Hey, Gringo-Dog, Those are Mexican Cows!!

Hi all -- Dianne here.

The title quote was "Nacho" the chihuahua showing Chaplin the cattle adjacent to the dog park here at our new location.

We had an easy drive south from Kerrville New Year's Day to our home for the next two months, Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in Mission, TX. We made the reservation here almost a year ago, early last March, as we heard it is very popular and hard to get a site.

Our blogs will be a little different while we're here, because we'll be out of the "tourist" mode and back into the "fulltimer" mode.

Most of our activities while we're here will center around activities and things to do right here at the RV resort and its immediate surroundings. There is no lack of things to do here!

They offer free bicycles, free kayaks, pool, hot tub, miles and miles of walking trails right next door, and the best dog park we've been to since "Barkham at Markham"

in Fort Lauderdale last year.

Every day there are planned activities as well. This morning I plan to join the aerobics group, and this afternoon there is a margarita get-together that we plan to take advantage of. Next week we've signed up for a group kayaking expedition on the Rio Grande. Once we know our way around we'll take our own inflatable kayak out exploring. We have to be careful, though, because we are so close to Mexico that the border patrol is ever present and we don't want to end up in a Mexican jail!

This RV park is directly adjacent to Bentsen Palm State Park and the World Birding Headquarters. We have free access to the park and its trails and the birding center from our RV park, so we've already been over there multiple times. I walked over there twice yesterday to join the serious birders who are congregating along the levee next to the park to catch a glimpse of a rare tiger heron; the first sighting of this bird ever in the U.S.! People are actually FLYING in from Canada and other U.S. states to try to see this bird, and I can just walk over there any time I want to! If I AM lucky enough to see it, I'll try to get a photo for the blog.

I'll try not to bore my readers with bird sightings, but needless to say I'm in my element here and really having fun! I am an unabashed eco-nerd, I admit it. I can walk over and get my fill of birding while Roger can use a bicycle and ride around the RV park and its environs to his little heart's content. (Bicycles and I don't mix very well; to learn more about that, look under the categories for our Shark Valley blog from last winter in the Everglades).

I'll let Roger finish up with his thoughts on our new "home":

Check out the picture of the javelina (also called peccary)!

We have seen several of them at Bentsen Palm State Park. I made up my own little song about them to the tune of the Macarena that I sing whenever we see them and there are no other people around. It is worth the off-key singing just to see Dianne roll her eyes.

Some people call them a pecca, pecca, peccary.....

Some people call them a hoggy, hoggy, hoggy.....

Some people say that they look like Miss Piggy....

Hey Javelina!

Dianne again: Sorry 'bout that! Had I known he'd launch into his silly Javelina song, I would have hidden the computer!! He really does make up weird songs like that on the spur of the moment. Not only do I roll my eyes, there is usually a loud groan when he does this. This playful side of Roger reappeared (after a decade-long absence) about two weeks after he retired!

We have taken a couple of long walks at the state park.

The Honey Mesquite trees that are everywhere have wood that reminds me of Walnut wood. There are also a lot of Texas ebony trees. During one of the walks we did not see another soul for the entire two miles, just lonely scrub growth and the occasional birds. By the way, the bright green, yellow, black and blue birds are Green Jays.

When we saw the first one we were excited. There are so many of them that now when we see them we say, oh, it's just a Green Jay. The bright orange bird in the middle of the large Plain Chachalacas (I also have a song for them) is also pretty common down here.

It is actually not a bird at all, but an orange peel.

We had kind of a quiet day yesterday because the boys got a hold of some "bad" water. Intestinal problems ruled the day. One of us had to be with them at all times or we would have a stinky, messy motor home. They are both pretty good about walking to the door and staring when it is time for an emergency walk.

During Dianne's time with the dogs, I borrowed one of the campground bikes for a twelve-mile bike ride. Unfortunately, I did not think to take the camera (I will the next time). The lengthy bike path skirts the edge of a National Wildlife Refuge so it was an interesting ride - dark green cactus pretty much blanketed the ground only allowing a few scrub trees to invade from time to time. At one point I left the bike path and rode into the National Butterfly Park. I did not go in - probably no butterflies this time of year, oh and there was a $5 fee.

The dogs are getting some good exercise here, running, chasing balls, and socializing. The last photo shows their normal position in the motorhome.

The caption might be "why we use slip covers." They really are 35-mile-an-hour couch potatoes!