Cave Dwellings

“REMEMBER GOLIAD!”….the story.

2012-02-18T10:46:00.001-06:00

In this blog I shall try to give you an idea of why this town of Goliad is included in this battle cry..just like “Remember the Alamo”….Before I begin, I want to show you a few photos we took at the Presidio La Bahia. This presidio played an instrumental roll in the Goliad Massacre.

Above, left is the entrance to the chapel…

This is the sanctuary of the chapel..still used for Sunday church services.

There will be no humor in this blog. I just cannot bear to “get cute” while re-telling the story of so many men dying. I know this seems long, but there just isn’t any way to make it shorter, fearing I would leave an important fact out.

“As part of the Mexican invasion of Texas in early 1836, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his main force of at least 5000 men followed an inland route toward San Antonio. At the same time, Mexican General Jose Urrea with some 900 troops, left Matamoros and followed a coastal route into Texas.

Citizens of Refugio, the town in Urrea's path, were slow to evacuate. To provide assistance, Col. James W. Fannin, commander of forces at Goliad, sent two relief forces. The first of these groups numbered about 30 men , followed by a larger group of some 150 men . Both of these groups were eventually killed or captured by the Mexicans.
Meanwhile back in Goliad, Fannin and his remaining force of about 350 were called on to aid William Barrett Travis and the Alamo defenders. Afterwards, he was also ordered by Sam Houston to retreat back to Victoria. Due to indecision and carelessness by Fannin, however, he failed to accomplish either of these missions.
After a delay of about five days following Houston's order, Fannin finally began his retreat. It was not long, however, before the Texians found themselves surrounded on open prairie. After several attacks by Urea ,the Texians were being repulsed by the deadly fire of the Mexican Army. By dusk, the Texans had lost about sixty men. Some killed, others wounded against some 200 of the Mexicans. The next day, the Mexican Army received reinforcements and heavy artillery.

Now heavily outnumbered and with no water and few supplies, the Texians waved the white flag of truce the following morning. Believing that they would be taken captive and eventually returned to their homes, the Texians surrendered the morning of March 20. The were escorted by the Mexican Army back to Goliad, as prisoners of war, to the Presidio La Bahia.

When news of their capture reached Santa Anna, however, he was furious that the Texians had not been executed on the spot. Citing a recently passed law that all foreigners taken under arms would be treated as pirates and executed, Santa Anna sent orders to execute the Goliad prisoners. Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, 303 Texians were marched out of La Bahia into three columns on the Bexar Road, San Patricio Road, and the Victoria Road, between two rows of Mexican soldiers; they were shot point-blank, and any survivors were clubbed and knifed to death. The Texian soldiers corpses were stripped, partially burned and left unburied. Forty Texians were unable to walk. Thirty nine were killed inside the fort.

Colonel Fannin was the last to be executed, after seeing his men executed. Age 32, he was taken by Mexican soldiers to the courtyard in front of the chapel, blindfolded, and seated in a chair (due to his leg wound from the battle). He made three requests: he asked for his personal possessions to be sent to his family, to be shot in his heart and not his face, and to be given a Christian burial. The soldiers took his belongings, shot his face, and burned Fannin's body along with the other Texians who died that day.The entire Texian force was killed except for twenty-eight men who feigned death and escaped.”… (How some escaped will be my next blog .)

This atrocity happened 3 weeks after the fall of the Alamo, and gave Texians the battle cry “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Goliad”. General Thomas J.Rusk and the Texian Army, afterwards marched to the La Bahia and gathered the bones of Fannin’s men from the terrain to the presidio. From the Presidio La Bahia, the remains were carried in procession to a mass grave and given a military funeral and burial on June 3, 1836.”

Here is the burial site of those brave men…..On each side of the tall center piece you will find engraved all the names of those who died and were buried here …Just walking up on it and sensing the history beneath our feet brought tears to my eyes…

This is the stone relief carving showing the Goddess of Liberty lifting a fallen soldier in chains…very moving..This whole monument is actually a very large gravestone marking the many souls buried beneath it.

And here is a stone plaque at the gravesite, noting the men who were killed on the battlefield before the surrender of the troops to the Mexican Army…They fell at what is now called the Coleto Creek battle..the rest of the men were marched to the Presidio and are beneath the big monument.

Part of the presidio walls..The yellow arrow points to one of the holes for their rifles to fit through…If only these old stone fort walls could talk..sooooo much sad history here.

As I alluded to , there is another story related to the Massacre at Goliad concerning a young woman called the “Angel of Goliad”…I will provide you with that story soon.

I really, really hope you actually took the time to read the whole history of this terrible time in history…
And if you ever, ever get the chance to stop by the little Southeastern Texas town of Goliad… , I dare you to just stay only one night!!

“There never was a good war, or a bad peace.”

~ Benjamin Franklin

…La Bahia Del Espiritu Santu…a Texas history lesson

2012-02-16T16:11:00.001-06:00

“Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga, generally called Mission Espiritu Santu was founded in 1722 near Matagorda Bay to serve the Karankawa Indians and their allies. Because of treats from the French and Indians, Spain founded this mission and it’s auxillary fort, Presidio Nuestra Senora De Loretto De La Bahia. The mission was to convert the natives and the Presidio was to defend it’s territory. The Presidio is currently 1/4 mile Southeast of the mission, here in Goliad. Difficulties caused both to be moved to this present site in 1749. “ (The Presidio is totally a different blog.. where I can concentrate on the Massacre of Goliad in it’s entirety.)

“Mission Espiritu Santu was the first large cattle ranch in Texas, and was granted jurisdiction over all land between the Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers as far north as Capote Hills near Gonzales. Espiritu Santu existed as a mission for 110 years, longer than any other Spanish colonial mission in Texas. In 1758, about 180 persons resided at the mission and the fort, surrounded by the Indians who worked here, living in clay plastered and thatched huts.”

Yep, that’d be me..channeling history …and there’s Den, pretending he is Kix Brooks from the Brooks and Dunn music video “He’s Got You”. It was filmed at the mission, at the presidio and some here in the courthouse square at Goliad…(I think Den forgot his guitar.)

“In 1886, a severe hurricane destroyed virtually the entire mission. Reconstruction efforts began in the 1930s with the Civilian Conservation Corps, giving Mission Espiritu Santo and nearby Presidio La Bahia new life. The building is a replica of the original, built in the 1930’s. Some of the old parts still remain, as well as the old stone fence. The area is quite important to Texas and Mexican history, being the cradle of the Texan rebellion against Mexico, and subsequently the Mexican rebellion against France.”

“

“Today, Mission Espiritu Santo is part of 187-acre Goliad State Historical Park. Free self-guided tours of the mission's church, living quarters, and grounds are the focal point of the park.” McGuyver and I have taken the tour before, but we had to walk through it all again.

FYI, if you are camping here at the State Park, you can come and go to the mission as you please. Here are some photos inside the sanctuary..

Above is the beautiful sanctuary….. and above , right, is the baptismal room

…the choir loft ( The steps up to it were in a room to the left)…and…the dreaded confessional in right pic…(Dreaded only by those of us who would spend most of the day in it..like moi!!)

..Some very haunting statues…I was somewhat moved to genuflect at this point, doing the “sign of the cross”.. and I am not even Catholic. A very solemn moment for anyone visiting.

YOU KNOW THIS IS MY HAND, CHANNELING HISTORY THROUGH THE OLD STONE FENCE SURROUNDING THE PROPERTY…IT IS THE ORIGINAL, FROM 1758, AND I GOT GOOSE BUMPS JUST STANDING BESIDE IT. IMAGINE HOW THIS PLACE WAS , 254 YEARS AGO… I sure hope our grandkids get to experience some of the great history stories our country has to tell…

We did our walk today up to the Presidio La Bahia, and I will blog about that next time…This is what I love about this park…you can “stroll into history” anywhere near here…

Our weather has been cloudy but warm. I actually took my shower with the shower vent over my head wide open last night…Let me just say to the poor birds who happen to look down as they flew over, I am very sorry for scaring you to death..I hope I didn’t mark you for life.

Our trip to the Laundromat was pretty interesting…You know it’s a bad sign when you walk in and there is water running all over the floor …Can you say “maintenance man??” I know McGyver would have fixed that “bad boy leaking machine”, if it were his laundromat! Pretty soon a few guys came in and mopped the floor..Then one of them pulled out a washer and looked behind it. (Have you ever looked behind a laundromat washing machine?..There are small villages, alive with dust balls and germs living behind there!! ..not unlike mine at home )

Obviously no one was going to fix anything, all they wanted was the coins in the machines.. Sooo.. we chose 3 of the few washers that DIDN’T leak, found a couple dryers who didn’t “eat quarters and not heat”, did a record breaking fold job, then got the He—outta there!! SHEESH!!…When I die, I want to come back as the owner of a Laundromat…Just jam some machines in a broken down building , then sit back pretending it isn’t yours.. unless ..it’s time to empty the quarters out…WHAT A CASH COW!! …

More of your Goliad history lessons on our next blog.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Goliad, TX…One of the Cave’s Fave’s!!

2012-02-14T16:29:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we were feeling like drowned rats as we stowed stuff away in the misty rain at Goose Island…Every darn cord that touched the ground had to be wiped down with a wet rag to get the icky wet sand off. I got everything pulled in on the inside first before I went out to help Mr. Cheerful . Once we started tromping around in the mud, we didn’t want to go back inside the Hiker for ANY reason..As you RV’ers’ know, it’s hard to keep those carpets looking new for very long, if at all!! We finally had got hooked up, dumped and “squished” on down the road toward Goliad. That weather man was a big liar..He said the sun would come out yesterday morning…NOT!…It rained all the way to Goliad (which is only about 1 1/2 hours)…. It did settle into a very fine mist for us to set up in…The upside to all this moisture, is that Goliad has lifted their Burn Ban..

Here is our site…all set up for the next 2 weeks…

..All sites in this loop are full hook-up and pull through…AND level, so we didn’t have to pull up on blocks..This means that my last step out the camper door is just the right height for vertically challenged people with very short legs..! Hey, would ya just LOOK at that green grass. McGyver and I agree that we have never seen this park so green …

We are on the loop that has the Mission Espiritu Santo just adjacent to the campers…If that link works like I want it to, you will see a short video on U-Tube about this mission…If it doesn't work , try this link for Mission information ..

I will post photos of the inside soon. We are also just a short walk from the Presidio La Bahia , known for the Goliad Massacre..You will learn lots from these links, and I will give a short walking tour of my own soon. Here are a few photos of the outside of the Presidio..

This town is rich in history, and you can bet that I will be touching every old wall and old artifact they will let me…I just LOVE old things…(that’s why I love McGyver!)…Just wait until he reads this blog…HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, DEN…LOVE YOU!!

I walked with McGyver this AM…it went OK..I figure, what the He—! My feet are sore no matter what I do, so why should I miss walking with Dennis?? After all, I CAN still walk!…I refuse to sit on my behind…and riding my bike by myself is getting quite boring…I have no one to race with!

I need to welcome another brave follower, heyduke50..HEY DUKE!! Get in the truck, but ya gotta fight for a window seat!!

I am finding myself having trouble sitting in front of a computer screen for any length of time lately…My creativity level is at a new all time low, and in order to keep this thing flowing, I just may have to cut it back to twice a week..That is , unless something earth shattering happens to blog about…like winning the lottery, or …hmmm…Den and I going out for a candlelight dinner …Bear with me…I am trying very hard to work this out, keeping myself happy, yet still spending more time being outside, creating new adventures (without ending up in jail)!! Thanks to all for tolerating me!

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” ~ Mary Lou Cook

Our Last Day At Goose Island…

2012-02-12T09:05:00.001-06:00

Today is our last full day here at Goose Island State Park..Our weather has been a bit rainy, but I’m not going to whine…Illinois yesterday was a high of 16 degrees…I’ll just shut up and enjoy the rain..Yesterday I rode my bike out to the new pier…in my jacket and stocking cap….The wind was hawking on the bay, and it was only 52 degrees…but I’m not complaining, no siree….

This is what happens when you are by yourself and want a photo….You get 3 double chins, a squinty eye, and sour puss expression..BUT..NOTE THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE SKY!!…No complaints here…nope.

(*#$@!#*!! , but it’s cold!)

WHO SAID THAT??? Not ME…no way, no how!!…LOVIN’ THIS WEATHER!

I gotta tell ya, that the ride to the pier was WELL worth it…I ran into my friend Mr. Spoonbill having his breakfast..

…Dude….you gotta come closer so I can get my great shot…NO!! GO NO FURTHER OUT!!! STOP!!!

…MUCH better, but still not a great shot…All I wanted to do was say “good bye” and thanks for the photo shoot…Okay, Okay,..I’ll leave you alone with your meal…bye.

Here is a few pictures from Goose Island we have taken here over the years…memories.

Friday after noon we had surprise visitors…The 2 “D”s, Denise and Dawn came by our Hiker to say goodbye..and they caught me at my best…in one of my great “ensembles”…I know they are great gals, because they weren’t scared off!

NOW HERE IS A TRIO THAT COULD GET THEMSELVES IN A HEAP OF TROUBLE!!!

Thanks, ladies, for a great visit…Hope to see you “down the road” sometime!!

Well, tomorrow is move day and there is a 70% chance of rain…and a 100% chance McGyver will be , shall we say, a bit frazzled????…See y’all when we get set up at Goliad….hopefully not fully drowned from setting up in the rain..But..HEY!! ..and so it goes when camping, right????

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

~ Douglas Adams

“Squirrels With NO Nets”…a New Circus Act Performing in OUR Campsite!

2012-02-10T14:56:00.001-06:00

It’s been a gray and rainy few days here…and cooler that I would like. Before the sun began it’s “hide and seek” routine, Den and I took a ride through some of the back streets here on the bay and came across a new “gated community” that’s being built..It is called The Boardwalk, and I think I could easily live here..

…I need to finish that sentence above..I think I could easily live here… if I had a “lifestyle of the rich and famous”…There are only 3 houses completed here, and the bay front lots only go for around $180,000 dollars.

NO HOUSING CRUNCH HERE.. SOMEBODY HAS SOME BUCKOS!!

This house above is my new dream home…The left photo I took from the street this home is built on…The right photo I took of that same house from the fishing pier in the park..Nice view, eh?? “Come ON, McGyver!! Open up that wallet!!” YIKES…The dust that just came outta that moth eaten wallet took my breath away !

Here are few more photos I took in the park before Dr. Gloom showed up…This water is really pretty clear here..

There are some homes on the inner canals leading to Copano Bay, adjacent to the state park.. Because my feet are still pretty sore, I have been forced into more bike riding than walking lately. Here’s how it works: McGyver takes off in one direction, wearing his Reeboks, and I ~~jump~~ climb on my old lady bike with the camera, and go in the other direction…(This, my friends, is what helps make a good marriage last to 43 years.)

EITHER THIS FAMILY HAS A VERY LARGE PET….OR, I KNOW WHAT IS FOR DINNER TONIGHT!..ACTUALLY, THIS IS A CLOSED UP FISHING LODGE DOWN BY THE BAY…I WONDER WHEN THE LAST TIME WAS THAT ANYONE ACTUALLY SPOTTED AN ELK ON THE BAY??…

On my bike ride, I went through a residential area and found another neat home…with an indoor pool..

