Egret or Heron

December 27, 2025 / doubledacres / 3 Comments

I have heard people call these magnificent birds egrets and herons so I decided to see what I could find. What I found is that an egret is a type of heron. Egrets are usually white with a black bill and legs. Herons are usually blue-gray and have pale legs and thick yellow bills but can also be white.

What to look for. Egrets are usually white, and herons are usually colored i.e. blue, gray, brown. Black legs and dark bills are characteristic of egrets and herons have duller legs and heavier bills. Egrets grow beautiful, lacy “aigrette” feathers during breeding season as herons retain plumes year-round on their heads and chests.

When I was campground host, I discovered a nesting area just off the St. Francis River. When they are nesting the cries, they make sound like something is killing something. They are quite disturbing and at 10:30 at night it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

I got to witness two of these large birds do battle. They actually chest bumped in mid-air and would use tree limbs to catapult them into the air. It was quite the sight to behold. They fought hard. Some of the campers who heard their cries insisted it was Bigfoot screaming.

A big thank you to all that stopped by and read my post. You are appreciated very much. I hope I didn’t bore you.

A new year is now upon us. I wish everyone a joyful and prosperous new year. Remember to be kind to one another.

Lone Elk Park

December 24, 2025 / doubledacres / 7 Comments

Nestled in St. Louis County in Missouri is a 546-acre wildlife area known as Lone Elk Park. What was once a World War II ammunition and testing range is now home too free roaming elk, bison, deer and wild turkey. Visitors can view them by driving and walking through the park. It features trails, nature center and picnic areas can be found around the park.

So why the name Lone Elk Park? All the park acreage was once a part of the 2,400 acre Tyson Valley Powder Plant. The area was used for the testing and storage of ammunition during World II. In 1948, after the war, it was used as a county park, and herds of elk and bison were established within the park. During the Korean War the Federal Government reacquired park. At that time, 1958, for the safety of the wildlife herds were destroyed and only one bull elk survived.

In 1964, St. Louis County acquired 405 acres of the original tract and in 1966 its name was changed to Lone Elk Park and in 1966 six elk were obtained from Yellowstone National Park. This was made possible through the efforts of the children of the Rockwood School Distract and the West St. Louis County Lions Club. Fred Weber Construction Company built the park’s lake at no cost to the county. Lone Elk Park was opened to the public on October 17, 1971. Then in July of 1971, six bison were acquired from the St. Louis Zoo and moved to the park.

Things to know before you go:

No dogs: Pets are not allowed even if kept in a vehicle. No feeding: DO NOT feed any of the wildlife. Donations: Entry is free, but donations are encouraged. For best viewing arrive around 8 a.m.

I have visited the park many times and remind you these are wild animals and are unpredictable. Never approach them or tease them. This could provoke an attack causing things to get ugly real fast.

Thanks for taking the time to read. I appreciate it very much. I remind you to be kind to one another. Being kind to someone doesn’t cost you anything but can change a person’s life for ever.

Beauty of Nature

September 14, 2021 / doubledacres / 3 Comments

It was another hot day in Southeast Missouri. I had the evening off so I decided to head out to the Bismark Conservation area.

The area is made up of 1,188 acres that surrounds the 220 acre lake, DiSalvo. It is the headwaters of the St Francis River. There are good numbers of bass, bluegill, channel catfish and crappie.

This particular day I went chasing channel catfish. It is hot and the humidity was punishing, two ingredients of pop up thunderstorms. It sprinkled on me a couple of times. There was a thunderstorm skirting to the south. Lightning and thunder.

Mother Nature was presenting me with one spectacular show. I watched intently. The wind picked up and I enjoyed feeling it upon my face. So relaxing.

The fish weren’t cooperating. They had very little interest in the bait I was using, shrimp, hotdogs and night crawlers. At dark the bullhead catfish started to show interest in the shrimp. I ended up catching 3 bullheads before I had to give in and call it a night.

It turned out to be a great evening and it was much needed. Mother Nature was spectacular and gave me some great shots and I had it all to myself.

Nature Is Calling Me

January 3, 2021 / doubledacres / 5 Comments

Why do I love nature so much? I am going to do my best to put into words why. I wish I was a better writer so you could maybe experience the passion I have for nature. Well here we go. The following is about a night on the river back in September.

