Life in the Rio Grand Valley, part two Feb 13 - 22

I have to apologize to those of you who are anxiously awaiting each new chapter of our trip….  We’ve been out of internet access (yay!) for about 10 days or so, and as a result, I’ve not been able to get the blog updated!  Here’s a quick upate for the 2^nd half of the Rio Grande Valley! 

Mom and Jay seem very happy about the 2^nd half of the trip down the Rio Grande.  How can you complain when there are citrus trees throughout the area where the RV is parked (in Mission TX) and you are invited to pick!  Very fresh fruit in the morning sure tasted good!  Mom sent a box of grapefruit to Allison for her 22^nd birthday! 

Birding opportunities in the lower Rio Grande Valley continue to be amazing.  There are 9 sites that call themselves the World Birding Center (2 state parks, 1 National wildlife refuge, and several private locations).  One of the favorite spots was Estero Llano State Park.  They were there on one of the Great Backyard Bird Count days, so the place was pretty crowded with visitors and volunteers who were leading bird walks and helping with bird identification.  It was a great birding day – they saw 73 species in only a few hours.  This little guy does a great job of hiding in the brush....  Can you find him?  They also have logged their 200^th species of bird for the year.  It was a stilt sandpiper which was observed at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.  Mom saw her first armadillo there, as well…. 

Mom reached her golf milestone for the winter by scoring a 98 the other day.  She sure was happy about that.  Now she wants to do it again, although there haven’t been many golf opportunities for a little bit.  Its been on the windy side!  So she’ll have to be patient till better weather presents another chance!

As long as we are so close to the border, Mom and Jay decided to visit Progresso, Mexico.  Mom says – been there, done that, don’t need to do it again!  Border towns are known for their market places and flea market atmosphere (and local pharmacies that want to sell prescription drugs for very very low prices)...  Need I say more!  She'd rather spend more of her time birding I guess.

We’ve been staying at a few RV parks that are a bit different than any we’ve visited before.  This area is full of gated communities that cater to those of us who have owners that are 55+.  People live in RV’s with assorted side buildings, double wide homes, even brick constructed homes.  Everyone has a golf cart for transportation around the compound.  And people are so friendly.  Mom and Jay got to golf with a group one afternoon and had a great time. This is a picture of the place we stayed at just outside Brownsville….  

They spent 2 days birding on South Padre Island, just east of Brownsville.  They had heard about a flamulated owl (a western species that found its way east this winter!) and people were flocking to see it....  It was perched (actually well hidden) in a tree just outside the convention center doors and was quite an attraction!  There are also some boardwalks there that traverse a neat salt marsh there.  The birds put on a spectacular display - posing nicely in the sun.  Mom was quite taken with the reddish egret - such a beautiful bird!

We’ve reached the southern-most extent of our winter travels and will begin a slow journey north along the gulf coast.  We’re headed to the Corpus Christi area and plan to camp at Padre Island National Seashore.  Hmmmm hope I don’t get too much sand mixed in my hair!

Along the Rio Grande River - first half Feb 6 - 12

Cactus, mesquite, and all kinds of forbidding dense brush border every trail and road in Laredo, Texas.  We’re camped at Lake Casa Blanca State Park on the outskirts of Laredo, on the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan dessert.  High and dry – and they’ve had a drought here for the last several years, so things are extra dry!  Our campsite is right on the edge of the lake so we’ve been watching the egrets, herons and cormorants come in by the hundreds every night to roost.  We’ve been looking for the elusive road runner, with no luck so far! 

 

Mom and Jay spent a fair amount of time birding (so what else is new, eh?)  It  just so happens that the Laredo Birding Festival is going on this week.  They ran into a tour group at one of the birding sites they were visiting, so they got to tag along to a few stops overlooking the Rio Grande River and Mexico.  After they left the group, they climbed to the top of a bluff overlooking the river and saw another bobcat!!!  They also ran into someone on the Border Patrol (there are A LOT of Border Patrol folks around here….) who was born in Jamestown NY… small world I guess. 

They did find a golf course nearby that was extremely inexpensive and discovered that the saying “you get what you pay for” is right on.  They couldn’t decide whether the course was a left over bombing range or a toxic waste dump.  Regardless of the course conditions, Mom was beaming from ear to ear having just shot the best scoring game of golf in her life (she shot 100!!!) And the goal for the winter is to break 100 so she’s on the edge! 

 Our next stop was Falcon State Park - with more cactus, mesquite, and brush.  I like it here cause there are some really strange smells from animals that come into and around our campground.  Mom and Jay can sit in the shade at the picnic table, (cooler than in the sun with its 90 degree temperatures), enjoy the breeze, and watch birds.  There are some birding blinds set up where you can spend the afternoon relaxing in the shade, feeling the breeze, and watching the birds fly back and forth.  The elusive roadrunner (hah!) made an appearance (again, and again, and again). 
 

