tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76515426418780196582024-03-05T13:00:26.197-06:00Fulltime AdventureAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.comBlogger305125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-9884639821765165292017-06-22T08:08:00.002-05:002017-06-22T08:08:53.336-05:00Skyline Drive, VaPhil and I took a 6 hour drive along Skyline Drive. I actually think I enjoyed it more than driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. More places to pull off and wider roads . The most exciting part of the trip was seeing two mama Brown bears and three bear cubs!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0u18AWIvIkBAkvftscWwGLYrwLNb2cNIIGbE9qLmWLLISGNjrnkGPYRqN4LC3OJPZttUhUTZIg4ivaJXIJdCI7ZjUjJXuO_21ESbe_xivyfy83p6Dfg3_I-LS5CSuVsaGn35VAGWclCY/s1600/Skyline+Drive+Bear+3+FB+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0u18AWIvIkBAkvftscWwGLYrwLNb2cNIIGbE9qLmWLLISGNjrnkGPYRqN4LC3OJPZttUhUTZIg4ivaJXIJdCI7ZjUjJXuO_21ESbe_xivyfy83p6Dfg3_I-LS5CSuVsaGn35VAGWclCY/s400/Skyline+Drive+Bear+3+FB+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9Z7pEI2zcFqjiZ_iDERH7xVAMi1UbCJG8jKatjFKu3d8Tq7z7QjUd8njMXsl9EDYenWTG1kJijYpxnGv2ltOIvuepZ8SI6_cds42nup0iKTc5BWGhU2dV0kprX3WWbnJ2VTaj3uCsRk/s1600/Skyline+Drive+bear+10+FB+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9Z7pEI2zcFqjiZ_iDERH7xVAMi1UbCJG8jKatjFKu3d8Tq7z7QjUd8njMXsl9EDYenWTG1kJijYpxnGv2ltOIvuepZ8SI6_cds42nup0iKTc5BWGhU2dV0kprX3WWbnJ2VTaj3uCsRk/s400/Skyline+Drive+bear+10+FB+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This poor little one got caught in a web,</td></tr>
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It is such a beautiful drive. We really enjoyed it.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0Skyline Dr, Virginia, USA38.4523421 -78.46690960000000837.6567096 -79.7578031 39.247974600000006 -77.176016100000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-14261005498515351292016-05-08T16:00:00.000-05:002016-05-08T16:00:31.447-05:00Spring Migration and ANCA Training<br />
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ANCA is the Association of Nature Center Administrators that holds training sessions for people that work at nature centers, and since I work at Quinta Mazatlan, I was invited to go to the Spring Bird Migration training on South Padre Island.<br />
We were given a power point show by Mary Gustafson, who is one of the best bird guides in the valley. The power point slide show was on how and why birds migrate and why some birds don't migrate at all. Afterwards we got to go do some bird watching at the convention center which is the place to be during spring migration.<br />
Birds have to travel many miles from their wintering grounds to their breeding grounds in the spring and they need a place to stop, feed, drink water, and rest before continuing their long journey.<br />
The convention center on South Padre Island has a shallow water feature with dense vegetation that is a perfect stopover habitat for these tired creatures.There are also volunteers that put out fruit for the birds for much needed energy. A single bird can eat three times its weight in fruit in a single day!<br />
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I added several life birds to my list that day.<br />
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One was this beautiful Black-bellied Plover in breeding plumage.<br />
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Believe it or not, this handsome bird is actually kin to our native Killdeer, both being in the plover family.<br />
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This female Summer Tanager was enjoying the view.<br />
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A White Ibis and a not so White Ibis<br />
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This Great Blue Heron was distinguished looking</div>
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Baltimore Oriole eating some orange.</div>
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Yellow Warbler</div>
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Orchard Oriole<br />
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Tennessee warblers bathing<br />
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Cape May Warbler<br />
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We got to see lots of great birds and I personally learned so much from Mary.<br />
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I can't wait for our next training.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-14597965201398056652016-04-21T15:40:00.000-05:002016-04-21T15:40:34.677-05:00Texas Master Naturalist Program<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Back in January I started taking the Texas Master Naturalist course, and on April 19th I completed it. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px;">This is something I have always wanted to pursue, and now, while working at Quinta Mazatlan, it seemed the perfect time to take these classes and get certified.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Texas Master Naturalist Program's mission is as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #433c3a; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Cambria, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 25.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Mission:</strong></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 25.5px;"> <i>To develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the State of Texas.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 25.5px;"><i>At the state level, the Texas Master Naturalist program is sponsored jointly by Texas
A&M AgriLife Extension and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD)</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18.2px;">I had to complete forty hours of combined field and classroom instruction though the South Texas Border Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists, which was done at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park. I also had to do forty hours of volunteer work and have eight hours of advanced training.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18.2px;">We met once a week for classes with two different instructors every week speaking on subjects germane to our becoming Texas Master Naturalists.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px;">The classes were on Land Stewardship, Archaeology, Historical Naturalists of Texas, Ecological Regions of Texas, Ecological Concepts, Geology, Weather, Plants, Ornithology, Entomology, Ichthyology, Herpetology, Mammalogy, Land Management, Laws, Regulations and Ethics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;">Field trips included making fish prints at the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 18.2px;">The </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; line-height: 18.2px;">Coastal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 18.2px;"> Studies </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; line-height: 18.2px;">Laboratory</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 18.2px;"> on South Padre Island, the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"> La Puerta Tract, Sabal Palm and Estero Llano Grande State Park.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18.2px;">The fish prints were interesting. They're a traditional Japanese art form called </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gyotaku,</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18.2px;"> from the 1800s, that allowed fishermen to record their catches.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 18.2px;">You take a dead fish, paint it, and then place rice paper over it and rub until the image is transferred to the paper.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94I9Yz5SPgTAB4stkTVz3QgFcUIBHd5GuLSVp6DZStUkAMc1GWn412lDaVnJIhk_C49LN2W-csEADK8ENfux5NVI3BFcRrCUw7OG9e7Re29CTS7GPNt0hWFjSXvpua1VHG2gddoH4Zcs/s1600/fish+print+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94I9Yz5SPgTAB4stkTVz3QgFcUIBHd5GuLSVp6DZStUkAMc1GWn412lDaVnJIhk_C49LN2W-csEADK8ENfux5NVI3BFcRrCUw7OG9e7Re29CTS7GPNt0hWFjSXvpua1VHG2gddoH4Zcs/s400/fish+print+1.jpg" width="225" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My first attempt I had bird brain, as mine looked more like a Northern Cardinal than a fish.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeNnId1uYVBDBfyI_ynjwWA_MLR-D1akIXWCfeHuzOJYjwtUR4PkA5IXmdQ6KM8v-warpuJEZetH6nZ76FXjatYCo1r3A1hJ2wGvQx-tgm5acZTa-mf8okdOdfWtd1QuQH0W60XVPIpc/s1600/Fish+print+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeNnId1uYVBDBfyI_ynjwWA_MLR-D1akIXWCfeHuzOJYjwtUR4PkA5IXmdQ6KM8v-warpuJEZetH6nZ76FXjatYCo1r3A1hJ2wGvQx-tgm5acZTa-mf8okdOdfWtd1QuQH0W60XVPIpc/s400/Fish+print+3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My second attempt was a little better.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jo7V_FCn5QbSjGtC9Ps0JY6yoBq5chbK6r7gTQIMxIC0FRx0Y2FDEImKGOftDxtW2jN3Oz9vnwSeKqPAtBXBYmz0mtiM0uTHmaNRuwGgjPfRGZsvGkdb9mvS_aB7zcPMbY9WF-lZ2QI/s1600/Fish+print+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jo7V_FCn5QbSjGtC9Ps0JY6yoBq5chbK6r7gTQIMxIC0FRx0Y2FDEImKGOftDxtW2jN3Oz9vnwSeKqPAtBXBYmz0mtiM0uTHmaNRuwGgjPfRGZsvGkdb9mvS_aB7zcPMbY9WF-lZ2QI/s400/Fish+print+2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our next field trip was to the La Puerta Brush Tract in Starr County.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #414b50; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">La Puerta</u><span style="color: #414b50; line-height: 18px;"> is a 4,000 acre tract that is three miles east of Rio Grande City, Texas on Hwy. 83</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: #414b50; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are a couple of native plants that grow here that grow nowhere else in the United States.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: #414b50; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I got some pictures of a couple of the native plants that aren't endangered.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXkld9FSBJ9hSYNGqPeEU7neO4HIr-tXWAAPfugFMJGX24kyZPKxmzQx_anXoZZfFD8b4zuU0_2DaQwEWTSpE2P_KeKoMKA8ccdi-Dmozpdy20P4s_ow6gSymqIW4yEupMgWXJh3zG0w/s1600/La+Puerta+Blackbrush+March+2016+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXkld9FSBJ9hSYNGqPeEU7neO4HIr-tXWAAPfugFMJGX24kyZPKxmzQx_anXoZZfFD8b4zuU0_2DaQwEWTSpE2P_KeKoMKA8ccdi-Dmozpdy20P4s_ow6gSymqIW4yEupMgWXJh3zG0w/s400/La+Puerta+Blackbrush+March+2016+FB.