Wild & Three Thursday!

We are in Joshua Tree National Park! WOW! Neat, neat little place. We snagged what we thought was the last spot, then as we are walking back to the iron ranger we notice a spot with people but no tag. After inquiring, no they aren't camping, they just stopped to picnic. Really, in the campground? There are plenty of picnic stops, I just don't get it. We moved to that spot since it was a bit bigger and move level for sure. Sweet!

And those Joshua Trees, well, you might get a Dr Seuss feeling while looking at them. But fun fact...they are not really trees! I know! Google it, it's true! Since I was so underwhelmed at Big Ben National Park last week it was good to be impressed again. Part of my poor assessment could be weather related. It was windy, really, really windy. And due to rains and foggy weather we were unable to do some of the major hikes we were planning. However, the reality is we will probably not make a return visit to BBNP. Park staff was not very helpful or friendly and the park itself seems tired. Back to Joshua Tree...lovely park. Though not a fan of their new all reservation campgrounds. At least two of their larger campgrounds have gone the route of must make a reservation to get in. Not good, not good at all especially for people like us. We were fortunate to snag a spot at White Tank which is still a first come, first serve. We ended up staying two nights. As we made our way through the park we checked out one of the reservation only locations. Nearly empty! Ugh, that really makes me ruffled. we encountered this reservation only type campground in Michigan earlier this year and we are just not a fan. Especially when the walk in sites are ALL full and the reservation sites are going unused.

Anywho, as I mentioned in another post we are making our way to California to meet up with the Daughter. We were fortunate to get a visit in at Guadalupe National Park. However, due to high winds we were unable to hike.That was a real bummer for MiRV as he had hoped to hike the high point. Speaking of campgrounds, GNP has one....well they are calling their parking lot a campground which IMO is stretching it. What you really have is a semi flat parking lot that they call  a campground! LOL It most certainly is not. But at least you get to stay right in the park. And in all honesty we were thrilled to snag one of only two spots open when we rolled in. While we were there we trekked on up the road to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. How cool is that place? FYI you can go on your own self guided tours. So don't fret when you check the website and it says all the "tours" are sold out. Those are the park guided tours and you can still go on your own self guided tour during park hours. You set out and just explore on your own on the designated paths or grab an audio guide for $5. It's pretty awesome. Disclaimer: It does stink at the natural entrance from all the bat droppings!

We also stopped by White Sands National Monument, twice. Even rode down the dunes a couple times! Then we headed on into Arizona where we made a little side trip up to Saguaro National Park. It was incredible. The number of saguaros was totally overwhelming. I have never even seen that type of cactus in person before so to see so many in one spot was WOWSA! The coolest thing there was seeing the little Mexican elf owl in the abandoned woodpecker hole.What a treat that was. So cute. We really enjoyed the drive through this park and the friendly staff. Another impressive stop has been Organ Pipe National Monument. The campground here was quite nice. Not crowded at this time of year...even though there are 200+ sites. There had solar showers and a beautiful sunset as well as sunrise on our stay over. I would return here in a heartbeat. Though it's quite a drive to get down there I think it was worth it. In hindsight we probably should have done more then one night. Make sure you leave the light on and the hood up for pack rat deterrence! Seriously!

Still looking forward to seeing the Daughter and family in a few days for a week of beach life. Meanwhile we are gonna enjoy a little more time at Joshua Tree before meandering on that direction. Looking forward to the night sky tonight, they say it is quite the view. I'll let you know.

We have heat...

We were thrilled to finally see the UPS man show up this morning and once the delivery was made it was out to ROADA to install the new part. MiRV thankfully is VERY talented and was able to make the install with minimal hurdles. Needed a 2mm allen wrench, which we didn't have so I scouted one from my dad but we came up empty. It's a good thing someone got creative because he made a screwdriver attachment head piece work. After that it was pretty smooth sailing and we indeed now have heat. 

