Our RV Park is in Bloom as we Prepare to Leave

 March is almost upon us and the weather has become so hot that we are starting to look forward to some cooler Michigan temperatures.  Before we leave we want to share some of the beauty of Bentsen Palm Village.  The early hot weather appears to be much to the flowers liking!

The pictures above show you part of the reason that we return to Bentsen.  There are many more flowering plants and trees than are shown here and the lawns are mowed and trimmed weekly.  This is the only RV park in the Rio Grande Valley that we have found that keeps their grounds this well-groomed and colorful.  

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Weather Forecast Is Hot

 Here is the ten-day weather forecast for the Rio Grande Valley as of Monday 2-27-2023.

Note that Thursday's forecast  is listed as 101.  That is hot for March 2nd so we know it is time to start home soon.  Being from Michigan, anytime the temperature goes above 90 we find it rather uncomfortable.

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More Live Music in Our Park

We do not go to every live performance that is offered in our RV park but we do attend some that are usually on weekends.  The cost is normally about $10 per person for two or hours of entertainment in our small clubhouse.

On Valentines Day the band was Poison Ivy and lots of old folks were doing plenty of dancing.

More recently the group was Lindley Creek - a family band who were excellent and put on quite a show.  Most of the bands come to the Rio Grande Valley in the winter, then spend their warmer months around Nashville, Branson, Memphis, etc.

🎶  🎵  🎸  🎻

 

Who Said Bike Rides Had to be Legal?

 About a mile from our RV campground is this huge water reservoir that was created by the city of Mission a couple of years ago.  When water conditions are healthy waters from the Rio Grande River are pumped in so it can be distributed to farm fields when needed.

Above you see the  reservoir in the distance over the canal that is connected to the river.  The small white building houses the pumps that control the water levels.

This is the signature sign and building from the entrance road.

Bill has ridden by the  reservoir numerous times on his bicycle and it is entirely fenced in with only one gate that has always been locked.

This sign next to the locked gate keeps unauthorized people out.

Usually......

A few days ago Bill found the gate unlocked and saw no one around.... so he decided that it was a good chance to see the  reservoir up close.  This is the path from inside the fence as he rode around the man- made lake.  He was afraid that he might get arrested or locked in, but neither happened.

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Karen's Baby Gets A Bath

 Early Saturday morning, 2-18-2023,  this red pickup showed up with a crew of three men who went right to work.

We hit a good day to have the trailer washed and waxed as there was little wind and the skies were clear.

They had a power washer, but most of the work was done by muscle and elbow grease.  The crew from "Chihuas" (their only crew and they spoke little English)  did a fine job.  We got a great $120 clean and wax and they all got a tip as well. 

On a recent morning bicycle trip into the nearby State Park, Bill ran into this rowdy group of Tom Turkeys out on patrol.  When they first saw him come around a bend they did not run away, but instead came running to protect their territory.

When they got close enough to size-up the situation they decided to call off the attack and instead retreated into the brush.  The turkeys are very large down here and mating season must be near.

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Haircuts and Space Objects In Texas

 If you are ever in the Rio Grande Valley and need a good haircut....

Here is the place to go in downtown Mission.  Not only will you get a very good $15 haircut (half what Bill pays in Gaylord) but Fat Joe is bilingual, of course, and is interesting to talk to.  He has lived down here all of his life.  Unlike all the Winter Texans we mingle with - Fat Joe actually knows the culture and area and loves to answer any questions his customers might have.  He told Bill that no matter what town we might be visiting down here - just call Fat Joe and he will give us the name of the best restaurant nearby.  And just for the record - Bill gives him a $5 tip each visit.

Lately the news has been full of unknown objects being detected and shot down - over the USA and Canada.  Mostly balloons, it seems.   Anyway, Wednesday afternoon 2/15/2023, we heard a very loud "Boom" down here near Mission.  The next day the headline in the local paper reads, "Sheriff: Meteorite Spotted by Aircraft".  The paper says the sound shook houses and it landed nearby.  The point of impact is unknown but authorities are looking.

If the object is found we will let you know.

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The Super Bowl Winner Is.....

