Every year at this time, McAllen, Texas (our neighbouring city) hosts “The Golden Age Olympics”. It runs over several weeks and includes every event from race walking to jigsaw puzzles (yes, you read that right – it’s a timed event) and winners come away with medals as well as bragging rights.
Each year, there is a different overall theme, and this year, as you’ve no doubt guessed already, the theme is Mardi Gras.
My feature photo was shot at the community hall where hubs registered for the poker event.
The title of my post, translated to English on this banner, is always the theme for New Orleans Mardi Gras – and is so appropriate for the fun and games happening dailyat the Golden Age Olympic Games
I had planned to enter the 5K race walk this year, and am ready for it. Unfortunately, it was downsized this year to a 1.6 K (one mile) race. That’s about the distance I walk at my warm up pace.
I could figure out a way around it, I suppose, but decided not to this year. I’d have to find a warm up spot close to therace path and then work on it. I have neither the time nor the inclination to do that this year.
Alongside a secondary highway, in San Juan, Texas, there’s a little park that we pass often.
There’s a mini Lady Liberty, so we’ve often wondered what the park was all about.
Last week, we finally stopped to check it out.
The park is a war memorial, dedicated to armed forces members from the area who died serving their country in various wars since WW2 . Its name is Liberty Park.
The subject of this post, and my feature photo is the juxtaposition of the words carved in the back of the bench and the abandoned items on the bench that hinted that maybe someone had spent the night there. What would be your guess about this scene?
Last Saturday, we took a little road trip to nearby towns to explore their main streets. We were also on the hunt for an infamous roadside tavern.
Many people we know here in south Texas had told us about the uniqueness of an establishment called “The Junkyard Bar”.
We’d passed the location several times over the years but had never spotted the bar.
This time, because we were paying attention, we spied the sign (feature photo)
There were no vehicles in the parking lot (except, of course, for the truck on the post) but we could see a young fellow cleaning inside so we asked if we could come in and take some photos. He told us that the bar didn’t officially open until 3pm but we were more than welcome to come in and take a look around, and he even offered us a beer.
We’d been told that this place is wall to wall people during opening hours, so our arrival time was perfect to explore and get some photos of things you’d never see if the place was packed.
I don’t know if you’d call it “atmosphere” but its decor (or lack of it) certainly lives up to its name.
I laughed at “No outside food or drink or drink”Stage is reminiscent of the old westI wonder how many actually payA tribute to a football teamThe BarThe tables have seen better daysIt makes one wonder Would hesitate to visit if it was rainingTiniest sink I’ve ever seenCorrugated metal stalls in the ladies bathroom Budweiser is famous for their adsThe fence on the hill behind hubs is a part of the border wallThe top of the original bar sign says EST 1957
Before we left Starbase, we noticed one Tesla truck that was bright orange.
It stood out from the pack of identical metal coloured ev’s like the proverbial sore thumb.
There was a fellow plugging it in to the charger and his wife/girlfriend was taking photos. There was another couple nearby who appeared to own one of the grey metallic clones.
Hubs thought that these people looked approachable, so he decided to stop and ask them some questions about the cyber trucks.
They were all extremely obliging, answered all of hubs’ questions, and even invited us to their Mars-themed beach party, which was to take place last Saturday evening.
We asked if they were Space X employees and they told us they were from Dallas and Missouri and were just major Tesla fans visiting the area over Christmas.
They told hubs that once you buy a Tesla cyber truck, you can customize it any way you wish to.
The young couple that owned the orange Tesla, had every electric kitchen appliance you could think of, plugged in to the box of the truck!
Friendly and fun folksHubs shirt matched! They even had a sleeping tent on top!Funny name, and there’s a story behind it, of course
Once again, we learned that people are friendly and kind – all you have to do sometimes is ask a question.
P.S. Although we appreciated the invitation, we didn’t attend the Mars Beach Party. I would imagine that it was pretty “far out, man!”
Our Christmas Day here in SouthTexasinvolves an hour’s drive over to Starbase at Boca Chica Beach.
This past year, Elon Musk was able to rename Boca Chica Village and the surrounding area to Starbase.
Each year, the growth in the area is mind-boggling. Christmas day is a great day to visit because many of the employees have the day off, and there aren’t many tourists.
This year, in addition to the massive expansion happening at the rocket production facility, there was a new hotel in progress, and Tesla Trucks galore.
Rocket production facility will be over one million square feet when completedNew hotel behind the rocket production facility Tesla trucks everywhere
We met a safety technician who explained to us that when the sales of Tesla vehicles dove this past year, Mr. Musk brought all of these trucks (and more in other lots at Starbase) for his Space X employees to lease at very reasonable rates.
Once every year, King Ranch – the biggest working ranch in the USA, hosts a breakfast for the public. All monies collected are donated to local charities. This is the only day all year that private vehicles are allowed on the ranch proper.
Hubs and I have attended the breakfast twice since 2019, once by ourselves, and once a couple of seasons ago, with friends from home who were ranchers at one time. This year, along with these same friends, we skipped the breakfast, but did the bus tour of the ranch.
The bus tour is open year round and is a great way to spend 1.5 hours learning about this 825,000 acre (in South Texas) massive ranching operation.
On the same weekend as the ranch hand breakfast, the city of Kingsville hosts a festival, complete with vendors, food and art demonstrations, rides for kids, entertainment, and lots of opportunities to get to know the locals. We decided to do the bus tour on the morning of the festival, so we could spend some time checking out the happenings in town, and then head out for the tour after lunch.
Unfortunately, just as the bus tour was about to begin, the rain started. We went anyways and, with the exception of not many photo ops through the bus windows, we didn’t regret it.
At the train museum in Kingsville, we met some young dancers preparing for their performanceAll were very obliging to have their photos takenI’ve always wanted to try on a Sampan hat. Who knew I’d be able to do that in cowboy country?This was inside the King Ranch Saddle Shop in Kingsville. I think this guy liked CindyMe, doing my best Vanna White pose, showing this tree decorated with antlers!Cindy and our bus driver/tour guide. Cindy and I sat at the back of the busPhotos through a drizzly, wet window aren’t the best. The King Ranch brand is everywhere The King Ranch was instrumental in the development of the American quarter horse. The turkey vultures were numerous and huge!Originally named “The Santa Gertrudis Ranch” … The Santa Gertrudis name was given to the cattle that the ranch is famous for developing A small portion of the beautiful King Mansion – still in use by descendants of the namesake who built it
After my post Steamroller Blues?, I promised some of my followers that I would explain the festival in greater detail.
Radically Retired 