Tomorrow is go time. We will head down into TX for a stop at Big Ben National Park; then make our way to Cali for a meet up with the Daughter and family. There will be other stops along the way both coming and going. Since the schedule has changed so much with the heating part delay we have had to adjust several plans. All doable but adjustments were needed. Overjoyed to be heading out and looking forward to the downtime at the beach coming our way with Bee!

Texas Road Trip Report

It was the quickest nuptial exchange we have ever  witnessed. Thankfully the reception was longer! We enjoyed every minute and are honored to have been included. We have known this young man since he was born.

Proud momma giving a toast to the newlyweds.

The trip down was a flying trip, Dallas traffic was hectic; who knew the POTUS was in town? Houston traffic was not much better but we have seen it worse so we had that to be thankful for.

Back into OKC on Saturday and the Sooners were in town so getting from south of Norman up into OKC was extremely slow going. But we made it  Sunday morning we were blessed to be back in one of our home churches. They have a new pastor and he seems like a really good fit. We enjoyed the service. Did a lot of visiting the rest of the day. It was good to be back in OK. Glad we were able to take a few days to be in the area which we always enjoy. Learned a new game. FARKLE! Get some dice and learn it, you will thank me later; it's really fun! We are heading on up to NE from here.

Wild & Three Thursday!

On the road again...stay turned as we off to the great state of Texas. Wedding bells are ringing for a longtime family friend's oldest son and we plan to be there. Then it's a few days in the Sooner state catching up before heading north to Nebraska. The Bee needs some new BOOMER gear so shopping will be in order! It's gonna be a fast and furious trip without ROADA but we will survive. She so spoils us on traveling and when we do it without her it puts a whole new spin on our trips; especially packing!

In other news there was insulation being hung in the new garage the past few days.

 The West wall is still a work in progress.

But the North wall is complete.

We may not be fast but it is getting done a little at a time.

South bound...

It's soooooo stinking cold, like in the single digits cold. I don't enjoy cold. And then there is the wind. So we have a few days and decided we are fleeing to the south. It was a grand flybytheseatofyourpants trip. We thought we were going to LA as in Louisiana, then looked at perhaps Biloxi but here we are tucked away in Galveston, Texas. 

It was the best temperature option for the timeframe we had and besides the lady at Grand Isle said the noseeums were still biting there. I definitely wanted no part of that. So here we are and its 64* and we have the windows open as we head to bed. I just had a biggerthenIneeded cup of peach ice cream and there is peach bread for breakfast in the morning. Tomorrow will be a little different ballgame weather wise but it will still be warmer then MO or NE. Enjoy life while you can...

#TEXASiswarmer

Words with Friends

It was a fantastic chat session! We exchanged a lot of words in a short amount time, it was glorious. How awesome to re-connect and it not even feel like you've missed a beat. That's friendship right there and the best possible kind. We don't do Christmas cards anymore but we do try to do meet ups when we are in the local area. MiRV is really good about keeping up via email and texting as well because believe it or not everyone is NOT on Facebook. So we have developed other means. I also randomly drop cards/small gifts/trinkets/post cards/ in the mail every month to various folks we've met along the way these past 30 years or so. It's just fun to keep in touch no matter the manner. Especially, those not on Facebook. It's fun! Keeps them updated, too. I have pulled back from the Facebook game he past several months though MiRV still finds it highly fun and entertaining. I do love the aspect of keeping up but oh me there is the drama...it can really wear on ya! Just sayin'...

Anyway, so a fun, fun, fun evening we had with the Ws. We enjoyed an awesome good meal on their back patio and an even more funtastic evening of chatter over coffee. Seriously, my throat was sore from talking and laughing so much. That didn't compare to just the great feeling of getting to share the evening with good people who are still doing the Lord's work and serving in the Blue. It's nice to know that even though so much has changed in the USAF there are still folks out there daily encouraging, instilling and making good happen. We will have better Airmen for it; I know that for sure!!

