Happy Birthday Gerald

February is the month of celebrating Gerald’s birthday which falls on the 2nd day of the month. This year Gerald celebrated 70 great years. We decided to take a trip to west Texas to do some birding and hiking in the Fort Davis area. On the way we stayed at Tapatia Springs Golf Club in Boerne, TX for a couple of days to play golf & break up the 8 hour drive from Bastrop to Fort Davis.

The photo was taken on Feb. 2nd as we began a birding hike into the Davis Mountain State Park. We stayed at Indian Lodge, in the park, and took advantage of a birding tour led by a state park volunteer.

We hiked two and a half miles up and around the hills at Madera Canyon Preserve. It was a great hike and not too difficult for a couple of senior citizens!

New Years Parade...New Orleans Style

It was slow to start, but fun once things got underway. I guess one can't "rush" a New Orleans style parade and about 45 minutes behind schedule the parade got underway. It was fun watching the stars step by and then watch as the viewers joined in the parade. By the time the parade turned onto Pine Street and passed by Gracie's Restaurant it was in full swing.




The following photos are fun tidbits from today. Gerald & I enjoyed a bit of gumbo and French bread at Gracie's while watching the parade wend through the restaurant and downtown area. While we were waiting for the parade to start I took photos of various people waiting. These are our local folks who came to participate... Bastrop isn't short on people looking to have a good time.











































Below are the leaders of the parade. The Steppers, Tremme Band, and Mardi Gras Indians.

After Christmas

Photo is from 12/24/2005 near Terlingua, TX.


Christmas is over... It was a nice holiday visiting with friends & family here in Bastrop. Christmas Eve Gerald & I relaxed and did a few things around the house so we'd be ready for Christmas brunch with David, Judy, Josh, & Caitlan.
That evening we went to Don & B.J. Long's home for a little get-together from 5 to 7. The Long's really seem to love having their friends drop by even when they are having family members. Their house was decorated and was warm and cozy. Lots of family were there, but also friends from Colo Vista. We were supposed to go to the midnight service at the Episcopal church, but 10:30 rolled around & we were tired.

The Mitchells arrived around 11 AM for Christmas brunch and stayed until about 3 PM. We visited, ate, and played a game that Cait brought with them. It was a fun little card game that kept us entertained for a couple of hours while we visited & laughed.
Around 4 PM Gerald, Gertie, & I rode down to Pine Forest Golf Club to walk around along the river and look for birds. We didn't see anything too unusual, but had a lovely walk around and I got to try out my new binoculars.

I'm pretty glad Christmas is over. I can see why it can be a depressing time for people. There is so much that we look forward to ... so many expectations that we have ... and many times there is disappointment. I think we try to orchestrate the event and put too much pressure on ourselves in trying to make things "perfect" and our perfect may not be another person's perfect ... and vice versa.
I am so happy that I have Gerald with whom to spend these days. I tend to get a bit sad about the people who I can't see. Some of those people are dead ... others live very far away ... and others are involved with events in their own lives.

So that is why I'm relieved that the holiday season is winding down. Things will get back to normal and maybe I'll be able to see at least some of those people in 2008 that I haven't been able to see in a while. I am thankful that last January 2007 I was able to see my brother & sister-in-law in Georgia and my nephew and his family in Charleston, SC. I got a wonderful visit in with Paul in December '07 out in Nevada and am thankful that Margie is getting healthier and she & I got to go to the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar on opening day. I'll see her in a week or so.

Tomorrow there is a pre- New Year's Eve parade in downtown Bastrop that Gerald & I are looking forward to watching. Then there is a free mini-concert at the Hyatt at 7 PM which we may attend. It should be quite lovely. The big concert will be New Year's Eve but we plan to stay home that evening. Then New Year's Day we'll to the Christmas bird count for the local Audubon Society and have lunch at the Mitchell's home. Supposed to be a chilly day for being out counting birds ... it'll probably be in the 30's when we start... brrr.

2 Days 'til Christmas

Gerald & I are off to the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar in Austin for a couple of items to purchase that I’ve scouted out over the last week or so. No matter what they call other bazaars the Armadillo Bazaar is the one and only and can not be duplicated. There is a new “Austin Bizarre Bazaar” open this year and it is terrible!








Jeanel, Gayle & I had some time to kill after visiting the one-and-only Armadillo so we moseyed over to the Palmer Events Center to take in the “Bizarre” ... we were there about 15 minutes and left. It is a little home crafts affair NOT the high quality artists that one finds at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar. Oh well, we checked it out and that is over & done ... don’t have to do that again!











Gerald & I arrived this Sunday just 15 minutes after the Bazaar opened. Parking space right out front ... no crowds ... “Home with the Armadillo” was playing as we walked in the front ... I’m here with my Honey ... it doesn’t get any better than this!






Next we’re off to Whole Foods for lunch & a few more purchases. These are two of my favorite things in Austin. Everything is so festive at Whole Foods Market ... the energy is exhilarating! Lunch at the trattoria for a little pasta for lunch. Then off to the fresh fruits to collect for a Christmas fruit basket along with some other goodies. Then we’ll head for home and should be there by about 3 PM just in time to get in a little walk along the Colorado River. Life is good!













Back home in Bastrop ... it’s around 4 PM and we’re going to take in an afternoon walk and enjoy nature. There are few birds out along the Colorado but I’m able to take a few nice photos of a brisk winter afternoon. The afternoon sun gives a lovely reflection on the river. The railroad trestle crosses the Colorado along the parkway. Gerald & Gertie love hiking along the trail.


















Now we’re heading over to ColoVista Country Club to see what birds may be around in the late afternoon. We have about 40 minutes until sunset.