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzifqfXUc_UBnhBwCtAHWJ9bhiD7KmRjLDIElHoUy5yRksn_MPMEip7U1-tp0VS05Dc1o7CQUnhRVxTnFNRfz7OCE4uzFXZa39ZGQ-iQiFPeSpHKsTay96xrGDou_iSvy51mH1nj8nKYg/s1600/La+Puerta+Guayacan++March+2016+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzifqfXUc_UBnhBwCtAHWJ9bhiD7KmRjLDIElHoUy5yRksn_MPMEip7U1-tp0VS05Dc1o7CQUnhRVxTnFNRfz7OCE4uzFXZa39ZGQ-iQiFPeSpHKsTay96xrGDou_iSvy51mH1nj8nKYg/s400/La+Puerta+Guayacan++March+2016+FB.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9hDi6xKSxVuqpm5TmcgsualPWUCD6mWWYjNpvGf49BxCsZSGGJGsu7yzcuR9s35MIjDLLI1RMYT4ds8nL80IgFpbe65nuYaMqofEaab5Vj2UhDUeP0Y4dxyEIVm65JU_TsOZDT0NDhE/s1600/La+Puerta+6++March+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9hDi6xKSxVuqpm5TmcgsualPWUCD6mWWYjNpvGf49BxCsZSGGJGsu7yzcuR9s35MIjDLLI1RMYT4ds8nL80IgFpbe65nuYaMqofEaab5Vj2UhDUeP0Y4dxyEIVm65JU_TsOZDT0NDhE/s400/La+Puerta+6++March+FB.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sabal Palm is always a neat place to visit. We don't go often because it's down in Brownsville.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-xr-ISnLcgQe3u9fWmRsh0Y2IeloD1xskhUOhjxFV67b8B3bpGOc6WCTNsRivOORa-PXE69XYHfSHH7i1mOEud-sRd4TDiDb0EjK9d8BO7hE9DloO4MeyEo_Y4yFYu5leW83SiyjgvM/s1600/Sabal+Palms+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-xr-ISnLcgQe3u9fWmRsh0Y2IeloD1xskhUOhjxFV67b8B3bpGOc6WCTNsRivOORa-PXE69XYHfSHH7i1mOEud-sRd4TDiDb0EjK9d8BO7hE9DloO4MeyEo_Y4yFYu5leW83SiyjgvM/s400/Sabal+Palms+2.png" width="265" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: #414b50; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We were thrilled to see a Great Horned Owl </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27Mlgpo-awiehOCehsNv4USuQRnlvktHT6moYd-DTACaZchob3vOjKgKcQywv02Bw0EIhSr62PGpEkYFulyMfx81Z8Q-VKFiONEpOltMjWMg1tZd5PO23st_0CL94mQ-zmMF170m8GoM/s1600/Sabal+Palm+Great+Horned+Owl+2+March+2016+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27Mlgpo-awiehOCehsNv4USuQRnlvktHT6moYd-DTACaZchob3vOjKgKcQywv02Bw0EIhSr62PGpEkYFulyMfx81Z8Q-VKFiONEpOltMjWMg1tZd5PO23st_0CL94mQ-zmMF170m8GoM/s400/Sabal+Palm+Great+Horned+Owl+2+March+2016+FB.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These field trips were to show us the native flora and fauna and landscape of where we live in the Rio Grande Valley.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Estero Llano Grande State Park is one of my favorite places to visit in the Valley.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Black Necked Stilt</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkKH9gixGp2boTtr915zoh8d4XHu_9OspQLKCRtKnHGAAExOpy6NbUN5R1GJUm5BirgOyfOIWDWf0Kdr2hjLEJ4qmV_4ORU2JU_57C3jaZ5xJglybDJiNU7RulwZs-9aNURJ_OloeOYc/s1600/Estero+Black+Necked+Stilt+2+April+2016+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkKH9gixGp2boTtr915zoh8d4XHu_9OspQLKCRtKnHGAAExOpy6NbUN5R1GJUm5BirgOyfOIWDWf0Kdr2hjLEJ4qmV_4ORU2JU_57C3jaZ5xJglybDJiNU7RulwZs-9aNURJ_OloeOYc/s400/Estero+Black+Necked+Stilt+2+April+2016+FB.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Queen</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgniXFQ-N7GC7ea5fyLbA1Zlq_AkrUvzEkaao2RLO2TKiXiKOpKJF3QcZgu116WXDJXlb7w_Lf8WhR_kCoe_5DdpH4Ov6PFi7H-fmfa1nDWNXEzxjSmsno9t3ZirMgZr6h6vF2-ZZmhJ8A/s1600/Estero+Queen+April+2016+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgniXFQ-N7GC7ea5fyLbA1Zlq_AkrUvzEkaao2RLO2TKiXiKOpKJF3QcZgu116WXDJXlb7w_Lf8WhR_kCoe_5DdpH4Ov6PFi7H-fmfa1nDWNXEzxjSmsno9t3ZirMgZr6h6vF2-ZZmhJ8A/s400/Estero+Queen+April+2016+FB.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had our graduation ceremony at Estero Llano Grande State Park.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I baked a Key Lime Pound Cake for the dinner.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;">I received a certificate and a Dragonfly Pin for completing all the requirements.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #433c3a; line-height: 18.2px;">Our graduating class:</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-66286934491950328232015-12-24T19:39:00.000-06:002015-12-24T19:39:21.659-06:00Finding My JoyEver since I got hired at Quinta Mazatlan World Birding Center as a program assistant, my days have been filled with joy. I never know what new wonder will greet me as I go about my duties in one of the most beautiful places in McAllen, Texas.<br />
Just to be able to walk around the alluring house and grounds would be gratifying in itself, but I also get to be surrounded by the birds and nature that I so love.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu6ktJMTCUMZDyY2QTQ6wWr9SMmrtpzTEViUEnaOaMSIagI8N3o288mEIcbn_gOPAKMVd6-V1qadSKUG69VMhlCDpPJZJ30I3lH0JbLnLyiReU-K4FFb5FrnmKfVMucFOmti_8ScyFeA/s1600/QUINTA+MAZATLAN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu6ktJMTCUMZDyY2QTQ6wWr9SMmrtpzTEViUEnaOaMSIagI8N3o288mEIcbn_gOPAKMVd6-V1qadSKUG69VMhlCDpPJZJ30I3lH0JbLnLyiReU-K4FFb5FrnmKfVMucFOmti_8ScyFeA/s640/QUINTA+MAZATLAN.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walkway to house.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HR6ArbkbTmJj9MV_EwxJTiwMBqiFImBUBF21bsyUYcfipKMBesbPAt4g2bTwHcJjM4NnL0JXUKXABFmgo4Qmksc5tIbV1UZaBgxiGyVXwd6koYcVhv9-qh3fhWojTXTIopbsyJnyo3w/s1600/QUINTA+MAZATLAN+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HR6ArbkbTmJj9MV_EwxJTiwMBqiFImBUBF21bsyUYcfipKMBesbPAt4g2bTwHcJjM4NnL0JXUKXABFmgo4Qmksc5tIbV1UZaBgxiGyVXwd6koYcVhv9-qh3fhWojTXTIopbsyJnyo3w/s640/QUINTA+MAZATLAN+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quinta Mazatlan built in the 1930's</td></tr>
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I get greeted by the Plain Chachalacas as I'm putting out the bird seed and the suet and oranges for the day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeI5I2YvXLX-k7Pc7Lpul8RR7gx2EIm5TRvr3CiqJrSTHzSmTdb7GZqwqMkX7zTmDIw8cxqmorsfYx6KW6_zEEZZLJmxeKNurSq99qDiYsADPDTwgpXsZElzj_nYBIxi5WQocBMZlS6o/s1600/QM+Chachalaca+17+Dec+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeI5I2YvXLX-k7Pc7Lpul8RR7gx2EIm5TRvr3CiqJrSTHzSmTdb7GZqwqMkX7zTmDIw8cxqmorsfYx6KW6_zEEZZLJmxeKNurSq99qDiYsADPDTwgpXsZElzj_nYBIxi5WQocBMZlS6o/s640/QM+Chachalaca+17+Dec+FB.jpg" width="432" /></a><br />
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A Great Kiskadee waits impatiently for me to finish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLAANQXdMcLJi2EldeJnwqy_M1-jR9lbfZtHkkFMq3zuoOo8Ie6jCsXHJ02qWOlw7wQry7hVbKjBg2yxGVv64GvZjhjlIqSbIPmRkEHhmixV3wKrnlcA4L_zUXrRHfTvDfVsRKpBrTag/s1600/QM+Great+Kiskadee+8+Dec+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLAANQXdMcLJi2EldeJnwqy_M1-jR9lbfZtHkkFMq3zuoOo8Ie6jCsXHJ02qWOlw7wQry7hVbKjBg2yxGVv64GvZjhjlIqSbIPmRkEHhmixV3wKrnlcA4L_zUXrRHfTvDfVsRKpBrTag/s640/QM+Great+Kiskadee+8+Dec+FB.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I travel through the park and as I get to the second feeding station I see our resident Javelina watching me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQJUHeinpNac55dNbFOb_fryZ7pGuucTlMzMtrjwYHTBxRe5lPuuvuS3ZY9EKt5Aiuc4WcRQcHKdC2DaTvxyv8ox6dSLl7ybXNSaIDTDRokEs2Y9SWG026qCjU8cb_Dfc14txH3at4I/s1600/QM+Javelina+Dec+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCQJUHeinpNac55dNbFOb_fryZ7pGuucTlMzMtrjwYHTBxRe5lPuuvuS3ZY9EKt5Aiuc4WcRQcHKdC2DaTvxyv8ox6dSLl7ybXNSaIDTDRokEs2Y9SWG026qCjU8cb_Dfc14txH3at4I/s640/QM+Javelina+Dec+FB.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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I then see this Eastern Cottontail enjoying a breakfast of Night Blooming Cereus<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgNED-tasWz_AV9MPonnP3j9hJyT3ax6hWmu6Z6zgY7qXkwhEn0p35oR2tt2SnQYuu4KkK-slzDkvjIvIfaQj_0TovJHI3oHJ-cjDeWOEtWaAiobwfk6iAc1FuLbthGbsC2izptMfhRs/s1600/QM+Eastern+Cottontail+Night+Blooming+Cereus+4+Dec+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgNED-tasWz_AV9MPonnP3j9hJyT3ax6hWmu6Z6zgY7qXkwhEn0p35oR2tt2SnQYuu4KkK-slzDkvjIvIfaQj_0TovJHI3oHJ-cjDeWOEtWaAiobwfk6iAc1FuLbthGbsC2izptMfhRs/s640/QM+Eastern+Cottontail+Night+Blooming+Cereus+4+Dec+FB.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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On another day, John, our staff naturalist, introduces me to a new bug,<br />
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It's a Flag-footed bug. This beautiful insect has what looks like flags at the end of it's feet, which it uses to create a diversion when confronted by a predator. It is only fund here in the US in Southern Texas.<br />
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Each day is a learning experience as I'm surrounded by people willing to tell me about the plants, bugs, and other natural wonders of Quinta Mazatlan and the unique Rio Grande Valley.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-6597655101936894162015-11-22T08:27:00.000-06:002015-11-22T09:19:59.635-06:00Dragon Colors<div class="tab-content active" id="poem-top" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;">
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Fly, Dragonfly!</h1>
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BY JOYCE SIDMAN<br /><div class="tab-content active" id="poem" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;">
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Water nymph, you have</div>
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climbed from the shallows to don</div>
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your dragon-colors.</div>
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Perched on a reed stem</div>
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all night, shedding your skin, you dry</div>
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your wings in moonlight.</div>
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Night melts into day.</div>
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Swift birds wait to snap you up.</div>
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Fly, dragonfly! Fly!</div>
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All photos by Kathy Detweiler</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-15033128258569936712015-11-19T15:23:00.000-06:002015-11-19T15:23:58.592-06:00Things Other Than ButterfliesDuring the butterfly festival there were a lot of other things to be seen other than the butterflies.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-40157353776164723722015-11-14T20:22:00.001-06:002015-11-14T20:22:40.556-06:0020th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival Field Trip Day 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On our third day Mike Rickard and Ginny Musgrave led our next trip to Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma and Camp Lula Sams.<br />
