Discovering the wetlands of Louisiana

Christmas 2007, Judy bought me a 9' kayak and put it under the Christmas Tree (actually in the garage). It was probably the biggest Christmas present I ever got. For several months, about the only place I ventured with the kayak was in a body of water in the back of our gated community, which, by the way, is called "The Lakes." Our so-called "lake" is small, only about 1/5 of a mile in length and shaped like a long-neck vase, but adequate to navigate a small kayak.

Within the past few months, I have started to venture out, trying out canals, bayous, waterways, and wetlands in the area. I have discovered a whole new world down here in southern Louisiana, and have really gotten the bug to continue to explore. I would like to buy a waterproof camera, so I can post pictures some of the fauna and flora I see in swamps, marshes, lakes, and bayous while kayaking. I realize now that there are local kayak tours, local clubs, kayak magazines, and more out there. My next exploration activity is going to be the Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge which is close to where we live. Unfortunately, most of the refuge is on the far side of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway which can be dangerous to cross because of speeding boats and large commercial barges, ships, etc. Right now, I am content to just explore on the north side of the Refuge. It takes me about 25 minutes to go the two miles from Bayou Black to the Intercoastal, and I can just skirt along the north bank of the Intercoastal to get to the part of the Refuge that is on the north side.

What animal life have I seen in the winter thus far? Alligators of course, a water moccasin, nutreas, a wide array of birds, and "flying" fish (none have landed in my boat yet). This morning, I navigated a new waterway. Once away from all indications of human activity it was an amazing experience...almost spiritual, just gliding through the water with the only sounds being from the rustle of wind against the cypress trees and bird life. A bird with a very long beak, poked its head out of of the water right next to my kayak. I thought, "Where in the world did you come from?" Anyway, look for additional posts that will hopefully have some cool wetland pictures. Lousiana has about 40% of the lower-48's wetlands, so I shouldn't run out of places to explore.

Some favorite kayaking destinations include the following: Atchafalaya Basin, Bayou Teche, Bayou Lafourche, "7"-shaped Elmer's Island across from Grand Isle, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve south of New Orleans, Manchac Swamp, and Pointe au Chien marsh land.

Designing engines to exploit ethanol's important advantage over gasoline

In the January 20, 2009 post of Robert Rapier's R-Squared Energy Blog (one of my energy-blog favorites), Rapier makes a compelling case that ethanol-fueled engines need to be designed to exploit the much higher octane rating, thus greater efficiency of ethanol over gasoline. With its higher octane rating, ethanol does not easily pre-ignite. Thus, if an engine were designed with a much higher compression ratio to exploit this advantage, it is conceivable that cars could actually go further on a gallon of ethanol than on a gallon of gasoline, even though ethanol only has 2/3 the BTU's per gallon that gasoline has. This is an interesting observation from Rapier who has to remind people from time to time that he really isn't anti-ethanol in spite of some earlier posts. This particular post is well worth reading, as is Rapier's entire blogsite. The above picture is of a high-compression ethanol/biodiesel engine built by Swedish automaker Scania.

An Historic Inauguration

Okay, now I feel comfortable admitting it. I actually did vote for Barack Obama. And, of course, I was excited to see the events of the day unfold. This inauguration truly was an historic event in so many ways. We are going to need a president that has the intelligence, savvy, and perseverance of some of its former giants, the likes of Lincoln and FDR, to get us through the mess we are in right now. Whether Barack lives up to this, remains to be seen. I can only hope that Barack lives up to my expectations of him.

I have a rather strange voting history, especially when I have always considered myself to be a Republican. For example, I can truthfully say that I never voted for Tricky Dick or “W.” But then again, I never voted for Slick Willy either. In fact, the last presidents I actually voted for were George HW Bush and his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, so it has been a while.

Why did I vote for Barack? I wanted to see a change in the direction our country seemed to be headed. My vote also represents somewhat of a push-back against the persistent barrage of what I thought were unfair labels being pinned on him…anti-American…Muslim in sheep’s clothing…born in Africa or wherever…etc. I spent time in Indonesia back in the ‘80’s, so I felt like I could relate to the discussion about his youthful years in Indonesia. Indonesia was a progressive Muslim nation yearning to be more Western during the time he was there…though sadly it has reverted to a much more hard line anti-American stance in the post-Bush years. Also, a part of me is still in Hawaii, where along with Barack, our children grew up as well. The Hawaiian culture has an amazingly strong community sense, which I felt helped shape him and the career direction he took that led him to where he is now, and which will continue to serve him well. There were other considerations I took into account, including his bio-friendly energy plan versus McCains plan.

Finally, I freely admit that I felt a little bit like a traitor to not vote for the giant of a man that John McCain is. How could I not have voted for a former POW who would have the absolute support and trust of the military who protect this nation from its enemies? I was never more proud of McCain than during his concession speech, when in the midst of boos, he congratulated Obama and pledged “to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face” as a nation. Hopefully, Barack will show the same level of courage when this country needs him to.

Far and away, the largest number of people attended this inauguration than any previous inauguration. America needed an event as historical as this one was, one that would give all of its citizens a sense of ownership in its future. As McCain so eloquently stated, “Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.” We have indeed come a long way since MLK was assassinated. But we are also on a dangerous path. Hopefully, we can rally together, and make the needed changes that will assure a strong future for our country.

