Estero Llano Grande State Park

We had quite a bit of rain and cloudy weather Tuesday and Wednesday. Kevin and I ventured out for a walk Wednesday afternoon around Green Gate Grove retirement community across the road from us. Everyone owns their own lot in this development. There is a combination of small homes, park models and RVs on pads. It looked okay, but we’re in no way ready to settle down anywhere.

We did see a few interesting things while walking their streets. It seems the cheese heads are well represented in the Rio Grande Valley.

I had no idea poinsettias could get this big!

I spotted this Golden Fronted Woodpecker in one of the palm trees.

One of the activities offered at our park is a Bird Walk every Thursday morning. Kevin had no interest in going, so I signed up and tagged along with the group today. They went to Estero Llano Grande State Park near Weslaco, Texas, about a forty minute drive.

Let me tell you, these birders take their hobby seriously. I had no idea that I’d be gone six hours. I did have a good time and saw lots of birds I’ve never seen before, and it was a gorgeous day to be outside. I do not plan to become a birder or have a bird life list. I do enjoy seeing some of the larger and unique looking birds. Here is just a sample of what I saw today.

Altamira Oriole – the largest oriole in North America, so beautiful!

Anhinga – they don’t have the oils on their wings that other birds have so they have to spread their wings to dry them.

Little Blue Heron – I didn’t know there was a Great Blue Heron and a Little Blue Heron.

Buff-bellied Hummingbird.

Northern Mockingbird.

Northern Shoveler. I like this picture with the reflection in the water.

Neotropic Cormorant and Alligator. I didn’t know they have alligators in Texas! Doesn’t he look like we just want to jump and gulp that bird right down.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron.

We saw lots of turtles sunning themselves. Do you see the turtle on the back of his buddy?

There were many others, but I don’t have the type of camera many of these birders have. Mine is just a point and shoot. By the end of the walk, I had definitely had my fill of birds for the day. Or, so I thought.

Shortly after we got back, the green parakeets were back. I’ve been told that I was given incorrect information earlier in the week. Apparently, these are not green parrots, but green parakeets. I looked it up online, and it seems a parakeet is just a small parrot. So, I’m not sure which is right, but I’ll call them parakeets from now on.

The sky today was a pretty blue and the green parakeets looked so awesome against that blue sky. I had a great time watching them fly around. Here are a few more pictures with the blue sky this time.

I love these guys!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Green Parrots

The weather was sunny and in the 60s on Monday morning, a great day for a bike ride. I had read there was a bike trail and birding center a few miles south of us.

We rode about two miles south and that put us pretty close to the Mexican border. We found the bird center, but didn’t want to pay the $5 per person entry fee to ride on their bike trail. We’ve found that most of the time when we pay at these types of places, we end up not seeing anything.

We rode our bikes along a dirt road next to a canal. There was another dirt road on the other side of the canal, and we saw Border Patrol vehicles driving up there.

We saw some butterflies and one Great Blue Heron along the canal. The heron was very shy. Every time I tried to get near to him to take a picture, he would fly away. He was absolutely beautiful in flight, but I couldn’t get a picture of him flying. I did manage to capture him as he was hiding in some tall grass and bushes. He’s right in the middle. If you click on the picture, you can get a bigger view.

We turned around and Kevin found a sign for the bike trail. It was on the other side of the road so we headed back the way we had come. We passed a couple of RV parks and rode in to take a look.

At Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort there was a group of people taking pictures of this amazing Coopers Hawk. He was just sitting there posing for pictures. I couldn’t believe how close people got to him without bothering him one bit. It really helps that we are in the birding center of Texas. Just ask anyone around, and they can tell you the type of bird you are looking at :)

Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort is a beautiful resort. They were awarded National Park of the Year in the medium category by the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds. I can see why. For $60 more, we could have stayed there. It would have been well worth the money. Even at this award winning park, there were sites open. There have been open sites at every RV park we’ve seen.

At Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge I saw that they put out oranges for birds, so I put out some of the oranges and grapefruit I found on the ground in our park. I don’t know what kind of bird this is enjoying the fruit, but there are a bunch of these guys hanging out in the bushes along the edge of our site. They sure are a noisy bunch.