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I fell in love with the beautiful Guava Skipper. Just look at those colors!<br />
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Gorgeous caterpillar</div>
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After we left Resaca de la Palma, we went to Camp Lulu Sams. Camp Lula Sams was built by the Earl C Sams Foundation and gifted to the Girl Scouts of South Texas in 1953. Mike was sure we would see a Pale-rayed Skipper or a Strophius Hairstreak and we were fortunate enough to see both.</div>
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If you ever have an opportunity to attend the Texas Butterfly festival I highly recommend it. I learned so much in those three days, and had such an enjoyable time.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-1904639897429306252015-11-13T15:38:00.001-06:002015-11-14T16:13:33.514-06:0020th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival Field Trip Day 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbI9-rLkIRRG7HiDSoq4eKhihHMIMlZyGEPO2aAOVUhO6qrA8wmyKCPsqJjVU9jDUUDKNk-YDi0fwSJM-VucARnVZt0_eNdArcwXfI9Z2zu6jsfiqLWxNINQpYTO3DrmfLvfzi9CpcYW4/s1600/Texas+Butterfly+Festival+2015+146+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbI9-rLkIRRG7HiDSoq4eKhihHMIMlZyGEPO2aAOVUhO6qrA8wmyKCPsqJjVU9jDUUDKNk-YDi0fwSJM-VucARnVZt0_eNdArcwXfI9Z2zu6jsfiqLWxNINQpYTO3DrmfLvfzi9CpcYW4/s640/Texas+Butterfly+Festival+2015+146+FB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our trip leaders for Day 2 were Linda and Buck Cooper. Linda and Buck Cooper are Florida natives, but every year for six weeks they are Texans and proud of it. They are great teachers, spending time not only identifying the butterfly but explaining the field marks to look for and the behavior of the butterfly.</div>
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Our first stop was Roma Bluffs, which is part of the World Birding Center. We saw a very nice Zebra Heliconian there.</div>
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A lovely Rounded Metalmark</div>
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Then we drove up to Falcon State Park to their butterfly gardens.</div>
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My first Coyote Cloudywing.</div>
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I also saw my first American lady.<br />
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We were all fascinated with the moth caterpillar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-ThdJzXrtsIT0ca5UL9tBHex8NjF9q6iSWTvLxSZqPUAC_vG-luzcDTswEvaFJmD57Jk096KJ7U380Bb_nr-n05Px-rpu4y_7ruxhOqZeEFWXPtXJgnMTgwwKmyZsTZKCMNkw_vYG1o/s1600/Texas+Butterfly+Festival+2015+188+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-ThdJzXrtsIT0ca5UL9tBHex8NjF9q6iSWTvLxSZqPUAC_vG-luzcDTswEvaFJmD57Jk096KJ7U380Bb_nr-n05Px-rpu4y_7ruxhOqZeEFWXPtXJgnMTgwwKmyZsTZKCMNkw_vYG1o/s640/Texas+Butterfly+Festival+2015+188+FB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another great day, with great butterflies.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-13362000488605304942015-11-12T21:32:00.002-06:002015-12-04T07:23:40.934-06:0020th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival Field Trip Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZ5g6TkRbk8XLoRY5__YfvKtMEfvKTbeL-qchefB-lIaQWQ1Q9pMqTM9QnKto8bfv90zfmUZLdlRIQ0XT1Xv43o9FVH9a8DRYMqTzSmVVZJsg9SLmq-hcT3roxeatWNTITe2s3-B7UXs/s1600/Texas+Butterfly+Festival+2015+170+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZ5g6TkRbk8XLoRY5__YfvKtMEfvKTbeL-qchefB-lIaQWQ1Q9pMqTM9QnKto8bfv90zfmUZLdlRIQ0XT1Xv43o9FVH9a8DRYMqTzSmVVZJsg9SLmq-hcT3roxeatWNTITe2s3-B7UXs/s640/Texas+Butterfly+Festival+2015+170+FB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was fortunate enough this year to be one of the drivers for the National Butterfly Festival, which meant I got to go on the field trips, and see, learn and photograph the butterflies that were seen.<br />
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We had trip leaders which were some of the most knowledgeable butterfly people around.<br />
People come from all over the U,S and other countries for the festival for a chance to see a Rio Grande specialty butterfly. The Rio Grande Valley is home to roughly three hundred species of butterflies,<br />
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Our first day we went to Cielo Escondido (Hidden Heaven), a private home that has wonderful native plants that attracts some of the butterfly species we were searching for. Our trip leaders were Mike Rickard, Ginny Musgrave & John Yochum. Mr. Rickard is a local butterfly expert who has been "butterflying" in the LRGV for decades and has contributed several discoveries to the natural histories of various LRGV butterflies. Mr Yochum is a Park Naturalist at Estero Llano Grande State Park, and is knowledgeable about all the local plants and wildlife, which was good for me because I kept getting distracted by the spiders we saw and kept asking him what they were. Thank goodness he is a patient man!<br />
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The property was very beautiful and we saw many, many species. One of my favorites was the Blue Metal Marks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJuGWovqODJsho9pn_XGMiQZC7PhT9dMVDDvG6vWacTfPcAUVRzQ7jlhfwMgeBkS3ttWNO3aabeHx-Rl7DOqMg4EoTnMApjQkvmCzGjXAlvcxfdretty2UstHGG3tJ3JKQGTxaeUa1tE/s1600/TBF+Blue+Metal+Mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJuGWovqODJsho9pn_XGMiQZC7PhT9dMVDDvG6vWacTfPcAUVRzQ7jlhfwMgeBkS3ttWNO3aabeHx-Rl7DOqMg4EoTnMApjQkvmCzGjXAlvcxfdretty2UstHGG3tJ3JKQGTxaeUa1tE/s640/TBF+Blue+Metal+Mark.jpg" width="568" /></a></div>
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Some butterfly enthusiasts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG7DpTLVrREam6rylBuPwj-vi64zyvry2nyhm2lUIqFB2vuzzxejD7fGko9w-TXm1TsD_mFaeTodFR3qDGySW4Sxvs9qOGkT3aK_UukALcj69LnfURoKuWEoag0zBa48YRyu9owcSTe8/s1600/TBF+2015+People.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG7DpTLVrREam6rylBuPwj-vi64zyvry2nyhm2lUIqFB2vuzzxejD7fGko9w-TXm1TsD_mFaeTodFR3qDGySW4Sxvs9qOGkT3aK_UukALcj69LnfURoKuWEoag0zBa48YRyu9owcSTe8/s640/TBF+2015+People.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Of course while you are out you will see more than just butterflies, like this Texas Spiny Lizard shedding his skin.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43lc8znY-gCB3tq9MpJkCWxzwcSVLRaJCVWHTVVWqRv39jl8G2HdmFHw76ZtnDa5Xl1uZ9T2SYIY8pcobbbeln-ntO1kNrHUcea8dOvjC7NnUwnlspMAtYhI8wiR9Kra1X5INHfTZs6g/s1600/Texas+Butterfly+Festival+2015+84+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43lc8znY-gCB3tq9MpJkCWxzwcSVLRaJCVWHTVVWqRv39jl8G2HdmFHw76ZtnDa5Xl1uZ9T2SYIY8pcobbbeln-ntO1kNrHUcea8dOvjC7NnUwnlspMAtYhI8wiR9Kra1X5INHfTZs6g/s640/Texas+Butterfly+Festival+2015+84+FB.jpg" width="484" /></a></div>
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We also saw this rare shrub, Snake Eyes, so called because of it's creamy, translucent, fleshy fruit holding a single black seed inside, which gives the impression of a snake eye.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_Is1MfU9odprcC0QmCy9SFVeOHogNjoXO5IOiKpX1_g7N5KbqJLhXSdcyWCLi_Ly6lbZspIyAfLYcqSVMmAfIAO8Mq8qSCSrLTOYTboBXpWNaP9CtWceC4Yucq7P9tIfqBE6e1uVMs0/s1600/TBF+Snake+Eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_Is1MfU9odprcC0QmCy9SFVeOHogNjoXO5IOiKpX1_g7N5KbqJLhXSdcyWCLi_Ly6lbZspIyAfLYcqSVMmAfIAO8Mq8qSCSrLTOYTboBXpWNaP9CtWceC4Yucq7P9tIfqBE6e1uVMs0/s640/TBF+Snake+Eyes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another rare plant for Texas was David's Milk Berry</div>
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Our next stop was Hugh Ramsey Park, where Mike Rickard spotted a <b>Shadowed Hairstreak</b>, a first U.S. record! Most people commented that they would have walked right by it, thinking it was a common Gray Hairstreak, but not Mike! He immediately noticed something different about this butterfly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIMD3R1xRATObfrbV4maou9X93FxcORzTIS3-6wOOveo_rjtULPSE5LOdjJYsMPpwvftQjwT51onpI7mTK_12dLQ2DFqBM-jPyrPRMOnJCnOLTmw-w67e84LHKy41veAkaoprzAr0JRc/s1600/Shadowed+Hairstreak+TBF+4+FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIMD3R1xRATObfrbV4maou9X93FxcORzTIS3-6wOOveo_rjtULPSE5LOdjJYsMPpwvftQjwT51onpI7mTK_12dLQ2DFqBM-jPyrPRMOnJCnOLTmw-w67e84LHKy41veAkaoprzAr0JRc/s640/Shadowed+Hairstreak+TBF+4+FB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There was a lot of excitement being with the group that saw and photographed this butterfly.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-27056489643051527782015-09-22T13:58:00.000-05:002015-09-26T21:52:30.489-05:00Chasing a lifer, a Northern Jacana<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The word was out. At Estero Llano Grande State Park, a juvenile Northern Jacana had been seen. I called my neighbor, Joanne, and we put on our birding gear and headed out. The day was sweltering but luckily the bird wasn't far down the trail, right at Grebe Marsh. We even had a bit of shade while we checked him out.</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5-fDqgd0D8Vu0B0SfTKgsp9wWrSz__cegBBIu99XqVdt-lAPcO3_FCwRM1AnPOOV7TrNvH8-srZ5TEtWEWmaDHetyAINdf4mrBTJkMQGm-j-6Qu0HdI2e3zkohrL8PnkYZ_zK2GWXKQ/s1600/Jacana+Estero+Sept+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5-fDqgd0D8Vu0B0SfTKgsp9wWrSz__cegBBIu99XqVdt-lAPcO3_FCwRM1AnPOOV7TrNvH8-srZ5TEtWEWmaDHetyAINdf4mrBTJkMQGm-j-6Qu0HdI2e3zkohrL8PnkYZ_zK2GWXKQ/s640/Jacana+Estero+Sept+2015.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is a really interesting bird, he has these huge feet that allow him to walk on lilypads and sometimes it appears he is even walking on top of the water, that is why he is also known as the "Jesus"bird.</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg-AlBmDomtT9wW_aL126Ob_bw4XqAFr9KvGos9-Tl2bg8UphTUC4CdPuKtSccNALOFITyMgMnxlhwJ7EdWKJCJojow53h6BCC6uIpiyJj_DsQ38rkhDrEbQ5Skt7Js_CH0JbeagKOfo/s1600/Jacana+Estero+Sept+2015+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDDXB1eKDVCPd7TmKuTfe3pyh_oFHUTAIyY3D2szd4Nj4Ni7PMUwd8CheHzXgtRrgjmrG9bmBM32tJdwoN1HixOWaAmfKF6sxyYUhGPcki2rUzRgadfGnBInCkCMAyZXZoydnW6Ekzy8/s1600/Jacana+Estero+Sept+2015+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDDXB1eKDVCPd7TmKuTfe3pyh_oFHUTAIyY3D2szd4Nj4Ni7PMUwd8CheHzXgtRrgjmrG9bmBM32tJdwoN1HixOWaAmfKF6sxyYUhGPcki2rUzRgadfGnBInCkCMAyZXZoydnW6Ekzy8/s640/Jacana+Estero+Sept+2015+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg-AlBmDomtT9wW_aL126Ob_bw4XqAFr9KvGos9-Tl2bg8UphTUC4CdPuKtSccNALOFITyMgMnxlhwJ7EdWKJCJojow53h6BCC6uIpiyJj_DsQ38rkhDrEbQ5Skt7Js_CH0JbeagKOfo/s640/Jacana+Estero+Sept+2015+2.