The next friend meet up was lunch with the Cs. Wow, they are smokin' the moves. Just found out they will head to DC in May. They have only been here in TX since June. With a smile on their face, they both said, "yes" we are excited and happy the USAF thinks we can handle this billet. Awesomeness! Our girls were friends in Italy and then again in Nebraska so it was good to catch up and fill in the blanks on their whereabouts and happenings. So proud of the young women they have all become.

We will meet up with a couple more good folks in the next few days so the fun is not over!

#OWT

Choke Canyon SP

While not first on our list, it was the best on our list! So this has been home the last couple days. We have been rejuvenating in this little gem of a state park in the boonies of Texas.  It's definitely off the beaten path a bit. We actually had thought we would be closer to town in a city/county park but that didn't work out for us (no bath house, is a deal breaker when we are paying for a slot) so here we are with nice spot to enjoy hot running water and electrical hookups! It's been 26 days since we have had hookups, thankfully, it has NOT been that long since our last shower! Anyway, we are enjoying the luxuries. There is even wifi. While it's not in our camping area it's at the visitor center. That's a nice little 5 mile ride to the visitor center ...MiRV made the trip three times; me, only once!
 
It's a quiet place and peaceful. There are deer in the campground each morning and evening,. Several different birds that we can hear but seeing them has been a different story. However, one little guy likes us...evidently a lot. He visits several times a day. This is fine, well, not really cause he likes to hang around near the mirrors and poop everywhere. I've had quite a time cleaning up after this little dude! He's a warbler, that's as good as it gets for identification from me. Could be wrong even on that front! Anyway, he likes hanging around and seeing himself in the windows and mirrors! He also eats the bugs so I guess it's good in some form.

 Our little friend

Taking off towards the North again today...next stop unknown...with several possibilities on the list, we will see what works out! Living on the edge we are!! And looking for a car wash to get rid of the salt, sand and bird drippings! Oh, and an HEB Plus, too. I have come to really, I mean REALLY like these stores. Great produce and good prices! Win, win. There is even the potential for a commissary and BX in our future so that is kind of exciting too. I have a list so we will be stocking up if we do get the chance. There are some things we like and use that are just cheaper on a base!

#OWT

Enjoying the sunsets...

The temps have been a little cooler at night than we like without hookups so we have found ourselves along the coast. Port Isabell and SPI seem to have the warmer night time temps. For us that is good. We have found a few places to slip in and park for the overnight. There are some nice locations and we are thankful for that.

 

I like it when there are some clouds...

The perk of being in this area is the sunsets...we have found a spot and we head to it around the three o'clock hour and usually stay til well after the sun sets. This is two fold, we arrive early to get a spot we can fit in and then we stay late after all the others have left cause it's a great place to watch the sun go down and we are never alone. Depending on the weather there can be quite a crowd or just a few but there are always others around catching the last moments of the day. We have been treated to some very spectacular views. Honestly, it just makes one wonder how you could see this marvelous beauty and not realize there is a God.

Sunset Photographer!

Since we usually eat while waiting for the sun to set or as it's going down, I am usually inside preparing or cleaning up so it is MiRV who pops out to capture the beauty for us!

One evening we were treated to a show with our dinner as we watched a young woman "model" for a young man. It was a photo shoot of sorts, she came in stiletto heels with a fur coat on. She slid out of that and had on only a bikini. After several shots she donned a long black dress and slithered out of the bikini, more shots, then she bundled up back in the coat for a few more shots and they departed. You just never know watch you'll see if you just look...

And lastly there was a beautiful sunrise from our spot the last two mornings...it's the little things! Not gonna miss much about OWT but this could be on a list if there was one. Today we are start trekking northward.

#OWT

#TXsunsets 

#TXsunrise

Let's go fly a kite!

