A Painted Bunting weekend

Have you ever seen the Painted Bunting?

Avez-vous jamais vu le "Passerin Nonpareil"?. Un des plus jolis oiseaux en Amerique du Nord.

We spent a weekend at Skidaway State Park outside of Savannah, Georgia and saw 4 of these beautiful birds.


Un weekend passé en nature pour observer la nature, surtout les oiseaux...et quelle bonne surprise!  Sur 36 especes d'oiseaux observées, nous avons vu le Passerin Nonpareil que nous essayions de voir depuis 3 ans!!!                             

We've been trying to see the Painted Bunting for the last couple of years and finally saw 4! of them the same day.  We were so happy, we would have opened a bottle of Champagne if we were not in the woods hiking.  hahaha

Une marche dans les bois qui s'est bien tournée.

The whole surrounding was most beautiful and just pleasant.  We were in Skidaway Island near Tybee Island, almost 4 hours drive from Macon.  A boring drive but it was worth it.                                                                     
Can you see the Painted Bunting in the middle of the last picture? Click on the last pic and you'll see the Painted Bunting in the middle of the tree trunk.

A backyard metamorphosis

Debbie has transformed our backyard into a colorful garden. And of course, we're spending more time there this summer.

All senses are pleased. The lively colors of the flowers, the running water from the fountain, the cute lights, and the birds chirping and singing.




This live bouquet is made in a strawberry pot with various rambling plants. What a clever idea!

You can see more picture at Debbie's Secret Garden
Check it out.

A happy "Father's Day"

Today is father's day.
Mine turned out to be a happy one. Actually, the whole weekend was a happy and pleasant one.

Kelly and Leah have been working in Atlanta for the summer. Both came down to spend the weekend with Debbie and I for "Father's Day".

They have sweet words and cards for me. Very touching. We told each other how much we love each other again...because we really do love each other, Dad and his daughters.
It is as I've said many time to them, "always have, always will, no matter what".

This picture of the fountain with the "lady and the shell" is in the background of the first picture. It's so beautiful I thought you should have a peek at the pleasant surrounding we've enjoyed this weekend. I know you can't hear the water flowing, or see all the pretty flowers around the set up, with the visiting butterflies, but just believe me when I say it's beautiful and relaxing. The credit goes to Debbie.


This last picture simply shows how relaxing the weekend was. Have I already used the word "relaxing" in this post? Well, it was that much. We even had a nice dinner outside with candles, soft music, (no, we didn't dance this time), and the special touches Debbie adds to occasions. Remember now, we love each other and we like to be together.

It's very rewarding for a man to see his children grow up to become nice and thoughtful young ladies with whom you have a close relationship. I hope for many fathers to experience this blessing.

A few days at Grayton Beach

Spending time with Kelly and Leah, James and Melba in the Panhandle of Florida.

It always seems to me that the beach by the Gulf of Mexico is prettier than by the Atlantic.  What do you think?

It's windy.

The area by the State Park on the beach is typically not crowded.  You get to enjoy it a whole lot better.

You can camp in the State Park or rent one of the cabins.

This is birdwatching on the beach, where the birds are watching you.

Nice hat!

Debbie looks relaxed here.

Her favorite place, a quiet beach.

Andre and his daughters

White sand, pretty ocean colors, perfect blue sky.


We've seen a few wildlife during those few days.  Beside a decent variety of birds, we saw a small shark in the water, a couple of dolphins, schools of fish, stingrays, and a manatee on the last day.  Not bad.

There is also a beautiful "dune lake" on the other side (inland) from the beach.  A lake with white sand dunes. 



Debbie, Kelly and Leah, the day the water was calm. 

I've added a short video just to give you the envy to go spend some relaxing time at the beach.  If you're on a budget and you want a quiet and pretty beach, go to Grayton Beach State Park.  Shh...That's our little secret.

Storm damage in Cullman, Alabama

Alabama was hit pretty hard by the recent storm.  When nature unleashes its destructive force, very little can stand in her way.  We saw it first hand.  Instead of me telling you, just watch this short video.


We went to see Connie in Alabama.  James and Melba, Ricky and Duane got there before us.  I understand that Duane was the first one to come check on Connie.  There were down trees all over the place.

Part of Connie's backyard

The Price siblings, with Duane and Jeremy, cut down a lot of tree branches that were hanging and did a preliminary cleanup of removal of the tree debris that were blocking pathways to the house and the driveway.  They also removed a good size tree out of the swimming pool!  They left on Thursday.

Debbie and I got there on Friday morning to lend a hand. Debbie was a great help in organizing food items and some other practical issues when there is no power.  I continued with the outside clean up until Duane and Ricky came back.  Ricky went back to work, cleaning the pool.  Duane got on phone taking care of logistics.