It just so happens that this home is “for sale”, too…Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo….which fine home is worth the dough?? Truth be known, this Rockport/Fulton area is presently on our list of “we could live there” places, key word being “could”…We COULD live there…. until we had to cough up $$ for flood and hurricane insurance… plus food, heat, elec., furniture…beer and wine.

Above is the beginning of a nice, sunny day….Later…Dr. Gloom snuck up on us, and this was when the rain moved in…

McGuyver has been fighting the good fight with acrobatic squirrels here at our campsite…First he hung our feeder in a tree..and the squirrel immediately made it his personal “diner”…So, Dennis figured he would try the old “hang it out on a rope” trick to thwart Mr. Squirrel…

I now present to you “Squirrel Wallenda”, a member of the Animal Traveling Circus and the famous act , “Squirrels With No Nets”. What they are is a group of high wire dare devils, who risks paws and tails to get to the feeder..(You gotta look close to see the feeder hanging from the rope)…I thought I had “the fix” for this problem…My thinking was to light the gas grill underneath him, wait for him to fall and “have our lunch and eat it too!”..JUST KIDDING!!

So, today is another day of grayness..Score 3 for Dr. Gloom and zero for Suzy Sunshine…It is warming up here, slightly, and we finally turned our heater/fireplace on low. I am finding it hard to come up with much humor lately, and as the sunless days mount, my sense of humor wanes..It hasn’t helped that I am fighting an ongoing battle with Facebook’s new look, a.k.a. Timeline…Maybe it’s my age (YA THINK?), but why do they gotta screw with something that isn’t broken?? I am very tempted to dump the whole Facebook thing, but unfortunately, it one of the ways I keep up with our kids and family…I must try to overcome this anger…and write 100 times “I will LEARN TO LIKE IT, I WILL LEARN TO LIKE IT……Can I just say “ditto” 98 more times and call it a day???

“It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.” ~ Dave Barry

The little town of Lamar, TX

2012-02-08T14:08:00.001-06:00

This week, McGyver and I visited Lamar…It is a VERY small town, consisting of the Lamar Fire Dept., the Lamar Cemetery, and the Stella Maris Catholic Church..all part of a wide spot in the road just past Goose Island State Park.

This little church is Stella Maris Catholic Church, and was founded and built in 1858, but not originally built on this spot. It was built on another property in Lamar. After being shelled by Union troops in the Civil War (sustaining little damage and surviving), it was badly damaged by a hurricane in 1919. After repairs and restoration in the 1930’s , it was finally moved to this spot, next to the Lamar Cemetery, in 1986. For more extensive info about Lamar, I have provided a link….Lots to be learned here…

“Founded in 1839, Lamar became the first coastal town in (what was then) Refugio County.
Lamar's star rose and it became prosperous- that is, until the town was destroyed by Union forces during the Civil War. Only a few shellcrete foundations remained.”..Most all of the homes and buildings built at that time were built on foundations made of this “shellcrete”, which is a mixture of crushed shells, sand, burned shell ashes and water (kind of like having a shell beach supporting your house …Below is a portion of the foundation that was under the Stella Maris Catholic Church..

Just across from the little church is the Lamar Cemetery…After getting help from McGyver opening the heavy gate, we walked in and toured this great old local resting place..

Above, right are the graves of Lydia Ann Hull Wells and James Babbage Wells, Sr., parents of Jim Wells, Jr., lawyer for the King Ranch Interests and namesake of Jim Wells County.

Having lived in a cemetery most of my teenage years, (you didn’t know that??, here is a link to my blog about "living" amongst the dead), I have a real interest in old cemeteries…and much reverence for those who are resting there..We walked all over and observed some very unique stones, and some names rich in history..

Above, left, Dennis is studying the graves of the Kroeger family. Here is a little info about this cemetery. “This burial ground originally served pioneer settlers of the Lamar community. Founded by James W. Byrne (d. 1865), a native of Ireland and a veteran of the Texas Revolution, it was named for his friend Mirabeau B. Lamar, former president of the Republic of Texas. The earliest grave is that of Patrick O'Connor (1822-54), a bookkeeper for Byrne's business operations in New Orleans. The town of Lamar ceased to exist by 1915 and the cemetery was neglected until the 1940s when it was restored through efforts by the family of John Henry Kroeger, Jr. (d. 1944).”

Notice how the spelling of the last name changed from Kreoger, to Kroeger…and the stone on the right bears the Byrne name, the same as the founder of this cemetery..Yep, I was touching everything and channeling history everywhere..We also found a few interesting sayings engraved on a few of the stones…making us smile…

That is a wagon wheel in the middle of the Warren stone…Check out the saying at the bottom…”THIS IS WHERE RED AND ALICE STOPPED ROLLING”….Ya just gotta love it…or maybe it’s just my sense of humor….

This was found on the back of one of the family stones…If you cannot quite make it out, it says “ALWAYS TRUST YOUR CAPE”….This makes me think of what profound statement I would put on my own grave marker..HMMMM…food for thought, eh?

Well, I’m sure you are tired of touring tombstones. Lamar has it’s lively and fun side, too..This month is the 10th annual LaMardiGras, held right here across from the cemetery and church at the Lamar Volunteer Fire Dept.

We will be gone when it takes place this year, but we did go to the 5th annual LaMardiGras, when we stayed at Goose Island in 2007..Here are a few photos of it…beer and food tent, music, dancing…and lots of beads..

You may recognize the very tall, dark and handsome man in the left photo…the one with a beer in his hand..The photo on the right are the firemen who were cooking brisket and ribs as fast as you could eat them…LOTS of fun here!!

OK, I realized we have a couple new peeps in the truck again..Welcome to Forrest the Printer, and Happy Trails (Chuck and Geri)….The Cave Dwellings can be a crazy ride, so buckle up and hang on tight!… and as for me…my butt hurts from spending waaaay too much time in front of the computer…which I might blog about at a later date!!

Definition of a computer “bug”…per Dave Barry:

BUG… “A cute little humorous term used to explain why the computer had your Shipping Department send 150 highly sophisticated jet-fighter servomotors, worth over $26,000 apiece, to fishermen in the Ryuku Islands, who are using them as anchors.”

RV Cleaning Tips From Someone Who HATES Cleaning!

2012-02-06T17:04:00.001-06:00

Today is “dump and clean” day…I choose not to dump, and let McGyver do that…I also choose NOT to clean, however there is no one to delegate that duty to, soooooooo…I succumb to the job of housekeeper/cleaning lady.. Definitely NOT my favorite, but hey, this is a small RV right?? Get on with it, I say! And because I was at a loss for a blog topic (we have been housebound in the rain for 2 days), I decided to share with you a few of my favorite cleaning tools and tricks to get this over with fast..Yes, I will do anything for a blog!

My Swiffer 360 degree Duster..I can clean faster than a speeding bullet with this thing…and without a cape! And then there is my favorite shower cleaner, Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower FOAMER… With a name like this, you would think the darn thing would do it all without me…Well, almost..All I do is spray it all over our shower walls, let it sit for a minute (time to refill the coffee cup and grab a donut), then spray the walls with hot water from the shower. This ONLY works if you have a removable head (shower, that is)..Ya gotta be able to take that little hose and aim it at the walls….This is where I think McGyver should be doing my job..A Hose Captain of the Sandwich Fire Dept. is better qualified to get this done…right??.OK…wrong.

See that little hanger with the clips on it?…INVALUABLE!! After scrubbing off the shower mat, you rinse it with the removable shower head and hang it up to dry..This allows your shower floor to dry out, so black slimy things can’t grow..It ‘s also helpful to turn on your overhead shower fan and open the vent…Those shower walls and mat dry out great, and here’s a bonus… you might catch a few bugs in the fan and watch them go around and around…Cleaning and extermination all in one job!! I know, I know..GENIOUS!

What we have here is Clorox spray Clean-Up Cleanser with Bleach…Yes, I did say bleach..Now, before you go and using this stuff, please read the rules for cleaning your RV sinks…You can use this on ours…but, I don’t want a thousand nasty comments saying I ruined your sinks…(that was my disclaimer)..The reason I love this stuff is that it really helps get any coffee or tea stains out of the sink and drainer…I also spray my tupper ware dishpan and the drainer , then use a toothbrush to really get the gunk out…(I DO try to keep all coffee water in the dishpan and toss it outside..but that’s exactly what got my feet into trouble with our big step at the bottom of the RV..)

Ya know, sometimes I crack myself up at just how desperate I am to find a subject to make fun of…I apologize for the first half of this blog…HMMMM…No I don’t…You know me well enough by now to know how pathetic I can get.

I actually did get out for a little bike ride in the park today…(I refrain from walking with Dennis, as my feet are still in the healing process and he walks too damn fast!)..Guess who I spotted again this morning??

At first, Mr. Spoonbill was ignoring me, but I think he actually recognized me by the bicycle, the jumping up and down, and the frantic waving…So, he posed…I also got myself a few other neat bird photos this morning…Bear with me, bird photo cringers, I just cannot help myself..

Not really sure what the guy on the left is…Maybe the tri-colored Heron?? (OK, I’m clueless!). I’m getting pretty good at my covert stealth approach , gliding quietly through the grass on my old lady bike, hobbling off of it and sneaking through the dense underbrush with my camera poised for the good shot…James Audubon ..eat your bird loving little heart out!!

Yea, I know..this was a senseless effort. Another example of Donna, flying by the seat of her “happy pants”….I just refused to let a blog slip by due to boredom…and YOU, my dear bloggers friends, are the ones who suffer!!

“Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken over there ... I'm gonna eat the first thing that comes out if its butt"?” ~haven’t a clue who said it, but I laughed MY butt off!!

“THE 4 D’S”..a comedy act in the making.

2012-02-04T13:11:00.001-06:00

Yesterday McGyver and I finally got to meet Denise and Dawn a.k.a. The Cruzin 2some, and we were not surprised to find out that they are just about THE best time ever!! We met at Alice Faye’s and had a very happy “happy hour”…actually more like a “comedy hour”..We laughed most of the time..Dawn and Denise, you two are some of the most fun campers ever !..and we had a fabulous time..Hope to see you again down the road…and thanks for the memories!!

Dawn was traveling incognito….Do we look like we were having fun..YOU BETCHA!!

McGyver was outnumbered at this party….and LOVED IT…Not sure what this Alice Faye’s bus is for, but if there’s a road trip planned , we four wanta know about it!

Dennis and Denise (not much difference in the names, right?) were playing at dueling photos…

After almost 2 hours, we figured we had caused enough trouble for poor Alice Faye, if there really is one, and cleared out…A few hugs later, we separated…knowing we had met 2 more wonderful blogger friends…It takes a “hoot” to know a “hoot”, and you two were a real hoot!!

It’s a very pretty coastal drive on Fulton Beach Rd back to the Hiker..The Live Oaks are all leaning and windswept from the prevailing breeze off the Gulf…

This morning, I opted for a bike ride instead of a 2 mile walk…I think I overdid it Friday AM, thinking I could walk off the pain…WRONG!..I walked it right back on..So I let McGyver stride off by himself, and I took my bike out for a spin. I wanted to go back to the residential are where we spotted the Roseate Spoonbill…

There are some very different styles of architecture here on the bay. The top left house was quite like a Victorian home you might see back in Illinois, except it was up higher in the air…. Then we have the very modern beach ~~cottage~~ house, upper right…

I loved this last house on the right> Right across the street from the bay, and also built up higher than the inland homes…Most of the coastal homes come with their own pier too. Can we just retire here?? At least you get some notice about approaching hurricanes…not so in Tornado Alley.

I pedaled my behind back by the inland lagoon where we saw all the birds yesterday and..at first..I thought I was coming up a big ZERO. However, as I rode further, I spotted this dude flying over head and landing in a tree not far from me…

I really like the “do” on this guy…Is it a flirty little curl..or a very bad comb over??

It was threatening rain again today, and Den pulled out the awning so we could have our coffee outside.

Those pieces of wood on the ground are some Den put down so we can stay out of the mud if it rains…This area can turn into a real mud hole when wet…You oughta see me navigating my way across these boards..Is McGyver deliberately challenging me?? How much life insurance do I REALLY have, anyway??

..and speaking of life insurance, do these guys know my worth?

I really hate it when the Vultures pretend they don’t see us old people…turning their backs, ..hiding their heads..

YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THEY ARE FOLLOWING OUR EVERY MOVE..HOPING FOR SOMEONE TO DROP !!

I just realized these last 2 pictures look like something out of “Dracula”…or “House On Haunted Hill”…..No, that is not the moon at left..it is the sun trying to break the wispy bonds of the clouds this morning…(now, how’s THAT for waxing poetic??)

HAD ENOUGH YET?? I THOUGHT SO!! THANKS FOR READING, THO.

“If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.”
-- Erma Bombeck

THE AGONY OF “DE FEET”…

2012-02-02T16:00:00.001-06:00

You may have noticed that I have a blogsite link on the sidebar of our blog… “Terrie Heiser Designs”…this would be THE Terrie Heiser who was Terrie Cave, our oldest daughter..She has always had a knack for decorating, and decided to try out a small business helping others who want to decorate “on a budget”…Let me just say, Terrie is the Queen of budget!! Check it out…she has some great ideas..

These pelicans are all lined up hoping that those men cleaning their fish will throw some left overs their way…Looks like the chow line at an “all you can eat” cafeteria to me.

I notice we got some new followers, Dean and Valerie who have a home base in the Southwest and zip around on lots of RV trips in their retirement…Welcome to the insanity of the Cave Dwellers…and don’t be scared..OK, be scared.

We have had some pretty foggy mornings here on the Gulf Coast. It is like riding through a light misty carwash on my bike rides..

Usually this fog burns off by noon. I have been riding my bike instead of ~~walking~~ jogging along side McGyver every day. We also take a bike ride in the afternoon, and yesterday we rode outside the park into the residential area on the bay..I took the camera as an afterthought…and boy, am I glad I did…As we were riding along by a small inland lagoon, I spotted something pink ….

JUDY, JUDY, JUDY!!!!! I spot a Roseate Spoonbill…WHAT A SCORE FOR A JR. BIRD NERD!!!!! Sorry the pictures aren’t better,..and no, he is NOT standing on a duck, he is behind a duck..AND WOULD YA JUST LOOK AT ALL THOSE GREAT DUCKS, TOO!!

While I was jumping up and down and screaming at Dennis to come back, (he was ahead of me as usual), I happened to see this dude about to fluff up his wings and I just managed to “squeeze one off”..No, all you kids with Jr. HS humor in mind, that is NOT what you think. I squeezed off a PHOTO, A PHOTO!!!…and a fairly good one too!

I could have stayed there all day and watched this beauty…Rest assured we will be riding our bike that way in the future, too!

Thanks for all the kind words about my swan dive off the camper step…I am sore, but nothing is broken…and now I am beginning to see some swelling and bruising….WARNING! If you don’t like feet, especially with blue toenails, close your eyes as you move down…

Left foot damage top of foot, over the big toe….Right foot is a bluish puff ball along the right side….Hey, bruising and swelling + limping = sympathy…Oh yeah, I am milking it for all it’s worth…(Yes, that is a tattoo you see..and I have one on the other leg, too…Should come as no surprise to most of you)…

Dennis and I are very excited to meet some bloggers who are here in) Rockport/Fulton area…You may also follow Dawn and Denise, they are fairly new to full timing and we really enjoy reading about their adventures and mis adventures…Well, we are meeting them for a “Happy Hour” at Alice Fayes’ On The Bay tomorrow afternoon….

CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU TWO…!!

REMEMBER, WHAT HAPPENS AT ALICE FAYE’S STAYS AT ALICE FAYE’S!

OK, I have sufficiently grossed out 90% of my followers with “feet fotos”, and alienated the other 10%, I’m sure, with the “squeeze one out” joke…Sorry, but that’s how I roll…See y’all soon and a big thanks to our family members for probably being the only peeps have read this far..…

AND…AS IF I DIDN’T GROSS YOU OUT ENOUGH………..>>>>>>>>>>

“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” ~ Gore Vidal

A PERFECT 6-POINT LANDING…

2012-01-31T14:25:00.001-06:00

No, I do NOT mean the Hiker.. I mean myself falling off the last step of the Hiker…Here is the short version:

--We got set up at Goose Island in an unlevel site. Needed to pull it up on blocks on RV door side.

--McGyver puts 2 wood pieces after the last step to help me, (since I have really short legs)…but it’s still quite a step at to the ground. (bad omen)

-- I go to dump out some yukky dishwater last night after dark….forgetting the big step off…

--I do a great half gainer followed by a perfect 6 point landing..feet being the first to hit (painful, especially my bad foot), knees next(more pain) , and finally hands(no pain, just mud)…

--My “ensemble” was dripping dishwater and mud, and after looking to see if anyone witnessed this maneuver, I pulled myself together and sat on said steps wondering if I had broken both feet (it sure felt like it).

--Enter McGyver at the door, looking to see why I was taking so long outside. “What the Hell happened?”

Well, Dennis helped me inside. I could walk , and McGyver held on. I figured if I HAD broken anything, walking wouldn’t have been possible. I assessed the pain in both feet, took 3 Ibuprofen, and went to my recliner. I’m really good at hobbling around after my foot surgery last Spring, so I fell right back to it very easily. This morning,after doing my “old lady” walk out of the bedroom, I put my good “walking shoes” on (yeah, right….)..and when McGyver went for his 2 mile walk, I ~~jumped on~~ hobbled over to my bike , knowing darn well from past experience, the walking will have to wait a while.

OUR LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN AMONGST THE LIVE OAKS….

I got some really neat photos on my bike ride this AM….

Deer…(see, that wasn’t hard)… ….Great Egret???? ( I am thinking)…

….Great Blue Heron?? Snowy Egret???? (now, I am faking it)

Northern Pintail???….. (I cheated, McGyver told me) Got this one…two….ducks??

A Mystery bird…Looks like Father Time to me..(having a bad hair day!)

He was far away on some wooded snarl…..just watching me.

This bird was very big..and there were lots of them early this AM…After diving back into the Bird Book, I’m saying this is a Black Crowned Night Heron..and if he isn’t, he is probably wishing he was…Hey, I just NOW got my Jr.Bird Nerd badge!!!

According to this sign on the above boardwalk, the Goose Island marsh restoration has now attracted one pair of the rare Whooping Cranes..They weren’t here 3 years ago when we were last here, but did hang out South of here at Aransass Pass.. Since they have really been enlarging the wetlands and marshes here at the park they have a pair now …and…..Now that I know there are a couple of Whoopers that just moved into the area, I will make it my mission to meet them, and take them over some dead fish brownies.

I want to welcome old/new followers, Barb and Jim Otto. Barb has been following our blog since the beginning , 3 years ago..but she didn’t know how to actually “FOLLOW” officially until now…Barb and Jim are some of our best friends back in Sandwich, and Barb is the one who takes care of our mail…OK…those of you already “in the GMC”, don’t go saying we are playing favorites if we let Barb and Jim sit by the window next time..and Kenny and Angela, ya gotta move your beer over..Jim wants to bring his beer along too!!

WOW, that was lots of photos for my first blog here…Sorry to those who are not into birds…GET OVER IT!!

I HAVE NOW DECIDED THAT I AM A PIRATE……

“Pirates do not cry, except in the case of the loss of a shipload of rum.” ~ a Pirate

RECALLING AN ILLINOIS BLIZZARD.

2012-01-29T09:29:00.001-06:00

In 1967, Northern IL had one of the worst blizzards on record…Good friends of ours, Kathie and Jim Potter of Sheridan, IL., recall their ordeal the day of the “Blizzard of ‘67”…as recounted by the local news.. Jim graduated HS with Dennis…This is how local family and farmers pulled together to get Kathie to the hospital that day!! I thought I would share it with you…

“The worst blizzard to hit the La Salle County area occurred Jan. 26 and 27, 1967, when the region was blanketed with a record-setting 23 inches of snow.
Rural Sheridan resident Kathie Potter has a different reason for remembering that snowstorm — she gave birth in the middle of it.
"It was quite exciting. We always laugh over it," Potter recalled Tuesday as another blizzard whipped the Midwest.
At the time of the 1967 snowstorm, Potter and her husband, Jim, were living on a farm, with the nearest hospital in Sandwich. The blizzard was apparently too much for the township plow, which broke down, leaving five miles of snow-choked road between the farm and the hospital when the expectant mother went into labor early Friday, Jan. 27.
To get to the delivery room, a convoy was formed, with Kathie's brother-in-law Norm Potter in one tractor, Wayne Knight in another and Albert Stallings in a third, followed by Kathie and her husband in their car. The five-mile journey took five hours.
"It was strange too. It was in the 60s the day before, and beautiful," Kathie remembered. Records show the temperature reached 67 degrees two days before the blizzard.
During the trek to the hospital, Kathie said she and her husband kept wondering, "We don't want to deliver in the car. Should we stop at this house or keep going?"
They continued going, eventually pulling into the hospital's parking lot. However, there was no doctor present, so Norm Potter took his tractor to fetch Dr. William Kenshol. But nature did not wait and within five minutes a 7-pound, 7-ounce girl was born. The Potters named her Dawn. Nurse Irene Wasson handled the birth in lieu of the doctor. Dawn is now Dawn Lambert and lives next door to her parents.
Kathie recalled with a chuckle that if the baby had been a boy, the name would have been far different in honor of the men who helped get her to the hospital: Norman Wayne Albert.”

That’s how the rural communities did it back in the day…

We will be out of communication while traveling tomorrow to Goose Island State Park….Talk to y’all sometime Tuesday..Pray for us..Carlton the GPS is taking us through Corpus Christi….just great.

THE STICKS AND BRICKS OF THE CAVES….

“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.”

Walking With My Foot In My Mouth….It Ain’t Easy.

2012-01-27T16:01:00.001-06:00

This morning McGyver and I went up to the Rec Hall because we were running out of clean clothes. I put on my stunning “Lighthouse fleece jacket” as it was only 55 degrees this morning.. Den helped me carry the duffel bag and basket of our laundry in, then he took off for his walk. I put the $9 in the little box on the wall, proceeded to fill the two washers and get the laundry show on the road. Then, I struck off in another direction to walk on my own, knowing I had a full 30 minute wash cycle to get back...I guess I should never be allowed to strike out on my own.

Just zooming along, minding my own business, I noticed I was coming upon a couple walking their dog off to the side of the road. As I did my Jackie Joiner pass (huffing and puffing), the lady said, “I love your jacket”..and I turned and said “Garage Sale”..She laughed, and her hubby said “My garage sales are all tools”..to which I responded over my shoulder, “I call those Man Sales”…Keep in mind I had passed them, and this conversation was being shouted at this point…His response to me was, “That was a pretty sexist remark, are you one of those “Feminists”? Do I really need this abuse?..He didn’t leave it at that. He was shouting again, “I tried to open a door for one of you once and almost got my head taken off!”..NO..REALLY?? ONE OF US?? Thankfully, I was almost out of screaming range..almost…I couldn’t resist shouting back over my shoulder, “You could hold the door for me ANYTIME!!” and I threw my arms up in the air in exasperation and began power walking …and talking to myself…Now, I ask you..Did I provoke that exchange?? OK, maybe a Man Sale wasn’t a good choice of words…Maybe I should have said a “Man-Stuff Sale”..and maybe my last words should have been “EAT MY DUST!”

A FEW PICTURES FROM OUR DRIVE ON RT. 83 TO RIO GRANDE CITY FOR GROCERIES…

Remember my stove light that McGyver installed so I could see what kind of “mystery meat” I was cooking??

…Well, it looked like a airport runway landing light, not to mention it lit up the whole inside of our camper ..and was exactly at my eye level. This was blinding me and causing me to overcook food and make meals that were terrible.. (Hey, shut up. ..that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!) Well….McGyver..being McGyver.. made me a great invention to shield my eyes AND to direct the light DOWN upon my cooking area…You’re gonna love this!!!

…Oh, the things you can do with an empty Busch Lite 30 pack box….I was wondering what he was so intently working on at our picnic table…No, this is NOT permanent…THIS, dear friends, is what McGyver calls a “prototype”..When we get home, McGyver will put his sheet metal skills to use and make me one just like this one…only prettier…and sturdier…and painted black…Don’t worry, this one doesn’t’ “catch fire”, it’s too far away from any flame..McGuyver is WAS a Fireman, after all !! I’ll bet NONE of you have a light like this at home or in your camper..they are a “one of a kind”..I think we should patent it…LADIES, EAT YOUR HEART OUT!!

I know there are a gazillion animal lovers out there…Well, Dennis and I discovered a fabulous new TV show called Blue Collar Dogs, on the National Geographic Wild channel…It showed how they train rescue dogs, police dogs, drug sniffing dogs…fabulous, fabulous show..Click the link to find out the channel and times in your area..you won’t regret it…

Before I forget it, we have a new brave follower. I want to welcome DarnJoe to the land of the Cave Dwellers..Jump up into the GMC, DarnJoe..Don’t let all those crazy people in the back seat intimidate you…I didn’t see a blog site for ya, DarnJoe,…so come along with us…Can I just say that you and I have something in common?..Your name is DarnJoe..and very frequently mine is DammitDonna.

“One way to prevent conversation from being boring is to say the wrong thing.”

~ Frank Sheed

A “Gnatsty” Morning Walk For Treasure..

2012-01-25T16:07:00.001-06:00

Our weather finally dawned with the hope of sunshine, not fog…

I took this from our Hiker door..Yep, that looks like ‘Ol Sol just beginning to peek above the cloudbank to the East…Yea!!!

At one point in time, when we had our Cougar, Dennis was heavy into “geocaching”…A.K.A. finding useless containers of useless stuff left by other people who have caught the “geocache bug”…But, first ya gotta get on the computer and find out exactly WHERE these useless prizes are stashed according to the global co-ordinates…We headed out this AM, McGyver clutching the hand held GPS tightly..(this poor hand held GPS thought we had given it up for our Tom Tom in the GMC…(well, we kinda did forget about this little bugger.)

Our first “cache” was hidden in a big mixed nut container (did they know us?)hidden under the ramp to the bird blind…(explanation of bird blind to you home gamers..It is a place where you can stealthily hide behind camouflage netting to watch the birds and they won’t see you…yet another stupid humanoid trick that the birds have figured out..)

We still had one more“cache” to find and that took us on one of the trails around the perimeter of the campground…and that’s where we were suddenly accompanied by swarms of “Gnatsty” Gnats..in the eyes, ears,nose and stuck between our teeth…irritating little #@*#@#@!’s… The only thing to make it worse is finding out that they are fattening.

We were only yards away, according to Mr. Hand Held , who, by the way, does NOT talk…He’s very vain..you have to LOOK at him to see where the H--- you are!.. McGyver was not to be thwarted by insects the size of an a pinhead, so he dove into the underbrush to come up with….

HOLY JAIL TIME, BATMAN! IT’S A TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE AMMO BOX!! ARE WE IN TROUBLE??

McGyver opened it up and it contained your typical geocache treasure… a zip lock bag with the usual pen, paper, and little dumb prizes like you get from those gumball machines at the Laundromat…Dennis signed our names, (cause that’s what ya do when finding a geocache), and returned it to it’s hiding place. All the while , I watched from the trail, expecting to hear Border Patrol helicopters hovering over us at any minute…

So much for our geocaching adventure….But, rest assured we will do this again at Goose Island..(bet you can hardly wait..) I may consider calling our son-in-law, Detective Heiser Glenview IL PD to get a bail bondsman card..hmmm

Apparently we hadn’t eaten enough gnats for the day, so we took a bike ride that same afternoon. I let McGyver lead, and he led us down a very bumpy, sandy road to the edge of Falcon Lake..Guess who has the dirt bike?? It ain’t me!!

Hey!!! WAIT UP!!! Sheesh, you would think he’s trying to ditch me or something….I have no idea why..After all, I am my usual stunning vision of loveliness while riding my bike…

Ahhhhhhh, the wonderful wind…Suddenly my hair was all on one side of my head..making me look like Don King in drag…

(and I wonder why McGyver always wants to lead, and does it waaaay out front!)

The flowers are beginning to pop out, here at Falcon Lake…I know that they won’t be in full “Hay Fever” mode until the middle of February, and we will be gone..So, I will post some photos we took February of ‘09 . This is what it will look like ..Don’t get too close to the computer screen if you have allergies..

Hard to believe all this beauty from some prickly brush along the road. (It really is beautiful in person)..AAAAACHOOOOO!!

OK, I’ve succeeded in blabbering my way to the bottom of this blog , which has turned out to be about pretty much nothing…Oh…I forgot…I did get a very pretty sunset photo last night..

TOOK THIS OUTSIDE OF THE HIKER , DRINK IN HAND, ENSEMBLE ON..GETTING LOTS OF “LOOKS”..

“Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.” ~ Maxine

In A Fog…Not Unusual For Me

2012-01-23T15:33:00.001-06:00

This morning we awoke to a gray, damp and dreary day with fog turning into light “facial spa” mist. McGyver got the spa benefits while taking visits to “the dump”, when it really should have been ME getting the facial! We have had a few foggy mornings here at Falcon lately. The other day, while “feeling our way” on our walk, we suddenly heard the howl of one lone Coyote somewhere ahead of us near the roadside…oooooh boy. It is unusual to hear just one of these soulful cries. If one begins the serenade, others usually join in..but no one was singing with this dude..and I wasn’t about to try my skills at Coyote calling…We kept hearing him in the fog, and we were getting closer. Now, as McGyver was forging ahead, I was falling purposefully behind, and really getting nervous. I thought maybe he was injured…or rabid…or a serial killer…The Stephen King movie Cujo was doing flashbacks in my brain.

Suddenly, barely discernable in the fog, we spotted him loping across the road ahead of us, stopping right in the middle to look leeringly at these two tasty looking humanoids coming at him…QUICK!..CAMERA…ON…ZOOM…FOCUS…..WAIT! WHERE’D HE GO?? CRAP!!! He was totally onto me ,trying to catch a close up, and my camera lens couldn’t keep up with his ghostlike figure slinking off into the underbrush…I’m a little slow on the trigger finger, thus…no Coyote photos..I repeat, CRAP!

