We are NOT birders continued...

We knew we were in the right place at High Island because Paul and I both said - those people look like birders - birders just have a look - a uniform if you will.

Now this picture doesn't fully display "the look" but they usually have outdoor clothing on, big hats, binoculars and some of the largest camera lenses I have ever seen outside a sporting event.  We don't wear special clothing but.......

Paul was wearing his binoculars and I did have the camera, but my lens is a toy next to every other lenses we saw there.  One man we saw as we were coming into this particular bird sanctuary was having a "religious experience".  I thought we might have to call EMTs to give him oxygen he was so excited about all the birds he was seeing in this area.  We hustled in with great expectation - but we're not birders - eh....we didn't see anything half as great as the rookery.  Note the man's "uniform" - that's a birder!

The morning of our last day we went out one more time to the bays and marshes where rosies should be - at the last minute we got lucky....

Just because this was cool and exciting doesn't make us "birders"!  And just because we saw an Ibis and that was cool too....doesn't mean we are birders....really....we're not.

April 29, 2013

Had blog problems....again...so thus the delay between posts.  I've discovered I CAN write it in Word when I'm traveling and then post it in the blog but there was a glitch - my I.T. guy helped me out and I'm in business again.
..........
We are  NOT birders....REALLY!!!

After Nashville we traveled down to Galveston, Texas.  Silly me - I did not look on any maps and do my geography homework so I had no idea Galveston was NOT a city on the coast of Texas, it is an island unto itself!!  Yay - I was so excited to get there and see the ocean - we had a great camp space and could see the ocean right out the back window (thanks again to the McKees for suggested we buy a rear living 5th wheel!).

Sunrise out the back window!

Galveston was fun - this time of year.  We suppose that in summer it is a zoo!  Lots of condos and hotels.  There's one street that goes the entire length of the island.  It was surprising to see ocean and then across the road fields full of cows.

We were there to search for the Roseate Spoonbill.  After many attempts we called the Visitor's Center and a nature conservancy and were told where to go - the Rookery on High Island.  Eureka!!!

April 19, 2013

Time is flying – tends to do that when you’re busy.  Last Monday we left Cumberland Falls, KY and moved on to Bowling Green – more of a stop over than a stay.  We did do  a little shopping there and saw the older section of town.  We love those city centers where there is almost always a park and older architecture.  There is a college in the community and it is huge – the architecture of the older homes was fascinating.  So much beauty in  houses that have been standing since the 1850’s.  

Our most memorable event in Bowling Green will be our overnight accommodations – the Wal Mart parking lot!  We have stayed in W-M lots many times but this time was the worst.   It was warm enough that we needed to keep the windows open – wellll, at 12:45 a.m. I heard a girl scream … I jumped up and looked out the window – just a few college kids walking across the parking lot, laughing and yukking it up.  Then at 2:30 in the morning the PARKING LOT SWEEPER came and did it’s job!!!  He was a very thorough sweeper.  Later a diesel came, idled loudly, then left.   About 5:00 in the morning two guys in trucks decided stopping and idling near us was the perfect place to have a LOUD,  friendly conversation with one another.

Nashville  was only 50 miles away so it was a quick trip on Tuesday – we got a nice spot in the RV park here at Two Rivers and spent some time shopping for food and driving around the downtown area a little.   Wednesday we toured an 1850s mansion that has been turned into a museum, but the grounds were the reason for our visit – over 55,000 tulip bulbs in bloom!!  

  Beautiful day – actually got hot - beautiful spot to visit – we ate in their onsite restaurant and I had the tastiest salad I’ve ever eaten – a fried green tomato salad with a citrus vinegrette – yummo!  We were sorry they had remodeled a large section of the mansion to accommodate the art – we are rather pedestrian and don’t really appreciate modern art and would have loved seeing the mansion set up as the original owners had created it.  Oh well.

We took a tour of downtown Nashville on a hop on, hop off trolley – it was ok.  We only hopped off at the Farmer’s Market which was kind of quiet since it was Thursday.  We did get to see the building where Taylor Swift has a giant condo apartment – whoopee!  

taylor's digs - top floor, on right

White Castle burger places are everywhere here in the south so we decided to give them a try after a long day of touristy exploration.  We were not impressed.  They must have started the slider craze – you got four sliders with fries and a small coke for $5.45 – good deal, but the burger came with only a pickle and some chopped, grilled onion on it.  You added mayo, mustard etc.  No lettuce, no tomato.  The meat was the bologna equivalent of beef, small square, pressed-meat-looking product.  We gave half of it away to a hungry looking young man at the Laundromat we visited after “dinner”.  On this trip we have now crossed off White Castle, Sonic, What-a-Burger and Carver’s famous “butter burger” off the burger list.  We miss In-n-Out and no one, NO ONE, has come close to our own Diamond Back burgers and sweet potato fries!!

