Boca Chica Beach

We took a day and drove down to Boca Chica Beach.  It is down in Brownsville, Texas along the gulf coast.  You can drive down the beach to where the Rio Grande dumps into the gulf.  We couldn't drive the beach because it was too sandy where the pavement ended and the beach started.  Our truck is so heavy that any kind of soft sand means we would be stuck.   Last week we heard that the sand was hard right up to the pavement.  We met some guys who were metal detecting along the beach.  They hadn't found anything but they seemed to be having a good time.  Other people were shore fishing.  We just walked and picked up some beautiful sea shells.  It was a rare 70+ degree day with little wind so we really enjoyed it.  When we got back to Port Mansfield which is only 80 some miles north of Brownsville the temp was at least 5 degrees cooler and the wind was really blowing. 

Brownsville is in the very southern most tip of Texas.  So we've managed to be as far north as you can go this summer along the Canadian border and now the farthest south you can get before you are in Mexico.

Mexican Eagle

These birds are named the Crested Caracara.  They are the Mexican national bird.  You find them here in south Texas as well as the southern areas of the Southwest.  They live all the way down through Mexico and into northern South America.  They remind me of  eagles when in flight.  They feed on carrion and hang out with the vultures.  It must be mating season because we are seeing them in pairs all over the place. 
We accepted a job for the summer in North Dakota.  Its a campground called Indian Hills and it is just west of a little town called Garrison about 80 miles south of Minot.  It is located right on Lake Sakakawea where the walleye fishing is phenomenal.  We just watched a fishing show -- Jason Mitchell Outdoors -- and he was fishing with a local guide right where the resort is located.  The walleyes looked fabulous.  We can't believe we are looking forward to a summer in North Dakota but its all about the fishing!

Pose for the Camera!

We haven't been doing a whole lot because the weather has been cold and rainy.  Jim has continued to feed the deer for something to do.  The deer have gone into rut finally -- late December, early January -- which is a lot later than in the north.  The deer are much smaller "black tail" deer.  They come to our 5th wheel and wait for Jim to come out and feed them.   Everyone in the area feed the deer.  The DNR guys here have talked about putting on a feeding ban but it would be very hard to enforce with everyone in the whole town feeding them. 

The RV park we are in has finally started to fill up with winter Texans.  So many people wait til after the holidays to come down and get warm.  Most of the people that come here like to go fishing.  A few people have boats and take friends out with them in the Laguna.  Others will fish off of the piers and still others will wade fish.  They get in the water with their waders on and fish. 

Birds of Prey

I've been trying to get a picture of a crested Caracara bird but I haven't gotten a good enough one yet to share.  I thought I would share this picture of a pair of Harris Hawks.  These hawks are only found in the very southern parts of Arizona and Texas.  They have dark feathers tinged with very pretty reddish ones on the sides.  You can't see it in these pictures but they have a white tipped tail.  The other picture is of a great horned owl that lives next to the campground.   Since the owl was out during the day -- it was early morning -- I had to get a quick picture. 

While the weather is frighteningly cold in the north of the country we are staying warm.  Although the cold air has now started to penetrate down to where we are.   We will see 40's and 50's the next few days as the cold front comes through but then its supposed to warm up to what it should be down here -- 70's.  We've been watching the temps in Yuma, Arizona -- its been warmer and sunnier there than Texas.  Oh well we will manage to survive.