Red Tailed Hawk

Good morning. This morning the craft group meets. Each Tuesday morning the gals get together to do a craft of their choosing and chat with others. Some women come just to chat. That’s ok too. They may be gleaning ideas for themselves to make.

Yesterday we went to the park Nature Center to hear the presentation on Radical Raptors. This presentation was on the Red Tailed Hawk. The hawks’ name is Hawkeye and he is in captivity because he contracted the West Nile virus and no longer has the vision needed to survive in the wild.

We love going to these presentations. We have been to a few other presentations along our journey and each time we learn something new. This time we learned that hawks mate for life. If a mate dies the surviving mate finds a new partner fairly quickly. The babies stay with their parents only 6 weeks then they are off on their own. The babies will be pushed, jump or fall from their nest before they can fly and spent some time on the ground before learning to fly. They are still fed by their parents during this time.

The park also has 3 different owls. We will go back to hear the presentations about them another week.

Busy day. Loving our lifestyle.

Until next time,

Kathryn

National Museum of the USAF – Trip 2

Good morning. Today is the May the 4th. If you are a Star Wars fan it is “May the force” (be with you). TBS is having a Star Wars marathon that started at 2:30 this morning. Clyde is hoping to watch as many of the old movies as he can. That’s ok with me, I can spend my time beading. It is going to rain on and off all day anyway and Melissa has to work.

Day 165. We went back to the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio as we didn’t get to see everything last Sunday when we were there. Today we started our tour in the Vietnam War exhibit. As this war happened during Clyde and my teen years, it was very meaningful to us.

The “Big Belly” Bomber

 

 

We then went back to tour the Korean War exhibit. The first thing both Clyde and I thought about was the old TV show Mash with Alan Alda.

Embroidered Flower Map of Korea

Just  before we were ready to call it a day we saw an exhibit in the hallway that caught our eye. Our grandson Tristan had been to the museum with his scout troop many years ago and he had remembered this exhibit. As a dog lover this exhibit was special to him and he knew we would enjoy seeing it also.

Just visiting those two exhibits took us well into the afternoon. What Melissa and I don’t do for our history buff. We only wish Tristan had been able to be with us, as he loves history just as much as his Grandpa, and it would have been nice to see the two of them share this time together. I think for us to completely see all of the exhibits we will need to go back two more times. It is a good thing Melissa lives so close to the museum. I think we will save the rest of the exhibits for the next time we come to visit her.

Loving our lifestyle. Have a good day.

Until next time,

Kathryn

Cincinnati Zoo

Good morning. Nice weather has finally arrived. Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Is that like when you say “the sun is out” and the next thing you know, it’s gone. Anyway, our high is in the low 80’s with low humidity. In my world that is a very nice day.

Day 163. What a perfect day. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day to go to the zoo. During the month of May the Cincinnati Zoo is celebrating zoo babies and they have many. Every exhibit with a zoo baby has a 6′ stork sign to let you know a baby can be found there.

We decided to go to the zoo on a week-day thinking it would be less crowded. Wrong. On this day the zoo was packed with kids of all ages on school field trips. What a beautiful day they had for their outing.

I took over 300 pictures. Animals are such good subjects to photograph. Unfortunately, or fortunately for you, I will only be able to share a few of my favorites.

Elle the western lowland gorilla – born 8/25/2015 – A critically endangered species.

Daphne – A 1-year-old orphaned Manatee rescued from Florida along with her 3 brothers.   Mother was struck by a boat and did not survive.

Kendi – A Black Rhino born 7/17/2017

When I took the picture of the owl, he turned around as if to say “hey, don’t do that! The flash hurts my eyes”.

 

Those are my favorites. I hope you enjoyed them.

We had lunch at the Base Camp Café. I thought the food would be your typical high-priced fast food that wasn’t very good. How wrong I was. The food was delicious and it was reasonably priced. I highly recommend it.

We had a very enjoyable day. I got my 10,000 steps in and was exhausted by the end of our stay, but I would do it again. We did miss a few of the exhibits because either the animals were not out or because Clyde and I were getting very tired and needed to rest. Unlike the Detroit Zoo, which is flat, there were many hills to walk up and down. We definitely got a good workout.

