Hiatus

[caption id="attachment_443" align="alignnone" width="300"] Annie getting sun drunk in the windshield[/caption]

I don't have any deep phylosophical thoughts this time other than to say that every now and then I'll be doing something mundane like putting away laundry or sitting outside working a crossword and this fleeting thought reminds me that this is our life. We will not return home to the grind of going to work or mowing the yard for a very long time if ever. I never know quite what to think when it happens and dismiss the feeling as quickly as it rises.

November and December are  our hiatus months for this winter season. We discovered a gem of an RV Park in Mathis Texas called Wilderness Lakes. if you ever make it to this part of Texas with your RV we highly recommend it.  http://wildernesslakesrv.com/ It is a beautiful park surrounded by timbered trails and small lakes that serve as wildlife preserve for waterfowl and mammals. The campground buzzes with activities morning, afternoon and evening. There are exercise classes for every fitness level, regular gatherings for various card games. craft groups, horseshoes,  Bocce Ball and a beautiful heated salt water pool. The park denizens are mostly snowbirds like us and display the Texas friendliness that made us fall in love with Texas last winter. We are making fast friends with many of our park companions and having a blast.  After 14 months full timing it we have learned a great deal talking to veteran full timers. It is fun to visit with people we have met here who are in their first year.  Our jumping off point is recent enough we can appreciate the emotions they are feeling as well as share tips we have learned along the way. I still marvel at those who have made the leap but never owned an RV till they hit the road. We were veteran campers and had taken several long trips in ours. I can't imagine doing this and not knowing anything about owning an RV. Those are the real adventurers!

A mere 150 miles south of our 2016 destination has made a marked  difference in climate. An average of 10 degrees warmer and noticeably more humidity. The best part for me is no Cedar pollen.

[caption id="attachment_423" align="alignright" width="300"] Whitecap Beach NPI[/caption]

During my first 51 years in northern climates I often dreamed of sitting on the beach at Christmas time.  The dream has come true and I must say it is all I imagined it could be. The water was still about 80 degrees the air was near 90 and the ocean breeze was warm and salty. Heaven for this water baby.

It is still hard to reconcile walking around looking at Christmas lights and hearing the sound of crickets and frogs. Two things that my northerners mind has trouble associating.

We still fall into temporary valleys of depression, like when we face timed two of the grandkids’ birthday parties. It about killed us but we are thankful for the technology that allows us to see and talk to them and sing along while they received their cake and blew out the candles. A look at the Iowa forecast is the first step toward climbing out the mire of holiday depression.

[caption id="attachment_442" align="alignleft" width="300"] Christmas lights and crickets[/caption]

Occupying an end spot at the park, gives us that much more excuse to ‘Griswold’ the campsite with outdoor Christmas decorations. The motorhome has also made it possible to have a bigger tree this year.  People drive around in their golf carts, also bedecked withlights and decorations.  Christmas Cheer is alive and well.

We drove up to Goliad, where we will camphost for 90 days beginning in January, and found it to be a beautiful park with friendly Rangers. We are excited to head there after the holidays and already have plans for new friends to come visit us there during our stint.

[caption id="attachment_426" align="alignright" width="300"] Shorebird lesson with John[/caption]

My birding training continued last weekend. We went to Laguna Atascosa to visit John and Cathy and were treated to a trip to the South Padre Island Bird Center. Over a mile of boardwalks out over Laguna Madre gave us up close encounters with many shore birds and ducks. I've  never had much appreciation for ducks till now. They are really quite beautiful and came in remarkable variety.

[caption id="attachment_435" align="alignnone" width="300"] Mottled Ducks[/caption]

I saw alligators in their natural habitat for the first time. (When the kids were little we went on a swamp tour in Louisiana and saw them but its hard to count since they were lured to the boat with raw chicken and marshmallows, much like gulls following a tour ferry.)  A guided three hour tram tour through the refuge treated us to more birds, 4 different eco- systems and an overview of this remarkable coastal refuge of over 100,000 acres that is successfully helping 8 species of animals including Ocelots, sea turtles and several bird species. One of my highlights was a Nilgai running in the field and eventually running across the road in front of the tram.

Our last four weeks of ‘vacation’ will fly by. We are in good company with other folks missing their kids and grandkids but not missing the snow and cold. Our joints thank us everyday that we bask in the warm sunshine of south Texas. Amazon boxes fill the clubhouse lobby mail center each day. You can almost smell the credit cards melting as snowbirds shop online and fuel the retail economy sending packages home. Potlucks abound and new friendships grow.

Being away from all the kids for the holidays is the small amount of bitter in the very sweet life of the full time RV’er.

Until next time...

[gallery size="medium" ids="439,438,437,436,434,433,432,431,430,429,428,427,425,424,422,421,419,418,440,444"]