), and Northern Cardinal. Pretty good for the hottest hour of the day during the summer doldrums.

Talked with The Judge (one of my neighbors, who happens to be judge here in Hardin County) this afternoon. He has also noticed that there seem to be fewer squirrels around the neighborhood. I hate to draw a simple correlation between a decrease in the prey population and an increase in predators, but it seems mighty coincidental that squirrels have become less conspicuous at a time when hawks have become much more so. Lately I've been seeing Broad-winged Hawks frequently, and the other day I saw one drop on and carry off some hapless critter. The Judge is certain that they are resident (as opposed to passing migrants), and tells me that there are as many as three of them in the neighborhood. I wouldn't dispute that, especially since he IS a judge.

Lizards, lizards, everywhere! Seems like wherever I look around my yard I can count on finding a Green Anole or two - in bushes, in trees, on the lawn, clinging to the sides of my house, climbing on any object I've left outside...just about anywhere and everywhere. And then there are the skinks rustling through the leaf litter, and the Mediterranean Geckos that come out at night. I recently counted as many as eight geckos crawling around my porch at once. On rare occasions I even find one inside the house. The Judge tells me he's been seeing snakes down at the pond lately - gotta keep an eye out for them.

Vehicular Misadventures; Psychobilly Freakout

I'm writing this blog entry this morning at Troy's house in Spring, because that's where I am.

Yesterday afternoon Troy and Elizabeth were gonna come over from Houston to see the Reverend Horton Heat with me at Antone's in Beaumont (first show they've ever done there). En route, somewhere on I-10 west of Winnie, some nasty object put a big hole in their radiator, and their car started spewing transmission fluid all over the highway. I got the call and went to pick them up.

Thank goodness I had finally succumbed to all the persuasive arguments and gotten a cell phone. In this situation it was a big help. There was some confusion over where they were taking their car (which was seriously stressful, since they had to keep stopping to pour expensive fluid into their car so that it would have something to spray out onto the highway), but after we passed each other twice I finally joined them at Winnie, and after pouring more fluid into their car they limped into the Ford dealership there.

From there I took them back to my place in Lumberton via Port Arthur (because I stupidly got onto the wrong highway at Winnie). By then it was getting late. We were all starving, so we went straight away to downtown Beaumont's puny "Entertainment District" - a single block of clubs and bars on Crockett Street. Ate dinner and killed time at the Spindletop Restaurant before going to the show, which was great. Nice to see a hot band in a small venue with a pumped-up audience. They played new material, also most of their crowd pleasers. When The Reverend sang about his "fucked-up Ford" it held a special meaning for Troy & Elizabeth. We managed to get right up next to the stage, close enough to shake hands with Jimbo as he was leaving. I was particularly well positioned, with a hot chick shaking it right in front of me through most of the show - next best thing to a free lap dance.

Then the hard part came. Elizabeth had to be at work this morning, and their car was still at the dealership in Winnie, so after a very brief stop at my house in Lumberton, and tired from a very long day (and night), we started the long drive back to Houston, arriving there around 3:30am. Sometime later today I'll be taking Troy back to Winnie, where hopefully their car will have been repaired.