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCn1xDLgw17bbPxoON7ayjq75o4HKhvTlEYl-oyzeCP6FtB23Otb3Vn3uWRIh1MB0gzUXcA3CUYfyzf5ujeFDrafXrPRX3WCHmWkgh5U-S46Z6nJtnX-AacFhaHdt6P_bhtHq5w3jw0t0/s1600/Jacana+Estero+Sept+2015+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCn1xDLgw17bbPxoON7ayjq75o4HKhvTlEYl-oyzeCP6FtB23Otb3Vn3uWRIh1MB0gzUXcA3CUYfyzf5ujeFDrafXrPRX3WCHmWkgh5U-S46Z6nJtnX-AacFhaHdt6P_bhtHq5w3jw0t0/s640/Jacana+Estero+Sept+2015+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br />They feed on insects on the surface of vegetation and ovules of water lilies. They will also consume snails, worms, small crabs, fish, mollusks, and seeds.<br /><br />An awesome life bird for us!</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>We also saw this handsome Black Bellied Whistling Duck.</b></span><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsMPJUxMW8t8yJ7IhaJD_halJ64Nj60f12z-nqTZLXOYuQFvEaWFcr3rA0OI5kUEjpd41gbrP_5Otw8fBKCYNla6lqjgqgW1lNEywh-VQgQexxgeCEaI6AUp2wTMck7wqzEthUpjjKHA/s1600/Black+Bellied+Whistling+Duck+Estero+Sept+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPsMPJUxMW8t8yJ7IhaJD_halJ64Nj60f12z-nqTZLXOYuQFvEaWFcr3rA0OI5kUEjpd41gbrP_5Otw8fBKCYNla6lqjgqgW1lNEywh-VQgQexxgeCEaI6AUp2wTMck7wqzEthUpjjKHA/s640/Black+Bellied+Whistling+Duck+Estero+Sept+2015.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of my favorite ducks because of their clawed web feet that allows them to perch on wires and tree limbs, and for their strange whistling call.</span></b><br />
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<b>Here is a link to hear the call.</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Dendrocygna-autumnalis</span></b><br />
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<b>Another favorite of mine is the Great Kiskadee.</b></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-45719151693914233512015-05-13T20:49:00.000-05:002015-05-13T20:49:50.123-05:00Border Patrol Horse Patrol<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our community had the opportunity to visit our local Border Patrol horse patrol unit that is right down the road from us. We learned a lot about this </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">B</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">order Patrol</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> unit that utilizes captured and trained wild mustangs. It might seem old fashioned, but the mustangs are a very effective way of patrolling the border. They're able to access areas that ATVs and other vehicles can't, and the horses are able to sense the illegals</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, by sight and smell,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> quite often before the agents themselves. The horses patrol an area of the Rio Grande Valley sector which covers Brownsville to Falcon Heights.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In 1924, agents signing up for the newly commissioned Border Patrol were required to bring their own horses, according to the agency. Washington furnished a badge, a revolver, oats and hay for the horses, and a $1,680 annual salary. The horse patrol was phased out in 1935, as motorized vehicles were put into use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The horses are making a comeback though due to a partnership with the <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Government+Bodies/Bureau+of+Land+Management">Bureau of Land Management</a> that captures feral mustangs on federal lands and sends them to prisons to be broken.<br /><br />Inmates at Hutchinson Correctional Facility, in Kansas, broke and trained the mustangs acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Sector. Once at Border Patrol stables, the horses are made accustomed to loud noises, such as gunshots, and people.<br /><br />They patrol in pairs, casing the wooded bluffs along the Rio Grande, and muscling through thick brush that ATVs and pickup trucks can't penetrate. Since arriving in July, the horses here have assisted in arresting 355 suspects and seizing more than 1,900 pounds of marijuana.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-11-27/mounted-patrols-horses-Mexico-border/51425978/1" target="_blank">http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-11-27/mounted-patrols-horses-Mexico-border/51425978/1</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Border Patrol officers built this facility themselves, with land given them by Fish and Wildlife.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As part of the socialization, this four year old is having his first pedicure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All the horses are mustangs, except for three which were captured during a bust. Those three horses are supposedly retired race horses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />The agents go through four weeks of training, and Agent Garcia said it’s extensive. The Border Patrol aims to put the best riders in the field, because what they’re doing is dangerous, he said.<br /><br />“We are literally a mile from the river in one of the busiest zones in the nation,” Garcia said. “From here, the agents deploy immediately to where the threat is.”</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-76819863123236149992015-04-14T11:50:00.000-05:002015-04-14T11:50:04.917-05:00Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Phil and I attended a reenactment of the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mexican-</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">American War at Palo Alto Battlefield.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On May 8, 1846, United States and Mexican troops clashed on the prairie of Palo Alto near Brownsville, Texas.</span></span></div>
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To read more of this fascinating time in history click here.</div>
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<a href="http://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/paloalto.htm" target="_blank">http://www.nps.gov/paal/learn/historyculture/paloalto.htm</a></div>
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These gourds carried water, kept it cooler and fresher longer. The American soldiers started carrying them after finding them on dead Mexican soldiers.</div>
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There was only one American soldier represented at the reenactment </div>
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Firing of the long rifles</div>
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Interesting face</div>
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Readying the cannon</div>
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Firing of the cannon</div>
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We enjoyed the reenactment and we learned a lot about the start of the Mexican-American war.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-48704274847385563852015-03-27T06:28:00.000-05:002015-03-29T06:24:36.588-05:00Salineno TexasSalineno is a place that unless you are a bird watcher you've probably have never heard of it.<br />
It is located a little ways before Falcon Dam if you coming from the Mission Area.<br />
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People go to Salineno for the Audubon's Oriole and the Hooded Oriole. They are also hoping to see a wild Muscovy Dick or a Brown Jay. We took our friends Bill and Cece to Salineno because if your are taking people who have never birdred before it's a great place. Some lawn chairs are set up right in front of the feeders and you can just sit and watch all the beauties come in to your heart's content.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSIqOnEpJhLtYDBCNrq_duLj8DXyt-42POYQyJEwgPzxibdUt_PeQuXrjggKGnID84yUmyzsWGKIeMVwo7k5zTB63k6H1LP5_pXv2ETv6ooQPhUv_5_Ky94wnaKT4dOaxevF187Z4dfQ/s1600/Salineno++Black+Crested+Titmouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSIqOnEpJhLtYDBCNrq_duLj8DXyt-42POYQyJEwgPzxibdUt_PeQuXrjggKGnID84yUmyzsWGKIeMVwo7k5zTB63k6H1LP5_pXv2ETv6ooQPhUv_5_Ky94wnaKT4dOaxevF187Z4dfQ/s1600/Salineno++Black+Crested+Titmouse.jpg" height="387" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Crested Titmouse</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUMHywSOGXwxsEoeHw0x7Lgus2JZrvHmQnlPbgOTZjjfKeRJsmZAwH05moR1qUCm7hX5Ef1thvwx64I8Ru-dhV4fvP_XHjGbO0i1SJ0_KOTssFPqJ1WxTputT4xbXYt_PQY29jcXhuy4/s1600/Salineno+Audubon+Oriole2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUMHywSOGXwxsEoeHw0x7Lgus2JZrvHmQnlPbgOTZjjfKeRJsmZAwH05moR1qUCm7hX5Ef1thvwx64I8Ru-dhV4fvP_XHjGbO0i1SJ0_KOTssFPqJ1WxTputT4xbXYt_PQY29jcXhuy4/s1600/Salineno+Audubon+Oriole2.png" height="456" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audubon's Oriole</td></tr>
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<br /><br />Salineno has been a birding mecca since the seventies. It was given to the Valley Land Fund and is run by volunteers.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To get to Salineno from Mission, Texas, you go 83 west until about 5 miles give or take from Falcon Dam.<br /><br /> The road you want is Salineno road on the left. You drive down that road until you are at the river and you will see a sign for Valley Land Fund.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-38118130521761485902015-03-11T20:39:00.000-05:002015-03-11T20:39:03.154-05:00Rancho El CHarco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rancho El Charco is located in La Joya Texas. One of our neighbors organized a tour for us of thirty people. We toured the ranch on a mule drawn wagon and had a wonderful bbq lunch.</div>
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At the entrance there is a entertaining sculpture that catches your eye.</div>
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Love the horses and the Texas Longhorn!</div>
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We stopped at this waterfall with a swinging bridge. I didn't attempt to cross the bridge, but some of the others did.</div>
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We also saw these cute pygmy goats.</div>
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Love the painted tiles.</div>
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I fell in love with the American Bison.</div>
