Another day in Paradise
It was 77 today and sunny. I hesitate to rub that in as I have been watching the weather at home in Michigan and elsewhere and it pretty much stinks. We have settled in quite nicely here. The park is just fine and everyone is very nice. Many activities are offered – bingo, shuffleboard, men’s pool tournament. Wellllllllll, maybe not all of it is right for us, but nevertheless, it’s a friendly little beehive located on the Rio Grand River, very scenic.
And interesting . . . The border patrol has a full-fledged staging area right on the property here. Generally a dozen or so cars and trucks, boat launchings, an elevated guard platform that is manned all the time and a helicopter that patrols overhead. You get used to it. It’s kinda like LA.
There was a big whoop last week as captured in photos when the Texas State legislature showed up pretty much en mass for boat tours of the area. A typical government operation – one person to hold the lightbulb and four to move the ladder around in a circle. But if it means more funds for border security, I’m all for it.
Mission, Texas is no dream vacation spot (in case some of you are thinking of making reservations down here). In fact, you would not really ever come here….unless you were a person obsessed by birds. No bones about it, we are. This is the birding hot spot in the US, good in the winter, prime in the spring. We first came here in 2007. We stayed at El Rocio, a ranch not far from here, a qwirky, wonderful place, a bit of heaven.
Cannot recommend that place strongly enough! Acres untouched by development, a beautifully decorated main house with touch of the unexpected -- such a bathroom is in the shape of a teapot. Kid you not. We stayed in the small guest house, comfortable, complete with the ranch kitty outside.
The first morning was amazing. Birds. Everywhere. Amazing birds. The extravagant green jay with bright green body and cobalt blue head, the great kiskadee, big, bright yellow and singing his name, chachalacas, large, strange and prehistoric – not quite a chicken, not quite a lizard. We were transfixed.
Days later, we were sitting on a yard swing having a bit of wine and cheese in the evening when out of the woods strolled two bobcats. They posed a bit, staring at us for a spine tingling moment (bobcats look really really big in binoculars) and then sauntered off. It was awesome and we were hooked on Texas.
