I'll tell the rest of the story through pictures.
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| Prickly Pear Cactus in bloom |
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| Rio Grande river. Mexico on left, US on right |
Monday, April 20, 2015
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend is located in a desolate area of Texas along the Rio Grande river. The river is so small and narrow that one could literally wade across it into Mexico. Geographically, it consists of mountains 5,000 to 6,000 feet high, the Chihuahan desert, and the river. While it is a desert climate it is rich with desert vegetation; much of it either blooming or preparing to bloom. We saw several road runners (yes, they do run on the road, but can fly a little when in danger), a number of vultures, and long eared jack rabbits. The park also has javelinas, bear, and mountain lions as well as 4 varieties of rattlesnakes and tarantulas.
I'll tell the rest of the story through pictures.
I'll tell the rest of the story through pictures.
Hill Country, Texas
We spent 10 days in the hill country located between Austin and San Antonio mostly viewing wildflowers, little towns, and the LBJ National Park. The weather was overcast and rainy for most of the time.
When driving around you see fields of flowers including the state flower, the bluebonnet. The bluebonnet looks like a small lupine and comes in red and blue. We discovered a wildseed farm outside of Fredricksburg that had fields of bluebonnets and poppies. In the same area you see many wineries and on the road to Johnson City you find the LBJ Ranch which is now a national park.
While I remember LBJ, I must say that I was not enamored with him. He seemed so unsophisticated, and the stereotypical Texan. I've never been impressed with the state and I guess I have had a prejudice against people from the state. I imagined them as cowboys--uneducated, illiterate, and conservative Republicans (although LBJ was a Democrat--what can I say?)
The recent politicians from the state have done little to change my impression.
In spite of this, I have to say that the ranch was fascinating. You see LBJs birthplace, his ranch, the one room school he attended as a 4 year old, and the cemetery where he and his wife, Lady Bird, are buried. In his home you can visit the entire first floor including the bedroom where he died at 64 years old from a heart attack, his bathroom, Lady Bird's bedroom and bathroom, the living and dining rooms, the kitchen and LBJ's office. While president, LBJ spent 20-25% of his time on the ranch working and entertaining dignitaries. People who visited the ranch wrote their names in cement. These are displayed behind the home. Although Lady Bird lived at the ranch until several years before her death, all renovations between the 1960's and today were removed and the ranch was returned to its 1965 decor. It is located in a beautiful area along a river and the grounds have an airport, fields of cows, barns, and many large live oak trees.
I was reminded that LBJ passed more legislation than any other president including The War on Poverty, numerous Civil Rights bills, the Voting Rights Act and Head Start. Never have I seen such a personal look at the life of a President.
Shortly before we left we visited my friend Karen Wolffe and her husband, Terry Hersh, in Austin. We had a great time looking at the city while spending time with great company!
When driving around you see fields of flowers including the state flower, the bluebonnet. The bluebonnet looks like a small lupine and comes in red and blue. We discovered a wildseed farm outside of Fredricksburg that had fields of bluebonnets and poppies. In the same area you see many wineries and on the road to Johnson City you find the LBJ Ranch which is now a national park.
While I remember LBJ, I must say that I was not enamored with him. He seemed so unsophisticated, and the stereotypical Texan. I've never been impressed with the state and I guess I have had a prejudice against people from the state. I imagined them as cowboys--uneducated, illiterate, and conservative Republicans (although LBJ was a Democrat--what can I say?)
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| Bluebonnets |
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| LBJ and Lady Bird tombstones |
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| Field of poppies |
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| LBJ home |
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| Reproduction of LBJ birthplace |
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| Bluebonnets and other wild flowers |
In spite of this, I have to say that the ranch was fascinating. You see LBJs birthplace, his ranch, the one room school he attended as a 4 year old, and the cemetery where he and his wife, Lady Bird, are buried. In his home you can visit the entire first floor including the bedroom where he died at 64 years old from a heart attack, his bathroom, Lady Bird's bedroom and bathroom, the living and dining rooms, the kitchen and LBJ's office. While president, LBJ spent 20-25% of his time on the ranch working and entertaining dignitaries. People who visited the ranch wrote their names in cement. These are displayed behind the home. Although Lady Bird lived at the ranch until several years before her death, all renovations between the 1960's and today were removed and the ranch was returned to its 1965 decor. It is located in a beautiful area along a river and the grounds have an airport, fields of cows, barns, and many large live oak trees.
I was reminded that LBJ passed more legislation than any other president including The War on Poverty, numerous Civil Rights bills, the Voting Rights Act and Head Start. Never have I seen such a personal look at the life of a President.