Wow, what a sight to see. So many kites! There were BIG ones and little ones of all shapes and sizes and so very colorful. There was plenty of sunshine and lots of wind; Like, LOTS of it. But it was sunny and we had windbreakers so it was quite pleasant. The SPI Kite Fest 2016 was a 3-day event with LOTS and LOTS of people. Oh say, 12,000 or so of my newest best friends...yeah, I wasn't so thrilled about the crowd but such is life. We only went on Saturday and I think that proved to be the biggest attendance day. People were everywhere. We took our chairs and had a good view from the start but as the day progressed we kept moving up and moving up and ended right in the front row. That was neat, got a great view of the flyers. Did I mention this was a FREE event. That of course made it even better in my book, who doesn't like FREE!

 

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height
Let's go fly a kite
And send it soaring
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
Oh, let's go fly a kite

Do you remember the song from Mary Poppins? Well, I do and this song kept wanting to burst from my mouth while we were at this kite fest! LOL

The demos were amazing, such talent and precision, with a kite, who knew? They flew kites to music and made them dance and bow. Honestly, it was as if the kites had their own little personalities! It was quite fascinating to watch the kites in the air and if you could tear your eyes away and watch the flyers they were really incredible to see as well. It was quite a show no matter where your eyes were.

I personally enjoyed the little kites with tails, it was like watching the gymnast who uses ribbons, beautiful and so artistic with the most amazing bright blue sky as the backdrop; it was just plain fun to watch. And the flyers were from ALL over...Maryland, Georgia, New Jersey, Oregon, Florida and of course, all parts of Texas!

 Loved these!

The hobby flyers who had display kites were neat, too. Ducks, penguins, clown fish, parrots, octopus, gecko, dolphins, lobster, beta fish and the list goes on and on. These were just fun to see and watch as they bobbed around the sky. Besides the animal shaped kites there were all sorts of other shapes and sizes flying about the sky. Due to the winds, which were upwards of 25 MPH in the afternoon some were unintentionally grounded, got inadvertently tangled with others and some had to be put away as the wind was just too much for them to fly safely.

Soon we will start heading north. Praying for the best in weather. Reality is we are most likely gonna need to winterize.

#OWT
#KitesAREcool

Polo Anyone?

Just so you know I have never been to a polo match before...but that's okay because they had handouts for us to help with understanding the game. It was fun! Not at all what I had envisioned. It's pretty fast moving game and there is plenty of action to watch. The ball that is used was lighter and less solid then I anticipated. I was thinking a ball like a crochet ball. While similar in size not at all like it in substance.

During halftime there was a divot stomp. Definitely interactive for the crowd. This was a cool way to stretch your legs and move around during the break.This was not for those with flip flops or fancy shoes on cause you are poking the turf back down that gets tore up by the mallet and or the horse hooves. In this case it was mostly sand and without a substantial shoe you will come away with dirty feet. I might know this from firsthand experience. You will also want to check the soles of your shoes for cuckelburrs cause the field was full of them. We scraped 'em off as best we could and still hand to hand pull some of those suckers off. MiRV even had some sticking to his pant legs. Craziness! And they hurt when you get poked!

 Stomping the divots

Oh, back to polo...there are quarters, called chukkers, they last 7 minutes, then there is break. That's when the players change horses. There are six chukkers in a match. There were only four players. The official rode a horse, too. He did not carry a mallet but a ball picker upper thing! It probably has a name but our handout did not give that info!

The weather was perfectly sunny with a touch of wind. It was such a neat way to spend the afternoon. Who knew we would see a polo match while hanging out at South Padre Island!

Since we were out on the island we decided to stay for the sunset. As the afternoon wore on it became a little hazy and there were no clouds but the sunset was still quite stunning. The final glow made the sun just look like a molten liquid.

#OWT
#TXsunsets

8 Seconds

 

What else should one do in Texas on a Saturday night when there is a bull riding event going on? GO! So we did.

