Wandering Dawgs

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #188 – A Special Place

March 5, 2022Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, WildlifeTagged A Special Place, Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Lens-Artists, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Okefenokee Swamp, Photo Challenge, Wood Stork Nesting15 Comments

Our host Karina asks us to show us the places that are or were special to you and tell us why. I’ve chosen to feature two National Wildlife Refuges located in Southeast Georgia.

Working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mission

The National Wildlife Refuge System is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These public lands and waters across the United states are set aside to protect many species. They are special places to experience nature and to view wildlife. There are over 560 National Wildlife Refuges in the United States.

The Okefenokee Swamp is one of North America’s most unspoiled natural wilderness areas. According to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge web page, “the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has 353,981 acres of National Wilderness Area within the refuge boundaries. In addition, the refuge is a Wetland of International Importance (RAMSAR Convention – 1971) because it is one of the world’s largest intact freshwater ecosystems.”

The refuge headquarters are located in Folkston, Georgia. There is also access to the refuge in Georgia’s Stephen C. Foster State Park in Fargo and the Okefenokee Swamp Park in Waycross.

*Alligators in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge*

*Turtle in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge*

*Swallowtail Butterflies in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge*

*Wild Turkey in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge*

*Snowy Egret in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge*

Located just a few miles east of I-95 in Townsend, Georgia, Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including nearly 350 species of birds. In the spring, hundreds of wood storks, egrets, and other birds can be seen building their nests in the trees on Woody Pond.

*Great Blue Heron in Flight at Harris Neck*

*Pair of Wood Storks building a nest at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge*

*Nesting Wood Storks and Great Egrets at Woody Pond*

Many thanks to our guest host Karina of Murtagh’s Meadow for the challenge Lens’Artists #188: A Special Place

Caribbean Islands Adventure 2022 – Part 4: St. Lucia

February 27, 2022March 1, 2022Posted in Flowers, Lighthouse, TravelTagged Caribbean, Caribbean Cruise, Caribbean Islands Adventure, Castries, Orchids, Pigeon Island, St. Lucia, Stony Hill, Vigie Lighthouse, Viking Sea11 Comments

January 16, 2022

Another day, another gorgeous, tropical Caribbean island. Our ship was docked in the capital city of Castries. The above image shows some of the colorful buildings in Castries as seen from the ship.

There is so much to see in St. Lucia it would be impossible to see it all in one short shore excursion. The 237 square mile volcanic island is very mountainous with lush green tropical foliage, most of the island is covered in rain forest, and the waters surrounding the island provide many opportunities for boating, scuba diving and snorkeling.

We had been to St. Lucia twice before on dive trips. Both times we stayed in Soufriere on the western side of the island. When we weren’t scuba diving we were exploring around Soufriere, taking in the spectacular scenery, and enjoying the delicious local cuisine.

On our previous trips we didn’t get an opportunity to visit the northern part of the island so we chose to take a bus tour to see it. As our bus climbed the hills on steep, narrow roads with hairpin turns we were treated to jaw dropping scenic views and learned about the island from our guide Amelia. Tourism is the number one economy on St. Lucia.

Our destination was a private home called Stony Hill with magnificent views and beautiful gardens. We enjoyed listening to a steel drum as we relaxed with a cold fruit juice and delicious snack of banana bread and coconut cake.

*Pigeon Island, St. Lucia – the island is a National Park*

I love lighthouses so I had to capture the Vigie Lighthouse as we cruised out to sea at the end of the day.

*Vigie Lighthouse, St. Lucia sits high above the Caribbean Sea guarding the entrance to Castries*

Fun things to know about St. Lucia:

St. Lucia is the first country to be named after a woman
St. Lucia has the world’s only drive-in volcano
St. Lucia is the home of the Pitons Mountain Range, a UNESCO World Heritage site
Some scenes from the movie “Superman II” with Christopher Reeve were filmed in St. Lucia. In one scene he is seen flying by Petit Piton. One of the dive sites at the base of Petit Piton is nicknamed “Superman’s Flight” (yes, we dove it many years ago)

Where do you think we’ll be next? Stay tuned…

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #187 – Water

February 25, 2022February 8, 2026Posted in Photography, TravelTagged Caribbean Cruise, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Viking Sea, water14 Comments

Our host Anne chose water as our challenge and asks us to “please show us your water fun and tell us about it.”

This challenge topic is a subject near and dear to my heart. I have always been a lover of water. Salt water, fresh water, oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, mountain streams, waterfalls, I love them all.

Lucky for me my husband Henry shares my love of water. We have lived within a few miles of the Atlantic Ocean for most of our life and are surrounded by salt marsh and salt water. Almost all of our travels have revolved around water of some kind. Usually, we stay somewhere near water but until this January we had never taken a cruise ON the water. These images show some of the water fun we had during our Caribbean cruise.

We hiked up steep stone stairs to see *Trafalgar Falls in Dominica*

*We watched planes land at the airport from Sunset Beach Bar, St. Maarten*

*Sailing on a catamaran to a snorkeling spot in the British Virgin Islands*

*The bow of the ship was our favorite place to watch the water as we cruised through the Caribbean*

Many thanks for Anne’s challenge Lens’Artists #187: Water

Caribbean Islands Adventure 2022 – Part 3: St. Kitts

February 22, 2022March 1, 2022Posted in TravelTagged beach, Caribbean, Caribbean Cruise, Caribbean Islands Adventure, St Kitts Scenic Railway, St. Kitts, Sugar Cane Ruins, Viking Sea20 Comments

January 15, 2022

Welcome to the next edition of our Caribbean Islands Adventure.

Our daily routine aboard ship – wake up in the morning in a new port, eat three delicious meals, take a shore excursion, take a dip in one of the pools or relax in one of the many lounge areas, enjoy cocktail hour in the Explorer’s Lounge in the bow of the ship just a few steps from our stateroom, watch the ship sail out of the harbor, watch the sunset, sleep while the ship is cruising to our next port.

First View of St. Kitts as we prepare to dock in the capital city of Basseterre

St. Kitts is one of the two islands that make up the country of St. Kitts and Nevis. Our shore excursion of the day was a ride on the St. Kitts Scenic Railway.

Our tour began with a 12 mile bus ride through the capital and into the countryside before boarding the train. Our bus driver told us some history of the island and pointed out places of interest. The island’s number one industry used to be sugar cane. Today it is tourism.

Our tour started with a scenic drive to the scenic railway

The narrow gauge railway makes an 18 mile journey around St. Kitts. As we rode along in the open air second deck our guide pointed out interesting sights and we learned a little more about the island. The train passed through former sugar cane fields where the sugar cane still grows wild. In the villages, school children waved as we went by. The ride was bumpy with lots of turns and gorgeous views.

Two young dancers played music and danced as we rode along.

Ruins from Sugar Cane Plantation, St. Kitts

Back on board our ship, we were treated to another beautiful sunset. The crab cake appetizer at dinner was one of my favorite dishes of the entire trip.

Where will we go next? Stay tuned.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #186 – Low Light

February 18, 2022Posted in Photography, TravelTagged Lens-Artists, Low Light, Photo Challenge20 Comments

In this weeks challenge Sofia has asked us to share our experiences, good or bad, with low light photography. I have always struggled taking photos in low light and have plenty of fails to show for it. Usually, when I succeed it’s just pure luck.

There was a beautiful full moon the night we were sailing away from St. Lucia on our recent Caribbean cruise. The header image is of the full moon over St. Lucia. A little while later I captured the Pitons on St. Lucia in the below image.