The birds here, (get ready to take a nap, bird- weary followers), are still very entertaining..but then, Dennis and I are easily entertained..

This is a Yellow Rumped Warbler (no,I did NOT make that up)..Right is an American Goldfinch..(at least I THINK that’s what they are. Of course, we still have the cast of “usual suspects”….easily identifiable to a “Jr. Bird Nerd”..(love that title!..Thanks, Judy!).

…And while we are on the topic of birds, I must confess my ignorance in the fine art of Bird Feeding. After getting the feeling that Judy was disapproving of my marshmallow frenzy, I Googled it to see if I was amiss in my choice of bird treats…DARN RIGHT I WAS!!..Correcto Mundo, my bird blogger friend…and here is the Wikipedia PROOF AND TRUTH..AND I CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH!! I can also hear my mother saying “Just because everyone else is doing it, does NOT make it right!”…no truer words..So, now I’m trying to find a troop of Cub Scouts and add my bag of marshmallows to their ingredients for S’mores…

I will now quickly segue into the ever blossoming shrubs and brush around us…More and more every day!!

Don’t ask me to identify the flowers, I already flunked “birds”..

……I think this is NOT a butterfly, but a moth of some kind…Think I’ll just call him “Orange Eater”..see how I roll? It’s no wonder my Biology teacher wanted me out of his class…He passed me just for his own mental health.

We really don’t like to make definite plans, but when in Texas during February and March, it is wise to have some firm reservations set up..and by that, I DON’T mean Wal Mart parking lots. So, we got online to the Texas State Park reservation system (which can be a challenge in itself) and made reservations for 2 weeks at Goose Island State Park, in Fulton…and then 2 weeks at Goliad State Park, in Goliad. From there we will jump back into the Army Corps parks so we can actually get a perk for being old and crabby..HALF PRICE CAMPING!….This means 2 weeks at Lake Georgetown, in Georgetown (duh), and then 2 weeks at Lake O’ The Pines at Jefferson, TX….OH YEAH…LOVE THIS ITINERARY. We have stayed at all of these parks and they are definitely on our list of Texas Favorites.

Well, McGyver and I are enjoying our last full week here…We do our daily exercise, …..

…take our daily bike rides….. ..and have our daily “Happy Hour”…

Oops…I don’t wanta forget to welcome a new rider to the GMC. Michael Kane has decided to give up his extensive movie career and come with all of us to take a break from fame..…OH OH…OOPS AGAIN!.. I guess that was Michael “C”-aine…Sorry, Michael with a “K”, and NO “I” …Just jump into the back seat, kick the candy wrappers aside, and explain to the crew already there why you are NOT signing autographs…

“Early each day to the steps of St. Paul's, the little old bird woman comes... In her own special way to the people she calls, come buy my bags full of crumbs. Come feed the little birds, show them you care, and you'll be glad if you do. Their young ones are hungry, their nests are so bare; all it takes is tuppence from you. Feed the birds, tuppence a bag. Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag...” ~Mary Poppins

Donna Being Compliant …Hard To Imagine..

2012-01-21T17:30:00.001-06:00

This AM was very foggy when we walked. The fisherman apparently don’t mind the fog, there were a gazzillion of trucks and empty boat trailers down by the launch. They must do something like “combat fishing”. With all those boats zooming around in the fog, and almost no visibility to see where you are, how do you keep from ramming another boat?..My luck, I would get lost and end up in Mexican waters..not advisable….

This fog did give me an idea…an idea about cleaning our truck, which hadn’t been washed since we left..YUCK!

Well, after doing my research about what you can and cannot WASH here at Falcon State Park, I was still totally confused. The rules say you can wash your body, wash your dishes and wash off your picnic tablecloth..oh, yes, you AND the birds may drink the water. I asked up at the Rec Hall about washing our truck, and the powers that be who are “in charge” told me , and I quote, “Oh, you can wash your truck, just don’t make a lot of mud around your camper”. AAAAAAAllrighty then…that could be hard to do if you do a thorough and nit picky job, which I like to do..So, …what to do?? Should I take a chance and get out the hose, throwing caution to the wind and my ass on the line?

THERE’S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO ~~SKIN A CAT~~ WASH A TRUCK!!!!

I ask you,…Do you see a hose anywhere in these photos?..Nope. I just used the foggy moisture running down the GMC and added to it..I know..ingenious!. I could now write a book on how to wash a piggy dirty truck using a bowl of hot water, a chamois, 2 rags, a towel, and lots of sweat equity. (I know, I know, this is yet another of my fabulous ensembles from my collection…Socks and Crocks, now there’s a special look.)

Before…and After….and it only took me 2 hours, 2 wet feet, and one bump on the head from walking into the bedroom slide…(That’s when I put on my Official Steve Erwin Crocodile Hunter cap..A woman cannot accessorize enough!

GOTCHA!! DONNA SCORES 4 BIRD PHOTOS WITH NO WARNING TO THE READERS WHO ARE SICK OF THEM!!

That last one was taken 1/15/09 when we were here and it was flooded..OK,"Birdlady of Blogland"..What the Heck is this????

Tonight I am making a homemade pizza for dinner (with the help of Chef Boyardee)…The dilemma with this plan is that I like to prepare dinner by 4PM, so that I am in my “Happy Hour” apparel and can relax to enjoy a cocktail without donning an apron and slaving over a stove at the last minute..My problem?? If I assemble my 12” pizza ahead of time, it will be a challenge to find room in my refrig to stash it until oven time. Not to worry, I resolved it .. after moving all unnecessary items like butter, milk, eggs, and being careful NOT to disturb my Wine decanter (Sterilite plastic pitcher), I found room for said pizza…

Had to tape a sign on the refrig door saying “OPEN CAREFULLY, SLOWLY!”..If this thing rolls out,we will be having Pizza Casserole! The fact that I had to put a sign on the door with only McGyver and me in the Hiker is self explanatory.

I don’t wanta forget to welcome our new found friends and lurkers/followers, Sharon and Bill, and also another brave new soul who jumped into the truck, Jackie. Sharon is new at blogging and you might want to check her out, she is doing great. Also, for those who have dogs and cats, ya gotta go to Jackie’s blog from today and check out the Dog’s Diary,and the Cat’s Diary..I laughed my butt off at the Cat’s…

OK, now… when all of you get in the truck to leave here on Jan.30th, please save all beer and pop cans for recycling, and try not to embarrass us again by giving obscene hand signals to the truckers as we pass!..10-4.

“Why is it when you want a nice souvenir, you find a great shell in a gift shop, but some yo-yo has affixed a ten-cent thermometer to it?” ~Erma Bombeck

The Los Ebanos Ferry..I HATE Progress!

2012-01-19T15:39:00.000-06:00

This blog is really going to cast me as a backward, crabby, stuck in her ways old lady!..(A.K.A Maxine, as I have shown.) Today was grocery day, so Den and I decided to drive into Los Ebanos, TX, about 20 miles further past Rio Grande City…We remembered the hand pulled ferry there that we visited in 2009.

“The Los Ebanos ferry is a part of the border that time forgot. Tucked away in the southwestern corner of Hidalgo County this crossing has existed as a popular place to ford the Rio Grande since the days of Spanish colonization. The hand pulled ferry went into operation in the 1850’s and has seen few improvements since then. The ferry is still tethered by a thick rope tied around the base of a large Texas Ebony tree. And it’s still muscle power that propels the flat bottom barge from Texas to Mexico and back again.”

Above is how the ferry looked in January of 2009. It can carry 3 cars and 12 people. You gotta help pull the rope if you ride along..And yes, that road on the other shore is Mexico.

This is the closest view we could get today…and I had to use my zoom…They are building a new customs building and changing the way you can enter and exit the ferry..IF they are still using the ferry!! Gosh, I hate to see this old crossing fall the wayside of border security like this, but I do understand that US security is of utmost importance. As I said, I am NOT going gentle into that good night.

The town of Los Ebanos hasn’t changed one iota, though. It still has dirt streets, abandoned houses and a very colorful cemetery.

The Ferry Crossing sign is still there, but the store wasn’t open and looked pretty abandoned. Here is what it looked like in ‘09..

This store was closed. This is the Ebony tree, (Ebanos), the ferry is lashed to, but we could not get near it today.

..And here is the sign telling the history of this great old Rio Grande crossing..couldn’t get near this either because it was in a “construction area”..GIVE ME A DAMN HARDHAT AND LET ME CHANNEL SOME HISTORY!!! Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!

This whole thing has me very upset…It’s a doggone shame great old traditions have to “change it up” to accommodate a changing and more dangerous world..OK ,I just gotta calm down and hope they at least keep the ferry running..You couldn’t tell by just looking …and I know darn well the workers wouldn’t understand me..(I really need to learn some conversational Spanish.) Sorry about the rant…anyone got any Valium?

So, on a lighter note, the wildlife here continues to entertain us…

Mr. Cactus Wren posed under our feeder….The deer crossed the road in front of us (at least I didn’t have to drag out my Bird Book to identify HIM!)

The ants are a never ending source of energy..You can see all the way down the 20-25’ line of ants if you look close..That bunch of trees on the left is where they are heading into the brush..They must have some kind of internal GPS. Not a great photo, but trust me, those orange dots are ants…My God, I AM becoming obsessed with these guys!

We passed some pretty impressive homes on Rt. 83 to Los Ebanos..Right photo is one of the huge homes being built..I guess no one has heard of the real estate crunch down here..PEOPLE!!…Can you say DOWNSIZE????

No, this picture on the right is not the Taj Mahal..It is the Rio Grande City Bank. Wonder how much of our money it took to get all those inlayed tile in that dome???

Sorry about the quality of some of these photos..McGyver thinks I am a photojournalist for the paparazzi, and can take any photo “on the fly” . This sometimes involves me leaning out my window or smashing my lens to the glass, as we sail down the road at 65mph!!

It is now 3PM…the groceries are unpacked and repackaged so I can jam as much as possible in our freezer. I am not taking a walk this afternoon, I am opting for a bike ride…My feet are KILLING ME!! Besides, when I am on my bike (it’s an old lady bike, with no gears and foot brakes.) I relive my childhood on this blast from the past, racing McGyver down every hill. Going UP the hill is pretty embarrassing though. McGyver has a mountain bike with actual gears and handbrakes.. With that kind of bike, I would either throw myself over the handlebars, or out in front of a Javelina… So what,…I feel like I can FLY LIKE THE WIND!!!!

We bade our “blog lurkers”, Sharon and Bill goodbye yesterday. They are heading up to Ft Worth area to see family. When we went to see them, Sharon was cooking some fabulous looking shrimp kabobs in the oven and it smelled like Red Lobster in her camper…

…Guess what Bill dropped off at our Hiker about 5PM?? ..a sample just for US! They WERE on a skewer when they arrived (and still hot), but in our frenzy to eat them we took the skewer out before I got a picture…Shrimp stuffed with jalapeno and wrapped in bacon…SCORE!!

Hey, Sharon…I want this recipe….. Thanks for making our cocktail hour like a Happy Hour at a great bar with snacks!!

And thanks to all you readers for your nice compliments…Please promise not to mention how much I paid ya…

See y’all manana!

“Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.” ~Frederick Wilcox

No Hear 'EM, No Speak ‘EM, No See ‘EM…No Like ‘EM!

2012-01-17T17:25:00.001-06:00

The last two days we have been blessed with 85 degree days and 65 degree nights. The sun has been bright and the sky almost cloudless. Our campsite has been full of birds, and I have a few more interesting photos…(Those who are not fond of birds, talk amongst yourselves for a minute….)

Altamira Oriole……. Verdin…………. Olive Sparrow……

We also discovered a different critter living across the street from us…He isn’t very friendly, and seems to have this hard “shell” about him..

DUDE!! TAKE OF THE ARMOR SUIT, WE COME IN PEACE!!! He is giving me a look out of the corner of his eye…Think I better leave him to his stand offish ways…What a party pooper!

We have decided to take our walks earlier in the morning when it is this warm out…like before 10AM..If we wait too late, we are joined by the dreaded “No See’em”s, who are gnatty almost invisible black specs that sleep in late and stay up late, doing lots of biting in between…They joined me today while I was soaking up some sun…FYI, When the No See’ems land on a sweaty leg, they stick and bite, and ya gotta scrape ‘em off..OH JOY.

Here’s another delightful group who are making our “back yard” their permanent home, and gathering from the parade they have every day, they intend to stay a while…

If you squint ( or adjust your bifocals) you can barely see what is called a Leaf Cutting Ant, carrying , what else, A LEAF…and one that is 6 or more times his size..Let me give you a quick Wikipedia lesson about these ambitious workers..

“Next to humans, leafcutter ants form the largest and most complex animal societies on Earth. In a few years, the central mound of their underground nests can grow to more than 30 metres (98 ft) across, with smaller, radiating mounds extending out to a radius of 80 metres (260 ft), taking up 30 to 600 square metres (320 to 6,500 sq ft) and containing eight million individuals.”…and I think we have at least that many just outside our camper. WHOA!!!

Dennis discovered these “leaf haulers” 2 days ago, when he followed the long line of them, one line going into the brush, (a distance of 30 ft,) and the other line of ants, right next to that line, was coming back, each with a piece of leaf or some other vegetation…

”In a mature leafcutter colony, ants are divided into castes, based mostly on size, that perform different functions.Their societies are based on an ant-fungus mutualism, and different species of ants use different species of fungus, but all of the fungi the ants use are members of the Lepiotaceae family. The ants actively cultivate their fungus, feeding it with freshly cut plant material and keeping it free from pests and molds.” (these guys AREN’T pests?) “The fungus needs the ants to stay alive, and the larvae need the fungus to stay alive ”…Short form is..they are growing fungus to eat..kinda like farmers growing crops only without tractors..Guess what else they use in their “fungus farm”???…

Hope ya don’t have a weak stomach, or an aversion to 6 legged critters..Just to let you know, they totally cleaned this orange up in no time…and “are capable of defoliating an entire citrus tree in less than 24 hours”…YIKES! Welcome to the neighborhood Atta Cephalotes..(No, that isn’t Spanish for ant, it’s their scientific name!)…You’ll pardon me if I don’t bring brownies over to your house. (There IS a fungus amongus!)

When we were in Roma the other day, I noticed how many homes had walls or fences around them down here…This is due to the heavy Spanish influence dating back many, many years ago…

Some are very ornate masonry or brick and wrought iron..and some are just chain link…

The photo on the left was taken “on the fly” turning around after going down a dead end street by accident…This is not something that is very safe OR smart around here ..but McGyver and I are not known to be either .

This last one is a home on Rt. 83, almost where we turn into the park…

OK, while I was busily blogging , we had a knock at our camper door…What the H--- did I do now?? Surprise, surprise…A couple of nice folks, Bill and Sharon, read our blog and just pulled in down from us a couple spots…How about that for a shocker…Sharon said she is a “lurker”, which is defined by her as someone who reads blogs, but never comments. She is trying to start a blog of her own and isn’t quite sure how to do it..My advice?? Just jump in and start talking..She and Bill are full timers and have a Hughesnet just like we do…

Nice to meet ya, Sharon and Bill..Please excuse my clothes, or lack thereof..(I was still in my “sunning ensemble” and probably would get arrested for it in most campgrounds.

