Close Encounters With One of My Childhood Favorites…

  While we was busy staying warm, we have acquired some new riders in the truck…Alan and Connie,  Jerry and Judy and Charlie and Peggy have all managed to squeeze into the back seat of the GMC..Please feel free to move that case of Bush Lite to the floor to make more room.    Somehow, we have enticed just over 100 people to ride along with us..I’m humbled.

Well, last night the temp got down to 31 degrees.  We stayed in all day yesterday with our day/night shades drawn, and I felt like I was wrapped in a warm cocoon.  We leave our fireplace on all night and our ceiling fan on low so it circulates the warm air up and into our bedroom.  So far we haven’t had to turn our propane heater on.  Tonight is suppose to get into the 20’s…….I swear we are back in Illinois.  But then I watched the Illinois weather and  saw that they will be at 12 degrees on Friday.  Nope, I will NOT complain about the weather here, but you know it’s cold when MacGuyver won’t sit by the campfire.

   We are parked across from one of the camp hosts, who have a motor home that has peaked my interest.  It is called a Jayco Seneca, and has 3 slides, very sharp looking and not HUGE.

Now we are not in the market for a new rig..but…someday a fiver may not be exactly what we need in our extended years.  It sure would be nice to park and only thing to unhook would be a little “toad”. Then, push a button to level ‘er up, push another button to get the satellite signal, push a button for the awning , and sit down and relax.  I did go on Jayco’s website and I believe this one is a 2008 or 9, because I didn’t see any floor plans with 3 slides.  Also , something to think about ..this is a rather “high end” little motorhome…Mucho buckos…  Oh well, it never hurts to dream, right?

  This morning, Den and I came out of our cocoon to go into Conroe for groceries…brrrrrr  However, the SUN was out.  We haven’t seen hide nor hair of Ol Sol since Sunday..….We left all the shades down and the fireplace on when we left.  I’ll tell ya what, that fireplace has paid for itself in propane costs!  When we got back, we took our walk… bundled up like Nanook of the North (well, at least I was).   We walked the trail down by the river again..

MacGuyver looks like he is walking among the “weeds”, and by that I mean wacky weed.  NO, IT WASN’T, BUT WHATEVER THIS STUFF WAS, IT WAS EVERYWHERE!    I couldn’t resist “shooting” along that downed tree..Man,was it a BIG ONE!  

We began to realize that there are lots of “bent” trees in this forest.  Possibly when a storm came along, it blew other bigger trees and branches against the little skinny ones, and caused them to bend over….

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to entertain MacGuyver and me.  A few bent trees and I can’t stop taking pictures.  I  was now on a mission to find more bent trees…UNTIL…We heard some very loud “pecking” noises in the woods.  It was coming from just up the trail , and I just knew by the loudness that the bird pecking HAD to be a big one….We actually got off the trail, wandering through the brush while looking up …and the sound kept getting louder.  I was trying to tip toe and keep quiet, but I’m pretty sure we still sounded like a herd of elephants walking on all the broken sticks and leaves..  Finally, MacGuyver and his keen eye spotted the culprit…

….What we have hear is a Pileated Woodpecker.  These dudes are about 15 inches long and are the biggest woodpecker in North America…I was in 7th Heaven just about now, but wasn’t happy with his posing technique.  He didn’t seem to mind us gawking so I tried to get a couple more and better photos…

YOU GO,WOODY!!

OK, I know these are not nearly as great as Judy's  bird photos, but I was elated!  Usually birds fly away just as I press zoom  for the close-up!  ANOTHER WINNING DAY IN THE EAST TEXAS WOODS!!

Today, while getting groceries, we visited our very favorite Texas grocer, the H-E-B store.  You can only find these stores in Texas (darn!), and their meat and deli departments are A-1 in our book.  They also have their own brand of “cardboard”  pizza, which we are having for dinner tonight.  Now that I said there will be no campfire tonight, MacGuyver is outside making kindling to start one…Go figure.    A big thanks to those of you  who haven’t snored through this crazy blog.

“Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts”~Coleman Cox