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This statue of a bison made out of rebar is amazing.</div>
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Delicious brisket, chicken and pork ribs.</div>
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View from the deck.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-16372403121004242612015-02-14T16:03:00.000-06:002015-02-14T16:03:49.614-06:00Birding with friendsLast Sunday I got to go birding with our friends and neighbors, John and Audrey and Carol and Jerry. We went to the Yturria Brush Tract.<br />
Yturria Brush is an 1,800 acre tract that is a natural habitat filled with birds, butterflies and other species of nature.<br />
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Going bird watching with John and Audrey is like having your own personal scientists with you.</div>
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The knowledge they have of flora and fauna is amazing,<br />
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Black Throated Sparrow</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2Jz_sEZ6KUGrvjShOpA1y_psXdv8emE5S9UgRx_K8JKlVBUAVMOGpnS7HHjVNdhyphenhyphenSw39KE8WA19C0GZwHxU2X8V_TDIbClo1kedutA-wl-Js0oO5G5VzlWnRbfVOSGHxnnR4tcIStxY/s1600/Desert+Checkered+Skipper+Yturria+Brush+Tract.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2Jz_sEZ6KUGrvjShOpA1y_psXdv8emE5S9UgRx_K8JKlVBUAVMOGpnS7HHjVNdhyphenhyphenSw39KE8WA19C0GZwHxU2X8V_TDIbClo1kedutA-wl-Js0oO5G5VzlWnRbfVOSGHxnnR4tcIStxY/s1600/Desert+Checkered+Skipper+Yturria+Brush+Tract.png" height="398" width="640" /></a></div>
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Desert Checkered Skipper</div>
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White Eyed Vireo</div>
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Clay Colored Sparrow</div>
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A Dung Beetle. I had always believed they were only in Africa.</div>
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An Evening Primrose</div>
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Gray Hairstreak</div>
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I feel so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors and friends to go birding with in the Valley.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-25115132374650674582015-01-30T13:58:00.003-06:002015-01-30T20:20:46.386-06:00Santa Ana Wildlife RefugeI met up with Mildred and Charles Langston to go birding at Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge on Sunday.<br />
Mildred and Charles are two lovely people that I met at Quinta Mazatlan and who I met with at the song bird banding at McAllen Nature center.<br />
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Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is internationally recognized as 'a birder's paradise.'<br />
It's 2,088 acres of subtropical thorn forest are home for numerous birds that are south Texas specialties.<br />
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Santa Ana was established in 1943 for the protection of migratory birds,<br />
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We got there a little late for the guided bird walk but we managed to catch up with the group eventually and join them. We got some great looks at some water birds and two beautiful hawks, a Red Shouldered and a Harris Hawk.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, TX 78516, USA26.0729715 -98.14994580000001226.0159175 -98.23062680000001 26.130025500000002 -98.069264800000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-48136750075942971542015-01-19T13:27:00.000-06:002015-01-19T19:33:04.761-06:00Songbird Banding at McAllen Nature Center<span style="font-size: large;">Sunday morning I went over to the McAllen Nature Center for Songbird banding. This was the first time I've seen songbirds banded and my first time at the McAllen Nature center.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The nature center has been closed for several years and has just reopened recently.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You can read the very interesting history of the Nature center <a href="http://valleylandfund.com/news/the-unique-history-of-the-mcallen-botanical-garden/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The bander and volunteers catch the birds in nets at the feeding stations and then place them in bags until they are ready to band them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bird banding is important because it helps keep a record of migration, behavior and life-span and survival rate, reproductive success and population growth.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The banders are very careful to not stress the birds too much and to not hurt them.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">After the banding, a volunteer holds the bird up so we can get a better look and take pictures. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Black and White warbler showing off his new band.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Getting to see these birds up close allows us to see details we otherwise wouldn't notice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like this Great Kiskadee which has rictal bristles around the base of their beaks that help funnel flying insects into their mouths.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Volunteer showing the rufous underwing of this White Tipped Dove.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Volunteer showing the orange on the Orange Crown warbler.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was great that the volunteers got the children involved by letting them release the birds.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope more people will come out and support the McAllen Nature center. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">They are open from Wednesday till Sunday 8 a.m until 12 p.m.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is a list of activities they are offering.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I hope to see you there!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0McAllen, TX, USA26.2034071 -98.23001239999996425.9755021 -98.552735899999959 26.4313121 -97.907288899999969tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-29802337233673436672014-12-20T19:05:00.003-06:002014-12-20T19:06:37.068-06:00Merry ChristmasLots of things have happened since we got back home.<br />
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Phil's mom came for a three week visit and we had a terrific time with her.</div>
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We didn't do a lot of sightseeing but we did go to Sabal Palms, the Rabb Plantation.</div>
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We got to decorate the house and yard for Christmas this year.</div>
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We hated to see Joan go back to the dreary PA weather.</div>
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On December 10th I had partial knee replacement. I had such a difficult time nearly three years ago when I had the left knee done, that I didn't see how I could ever put myself through that again.</div>
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But with the increasing pain and limited mobility it was coming down to nit having a choice</div>
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Luckily I met an xray tech that recommended a surgeon in Edinburgh</div>
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Dr Marquez has his own hospital and rehab center. Less than a week after surgery I was walking without my walker and kicking butt in physical therapy.</div>
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I'll be glad to finally get these stitches out though.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-28824362039780137562014-11-03T19:08:00.000-06:002014-11-03T19:08:59.045-06:00Space Center HoustonBefore leaving Houston for the Valley,Phil and I went on a tour of the Nasa Space Center in Houston.<br />
It was a very interesting place, with objects and films on the history of space exploration<br />
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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-66508124229309682702014-10-12T09:13:00.004-05:002014-10-12T09:13:39.297-05:00Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum and Spindletop<strong>I am so far behind on blogging. Phil’s job in Houston ended and we
speedily left for our home in Mission. </strong><br />
<strong>After living seven years fulltime in our fifth wheel, there was a lot
of “stuff” we needed to move out of the RV into our house. We have also been
busy hanging out with friends and attending village activities.</strong><br />
<strong>Before we left Houston, I got to go on one last history trip with the
folks from Cypress Top.</strong><br />
<strong>We went to the</strong> <b>Babe Didrikson Zaharias museum and then to
Spindletop, where the first oil gusher “came in”.</b><br />
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<b>Babe Didrikson Zaharias </b> <strong>gained world fame in </strong><strong>track and
field</strong><strong> and </strong><strong>All-American</strong><strong>
status in basketball. She played organized baseball and softball and was an
expert diver, roller-skater, and bowler. She won two gold medals and one silver
medal for track and field in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.</strong><br />
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<strong>She died at the age of 45 of colon cancer.</strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b> At the time of her death, she was still a top-ranked female golfer.</b></span><br />
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<strong>There were some lovely flower beds outside of the
museum.</strong><br />
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<strong>This is a reenactment of the <strong>Spindletop </strong>gusher that blew
oil over 150 feet in the air at a rate of 100,000 barrels per day before they
figured out how to top it off.</strong><br />
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<strong>Spindletop was the largest </strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_gusher"><strong>gusher</strong></a><strong>
the world had seen, and catapulted Beaumont into an oil-fueled </strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomtown_(geography)"><strong>boomtown</strong></a><strong>.
