San Antonio~~What a Wonderful City

      The Alamo, right downtown!

We didn't expect the Alamo to be the center of the city. Touring the Alamo took us a full day. We listened to a tour guide, narrate details of the war.

We sat amongst other visitors, in reverence, viewing a film that explained how several thousand Mexicans drove through the walls of the Alamo, wiping out the 200 frontiersmens who were defending the fort; fighting for thier independence.
(Dates on the pictures might not be correct. I didn't set the camera after I put in the batteries!)

The San Antonio River winds underground, with beautiful flower and tree-lined sidewalks,
forming:

           THE RIVERWALK. 
Restaurants, stores, boutiques and hotels line both sides of the river. Boat trips are featured, with guides narrating the tours.

We were visiting over Thanksgiving, when the Riverwalk comes alive, with Christmas floats, that actually floated down the entire river.
People lined the streets, bridges, and restaurants, all in the Holiday Spirit.
It was gorgeous! Lights hanging from trees, lights on rails, lights on the boats, lights on people, lights everywhere!

      NEW FRIENDS
We stopped for a drink, at an Irish Pub, their attraction being a fountain of fire and water. We met a wonderful couple there, whom we talked with for an extended amount of time. They also were like fire and water! Bette was a spit fire and Tony flowed with ease. Thus, their relationship was one to be emulated! Joe and I were taken with them. Tony being Italian, Bette being Irish, they were sparks that filled our day with conversation, entertainment and a new friendship. See you through emails Bette! Tony is like Joe, doesn't know how to turn the computer on! 

                        MUSIC ON THE STREETS

Like most large cities, we heard horns, violins, singing and preaching. This young man was unique, playing the bagpipes.
We love street entertainers!





                                         The Torch of Friendship

                       STREET ART

I also love street art!

Several times in four days we walked by this sculpture. Finally stopping to read the

medallion embedded into the sidewalk. This is a symbol of light that evokes friendship and unity. Sculptor: SEBASTIAN  June 2002

                                 

     Tiles--like this one,

 are found set into the cement pillars along the sidewalks, around the city. I took pictures of several of them. Very colorful! 

If you have a chance, visit San Antonio, Texas. It's a great city!                          

We Have a Visitor!

Flat Stanley arrived at our house today, at approximately 1:00 p.m. It was arranged by Emily Cramer, that he would come to Brownsville, for a visit of about two weeks or so.
Good thing he arrived today, as we are leaving tomorrow morning for San Antonio, Texas!

        Welcome to Brownsville, Texas

We needed to go out, to do a few errands this afternoon, so Flat Stanley went with us. Grandpa Joe held his hand, so he wouldn't blow away, as they both posed in front of this Brownsville collage.  
(Double click on the picture to see the colorful; historical mural.)

      
        The Adventures Start for Flat Stanley!
He is open to doing anything and going anywhere. Good thing, because you just never know where we are off to! As you can see, in this picture, Flat Stanley has his bag packed and is ready for an early departure.
 
Happy Thanksgiving, from the three of us. We all have so much to be thankful for.
Blessings to our families and friends!
 
I won't be blogging for a few days. Tune in again
after the weekend.

Where The Rio Grande Meets The Gulf of Mexico

We have been looking forward to seeing the mouth of the Rio Grande. The tide has to be out, to make it down the beach and get to the mouth of the river. We've tried it a couple of times, with no success. Yesterday was our day! We went with friends, that know how to get around the beach. Boca Chica Beach is not developed at all. Just sand, seaweed, scrub brush, water and openness! Lovely!
We drove through the sandy driveway and onto the beach itself. To my delight, there were two Black Skimmers dining on the bugs near the water.
If you double click on the pictures they will enlarge, click back arrow to return.

Continuing on, we came to the end of the beach and met the Rio Grande.

There were several men fishing, on the other side of the river. The other side being Mexico. As you can see, in the photos, the river is not wide. We were standing on the US side, looking over at the fishermen on the Mexican side.

Very interesting---no fence here!  Of course, there is a check-point on the

road back! We ventured to the other end of Boca Chica Beach. Driving down the beach to the other end, we saw many dead fish, leftover from the Red Tide. At the end of the beach, you can look over to South Padre Island, the area where Dolphin Cove is.

This lighthouse is on the Mexican side of the river/meeting the Gulf of Mexico.

The bottom right picture, is the check-point, where we declare we are from the US, on the way back to Brownsville.
The people that patrol the check-point are always very friendly. We have stopped to talk to them several times, asking questions about the area and purpose of the check-point at the beach.

Sunset at Dolphin Cove

Sunset at Dolphin Cove ~~~ South Padre Island, Texas  ~~~ Wish You Were Here

 

How Fast Can I Run?

              Palo Alto ~ one more time

As Joe never finished reading about the US/Mexican war, at Palo Alto, we returned to the Center. He continued where he left off and I headed out to the trails. The trails, made for people to walk through the battlefields, were inviting to me, to view the birds and small animals.



