Views of the Neighborhood – Charlies Pasture

~ John W. Howell

We have always like to visit Charlies Pasture nature preserve. The last time we were here the Hurricane damage prevented us from entering. There are still no cars allowed but we took a walk past the gate to see how the park fared in the hurricane.

Charley's Pasture

Here is the locked main gate.

You can see the hurricane-damaged sea wall. Those are mothballed drilling rigs in the background

A view of the seawall and the road. Quite a lot of damage.

Another view to give you some perspective.

While we were walking a family of dolphins came up to the seawall. This is the male. It was quite exciting to see them so close to the shore.

I asked how he was doing and he didn’t answer.

He’s starting his dive.

There are a mother and baby in the background as well as the male who is in the foreground

This is the mother and baby. The baby is a half a stroke ahead of the mother.

To give you an idea of the storm power this sea wall used to run all the way across that body of water

A shot showing the breach.

One last shot of papa. Notice the pelican stays pretty close. The dolphin stirs up the fish population, and the pelican is standing by to catch a hapless fish fleeing.

66 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Charlies Pasture”

  3. Stunning photos, John. I just looked at your blog of July 30, 2017, to view pre-Harvey. Those photos and your current ones make for a powerful story. Slowly but surely, recovery…

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    1. If the dolphins hadn’t shown up I was going to run the before and after. I decided that the joy of those animals said recovery like no other words. Thanks, Gwen.

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  7. I’d never heard of Charlie’s Pasture. Now, I’ve read a bit about its history, and see that it began developing after I stopped coming down that way. Like some of our refuges and preserves, it suffered mightily under the forces of the storm, but I see there’s a plan for restoration, and I’m glad to see these photos of the progress. And what a wonderful place to visit!

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    1. Thank you, Linda. It is a place where you can take time to think and contemplate nature. It is so quiet you have little distraction. Also, as you can see some unexpected surprises.

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  9. I like the tag-team effort of the dolphin and pelican. Nature works in funny ways. Speaking of nature, wow! That sea wall looks like it was pretty substantial. I was shocked to see the slabs upended but I was amazed to see such a big section just missing, I hope you guys get the year off with respect to storms.

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  11. Thanks for the view, John. The Dolphins are totally awesome! I love how they stay in their family pods. It will take years to repair the storm damage. Even though the world has forgotten, the damage remains.

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  12. John, incredible sea wall photos. I had no idea the damage to such a substantial structure. Good to learn what ocean storms are capable of. The pelican and dolphin collaboration a nice shift. Glad you were there for photos. Happy Father’s Day on this beautiful Sunday. 💐 Christine

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  16. Oh, this restful visit was just what I needed on a hectic Monday morning, John — thank you for letting me tag along! Those uneven concrete slabs bring back the horror of when I stubbed my foot on an uneven sidewalk and pitched forward, breaking two ribs. Hard to realize how much power water holds during a hurricane!

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      1. He-Man and I are going to visit my Mom and Step-father in September…her only caution for visiting then…It’s hurricane season so be prepared! We get it. Our whole vacation could be ruined and hiding or running to another state to avoid a hurricane, but I’ll be doing it with my Mom so it’s okay.

        It’s been over a year since I’ve seen her so I’ll risk it. 😊

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  22. Thanks for sharing your views with us, John. That seawall must have met the fury of the hurricane head-on. It’s scary how powerful storms can be. I’ve witnessed the damage of both hurricanes and tornadoes. The damage from both is heartbreaking. I loved the photos of the dolphins. They are so much fun to watch, and so are the pelicans.

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