Saturday, July 29 - Dr. Wagner's Honey Island Swamp Tour

Our flight home didn't leave until early in the evening, so Miriam and I, plus several others in our group, took a flat-bottom boat tour of the Honey Island Swamp, which left from a dock near our home base in Slidell. It provided a vivid reminder that hurricanes, for all their power, are part of the natural order of life in this part of the world. Unlike humans, the plants and animals of the swamp weathered the storm and quickly got back to normal.

Our boat for the tour	Justin, Kimberly, and Miriam, with pilot behind them (EMI)	Cypress knees - tree roots sticking up into the air
We saw lots of birds.... (EMI)	...cranes, herons, and more (EMI)	Dragonfly that spent several minutes perched on Marguerite's hat
This alligator heard us coming and came over...	...to get a snack of marshmallows (EMI)	Yummy with green on them, too! (EMI)
Camps (vacation cabins) on the river	Many are still in need of repair (EMI)	The only access to most is by boat (EMI)