In the pond beside the Long’s house we spot a Great Blue Heron fishing for its dinner.











Then low & behold there are flamingos gathering in front of the Long’s home!!!

Happy Holidays!!

Settling in for Christmas

One more week until the eve of Christmas. I've always liked Christmas eve ... perhaps we'll attend an evening service at the Episcopal church here in Bastrop or at St. James in Austin. I'd like to have a quiet little supper and attend a service. At St. James the choir will have some nice songs prior to the service as well as during services. I haven't been to the Episcopal church here in Bastrop, but I think they have a concert prior to the service.

We've invited David, Judy, Kaitlin, and Josh for Christmas brunch at 11:00 AM. That is another thing I like to do ... the brunch and not a full scale Christmas dinner. It is usually fun and pretty laid back. I'd like to do venison, but Gerald has opted for spiral-cut ham for the meat. I'll do bread & spinach dip, eggs, jambalaya grits, biscuit, Gerald's fruit plate, orange or cranberry juice, coffee, cookies & champagne. I hope it'll be fun.

Years ago I would cook Christmas eve dinner for 8 to 10 people and then we'd go to the service at St. James. On Christmas day we'd go to San Antonio for a wild game brunch at Kaki's. That usually was lots of fun. Of course we'd start with bloody Mary's and/or mimosas and munchies. The wild game consisted of venison (backstrap), quail, dove, and some of Pepi's wild chili. Of course there would be bacon, eggs, biscuit and cheese grits.

Before Tim Murray died the place could be WILD ... there was no telling what he'd come up with. Once he & Tommy Williams were black Santas and had there cute little elf-ete with black fishnet hose, a short flouncy red mini skirt and Santa hat. Too much. Of course there was drinking involved ... always ... and that's what killed him. Too bad.

Now I have a new family. It's mostly just me, Gerald, and Gertie; although, David and his family are Gerald's step family. All my family is on the east coast. After all these years I continue to be rather solitary.

Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations

The Navajo and Hopi Indian reservations are incredibly beautiful. Wide open spaces, colorful vistas, stark and arid land make up these two adjoining parts of this country. The Navajo reservation that we went through seemed to be drier and the land less "workable" as far as ranching or farming; the views however are spectacular.

The Hopi Indians appear to have land that can be farmed as we saw several places where farms were located along rivers and streams. I assume they must do some kind of irrigation because this is very arid country.


As we drove through the Hopi reservation we listened to the Hopi National Public Radio station. They played great music and broadcast for many miles across the Arizona desert. The station also repeatedly informed its listeners of weather conditions and other public service announcements. This is a higher altitude than what we passed through on the Navajo reservation and we again ran into snow.


The following are photos of the Hopi reservation ... some are landscapes; others are of homes and the animals around the houses.
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Snow!!!

Snow in Kanab, UT! I've been hoping for snow and the morning we are leaving Kanab it began to snow. Gerald & I debated how to drive out of Utah. We really wanted to drive on US 89 A. It is a bit more scenic drive than US 89, but because of the snow could be more treacherous. Off in the distance we could see brighter sky so we decided to give it a go ... If need be we could turn around and drive back to Kanab.


The drive turned out not to be too difficult although there was quite a bit of snow on the road. At times it snowed quite hard, but we never felt in danger. It was a lovely drive and we felt quite rewarded at the beauty we saw. The bottom two photos were taken in northern Arizona. We were skirting the area along the north rim of the Grand Canyon and were at altitudes from 7500 to 8900 feet. The temperature was in the mid to upper 20s F.

Utah

This is our second trip to Utah. Last year Gerald & I traveled through Utah and saw Bryce Canyon. We passed through the little town of Kanab and are going back there to spend a couple of nights. We spent two nights in Kanab and went sightseeing while there.

We visited Zion National Park, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and Coral Sands State Park. (Photos of these places will be posted soon.) We planned to go to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, but when we stopped at the Ranger Station we found the road to the rim had been closed 2 hours before we arrived there due to bad weather. The last time we tried to go that part of the park was closed because of forest fires. Maybe next time we'll get to see the canyon from that vantage point. We were not disappointed at our alternative, but were disappointed that we still have not been to the north rim.

Yet Another Trip West

Gerald & I returned from our trip to a few of the western states. Our purpose was to drive to Boulder City, NV and along with 6 of our friends enter a three day Seniors Golf Tournament. It was a fun time and my old friend Paul Garcia met us there. He lives in Redlands, CA which is about a 3 hour drive to the Las Vegas area.

The tournament was fun. It was a scramble format and each day the teams changed. After the first day my team was 8 under par. The second day the team was 10 under and luckily the third day the new team was 12 under. What this ended up in doing was making me the #1 player in my flight (I was in the D flight). So I won a trophy and some $$$$. It was all very surprising and fun. All of this was a team effort and I really did play well especially on the 3rd day. I made some birdie putts and it was very gratifying.
Gerald, Paul & I went into Las Vegas on Monday night and ate dinner on the strip at Bautistas Italian Restaurant. It was great food and fun. Paul & Gail had been going to that restaurant for about 15 years.

The next night another friend from Bastrop (Gayle Reynolds) went into Las Vegas with the 3 of us. We went to the downtown area and ate dinner at the Golden Nugget and then watched the Laser Show in that area. We had a good time and I got to know Gayle better than just hanging out with some of the folks from around here. Learned some interesting things about Gayle ... she loves old cars! She & Paul had an "old car" discussion. He likes to buy and refurbish old cars and Gayle is infatuated with old cars. She says its because she had brothers who loved cars and were the kids in the family to get the automobiles.