Now this was NOT the PBR...that's the one that's like famous and cost BIG bucks to see No, no this was the NPBR. Whatever, it was bull riding and on a Saturday night in Texas it's what you should do if it's available, I mean, this IS Texas, that's what they do!

We showed up early for the pre-entertainment...the people watching proved to be the best bang for your buck. The pre-entertainer was okay, but he didn't do songs we knew and his set up was at the other end of the arena therefore, he was hard to hear. The kettle corn was some of the least yummy I have ever had. So it was the people watching that kept us entertained. We also crossed paths with some folks we had met at a concert a few weeks ago, that was fun! They are a hoot!

Hanging at the NPBR with my man.

The bulls in the qualifying round were good and we saw some pretty decent riding. We also saw some injuries, yeah, no thanks, this is definitely a risky sport! EMTs were gainfully employed. But the riders seemed like they were enjoying it, the ones who could walk afterward anyway. The clown was entertaining. There were also bull helpers...they were earning their money with some of those beasts. One of those young men went down pretty hard with a bull stomping his leg but he made sure the rider was safe. Matt did return to action but he favored that leg the rest of the evening.

Pretty tough to capture the action without blurriness

The final round proved somewhat harder for the riders, NO ONE stayed on these animals These were, of course, higher rated bulls and definitely a harder ride. Couple riders came close, one was at 6.8 seconds but lost out for the full ride. They even allowed a re-ride but no joy. One of the highlights was a bull getting loose. Like out of the fenced in area. He was roaming the parking lot. For a few tense moments everyone was holding their breath. It was all hands on deck to try and get this bovine corralled. Finally, there was success and the riding went forward. Made good fodder for the announcer and clown the rest of the evening. I was just praying he didn't go near Roada!

At the close of the night they had bull fighters...yeah, we were not sure about this but it was somewhat entertaining and not at all like the traditional bull fighting that comes to my mind. First they were dressed somewhat like a rodeo clown and then they pretty much just chased the bull around the arena. They did try to use the Cavender's barrel as a prop to put between them and the bull to touch his head. Since the clown was in the barrel and the bull usually "nudged" it over he got shook up several times. It was definitely something to watch and but then we were also shaking our heads asking ourselves if this was really a smart thing. The answer after two injuries and one EMT visit was, 'NO". But the crowd seemed to like it and we couldn't pull our eyes away so I guess it was definitely entertainment at its finest.

#OWT
#LooksDangerousToMe

Altamira Oriole Sighting

I'm not sure but we may be crossing the line.

Crossing the line from bird lookers into bird watchers. It's crazy, I know, but it might be true! I was totally stoked when we spotted the Altamira Oriole this afternoon. This bird is elusive, he swoops in and out and you barely know if you caught sight of him or not. That is until today. We not only caught sight but we were treated to seeing a pair. They were nestled in the tree to get out of the wind and they were gorgeous. It was as if there were two oranges hanging from the tree and that is why it caught my eye. I knew we weren't in a citrus grove so what were those orange blobs....OH MY WORD, it's the Altamira Oriole and there is not ONE but TWO...this is awesome!

That's one of the orioles!

#OWT
#BirdWatchers

Quilts

We had the some time and took the opportunity to stop at the McAllen Historical Society to see a quilt display a few days ago. It was a small collection of beautiful work and so varied. The colors, the technique, the stitching, it was amazing. They had a people's choice ballot for us to vote for our favorite. That was hard!

 One of these got our vote!

#Quiltsarenotjustblankets

Bike flats

So the other day at the Resaca de la Palma State Park we rode the bike trails, it was fun. Lots of fun, not too much sun, a few birds, an ocelot, turtles, jumping fish, lookout tower. Fun! Fun that is until someone got a flat...yeah, that was me. THANKFULLY, we were back at the visitor center. The park was open but the visitor center was closed so we had to park outside the gate. This was fine, we rode in. Leaving only one of us who rode out. I walked my bike back since it had a flat back tire.