Kevin was sitting outside reading and called for me to come outside. I had told him if he sees any colorful birds to  let me know. There were a bunch of green birds in a large tree in the site across from us. I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures.

They look like parrots! That can’t be, parrots live in the jungle in South America, right? Pretty soon there were lots of other people outside taking pictures, too. I walked over to them and asked if they knew what kind of birds these were. They told me they are Green Parrots. One of the ladies has been looking for them for a month. How cool is this!!

Get ready for a bunch of pictures. Unfortunately, clouds had rolled in so the pictures aren’t great.

The tree is a Hackberry Tree. Apparently, the parrots like to eat the berries. There is a lot of clicking noise when the parrots are in the tree. I wonder if the berries have a shell.

Every once in a while, the whole flock would rise up and fly around and then settle back in the tree or the power lines next to it. I counted over 60 of them. They make a huge racket when they fly up together.

This morning I heard a lot of bird racket outside. I looked outside and the Green Parrots were back. This time they were in a Hackberry Tree in the site behind us. I was watching them right outside our big back window. This is amazing!!

Hopefully, they’ll keep coming back so I can get pictures on a sunny day. The forecast is for rain today and tomorrow with possible severe thunderstorms.

I do not consider myself to be a birder. However, I can see how this bird thing can become addictive :)

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

Since arriving in Texas over a week ago, we’ve experienced rain, clouds and very cool temperatures with highs barely making it to 50 degrees most days. So, we haven’t been doing too much outdoor activity.
We arrived in Mission, Texas at Americana RV Resort on January 3rd. Calling it a resort is stretching it. They do have a pretty nice clubhouse, laundry room, a small pool and hot tub and horseshoe pits. There is a mix of park models and RVs. Its an older park and is in need of some updating. The cost for a premium site is $502 a month plus electricity.
With the premium site we have a larger FHU, 50 amp site with a nice concrete patio.

We even have our own grapefruit tree and some flowering bushes. Unfortunately, our site is next to a pretty busy road so we have plenty of noise. Its an okay place, but we probably wouldn’t come back.

The forecast for Sunday was sun by the afternoon and a high of 65 degrees. We were pretty sick of hanging out inside so we decided to go to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near Alamo, Texas which is about 25 miles from us. This refuge is about 2,000 acres in size and has over 400 species of birds and 250 species of butterflies. It is often referred to as the jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
We arrived at 11:00 am. They have three tram tours on Sunday so we bought tickets for the noon tour. The cost was $3.50 for seniors 55 or over. The first Sunday of the month is a free admission day to the refuge, so we saved the $3 per vehicle admission fee.
While waiting for the tram tour, we watched the interesting twelve minute movie in the Visitor Center and then explored the exhibits. There was a bird feeding station outside where we saw some Red Winged Blackbirds and a Chachalaca which is quite a large bird.

Our tram guide and driver were the volunteer husband and wife team of Keith and Gail. They did a fine job sharing information with us on the 1.5 hour tour.
Our first stop was a newer 40 foot observation tower. From the top you can see the canopy of the trees. In the distance is Mexico. In fact, one of the people on our tour had a message on their cell phone that they were picking up International cell towers. Keep your cell phones turned off on the tour!

Next to the tower is are two platforms with a rope bridge connecting them. I bet kids love this.

The second stop on the tour was Cemeterio Viejo.

The refuge was originally partially within a Mexican Land Grant given to rancher Benigno Leal. The ranch had its own cemetery which has been preserved. There are about 30 unmarked graves which probably belonged to workers and/or family members. There is a large stone tomb which holds the bodies of Benigno’s son and wife. Some of the graves are still visited by descendants.

The large cross on the left is a marker for the grave of Thomas Jones, a surveyor who drowned in the Rio Grande and was buried in this cemetery. The wood fence surrounding the cemetery is made from native ebony wood which is a very hard wood. Some of the logs are over 100 years old.
Near the end of the tram tour we saw an Indigo Snake which was probably about 4 or 5 feet long on the side of a levy. It slithered into the underbrush before I could get a picture. These snakes are common to the refuge and are not dangerous to humans. Texas farmers love the snakes because they eat rattlesnakes. I’m glad I saw it from the tram. I wouldn’t have wanted to come across it while walking on the trails.
After our ride we walked several of the trails covering a few miles. We saw quite a few ducks and American Coots on the Pintail Lakes trail.