So, this blog was a bit of a “ Biology Class” with an emphasis on bugs, ants, and armored tanks with legs….It is almost cocktail hour at the Cave Dwellings, and I am in much need of a hose down after sitting outside in the sun today. I guess Sharon and Bill are only staying a couple days here, but we will try to check in with them tomorrow…I’m hoping to change “first impressions” with an actual outfit consiting of shorts, a T-shirt and shoes…Good luck with that, right????

Historic Roma, TX

2012-01-15T13:48:00.001-06:00

“Yesterday, McGyver and I drove into Roma to re-visit the old plaza and the old abandoned buildings in those blocks around it. “Roma was founded in 1765 and incorporated in 1936. It serves as a port of entry from Mexico into the U.S. via the Roma-Ciudad Miguel Alemán International Bridge. Prior to Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836, the town was listed as under the jurisdiction of the town of Mier, Mexico and served under Spanish rule”.

“The architecture of Roma mirrors its sister city of Ciudad Mier on the Mexican side of the river, as well as Guerrero Viejo upriver. Roma is notable for its buildings of river sandstone, caliche limestone and molded brick, using rejoneado (patterned large and small stones) and sillar (stone laid in an ashlar pattern) masonry techniques. Both methods employ an outer finish of rough lime plaster detailed with bands of smooth colored plaster, characteristic of northern Mexico.”

“Roma also features innovative use of molded brick, brought to Roma by German immigrant Enrique (Heinrich) Portscheller, who used techniques of flat brick roofing from Monterrey to Mier, then developed a decorative brick used in Roma, Mier, Rio Grande City and Laredo. Portscheller designed buildings with his products and used wrought iron balconies in a manner reminiscent of both New Orleans and Monterrey. Roma preserves the bulk of his extant work.^”

If you ever get a chance to visit, make sure you get to this unique section of Roma. This is the original old town, and it sits high on the US banks of the Rio Grande, thus it is called Roma Bluffs. Dennis and I walked around, sticking our tourist noses into every nook and cranny. We remembered from the last time we visited here that there was an observation deck somewhere, looking into Mexico where the river is very narrow.

We followed the high bluff , looking for the observation deck..There was a very strong Border Patrol presence in this part of Roma, being so close to the river…I was on my best behavior, already knowing that these dudes take their job VERY seriously, and have no patience for my lame sense of humor.

We finally found the small doorway out to the overlook, where there were a few other “Gringos” there looking at the view just across the Rio Grande into Mexico..

When I zoomed my lens, I found a couple pigs, just roamin’ around…and the vast difference from the US side to the Mexican side. It really made me feel sad, to think that someone over there was looking at us over here. I wondered what THEY were thinking…Either , “That does it, tonight I swim over to seek a new life,” or ,“How can I figure a way to get these drugs across without being discovered”..Two entirely different life stories.

This ingenious little look out was operated by a Border Patrol , and a couple times we saw a Border Patrol person come out to the fence and look over the edge down the bluff…and he was “packing”…if you know what I mean…This kind of stuff is always a real eye-opener for me…

The historic church, Our Lady of Refugees and Sinners is in this area also…I believe the men behind me are part of what they called “Cavalry for Christ”, who brought religion to very remote areas, including Roma..Priests packing pistols is how I see it…

This is the church taken from the Plaza..

This pink building is also in the Plaza…It was a built by the Guerra family and was a grocery store downstairs and the family residence upstairs…This plaza was all dirt streets and dust when they filmed Viva Zapata here in the early 1950’s,and the old Plaza had a part in the movie…Sure wish I could have been an extra.

We had a great time roaming through Roma…the historic part. Not that Roma isn’t a fun town (maybe for some), but I prefer this area, where I can visualize the outlaws, caballeros, and the sound of horses hooves as they rode through the plaza…I tried to conjure up Marlon Brando as Emiliano Zapata, but he was resisting my channeling efforts.

This park and fountain is part of the newer part of Roma. It is an oasis of calm in the middle of bedlam..just 2 small blocks from the International Bridge to Mexico..Again, two different worlds colliding here on the border…fascinating stuff.

After a couple hours of wandering around, we picked up our pizza I had pre-ordered on line Friday, and went back to the campgrounds…Even though we had done this “tour” of Roma before, I never tire of the “wild west” old history…I sure hope it remains in tact long enough for our grandkids to see some of it…and try to learn something from it…

Before I forget, I want to welcome Billy Bob to the truck, and have everyone slide to the right, please.. Billy Bob, I love your name…Would you believe my kids had a Cabbage Patch doll we named “Billy Jo JimBob”?? Well, if you read a few more of my blogs you WILL believe it, trust me…OK, EVERYONE IN THE TRUCK….SHIFT!!!!!

“Men of the South! It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.” ~Emiliano Zapata

A Weekly Trip To Civilization..

2012-01-13T16:56:00.001-06:00

In a comment on my last blog, Michael and Dee asked how close we are to civilization. Well, if you count Falcon Heights, population about 50 on a good day, it’s about 2 miles. I would, however, put Roma as the next big center of population at 10,000…and Roma is about 12 miles South on Rt. 83. Roma has a fabulous historic area and I will post about that soon…

Yesterday we did our weekly drive 35 miles to Rio Grande City …Going through Roma on the way we pass the HUGE Roma School complex, just North of town. It is at least 7 years old because it has been there since we have been coming here to camp…

You can’t see much because there is a huge wall around most of it with locked gates . You have to stop and check in at the gate to get anywhere NEAR this place. There is a High School, a Grade School, an outdoor stadium, a big auditorium, and even a golf course. I have to believe that the reason for so much security is the location..it isn’t far from the Rio Grande, maybe one mile…. The mascot here is the Roma Gladiator, and the kids seem really proud of their teams…Not a bad brand new school complex for a town of 10,000, eh?

Above is my very most favorite store in Texas..The H-E-B…PLUS!

The H-E-B stores were started over 100 years ago in the Hill Country of Texas by a family blessed with the last name of Butts…Fortunately, they had the good sense to avoid naming their groceries The Butts Store, Butts Are Us, or Family Butts…I would love to tell you more, but my Internet Explorer is refusing to let me “surf” the net at all right now!! If memory serves, the gentleman who started these stores was named Herbert E. Butts.. , and if I am incorrect, my apologies to all the Butts out there whom I have offended…Regardless of what your name is , sir, you have a mighty fine store!!! Why doesn’t one of the family take their “Butts” to Illinois ?? Just sayin’.

We filled the GMC up on the way back and this is what they were advertising for food..No, we didn’t get any, but we DID get some cheap diesel for $3.66 a gallon..

The left photo is overlooking the W-I-D-E open spaces we see as we turn off Rt. 83 and take the old road to Falcon Heights back to our campground.…Right photo IS Falcon Heights…US Post Office on the right, followed by a little grocery store …I went in there once when I was desperate for Coke…Let me just say it was very small, very dark, and VERY “interesting”…been there, done that.

This morning was my pre-assigned day to do our laundry at the Rec Hall. McGyver went with me this time. They have a TON of wildlife books and photos, so I tried to brush up on some of the critters one can find here in the park..

Will ya just look at all of those books spread out there to wander through?? I will try to remember some of the names of birds I have seen…Yea, yea, I KNOW I’ve seen Orioles, but there are several different kinds….and WHAT are those little green birds fighting with the Orioles for our oranges??? I will find out and report back, playing the role of a good Biology student on a field trip.

Here are a few of the “Wild Things” you could possibly encounter here at Falcon State Park….

..Love Tortoises.. Big Cats …scary! Snakes make me vomit. yep.

THIS IS ABOUT AS “WILD” AS IT GETS FOR MCGYER AND MYSELF…AND WE LIKE IT THAT WAY.

Actually, there are some warm and cuddly things that approach our campsite and have a drink with us…This brave little bunny is betting that all the nasty snakes are still fast asleep underground, so he can roam free and not be “a snake snack” for a few more weeks…Isn’t he cute?? Did I say that I HATE snakes??oh, yea, I did..WELL I STILL DO!

Tomorrow we are going back into Roma…Yes, we are making our second trip this week to “town”..Woopie!..I want to do a little wandering around the old section and refresh my memory of the history…Also, “The town is the scene identified as the burial site of artifacts from the Library at Alexandria in Clive Cussler's novel Treasure. Filming for the 1952 film Viva Zapata!, scripted by John Steinbeck and directed by Elia Kazan, starring Anthony Quinn, and Marlon Brando as Emiliano Zapata, took place in Roma. The film and the city are recurring motifs in Larry McMurtry's 1972 novel All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers, and the book's conclusion takes place in and around Roma.” I know darn well some of you won’t have a clue who Elia Kazan is, but John Steinbeck, Anthony Quinn and Marlon Brando should ring an intellectual bell!

I must admit, history is not our only reason for cruisin’ into Roma..I have an ulterior motive..A large Super Supreme pizza at the Roma Pizza Hut…for $10…and “to go”… Thanks for pointing your mouse at our blog and clicking yet again!!

A strong people is the only way to freedom! ~ Emiliano Zapata

There’s Just Something About The Rio Grande Area We Love.…

2012-01-11T16:33:00.001-06:00

My new camera isn’t behaving properly, but I managed to get a slightly passable photo of the full moon Monday night from our Hiker door…

There was just a slight little film of clouds overhead, which helped make this photo better than it could have been..plus the tops of the low trees didn’t hurt either!…FYI…we are on the verge of sending our camera in for some repair work when we get back…OR…I might just “kick it to the curb” right here!!!!

Yesterday evening I heard some very loud engine noise , so I pulled up our shades (we had them down to keep the sun off the back end where we sit)….Lo and behold was a pretty long fiver trying to get into a “pull through” site from the wrong direction…WHAT THE ----??? He only had his wife for help, (OK, ladies, we’ve ALL been THERE!) and he seemed to be stuck between the trees at the back end and the bushes and wood stakes at the front of the site…After watching his wife put her hands to her head in a frustrated manner, McGyver changed into his cape and body suit (in my dreams) and went out to help..

What a dilemma! HELLO!!..you are suppose to enter a right side “pull through” FROM THE RIGHT SIDE DIRECTION!!!!

It took Dennis, and another gentleman from one of the other sites working with the driver and his wife… and finally, after about 20 minutes , they had him “in the hole”..Den told me he had scuffed the front of his truck a bit, too!! YOUCH!..I couldn’t believe it when we looked out this morning and they were GONE!…All of the for just one night..sheesh!

There is a little bit of color beginning to pop in the desert scrub brush. I took a walk by myself on one of the trails INSIDE the camping circle…Don’t worry, I wouldn’t venture outside of the campground without my trusty scout, McGyver ..and his ability to see over the tops of the brushy prickery stuff.

These twin Yuccas will be getting huge blossoms soon…Right photo is some of the “prickery stuff” I tend to walk into.

I walked up to the Rec Hall to sign up for another ‘bout with the washers and dryers this Friday. It really stinks that they only have 2 of each and we always seem to have 3 loads of laundry…Plus, they don’t open the doors until 8:45AM!..Heck, by then we’ve been awake for almost 3 hours..This makes my imitation of a laundry attendant last until 11AM…I hate being inside on a beautiful day. Ahhh, the smell of softener sheets wafting though the laundry room and how I love fighting to get the damn lint out of those “lint catchers” without leaving huge dust bunnies on the floor…Do you do what I do??…lick your finger and run it around the catcher…. then try to get the wet lint off your finger and into the wastebasket???? LOVE THAT LAUNDRY!

Let me see, which trail goes to the Rec Hall and which goes into the deep and endless brush and prickers??? The formidable “fork in the road”…Never fear, I chose the right one and blazed a trail right up to the main road into the campground…

I am standing on the road directly in front of the Rec Hall. The turn to the right goes into the Hall, and also continues on toward some day use areas and cabins you can rent. Waaaaaay in the distance , do ya see the orange roofed building????Well, that is the gatehouse where you pull though and check in before finding a spot. From the top of that hill you get a great view of Falcon Lake and the bridge to Mexico…

This morning McGuyver and I took a walk on one of the trails that goes around the camp loops and dips almost down to the lake. If you take the trails all the way around the park, it is 3.1 miles. This morning we did about 2 miles.

We noticed some tire tracks along the trail…There are no ATV’s allowed by campers in this park, but the Border Patrol has some and it looked like they occasionally use them here…

McGyver isn’t sure but he suspects the paw print on the right may be a Bobcat..But, keep in mind that he is an OLD scout and might need to brush up on his tracking skills…

While we were walking along the trail, suddenly a huge bird flew up from the ground under a tree right beside us…(I KNEW I should have bought some Depends!)…No kidding, we both jumped a foot. It was some kind of Hawk and he had apparently been having breakfast under a tree when we scared him. I tried to get a photo …GRRRR…but by the time I take the lens cover off and turn the darn thing on, the Hawk was, of course, long gone…#@%*$#@&!!

YOU KNOW I HAD TO POST SOME MORE BIRD PHOTOS…HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SO MUCH COLOR???

Well, it is almost cocktail hour and I have to put some of my world famous rub on my chicken thighs..Wait a minute..Did I really just say that???MY chicken thighs?? I’ve been accused of having Thunder Thighs, but NEVER chicken thighs..At any rate, Chef Dennis is grilling them tonight on our Smokey Joe..Tomorrow is grocery day in Rio Grande City, fighting the WalMart crowds..Thank goodness that all of those lovely Hispanic cashiers speak English, because the only Spanish I know is “much denero” and “gracias..but I suppose that’s all you really need to know when shopping for groceries…

Thanks for tolerating more bird photos…I’m still trying to hogtie the Roadrunner for a close up…AND….. Den saw an Armadillo lumber across the road last night…YES!! MORE FLORA AND FAUNA THAN I COULD EVER DREAM OF!!!

“The desert, when the sun comes up...I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the Earth began.”
~ Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump

A walk AND a facial…AN ADDED BONUS!. Such a deal.

2012-01-09T13:43:00.001-06:00

Right off the bat, I have to say..I KNOW!!! This blog has 2 very different font sizes goin’ on…Chalk it up to Live Writer trying to sabotage my creativity…or…maybe I should change it up now and then, just to see if you notice…At any rate, I am sooooo honked off about it, I am verklempt. I just now noticed that my spacing is off too!!!! Well, isn’t this a fine mess??? I’m too tired to fight it…Read it and weep

One of the things we love about Texas is the fresh fruit…While we are here, we just gotta’ take advantage of the great citrus grown here in the Rio Grande Valley…ONE PROBLEMO…according to the MD powers that be, those of us who have a cholesterol problem, and are taking Simvastatin are NOT to eat grapefruit….SAY WHAT?? It has something to do with how the fruit interferes with an enzyme used to break down Simvastatin in the body….bummer. Sooooo, we got the nextest bestest thing….

ORANGES!!!

All of those wonderful, juicy Texas beauties for only $5..and we didn’t even have to bargain . I am having trouble sharing these with my bird friends, but I reluctantly cut a couple up and set up a buffet. Someone told the Blackbirds there was a smorgasbord at our campsite and I had to chase flocks of those pests away…Not to be deterred, they sit up on the power lines and wait for me to go inside the camper before returning….GRRRR!!

