Texas

After coming home from California, I spent a couple of weeks getting both eyes worked on by removing cataracts.  It makes me feel old to think about it but it certainly had to be done.

When it was over, I was amazed to see how bright and clear things were.  My doctor said it was entirely necessary because I'd probably not be able to pass the drivers license vision test my next time up.

After all that was handled, I had a couple of Texas assignments.  The first was in the small town of Bastrop, just east of Austin.  I'd hoped to see the burst of bluebonnets but unfortunately, the assignment ended before they came to full bloom. 

I did spend a bit of time on weekends walking along the boardwalk in Austin and hiking the state parks nearby.

I had hoped to be there when the bats return to the Congress Street bridge.  Each afternoon just after sundown, bats pour out of the crevices of the bridge and fill the skies attracting hundreds of people just to watch the site.  Again, I had to leave a couple weeks early and missed it.

There was this quick 2 day trip to Oklahoma which yielded nothing but an extra plane ride. After that, I found myself in Weslaco. Texas.  It's a little town in the Rio Grande Valley between McAllen and Brownsville.  (Trivia fact: Weslaco got it's name from the W. E. Steward Land Company)

Fortunately, I was located near another co-worker, Jim Larson with whom I spent a lot of time with exploring the RGV and much of what it had to offer. That included a lot of Mexican and seafood.

Besides the tourist attractions, I managed to become friends with some locals and for a while considered myself as either a Winter Texan.  Since it wasn't winter any longer and the temps were now reaching 100°, I'll refer to myself as an Undocumented Texan.  Either way, I think Texas and I fit.

Included in our explorations were the butterfly sanctuaries.  I found out more facts about the Monarch Butterfly than I could possibly explain in this blog.  Just look it up, it's astounding.

In every location, certain birds were everywhere.  Some of the more common birds were loud and noisy Chachalacas.  These birds were sometimes called Mexican Pheasants.  I asked a naturalist if they were edible and he said yes but they were a protected species in Texas so they weren't to be hunted.  Another was the big black Crackles.  They too were loud but not nearly as large as the Chachalacas.

On this picture, you'll have to look closely between the two Crackles to see the well camouflaged Chachalaca.

We did see a pair of Orioles nesting.  The nests were fascinating in the way they hung like a big bag from the tree limbs.  I've never seen an Oriole.  This species doesn't get too far north in the USA but is home in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV).

When I first arrived it was spring break time so it took a month or so to conjure a trip to South Padre Island.  I was disappointed there were no naturally growing trees there but the beach people didn't seem to mind.

One weekend, Jim and I rode over to Corpus Christi and took a tour of the USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier, now a museum with several airplanes on display on the deck.  Jim, being a former Navy pilot was all over the place.

Good times.

Texas has come and gone for now but I still miss it.

Shame on me. Long time; no post

I've already been up for a while taking a nice ride along the river road feeling almost apologetic for disturbing the egrets in the water filled ditches who were not especially grateful for the rumbling of a Harley Davidson on a mild summer morning.

The sun had not completely risen and the mixture of dark blue clouds with orange edges reminded me of a saying I learned years ago, "Red skies in the morning; sailors take warning."  It looked like it may rain later.  Still the clatter of the pipes sang a morning hymn and comforted my soul.  I talk with Him quite a bit with the V-Twin choir singing in the background.

Still there were no rain drops on my windshield and there was hardly any traffic on the roads. It seemed I owned the world and as I returned back to my neighborhood, I sort of wondered how many neighbors I was waking as I downshifted and rounded the corners sometimes scraping my floorboards on tight turns.

It felt great to be alive.

Call it writer's block, apathy, laziness or whatever but I've just haven't had the drive or will to post.  Not only that, I've not been all that excited about hauling out the Nikon because for the past few years, it was like another body part.

Anyway, this year I have had a short assignment in Atascadero, California.  I only had a couple of weekends to do any exploring.  A lot of that was visiting Morro Bay and watching the sun set on the rock.  

As the sun began to set, a boat pulled through the channel to spend some time for a late weekend evening sunset.



You'll have to pardon the dirty sensor and lens.  Consider the sun dogs as just being artistic.

Knowing I couldn't get that far north, I thought I'd ride on up to see how far I could go.

Anyway, I did cruise north toward San Simeon stopping along to see the smelly and noisy Elephant Seals and checking out a zebra near Hearst Castle.  

 I did not go into the castle.

I did get on up a few more miles as far as Ragged Point Inn before the road was closed and sent me back south where I spent some time back in Atascadero at the Tamale Festival.  It was a typical small town festival selling, yes you got it, tamales.  One on the best things was seeing the Azteca horses with riders singing as they ponies seemed to dance to the beat of the Mexican band.

With such a short time there, trips were cut short but manage to meet my old friend Jon Zeller up in Paso Roble in Central California's wine country.

I appreciate the chance to get back up there but am a bit disappointed I could not get further north on Big Sur.