 

Last night the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Superbowl 57 by a score of 38-35.  It was a good game except that Bill lost $20 to Francis, and Karen and Bill did not win any of the squares in the SB pool here at the RV park.  Darn!

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Another Superbowl Weekend

 

Last night at card Bingo - guess who won one of the quarter games for a whopping $22.40?  You guessed it.  Bill did.  And now he is donating most of the quarters to Karen who feeds them to the washing machines.  Team Work.  So far this winter Karen has won a quarter pot and bill has won 1-1/2 pots. Lucky!!

On this camper we thought the picture and the name was very logical.

We don't feel this way about our travel trailer - but apparently some people do.  Ha.

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Zoo and South Padre Island additions from two Blogs Below......

 It has been a struggle - but Bill has finally managed to put some videos into out blog from our phones.

Note:  If you are on a PC you can enlarge the movie clip before you play it by checking the tiny box (below right) on each clip after it is selected.

Above at the Brownsville Zoo this Kangaroo was showing off just how tough he was!

The big Bully.  Note how he took it out on the tree when his buddies would not box with him.

Here are the kites in motion on South Padre Island.

More of the kite in motion on this windy day.

And again. here are the people flying the kites.

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A Padre Island Visit

 After our visit to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville Texas, we drove over to nearby South Padre Island to have a look around.  We had been here before but it had been a few years ago.

The north end of South Padre Island was cool, windy and almost deserted on this February afternoon.  That is the Gulf of Mexico on the horizon.

However, closer to town a Kite Festival was going on and above you can see one very large circular kite.

These six kites were being flown in synchronous fashion making different patterns without getting tangled. 

We sat in our vehicle across the street as the operators/hobbyists put on a pretty good show.

Here are the people who were flying the kites.  They were very skillful and never got their lines tangled.

🚩   🎈

Zoo Pictures - Part 2

  This Howler monkey was putting on quite a show.  Turn up the sound and see if this small video will play for you.

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A Trip to an Excellent Zoo

 On Friday, February 3rd, the weather was very cool so we took a road trip east to Brownsville and South Padre Island.  Our first stop was the public zoo in Brownsville that is one of our favorites, and maybe it was the cool weather - but many of the outside animals were putting on quite a show!

This king was broadcasting a roar every now and then just to show who was boss.

This alligator was smart enough to stay under his heat lamp.

The Flamingos were bright and loud.

This Bushmaster snake in the Reptile House is very difficult to see.  It would certainly be easy to step on out in the wild!

These camels only had one hump, but some others had two.

This Howler Monkey was putting on a high wire act and yelling the whole time.  He was very very entertaining.

Karen liked this toad.  Note:  It was not alive.

These two kangaroos were trying to impress the spectators by showing who was boss!  They were fun to watch as it was all pretty harmless.

We had a fun visit to the Gladys Porter Zoo and would go back again!

🐍 🐒 🐊 🐆 🐅

 

A Unique Hardware Store and a Mystery is Solved (we think)

 

On a recent shopping trip into Mission, while Karen went into the HEB grocery store,  Bill wandered  down the street and came upon this rather unique hardware store.  Above is the street view.

This hardware store is in downtown Mission, Texas and not out in the country where one would expect to find such a retail store.

From the curbside view a person might believe it was a museum or curiosity shop,  but they would be wrong.  It is a hardware store.  We would have taken a photo or two inside but it was just too dark!

Now - back to the strange hexagon shaped enclosure that Bill found on a remote bike ride and put in our last blog post.   A dear high school classmate, who follows our blog, sent a message telling us what it probably really is.....  A Gaga Pit!

Gaga is a game that has many names! Gaga, Gaga Ball,  Ga-ga,  Octo-ball.  Whatever you call it – Gaga is a form of dodge ball that originated in Israel in the 1970s and spread when Israeli counselors brought the game to summer camps around the world. Players start in a “pit”, an octagon shaped court, hitting and rolling the ball with their hand to eliminate other players. When players are hit below the waist, they are out-but players can always re-enter the game by catching a ball from the sidelines.

Now you (like us) know the rest of the story!

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