Birds are smart

 

While we were in the desert in Arizona, at a highway rest stop, I witnessed an interesting behavior.  It was not a very bird-friendly habitat.  Hard to imagine them finding very much to eat, but here was a great big raven looking fat and happy.  I walked over to where he was lounging in the shade and watched him.  A car pulled up and parked right across the sidewalk from him.  The driver got out and walked past the bird to use the facility.  As soon as the driver was clear, the raven fluttered over to the car and proceed to jump up and down in front of it picking nice fresh bugs off the grille!  He ate his fill, cleaning off the front of the car quite nicely, then went back to the shade, waiting for the next car/meal to arrive.

 

Pretty good for a birdbrain!

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

To All.

 

 

 

 

Hard to imagine

 

Hard to imagine a person would have to stand on a stool to reach lower, but that’s what Judy has to do to get clothes out of the bottom of a top loading washing machine.  From standing on the floor, she can’t reach over the edge of the machine to the bottom of the tub.  With her feet on a stool she can lean more of her body over the machine and reach lower.

 

We just solved that problem.

 

Two side by side front loading machines!

 

 

 

We don’t usually get to see pine warblers

 

 

But we got a darn good look at this one.

 

 

 

 

 

It worked!

 

That goofy little jumper battery we bought.  The one that fits in the palm of a hand.

 

With little, almost pretend, jumper cables…

 

…that plug into it.

 

We bought it a year ago.  It doesn’t look like it could really do anything so we didn’t actually know if we could trust it to be there when we needed it.

 

Well, we came home after 7 months on the road and the battery for the Mazda was totally flat.  It wouldn’t even light a warning light.  I popped the hood, attached this jumper battery, and the car fired right up without hesitation.  Not only did the jumper battery work, it worked better than any other jumper battery we ever had!  It even worked better than jumping it with another car and cables!  And it’s good for multiple jumps before it needs recharging.

 

Amazing.  That is so handy.  We are skeptics no more.

 

Oh.  And there is a cord concealed in the side you can pop out and recharge your phone with too if you need it.

 

 

 

Along the way

 

We did get the see the rosy-faced lovebird while we were in Arizona.

 

 

 

 

 

We wake to the wreckage

 

…of our very own home alone moment!

 

 

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were gone

 

The newly planted, ten inch high, Texas Lantana had a fine time.

 

It grew all the way up onto the back porch!

 

The Dwarf Firebush which was knee-high when we left, forgot it was a dwarf.

 

 

 

We track our weight

 

But not while we’re on trips.  That was a long time to go without monitoring weight, but it turns out I only gained 5 pounds on the whole trip.  I think I can make that go away in the next couple weeks at home, no problem.  Judy, on the other hand, didn’t gain a pound!  What’s up with that?

 

 

I forgot to mention that while we were in Arizona, we encountered the Loch Ness Monster.  We could only see part of it, but here is what we saw:

 

That was odd-looking enough to zoom in for a closer look.

 

Yup.  That has to be the Loch Ness Monster.  Or I suppose it could have been the Creature from the Black Lagoon…

 

 

 

Remember when Jesse fit easily into her little dog bed?

 

Room to spare.

 

She’s a little bigger now.

 

 

 

I’ve been thinking

 

We go to bed on a nice cold winter night and what do we do?  We throw on an extra blanket, pull the covers up to our chins, then we’re nice and warm.  I saw a guy on television stepping out of a helicopter onto the frozen Arctic Sea.  It was 50 degrees below zero.  He was wearing many layers of clothing, boots, mittens, and a hood.  Totally covered from head to toe.  But he was still talking.  His face was uncovered.  When we’re sleeping on that cold winter night, every part of our bodies are covered except our faces.  Of course our faces are open; it would be inconvenient for them not to be; it would be hard to talk or breathe.  But what is it about faces that they can be exposed to the coldest temperatures, but if everything else is covered we’re toasty warm?  The skin on my face is not particularly tough; it’s not that.  Do we have different nerve endings in our faces so that part of our bodies responds differently to cold than every other part of our bodies?  Do faces perceive cold differently?  I need to know these things…

 

 

Meanwhile.  Back at the ranch.  We’re still moving back into the house (there is a lot to do), working, and reminiscing about our Alaska Trip.

 

 

 

From Hill Country

 

To Coastal Plain.

 

To the Falfurrias Rest Area.

 

 

To the Rio Grande Valley.

 

Not that the name The Valley has anything to do with topography.  There are no mountains, so hard to imagine a real valley.  The highest elevation in this neighborhood is a freeway overpass.

 

The name Rio Grande Valley came about at the turn of the century, the 20^th century, when agriculture was just starting here.  Land developers came up with that name to make the area sound more attractive to potential settlers.  Apparently the ploy worked because this whole area is filled with agriculture now.  Probably the fact that agriculture works here had more to do with the area’s growth though.  Anyway, this flat floodplain area that drains into the Rio Grande continues to be known as The Valley.

 

And here we are, back to our cozy little house.

 

And nice little yard.

 

It all survived our absence.

 

One more line to draw on the map.  Seven months on the road, and one more line to draw on the map and wouldn’t you know, I can’t get the map to take it.

 

The heading home part of the trip map

 

One more line to show we made it home.  Maybe the map is suffering trip-withdrawal and doesn’t want it to be over…

 

 

 

Hill Country

 

 

 

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk

 

 

 

We’re at Choke Canyon State Park.

 

The heading home part of the trip map

 

Forest.  Trails.  No bird feeding stations, but internet!

 

 

 

A Milestone

 

For the last several days, not a single person in our house has peed on the floor.

 

The housebreaking effort is starting to take hold.  Jesse now goes to the door and yips to go outside to pee and poop.  We have about one minute to respond before things go terribly wrong.  Wait a minute; who exactly is being trained?

 

 

A lot of West Texas today.

 

Gradually giving way to Hill Country with its limestone cuts.

 

 

 

The heading home part of the trip map

 

We’re at South Llano River State Park.  Great place.  Forest.  Trails.  Bird blinds.  No internet.

 

 

 

Looking at Jesse like this

 

 

The theme song to Caddyshack pops into my head.

 

And I have visions of dancing gophers.

 

 

Back in West Texas.  Haven’t been here in a year!

 

 

 

 

The heading home part of the trip map

 

 

And Jesse and Henry playing; late at night, kind of sleepy playing before bed.

 

Jesse and Henry sleepy playing just before bed

 

 

 

And the answer is

 

 

Hudson Hornet.  They were made 1951 through 1954.  The low-slung design was a big deal.  The unique frame made for a comfortable ride and a hot performing car as well.

 

 

This is the part of the trip where we head home.

 

The heading home part of the trip map

 

The trip is winding down.

 

 

New Mexico windshield.

 

 

 

Football night in America.

 

 

 

Old car challenge

 

The customized car in the foreground, you probably recognize.

 

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The car in the back might be more interesting though.

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Can you recognize it without any more information?

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Here is a little more of it.

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The rear view.

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And here is it in all its road-boat glory!