Walking it back...

Honestly, it wasn't bad. In fact, it could have been so much worse. We could have been out on one of the trails. THAT would have been quite a long walk back. Anyway, we are steering clear of some of these so called bike trails since the long thorns of the trees seem to be invading our tires. While MiRV made it back and we thought it was only my tire that was affected. However, when we found a park with a little shade to perform the flat repair both of my tires were now flat and one of his was. He pulled out 7 thorns from one tire. Geez. But he's really good at flat repairs so it's all grand! And we picked up a bottle of Slime tire repair goop! Should be all good now!

 Flat tire repair at the park in Edinburg, TX

Gas Station Eats

Really, it's not a "who knew" cause we did know! But did you know that gas stations can and do have good eats? It true! At least sometimes anyway. And NOT just in Texas cause in Kansas City we ate some awesome good BBQ in a gas station, too!

But here in TX we have now tried gas station fair twice and loved it! First trip was to snag breakfast burritos. Oh my goodness, a homemade tortilla slathered with beans stuffed with scrambled eggs, potatoes, cheese and yes, my friends last but not least BACON! This breakfast burrito was delightful! Like REALLY, really good! And cheap at 2/$3.00. And I'm not talking tiny burritos like from MickeyD's these were much larger!

Our second trip into the gas station for food was the 6/$6 soft tacos after 2 p.m. They know I'm a sucker for a good deal so we sauntered on in and got our deal. Again, most delicious! My favorite was the beef fajita taco but the carna guisado was very tasty as well. I'm thinking we will do that again...soon!

Border Fence

So there you have it! Eating at gas stations and being happy about it in southern Texas. I won't even tell you that the young girl who waited on us didn't speak English and for an hour before we stopped we were looking at the "border fence" so really I shouldn't have been surprised! However, the amigo at the register was a partial English speaker who came over to clarify the taco fillings available. Guess we should brush up on our Spanish speaking skills!

#OWT

On the border

 

 It is not an exaggeration, we are literally right on the border... 

We have never seen this much of a law enforcement presence, EVER. As we travel Texas Highway 83 from the Harlingen area west through the Rio Grande Valley over past Roma we have seen more law enforcement than I have ever seen in my entire life.

There is NO DOUBT our border is being watched, patrolled, observed, enforced. There are hundreds on patrol. By golly they are on foot with and without dogs, in the air via helicopters, dirigibles and mobile watch towers and lastly, by vehicles. LOTS and LOTS of vehicles, in one stretch not more than five miles long we saw over 30 Texas State Troopers. There are also Border Patrol vehicles, the local sheriff, the local Constables, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and local Police. They are EVERYWHERE. We have seen them in fields looking, on the side of the road with folks out of vehicles, at gas stations doing drug dog walks, in the median just observing, going down the road (and not just the main ones), sitting along side the road. I kid you not, they are out and out in force! It makes you feel safe but a little paranoid as well.

 Mobile watch tower, dirigible, helicopter.

While I see what I see I can't help but wonder what I don't see...as we travel the Highway 83 circuit for the next few weeks I hope they continue to keep it safe out there and know that we are good guys!

#OWT

#BorderPatrolRocks

Bird Lookers

I can't believe we have become those people...well, not really but sort of we have. We are not true bird watchers as we do not set out on excursions for the primary purpose of watching birds (yet...) but when we are out and about we do look for birds! It's fun! We have made a few stops that are known birding areas and we take our looking glass with us on walks and hikes. Without a doubt we have definitely enjoyed the sightings in this area, so colorful and there are a few varieties that one can only see here without traveling to South America. The Kiskadee and the Green Jay. We spotted them before we ever learned their names! That's pretty awesome in my book, so we have become bird lookers!