We saw some new birds for us on our walk including these Black Necked Stilts.

And this Great Kiskadee. (Thanks to Tiffany at the Visitor Center for helping with the identification.) Cool beans as Judy would say!

A little further down the trail we got our first glimpse of the Rio Grande River. That’s Mexico on the other side.

This inter tube was laying along the banks of the river. I’m guessing it was used to swim across.

There was a photo blind on one of the trails. There wasn’t a bird in sight. Probably because there wasn’t any food or water at the feeder. I asked about this back at the visitor center. They said the food is put out in the morning and they’ve eaten it all by afternoon. The water feature is being repaired.

We’re thinking we will go back to the refuge later in the month. This time we’ll arrive earlier when they put out the food at the feeding stations. The workers at the center told us there are always Green Jays at the feeders early in the day, and I really want to see one. They look so pretty in the pictures.
While in Texas we’ve seen some type of police towers several times in shopping center parking lots. Anyone know what these are about?

Today is forecast to be sunny and near 70 degrees so we’re going to do some bike exploring.
Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Texas State Capitol

We left Carrollston yesterday morning around 10:30 am. There was very little traffic as we made our way through Dallas. I think New Years Day morning is an excellent time to travel through a big city. There were very few people out and about. As you can see, it was overcast and a bit hazy, but at least we didn’t have any rain.

There was a lot of construction around Dallas, both road and buildings. I guess the economy is doing pretty well there.

We’ve never been to Dallas so we may stop in the area on our way back north. It was too cold and rainy to do anything this time.

We arrived at Oak Forest RV Resort in Austin yesterday afternoon. This is another Passport America member campground. The discounted rate is $22 per night, Sunday through Thursday only. What a nice place, very clean and well maintained. They have a pool and hot tub, although its been too cold to even think about getting into the water. The sites are 50 amp FHU concrete paved pull-thrus and totally level. We would definitely stay here again.

The weather has bee unseasonably cold and overcast with highs around 50 degrees which is around 15 degrees below average. The weather people keep going on about how cold it is and there is even a chance of some snow in west Texas tomorrow which is big news.

Today we decided to drive into Austin and see what we could find to do. Our first stop was the Texas State Capitol. We toured the Wisconsin capitol a few years ago, so I was curious to see what Texas had to offer. It’s a very nice looking building made out of Texas red granite. Most capitols I’ve seen are white, so it was a little different to see a red capitol building.

Outside on the grounds there were a number of monuments and statues. This monument was dedicated to the Tejanos. After reading the plaques, it seems the term has changed meaning over the years. At first it referred to people of Spanish decent. Now it seems to refer more to Mexican Americans. I thought it was an interesting monument.

We went on the free guided tour. Our guide Victoria was pretty good. The rotunda is 218 feet from top to bottom. At the top is an 8 foot wide star. It looks so tiny from down at the bottom. Around the points of the star are the letters TEXAS. (Click on picture to see a bigger version.)

We saw the Senate and Legislature chambers and learned some Texas history facts. I must say the Wisconsin capitol is much fancier and more ornate, but this was a worthwhile tour and visit.

Eventually there was an extension built to house offices of many of the politicians who do business here. There is a skylight where you can see the original dome. What a neat idea. Lady Liberty is at the top of the dome. Parking was free for the first two hours so this was a very economical sightseeing destination.

 

Next we drove around the University of Texas campus. The Texas Longhorns Stadium is huge. I couldn’t get a good picture because of all the buildings in the way. Our next stop was at the Lyndon Johnson Museum and Library. I had read online and in visitor information that the museum was free so we thought we’d check it out.

When we got to the door, there was a sign that said as of Dec. 23rd they were asking for an $8 admission to help pay for recent renovations. We weren’t interested enough to actually pay so we left.

