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A Musical Week

I am no fan of eating oysters but I am now a fan of the Fulton Oysterfest! The party kicked off with a carnival, live music, and foggy fireworks on Thursday evening. Every day was jam-packed with performances and events (like oyster eating and shucking contests).

This was the 40th year for the event which raises money for the Fulton Volunteer Fire Department. My favorite part was watching my friends of the band Whiskey Bent take the stage on Sunday afternoon.

I didn’t have much time to rest as I was on the road by noon on Monday. A month ago I learned that the Zac Brown Band was playing at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and I jumped at the chance to see them. My concert ticket included admission to the rodeo so I went early to check out the scene.

I grew up with horses and helped show Quarter Horses as a teenager, so it was a trip down memory lane. The band rode the stage as it was wheeled out to the center of the arena after the last event. The lights went down and the sound went up. I had heard they put on a good show and they did not disappoint. It was a rowdy, toe-tapping evening!

I wrapped up my musical week by attending the Luck Reunion, a festival held at Willie Nelson’s ranch outside of Austin. To keep it intimate they only sell 2,000 tickets which they make available by a series of lotteries. I stumbled upon a link from Southwest Airlines three weeks ago and was over the moon to get a ticket. I knew it would be a lot of events in one week but when you get a chance to hang out at Willie Nelson’s, you’d be crazy to pass it up.

The layout was fantastic; six stages were spread out among an Old West movie set which included a saloon, jail, and chapel among other buildings. Scattered around were sitting areas and places to spread out a blanket. Food trucks had a variety of vittles available for purchase. Of course, there was a ton of merch. Amazingly, the beverages were free (Lagunitas beer, Patron Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Tito’s Vodka, as well as cold-brew coffee and bottled water).

A light breeze kept the warm and sunny day from becoming uncomfortable. And comfort was the theme. The mellow vibe felt like a big family reunion. Musicians strolled through the crowd, joining friends on stage for impromptu jam sessions. Each and every act I watched mentioned how grateful they were to be there. The hardest part for me was choosing which group to watch; The Marcus King Band, Nathaniel Rateliff, Steve Earle, and Mavis Staples, among two dozen others.

As the sun went down, the other stages went dark. Everyone gathered around the main stage to watch the talented Nelson family. Paula Nelson started off with a set of country classics; Micah Nelson played his unworldy music as Particle Kid; Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real followed with their recent thought-provoking hits; and after one last set change, Willie walked out to a standing ovation.

The family was clearly up there to have fun, mixing standard Willie songs like On the Road Again with newer ones like Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die. They cheekily sang It’s Hard to Humble before filling the stage with other musicians to wrap up the show with Will the Circle Be Unbroken. I feel lucky to have attended such a phenomenal event!

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Bluebonnet

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Spring is here, according to the flowers that are popping up. The Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) is, quite fittingly, the state flower. I remember reading about bluebonnets as a child and yearning to see them. I think the name added a certain allure.

I was rather disappointed when I later discovered that they were just lupines (which we have several species of in my childhood state of Arizona). Not to detract from their appeal, they are still lovely splashes of color.
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Nesting Season

The city of Rockport bought this valuable piece of real estate in 2016 to protect a heron-egret-roseate spoonbill rookery (breeding colony). The property’s prime waterfront location, looking out over Little Bay, meant the roughly 9-acre site cost a pretty penny, just shy of $3 million. For the birds who rely on the safety of this oak motte to raise their young, it is priceless. The site is especially crucial after 2017’s Hurricane Harvey destroyed many other nearby nesting locations.

Bent Oak Rookery is bustling right now as the large birds are busily constructing and caring for nests. Finding just the right stick is a very serious matter.

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Sunny Star

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I’ll go out on a bit of limb here and identify this as Cucumberleaf Sunflower (Helianthus cucumerifolius). It is no mean feat to pinpoint the species since sunflowers are in Asteraceae*, the largest botanical family with a mere 32,000+ members. I feel moderately confident in my choice since it is commonly found here, tolerates sandy soil, and blooms this time of year. Beautiful, no matter the name.

*Asteraceae- from ancient Greek meaning star, referring to the rays of the flowers.
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Beachcombing

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My most colorful treasures from an afternoon at the Rockport Beach. Typically, I just find trash. Since my compulsion to pick up litter began in toddlerhood, I quickly realized I had to bring along a bag. It just isn’t in my nature to walk on by. My first few outings were defined by odd findings. One day I collected enough fake fingernails to make a full (non-matching) set. The following day it was adhesive bandages (gross). The next, elastic hair ties. I surmise they are all things that fall off in salt water.

Those items were dwarfed in number by bits of plastic and, of course, the ever ubiquitous cigarette butts. Recently, I’ve noticed the benefit of my efforts, as I am no longer filling my bag during my daily beach stroll. Thankfully, the barrier islands of San Jose and Mustang catch debris floating in the Gulf of Mexico, thereby, protecting Aransas Bay.

A bit further south the situation is much more grim. Since Padre Island National Seashore is located at the bend of the Gulf Coast where currents converge, the shoreline is constantly bombarded by floating trash. Two weeks ago the park held the 24th Annual Billy Sandifer Big Shell Beach Cleanup. Over 1400 volunteers pitched in to remove close to 75 tons (yes, 150,000 pounds) of trash. This is the same stretch of sand that endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles nest on. What a distressing juxtaposition!
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Frog Life

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In an interesting coincidence I had two encounters with American Green Treefrogs today.  I awoke this morning to discover a flock of White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) aerating my lawn. The hungry horde probed their long bills into the St. Augustine grass seeking out large insects and small creatures. This ibis was incredibly pleased to nab an American Green Treefrog. Don’t tell Kermit, he just lost a relative.

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This afternoon while strolling through the Ivy Lane Nature Preserve I spotted this little one living up to its name. Found in America: ✓ Skin color green: ✓ In a tree: ✓ Is a frog: ✓. Nailed it!

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