Canons set on the grounds, from both sides; flags marking out the areas where the Mexicans and US were posted, are the main features, on the trails.

Signs, with reenactment pictures of the war are also sprinkled here and there. The blue canon is for real, it's one of the vibrant color Mexicans so love.

My excitement of the day came as soon as I walked a short ways down the trail.



There in front of me was an animal!

Sharing the same path, I continued walking taking pictures as I followed this animal, as big as a large dog. I figured it was either an ocelot, bobcat, or mountain lion. Remembering ocelots are only in Laguna Atascosa, that left two choices. When it stopped, I stopped, continuing with the pictures. It finally turned around and looked at me. I thought, "How fast can I run?" Deciding not fast enough, I turned around, catching a glimpse behind me now and then, headed back to the center. The rangers looked at my pictures and identified it, as a bobcat. They knew they were out there, seeing their scat, but no one had ever sighted one before! I was very excited, waiting to tell Joe--he was in watching a video about the war. After I settled down we returned to the trails, for him to read, and for me to scan the acres and acres for more animals. I did see three Nilgai (imported here from India, for exotic hunting, size of an antelope), but not close enough for a picture. 

Enjoy this treasured picture of "My Bobcat"!

Crossing the River and Watching One Develop

It looked like rain, but we decided to venture into Progreso, Mexico. Came to the border bridge; weather was holding out. Greeting us was this sign. A nice welcome into Mexico.
Really want our business, huh?


Continuing across the bridge you can stand with one foot in the USA and one foot in Mexico. Second sign indicates the boundaries.

      Below-----the Rio Grande.             

The bridge is, of course, built over the Rio Grande.
Yes, you could walk through the water, thus, the Border Fence and constant border patrol. 
The fence is in the background. If 
you double click on the picture it 
will enlarge so you can see it. Just
click back arrow to return. Or in some
cases the picture enlarges in a 
separate window, then just click out
of it.

The weather turned. It started to rain--hard. We saw this street dog, above, running around, scrounging for food. The raining came pounding down, we found shelter under the roof of an empty street vendor's cart. The dog found shelter under the bus. After awhile he just laid down and waited out the rain. We stood close to the food cart, trying to stay dry. They are redoing the street, where we were, and it soon faded from being a street to being an ankle deep, muddy river.

When it let up enough we made our way over to the local casino. Waiting out the rain we played their one cent machines. We played all afternoon on ten dollars! We were dry, having fun playing penny machines, that gave bonus after bonus; contributing to the Mexican economy!

A rainy day that turned out lucky. What more could you ask for?

Here Everything's Better

Crossing over the border bridge, back into the US, Joe spotted this store. Not that he wanted to go into it, but that it had his daughter's name--with the same spelling. Ceci-- for you!       CECI'S FASHIONS

Upon closer examination we discovered it to be a shop of very fancy dresses. Needless to say we did not venture into Ceci's Fashions. Thought we'd leave it to the young girls looking for prom dresses, becoming bridesmaids, or having their quincenera celebration.(Becoming of age party - at 15yrs.old.)

The store we frequent, is HEB. This is a fantastic store!

HEB stands for Here Everything's Better--Now. It has been around for 104 yrs.

The chain was started by Charles C. and Florence Butt. The original name being: CC Butt Grocery Store. Howard E. Butt took over the family business, in 1919. His motto being, "He profits most who serves best."

Name change: Howard E. Butt Grocery--HEB---Here Everything's Better

The HEB we shop at has many services, beyond groceries. When entering the store you walk into what looks like a cooking show. There are two chefs creating wonderful soups, meats, sushi, and more. The deli smells delightful, and people are sitting at the counter engaging in wonderful meals. The bakery must be a city block long, with tempting delights abounding. Joe has tried the eclairs and tells me they are delicious. The grocery part of the store goes on and on, entering then into the liquor store, the wine department, the pharmacy, etc. etc. I bought a vegetable chopper there the other day to help me in cutting up veggies for salsa. Hope it works! Dicing those tomatoes, peppers, onions and cilantro is a hand-wrenching task!

If you happen upon Texas, stop and explore HEB.

No snow--No ice---Just GREENS

Golfing in the winter. 

No big, fuzzy mittens. No warming the golf balls. 

No layers of clothing. No waiting until the frost has cleared. No stocking cap. Not having to wear long underwear!  

Golfing in Brownsville, TX. Priceless!

Well, not really priceless--but only $14 to walk, and for anyone that knows Joe---he will walk. We took a few shots at the course where Joe golfs. Look at that green grass!

Taking a Ride on a Dreary Day

A dreary day. Raining on and off. We decided to take a ride through the 15 mile Laguna Madre area, just outside of Laguna Vista.
A 15 mile route took us 3 hours!
We stopped at viewing areas along the way and read every informational sign on the route. Mostly we stopped to look at the birds. We watched an Osprey eating a fish that was a foot long! The fish tail flapped each time the osprey took a bite out of it. Finally -the fish stopped moving.

This solitary tree was in the right
place for this bird to have a rest.