McGyver dumped our tanks this morning while I cleaned inside. Let me just say it’s quite a jaunt down the road, around the corner and up the hill to the dump station. Den DID get a bonus “siting” while coming back from the “dumpster”…He said he saw what looked to be a Bobcat, possibly, go across the road a ways in front of him. It was bigger than a fox and if the old Indian Scout, McGyver, says it was a Bobcat, I’m goin’ with that…They are in this park, as they have photos taken of the elusive felines up at the Rec Hall…

Yesterday was quite moist and foggy in the AM…But, I see it as a way of getting your exercise and a facial all at the same time..The thing I love about the fog down here is that any spider webs (that are virtually invisible) magically appear as delicate works of art, supporting tiny beads of moisture….

I found one of these lacey works of art showing up on our HB feeder on our ladder….

And what appears as a dried up Cactus is, upon closer inspection, holding little drops of water like a thirsty straw.

It took Den and I a while to figure out why no one was taking the site just up the road and across from us..Some people would pull in and pull right back out!!

Well…NOW WE KNOW!

CAN YOU SAY “BENADRYL”????

What we have here, Cowpokes, are “Fire Ant” Condominiums…..Some are hi-rise, 4 bedrooms and some are ranch style one bedroom flats, with quick access to bare feet and legs…Trust me, I’ve inadvertently strolled through one of their neighborhoods…The word “misery” comes to mind.

McGuyver and I have decided to stay here until Jan. 30th, which means at the end of this week (our 2 week stint) we will extend for 2 more weeks…We love the weather and the fact that you NEVER know what you will see, and I mean human, animal or vegetable. After that we will be in Goose Island State Park for 2 weeks and then on to Goliad for 2 more weeks..two of our State Park “favs”. That will take us through February and then we gotta’ get our ducks in a row for March, too. March brings out the local Texans for Spring Break ,and most weekends are booked up way ahead. I have no problem..after all these are THEIR parks, but a smart Winter Texan needs to get reservations ASAP for March…or…find lots of very tolerant Wal Marts to park in.

Got me some turkey chili in the crockpot..This consists of cooked ground turkey and onion, garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans, Roitel tomatoes and green chilies, cumin, chili powder, tomato sauce….And… lots of Rolaids and air freshener for the following morning!!!

So, as I ride (on my bike) off into the Texas sunset, I want to thank you all for not snoring through this blog and scaring my birds…They are scared enough when I walk out our Hiker door at 4PM in one of my very seductive and stylish evening ensembles!

“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart.”
― Erma Bombeck

A Blog is just a Diary, made public….so…..

2012-01-07T17:35:00.001-06:00

Dear Diary…Thursday we drove into Rio Grande City and did our shopping. You have to go through the town of Roma on the way. Roma has some very historic buildings, but you miss some of the historic parts on the highway. Here is one old building on the main drag, and I will post some photos of “Historic Roma” later .

Left pic, a very old building on the corner…Right is the street taking you to the “bridge to Mexico”…

There is a brand new International Bridge to Mexico in Roma, taking the place of a very old worn out one…

Left is the old bridge.. In the photo on the right, you can see the old one , left, next to the new one, right. We walked across the bridge into Roma once, and ONLY once, on our first trip here in 2006.…We were the only Gringos over there, and looked it… in our white sneaker, shorts, spiffy polo shirts and cameras around our necks. Talk about feeling like all eyes were on you!! We walked up one block on one side of the street, crossed and walked right back to the bridge to the US …What a couple of dumb asses..Lucky we didn’t get rolled.!!

The Rio Grande is VERY narrow here in Roma…swimmable if you are desperate…or just wanting to spend some time getting to know the local Border Police…

The town of Rio Grande City has an old section you have to drive to on your way to the big box stores…There are some very old buildings here..

Yesterday was laundry day, so I loaded the backset full of OUR “dirty laundry”, and took the truck up to the Recreation Hall, armed with Spray and Wash, Wisk, Softner Sheets, coffee cup and Harry Potter book..Sorry about having to make an already crowded back seat worse, but somehow you all managed to make the ride without killing each other..yet.

They have 2 washers and 2 dryers…and I had 3 loads…hmmm. You have to sign up ahead of time, which I had done, and each load is $1.50. They use the honor system to pay, which consists of a padlocked box on the wall with a little slot in it…If you don’t have the correct change, I guess you’re screwed.

Our weather has been just divine this week, and we have had a couple great sunsets…

I took this sunset from the empty site across from ours… just had to get a photo of the Cave Dwellings. The birds are everywhere here, but I had been bitching (no, REALLY?) because I hadn’t seen any Javelina or Roadrunners yet…I love spotting them both, but the wild pigs do scare me… and they smell terrible..The Roadrunners I REALLY LOVE, because they are so cute…AND…they dine on snakes.. Well, yesterday evening I was sitting outside reading and heard some rustling of branches…Lo and behold…

“Yeah, your Mama’s a PIG!!”..(He actually made me very nervous)…and then the rest of the “herd” walked through our backyard…YIKES!!!..REINFORCEMENTS! ALL I ASKED FOR WAS ONE!!!! I wasn’t too sure if I should move or not..Then, the big one yawned and displayed some pretty scary tusk like teeth and I nearly wet myself. They, however, were not impressed, and apparently had better things to do, like scare a few more tourists. They continued on and left through the underbrush..

I got my other wish yesterday too..but he was in a hurry and didn’t stay long…

HEY, DUDE, COME BACK!!! YOU DIDN’T DO A COMPLETE SWEEP OF OUR CAMPSITE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ENTRÉE!! Oh, he will be back, rest assured…I hope.

This is Mr. Warbler..I don’t know his first name yet, it’s a big family..but he likes oranges, isn’t fond of sitting for a photo…and likes to give me his backside.

The Mockingbirds are everywhere, copying every other bird’s unique call and making it their own..They have a regular repertoire of songs, from Green Jay to Cardinal…better imitations than Rich Little..( I DARE you to remember who that is!)

We are sooo enjoying our stay here and hope to extend it 2 more weeks this weekend…that would make it a total of one month here, and that’s about as long as we light in one place. We hear the Coyotes here every evening and sometimes they wake me up in the night..Don’t get me wrong..I LOVE that sound..it’s soooo lonesome and sad sounding . One Coyote usually starts with a solo, and then the others join in the choir…YOWWWWWWLING into right into the dawn.

By the way, I have changed up my evening wear ensembles to accomodate the warm weather…My black fleece cardigan has given way to a very lovely little number ..my rose print nightshirt…And my Tweety Bird flannel pants are on the shelf, and OFF the shelf came my gray lightweight pants ala Goodwill Store…Did you notice my Disney Xmas mug has been replace by an “I LOVE COUNTRY MUSIC” one???…AND I DO LOVE COUNTRY MUSIC.

So, thanks for reading my diary, and for following the Crazy Caves as they try not to embarrass themselves along the route…Sometimes it’s hard not to look the idiot..Wait..I just looked at my photo and know full well that I cannot possibly NOT look the idiot in THAT outfit! Oh, well..it’s cocktail hour and I am now dressed for the occasion…

“Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos. Before a brilliant person begins something great, they must look foolish in the crowd.”~haven’t a clue.

We are on the Texas Coastal Birding Trail….OOOOOH YES!

2012-01-05T16:20:00.001-06:00

First of all, a big HOWDY Y’ALL to new brave readers Pam and Wayne!! Right now our GMC is a little crowded, but that’s because everyone wants to sit by the window …If y’all aren’t careful, I’ll strap ya into car seats and feed you cheerios like we did our kids…and BE NICE to the new people!!!

Dennis and I finally have our bikes off the rack, so we took a bike ride down around the lakefront here at Falcon Lake. There were quite a few fishing boats out there, but they were staying pretty close to the shoreline. DUH. There is an invisible line between Mexico and the US that would be easy to cross unknowingly. There is still some trouble with the Mexican Pirates stopping fishing boats, but no more shootings of Americans anyway…yet.

That would be Mexico just across the lake..

We rode our bikes up by the boat launch where some of the fishermen were unloading their catch….

As we were leaving, a young Hispanic man was holding his catch up for his friend to take a photo. I commented on the size of the fish and smiled, and he held it up for me to grab a shot…

What you see here is a Large Mouth Bass weighing 8 1/2-9 lbs (so he told me). We had a bit of a communications problem…but I am prett sure he said that his family would like this, saying “we eat good tonight”..Almost makes me want to throw a line in the lake…and in Texas State Parks, you don’t need a fishing license.!!

Monday evening, when Dennis was outside after dark, he heard some helicopter action over the lake…Border Patrol, no doubt..As we sit in front of our computer, we can just make out a “blimp” in the air waaaaay out there..I took a photo, but you have to look hard to see it..That little white dot is the “Big Brother” Border Patrol cameras..always watching…Thank you very much.

This is some kind of high flyin’ camera surveillance being done by the Border Patrol. This blimp like thing was out there 3 years ago when we were last here. It isn’t manned from the air, it’s all done from the ground.

I gotta tell ya, if you don’t like bird photos, we won’t want to read my blog for the next few weeks…It will be a BIRDAPALOOZA.. Here are a few shots I took while sitting outside having coffee yesterday morning.

These 2 Green Jays were thinking they could be Karl Wallenda, and hang from this little feeder. Hey, you two, this is for little “perching” birds, NOT big desparados like you two!!

I believe this is the male Pyrruloxia…(I call these birds the “pyromaniacs” cause it’s easier for me to remember.)

Isn’t this the cutest little bird EVER"?? He is a Black Tufted Titmouse..I think. I’m sure Judy will correct me if I am amiss.

There are some very interesting campers here …To each his own, I always say…yep, travel vehicles take many forms down here.

I’m thinking these folks are still reliving Woodstock and the Magical Mystery Tour…(A few of you will understand).

Above is the Falcon Lake Dam and the bridge to Mexico..That is a Border Patrol tower to the right of the bridge..The photo on the right is a barbed wire fence which marks the boundary of the park..You may be able to see that the wires have been separated many times for someone to climb through..

ME THINKS ITS TIME TO MOSEY ON BACK TO THE CAMPER, DENNIS..PRONTO!!

As you can tell, we spend lots of time outside and NEVER leave the door without our camera. Today we got groceries in Rio Grande City which is about 35 miles from here. At least we don’t have to leave the park for laundry..They have 2 washers and dryers up at the Rec Hall…I’m not too sure there are any Laundromats I would want to wander into in town..just sayin’.

OK,…..long blog….not much talk…probably too many photos…But, Hey, that’s how I’m gonna roll down here..Thanks for hanging on this long and getting to…..THE END!!!

“He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”
~Confucius

Why We LOVE Falcon State Park…

2012-01-03T14:24:00.001-06:00

We are all tucked in here at Falcon State Park. In fact we are in exactly the same site we were in 3 years ago, the last time we were here. The park is not even half full, but we did run into some old friends who have been coming here for years, Harold and Judith Paeltrow from Minnesota.

Here is Harold, waving from their motor home…..He is originally from Germany and also is a gifted wood carver. He carves canes and walking sticks. I ‘ll see if he will let me take a pic of one while we are here….

Here are some of the reasons we love it so much here..

..The sites are all “pull through” and we have a covered picnic table..AND this year they have paved the sites.

Nice roads to drive and bicycle…and we have a large backyard in our site..Great for the wandering Javelina, Roadrunners and deer here. Wish we had a swing set for them to play on..

Sooooo many different birds here…I finally got this female Pyrruloxia to come into the sunshine and pose…

I’ll be you are wondering why we tie WalMart bags on our truck mirrors… Well, these birds here either HATE their reflection, and think there is another bird looking at them in the mirror…or they have a serious ego problem.. Either way, they like to peck at the mirrors and they can scratch them up pretty good!..We thought we had won the “pecking order” contest, however…

…they are finding something else shiny on our GMC to see themselves in…I can’t help it, I do love the nerve of these birds…naughty…hmmmm, maybe because I ‘m just like them?.

This is a photo of a Green Jay. I promise I will get a better one soon. You may be able to see that his head is bright blue and his body is bright green…very tropical looking, and there are quite a few around this year.

(We also spotted a couple Orioles on our walk this morning, but didn’t get a good photo.. This means I will be putting some orange slices in the trees around our site to attract them into my personal “aviary”….LOVE IT HERE!!)

NOT so fond of these huge-ass red ants roaming around outside…That ant on the right pic has a piece of something half his size and is taking somewhere…hopefully somewhere FAR FROM OUR RV!!! (I may have to drag out the ant spray!)…But, even these little darlings cannot damper my excitement for the wonderful wildlife we can see here…AND…

…they have a Butterfly Garden to walk through!! My camera oughta be smokin’ by the time we leave.

Did I mention that our bikes are finally off the rack for the first time on this trip?? Oh, yea, McGyver had to lube them both up..The chains had begun to rust from all the rainy weather we came through, but they are greased up and “ready to ride”…

You may be able to tell that the weather is MUCH better…Temps are to be in the 70’s all week..I may even get a chance to add to my wrinkles (if there is anymore room) by sitting in the sunshine!! I will be posting more pictures soon. I am hoping to get some very different bird shots than my normal boring stuff…

This is the free bridge to Mexico, just 2 miles outside our park entrance. If you look closely, you can barely see the mountains of Mexico in the background.

We won’t be venturing across the border on this trip..no way, no how…

Ok, so we are settled in for at least 2 weeks, and very likely we will stay longer because you can extend your stay more than 2 weeks at this park… Obviously , people aren’t beating down the doors to get in, which is a shame..This is one of our favorite places. Thanks for checking on us. As you can see we are happy as ~~pigs~~ javelina in ~~sh—~~mud.!!

“There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before.” ~Robert Wilson Lynd

Midnight last night …Thought we were being STRAFFED!

2012-01-01T13:22:00.001-06:00

Just a short blog to say Happy New Year to all…We had a great time here the past few days.

We had a beautiful day yesterday…The temp was 75 degrees and sunny. We took our walk in shirt sleeves..WAHOOEY!!

Yup!! We’re Texas all right!! Antlers, a wreath and a brush guard are all the essentials for a Texan’s truck to be decorated for the Holidays!..I just LOVE those brush guards..I think they make a truck look tough, rough and ready…!!

Yesterday afternoon MacGyver and I rode into the big town of Sattler and stopped at the VFW, which was packed with locals. This place is very friendly to us Winter Texans,… a glass of wine and a draft beer will cost you $3.25…and that’s with a frosted mug! We each had 2 drinks, picked up a pizza at Fox’s Den Pizza Place, and headed for the “Hills”. (We left the Hiker at 2:00PM and were back at 4PM..and that includes a 15minute drive each way.)

McGyver and I are just like Superman without the phone booth…We can change from dress up clothes into campfire attire in a matter of seconds…The minute we hit the Hiker door, the good dress- up shirts and jeans came off and the casual evening attire was donned by both of us for a relaxing New Year’s Eve by the campfire. I plugged our I-Tunes into the surround sound, turned it up (playing ONLY country music), and we were in our chairs by the fire at 5PM…We sat outside until 8PM, watched the sun dive into the surrounding lake and hills, and the fireworks began at dusk, about 7PM. We had a few munchies made up..