While at Falcon State Park while hiking we spotted several colorful birds and had no idea their name. After stopping by the RecHall on our way out of the park we got a quick education from one of the volunteers of the Wildlife Refuge from up the street. She was so gracious and helped us to learn a lot in just a short time. Then while at the Bentsen State Park we encountered another volunteer who shared her knowledge with us as well. We feel so smart now...you know what they saw a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I think we are on the edge of that! 

 Green Jay from South America

This guy is MiRVs favorite. He caught a glimpse of him while we were at the county park and I was a tad bit jealous as I did not get to see him. Then while we were at Bentsen we saw a dozen or more of them. They are quite brilliant in their coloring and extremely mobile; it was not easy to get their photo! The Chachalaca is a large chicken like bird that we have also seen but quite common here since they are from just across the border in Mexico. They are noisy and often take over the feeders and they were even hanging somewhat upside down while eating, funny to watch and see.

Mr & Mrs Cardinal

The Cardinals are so red! I mean we have Cardinals in the Midwest but these guys are quite vibrant, more so than I remember in our part of the woods! Anyway they are flitting around everywhere in the parks here and quite fun to see. 

Lastly, the Kiskadee, again, one that migrates up from South America. Incredible bright yellow with little mask over the eyes. They are just beautiful and fun to watch, they scold and chatter to each other a lot, some might say they are too loud and obnoxious at they call back and forth but I thought they were just very social and they are my favorite so far. We also saw an oriole that has a gorgeous orange breast but we didn't see him in time to snap a photo. Maybe another day!

The Kiskadee! And as a bonus the Cardinal was in this shot!

We are back in the city after a few days out in the boondocks. We took a little field trip farther west to check out a state park and some longer term parking options. Found out that cell signal is either NON EXISTENT or you are pinging off the Mexican towers and will be charged outrageous fees for using said towers. We were certainly thankful for wifi at the Ranger stations! Even so we are considering returning even if it is a little off the beaten path it felt safe. The night time temps are what's holding us back as we would be opting for no hookups. It's been quite comfortable on most nights without heat but when it drops into the low 40s I am partial to a bit of warmth from our Alde; though snuggling works as long as it warms up during the day. We also need sunshine to keep our solar going and so far it's been sort of hit and miss on that. The weather is certainly NOT consistently sunny so doing a bit of circulating (driving) is good for supplementing our solar!

#OWT

#birdlookersgonewild

Bovine Adventure!

It wasn't on a whim because I called and made reservations but it was still definitely an exciting sort of spontaneous adventure! Bullfighting...we haven't been to a bullfight since we lived in Portugal nearly 30 years ago. The bullfights in the Azores were mostly held in the streets during the local festivals and we loved going! In the springtime there would be one every weekend in the different little villages. Only once did we attend a bullfight in a ring when MiRVs parents came to visit. It was a much different feel. But lots of interesting for sure! This was NO different!

The Portuguese "bullfights" in the streets were more like a running of the bulls festival, where the local young men dressed in white shirts would taunt the bull as he was held in check with a rope around his neck. I think it was more dangerous to those participating than to the bull.He was not killed. In the fight we saw in the bullring there was a matador and he poked, okay stabbed, javelins into the bull. It taunted the bull. In Portugal the bull is not killed in front of the audience or at least they weren't when we attended. Sometimes even in Spain where the bull is often killed sometimes he is not depending on the severity of his injuries he may be turned out to pasture, used later for breeding or he may be butchered.

Anyway back to our adventure, we drove out to a remote 60 acre South Texas ranch where a man had a dream. He built it and they come. It's a Winter Texan destination on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. We were amazed, intrigued and entertained. There is seating for over 1000 people so it's not a rinky dink deal and a lot of the seats were filled. Since it was the first fight of the season and only two matadors the gentleman next to us said the crowd would be less for that reason. I'm okay with not having a big crowd cause I don't like crowds! Gates opened at 1:00 p.m. with lots to see and do until the big event at 4 p.m. There was a BBQ stand for food and we partook, it was certainly yummy! The pulled pork was delicious but the soft taco was the best and the homemade pico to go on top was ohmygoodness good! We ate our share for sure!