Beaumont's population of 10,000 tripled in three months and eventually rose to
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<strong>The Gladys City museum is a recreation of an oil boom
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<strong>All in all it was a very enjoyable trip. I’m just sad it was my last
one with this group.</strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-80009662477617137852014-09-06T22:53:00.000-05:002014-09-07T09:39:41.134-05:00My 52nd Birthday<br />
Every year my birthday gets better and better. I’m usually some where new with new friends and it is so much fun.<br />
<br />
This years festivities started out with a birthday luncheon for the volunteers at Kleb Woods for birthdays of July and August. The food was so good! I brought Red Velvet cupcakes but my favorite was this coleslaw dish that a lady brought.<br />
<br />
Slaw Salad Kleb Woods <br />
4 cups slaw mix <br />
1 cup dried cranberries <br />
1 cup chopped pecans <br />
¼ cup chopped red onion <br />
Mix together <br />
Dressing <br />
1/3 cup oil <br />
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar <br />
1/3 cup sugar <br />
1 tsp. celery seed <br />
Mix and pour over slaw <br />
Chill as least 3 hours <br />
Serves 6 <br />
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So simple, yet so delicious. <br />
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The next event was Phil taking me out to dinner to a wonderful little Italian place, called Capri Pasta. I had won a 50.00 gift certificate to Restaurant.com and this restaurant was on the list of places I could use the certificate. <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5i1SN9kr5iY/VAkmydkahiI/AAAAAAAAQjM/XKvlhuzRZk4/s1600-h/image%25255B64%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Vi4uPNTmWPc/VAkmzpydXpI/AAAAAAAAQjU/Mt74HnnJjNE/image_thumb%25255B28%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="400" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="291" /></a> <br />
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Our meal started out with this wonderful fried mozzarella appetizers. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ozZ3hoestK0/VAkm00F5XHI/AAAAAAAAQjc/I5f3ziXt-qg/s1600-h/image%25255B7%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qRR66ZqdxMc/VAkm12F5jEI/AAAAAAAAQjk/d8LeTfclX08/image_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="378" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> <br />
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This was followed by the Italian Wedding Soup, which frankly I think mine is better. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3HB09mUHffs/VAkm3Bb4_nI/AAAAAAAAQjs/yFZfwR-ddV4/s1600-h/image%25255B11%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-h12j2LaPgyY/VAkm4NsimjI/AAAAAAAAQj0/Q8K8gvFY6iE/image_thumb%25255B5%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="366" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> <br />
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Then the Lasagna which was very, very good. <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pS5z0vaBIwc/VAkm5hUh29I/AAAAAAAAQj8/670XALqihJ8/s1600-h/image%25255B6%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9lSOqYAg_U8/VAkm6r9-SSI/AAAAAAAAQkE/bbPexzcjuaQ/image_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="400" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="380" /></a> <br />
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Then there was desert, cake balls! <br />
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<img src="http://scene7.samsclub.com/is/image/samsclub/0007874200784_A?$img_size_380x380$" height="400" width="400" /> <br />
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One of the best birthday dinners ever! <br />
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On Sunday, Phil took me to Galveston to take a Duckie tour of Galveston. <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Hc9nuHcF1CY/VAkm88_sXCI/AAAAAAAAQkM/42xsOfHB6ao/s1600-h/image%25255B15%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KXaX5YSgLCQ/VAkm9ntpXdI/AAAAAAAAQkQ/RWKINqqVbzs/image_thumb%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="350" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.galvestonducks.com/">Galveston Duck Tours</a></b> is a land and water sightseeing adventure spanning 15 miles of Galveston Island. <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GMJT8lvVLFs/VAkm_vXXx2I/AAAAAAAAQkc/dU3B8oi3NiQ/s1600-h/image%25255B32%25255D.png"><img alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OjyIBlynz80/VAknAch3gdI/AAAAAAAAQkg/QMzMPXGr55c/image_thumb%25255B12%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="263" style="display: inline;" title="image" width="400" /></a> <br />
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Commissioned by the Galveston Commission for the Arts and installed in 2000, David W. Moore's bronze sculpture is a monument to the victims and survivors of the 1900 Storm, which killed in excess of 6,000 Galvestonians.<br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8wgaVvXudAw/VAknCPxkxzI/AAAAAAAAQks/9tYa0dcyc0I/s1600-h/image%25255B28%25255D.png"><img alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3Iq7opZS_xY/VAknCzkUiWI/AAAAAAAAQkw/QidjsisSU_Q/image_thumb%25255B10%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="400" style="display: inline;" title="image" width="378" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-U1bQ1hmJrEU/VAknEqQzXxI/AAAAAAAAQk8/6bDm7JS1jf0/s1600-h/image%25255B36%25255D.png"><img alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6F0M4rbFzrA/VAknFMSKJ-I/AAAAAAAAQlA/FOUMm3O5Y10/image_thumb%25255B14%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="175" style="display: inline;" title="image" width="400" /></a> <br />
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The duck goes down into the water, what our guide called the <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-size: x-small; line-height: 12.133334159851074px;">Offatts </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-size: x-small; line-height: 12.133334159851074px;">Bayou</span></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4FuthfXjZoM/VAknHCDCB1I/AAAAAAAAQlM/Zmz6gH0CXNM/s1600-h/image%25255B40%25255D.png"><img alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_6IDGfMrfJI/VAknIMHs5HI/AAAAAAAAQlQ/JK3yj9-PQao/image_thumb%25255B16%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="243" style="display: inline;" title="image" width="400" /></a> <br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0wtAiLaL_t4/VAknKAU_-AI/AAAAAAAAQlc/AAHaDgKBOno/s1600-h/image%25255B44%25255D.png"><img alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-O8KEVI2hrj8/VAknLFcvh5I/AAAAAAAAQlg/IaD2iy53Hsw/image_thumb%25255B18%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="223" style="display: inline;" title="image" width="400" /></a> <br />
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Moody Gardens<br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gsF71YSqsm8/VAknM8aS9bI/AAAAAAAAQls/2xPaILY1gpQ/s1600-h/image%25255B48%25255D.png"><img alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xF-oMBPxTRM/VAknNj2yUwI/AAAAAAAAQlw/SPne3edIyOQ/image_thumb%25255B20%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="185" style="display: inline;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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<h4>
<a href="http://smireles.hubpages.com/hub/Galvestons-Dead-Tree-Sculptures">Galveston's Stormy Past</a></h4>
40,000 trees were killed on Galveston Island during Hurricane Ike in 2008. The city found chain saw sculptors to work on the trees in the historic district with amazing results. <br />
A picture of one of the tree stumps that was cut down and an Oleander bush. Oleander is not native to Texas. It was brought here <br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nxspVANY8c8/VAknQf-hyWI/AAAAAAAAQl8/_mKadGvDY2g/s1600-h/image%25255B52%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4o-_L4tr6Ps/VAknRKE5XOI/AAAAAAAAQmA/L-AuHPOtN28/image_thumb%25255B22%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> <br />
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In 1841. Joseph Osterman, a prominent merchant, brought them aboard his sailing ship from Jamaica to his wife and to his sister-in-law, Mrs. Isadore Dyer. Mrs. Dyer found them easy to cultivate and gave them to her friends and neighbors. Soon these new plants were growing throughout the city. <br />
Galveston tree sculptors saw destruction and turned disaster into a thing of beauty. Hurricane Ike destroyed many of the ancient trees lining Galveston's streets. They are now beautiful works of art. <br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2hgFhGK006E/VAknTdUQAFI/AAAAAAAAQmM/CTPP-OMwmlk/s1600-h/image%25255B56%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KzFukyGqC78/VAknUvWnpgI/AAAAAAAAQmQ/q842OMl4HVE/image_thumb%25255B24%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="275" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a> <br />
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<a href="http://smireles.hubpages.com/hub/Galvestons-Dead-Tree-Sculptures">Tourist Attraction</a> <br />
The dead tree sculptures can be found all over Galveston island on every street and corner. The artists took the time to look at each tree and find the inner heart that turned the trees into mermaids, dolphins, squirrels, dogs and even angels. These sculptures are truly spectacular and will stand the test of time and the weather. They are worth a visit. <br />
There are several old cemeteries on Galveston. I wish it hadn’t been so hot, I would have loved to wander through them looking at the dates and epithets. <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nGoEruVRVMY/VAknW4__LII/AAAAAAAAQmc/5e4vtGu8BSI/s1600-h/image%25255B60%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ESU9P7AS6dM/VAknXjj0lpI/AAAAAAAAQmg/NP0xZbtaywM/image_thumb%25255B26%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-J8HB8wUaxUY/VAknZ_bPLzI/AAAAAAAAQms/szQw8twA_5A/s1600-h/image%25255B68%25255D.png"><img alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-wRiH5Rdrr0Q/VAkna8Tq7NI/AAAAAAAAQmw/qtLs-5ddwHs/image_thumb%25255B30%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="228" style="display: inline;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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This shows where the water level came to during Hurricane Ike at the Napa Parts Store.<br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PNWBqI4KLeE/VAkndFxfbsI/AAAAAAAAQm8/76Dci14njz4/s1600-h/image%25255B80%25255D.png"><img alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8EYfx_2rkCo/VAkneJxWoLI/AAAAAAAAQnA/nEFi3Nj6z28/image_thumb%25255B36%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="283" style="display: inline;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.moodymansion.org/">The Moody mansion</a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9XWRNgPHp7g/VAkngnR3K8I/AAAAAAAAQnM/hIEkgMHrbyo/s1600-h/image%25255B76%25255D.png"><img alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qdFP5tpDPG8/VAknhQEmw3I/AAAAAAAAQnQ/9pscF-azu9Y/image_thumb%25255B34%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="233" style="display: inline;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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W.L Moody Jr. bought the home from the heirs of the original owners soon after the great hurricane of 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Moody and their four children celebrated the first of more than eighty Christmas seasons in the house in December of that year. The house remained home for Moody family members until 1986.<br />
Galveston is a beautiful city with more history than I expected.<br />
After touring the city, we met Terry and Ginger for dinner at Outback. I laughed so much I almost got sick. It really was a terrific birthday.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-9323568528343234692014-08-25T20:51:00.001-05:002014-08-26T16:01:06.580-05:00Texas Prison Museum<br />
Phil knows what a true crime buff I am so he made the plans for us to go to the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville, Texas.<br />
The Texas Prison Museum, in existence since 1989, features numerous exhibits detailing the history of the Texas prison system, both from the point of view of the inmates as well as the men and women who worked within the prison walls.<br />
<a href="http://www.txprisonmuseum.org/about.html">http://www.txprisonmuseum.org/about.html</a><br />
The museum is filled with interesting memorabilia from the surrounding prisons, including death row.<br />
One of the more infamous inmates was Henry Lee Lucas who had claimed to have killed over a 100 women.<br />
<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YVjfQiRpug0/U_vnIKRyPOI/AAAAAAAAQcs/vxW05fdQud4/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-123.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 12" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cU9YqV9QVL8/U_vnKFuemrI/AAAAAAAAQcw/OW5jAa-Q-DQ/Texas-Prison-Museum-12_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="400" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 12" width="340" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lNENzfatg_s/U_vnL1yCG4I/AAAAAAAAQc8/IGrTEaHwN-k/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-56.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 5" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-VBajZ7Alai0/U_vnNSggFZI/AAAAAAAAQdE/1ixVzu7aW8I/Texas-Prison-Museum-5_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="400" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 5" width="224" /></a><br />
