delta-swamp-tour

hello hello

No alligators:(:(!!

We went on a boattrip on the Delta which is above the Mobile bay. To see the googlemappicture click this link: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.825602,-87.940063&spn=0.510627,0.925598&t=k&z=10&om=1&msa=0&msid=106677359624581045262.000434ca748a6349973c9
It was really neat, it felt like you were way out of the civilised world. I could have stayed there for a loong time;)
We saw turtles everywhere, several kind of plants with that our captain told some interesting things about. For example the White leaved willow, indians used to chew on the bark when they got wounded in battle, or when they had an ache. A professor took some of it back home to Germany and made a medicine/painkiller out of it, voila our apserine! He was also telling about a plant that has white flowers. It's called the Mars Mellow. People took the sticky gel that they found in the flower and cooked it 'till it was thicker and turnd white. That was how they made the first Mars mellows! Nowadays they use sirup made out of corn, but by using the white flowers was how it orginally was made.
We also saw all kinds of birds. White cranes, Pelicans, and sparrow tailed kite's. the captain told us that this wwas probably the only one we would see in our entire life for it is a very rare bird and there are only 7 of them in the delta area. When we went around the corner we saw six more! Rare eh? but they were rwally pretty, black and white and a sparrow vorked tail.

They also have really big black and red striped grashoppers in the delta. They are toxic, when you pick them up they'll spray poison. When you get it in your eyes you'll be blind for three hours, and when you eat them you'll get real bad blisters in your mouth.
The birds in the area won't eat them, but when the immigrant birds come in the Grasshoppers have laid there eggs, and for some reason, have no toxic stuff left..So they'll be eaten! They're really big, and now I've seen them I can imagine how black the sky was and how fast all the leaves and grass was eaten during one of the plague's in ancient Egypt.

Unfortunately we didn't see any alligators, or 'gators' as the captain called them but that didn't made the trip less worth it. The delta is a great place!

After a great trip of 90 minutes, we went to a mexican restaurant with Megan and Craig who went with us on the trip. It was so nice to spent some time with them:)

I've got only 3 days left, the Bay Minette has the CO this week. The Circle Officer, a brother that visits the congregation 2 times a year to encourage them and to give some talks to help them to stay on the right track. I leave thursday afternoon so I won't get to see that much of him and his wife, exept for Tuesdaynight. So 5 more nights before I'm home. 4 in Alabama and 1 on the airplane. I'm leaving at 19.07 (Local time) from Houston and arrive at 11.50am local time in Amsterdam.

I'm looking forward to see the friends in the Netherlands again, but I'll certainly miss the friends in the states, unfortunately my suitcase isn't that big:( And I think we've to start a hotel or bed and breakfast since most of the friends are determined to come and visit me!

xox, love merel