Just the other day I was counting how many surveys we have left and how long it should take us to do them. We were actually further along than I thought! I've been battling muddy roads, flooded roads, and down pours since the start. I almost got is stuck trying to reach an interior stand that desperately needed a second survey and we put pitfalls in to another interior stand a few days ago in the hopes that we would be able to reach them tomorrow. I'm glad we got that second survey in because if we don't get a few days with out rain I don't know when we will be able to survey it again. And the pitfalls that need to come out tomorrow? They may have to wait another day or more of it rains again.
Last night we had almost 3 inches fall , were under a tornado watch till 2 am, and was under a tornado warning around 930-10 last night. When I woke this morning I checked the weather, saw how much fell, and saw that it was still raining and called off our surveys and pulling pitfalls. Later we went to check if we could make it out there tomorrow and to see how high the Sabine River was. There had been rumor that they might have to close the bridge.
But, the river looked a little lower today and the road getting to the stands we needed to do today weren't flooded, so we can do them tomorrow. However, the road getting to the stands we were supposed to do tomorrow is flooded and to get to the stand itself we have to go down a dirt road that's probably not passable for my little work truck with no 4-wheel drive.
We have been very fortunate that we aren't stuck in floods like Houston, Austin, and other cities have seen. As much as I have been complaining about the rain, it could be much much worse.
That being said, we only have 6 more pitfalls and fogs to do and if we can continue doing 3 surveys a day then we will only have 2 more weeks left which would put us finishing up around the same time as last year. Holy hell! How?!? I'm working out asses off. That's how. However, because of the dirt road conditions we may be only able to do 2 a day and that will extend is about a week to where I had previously had hoped we would finish.
Field work is 35% hard work, 50% dealing with the conditions you are given and 15% making split and hopefully correct decisions on the conditions you are given. It is definitely NOT for the faint at heart and it will definitely make or break you at times. There have been so many times I just want to throw my hands up in the air and tell the weather that she's won. Then there are times, like when I almost got stuck, that I refuse to take no for an answer, punch the gas, hold on tight, and wait for the back tire to catch and pull me forward. Yet, I would have it no other way. There's a fine line between love and hate and I really love my job.
Tree swallows at sunset.
This is why I always carry my side arm in the woods. Fresh pig tracks.
Fence lizard.
I hate these. Bull nettle.
The clouds looked like mountains blocking the sunrise.
My favorite picture of the Sabine River bridge between Bon Weir, TX and Merryville, LA.
I found this turtle carapace last year and again this year. I'm going to try and bleach some of the brown off the top and mod podge the entire carapace so it doesn't fall apart.
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