Mission, Texas

We are back in Mission for the winter after a thankfully uneventful journey south. The fall weather at home was stunning and it was hard to leave. However, now that we are here, we are getting involved in our local routine and really enjoying it. The first 3 weeks here were hot, humid and windy, which is not something I enjoy. Since I have become a northerner again, it was a little harder to get used to the dramatic change, and I spent a lot of time inside in the air conditioner. However, temps have moderated and we are spending lots of time outdoors. We have had some overnights in the 30's but the daytime temps have been in the 70-80 even though sometimes the wind is pretty strong. Yesterday we had an all day, slow, soaking rain and got 2.25" of rain. In the 20 years I have been coming down here I can't remember anything like this. The area is desperately dry and the rain was a huge blessing.

It has been great to renew old friendships since arriving. At one point we considered wintering in Arizona which is now much closer to home, but we would miss all our friends from here that we only get to see at this time of year.

Another thing I really like about here is the proximity to Bentsen State Park where we can ride our bikes. This area has built up tremendously in the years I have been coming down, and I don't like the traffic but I can ride from our rv park to the state park where there are lots of paved areas, without having to get in the car and drive on the busy roads.

My back is doing better this year so I have been walking a mile in the morning and riding my bike at least 4 miles in the afternoon. I often go into the state park and take my binoculars and then I spend more time goofing around and looking at birds, than riding for exercise. Oh well, it is always a blessing to be out in nature.

We have had some neat birding experiences this year. When you are this close to the Mexican border, there is a chance for a rare bird from the south to show up unexpectedly. So far this year it has been a golden crowned warbler. We had seen one on a trip to Mexico, but not in this country. Dan went to the butterfly park where it was seen but the day was hot and humid and the mosquitoes were out, so I elected to stay home. A few days later when it had cooled off, we both went back and waited in the area where it had been seen. After 3 hours of no bird, another man walked past the 5 of us who were waiting, and continued down the trail. In less than a minute we heard him say "Here's your bird". He had been looking for butterflies and just happened to see the bird we had all been waiting for. Sometimes you just get lucky!

Another unexpected bird is the fox sparrow I saw at Bentsen State Park next door. Fox sparrows are not unusual or rare, but they are for this part of the country. They are a northern bird that virtually never gets this far south but this year is an exception. There had only been one previous record for the Rio Grande Valley but the bird I saw was one of 4 that had been seen in the Valley this year.

Today I had a verdin in the bushes right next to the trailer. Considering this is a bird of the desert scrub vegetation, this was an unusual find. See, I told you it was dry around here!

Earlier this week 3 of us were at Estero Llano Grande State Park....in my opinion, the best park of all the state and federal parks in the valley. There was a red shouldered hawk that we had seen several times as we walked around. Right in front of us he made an attempt at catching an American bittern in the reeds. It was probably just as well he missed as the bittern outweighs him and the fight would have been on. There was certainly a lot of screeching during the encounter.

This RV park gives anyone that is interested, a 10x10 garden space. Two years ago several of us planted things but in the middle of the growing season we had a couple of hard freezes and that was the end of the garden. Last year we did not plant anything. This year I decided I would give it another try and only plant things like lettuce etc that can stand some cold weather. The other challenge is the nasty, heavy clay soil that is almost impossible to work with, poor nutrients and sloping ground. When you water, it crusts over and runs off very easily making it hard for things to flourish. However, I decided I would experiment with different methods...raised beds...in beds with dykes around to keep water from running off...flat ground and regular methods...various fertilizer methods. The other challenge is finding seeds this time of year and about all I could find was lettuce. As a result, I have lots of lettuce coming up in multiple areas with varying degrees of success. However, that is OK as we eat lots of salads and fresh is always better.

Two years ago, my friend Anne and I tried woodcarving. It was enjoyable and we made some things we were pleased with. However, last year we never seemed to get around to doing anything. This year we have turned over a new leaf and are starting some projects again. They have an amazing wood shop here and as long as you sign a release, they let you use the equipment. That really helps when you are starting off with a piece of wood that is too big. We'll have to see what we can accomplish this year.

This is all for now but once again, I resolve to stay more current on my postings.