Fleur-de-lis connection to Louisiana

While Louisiana has no special claim to the fleur-de-lis, it is prominently displayed in this part of the world. It is associated with the New Orleans Saints football team. It will be on prominent display during Mardi Gras. I suppose some of this has to do with its French name and connection. So here is a little history about the fleur-de-lis (fleur-de-lys, singular). The Wikipedia web page includes pictures of some of the coats of arms and flags that use the fleur-de-lis. The scouting organization recently updated their logo, of which the fleur-de-lis continues to be its central element. On October 16, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act which authorizes the minting of 350,000 silver dollar coins in recognition of BSA’s 100th Anniversary in 2010. The Boy Scouts of America was founded on February 8, 1910. These coins will prominently display the fleur-de-lis. There are some rather creative fleur-de-lis out there, and here is a small sampling: wildlife version, Craw-de-lis version, monarch butterfly version, New Orleans Hornets version, and finally a link to New Orleans Fig Street Studio that uses fleur-de-lis designs in many of their products.

King Day today officially kicks off carnival season in New Orleans

The city of New Orleans officially kicked off the Carnival season today as Mayor Ray Nagin hosted his annual king day party with an official proclamation from Rex, the King of Carnival. What follows is seven weeks of festivities leading up to Mardi Gras 2009 on February 24th. City and krewe leaders celebrated 153 years of Mardi Gras in dance, music and, of course, king cake. King Day would not be what it is without king cake. Here's more about the king cake tradition. The krewes of Rex and Zulu also unveiled this year's posters. The all-black Krewe of Zulu is celebrating 100 years, and the Krewe of Rex commemorates the 50th anniversary of the doubloon. These two are among the most celebrated krewes. A recent entry into the lineup of krewes is that of the St. Joan of Arc Krewe, a krewe that will take to the streets today. Here is a complete schedule of the parades leading up to Mardi Gras. I think outsiders would be amazed at the amount of effort that goes into making Mardi Gras what it is. Mardi Gras is so big, it can be pretty much what you want it to be. If you are into the pomp and circumstance, and the tradition of royalty with Kings and Queens, it can be just that. If you are into the bawdy and gaudy, the adult-rated on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, it can be that too. Many of the outside communities have their own Mardi Gras parades and activities. Houma is a good example of this. We have several parades that families look forward to each year at Mardi Gras time. Obviously, they will not be as elaborate as those in New Orleans, but they are crowd pleasers none the less. As a family, we have been fortunate to have lived in parts of the country that celebrate their own culture on a state-wide level, including Pioneer Day in Utah (July 24), Kamehameha Day in Hawaii (June 11), and Mardi Gras in Louisiana and surrounding areas (47 days before Easter Sunday). None is more grandiose and original than Mardi Gras.

50 things I would like to do

Here's the "other" list, even if only half as big as I promised.

1. Be a better neighbor
2. Learn how to use our gas grill
3. Prove I can have success growing wild rice, taro, cassava, or some other exotic food crop in Louisiana’s unique environment
4. Lose 52 pounds in the next 52 weeks (fat chance)
5. Retire in four years at age 65
6. Avoid having to be a Walmart greeter for the rest of my life
7. Live in an interdependent self-sustainable community after I retire
8. Live close to hiking trails, caves, streams & lakes that I can enjoy after I retire
9. Become fluent in Spanish
10. Visit a liberated Cuba
11. Ride an elephant in the Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal
12. Visit Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal and see Mt. Everest with my own eyes
13. Run in a 10-K
14. Raft the Colorado River
15. Tell you where I was when the first human stepped foot on Mars
16. Be the first human to step foot on Mars…just kidding
17. Patent a turfgrass variety
18. Write a fiction novel
19. Learn SAS inside and out and become as good at statistics as I was when I completed graduate school at the Univ. of Minnesota
20. Financially assist an underprivileged youth in reaching his/her full potential
21. Join a regionally competitive barbershop choir
22. Sing in a popular barbershop quartet
23. Read more and watch TV less
24. Learn how to meditate
25. Climb to the top of King’s Peak (the highest point in Utah)…finally
26. Visit the Holy Land and climb Mt. Sinai
27. Receive a vision
28. Serve on an LDS mission with Judy for 18 months
29. Live close enough to our grandchildren that we could visit them much more frequently than is presently possible
30. Take up golfing again after I retire
31. Take up cross-country skiing as an excuse to visit family in the winter
32. Become a skilled amateur woodworker
33. Become a skilled archer
34. Complete a fully updated William Thomas Tew Heritage Book by 2010 for the benefit of his posterity
35. Own a home outright before I die
36. Score 178 or better in bowling
37. Go to Disney World at least once in my life
38. Visit every state in the nation that I haven’t already been in (NH, VT, and SC)
39. Keep in contact with old friends
40. Be a more loving and giving companion to Judy
41. Learn how to give more and expect less
42. Be more optimistic about the future
43. Have my portrait painted
44. Determine with certainty the ancestry of Louis Roy (my great-great grandfather on my mother’s (LeRoy) side) all the way back to France
45. Become a better blogger
46. Learn to take quality pictures and videos to enhance my blog site
47. Write the story of my life in a way that it actually benefits posterity
48. Leave a respectable inheritance for my family when I leave this life
49. Become more assertive and stand up for myself when wronged
50. Find my “voice” (Covey’s 8th Habit) and inspire others to find theirs

Happy New Year to all and may some of the things you would like to do be fulfilled this year.