 

We’ve made a number of stops along the Texas Birding Trail.  Some of them are just amazing – with many different birds flitting about to view.  The stop range from overlooks along the highway, to National Fish and Wildlife Service locations, to state parks.  One of the favorite stops so far is a place called Saleneño.  Located at the edge of the Rio Grande River, and at a NFWS site, volunteers keep feeders, oranges, and peanut butter stocked with food for the birds.  People come and go (in a pretty steady stream) to see the Altamira, Audubon and hooded Orioles, the Green Jays, the cardinals, the chachalacas, the doves, (and so on and so on and so on….)  The palette of colors was so beautiful…. 

STOP THE BLOG PRESS!!!!!  Here’s a special report!  I saved the day and protected Mom and Jay from a heard of javalinas that entered the campsite!!!!!  (and earned extra dog biscuits!)

Jay was spreading bird seed and corn around the edge of the site to try to attract birds (yeah, he knows better than to do that, but it was too tempting not to do it).  We were enjoying a quiet happy hour, relaxing at the end of the day when we saw a family of javalinas enter the campsite.  Mom about jumped out of the chair yelling at them, I started to lunge at them, and Jay sprung out of his chair and starting chasing them away.  My collar snapped so I was free to chase them away.  Mom really got worried then – but being the very good dog that I am, I only chased them to the edge of the campsite as they retreated back into the brush.  Phew…… good thing I was along to protect my people!!!!!  Bet those nasty critters will stay away for a while!

Guess that’s it for now – I’ll let you know more about the Rio Grande adventures in the next blog entry! (and lets hope there are no more nasty javalena encounters!

Remember The Alamo - Jan 29 - Feb 5

San Antonio was a blast.  At least that’s what Mom says and I have to agree with her.  Although Mom and Jay were going somewhere every day, I got to go for great walks around Fort Sam Houston Army Base where we had the RV parked.  The weather was great with temperatures well into the 70s.  Sometimes I even got to chase my Frisbee.  Life is good.

Mom and Jay went a lot of places.  I heard Mom talking about some place called the Alamo, and Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie.  Don’t know who they were but Mom and Jay spent the good part of a day learning about them.  There’s an excellent museum/display there that really puts the phrase “Remember the Alamo’ in perspective.  What an amazing series of events….

Mom and Jay are hard to understand sometimes.  They went someplace called the Riverwalk.  Shouldn’t that be Riverswim or Riverboat or something like that?  And I can’t believe it – that makes 2 Friday nights in a row that they were out on the down, eating food, and listening to music.  They seemed to enjoy the walk, and the Mexican Dinner, and the mariachis, the piano bar and all that kind of stuff.  They even got in some birding while they were downtown and watched a prairie falcon chasing the pigeons around.

Can you believe it, we were there for a week and they managed to get in three rounds of golf. Mom seemed happier than Jay about that – I think she is beating him.

They went out several times to the hill country NW of San Antonio with some of Jay’s friends. The country side is beautiful with roads that twisted and wound their way up through the canyons to the heights above. They got to see some white-tail and fallow deer. The white-tail deer came right up to their picnic table to eat some corn - there were four really nice bucks that would eat right out of their hands. On one drive, a bobcat ran across the road in front of them .

We left San Antonio and headed south toward Laredo and the Mexican border. We stopped at Choke Canyon on the way to Laredo and I got to take a nice walk with them while they looked at birds. They’re up to about 155 species of birds…. And they’re looking for the number to continue to increase as we make our way along the Rio Grande River towards the Gulf of Mexico. 

 

Next stop... more birding along the Rio Grande

January 25 - 29 Breaux Bridge LA and the LA coast, Anahuac Texas

Wow Wow Wow....  Mom just can't believe how much she enjoyed SW Louisiana!  Gotta love it - being in the heart of Cajun country means delicious food, fantastic music and wonderful sights!  She has a new favorite food - crawfish etouffee.  Don't be surprised to see that on the menu some time if you get to visit for dinner when we get back!!!

We had been on the road (from Ocean Springs MS) most of the day, had barely gotten the RV parked and leveled, had the frisbee tossed a few times, and they were off and running to dinner. Must have been something special because they raved about it for days!  They got to the restaurant about 6:30 and there was hardly a soul there - so they were wondering if they'd picked the right place or not!.

By 6:50, the place was filled to capacity - guess the fact that the music started at 7pm influenced when people decided to arrive! They ate delicious Cajun food, listened to the Lee Benoit family play zydeco for the evening (click on the photo above if you want to hear a short selection!) and watched people dance, dance, dance! They tried dancing a bit themselves and decided watching was a better idea! What a fun evening!

By 7:30 the next morning (again, after a very rushed morning walk and rather drab dog's breakfast), they were off for more Cajun food and more zydeco!  Check out this guy's washboard shirt!  Could become a new fashion statement! 



Guess they must like the food and the music here.  Here's a short clip of the music from the Saturday morning band...

It sounds like it was a really fun morning, though.  All sorts of people, dressed as if they were out for a night on the town, drinking and dancing at a very early hour!!!  The music is rather infectious - you end up smiling when you listen to it and its easy to get caught up in the rhythm!!! 

There are some interesting meat markets here.  There are endless choices for the perfect Cajun seasoning mix with a full range of 'heat'.  So many selections - how does one choose! 