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One of the unusual things about Huntsville Prison was the prison rodeo.<br />
Marshall Lee Simmons, the general manager of the prison system, started the rodeo in 1931.<br />
The events included bareback basketball, bronco riding, bull riding, calf roping, and wild cow milking.<br />
One of the most talked about events was the Hard Money Event. Forty Inmates with red shirts were turned into the arena with a raging wild bull with a Bull Durham tobacco sack tied between its horns. The object was for some brave inmate to get the sack and take it to the Judge. Fifty dollars had been placed in the sack but donations often ran the pay up, sometimes to $1500. This became a very popular event for the inmates due to the amount of money involved and was one of the most dangerous ones as well.<br />
<a href="http://www.txprisonmuseum.org/articles/rodeo_history.html" title="http://www.txprisonmuseum.org/articles/rodeo_history.html">http://www.txprisonmuseum.org/articles/rodeo_history.html</a><br />
The last rodeo was held on October 26, 1986.<br />
This saw blade was painted by one of the inmates of some rodeo participants.<br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qGQVI7NO9XI/U_vnQAVBsaI/AAAAAAAAQdM/oFWMOGxTwys/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-113.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 11" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ynvxcX_QeF0/U_vnRmx16oI/AAAAAAAAQdU/Zf9gfluj7Ns/Texas-Prison-Museum-11_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="310" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 11" width="400" /></a><br />
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Some paraphilia from the rodeo years.<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NZPNEU7t8CM/U_vnVR4ATFI/AAAAAAAAQdc/BE6rC3QTzpE/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-63.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 6" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4apVHl09cuA/U_vnYTlc6GI/AAAAAAAAQdk/5F2MwlYQQBg/Texas-Prison-Museum-6_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="display: inline;" title="Texas Prison Museum 6" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-U4o_rGobyU8/U_vnci3k_4I/AAAAAAAAQds/gHcCDKoZoq0/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-77.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 7" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HOzbAZJFqwQ/U_vndyXXh0I/AAAAAAAAQd0/wuORbijYFas/Texas-Prison-Museum-7_thumb2.png?imgmax=800" height="273" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 7" width="400" /></a><br />
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A lot of the inmates were very talented and passed their time making beautiful things.<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-VqFfyGHfU7w/U_vngcB0KzI/AAAAAAAAQd8/9iwlVUnZkAY/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-103.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 10" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DsAFEDjrt30/U_vnhieyT3I/AAAAAAAAQeE/2J7fArf3TxY/Texas-Prison-Museum-10_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="223" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 10" width="400" /></a><br />
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Texas is a death penalty state.<br />
Below is several items from various death executions protests.<br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lXMsAtUFJ88/U_vnk7Oh3JI/AAAAAAAAQeM/nPVZiL3uB7o/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-83.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 8" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mDf8HqzpCPM/U_vnmWMyAzI/AAAAAAAAQeQ/O5FtjK6PxPY/Texas-Prison-Museum-8_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="295" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 8" width="400" /></a><br />
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Death row was located in the East Building of the Huntsville Unit from 1928 to 1952. From 1952 until 1965, the electric chair was located in a building by the East Wall of the Huntsville Unit.<br />
Ole Sparky<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YSwHd2XZkS0/U_vnoIABVUI/AAAAAAAAQec/heMwJsUXrqk/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-93.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 9" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PM_Pt1FX9J8/U_vnpd1_t7I/AAAAAAAAQek/FT62VbKD_q4/Texas-Prison-Museum-9_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="400" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 9" width="241" /></a><br />
This man was put to death in 2002 for the murder of two little girls in 1992.<br />
<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vg5KKsyG5So/U_vnrF_9vYI/AAAAAAAAQes/Y6XMwlaxxF4/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-32.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 3" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Ozk3_iMci74/U_vnsZqy51I/AAAAAAAAQew/IibDy919i14/Texas-Prison-Museum-3_thumb.png?imgmax=800" height="400" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 3" width="263" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xNWWrrH8SDw/U_vnu6ZC8uI/AAAAAAAAQe4/dIx7XH9_EIg/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-43.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 4" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FB_GHQ1oPVM/U_vnwhBF14I/AAAAAAAAQfE/9W2OkgXT6ck/Texas-Prison-Museum-4_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="221" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 4" width="400" /></a><br />
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A metal shield that the guards used during riots<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XPCIRLhqiwc/U_vnz7HptlI/AAAAAAAAQfM/8-fuEmHpxAI/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-23.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 2" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0bsi4eNubYk/U_vn1ZjKppI/AAAAAAAAQfU/PlurzeSHeEk/Texas-Prison-Museum-2_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="240" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 2" width="160" /></a><br />
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Inmates can be very creative. These are shivs and other objects that inmates would make inside prison.<br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Gn2kO4TWPZo/U_vn5pmhlaI/AAAAAAAAQfc/jzLApCyqwc8/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-133.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 13" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wFJEYHg39lM/U_vn7qKkA3I/AAAAAAAAQfk/U_cv2A6rQLs/Texas-Prison-Museum-13_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="220" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 13" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RbMi96xUrpM/U_vn_VPrZ3I/AAAAAAAAQfs/T1hfCttz_Zs/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-153.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 15" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-POKtnh7LuP0/U_voBBfnMqI/AAAAAAAAQf0/Ih6hYHIMS9Y/Texas-Prison-Museum-15_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="240" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 15" width="176" /></a><br />
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I really wanted to get this shirt for Alicia!<br />
<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7sRjKpv-wM0/U_voEm6MeQI/AAAAAAAAQf8/x2VZ3C2hgVE/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum-143.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum 14" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-224fVERB4y0/U_voF93X_mI/AAAAAAAAQgA/UHH1Fl063Hk/Texas-Prison-Museum-14_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="263" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum 14" width="400" /></a><br />
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A rocking horse made by an inmate.<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-sAlYen1G10k/U_voI4mxibI/AAAAAAAAQgM/WnG_UyAKwhY/s1600-h/Texas-Prison-Museum11.png"><img alt="Texas Prison Museum" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cRDex17YGgc/U_voLcnh2II/AAAAAAAAQgU/e_clcYF6LP8/Texas-Prison-Museum_thumb3.png?imgmax=800" height="276" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Texas Prison Museum" width="400" /></a><br />
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We enjoyed our tour of the Texas Prison Museum and have already recommended it to several of our friends as a must see place to go while in this part of Texas.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-17468737863005509072014-08-09T21:48:00.005-05:002014-08-09T21:48:42.688-05:00Reptile Open House at Jesse Jones Park<br />
Jesse Jones State Park had a Reptile open house on Saturday and I decided that even though my knee was hurting so bad I could just barely hobble around, that it would be better to get out of the house for awhile instead of just sitting there focusing on the pain.<br />
The Reptile Open House features the largest pythons to the smallest frogs,with displays of live reptiles and amphibians from around the world.<br />
I was glad I went.<br />
The ranger was very informative about the snakes there at the center.<br />
Texas is home to the following venomous snakes: the Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Rattlesnake, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake, Mojave Rattlesnake, Blacktail Rattlesnake, Western Rattlesnake, Massasauga, Pygmy Rattlesnake, and Harlequin Coral Snake. <br />
Texas is also home to hundreds of other snakes, some of which mimic their venomous cousins. The Texas bull snake does a very realistic job of imitating a rattler -- even down to the rattling sound! A milksnake and a coral snake look alarmingly alike -- same colors but in different orders. Learn to tell the difference. <br />
<a href="http://www.texaspoison.com/snakes.asp">http://www.texaspoison.com/snakes.asp</a> <br />
This is Lucky. She was found with her head almost chopped off. A ranger sewed her up and she is now a permanent resident at the park.<br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-f1cNNiCsYDA/U-a2r8ZK55I/AAAAAAAAQVQ/_wQhiOxkFzg/s1600-h/Lucky-Jesse-Jones-Park3.png"><img alt="Lucky Jesse Jones Park" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nrU7HYldHJ0/U-a2tUws0XI/AAAAAAAAQVY/ecS78OiLE6g/Lucky-Jesse-Jones-Park_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="123" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Lucky Jesse Jones Park" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yRjMKSu_O9k/U-a2yF9F4zI/AAAAAAAAQVg/8szH4XVND7c/s1600-h/Lucky-Jesse-Jones-Park23.png"><img alt="Lucky Jesse Jones Park2" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-icVDvIDIfBU/U-a2zUEYS_I/AAAAAAAAQVk/NXcgue85a0w/Lucky-Jesse-Jones-Park2_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="246" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Lucky Jesse Jones Park2" width="400" /></a><br />
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A few people were brave enough to hold Lucky.<br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TFz4fr_HEPs/U-a22VqFhxI/AAAAAAAAQVw/sNHlzg0oCQM/s1600-h/Lucky-Jesse-Jones-Park-43.png"><img alt="Lucky Jesse Jones Park 4" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OF9FNLaq_KI/U-a23wv-74I/AAAAAAAAQV4/9qDQBLPlnBE/Lucky-Jesse-Jones-Park-4_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="400" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Lucky Jesse Jones Park 4" width="326" /></a><br />
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Lucky weighs 40 pounds and is 10 feet long, quite the handful for this little girl.<br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KtriEd4nQbc/U-a2-aaKx-I/AAAAAAAAQWA/TA603dApkSQ/s1600-h/image3.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wTIp2RIHjxY/U-a2_-F4TgI/AAAAAAAAQWI/pO949RVIBYo/image_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
A corn snake, beautiful colors.<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BrOs-EXaBO4/U-a3CO9pQlI/AAAAAAAAQWQ/Nvnror3hXi8/s1600-h/Corn-Snake-Jesse-Jones-Park-53.png"><img alt="Corn Snake Jesse Jones Park 5" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-udcWT6LqcZE/U-a3DMrBmkI/AAAAAAAAQWY/iPH_HztyEps/Corn-Snake-Jesse-Jones-Park-5_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="238" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Corn Snake Jesse Jones Park 5" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mIULlWFalIg/U-a3GMfaElI/AAAAAAAAQWg/17KL4y34oi4/s1600-h/Corn-Snake-Jesse-Jones-Park-43.png"><img alt="Corn Snake Jesse Jones Park 4" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ygYk64Uhkxo/U-a3HST2m3I/AAAAAAAAQWk/wNiB92QZBJ4/Corn-Snake-Jesse-Jones-Park-4_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Corn Snake Jesse Jones Park 4" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YMrYAg_-FZ8/U-a3KwjmDCI/AAAAAAAAQWw/xCEISYJeL6Y/s1600-h/Corn-Snake-Jesse-Jones-Park-33.png"></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BaaIk_bWFNo/U-a3PR_Qi9I/AAAAAAAAQXA/FTwGo0VxqSY/s1600-h/Corn-Snake-Jesse-Jones-Park-23.png"><img alt="Corn Snake Jesse Jones Park 2" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZnPVKvUsIWk/U-a3RJ66KWI/AAAAAAAAQXI/1extUFn5Bl0/Corn-Snake-Jesse-Jones-Park-2_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="315" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Corn Snake Jesse Jones Park 2" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GZkTIeFrhMs/U-a3T-I_7jI/AAAAAAAAQXQ/sQArN1eS4r4/s1600-h/Corn-Snake-Jesse-Jones-Park3.png"><img alt="Corn Snake Jesse Jones Park" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rl8OeF6gmGk/U-a3UwaWRBI/AAAAAAAAQXY/cRmVDCHhPRU/Corn-Snake-Jesse-Jones-Park_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="158" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Corn Snake Jesse Jones Park" width="400" /></a><br />