I arrived at the river just as the sun peeked over the eastern ridge shedding its light on the colorful hues of autumn. The leaves glistened with the reflection of the sun’s light upon the orange, red and yellow hues scattered around the hillside. A beautiful sight to behold. It gave my heart joy to see Mother Nature’s paintings before my eyes.

I busy myself preparing my kayak for my river excursion. As I slid my yak into the water I caught a glimpse of movement to my right. I turned my full attention to what had captured my eye. It was a momma racoon with 4 of her offspring. One in particular had taken a deep interest in what I was doing. Slowly it began to inch its way in my direction to get a closer look. As it inched closer momma became agitated and positioned herself between me and her offspring. She began chattering loudly as if she were scolding the young one. After a couple of minutes she began steering her clan away from me. They moved down the bank of the river then disappeared over the rise.

I began my trek up river to the place I would make camp for the night. I had camped here many times before. It had a clear western view where I could watch the sun set. The area was well protected from any artificial light pollution giving me a clear view of the night sky.

Beaver pic from a another day on the river

As I rounded a bend in the river I noticed a beaver standing in the river near the bank watching me with great curiosity. Suddenly it disappeared under the water. It surfaced about 20 yards from me and slapped its tail on the surface of the water warning the others that there was an intruder in their territory.

It was a beautiful day to be on the river. It was a week day so I pretty much had the river to myself. Temps were in the 60s with a slight southerly wind. Movement ahead of me. About 50 yards up river 4 deer were making their way across a shallow part of the river. They were moving with purpose and soon disappeared into the woods on the other side.

I was making good time so I decided to do a little fishing. For about an hour and a half the fish bit good and all of a sudden they seemed to get lockjaw. Fortunately I had enough action to be able to relive the battles sitting in front of the campfire.

I made it to my campsite around 4:30 p.m. As I pulled my yak up on the gravel bar a hawk soared overhead. I went to work setting up camp and gathered some firewood for the night. With camp set I threw a couple of lines into the water in hopes that I would catch supper. Unfortunately it didn’t happen but I had brought along some Mountain House freeze dried beef stew. I filtered some water from the river then got the fire started. I brought the water to a rolling boil for about 4 minutes then poured it into the stew pouch. In ten minutes supper would be served. For a MRE it was quite tasty.

This is my favorite part of camping. Sitting in front of the fire watching the flames dancing within the fire is so relaxing. In the background I can hear the music of the insects and Mother Nature’s night creatures. It is so peaceful sitting there alone listening to the river critters going about their business searching for food. A star falls from the sky. Then another and another. Then it ends as abruptly as it began. Now I am ready for sleep.

It’s hard for me to put into words the peace I feel within me. My friend Gary Fultz I am sure knows the feeling I am talking about. He too has a great respect for Nature and Mother Earth. My spirit seems to float to the heavens. I feel no sadness or anxiety. My soul is cleansed by the tranquility surrounding me. I feel so alive and all my senses are intensified causing me to be more appreciable of my surroundings and what is in my heart. Reading back I am disappointed. I didn’t do a very good job of putting what I feel into words. The best way for you to understand is to just go camping.

Hello Spring!!!

March 20, 2019 / doubledacres / 7 Comments

“The spring wakens us, nature’s is, and revitalizes us. How often does your spring come? If you are a prisoner of the calendar, it comes once a year. If you are creating authentic power, it comes frequently, or very frequently. – Gary Zukav

Winter has handed the scepter off to Spring and nature begins the transformation of Mother Earth. The warmth of spring defeats the chill of winter and the growing season begins.

The hillside that was barren in the winter is now beginning to pop with the blooms of the redbud, wild plum and dogwood. Wild flower blooms begin to populate the prairie floor.

The offspring of the animals can be seen by their mother’s side. The spring rains begin watering the flowers and trees. The farmer begins the job of preparing machinery so he can plant his crops. Mother Earth has come full circle with the rebirth of nature.

You have to take the bad with the good. I don’t know how many times I have heard this in my lifetime. Sometimes I think that saying is very well represented by spring.

Spring storms can wreak so much havoc on nature. Tornadoes destroy everything in their paths. It has no mercy for anything in it’s path. Then it is over just like that, the sun pops out then a rainbow appears. The bad with the good.

