A look back to October

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m still thinking about Ava

 

Ava is a native woman I met in Alaska.  We bonded over birds while sitting on her front porch.  She kept the feeders full.  She helped me see the birds I wanted to see there, but we went way beyond that and exchanged stories for hours over several visits.

 

One day we were sitting on her porch talking, and she was headed off to fish for lake trout that afternoon.  I described how all the fishing Judy and I had done for the last twenty years had been fly fishing, catch and release, on gold medal waters, with barbless hooks.  Maybe I meant to impress her?  Silence ensued until she looked at me with great disdain and said: “I don’t play with my food.”

 

I take that to mean she wasn’t impressed.

 

 

 

All those hours

 

All those hours and days spent in Alaska admiring the scenery; the whole time I couldn’t help comparing Alaska to Hawaii.  Rugged mountain topography descending steeply to the sea.  Sprawling forests; most of it untouched wilderness.  Alaska just seems like Hawaii, but with more extreme seasonal weather.  Maybe they’re twins separated at birth!

 

 

In other news, Becky and Brian have gone home.  They’ve left behind the guest cottage (our motorhome), great warm weather, daily excursions, nightly joker games, hugs, and laughter in exchange for reality.  The good news is that what I describe here sounds a lot like their reality there in Colorado too.

 

 

 

 

Monday

 

I don’t think everybody got the video links of the puppies playing in the surf on Saturday.

 

Henry and Jesse, Jesse gets dunked video link

 

Henry and Jesse, Jesse comes roaring back and helps Henry deliver the stick video link

 

Today we went to Hilltop Gardens farm, the home of Aloe farming and processing in the Rio Grande Valley.  They have grounds to wander, and at least a hint of a hill.  Of the 300-plus varieties of aloe worldwide, they have 200 species planted on display in this garden.  (And a lot of other trees, shrubs, and flowers.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve been telling our kids we were going to take them to the gas station for lunch; not as a threat, but for the gastronomic and cultural experience.  Some of the gas stations here house a Laredo Taco Company Mexican Food Court; a great variety of Mexican food behind the counter on a steam table.  At this particular station your order, and any questions you have, need to be in Spanish and you’ll be answered in Spanish.  They’ll cook up the tortillas fresh for you on the grill and assemble your meal.  Very good food, and not just for a gas station either.

 

Jesse adopted Brian’s feet.  She uses them as home-base while he’s standing and falls asleep on them whenever he sits down.

 

 

 

Great Scat!

 

 

We came across some animal’s leavings.  The trace was found in a scraped out hollow; so likely left by a cat.  There are known to be ocelots in the vicinity of where we found this, but we think it more likely that this is bobcat scat.

 

 

 

A day at the beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stick chasing; Jesse gets dunked, Henry troopers through.

 

Henry and Jesse 1

 

They’re back at it.

 

Henry and Jesse 2

 

 

 

This is the mouth of the Rio Grande; where the river meets the sea.

 

That VW is parked on the Mexico side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a walk in a Sabal Palm forest.

 

 

 

 

And we drove past the SpaceX site.

 

We think this thing held a rocket engine for a “Hot Fire” test.

 

This looks more like a Flash Gordon spaceship.

But I’m sure it’s more serious than that.

 

 

 

Street tacos for lunch

 

With fresh squeezed lime and salsa.  Darned good food.  In Mexico.

 

 

 

 

The beat goes on.

 

 

 

Some state parks in Texas

 

Some state parks in Texas have really cool bird blinds with benches and fold-down slats for people to look through toward the feeding station that has seed, suet, and water to attract critters (like chachalacas, green jays, orioles, cardinals, and kiskadees).

 

And see, Becky and Brian really are here in South Texas; I do have photographic evidence!

 

And sometimes the critters attracted include javelina.