Our last stop of the day was at Central Market. Our friend Carol had recommended a visit. It’s a Whole Foods type of store. I bought some organic Fugi apples that were on sale. They had some very interesting items, but many were more expensive than we are willing to spend. They had a beautiful looking rib roast which was $90. That’s almost a whole days work at Amazon. No thanks! There were samples of some of the produce, so I tried a couple of different types of oranges. Yummy!!

The parking lot at Central Market has an electric car parking spot. I’ve heard of the recharging parking spots for electric cars, but this was the first time I’ve actually seen one. Cool.

There are a number of outdoor activities in Austin. There is a bike trail around a lake in the downtown area and some hiking opportunities that looked interesting. Maybe we’ll stop again on our way back north. It was just too crummy out today to do outside stuff.

Tomorrow we’re headed to Mission for our month long stay at Americana RV Resort. We’ll be passing San Antonio but won’t stop there until sometime in March. The weather forecast for Mission is cool and rainy until Sunday. Next week highs are supposed to be in the 70s and sunny. That’s more like it!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Happy New Year 2013

Happy New Year! We wish everyone a happy and healthy 2013!!

The year 2012 was a great year for us. We had an enjoyable winter in Arizona and a hot and dry summer in Wisconsin. In September we celebrated my mom’s 75th birthday, and In November our youngest son Korey got engaged. We spent some very enjoyable times with many family members.

We’re looking forward to another great year in 2013. We’ll start by exploring Texas and then spend another summer in Wisconsin. Korey and Cathryn will be married in August so there will be plenty of wedding preparations.

We ended up staying another night in the Dallas area because the forecast was for rain all day yesterday. Since we don’t need to be in Mission until Thursday, we decided we didn’t want to deal with moving in the rain. Today we head to Austin for two days.

While here we did five loads of laundry and are now all caught up with that. We also went grocery shopping to refill the cupboards and refrigerator.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned that we got some very good news from Goodyear regarding our tire problems. They have paid our entire claim for the damage the most recent tire failure caused including the cost of the replacement tire, the roadside assistance bill, and the RV repairs. They also paid for the replacement of our fourth original tire. We now have none of the original tires left. Hopefully, we won’t have any more tire problems!!

Although they never admitted the tires were faulty, we definitely feel there was something wrong with the original tires. They paid for every claim we had with those tires. This last claim was when the tires were five years old, and they still covered it. We were very disgusted with these tire problems, but I must say Goodyear definitely stood behind their product.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Enough Cold Weather

We spent out last day in Moorhead with Korey and Cathryn. First we visited the Hjemkomst Center where their reception will be held. It’s a combination museum, convention center, Chamber of Commerce and senior center located in Moorhead. There is a very large ballroom with a nice sized dance floor. It’s a beautiful facility in a park along the river. I think it will be a fantastic and unique place to have a summer wedding reception.

The main lobby has a full size Viking ship which was actually sailed from New York to Norway. It’s a very interesting exhibit and story. The lobby will be open to the wedding guests, but the museum will be closed.

The Fargo/Moorhead area has many inhabitants of Norwegian decent. I couldn’t pass up this picture opportunity. I’m sure many wedding guests will be taking their pictures with these two lovely trolls.

As much as we enjoyed our visit with our family in Minnesota, it was time to head south to get out of the cold weather. While there, we had several days with below zero temperatures. We are not used to that kind of cold anymore!

Our drive back to Coffeyville to pick up the 5th wheel went well. There was snow on the ground all the way until we were south of Kansas City, but the roads were clear. We saw several cars in the ditch along the interstate from snowy roads the day before we traveled.

When we got home, it was 32 degrees in our 5th wheel. We had left the furnace turned on, but both tanks ran out of propane. Last year we were gone about the same length of time, but it was warmer outside. This year it was cold while we were gone, and the propane was all gone. We turned on our two electric heaters and the fireplace. The heater in the bedroom kept it warm enough to sleep. By morning it was still only 55 degrees in the living area. Time to get out of town!!

Poor Kevin was out in 16 degree weather hooking up. The landing gear wouldn’t raise the 5th wheel to hook it up to the truck. We think it was frozen. The motor stopped and Kevin had to crank it up by hand to get it hitched. He certainly got a work out.