I KNOW….WOULD YA JUST LOOK AT THE FANCY SERVING CONTAINERS I DUG OUT JUST FOR THIS OCCASION…I ESPECIALLY LOVE THE ZIP LOC SHRIMP BAG WITH THE LOVELY BLUE ZIPS…AND OF COURSE, MY FAVORITE MICKEY MOUSE MUG!!

We went to bed at 9:30PM, watched a little TV, and were snoring by 10PM..until exactly midnight..We were both awakened by what sounded like bombs going off all around us…I peeked out my window (both our windows were open, but mine faces the lake), and the sky was alive with fireworks. I mean HUGEGIMONGOUS displays everywhere on the lake!! This went on for about 1/2 hour…I think every home on the lake had a commercial size package of rockets and boomers, and they sure were having a great time welcoming in the New Year…Y’all sure know how to ring it in down here in Texas!!

This morning we were watching our neighbor across the street, packing up and getting ready to leave..He had his rig hooked on, but he still hadn’t pulled in one of his slides. As we watched (nosy, aren’t we?) he UNhooked his truck and soon had his tool box out and was crawling around under his rig.. It didn’t take McGyver long to end up walking over to see if he could help..

McGyver…offering his expertise to the tires of the fiver ..(the guy was somewhere underneath there). Pretty soon Den walked back in our door and said the apparently the neighbor had fixed the slide with a bolt and the slide was now working. They were initially going to leave this morning for “The Valley”, but when the slide wouldn’t co-operate, they put leaving off until tomorrow…That’s when we are leaving too. In fact, there are quite a few leaving here tomorrow…hmmm..could be a long line at the dump station. We might have to get up extra early so we can be “front row Joe” at the dumper!!

ONE LAST PHOTO

WHAAAAT??….HOSE, LONG BRUSH AND ALL!!!!

I NEED NOT TELL YOU HOW P.O.’d THIS MADE ME..

…NO, I DIDN’T REPORT HIM…BUY MY EVIL TWIN WAS WANTING ME TO!!!

“Reason often makes mistakes but conscience never does.” ~Josh Billings

I JUST CANNOT SEEM TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE!!.

2011-12-30T10:54:00.001-06:00

Our weather is finally getting better here…The campfires have been much more tolerable when not bundled up like a “fasionable” Eskimo.. McGyver is in his glory…

Our Hiker is a real DIRTY site…She hasn’t bathed since October (PEEEEYOU!)..And we have driven some dirty, wet, icky roads in the 6 weeks we’ve been gone. I wanted to give her a bath, but after reading the park rules, (and amazingly, I actually DID read them), I discovered there is NO washing of RV’s or vehicles in the park..OK..I can understand that since the wildfires..I’m sure they are conserving water. Alas, our fiver’s front side was covered with bugs and black streaks, and under her it tongue was caked with dirt..(Checking under the tongue of a fiver is no easy task…Open Wiiiiiide!….BATA BING, BATA BOOM!)..I told Dennis I was going to put some water in a bucket and take my spray bottle of 409 outside…Maybe if I just sprayed and used a scrubby I could clean her up a bit under the tongue and on the front..I started under the tongue and got it pretty clean using minimal cleaners and lots of elbow grease, and I rinsed with a wet rag….NO HOSE WAS INVOLVED IN THE CLEANING OF THIS RV!…This worked so well, I drug out the ladder and began to attack the front end with the same menial tools, except I needed our long handled brush to reach to the top…This was my big mistake, I guess….

I filled the bucket half full with clean hot water from the sink…NO, I CERTAINLY DIDN’T GET OUT THE HOSE!!.. I put a small hand towel over the brush, dipped it in the water and climbed the ladder to see if I could at least loosen the bugs a bit…Just as I was seeing some results, the park Gustapo lady rolled up on her little moped and screamed at me..”I’m sorry, Ma’am, you are NOT allowed to wash your camper in the park!”..My answer was “Ma’am, I have no hose hooked up, I am just getting the bugs off the front..” And her retort was, “Would you like to read the rules?”…OK, now you all know me by now. I CAN be one to stretch the rules, but I figured a spray bottle of 409 , and a wet towel was not wasting any park water. ..I politely yelled back, “I’ve read the rules, and I don’t consider this washing my whole camper, I’m just cleaning the bugs and dirt off the front!!”…She just shook her head no, and started to drive off..I couldn’t resist the last word, so I ~~said~~ shouted at her as she zoomed away, “I just have a spray bottle!!!!”… What I wanted to say was #^@!*##@!!!!!

So, with 1/2 of the front looking somewhat better, I begrudgingly put my SPRAY BOTTLE away, and mumbled to myself the whole time. “And,where was McGyver?”, you ask…Actually, he came out earlier and offered to help me reach the top, but I said I could do it, so he went back inside. I KNEW I should have allowed him to help..He could have been the recipient of the abuse I received from Moped Park Cop.! I did keep the ladder out, (partly just to antagonize) and washed the Hiker windows with a SPRAY BOTTLE of Windex. All the time, I was whispering to myself, “Just let her come and tell me to quit washing my window…then there WILL be a problem!) ..Hmmm, did I remember to bring my bail bondsman card?”..Better yet, what would our son-in-saw, Detective Heiser, say??

“WANTED”

…RULE BREAKER AND ABUSER OF GOOD FASHION TASTE..

Above, is our view looking East, out McGyver’s back window, the other is looking West out my side window this morning..

Yesterday we took the drive to do laundry and get groceries…Rt 306 into New Braunfels is very a very hilly and pretty drive..You might notice that I also managed to wash our truck windshield yesterday, pushing the envelope even further..

Above, left picture is the Canyon Lake Dam. We drive by it on the way to Sattler to do laundry…

Middle photo is another RV park along Rt. 306. There are lots of huge rocks from the hills around here…

This is a photo of some of the condos built up on the hillside around Canyon Lake..The view of the lake from the balconies must be fabulous!!

(No, that’s not a comet in the sky..That’s a streaky “windshield meteor”)

I have been having an issue with our stove light, or lack thereof, since we got the Hiker. It is so dim, I can hardly see to cook..(That has been my excuse, anyway.)..Well, yesterday, McGyver and I stopped at Camping World and he picked up a new light with mucho more illumination. And after some swearing about not being able to remove the range hood to attach it ,( and some superior flashlight holding from MOI),…..

TRA DA!!……Charlie Alpha Victor Edward niner one zero, cleared for landing on runway one three....10-4.

Well, we have decided that when we leave here Monday AM, we will program “Carleton”, the GPS, for Falcon State Park, North of Roma, TX. Yes, we know…they have had big trouble (AK-47 killing, for one) on the lake there, concerning the drug cartels. After some online safety checking,we found that the park is still busy and security is good. The worrisome part is for the fishermen, who stray on the Mexico side of Falcon Lake. This is too bad, because this is a big Bass lake and they even have had fishing tournaments. Well, McGyver and I won’t be fishing any time soon. And, as it is anywhere near a border town, everyone is encouraged to be very cognoscente of your surroundings and stay away from certain areas.(.not unlike going into Chicago…!)..

We haven't’ been there in 3 years, and know for a fact the weather is always much warmer in that area. They are still under a burn ban, but they usually are…At least I can sit outside during cocktail hour in my “Spring like” ensembles and enjoy the Green Jays, Wild Javelina, (no, those are NOT cocktails, they are hogs and birds! Thank you, Judy) and the occasional Roadrunner visiting our campsite..Maybe I can even wash my Hiker…

I must say, we have had a few very strange “characters” wandering through our campsite here!! But, then..I should be the last one to comment on “characters”!! Thanks for following THIS one!!

“It is a good idea to obey all the rules when you're young just so you'll have the strength to break them when you're old.” ~ Mark Twain

Finally!! Some sunshine this week.

2011-12-26T17:17:00.001-06:00

OK, got my Xmas decorations down..which took all of 5 minutes, much different than when we are home! Christmas night, I concocted up some kabobs for MacGyver to grill for our dinner…and they were so yummy! Usually I put some potato chunks in them, but this time we just had some rice..

I’m going to pull a few photos from my “vault” for most of this blog..Turns out we haven’t exactly been burning up the social scene here lately. It seems this long period of rainy, gloomy days has managed to take it’s toll on my Xmas spirit. We have been away from home for about 5 of the last 7 Christmas seasons, but this one really depressed me. The sun finally showed up yesterday afternoon. I am now a firm believer in how gloomy days can affect your state of “well being.” I was beginning to trip over my bottom lip. (and watching all those tear-jerking Christmas movies didn’t help..boy was THAT a dumb idea.) But…it’s on to the New Year now…and I’m lovin’ this sunny, warmer week forecast!!

Den and I took our walk this AM in our winter coats,… yet one more time. We ended up by the entrance and checked to make sure our extension was approved…I was hoping no one had complained about the crazy lady residing in site #13, the one with the nasty and offensive campfire attire. Apparently no one did, and we had been approved to pay our $84 and stay one more week.

This place has lots of neat places to see….The deer are all over in our side of the campground this year because they are being hunted on the other side of the park. MacGyver and I are not sure exactly WHAT they are being hunted WITH?? We haven’t heard ONE gunshot since we arrived…Either they are bow hunting…or using poison dart guns…

Above pics were taken here at Potter’s Creek in the Spring. You better have a reservation if you hope to be camping here in the month of March…This place is full of families on Spring vacation, towing their own BBQ pits behind them…I’m trying to get MacGyver to build us one like in the middle photo…I just know he could do it!

The local ranchers decorate their entry gates for Xmas each year…and the Guadalupe River runs all the way from Canyon Lake to New Braunfels. Sometimes we drive down what is called the River Road on our way to get groceries…What a fabulous drive that is…a great tubing spot in the summer….New Braunfels is home of the famous water park, The Schlitterbahn . Kinda sounds like a German swear word to me…OH SCHLITTERBAHN!..WHAT THE SCHLITTERBAHN?..THAT ROTTEN LITTLE SCHLITTERBAHN!

That photo on the right is a house on the opposite side of the Guadalupe River…all 3 stories of it..and yes, that IS a copper roof you see on top. That top story of this place is worth as much as our whole house back in Illinois..No, wait..make that 3 times as much, these days. One thing we have noticed here in Texas, is that the recession hasn’t seemed to have hit here..not like elsewhere in the US..Here in Texas, they are building commercial buildings, new homes… and repairing roads and Interstates like lemmings being led to the sea…

OK…You can get wake up and get your drueling heads off the keyboard now. I am done transferring my need for mental therapy on my poor followers and fellow bloggers…I must thank you for your patience…I hope I didn’t pull you into the abyss I was stuck in…I, myself, am feeling much better…OOPS!..I think I neglected to thank Page, a new follower who somehow got caught under the crowd in the back seat of our GMC….After this blog, she might just want to jump out the window…!!!

“Weather forecast for tonight: Dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning.”

~ George Carlin (The Hippy Dippy Weatherman)

Merry Christmas from the Caves….

2011-12-25T11:49:00.001-06:00

Just a quick Christmas note…What does it take to complete a Christmas Eve ensemble for MOI??..

A FEW TRINKETS OF BLING….

…….THE MAKINGS FOR A BRANDY MANHATTAN (JUST ONE, FOR ME, PLEASE)..BUT MAKE IT SWEET…

..AND….HERE YOU HAVE IT…MY XMAS EVE ENSEMBLE

MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL…(AND DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME, YOUR KIDS WILL KILL YA!)

Holidays in the Texas Hill Country…YEEEEE HAW!

2011-12-23T11:27:00.001-06:00

I first would like to say “Howdy, Y’all” to our new followers Michael and Dee . Climb into the back seat of our GMC..Yes, I know it’s dirty..I intend to clean it up next week, IF it warms up…OK, everyone…SHIFT, and make room for them..and no fighting!!!

OK, I think the rain is almost over..Well, the key word here is ALMOST. It rained all Wednesday night, but Thursday dawned with a beautiful sunrise over the Hill Country of Texas..

…and the promise of a lovely, sunny day. Thank you , Jesus…and Happy Birthday, by the way.

We did the laundry in Sattler, and got some groceries in New Braunfels, which is becoming a Thursday ritual. MacGyver is a huge help with the laundry, and does NOT subscribe to the “real men don’t do laundry” adage. He helps by changing paper into coin, sort of like Rumplestiltskin. He also operates the dryers, which have been known to gobble up coins and NOT work, resulting in having to move the whole wet load into another dryer…MacGyver does this for me.. Keep in mind that at any moment, a Laundromat dryer can cop an “attitude” and refuse to dry your clothes, or..just eat them entirely.

Last night it was so nice, we had the Hiker door open and played our Christmas Carols by the campfire again. The sun was setting magically and cast long shadows on the open field in front of us..

The setting sun shone on the homes up on the hill overlooking Canyon Lake…Pretty nice real estate. Cave Dwellers would have to rob a bank to live here in sticks and bricks, but we can talk our way into Potter’s Creek for lots less $$ with the same view, albeit temporarily!!

As the sun ~~dived…dove~~…set into the Live Oaks, and darkness wrapped around the RV’s, you could hear our Christmas music softly playing, being enhanced by the lake as only water can do to sound. I was wearing one of my favorite ensembles, complete with polka dot purple socks, sweats, Moon and Stars nightshirt, Lighthouse fleece, black fuzzy jacket and crocks…Oscar de la Renta eat your heart out! (You know damn well I had to look up THAT spelling)…I’ll bet he doesn’t have a 2006 Disney Xmas mug, either!

The picture on the right?? My Goodwill Store candle décor. This charming little “brandy snifter” is the perfect match for my ambiance of the evening. “What are the colored little circles?,” you ask?…Why, they are different colored marbles, embedded all around it with some kind of decoupage…So, for those of you wondering what happened to my “lost marbles”…now you have your answer…and, NO, I did NOT make this.

Here is what it looks like with the flash on…My contribution to the centerpiece was the pinecone branches confiscated from Sam Houston National Forest…HEY!! I ONLY TOOK 2 SMALL BRANCHES, OK??

After such a lovely evening, we woke up to 38 degrees and a cold wind….A different outfit for walking this AM…

There’s more…Tomorrow we have an 80% chance of rain…OK, Donna, shake it off!! It’s Xmas Eve, doggone it, so suck it up and get festive. After all, you have Skype to see the grandkids, you have a very nice “fireplace” in the Hiker, and a sweet little Xmas tree..Your Xmas Carols are on you I-Tunes for your enjoyment, your stockings are hung, you have a pine scented candle and you DVR’d the movie Christmas Vacation…(Not to mention the huge shrimp waiting to be Xmas Eve dinner)…PLUS ,( and this IS a plus), you will be closer to the cocktails for cocktail hour if you have to be inside …

At this time I would like to thank you all for this great year in Blogland, and for being brave enough to jump in the GMC with us..The Cave Dwellers wish you and yours ALL a blessed Christmas at this very special time…

“I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.”

~From the song, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD….

Songwriters: GEORGE DAVID WEISS, GEORGE DOUGLAS, BOB THIELE

We’ll be here until next year!

2011-12-20T12:58:00.001-06:00

We have made the decision to stay here at Potter’s Creek until Jan 2, 2012. The main reason being.. our mail. Our trip this year has our mail somehow NOT falling in the correct timeframe for us to be staying in one place to get it! We have a good friend back in Sandwich pick up our mail,( which is on hold at the post office), every 3 weeks or so. Then she sends it to us General Delivery to the PO where we are at.. in prepaid envelopes. What with the snail speed of mail over the holiday, we were thinking we may as well PLAN to stay here to receive it. Got that?…very complicated this mail thing. Mostly, MacGyver handles it and I just nod yes…works for me.