We had excellent sunny ring side seats!

The entertainment was phenomenal with dancing Spanish horses and a top female mariachi vocalist who really wowed the crowd before the actual bullfight. Then it was time for the big event. It was very exciting and educational since the host and commentator spoke in English. When we went to the one in Portugal we had a bit of trouble taking it all in since it was a foreign tongue...my favorite was Matador Montalvo from Monterrey Mexico. He was good! The other Matador did well but Montalvo entertained each time he interacted with the bull! He was not flawless but persistent and I liked that! The helpers were good too and it was fun to watch and cheer Ole' and Bravo. The judge can be swayed by the crowd cheering so we were always hollering Ole'! We did not have flowers to throw but many did and also they threw wine flask out to the fighters as a sign of appreciation of their efforts. Very entertaining!

The weather was cool but with the beautiful sunshine it was a perfect day, nice breeze and fresh country air. We should sleep well tonight! And just to let you know the four bulls used in today's fights will not be killed, but they will never be used in a bullfight again either, it's a one shot deal. They will be sent to travel on the rodeo circuit. Goodnight and Ole!

#OWT

Hanging in Harlingen

While it's not been super sunny every day we have seen the sun and it's at least been warmer...this is good! Our stay in Harlingen has been fun, they have lots to offer. We easily found free overnight spots from a TX Wildlife Management Area on the outskirts of town to the Bass Pro. Hey, they ALL work for us! Incredible what just changing sides of the parking lot does for a little too much road noise. But the trains, oh they have trains and lots of 'em in this area!

We've checked out most of the city parks, I'm happy to report they are all in use. It's good to see the locals enjoying the outdoors! Loved the people watching...some of our imaginations run a little wilder than others...huhmmm.

Observing the local activity at Dixieland. Playing Frisbee while at the Sports Complex. 

We've also visited a couple Starbucks and quickly had a favorite! We explored the downtown area, went to the farmers market, found a little bakery, toured the Marine Academy, home to the model sculpture for the Iwo Jima in Washington, DC. It's all interesting! The local walking tour was a large group and unfortunately the guide left something to be desired, but we met some nice people! The farmers market was really small but still neat to walk around and see the local flare!

Iwo Jima Memorial.

On the downtown walking tour.

We were really thrilled to find an indoor aquatics center online and for $1 we thought we could "swim" and use the facilities. Awesome except it reality there were not 'facilites' as in real showers (just rinse off stations)/ Boooo! One of the issues when you don't campground camp, is that  you have no facilities so it is a challenge to get a shower! Of course Roada has hers but we try to minimize water usage when not sure where our next dump station and water fill will be. MiRV actually did end up swimming laps at the pool and did use the rinse offs so it was fine overall and well worth his dollar to do it!

I do believe Harlingen is a pretty neat little town, quite diverse and has an interesting history and we have enjoyed our time but we are ready for a change of scenery so we are heading west! Stay tuned for our next adventure taking place tomorrow afternoon as we travel into the Texas countryside to attend a bullfight in the Santa Maria Bullring!

The other Big News around here is the capture of 'El Chapo' and the lottery with it's BIG jackpot! Guess we should get a couple tickets...

On a side note I must say we have about a gabillion Customs & Border Patrol agents floating around down here. They are active, VERY active. We saw them in a full on chase with a K9 unit on our way from Kingsville to Harlingen. We passed multiple stations and there were hundreds of cars parked there. We were passed by one on the wrong side of the road going really fast, we have seen them just standing outside their cars observing the traffic flow, just going with traffic up and down the roads and in the drivethru lane at Starbucks!. It's impressive; while I remember seeing them on our last visit in 2012 I don't quite remember them having this much presence and I'm not really sure how that makes me feel.

#OWT