Last night big rain storm – thought it was going to thunder and lightening like crazy but no such luck,  just buckets of rain and a 30 degree drop in temps!!  Brrrr

Prayers for Boston – so weird to be in a store and see the news interruption and today to know they already have 2 suspects, although one is dead.  So sad to see the second man is only 19 – he came and benefited from all that America has to offer, and turns on Her. I will be interested to hear their story.

Oh the world needs Jesus.

April 15, 2013

Will write as much as I can while Paul "dumps" the grey water.  We have  been at Cumberland Falls, Kentucky for 3 days - we only recently discovered the internet in the office does indeed reach its little fingers out to our site.  We are the largest site in the camp and the only site that can accommodate our 5th wheel - luckily Paul researched BEFORE we got here and reserved it!

So this is Cumberland Falls - not as impressive as Yosemite but powerful and awe inspiring just the same.  In the lower corner you can see part of the rainbow created by the falls.  They have a special walk on full moon nights to see a "moon bow" - alas we  will not be here for that.

Prior to Cumberland we visited Churchill Downs in Louisville and a cool park called Four Bridges.  The park was great except it is between freeways and bridges and is so noisy we didn't want to stay as long as we had planned.  Walking over the bridge was a great experience except Miss Callie is always nervous about those kind of adventures.

Picture #1  Famous two towers of Churchill Downs

Picture #2 Entrance to Churchill Downs

Of course there was a lot of preparation going on in anticipation of the Kentucky Derby in a matter of weeks. We had a good lunch in their cafe where I got a free sampling of "burgoo" a stoup that they say came down through Daniel Boone and his boys.  You put anything and everything in it, mixing veggies and multiple cuts of meats in the one pot and let it simmer all day - it was dee-li-cious!  I have no idea what herbs or spices were put into the pot but it was great.  I will now research recipes and try to replicate it.  

Lots more to post but Paul is ready to roll and we are already way behind schedule.  On to Bowling Green!

April 7, 2013

Left Texas with memories of lovely wild flowers and trees in bud along the freeways and in the fields.  One memory I will always have is driving by a ranch and seeing 7 dead coyotes hung on a fence.  I think I remember my dad saying that ranchers did that to discourage coyotes from coming on the property - if the rancher already shot 7, doesn't that mean the message isn't getting back to the pack??  If we weren't traveling along so quickly I would have taken a picture.


Thursday we arrived safely in Dayton, Ohio.  Came here to see our friends, Ruth and Rodger Schuld.  Roger and Ruth lived in Sonora for several years until he decided to re-up with the Air Force.  He has become a Colonel in the last few years - it's really funny to see him salute and hear others call him Colonel and "Sir".  We tease him about that.  Being on an Air Force base is interesting.  We had to go get temporary ID's that we must carry with us at all times.  Every time we leave the base we must make sure they're on us or we can't get back onto the base and we might have issues  with the guy with a gun at the gate - scary looking guns.

The Schuld's housing is lovely - red brick houses - with a back yard which our dogs loved.  Maizie was crazy, running and running when we let her off leash.  Chloe actually ran several laps with her.  We are at an RV park right here on the base and it's pretty nice - quiet, all the amenities.  Nearby we thought we spied a dog park, but it turned out to be a training area for military dogs.  Fun to watch...from afar.  We don't want to get yelled at.  There is also a small lake in the RV area so that's picturesque.

It has been amazing how much water there is in the north eastern part of Texas, then Tennesee and Kentucky.  We are constantly crossing some river or creek and see ponds or lakes frequently.  One river we crossed was called the "Loosahatchie"  - I just like saying Lossahatchie!

Throughout our traveling we have been lucky to run into mostly really nice people.  As we pulled into a gas station a man started walking toward us waving his arms about.  When I rolled down the river he told us there was another station just a couple hundred yards up the way that would be much easier to get in and out of as it was set up for trucks and RV's.  He was right.  I got out of the truck while Paul was gassing up and saw the same man pull up behind our rig.  He just wanted to see that we found it and then wanted to talk about RVs - he has an older version of our model.  Then he asked where we were from and where we were headed and wished us well.  As Paul walked back to the truck from paying our gas bill a young man waved at him so Paul walked over to his truck - the young man just wanted to tell Paul he had a great truck!  Funny gas stop!!

