Springtime at Retama Village

Roger here...  After all the traveling we have done, it seems as if we have been in our new home for a very long time.  We spent the summer in extreme south Texas this past year (watching our small home being built).  We have not traveled in the motor home for more than a year, and we are itching to explore new places.  Our stationary status will end soon enough when we hit the road for several months of travel......

..... but first we intend to enjoy springtime at our home in the Rio Grande Valley.

It was 85 degrees yesterday.  Just before dinner we enjoyed a glass of wine under the shade of our covered porch.  As you can see, a house is being built next to us for our soon-to-be neighbors, Don and Sue.

While Dianne did a little browsing on her computer, I wandered around the yard taking a few pictures of the flowers that are blooming in every direction.  These yellow blooms are part of our Mexican Poinciana tree.

The Cape Honeysuckle shrubs are growing like weeds.  They have been covered with orange flowers all winter.

The Hibiscus next to the driveway is blooming....






.... and so is the potted Crown of Thorns.

We used to have Impatiens in our Indiana beds during the summertime.  We have them here, as well.  However, now they thrive throughout the year.

As I wandered around the yard a Great Horned Owl landed in the tree behind our house.  We saw him bend the branch on which he lit.  He was huge.  He was hidden in the foliage, but he was definitely there.  We knew because of all hooting.  

 It looked like we were going to have a nice sunset.

This is not the best picture of the full moon that was rising in the eastern sky, but don't you think that it looks a little hazy around the outer edges?  We looked at the weather ap to see if our idyllic weather was passing on.

Yep, bad news ---- from 85 degrees to 40 degrees over night, then plunging to 33 degrees the next night.  Down here this kind of impending weather is known as a blue norther.  Pretty darned cold for the Mexican border.  

Our quiet relaxation ended.  We needed to cover all those flowers to protect them from frost and cold.  We used to do this in Indiana.  I guess some things are the same.  


The pet picture of the day depicts Bandido guarding his toys.

"These balls belong to me.  No one else can have them.