I’m continually inspired by nature, and the rainbow is one of nature’s greatest phenomenons. The sighting of a rainbow never fails to bring a smile to people’s faces. They signify optimism and positivity: with them comes the sunshine after the rain.” – Matthew Williamson

So spring has officially started. Won’t be long and folks will begin opening their pools. Hoping you all have a safe and prosperous spring.

Spread the love and be kind to one another.

The Cycle of Mother Nature

February 12, 2019 / doubledacres / 7 Comments

“The promise of spring’s arrival is enough to get anyone through the bitter winter. ” – Jen Selinsky

No matter how much one dislikes winter it is an intricate part of the cycle of the seasons.

Winter is a time when Mother Earth becomes dormant and enters a state of hibernation. It is the season known for creating depression within humans.

The trees stand naked all except for a few leaves hanging on refusing to fall to the ground.

The winter snow and rains begin a state of decay. This will add much needed nutrients into the earth that will feed the vegetation and tree roots. The moisture from the winter snows and rain is stored in the earth waiting to quench the thirst of the seed planted by farmers in the spring.

“Just remember in the winter, far beneath the bitter snows. Lies the seed that with the sun’s love in the spring becomes a rose.” From the song The Rose

The spring sun’s warmth coaxes the seed to sprout. The bare limbs of the trees start to bud out and the leaves begin to grow. The grass begins to green up and Mother Earth’s landscape becomes peppered with the color of new flowers.

The warmer temps of summer soon take over. These temps help escalate the growth of the plants. Fruit becomes bigger on the plants. The warm nights help the plants grow even faster.

Fall finally arrives and harvest time approaches. As the temps cool the landscape begins to show the breathtaking colors of fall. The growing season starts to come to a close.

Once again the onslaught of winter arrives. Once again Mother Nature has come full circle. The cycle of the four seasons is once again complete.

Spread the love and be kind to one another.

Until Next Year!

October 25, 2018 / doubledacres / 15 Comments

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“Time will pass and seasons will come and go.” – Roy Bean

The end of the fishing season on the rivers here in Missouri for me has come to the end of the season. On sunny days I will still float the river but fishing will have to wait until spring.

I know you all are probably getting tired of hearing my fishing stories so I will keep today’s blog short. I put in the river at 8:30 a.m. and the temperature was 30 degrees. The “weather guessers” were calling for a high of 60. The fourth cast of the day I caught a largemouth bass. It appeared the fishing would be good toaday. So I thought.

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The wind was a force I really didn’t want to deal with. At one point I was going through a shallow, swift area of the river when a wind gust hit me head on and actually pushed me and the yak back up river against the current. It made it pretty difficult to fish.

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That morning I caught 2 large mouth bass and one smallmouth bass. Oh well a bad day on the river is better than a good day at work. After lunch it didn’t get any better. I caught 1 smallmouth and 2 perch and that was it. It wasn’t the way I wanted to end the fishing season but next season will be here before we know it.

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It was a good year. The Big River really is becoming a trophy smallmouth bass area. The largest one I caught, actually put in the boat, was 16 inches. Here in Missouri it takes approximately 7 to 9 years for them to grow to 15 inches. I also caught a 19 inch largemouth and an 8 pound channel cat.

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I want to thank my high school friends David Tripp and Mark Nelson for taking time out of their busy schedules and doing some fishing with me. I had a good time and hope you two did also.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. It is very much appreciated. I hope you enjoyed the photos. Photography is one of my passions. Remember to spread the love, be kind to each other and above all, respect each other.

All the photos were taken on the Big River near Desloge, MO.

John Muir – “Father of the National Parks

June 14, 2018June 14, 2018 / doubledacres / 28 Comments

“The practical importance of the preservation of our forests is augmented by their relations to climate, soil and streams.” – John Muir

My blog today is about a man who every outdoorsman, or one who loves frequenting the National Parks, should know. He was a naturalist, environmental philosopher, glaciologist and activist for the preservation of wilderness. His name was John Muir.

John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland, on April 21, 1838 and died December 24, 1914. He was also known as “John of the mountains” and “Father of the National Parks”. He also founded the Sierra Club. He was well known for his writing. He published two articles about Wilderness Preservation in The Century Magazine that influenced the US Congress to establish Yosemite National Park in 1890.