Mom's brother, Fred, would be in heaven here.  For years, he's sent her emails about the legendary 'turducken' - a dish that is made with a deboned chicken, duck and turkey.   The chicken is placed inside of the duck, which is then placed inside the turkey and then the three are tied together.  I guess its something to put on the menu for Thansgiving!  I did get the phone number of this place - might have to have one shipped to him next fall!



They finally dragged themselves away from the food and sounds and we got on the road again.   We travelled toward our next destination - Anahuac Texas- via the salt marshes of SW Louisiana. Thousands and thousands of acres of marshland, filled with birds of all sizes and colors.  We ended up spending the night, parked at the Texas welcome center .  Early the next morning, we set off again toward Anahuac. 

Anahuac Texas is a small town located along Trinity Bay.  Its a great place, although its pretty hazardous to be outside at sunrise and sunset - Mom thought she knew what moquitos were like but this is a new level of blood-letting!  They're viscious!!!! There's a fantastic National Wildlife refuge just down the road that is home to wintering geese (among many other birds, of course!) and 
 

the occasional alligator!  I got to guard the RV while they went in search of additional species of birds to add to the year's list.  At night, it was fun listening to the great horned owl hooting nearby!  There were quite a number of birds that Mom had never seen before, so it was a very worthwhile visit.  Mom's bird count for the year now stands at 135.

Next stop - San Antonio!  Remember the Alamo!

January 11

 

With the RV maintenance behind us (I did enjoy the water tower in Gaffney), we took a short trip to Oconee State Park in South Carolina.

Nestled in the hills high above the piedmont, we toured the local sights with Mom’s friends Ralph and Joan. The senery was breathtaking and the view of Whitewater falls was worth the short walk!  I really liked the park we stayed in because there were no other campers and I was able to run outside and chase my Frisbee without my leash! We had campfires, cooked a few meals and Mom and Jay spent time at Ralph and Joan’s house. Jay and Mom watched the birds at their feeders and were awed by Ralph’s display of his hunting success in places they’ve visited all over the world. Jay really liked the Greater Kudu.

We left South Carolina after a few days and headed farther south. We stopped for a few days in Birmingham where Mom and Jay wanted to play some golf but it rained and rained and rained. I didn’t like that very much.  We have settled into a nice routine though.  When we’re tired, we take naps!  I enjoy that a lot!

 

Our next stop was Montgomery, AL where we stayed at Maxwell Air Force Base. Finally we saw the sun and enjoyed some warmer weather! I got to meet some really fun little people. Jay called them his grandkids – Braelyn (6) and CJ (4) stayed at the RV one night.  They played Frisbee with me and I ran and ran and ran till I couldn’t run anymore.  Those kids just kept on playing – I don’t think they ever get tired!  We watched movies and played some games.  I slept with them on the couch and protected them from through the night. Mom and Jay finally got to play some golf so they were happy!  And they had wonderful visits with Jay’s daughter and son-in-law.

After a few days we packed up again and headed for our next destination– Gulf Islands National Sea Shore in Ocean Springs, MS. We visited this park last winter and were happy to see the alligator sunning herself in the same spot in the little lagoon and noticed that she's grown a bit! The sun shines here and the temperatures are in the mid-60s. It feels good to soak up the sun! Wonder if that is why Mom and Jay are smiling so much.

We’ve gone for a few nice walks here.  Jay and Mom seem to be paying more attention to what’s going on in the trees than me!  They keep talking about how many birds they’ve seen so far.  I guess the total count in up to 92 different kinds (Their goal for the year is 300….)

That’s it for now – we’ll be heading to the bayous of Louisiana soon.  I know Mom is looking forward to eating some Cajun food and listening to zydeco music… 

Journey 2013

January 6

 What a dog’s life!  Just a week ago I was heading outside before daylight to squat in 8-10 inches of snow in sub freezing temperatures.  I did look forward to my morning stroll around the yard and rolling in the snow, but I think I’m liking this warmer weather already.  Jay got his wish before we left Russell, too.  He said he’d never operated a snowblower, so one chilly December morning, he conquered the ‘Beast’ (aka Mom’s Honda snowblower!) and cleared the driveway of all that white stuff!

 

Well the snow is all behind us now.  We passed the last of it on Monday just south of Lexington, VA.  We are in Gaffney, SC where our mobile home is getting some routine maintenance leaving us time to just run around and have fun.  With 70 degree temperatures in the forecast, Mom, Jay, and I strolled Revolutionary War Battlefields (Cowpens), and state nature preserves, in short sleeves.  They ate lunch in an interesting 50’s style diner….  (while I stayed in the car (of course!)
 

 

They keep looking up into the trees looking for birds and have already seen 40+ different species.  A rather good start for them.  Their goal for the season is 300+.  Only 3 days into the 3-month  trip and they are  over 10% already.  Bet the last birds are a lot harder to get than the first!. 

 As much as we like Russell and the colder winters, something has to be said about the South.  No kidding, It is really warm here and gas for the car is only $2.99; diesel for the motorhome is $3.49.  Mom and Jay seem to like that – maybe that means more money for treats for me!!