Brownsville, TX Is for the Birds

Brownsville is one of the best places for birding in the US. The mild climate and southern location make it attractive to butterflies and birds all year long. We visited several bird and wildlife sanctuaries near Brownsville as well as Port Isabel and South Padre Island. Green Jays range as far north as the lower Rio Grande Wildlife Corridor. We were awed by their eating from halves of grapefruits nailed to the trees in the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. The Great Kiskadee made a brief appearance but not long enough to get a photo. There were Roadrunners and Plain Chachalacas in abundance. A beautiful Hooded Oriole kept coming back to play hide and seek; he was seriously camera shy.

Corpus Chrisi, TX

From our Kingsville base, we visited Corpus Christi on two different occasions. On one trip we toured the famous old aircraft carrier, USS Lexington. She saw a lot of combat and received many decorations. On another occasion we toured North Padre Island. Many RVers park on the beach for several days at a time. It has its appeals, but if the tide comes in unexpectedly, the cost is about $2000 for a tow. As well the sand and salt water damage to one's rig could be significant.

Three More Days With Steph and the Kids

We were delighted that daughter Stephanie and children, Jack, Lucie and Lincoln could come visit us for three days at NAS Kingsville. (Steven had work to do in Austin.) We were able to book a VIP suite for them in temporary housing located less than a mile from our RV park. What great fun we had! We rode bikes together, ate lots of good food, bowled, visited museums, played table games, watched the planes land and take off and toured the King Ranch, biggest working ranch in the world. Richard King, founder, once purchased an entire Mexican town, moved the residents to his huge ranch, build a school for them under the direction of his wife, Henrietta, and put them on the payroll. Many current laborers of the ranch are decendents of that village. The gentleman shown in the top photo grew up at the King Ranch. As a teenager, he was the first to mount Assualt, one of the few Triple Crown Winners. He tells his story as a part of the ranch tour.

University Baptist Church

Today, we provided a six hour seminar for University Baptist Church. A few of the 23 attendees were from other Baptist Churches. The seminar was entitled "How Your Biblical Profile Affects Your Relationships. The pastor and senior members of this congregation have practially adopted us during our stay here. We bowl with them two or three times a week, play table games three times per week and attend Sunday school and worship services. The church is located across the street from the Kingsville Branch of Texas A & M; several internationsl students attend regularly.

Kingsville TX Naval Air Station

We have arrived at the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Kingsville and plan to stay for a month. The RV park is a bit primitive compared to other military parks, but at $245 per month, the price is right, and the weather is warm and sunny. We have reserved one the five sites that has a covered patio with full hookups.

Our second night here we enjoyed a western style parade in Kingsville. We will visit the historic Harrel Pharmacy with its old fashioned soda fountain when our grandchildren arrive from Wimberly. The famous King Ranch, the King western style store with saddle shop and two museums are also on our planned tour agenda.

There are few active duty personnel at NAS Kingsville; they are mostly pilots in training. Eventually, these young men and women will be landing on aircraft carriers. Due to a lack of business, bowling on post will be free for the next few days. Biking is one of our favorite activities, and the fitness center is fantastic. Planes are in the air all day and late into the night, but the noise does not bother us. We are so exhausted by bedtime that we never hear them.

Yesterday was a big day at the Officer's Club. There were all kinds of nibble food, and the game was shown on a huge screen. We had front row seats, as the Post Commander's wife did not show with her entourage. We did not mind.