We stopped at the Visitor's Center and three Green Jays just flew in, for have an afternoon snack. Up close their colors are striking! We've seen several Green Jays since coming down here and each time, each one, is just as beautiful as the last one we saw.

These tracks are quite deep. Wish I could've seen the Nilgai that made them! A nilgai is a native antelope of India. They were introduced to South Texas in the early 1930's on the King Ranch. Exotic hunting being the sole purpose of bringing them to the state. One day, on our excursions, I hope to see one!
                             

Thorn forests, cacti, flowers, various palm trees, and scrub of all varieties dominant the area we drove through today. I love this cactus **it has red balls on it, like little apples.

The yellow flowers growing near it were blended in as if it was a bouquet waiting for someone to think it was a Kodak moment!

Along our drive this Roadrunner stopped just long enough to strike a pose for me. He ran quickly along the brush catching bugs in the air. This is only the second time I've seen a roadrunner, in the wild.

      The highlight of the day. 
Entering the Laguna Madre drive, the first thing you notice are the speed bumps. Not your regular speed bump. These are bumps that are narrow, about 5" high, and pointy. You really need to slow almost to a stop to go over them. 
We wondered why they were there. Talking to a volunteer we learned they were there to slow people down. And? The reason being, there are ocelots in the thorny forests. There have been incidents, where ocelots have been hit.
The speed bumps are hopefully slowing people ,so no more ocelots are killed. 
There are not many left in the country, about one hundred or less, with approximately 30 in this area.
There were two signs cautioning people of ocelot crossings. Believe me, I had my eyes everywhere hoping we would spot one. No luck on our drive.
We left the area about 4:45, it was getting dark early because of the dreary day it was. As we drove out I looked to my left and there crossing the road, very close to the Visitor's Center was an ocelot! We slowly drove closer as the ocelot ran across the road, paced a few times along the fence and ran into the thick brush. 
Camera? Yup, not ready! Maybe next time.

Sand Castles and Red Tide

Building sand castles--a fun activity when going to the beach. Our first trip over to South Padre Island was to attend Castle Days. Not to build sand castles, but to view them.

Builders from all over the world came to the Island, to "play in the sand."
Their imaginations were in top shape and their creations were magical!

The downside of the weekend and the following two weeks was that the Red Tide was in. Red tide can cause
burning eyes and skin irritation. Many fish also wash up onto the beach and it gets very smelly. In Texas, red tides are caused by high concentrations of a microscopic alga called Karenia brevis.The water may become discolored, causing it to appear red, light
green, dark green or brown.
Symptoms common when breathing red tide toxins include coughing, sneezing, and teary eyes. Many people were wearing masks to help filter and lessen the effects. Interestingly enough, it affected Joe more than myself. He covered his nose and mouth with a napkin while we walked the beach to view the "castles."  We didn't stick around, as coughing while trying to enjoy something is not pleasant. Amazingly, as soon as we were away from the beach, the symptoms dissipated. No more coughing and Joe's eyes were fine.

Look at these "sand castles"~~~these professional builders are good!
Puss 'N Boots was my favorite.  The shark attack was Joe's favorite. Men!

Battles, Birds and Snakes

Texas is rich in history, which pleases Joe as he loves reading about all aspects of it. Recently, we visited the battlefields at Palo Alto in Brownsville,TX. Palo Alto was the site of the first battle of the US/Mexican war in 1846.The Visitor's Center featured a video educating viewers of the timetable, the participants, the reasons, and the area covered by the US/Mexican war, with perspectives from both countries. As we patiently watched the video and took it all in, I was anxious to get outdoors to see the birds!  Joe was anxious to get into the main area of the Center to start reading every little detail, on every plaque and poster. Wonderful! Something that interests both of us, at the same place!
Joe stayed in the Center reading while I headed outside with my binoculars
around my neck. I walked 1 1/2 miles, through the battlefield, now with
winding, blacktopped paths for easy walking, to view a nest of the Black-Shouldered Kite. The Kite must've been notified of my presence, as it gracefully flew up from the brush! How fortunate to be there at that moment.

I walked back to find Joe still reading. As closing time was approaching we decided to return to Palo Alto another day, for Joe to resume reading and for me to walk the battlefields looking for more of my feathered friends.

I'm contemplating wearing my boots next time we go out there, as there were several signs on the paths, to be careful and watch for snakes. Texas has several venomous snakes. The two in our area are the Western

Diamondback Rattlesnake and the Coral Snake. A non-venomous snake that we have encountered here is the Indigo Snake, which eats the Diamondback Rattlesnake.

We were walking down a path, at Laguna Atascosa, I was leading the

way and 3ft. in front of me was an Indigo snake basking, in the

sun. I stopped abrutly, holding Joe back. (He is deathly afraid of

snakes!) We gently walked around our 5ft. "friend" so I could get a

picture. I only got the tail end as it slipped into the tall grass.

I felt fairly comfortable quietly stepping

around it, as an Indigo snakes

favorite food is any type of rodent, not people!