As we continued on through Tennesee we passed a town called Millington - found out Paul had lived there as a toddler - probably 3 or 4 years old.  He remembered a head injury he got but that's all.  :)

One thing I love and can't get enough of is seeing red birds - have seen a cardinal and a bird whose name I do not know - but so cool to see flashes of red.

Today we are going to a dog wash - the dogs reek and it's still too cold to wash them outside - we have been disappointed that we haven't had warmer weather.  Everyone keeps saying it was so different last year at this time - warmer and everything in bud.  The trees all are still winter bare at this time.
More later - no time - gotta go wash dogs and vacuum dog hair out of truck.  No internet at RV park so may be couple days - hope next RV park has internet - Grandma's RV Park  in Louisville KY - if not, it'll just have to be another McDonald's!!

Happy Trails

April 2, 2013

So, arrived in a storm - still raining - 30 degree drop in temps here since yesterday!  Just our luck - but glad we came into a park so we can have heat!  Although, we think we  have discovered (accidentally) that we can run our heater on battery power.

As I prepared dinner I listened to the weather - there were special reports about how to survive a tornado - seems spring is prime time in Arkansas for those.  Yay.  Also saw an ad for a tornado room that you can build into your home...never saw one of those before.  Arkansas is the home of my ancestors - think I'd rather risk an earthquake and live in good ole California!

By the way, if you see my mother, DO NOT TELL HER ABOUT THE TORNADOES!!

Sitting in a McDonald's in Midlothion, TX.  Spent a lovely evening in the Wal Mart Parking lot.  It wasn't so bad - well lit, nice neighborhood, very clean.  And of course we had to go in and buy some stuff!!  Wal Mart is good to allow travelers overnight accommodations - wonder if others spend money in almost every one of them like we do?

The travel yesterday was lovely too -  took the back roads - the Texas Blue Bonnet Trail - no large fields of bluebonnets but many "pockets" of flowers - they look like our lupine - here they have red poppies so when you spy a group of blue bonnets with the red poppies in it - spectacular!

Forgot to mention at beginning of the trip  that I had an interesting "experience" - not sure what else to call it. I took my friend Evelyn out to see my 5th wheel - I'm always proud to show it off.  Well, when we opened the door we were greeted by a not-so-pleasant odor.  Later Paul went to check it out and read the instructions on the odor chemicals we use in the black water tank.  He added more since we had clearly not used enough....but that wasn't the reason for the lovely fragrance.  As I loaded for the trip for some reason I opened the microwave and there .... having sat for at least 3 or 4 months.....was a lovely bowl of BEANS!!  What glorious colors and textures on top of those beans.  How did I forget those??  Anyway, origin of odor discovered and rectified.   Note to self:  add to list...check microwave when trip is over!

April1, 2013

Preparing for departure from Kerrville to jouney up north do Dallas, TX.  Have never been there so looking forward to the dri've.  It's a mere 4 hour drive today.

We hope to see masses of bluebonnets but may be disappointed.  They're blooming but not in the quantities we had hoped for.  Might be a little early yet.  Yesterdays amazing thunderstorm should help in this area at least.  Booming thunder, crashing lightening and massive downpour should give them water for days to come.

As we prepare to leave I am in charge of the cabin of our "land" ship.  It's amazing how much dog hair and leaf trash I had to sweep out, especially considering I swept every day we were here.  They don't seem to put much effort into raking at this RV park so we brought it inside!

This park is right on the river - lovely site - again, we don't get to use it much as we spend as much time as possible with Paul's mother.  Since it was Easter weekend our quiet idyll turned into a multisite party on Friday.  We had a family of 1000 set up camp next to us (actually only about 9, 6 kids, 3 moms).  Boy did they bring a lot of stuff!!  Everyone in camp was fishin,, jumpin in the river and having a good time.  If you didn't enjoy country music you were in trouble - they didn't seem to enforce the rules about loud music!  I didn't mind since I was here so little - just came back several times a day to let the dogs out - but still playing it at 12:30 a.m., yeah, not so happy about that.

Easter Sunday we did two services - we visited a church near the park - it was small, very welcoming and it was interesting to hear the worship music sung by a young man who had a pronounced country drawl.  He was excellent - should try out for American Idol!!  We attended the second service at the chapel in the community where Kay lives - it was a packed house.  Both services made us appreciate our pastor!

Gotta go - time to power down and get in the truck!!

Happy trails and Happy Easter!!