Shortly before we left we visited my friend Karen Wolffe and her husband, Terry Hersh, in Austin. We had a great time looking at the city while spending time with great company!
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Blue Footed Booby and more on Puerto Vallarta
Friends, Alex and Nancy Miller, are visiting us this week. While on a trip to Mismaloya, a beach where the movie, The Night of the Iguana, was filmed, a blue footed booby landed on the sand in front of us. My understanding is that half of the blue footed booby population resides in the Galapagos with the rest of them on the California, Mexico, and Northern South American coasts. I believe that they are quite rare. Well, as expected, Nancy and I became very excited at the siting
and took a slew of pictures.
BF booby males show their feet to the females as part of a mating ritual. The female usually selects the male with the bluest feet.
The Night of the Iguana first brought attention to the sleepy little town of PV. Richard Burton carried on an "ellicit" affair with Elizabeth Taylor while filming the movie. The media flocked here and put the city on the map. Both Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton owned homes here as well as the movie's director, John Houston.
Tomorrow we are going on an excursion to Quimixto beach. Here, we will mount horses and ride to a waterfall. Later in the day we will snorkel, swim and eat lunch on a private beach. It should be fun!
and took a slew of pictures.BF booby males show their feet to the females
as part of a mating ritual. The female usually selects the male with the bluest feet.The Night of the Iguana first brought attention to the sleepy little town of PV. Richard Burton carried on an "ellicit" affair with Elizabeth Taylor while filming the movie. The media flocked here and put the city on the map. Both Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton owned homes here as well as the movie's director, John Houston.
Tomorrow we are going on an excursion to Quimixto beach. Here, we will mount horses and ride to a waterfall. Later in the day we will snorkel, swim and eat lunch on a private
beach. It should be fun!
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
On the Road again
After a magical 31/2 months in Puerto Vallarta we returned to Philly on March 11. We had a wonderful time staying with friends Matt and Jim for @ 5 days. During that time I saw a few friends, visited my former employer, Salus University, and met with our Interfaith group, a group of 7 interfaith couples that we initially met at synagogue Or Hadash over 20 years ago.
We then drove to Virginia to see Bradley and pick up our dog, Zuni, who lived with Bradley and his girlfriend Krissy while we were in PV. The few days we spent there were way too short. How is it that you spend 18 years, every day with a child and then only get to see him several times a year when he is an adult? He seems very happy in his life...and that is what matters, but we miss him.
We will be going back to PV in November and will stay through March next year. We have found a new condo, very close to the Old City where we can bring Zuni. It is a traditional Mexican 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment, with a pool so you all have an open invitation. We are hoping that it will be an improvement from this year since it is much cleaner, better kept up, and has an oven. I look forward to seeing all my friends: Josie, Marcella, Cat, Joan, Margaret Ann, Bruce and returning to my theatre interests at the Boutique Theatre, volunteer work and yoga on the beach.
After leaving Bradley, we drove to Cleveland to see family and attend my mother's unveiling. My cousins Faith and Dean are always very welcoming and we look forward to our time with them. Then we took a 4 day drive to McAllen Texas to visit my in-laws, Harry and Lou, and pick up our RV.
We ended up spending much more time there than anticipated. The RV needed a lot of expensive repairs which took quite a while. Now we are in the hill country of central Texas between Austin and San Antonio. We'll spend 10 days here exploring the area.
I'll fill you in on our explorations and some photos in the next post.
We then drove to Virginia to see Bradley and pick up our dog, Zuni, who lived with Bradley and his girlfriend Krissy while we were in PV. The few days we spent there were way too short. How is it that you spend 18 years, every day with a child and then only get to see him several times a year when he is an adult? He seems very happy in his life...and that is what matters, but we miss him.
We will be going back to PV in November and will stay through March next year. We have found a new condo, very close to the Old City where we can bring Zuni. It is a traditional Mexican 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment, with a pool so you all have an open invitation. We are hoping that it will be an improvement from this year since it is much cleaner, better kept up, and has an oven. I look forward to seeing all my friends: Josie, Marcella, Cat, Joan, Margaret Ann, Bruce and returning to my theatre interests at the Boutique Theatre, volunteer work and yoga on the beach.
After leaving Bradley, we drove to Cleveland to see family and attend my mother's unveiling. My cousins Faith and Dean are always very welcoming and we look forward to our time with them. Then we took a 4 day drive to McAllen Texas to visit my in-laws, Harry and Lou, and pick up our RV.
We ended up spending much more time there than anticipated. The RV needed a lot of expensive repairs which took quite a while. Now we are in the hill country of central Texas between Austin and San Antonio. We'll spend 10 days here exploring the area.
I'll fill you in on our explorations and some photos in the next post.
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