It's nice to have family around in time of disaster.  Everything just seems easier to handle.  Connie is pretty strong herself, and Duane was a very good support.  But, just the fact to see siblings coming from out of town to help in one way or the other, is certainly a great morale booster.  I know Debbie and I were happy to do what we could. 

The front yard with the birch tree down

Connie had fallen trees all the the yard.  That includes the front yard with the pretty birch tree, the huge mulberry tree in the back is down, the pine, oak, and maple trees were down too, left and right.

At the end of the day, Debbie had a great meal prepared for all to enjoy.  No, no time for Rook games that day. 

As I was working in the yard, I saw a lot of juvenile birds following their parents asking for food.  They seemed a bit frantic to me.  The baby Blue Jay was actually cute.  A lot of these birds were getting food from the mulberry tree that came down unfortunately.  I also saw some picking up nest building materials to start rebuilding.  Just like the humans were doing in Tuscaloosa and Cullman county.

Break time! Are you blowing me a kiss?

We caught some breaks, spent some time together, enjoyed Debbie's great cooking, and did a little more work. 


While we were still working, Obama came to visit not too far from us.  We tried to invite him over but couldn't reach him.  I'm sure he would have helped too.  Just a little cleaning...with everyone pitching in.

Hey Tiger, it'll be OK.

As you look around after a couple of days, you feel a sense of normalcy returning.  No more debris in the immediate areas, the smiles returning, the birds changing from alert stances to more relaxed poses.  Connie's laughing again...and a game of Rook!

It's now time to go back home again. 

Camping at the Okefenokee swamp

Finally, we're camping at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. We chose the Stephen Foster State Park because it's better situated in the middle of the swamp.

You can get some good information on the Okefenokee at http://www.fws.gov/okefenokee/.
Connie has been wanting to visit this park for a while...so there we are. Debbie and I, with Connie and Duane, camping.  The park is nice with good facilities i.e. electricity and water at the camp site, and bathrooms with hot water.

You can find a blog post of our trip with a little different in formation on the swamp at okefenokee camping trip. 
As always, we enjoyed the serenity and peace of camping, but the Okefenokee Swamp offers something extra. Sure, excellent variety of wildlife including great birding, but also the opportunity to rent canoes or boats and explore the swamp.

We took a motorized boat one day and two canoes another day to enjoy the Okefenokee. Oh yes, the alligators were all over, keeping a safe distance. This is also a great birding place. We've identified a handful of new birds (to us) such as the Swallow-tailed Kite, the Northern Parula, ..., and we enjoyed birds coming to our campsite. The Pileated Woodpeckers and the Red-shouldered Hawks were regular visitors, not to forget the Catbirds, various woodpeckers, and warblers.  All together, we've seen over 40 different birds on this trip. 

If you're not already enjoying the pleasures of tent camping, you probably need to check this tent camping  site out.

The Okefenokee is unique in many ways. You have a dark colored water that reflects the vegetation and the sky like a mirror. (The dark color comes from tannin which actually keeps the water clean). 
You'll also find some rare plants here such as the carnivorous sundews. The cypresses, tupelos, water lilies and pines always give a unique feel to the canoe rides through the swamp...

...And as always the great peaceful feel of camping amid a rich wildlife.

Before we knew it, time has passed and we needed to head back after a four-day three-night camping trip.  We want to come back to the "land of the trembling earth" as the Indians used to call this place.

Esther's 40th birthday

The big 4 0 for Esther was celebrated at her house on the 2nd of April. All the Coquerels were invited but only those in the U.S. made it to the invitation for obvious reasons.

How nice! It's been a while since we all got together like this. It always seems that we like to see each other when we meet. The children of the children of Papa Coquerel are teenagers and young adults now. How At 40, Esther is looking great. Young and beautiful, not to forget smart and dedicated.

Taking turns, Jacques and I (I'm Andre) shared encouraging words and memories about their sister. Jean-Luc gave the blessing. Emanuel, Esther, and their children prepared some delicious dishes for all to enjoy.time quickly time passes by!

The drink? They also had drinks but then it seemed that everyone had the same idea. "I'm been invited...let me bring...a bottle of wine!". So, we ended up with more bottles of wine then they were wine drinkers in the group. We all forget to think about who actually drinks in the family. They will be...well, I won't say. Not too many.

Phoebe's Mom was there as you can see in one of the pictures. That was nice. She is always good company. I'm guessing she doesn't want to miss Chloe's arrival. Chloe is going to be the new addition in the Coquerel family, to Phoebe and Jean-Luc. We can't wait to meet her.


 It was nice to get together. Let's do it more often.