A few days ago, as a part of our usual pre-Christmas activities, hubs and I headed to South Padre Island.
One of our favourite activities while there, is to sit and watch the seagulls and pelicans as they scavenge and fish over the deep blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The seagulls were especially plentiful, the day was windy, and I was trying to catch a shot of even one gull soaring on the wind current above us.
I had no luck with my plan, but was completely shocked and amazed when we arrived home and I reviewed my photos to see this.
The direction of the wings is something I’d never seen before, so to say I’m well-pleased with this accidental shot is an understatement.
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.
For two days last week, Aurora was extremely strong and extended as far south as central Texas (almost four hundred miles north of us here in the RGV)
One phenomenon that can accompany extreme solar storms, is known as STEVE – a term coined in 2016 in Alberta Canada(our neighbouring province).
STEVE is an acronym for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement and usually appears as a diagonal thin band of purple with sometimes green accompaniment across the night sky on a night when Miss Aurora isshowing off farther north.
I like to think “Big Steve” visited us last week.
My nephew (a geologist) passed my photo along to his friend (a geo-scientist) who concurred that this was indeed STEVE.
Below are photos of Aurora (from both nights) that our grandson sent to us from his home in central Saskatchewan, Canada.
The first three were Tuesday night and the last three were from Wednesday night.
I’m so pleased, that at age 19, he appreciates nature as much as he does.
Because the price of avocados and the variability of their freshness at home in Canada is more than a bit prohibitive, I look forward to our winters in South Texas.
We live close enough to Mexico that the avocados are reasonably priced, fresh, and don’t spoil in a day.
And … I can make guacamole… my favourite dip.
Easy Guac Recipe:
2 ripe avocados
2 TBSP Salsa
1 Small Red Onion (or 1/2 medium), chopped fine
Juice of 1 Lime
1 TBSP sour cream
Salt and Pepper, as desired
If you like it a bit more spicy, seed, finely chop, and add one small jalapeñopepper.
Mash avocados and salsa together in a medium bowl, then stir in all other ingredients until well blended. Store in tightly covered container in fridge for at least an hour (this will keep up to 1 day in fridge)
It’s about an hour’s drive from our winter home to Boca Chica Beach, TX.
This is where the Texas SpaceX rocket production facility and launch pad is located.
We visit there at least twice each winter to see what’s new.
Last year, by the time we made our first visit to Space X, the new rocket production facility had been completed and the massive building had an equally massive mural on an end wall.
Do you ever get homesick for places that aren’t home?
I sure do.
Since we’ve been wintering in South Texas, I’ve come to love the area around Port Isabel and South Padre Island. I think of it often when we’re back home for the summers in our landlocked Canadian province. Our summers here at home are great, weather wise. There’s just something about our winters, living so close to the Gulf of Mexico, that makes me “homesick” for the water.
Radically Retired 