It is Time to Head Home

 We managed to squeeze an extra day out of February this year, but alas, it is time to head home tomorrow March 1, 2024.   Both President Biden and Donald Trump are flying into the Rio Grande Valley today so it is getting a bit crowded anyway.

These waterfall rain spouts caught our attention but we never get to see them in action because it rains so infrequently down here.

The town of Mission, Texas was named after this small mission that is still standing in a beautiful county park.  It has made the blog before but still is worth a visit when we are in the RGV.

The church has no doors and is always open to the public.  Above is the altar where people still come to pray.

Outside nearby is this statue of the Virgin Mary.  If you ever get to the Rio Grande Valley be sure to stop to this small out-of-the-way landmark.

🙏

Flowers are Blooming and Turkeys are Frisky

 Today, February 27,2024, the temperature is expected to reach above 90 degrees for the warmest day we have experienced so far.  We leave soon and have made a deal with Bentsen Palm Village to leave our trailer right where it is until we return in December.

The flowers nearby are starting to show their true colors in the warm weather.

We have not seen any rain for over a week and the desert plants do not seem to mind at all.

The song birds are starting to sing loudly each morning, and in the nearby state park the Rio Grande Turkeys are strutting to impress the hens.

🐓

Two Lucky Guys

 Bentsen Palm Village RV Park hosted card bingo on Saturday evening this last weekend, and again the Smokers came over to join in the fun.

Here is Karen dealing out the cards for the first game.  In the foil are hot dogs for supper.

This is what the hall looks like on Bingo Card night.  The fellow at the far end in the light blue shirt is the caller who also checks each winner's cards after "BINGO" is called out.

  And guess what???

Both Phil and Bill brought home some dough.  Bill split one dime game with another lady and Phil won a  quarter game all by himself.  His winnings were $26.50.  Above are the two lucky fellows having a beverage after the big victories.

🎯

Texas Needs Rain

 Here is a portion of the border wall a few miles east of our location along the Rio Grande River.

The river looks pretty normal from this view but...

....notice this dock directly across the river in Mexico.  You can see how far and high the dock is now above the water.  The river bank also tells the story from previous years of normal river depth.

Also, along a nearby bike path this pond is usually full of water and often busy with ducks and other water fowl.  A few years ago there was a flock of Pelicans enjoying the water.  Now, Bill considered trying to ride his mountain bike along the stone bottom that he had never seen before.  Southern Texas needs rain.

☔

GoldWing Express Band

 Earlier this year we attended a concert down the road at another RV park called Green Gate. The band that was playing was GoldWing Express and we had seen them previously at our park.

Their father was always part of the show but they said he had cancer and had to stay at home.  He played the mandolin, and we missed him.

The band has added a couple new members including a keyboard player, and a rather chubby singer who liked to preach as well as sing and dance.  The show was not as entertaining as in years gone by.

🎤    🎶    🎸   🎻

A Creature Encounter

 On a recent bike ride along a nearby irrigation canal Bill saw a strange shape a ways ahead in the middle of the road.

What could it be?  Why a Javelina or Collared Peccary of course.

It is a wild pig-like animal that roams the low lands near the rivers down here.  Years ago we would see them quite often in the nearby state park, but now spotting one is rare.

We often hear coyotes at night, so we know the Javelinas are tough enough to coexist, but their numbers seem to be dwindling.

🐷

Finally an AirStream Trailer for the Smaller Wallet

 

We saw this AirStream trailer recently on a bike ride.  It is the smallest we had ever seen, but still very expensive, no doubt.

It might work well for one traveler.  Or perhaps two small people who really like to be close.

👫