“Only by going alone into silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter.” – John Muir

The Muir family left Scotland in 1849 headed for America. They started a farm near Portage, Wisconsin. The farm was known as Fountain Lake Farm and it has been designated a National Historic Landmark. He enrolled in University of Wisconsin – Madison at the age of 22 and in 1864 moved to Canada until 1866. Indianapolis was his new home and he went to work in a wagon wheel factory.

In September of 1867 Muir began a 1,000 mile walk that started in Kentucky and ended in Florida. You can read about his journey in his book A Thousand – Mile Walk to the Gulf.

“Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.” – John Muir

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John was very active his whole life trying to save the wilderness and was at home in nature. Some controversy followed him concerning some of his activism, but his love for the outdoors prevailed.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Hope you enjoyed it. Remember, spread the love.

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

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Goodbye Winter; Hello Spring

March 9, 2018March 9, 2018 / doubledacres / 11 Comments

Soon winter will lose its grip and spring flowers and plants will brighten this area.

“March is a month of considerable frustration – it is so near spring and yet across a great deal of the country the weather is still so violent and changeable that outdoor activities in our yards seems light years away.” – Thalassa Cruso

The seasons will soon come full circle once again. In a few days winter the winter season will be over and spring will be the new sheriff in town. Mother Nature will begin a rebirth and the countryside will be filled with flowers, tender young plants and newborn forest critters.

Baseball spring training camps will become a hive of activity. Farmers will begin preparing their fields for planting. The hillsides will come alive as Mother Nature paints them with the colors of the wild plum, redbud and dogwood trees.

Mother Earth will once again renew herself and the circle will begin anew and once again end with winter. Here in the Midwest I can remember when spring lasted for awhile. However in the last 5 or 6 years it seems like we go straight from winter to summer with just a smidgen of spring in between.

“Behold, my friends ,the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!” – Sitting Bull

With the spring comes the spring rains and the flooding. Man has done a real good job of causing historical floods by building their levees. The floods use to clean out and remodel the riparian area of the river which was good for the river. With the levees the water backs up and stays put for a longer period of time and I think this makes the flooding less effective at clearing out some of the debris. Oh well that is my story and I am sticking to it.

We have had some big snows in March. I remember when I was a youngster, one Easter we woke up to 6 inches of snow on the ground. We have a couple of sayings here in Missouri though about the weather.

“Don’t like the weather you say. Stick around for it is sure to change in a couple of hours.’

“Here in Missouri you can experience all 4 seasons in one day.”

A Sign of Spring

Here they are calling for high of 50, low of 36 and Sunday high of 39 and low of 37 with a chance of rain or snow. Winter is still holding on.

“The coming and going of the seasons give us more than the springtimes, summers, autumns, and winters of our lives. It reflects the coming and going of the circumstances of our lives like the glassy surface of a pond that shows our faces radiant with joy or contorted with pain.” – Gary Zukav

I don’t know if we will have a lengthy spring or the scaled down version but I hope it takes a while to give in to summer. Time will tell and we will have to take whatever Mother Nature deals us. That is part of what makes life interesting.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Hope you enjoyed it. Remember to share the love.

A March sunset in the Midwest.

Nature In Its Beauty

February 28, 2018February 28, 2018 / doubledacres / 12 Comments

Monsanto Lake, St Joe Park in Park Hills, Mo

“Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life.” – L. Wolfe Gilbert

This morning I am sharing the pics from my fishing trip yesterday. Fish weren’t biting however Mother Nature showcased her beauty and splendor. Glad I had the camera with me. I also added some of my favorite quotes about nature.

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“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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“Looking at beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind.” – Amit Ray

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“Water is the driving force of all nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci

I call this “Diamonds on the Water”.

“I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful and endless prospect of magic and wonder.” – Ansel Adams

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” The beauty of the natural world lies in the details.” – Natalie Angier

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“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” – Henry David Thoreau

I hope you enjoyed the pics and quotes. Thanks for taking the time to look at it. I dedicate this blog to Dr. David Tripp a very accomplished artist, writer, and fishing buddy, who has inspired me in my work. Thank you for your undying support. Remember to spread the love.