We drove to Sandy Lake RV Resort in Carrollton, Texas, northeast of Dallas. It is a corporate campground owned by Carefree RV Resorts. I would definitely not call it a resort. There is a pool and small clubhouse, but that’s it. The sites and roads are very tight and close together. We chose this place because it is a Passport America park. The discounted rate is $20 per night. Its definitely not worth more than that. I doubt we would stay here again.

There is a full moon right outside the window. Oh no, that’s just the very close street light.

We do have a pull through site with 50 amp full hookups. Luckily, its an end site. I’m not sure how some of these rigs got into their sites with everything being as tight as it is. The temperature was in the 50s today. Much better, but not warm enough yet. It was nice to see and hear birds in the trees.

The landing gear motor seemed to be working okay while the jacks were going down. As soon as the trailer started going up, the motor stopped again. Bummer, more cranking for Kevin. At least it was pretty level so he didn’t have to crank much. We think the motor may need to be replaced. We’ll worry about it once we get to Mission.

We’re staying here until Tuesday morning. Then we’re heading to Austin for two nights. On Thursday we’ll arrive in Mission where we have a reservation for a month at the Americana RV Resort.

Today we did some laundry and caught up on some mail that Eric brought with him to Minnesota. We’re watching the Packers/Vikings football game. Its close, but our Packers aren’t playing very well. Hopefully, they’ll pull it out in the end. Sorry, Cathryn. I know you’re a Vikings fan.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Christmas Joy

The best Christmas gift we could receive from Amazon was to release us early on our last night so we could get some decent sleep before our long drive on Saturday. Our wishes were answered. We were released at 11:00 pm on Friday night with a bag of Godiva chocolates as a good-bye gift. Yum!

We slept until 7 am on Saturday. Kevin quickly winterized the 5th wheel which we left at the campground before we drove to Moorhead, Minnesota. It took us just under 12 hours with one stop for dinner, one stop for fuel and a few bathroom stops. We arrived around 9 pm. Both boys were here. Yippee!!! I feel so blessed to have been able to spend the holidays with my three guys!

On Sunday Cathryn’s family invited us over for dinner. They had not met Eric yet. We had a great time. Dinner was delicious. After dinner I got to help make lefse. It’s a traditional Norwegian dish, kind of a cross between a potato pancake and a tortilla shell. Sorry, no pictures because I forgot my camera, but it was fun working with Cathryn, her mom and her sister. After dinner we played a few games with lots of laughter.

Here we have Cathryn, Korey, Samantha (Cathryn’s sister and maid of honor), Dennis (Cathryn’s dad), Eric, me and Kevin. Her mom, Sharon, was taking the picture.

Sharon took such a nice picture of our family, except doesn’t it look like Kevin and I have arms growing out of our ears :)

Christmas Eve we hung out at Koreys apartment, and then attended church with Cathryn’s family at the church where the wedding will be. It’s a beautiful church! Here’s our annual family Christmas picture.

Christmas Day the four of us went to see The Hobbit in 3D on the Ultra Screen. The guys really enjoyed it. I thought it was pretty good. Then it was back to Korey’s place where we made a delicious ham dinner.

Yesterday I went wedding dress shopping with Cathryn, her mom, her sister and her best friend. We went to three different dress shops looking at wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses. I can report that Cathryn said yes to the dress, but no other details can be shared. It’s a secret :)  Let me just tell you that she will be a beautiful bride!!

The bride with both moms. Thanks for including me. It was such a fun day!

Eric left yesterday morning to head back to Wisconsin. We had dinner last night with Cathryn’s family at Granite City which is a micro-brewery/restaurant in Fargo. Dinner was delicious and the company was excellent. The manager came over to ask us if everything was okay. Cathryn’s mom told him we were celebrating their engagement, so the manager gave them a complimentary giant hot cookie dessert with ice cream. It was so big all seven of us got to eat some. Here’s the happy couple. Aren’t they so cute!

We had met Cathryn’s family once before in June, 2010. I’m so glad we got to spend a little more time with them. They are wonderful people, and we had such a good time with them.

Today we’re going to check out the reception venue and spend some more time with Korey and Cathryn. Tomorrow we are headed back to Coffeyville to pick up our home on wheels. Then its on to Texas for the winter.

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone out there in blog land.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!