December 16, 2018.   Pops managed to find a gun club near here that was having a Sporting Clays tournament today. He got signed up and we spent the afternoon out there. It was sunny and hot again and we got a little sunburned under the hot Texas sun.  Pops shot pretty well and really had a good time with a nice group of guys. It was a fun afternoon. In the evening we sat on the patio again, sipping wine and enjoying the gentle breeze and conversations with neighbors. Life is good.

December 15, 2018. Here in Mission, Tx, the nights are cool but the days are warm and sunny. Today it was 80 degrees again. We went back to to the State Park and hiked to the Hawk Tower. Last time we tried that we got lost. We slogged through the mud for a couple of miles, finally making our way back to the main trail, but no Hawk Tower. This time we had a map and found the tower. Unfortunately, there were no hawks or any other birds there. It was a beautiful day for hiking though and Pops took photos of some birds at the feeding stations. We also saw the place where the Wall will be built, starting in February. The park rangers told us that it will cut through the park but visitors will still be able to access the trails. We are thinking about getting a couple of bikes. There are lots of biking trails around here and it sounds like fun. We’ll see.

December 11, 2018. Last night we joined a group of 20 people from the RV Park to attend the Hidalgo Festival of Lights Tour.  We carpooled and caravanned down to the border town of Hidalgo. This tour included a roast beef dinner, a trolley tour of the lights and a concert by a children’s mariachi band. This festival is said to be the largest lighting display in Texas. There are over 5million lights in the the display and the the trolley tour covers 3 miles of the display. The theme this year was Toyland. Deservingly, it has been called one of the Valley’s greatest holiday treasures. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

After the tour there was a concert by the children’s mariachi band. These are incredibly talented kids!  Most of them play multiple instruments and have beautiful singing voices.  This group was proud to tell us that they have been invited to perform in San Antonio this year. Their motto is, ”Music makes me happy and brings joy to others”. All in all it was a very enjoyable experience.

December 6, 2018. Last night we attended the Wednesday Margarita Time.  They serve margaritas and everyone brings snacks.  This is also the weekly announcement meeting. We met some new people and enjoyed the evening.
Today it was 80 degrees again with a slight breeze. We decided to walk across the road to the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. This is the headquarters of the World Birding Center. There are between 300-500 species of birds in this area. It is a popular destination for bird watchers from all over the world.  Some travel to Bentsen to see species that they can’t see anywhere else in the country. One example is the Green Jay. Pops got some good pictures of the jays.

Others are the Great Kishadee and the Plain Chachalaca.

You cannot drive through this park. They have a tram or you can bike or walk. We took Jax and walked. We only did one loop today of about 2 miles. There are several loops covering about 7 miles of trails.  We went to the Hackberry Trail that leads to the Kingfisher Outlook. Pops got some  pictures of a Javelina that wandered past.  The Outlook overlooks the La Parida Resaca. Resacas are abandoned river channels. They provide important wetland habitats for birds and other animals. We plan to hike another day to the Hawk Tower.  We have been told that you can see the canopy full of birds.  You can also see across the Rio Grande River into Mexico. It was a nice day.

December 4, 2018. We are settling in to our new home in Texas. There are still some flowers blooming in the park and even butterflies. We have already met some very nice people( if we could just remember everybody’s names). Today we finally begin hiking again.  We went to the National Butterfly Center that is only a half mile down the road from our RV Park. It was another beautiful day with 80 degrees and a slight breeze.  Because it is December there were not as many flowers blooming, but there were still plenty of butterflies. This Nature Center is completely outside and has many birds as well as butterflies.  We hiked the trail to all of the viewing stations and Pops got some good pictures. There was even a rescue tortoise named Spike. Tomorrow we plan to go to the state park that is right across the road.

    

        Plain Chachalaca

December 2, 2018. We arrived at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort yesterday afternoon. It was 85 degrees and sunny 😎. Just what Pops has been waiting for. It is a nice park, with palm trees and pretty landscaping. Roses are still blooming and butterflies are flying around.

   

 There are lots of things to do here and we will figure out which ones we want to participate in as soon as we get settled.  There is also a large fenced-in dog park for Jax. He is happy, too. It is 7:00 in the evening and I am sitting outside on the patio sipping wine and enjoying the breeze rustling through the palm trees. Someone  across the way is playing Christmas music. It’s very peaceful and I am feeling very blessed. Today is my birthday and Pops grilled some wild rice-stuffed pork chops and green beans. Tomorrow we are going out to dinner to celebrate but, really, what could be better than this? We still have a small Christmas tree and three houses, does not take long to get ready for Christmas in an RV.