Well, our lake view has returned. As we suspected, our tenters next door were just here for the weekend, and left Sunday. We woke up Monday (the “to da dump” day for MacGyver), and this was our weather out our back window.

OK, so dumping the tanks was going to take place between the raindrops..

I know darn well the Dennis doesn’t realize just how many pictures I get of him when he isn’t looking…Yesterday, I snuck this one out our window…For those poor souls who have been the “dumpers” in the rain , I feel your pain…but not enough to get involved.

Monday morning was better…still cloudy, but the rain had quit..and we were able to get a walk in.

Actually Monday evening was darn nice out…We had our cocktail hour by a campfire…

…complete with Christmas Carols on I-Tunes, and the surround sound playing out the OPEN door of the Hiker…And….

…….A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET!!!!!FINALLY!

This morning we awoke to sunshine…Tra Da!..It was windy, and the temp was about 47 degrees at 8AM, but it warmed up nicely to 56 degrees before we took our walk…

Just look at that blue sky, would ya??…Oh, and just who are these guys?? The Three Stooges??

NO, THIS ISN’T “THE END”….and I’m very sure Judy told me last year exactly what kind of ducks these are…but, in the true form of Dementia Donna, I have forgotten…Ohhhhhh Juuuuuudy….????

I tried to get a better photo of this dude, but he apparently was offended by the “stooges” comment and gave me the “butt end” of the joke…They are pretty weird, strange looking ducks…until they fly..Then their wings have beautiful white feathers on them as they open up..I am trying to get a picture of them in flight, but now that I’ve insulted them, I probably won’t be allowed that luxury. Maybe I could waddle up and apologize..Hey, I could do that..I have my waddle down to a Fine Art!!

Today I have been having a real time getting this “Live Writer” to liven up!!…It is just about as slow and I can tolerate without throwing the whole thing through our window…GRRRR….Sometimes, I have to wait for “Dead Writer” to catch up to my typing…and my brain isn’t that fast, so Mr. Writer man is really slow today!

Since we will be here over Christmas, and now New Year’s , I need to get some stuff to make a couple “horse dervers” for Mac and I to “munch in” the New Year…Pretty soon, the Christmas tree will come down and the camper will seem quite gloomy until I adjust…I love glitz and twinkle lights…guess you’d never know it by my “ensembles”,eh?? I need to look for some stripe socks and happy pants with some BLING!!

“I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn't itch.” ~Gilda Radner

(I have the feeling Gilda and I would have been great friends.)

Bandera, TX..One of our new “favs” in Texas…

2011-12-18T10:39:00.001-06:00

I’d like to give a big “YEEHAW!” to Alan and Connie for jumping into our GMC and riding along. The back seat is a little more comfy since MacGuyver cleaned out his stash, but you still may have to fight for a window seat…

Friday nite, about 10PM, we heard some noise in the vacant spot next to us, complete with music, dogs barking, and flashlights. Yep, we were getting new neighbors….They worked on setting up, then partied till 2AM…that’s when I fell asleep. I awakened at 4AM when they were apparently making breakfast outside. I peered out my bedroom window , but couldn’t see much..Yes, I know..I am becoming Gladys Cravitz. Saturday morning when we raised our day/night shades, we found this…

Well, there goes our lake view….I’m thinking this huge tarp is a wind block, or else they didn’t want to look at our Hiker. That’s OK…the feeling is mutual. But…our sunset view over the lake (when there IS one) is pretty much non-existent. We can only hope they are just here for the weekend and we will get our lakefront property back soon.

Yesterday, Den and I took an hour and 1/2 ride over to Bandera, Texas. We got there about 12:30PM, just about a half hour before the “gunfight” was to begin. I guess you need to schedule those things now days, there are so many…

This took place at Heritage Park, right across from the courthouse. Before the shootin’ started, we all got a lecture in gun safety. These players are local people who do this every Saturday at 1PM and 3PM…and let me just say, when the gunfights start, it’s loud!..These are real guns, cowpokes!!

..This was sooooo much fun…After the smoke cleared, and the “bodies” were revived, we got a few photos of the participants without guns drawn…

That character in the left photo,the one with suspenders and beard, reminded me of Gabby Hayes..If any of you remember who that was, you are older than dirt, just like us.

…Some people in the audience had no shame and became Cowboy “groupies” who insisted on a photo with some of the shooters>>>…I gotta get this one framed!!

After so much “violence”, we needed a drink. So we walked the block around behind Main St. to the much acclaimed 11th St. Cowboy Bar. The 11th Street Cowboy Bar has been featured in Life Magazine, The Oprah Show, Texas Highways, Texas Monthly, Texas Co-op Power (July 2006), USA Today, Southern Living, the Houston Chronicle, Hill Country Happenings, the Hill Country Sun (July 2006), the San Antonio Express-News, area radio stations and many more national publications and outlets as a must-see destination in Texas.

This place has the look of a real OLD bar. What you cannot see from this photo is the huge dancehall, stage and seating to the rear of it…Of course, MacGuyver and I had to go in and check this place out…making sure it was up to fire codes…yea, right.

Yep, those are all bras hanging from the ceiling. That is the first thing you notice when you walk in the door…I told the lady barkeep that I could put mine in a shot glass for posterity..it would fit. She could identify, and laughed with me..

There is a little bar,in the original building, but when you walk through that, you to get to the big dance hall in the rear…

...OK, this place is good for fire codes…I checked for myself….Couldn’t find anyone to polish my sneakers, though.

We had our cocktail there and headed back down to Main St.,where we heard there was yet another old bar..in the basement of one of the buildings…

We were told by the bartender at 11th St. Bar to just look for the red door and go down the steps…to Arkey Blue's Silver Dollar Saloon Boy, we were in for a treat..This bar was supposedly won in a poker game by Arkey Blue, a local singer. It has had the likes of Hank Williams, Sr. and Willie Nelson singing there..or drinking there…Soooo much history for me to channel!! We opened the red door and were transported to another time, and they were having a jam session !! YEE HAW AND GET ALONG LITTLE DOGGIES!

…Complete with sawdust on the dance floor, billiard table, a real wood burning fireplace and a picture of Arkey Blue hanging over it. (Who the Hell he is, I have no clue, but the folks in Bandera know of him!)

There weren’t many folks in there..could have been because it was only 2:30PM…OK, we are early partiers! You might notice one of the more “unsavory” characters seated at the far table in a baseball cap.

These musicians were just locals, jammin’ it up country style, and MacGuyver and I could have spent all day…but we had to stay straight to make the long drive back to Canyon Lake….

I just gotta say that we will make another trip to Bandera some day…but find a closer place to stay so we can enjoy it more…The whole trip was well worth it, and you don’t have to have a beer to go in and enjoy some great country music that will make you tap your toe all the way home!!

“Country music is three chords and the truth.” ~ Harlan Howard

This park is a regular stop for us “Winter Texans”…

2011-12-15T16:47:00.001-06:00

We just read Al’s blog..My dear friend, I have had 5 kidney stones starting at age 18…One had to be surgically removed, 2 had to be “blasted” like yours, one had to be “grabbed” with a nasty device..I won’t go into the details..other I passed..Hang in there!! I sooooo feel your pain…it is debilitating!!

Yesterday was rainy, but warm…NO COMPLAINTS!..I dug out a few more scenic photos of this campground…ones where the sun was shining from a few years ago. The sun is hiding out somewhere, no one has seen it in days.

This picture was taken in Dec. of ‘05..That is our friend, Ronae, sitting outside their Hiker watching the deer. We were parked next to them in our Cougar…That Hiker of theirs is the reason we ended up with ours..Hard to believe that was 6 years ago.

Christmas Eve, 2005. We had luminaries all around our campsite. I made the luminaries, and they consisted of white paper bags with sand in them, then a votive candle was put in the sand , light the candles and…walla!..If we tried that now we would be inside the Fire Marshal’s jail cell looking out..but it was allowed back then. Back in Sandwich, all of the homes on Center St. (ours included) use to put out these luminaries on Xmas Eve and lit up the whole street…

This photo on the right was taken Christmas Eve, 2006…still allowing the nutsy Illinois Winter Texans to have their traditional luminaries…and this was the last time we got away with it, or even TRIED …There wasn’t a drought like they have had here lately…AND, another new rule… You cannot feed the deer anymore at this park. Everyone has to sign a paper promising they wouldn’t drag out the deer corn… I do understand the dilemma of feeding wildlife though…The deer still come around, but WE DON’T FEED THEM..I PROMISE!!

Above photo was taken Jan., 2008…our first year bringing the Hiker down here. The bucks were vieing for the affections of the “ladies”… It just happened to be rutting season…for the deer only! I didn’t notice any “ dating action” to prove it, but the Does all had on lipstick and their nails were painted…… …well..maybe not.

…Dec., 2008..weather was nicer, as you can see..Oh my!..I still have this outfit…in fact I wore it to have cocktails with our friends Monday nite…I really need to update my wardrobe..maybe with some bright yellow or puce colors???

Yesterday afternoon, Wayne and Ronae stopped by for a cocktail. We sat outside on our picnic table, which was still soaked from the constant rain we had all day..Luckily it finally stopped…temporarily. They are leaving Saturday AM for Arizona, so we wanted to see them a couple more times before they left… Our dinner that night was our cross cut ribs that MacGyver grilled. I cut each one in half, marinated them in my special recipe…and they were sooooo yummy!

So, this AM when we got up it was pouring outside…This photo below was taken at 7:45AM this morning..

Notice how gray it was outside…This was quite unfortunate, because we had to go 15 miles into Sattler to do laundry, then another 25 miles to New Braunfels for groceries. We do this to save 2 trips to town and also save us some diesel fuel. I have to say that the cheapest diesel here was $3.65 a gallon. (Isn’t it amazing what we call CHEAP now, compared to a few years ago .)

Laundry…ahhhh, yes..What can I say about Laundromats that is a positive comment?? Today, nothing. Half the dryers had “out of order” signs and one of the others we used SHOULD HAVE! Forty-five minutes of drying, and here is what I have hanging in my bedroom with our little heater running.

OUR WEATHER HERE IS SO SATURATED I HAD TO SET UP OUR LITTLE HEATER AND SHUT THE BEDROOM DOOR TO DRY THINGS…IT LOOKS LIKE A CHINESE LAUNDRY, EH?

Well, the first chance of seeing any sunshine here is Monday. We are still planning to go into Bandera Saturday for “Cowboys On Main”. I guess they have a gunfight, horses and real Cowboys riding through Main St. I really don’t want this trip to turn into wet “Cowpies”on Main. I will let ya know if we had to dodge piles and rent a canoe to float into the saloons…

“ALWAYS DRINK UPSTREAM FROM THE HERD” ~Will Rogers

The Heart of Texas Hill Country

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Yesterday we drove 215 miles from Sam Houston National Forest to Canyon Lake, TX and arrived at Potter’s Creek Campground about 12:30PM. Sunday night before we left, the moon was just past full and came up hazy and bright amid the tall pines..

Our drive yesterday was mostly back roads, and we came through the East side of Bastrop, Texas on the way. This was where they had the terrible wildfires in September, destroying over 1300 homes. The charred remains of trees and burned brush are still evident along the drive for at least 10 miles….very sobering.

We were breezing along, guided by our trusty GPS with an irritating male voice (whom I have named Carlton) chirping in our ear. ( Just for backup I ALWAYS have the Atlas laying in my lap, open..just in case Carlton goes berserk and loses his way.) We were getting into familiar territory, following Rt 12 going through San Marcos and connecting with Rt. 32 to Canyon Lake. Suddenly there was road construction…and a stop sign where there never was before…like being in the twilight zone…Do we turn right toward Wimberly, or turn left to the South?? Just when you needed Carlton the most..he was as silent as a church mouse. So…I made the call..”I HAVE NO IDEA!!”. By now, we had traffic backing up behind us and were already in the left turn lane, so… turn left we did. The minute we turned, Carlton woke up and blurted out “turn around when possible”…Thanks Carlton.#@!>^##@!! Dennis found a place to do a “youee”, which is no easy task in a 30’ fiver, and we were once again heading the right direction. We only had to do one more turn around before we got to Rt. 32 and finally found ourselves back on familiar roads, making it safe and sound to Potter’s Creek.. Unscathed, but surrounded by lots of blue air inside the GMC.

At this time I need to welcome Arkie38 to the back seat of the truck. There should be more room for y’all back there now, as MacGyver has managed to “clear up” a couple cases of Busch Lite along the way.

We have friends staying here that we haven’t seen in 2 years. We met Wayne and Ronae Sele here at Potter’s Creek when we had our Cougar, in 2005. We were parked next to each other, and they had a Hitch Hiker then. We liked the way it was built…BETTER than our Cougar,.. just sayin’. They hail from Minnesota (ya hey dere), and Ronae says she noticed my stylish campfire outfits immediately. A few years ago they sold their home and are now full-timers…Also they have a lovely new fiver, a 34’ Grand Junction, 4 slides and a fireplace…

Of course, we had to have cocktail hour with them in their new rig last night. I dug out my Tweety Bird happy pants and striped socks for the occasion…didn’t want to disappoint them. No pictures..I forgot my camera because my hands were full, carrying my bottle of Rum, my Diet Dr. Thunder, and my Mickey Mouse Disneyworld cocktail cup…I just gotta say right here…I LOVE THE LAYOUT OF THEIR NEW RIG!!

This morning we woke up to a heavy fog over Canyon Lake.., but then, I wake up in a fog every morning. BOTTA BING, BOTTA BOOM!!

WHERE DID THE LAKE GO?? IT WAS THERE WHEN WE HIT THE SACK LAST NIGHT…TOO MANY “MICKEYS”, PERHAPS???

MacGyver has checked the weather for the next 2 weeks and they only show ONE day of sunshine…This is really going to make it a gloomy stay if they are right. Could be a real test of the 42 year marriage…I can see the headlines.. “Woman dressed in tweety bird jammies, wearing striped socks, charged in battery of her husband at Potter’s Creek, when he called her a walking “Loony Toon”..

We took our walk this morning and when I came back I looked like I had been in a sauna for an hour, dripping, but without the sweaty weight loss. The temp is a balmy 58 degrees, though, so I should just shut up. I could be back in Illinois, dressed like Nanook of the North, shoveling snow for the winter..BEEN THERE, DONE THAT…LAST YEAR!!

Above is our spot until Dec.26th.. I’m sure the Texans are loving this moisture, God knows they sure have needed it.

Thursday we are venturing into the town of Sattler to do laundry, and then on to Camping World in New Braunfels to see if we can find a new ball seal for our toilet,( plus drool all over the new models of RV’s .) Actually, I like Al and Kelly's idea of the raised throne….very “uplifting” idea. I also have the wild idea of going to Bandera, TX this weekend, Cowboy Capital of the World.. I wants to see me some REAL cowboys!!! STAY TUNED!!

“There's a time in a Mans Life when he needs to Cowboy Up and Ride” ~unknown Cowboy