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A rattler<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_luFUObt47s/U-a3YrSX0XI/AAAAAAAAQXg/u7IXKIZdx9c/s1600-h/image15.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-K5tdpDyEAuk/U-a3aJs2svI/AAAAAAAAQXo/6Jdd8HEPri8/image_thumb7.png?imgmax=800" height="251" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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This little guy was outside and posed for me nicely.<br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7EmGUmoHtaI/U-a3cXaiMCI/AAAAAAAAQXw/oUfNL23zDVw/s1600-h/image7.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6L12LnaeQPc/U-a3dWYOjDI/AAAAAAAAQX4/6Iq9Ic8ZtgI/image_thumb3.png?imgmax=800" height="206" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nAI4yO4YAwI/U-a3fiNbxqI/AAAAAAAAQYA/eSfRIuLfCUA/s1600-h/image11.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-bY-35eiYjm4/U-a3gjKm5AI/AAAAAAAAQYI/aWlsTZ3XPbA/image_thumb5.png?imgmax=800" height="253" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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A little flora and fauna.<br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TIBoyjPqENk/U-a3kGz_gdI/AAAAAAAAQYQ/LinqgIsWPJo/s1600-h/image16%25255B1%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mfIZH_8timc/U-a3lnQIaRI/AAAAAAAAQYY/z-ZqcEcCVzk/image16_thumb.png?imgmax=800" height="250" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-afIPYPSgwt0/U-a3mm8lmMI/AAAAAAAAQYg/Fhzpt7gh4eg/s1600-h/Jesse%252520Jones%252520Park_FotoSketcher%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Jesse Jones Park_FotoSketcher" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sPgyyjUWAek/U-a3ni_-JTI/AAAAAAAAQYo/P5StwaOkNsc/Jesse%252520Jones%252520Park_FotoSketcher_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Jesse Jones Park_FotoSketcher" width="400" /></a><br /><br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6EJ0wXMidoo/U-a3qa5XFyI/AAAAAAAAQYw/P_KKuySrymg/s1600-h/Jesse%252520Jones%252520Park%2525203%25255B3%25255D.png"><img alt="Jesse Jones Park 3" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yQuVwOwC_2M/U-a3rlqrI3I/AAAAAAAAQY4/yRX1K_bMIRk/Jesse%252520Jones%252520Park%2525203_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Jesse Jones Park 3" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tUyWvbsC3sc/U-a3uoLKXvI/AAAAAAAAQZA/3fwPh7_UTlI/s1600-h/Jesse%252520Jones%252520Park%2525202%25255B3%25255D.png"><img alt="Jesse Jones Park 2" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-e9vbHTWkqr8/U-a3wPZ7XZI/AAAAAAAAQZI/NwnGOGoGd2c/Jesse%252520Jones%252520Park%2525202_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Jesse Jones Park 2" width="400" /></a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-73382929836208744552014-08-02T12:26:00.000-05:002014-08-04T11:20:51.941-05:00Rollover Pass<br />
Isn’t that an interesting name? Rollover Pass (also known as Rollover Fish Pass) earned its name from the practice of smugglers who, from the days of Spanish rule through <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition">prohibition</a>, avoided the Galveston customs station by rolling barrels of import or export merchandise (i.e., whiskey and rum) over the narrowest part of the peninsula.<br />
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Rollover Pass is a strait 200 feet wide, five feet deep, and more than 1,600 feet long across Bolivar Peninsula.<br />
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The Kleb Woods birding group went there to look at some shore birds.<br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GAutO5m2eTo/U9mTd4zAP8I/AAAAAAAAQP4/tIGY0WTde1o/s1600-h/Blue-Heron-Rollover-Pass-23.png"><img alt="Blue Heron Rollover Pass 2" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dW96ULPboDw/U9mTfW_PFHI/AAAAAAAAQP8/5DOLMR7njiU/Blue-Heron-Rollover-Pass-2_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="250" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Blue Heron Rollover Pass 2" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7JPClSGJf3s/U9mTjL9e2MI/AAAAAAAAQQI/pdfR3xXoeLU/s1600-h/Kleb-Woods-Beach-Trip-Ruddy-Turnston.png"><img alt="Kleb Woods Beach Trip Ruddy Turnstone" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FBn8k0rHhpM/U9mTkPktYkI/AAAAAAAAQQQ/viLEG03jNuI/Kleb-Woods-Beach-Trip-Ruddy-Turnston%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Kleb Woods Beach Trip Ruddy Turnstone" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jClv8mkA66I/U9mTnY1mc-I/AAAAAAAAQQY/qi3BDJv2dw0/s1600-h/image7.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kFtoFlUGx_g/U9mTovW_SyI/AAAAAAAAQQc/Jxsji3buvNM/image_thumb3.png?imgmax=800" height="246" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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Willet doing a perfect runway pose.<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-aTUuSoy-B3w/U9mTsFfZJAI/AAAAAAAAQQo/tJEeqlyB0gY/s1600-h/image11.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gXHUz14wAaM/U9mTtQsh_vI/AAAAAAAAQQs/rtIz0FAxmeo/image_thumb5.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NLSA0Qoyd2s/U9mTwHNEcNI/AAAAAAAAQQ4/lZYHD646g_E/s1600-h/image15.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-w0TqMialxG4/U9mTxfeWNGI/AAAAAAAAQQ8/jNU834NdkuY/image_thumb7.png?imgmax=800" height="216" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></a><br />
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I’m rereading the game of Thrones series. Il ove the show and up until book four the series has followed the books pretty faithfully.<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BktDfPo04E0/U9mTzFteimI/AAAAAAAAQRI/sqk4pWvZkVU/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NsEM-vwXFv8/U9mT0L6tTaI/AAAAAAAAQRQ/C04I2GsS-cY/image_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" height="240" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="146" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7651542641878019658.post-90082997599958945122014-07-20T18:46:00.001-05:002014-07-20T18:46:32.116-05:00COCKRELL BUTTERFLY CENTERPhil took me to the Houston Natural Science museum and to the Cockerell Butterfly Center, which I loved!<br />
You walk in an enclosed solarium which is filled with tropical plants and over 60 species of the world’s largest and most colorful butterflies.<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DBkzchuqBAY/U8vvawzdfXI/AAAAAAAAQJ8/tS5-7vu_W9k/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-173.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center 17" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8kLIKqQUoUM/U8vvb56WnSI/AAAAAAAAQKA/WqAxgE3FBLk/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-17_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center 17" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5RUWXG9FZIw/U8xMwTBFspI/AAAAAAAAQKU/2Mq-a9erjSo/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-14-copy3.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center 14 copy" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dBSvg-Z7EuI/U8xMxdFEqkI/AAAAAAAAQKY/o-Tu2cXRGrw/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-14-copy_th.png?imgmax=800" height="290" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center 14 copy" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5JwVbWIwIDs/U8xM0WyYppI/AAAAAAAAQKk/OimLSMdZnqc/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-11-copy3.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center 11 copy" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JRJwOyX71ms/U8xM1rWollI/AAAAAAAAQKs/V9wbo5tiQB8/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-11-copy_th.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center 11 copy" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1ah89KYjpzU/U8xM57xqSTI/AAAAAAAAQK0/LoDhncOQDgg/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-83.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center 8" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-32_q3gOIWng/U8xM72iPiYI/AAAAAAAAQK8/845dgvIibzk/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-8_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center 8" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-WYA8c8BefvA/U8xM_jD9LBI/AAAAAAAAQLE/cgmXuBVJP6c/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center23.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center2" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rdqeogdlDY0/U8xNAwCCecI/AAAAAAAAQLI/WwOGimcYEAU/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center2_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center2" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-k2GpRxcY5CA/U8xNEb3D1iI/AAAAAAAAQLU/Ud_hBlG8a6E/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center3.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-wX0fMB09VSM/U8xNFYw1L0I/AAAAAAAAQLY/1wpR41DPJ5A/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1YL2Nd3mxlc/U8xNJPQ0kOI/AAAAAAAAQLk/vzTw8mgcbp4/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-333.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center 33" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MyWU8XVVZRs/U8xNKZ_1LnI/AAAAAAAAQLs/g2sJWAbnhuI/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-33_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="268" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center 33" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6Mbst14vC3E/U8xNOYYZHpI/AAAAAAAAQL0/FF5KOMqfC-8/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-323.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center 32" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5z2_Cmo31W4/U8xNPuiDHMI/AAAAAAAAQL4/i2DkaqMi0z4/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-32_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="286" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center 32" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XvLTLwhqptY/U8xNS2qZKXI/AAAAAAAAQME/lXy6ZUFZlfs/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-303.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center 30" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BybbfKboEwM/U8xNURWpK0I/AAAAAAAAQMI/wfm6F5s8uCc/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-30_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="275" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center 30" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QxX5Y07DH-U/U8xNZE3kcoI/AAAAAAAAQMU/eQ3EtyVqvWs/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-293.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center 29" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8Bnbdyn9PtU/U8xNaXQzxkI/AAAAAAAAQMc/0W9GjB5WO5A/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-29_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="266" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center 29" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DIwFBkGv2JI/U8xNeUtaYjI/AAAAAAAAQMk/T8wlNHc2puo/s1600-h/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-233.png"><img alt="Cockrell Butterfly Center 23" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QmGWuhlT2jk/U8xNfcQjgmI/AAAAAAAAQMs/SVpAtKwNU0E/Cockrell-Butterfly-Center-23_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="280" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cockrell Butterfly Center 23" width="400" /></a><br />
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I read some great books lately. Sue and I read books together and talk about them, our own little two person book club.<br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vdw2lo6yKvQ/U8xNhiZFo_I/AAAAAAAAQM0/ZsM4DZEl82o/s1600-h/image1.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Ye4aC1zRs0A/U8xNiZ7OnhI/AAAAAAAAQM8/fCFUqt8sdqE/image_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" height="240" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="158" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-O8MYX44AGpo/U8xNk5wKLGI/AAAAAAAAQNE/JB6VhTVv33o/s1600-h/image31.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-a2i6H6ygr6Q/U8xNn87crMI/AAAAAAAAQNM/kf6fcILuSaI/image3_thumb.png?imgmax=800" height="240" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="162" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Zm_B-6dqONI/U8xNpaCTUhI/AAAAAAAAQNU/O-fZhSwHyJE/s1600-h/image61.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-f41c5eEBVT4/U8xNqT5JC9I/AAAAAAAAQNc/K-_bmNDeZoA/image6_thumb.png?imgmax=800" height="240" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="157" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jNBBjK-U2-g/U8xNs6rgRnI/AAAAAAAAQNk/dKvUHpB9BGc/s1600-h/image91.png"><img alt="image" border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-edVPiitZDgQ/U8xNt82h4VI/AAAAAAAAQNs/LOT9hRlrSWc/image9_thumb.png?imgmax=800" height="240" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="166" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380069942672564159noreply@blogger.com0