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.

100 things I've done

Inspired by someone else's blog with the same title, I decided to jot down 100 things I've done. The blog that inspired me was much more playful and imaginative than mine ended up being. My list was intended more as a collection of random memorable occurrances than of major life-changing events. I'm sure that I could have easily come up with another 100 if I tried, and many of those would have been every bit as memorable as the ones I show here. These are simply the first 100 I happened to have thought of, roughly placed in chronological order. Disclaimer: Hyperlinks are of similar events (not taken by me) and are for effect only.

100 things I've done

1. Grew up in a country town named after a Mormon apostle (Talmage, UT) located at 6,800 ft elevation where it snowed deep enough to obscure fences
2. Went to elementary school in an old two-classroom building
3. Fell on a cement basketball court and got knocked out cold for over an hour
4. Got “chased” up a boat ramp by the first fish I ever caught ‘til I let go of the pole
5. Rode horses bareback for years before ever riding with a saddle
6. Milked a herd of cows every day from age 12 until graduating from high school
7. Watched our herd dog snap its teeth at a fleeing cow and get dragged over 100 yards until it could get its teeth unstuck from the cow’s tail…nearly died laughing
8. Made a pond-worthy flat-bottom boat from a plywood board and two 2x10’s
9. Traveled by horseback, camped, & fished in the High Uinta’s several times
10. Went deer hunting annually with my father during my teen years
11. Hoisted over 10,000 bales of hay one summer on our farm
12. Got blue ribbons at our county fair for vegetables I raised in our home garden
13. Went to Boys State at USU (Logan, UT)
14. Pole vaulted on my high school track and field team
15. Got pinned in a high school wrestling match in under 10 seconds
16. Won the right to challenge our principal in a ping pong match at a high school student body assembly only to get nearly skunked at the event
17. Learned that JFK was assassinated while in a history class in high school
18. Played baritone sax from 6th through 11th grade
19. Played trombone for 1 year in a dance band while a senior in high school
20. Had only one date in high school…and it was traumatic!
21. Listened to Jimmy Dean live at our HS Senior Trip to Salt Lake City
22. Picked Concord grapes for Welch’s in western New York for a day
23. Attended the Washington D.C. Temple ground breaking ceremony as an LDS missionary
24. In shop class at BYU, replaced the rings in the motor of my brother’s Grand Prix Pontiac
25. Bought a souped-up ’67 Pontiac GTO as my first car purchase…no regrets
26. Watched man’s first step on the moon at the BYU de Jong Concert Hall
27. Was best man at two weddings during my college years
28. Took karate while at BYU until injuring my neck in a diving accident
29. Did my personal best in golf by several strokes with a neck brace on
30. Scored a personal best of 177 in bowling
31. Pruned cherry trees in Payson, Utah
32. Honeymooned in a teepee-shaped motel room on the Ute Indian reservation
33. Harvested wild rice in a canoe in Minnesota with Judy
34. Visited a brewery in St. Paul, MN while on the barley project in graduate school
35. Got a PhD without ever taking a language course in school…regretfully
36. Watched humpback whales breach and sea turtles body surf in Hawaii
37. While snorkeling at 12’ depth, watched a friend spear octopus and fish
38. Saw lava flowing from the Pu’u O’o vent in Volcano NP from a helicopter
39. Watched the sun come up at the rim of Haleakala on Maui
40. Witnessed a near-total solar eclipse on Oahu on 11 July 1991
41. Walked on the Kalapana Black Sand Beach before and after lava reclaimed it
42. Ran a quarter marathon on Oahu (team’s time: 3:16)
43. Climbed Olomana on the Island of Oahu solo on a New Years Eve
44. Participated in deafening New Year’s fireworks displays on Oahu
45. Slept family of six in a VW pop-up EuroVan for two months camping in Europe
46. Visited Paris, London, Madrid, Munich, Cologne, and Rotterdam with my family
47. Ate dinner with a French family in Montpellier France on our Anniversary
48. Took an overnight train to Venice Italy from Austria and rode in a gondola
49. Visited a cheese factory in Gruyere, Switzerland
50. Climbed part way up the Matterhorn from Zermatt, Switzerland
51. Took a tram to Gimmelwald and a ski lift above Grindelwald in Switzerland
52. Went to the Netherlands with Judy to interview for an Oregon-based breeding position; stayed in Amsterdam and circled around the Ijsselmeer region afterward
53. Visited sugarcane collections in Miami, FL; Kannur, India; & Camamu, Brazil
54. Ate an Indian dinner with our fingers (no utensils) in Coimbatore, India
55. Visited a Michelin rubber plantation in tropical Brazil
56. Went on a sugarcane collecting expedition in Indonesia
57. Visited a cacao plantation while on the Island of Sumatra
58. Traveled over water on a hydrofoil from Sumatra to Java passing by Krakatoa
59. Visited a tea plantation in Bogor, Island of Java, Indonesia
60. Traveled by foot over the Island of Halmahera surviving on coconut milk
61. Drove from Johannesburg to Durban with a fellow sugarcane breeder
62. Had a private pristine beach to ourselves (two scientists) in Fiji for a day
63. Was served kava kava in a coconut shell in Fiji and felt my mouth go numb
64. Ascended la Roche Ecrite on the Island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean
65. Took two sets of Vietnamese refugees into our home while in Hawaii
66. Had four exchange students live with us while in Utah
67. Picked huckleberries with family in Idaho’s mountains
68. Hugged a koala bear in Australia
69. Visited a coffee plantation in Costa Rica
70. Ascended to the top of Mt. Timpanogos (UT) with Neal
71. Failed to reach the top of King’s Peak two separate times because of weather
72. Visited 25 National Parks and hope to visit more
73. Helped found the Hawaii Tropical Flower and Foliage Association (HTFFA)
74. Started a successful business and had it shut down by a former employer
75. Was the star witness in a successful lawsuit against another former employer
76. Logged 110 hours work one week while working at Walmart & Quality Inn part-time and Twinlab full-time after returning to Utah from Hawaii
77. Never went snow skiing in Utah…until after returning from Hawaii
78. Never surfed in Hawaii…unless body surfing counts
79. Caught a 41 lb redfish in Louisiana
80. Took a cruise to Alaska through the Inside Passage with Judy
81. Saw glaciers calving at very close range (Harvard & Aialik Glaciers)
82. Had dinner with Judy in a revolving restaurant above Niagara Falls
83. Got stung by a Portuguese Man O’War jellyfish
84. Visited the Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington D.C.
85. Went to the top of the Washington Monument in D.C.
86. Went to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City
87. Went to the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis
88. Sang in a barbershop choir
89. Listened to the Utah Symphony Orchestra play Christmas music in the Tabernacle
90. Visited historic LDS Church sites at Nauvoo, IL; Kirtland, OH; and Palmyra, NY
91. Conducted three funerals in our local church unit while bishops were out of town
92. Witnessed a real life bank robbery shoot out (crook vs. police) in Cheyenne, WY
93. Survived 8 hurricanes (Iwa, Iniki, Isidore, Lili, Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike)
94. Participated in the cleanup in and around New Orleans after Katrina
95. Went to a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans (Krewe of Endymion)
96. Was once on the lead boat in the annual shrimp boat blessing event in Chauvin, LA
97. Took up kayaking after getting a kayak for Christmas a year ago
98. Married a partner who is far stronger spiritually than myself
99. Raised four terrific children…Judy gets the lions share of the credit
100. Started my own blog
     

Perhaps I will create a list 100 things I've would still like to do