Despite very heavy winds but with mild temperatures, I cycled on January 14, 15, 18, 21, and 23, amassing 114.9 miles.  It’s a great way to see some of this south Texas metroplex of some 842,000 people.   On the 21st, Van and I cycled to Los Ebanos Ferry, the last hand-drawn ferry in the US (across the Rio Grande River), connecting the US and Mexico.  Regrettably, it was locked up tighter than a drum—such a shame that it’s a victim of border phobia—and no one was in sight, not even Border Patrol agents or Texas State Troopers.  This photo was from 2012; since, all the ambiance is gone due to a multimillion dollar Customs and Border Patrol facility being built on the US side, and not being used!

Kay continues to play golf on Mondays with other women from the resort, while I play on Mondays and Thursdays, and sometimes on Tuesdays.  While Kay is improving dramatically (enjoying the Texas roll on the hard-packed fairways), my game is about the same.

With high winds, butterflies have been far and few between.  We drove to Salineno, just downstream of Falcon Lake on Thursday, January 19, to view the birds, but there were not as many as usual.  Of course, a hawk made its presence known, and many were too frightened to come it to the feeders.  Decent photos of the Altimira Oriole, Orange-crowned Warber, Black-crowned Titmouse, Long-billed Thrasher, and Golden-fronted Woodpecker.

On Monday, the “Old Girls” (Betty Wallace, Lois Schmidt, Pamela Williams, Jane Ann Bilon) came to visit.  Along with Kay, these ladies all taught together many, many years ago at Northside Junior High School in Pulaski County.  Kay played tour guide, and all were sufficiently tired to welcome the trip home.  They enjoyed the Rio Grande Valley weather, shopping, and food, and their day trip to Mexico.

Kay hosted over a dozen women from the resort for lunch at one of the local restaurants; she began these lunches several seasons ago, and all the women seem to immensely enjoy them.

South Texas is known for cracked windshields, and the Honda’s was smashed so bad, about the size of a softball, that it had to be replaced.  Fortunately, windshield replacement is relatively cheap in the Valley, and the Honda windshield, with two cracks from previous years, was replaced.

Kay and I had a leisurely morning in the RV on New Year’s Day, sleeping late as a result of last night’s New Year’s party welcoming in 2017.  With temperatures in the high 80s and armed with a new lens (a Christmas gift to myself), the first day of the year proved to be good for butterfly observation and photography.  We are fortunate to live so close to the National Butterfly Center (NBC), and it has expanded several fold since our becoming members some 5 years ago.  With continuing warm/hot weather and little wind, several trips were made to the NBC, with a couple of “lifers” for me.  (NOTE:  After watching countless You Tube videos and making lots of photos, success with the new lens, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, continues to improve.)  In order of appearance, Brown Longtail, Zebra Heliconia, White Peacock, Red-bordered Pixie, Common Buckeye, Julia Heliconia, Mexican Bluewing, Crimson Patch, Question Mark, Malachite, Curved-wing Metalmark (center), and American Lady.

The great weather has also provided many opportunities for golf.  Kay is golfing at least once per week, and is really liking the Texas roll on the hard packed turf.  I am limiting myself to playing only twice per week—it sure makes it easier on this old body—and some days are good for scoring and others not so good.  Though most of the courses are relatively flat, water abounds, and one must accommodate winds steady at 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph; the wind totally changes ones game!  There are several good/great courses to play, and some pretty rough.  I tend to rotate among Cimmaron Country Club (private), Harlingen Country Club (private), Palm View Golf Club (public), Los Lagos Golf Club (public), and Tierra Santa (semi-private) playing occasionally at Mission West (terrible), Shary (pubic), and Tierra Del Sol.  The photo below is my playing partner, Dale Short from Louisville, KY, at Palm View Golf Club.

Dances are held every night somewhere in the Valley, and we’ve found two places we really like:  Buchanan’s and Mission Bell.  Both are on Thursday night, and usually there’s a crowd from Bentsen Palm Village going to one or the other.

Last, but certainly not least, is bicycling.  I have managed to get in 4 rides since the beginning of the new year:  Jan 4—17.6 miles; Jan 5—9.1 miles; Jan 8—15.7 miles; and Jan 11—14 miles.  The January 11 ride was in winds steady at 25-35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph; sometimes it felt as if I were pedaling like crazy but not moving.

The weather for the next 10 days looks great with a cold front (low 70s) next week, so more golf, buterflying, and cycling are in the future.

During the days preceding Christmas, we kept a watchful eye on the weather forecast for Hot Springs Village and cities along our planned route to the Rio Grande Valley.  Beginning the trip on Christmas Day appeared to offer the least possibility of rain for the two to three days of traveling.  Consequently, we left the Village early Christmas morning—8:15 AM—and drove the motorhome towing the Honda all the way to Colorado Landing RV Park in LaGrange, Texas, with no hiccups or problems.  There was little traffic, but surprisingly, most gasoline stations were open.  After a quiet evening at Colorado Landing, we drove to Mission, where we will spend the winter, arriving mid-afternoon.  This big buck was in a field adjacent to a pullover rest area.  After pulling into our site and greeting old friends, we set up the RV, hooked-up utilities, and turned on the AC—yes, it was in the high 80s.

Though it felt like home, inasmuch as we picked right up where we left off when we departed in March, we did spend the next few days catching up on news from old friends, including our former neighbors, Wayne and Loretta Bodenhamer.  The cycling trails beckoned and on Tuesday, after arriving on Monday, Van Holmes and I rode 15.4 miles along the streets and trails of Mission.

Kay and I wasted no time in “hitting the links”, playing Mission West Golf Club (formerly Meadow Creek Golf Club); the greens were much better, though this is not saying much, but the fairways are practically bare, essentially devoid of any grass at all.  I walked the course pushing a cart, and paid for it the next several days with severe back ache.  The cycling trails called again, and Van and I rode 17.6 miles on Saturday, to end the year with 681 miles.  Kay and I joined about 2o other couples from Bentsen Palm Village for dinner at Republic of the Rio Grande, followed by a New Year’s Eve party with friends at the BPVRV Resort clubhouse.  The year 2016 is now in the history books, and it was a good year for us.