Dec 1, 2018.  After Louisiana we spent a couple of weeks in Dallas with Michelle and Rich. Finally, we made our way back to OKC and Twin Fountains RV Park. We got to visit again with Don (our favorite Goodwill Ambassador) and Emily (our favorite bartender). We even got to join the group at the bar for the OSU and OU game.  Lively group!
Then we headed on back to Kansas for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We enjoyed time with my mother, Michelle and Rich, Jill and the 2 grandkids, Tanner and Shanna. It turned cold and snowy so we left Monday after Thanksgiving and headed south. We were able to spend a couple of days with Shari, Johnny, and Clint in Austin. Then on to Mission, Tx where we will spend the winter.

October 10-13, 2018. I love Louisiana!  We are in a beautiful campground near a bayou just outside of Lafayette, Louisiana. There are cypress trees dripping with Spainish moss, and cypress knees that look like little aliens. The people are friendly and the food is delicious. On Thursday we visited Avery Island near New Iberia, Louisiana. Avery Island is home to the world famous Tabasco Pepper Sauce manufactured by the Mcllheney Company on this same site since 1868. We toured the factory and, as crazy as it sounds, it was fascinating. Not many people know that this island is actually a salt dome extending 8 miles underground and was a major salt mining location. The island is also home to one of the world’s most beautiful nature sanctuaries. Edward Mcllhenny helped save the snowy egret from extinction by building an aviary on Avery Island. He created Bird City on this site and raised 8 egrets there which returned every year and raised their young.  Today thousands of egrets return every Spring to this place. We saw the rookery but the birds were gone for this year. After our tour we had lunch at their cafe and enjoyed a sample plate of more yummy Louisiana cuisine.

After touring Avery Island, we returned to New Iberia.  We joined a tour of Shadows on the Teche. This 1834 plantation home overlooks Bayou Teche.  It belonged to the Weeks family and contains
80 % of the original furnishings. It was a beautiful place and well worth the visit.

Late in the afternoon we picked up Jax from doggy jail and returned to our campground near Lafayette. One more nice day in journey.

October 1-10, 2018. We left the Smokey Mountains and drove through Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, arriving in Slidell, Louisiana on October 3. What a change of scenery!  From mountains and streams and pine forests to swamplands, live oaks with Spanish moss, and bayous. It is hot here in Louisiana and humid.  We had planned to go into New Orleans on Thursday or Friday but the heat index was 103 degrees and Pops was tired from driving for three days, so we decided to wait until Monday. Then, the Saints were in town with Drew Brees’  passing record on the line.  We couldn’t get close to New Orleans.  On Tuesday it was pouring rain, all day.  However, we did get to eat some Louisiana fine cuisine, several times, in Slidell. We had crawfish etouffee, gumbo, shrimp, boudin balls and, of course, beignets.

September 20, 2018. Today was the day for visiting the famous Cade’s Cove Loop. A cove, in Appalachian terms, means a valley or meadow surrounded by mountains. There are many coves in these mountains but Cade’s Cove is supposed to be the most scenic. The locals call it a national treasure. I would agree. It is so beautiful and peaceful. The road follows the stream and is sometimes a tunnel of trees that you drive through. The road was originally the railroad track. Over 2million people a year visit this Cove. It is only an 11-mile loop, but it takes several hours if you stop at all of the historical spots along the way. This place has such an interesting history.  Some of the original homes and churches have been preserved from the early 1800s. There was also an original grist mill and two cantilevered barns.  The area is full of wildlife, too, such as deer, black bears, wild turkey, raccoons, and other wildlife. We finally left there and then headed for two other places I wanted to visit.

  Our next stop was Newfound Gap. It is on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. This  mountain pass has beautiful views from about 5500 ft elevation.  It also has access to the Appalachian Trail.  We walked on the trail for a little ways and took lots of pictures of the view.  Unfortunately the day had become cloudy and the pictures are not as good as I would have liked. Next, we traveled on 7 miles (took 20 minutes) up to Clingman’s Dome, the highest peak in the Smokies, almost 7,000ft.  After you get to the parking lot, you have to climb a very steep half-mile path up to the Observation Tower. No switchbacks or level areas, just straight up. I struggled to get up there, but finally made it. Again it was very cloudy but still spectacular, a 360 degree view of the mountains.

     Tired, but happy, we made our way back to town. We had a yummy shrimp dinner at Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Company and then back to the motel for showers. Another great day!  I also got my steps in that day!  Look at that 18 floors😄