If you are thinking about going to the Cincinnati Zoo you can save money on your tickets a few different ways. We bought our tickets through AAA, which Melissa is a member of, and got a nice discount. You can also buy your tickets on-line to save a couple of dollars. Parking is free for zoo members. Non members pay $10.00.

Enjoying our lifestyle. Have a great day.

Until next time,

Kathryn

 

Museums

Good morning. I’ve got my cup of coffee and I’m looking outside. The sun is coming up and it looks like it’s going to be a nice clear day. The only pit-fall I see is the snow they are predicting for later this afternoon. I sure hope the forecasters are wrong.

Day 140. With all of the cold weather we have been having and the prediction of snow forecasted, we decided we had better dump our tanks (grey and black) and fill up Winnie with propane. We still have no idea how we are going through so much propane, as we are using the electricity for heat and our “foodie” family has taken us out to eat more than I have been cooking. That’s one more item to put on our list to be checked out when we take Winnie in for maintenance at the end of May.

We were done taking care of business here, at the motorhome, and ready for a fun day with family just before lunch. Of course, our group had another restaurant for us to try. The Peoria area sure has a number of good restaurants. Today we went to the Blue Duck in downtown Peoria. It is right on the river and across the street from the museums we were going to after we were done eating. Three of us ordered the Brisket which was very good. I believe the other two ordered the tacos, which they had enjoyed before and wanted again.

When we were done eating, we walked across the street where we met Tina’s sister Jo and her son Edward to tour the museums with us. The two museums are right next door to each other. The first one we went in was the Caterpillar museum. As you walk into the building the first thing you see is the huge piece of machinery. The tires on it are enormous.

Scott & Tina

797F Mining Truck

We were led inside of the truck where we sat down in a theater to watch a short movie about Caterpillar. As I said, this truck is huge.  The presentation was very informative. One interesting tidbit of information we learned about this truck is that 75% of the drivers are women, so watch out guys.

We enjoyed looking at and learning about some of the very old pieces of equipment.

Clyde

Scott

When we finish perusing the Caterpillar museum it was time to see what the other museum had to offer. The Peoria Riverfront Museum has different main exhibits displayed throughout the year. This time the special exhibit was celebrating 200 Years in the Land of Lincoln.

The museum also has other permanent exhibits which is where we went first. The first area was an interactive, very kid friendly, exhibit which we adults enjoyed too. Another area was about the formation of the land, rivers and lakes throughout Illinois and about the wildlife native to the region. Again, I really enjoyed and learned some things I had not known before.

The Lincoln exhibit was interesting also. One piece they had on display that caught my eye was a framed quilt map of Illinois from 1888. It is pieced together in silk, wool and velvet. As a quilter and crafter I can appreciate the time it took to create this piece.

 

Callistie Anna Anderson Alsop – 1888

We had a very enjoyable day with family. There is so much to see and do in the Peoria area.

Enjoying our lifestyle. Have a great day.

Until next time,

Kathryn

 

 

 

Corpus Christi

Good morning.  Last night was the first night in a very long time that we opened a window for sleeping.  I love the fresh air.  We shouldn’t even need a coat or sweater today with a high around 80.

Day 74.  We got on the road yesterday about 8:30 am.  There were a number of different routes we could have taken to get to our destination, South Padre Island.  I decided to take the western route, which was mostly expressway, going through the major cities.  I chose to go this way because I figured on our way back north we would be taking the eastern route and I want us to see as much of this beautiful country as possible.

This route was not fun and exciting.  We went through construction areas with the concrete barricades, which are extremely stressful, all along I-35.  Taking this route we went through Austin and San Antonio and all of the towns in-between.  It was heavy traffic all most the entire day.

We didn’t find a rest area/picnic area until a little after 1 pm.  My poor husband was starving and the break was greatly needed to relieve some of the stress from the traffic and construction.

Once back on the road the drive was much better; no construction and a lot less traffic.  We stopped again to fill up our propane tank which should last us the entire month of February.  It was $3.09 a gallon! That’s the most we’ve had to pay per gallon yet.  Gas prices are back up too.  Ugh.

We could tell we had finally made it south.  The temperature was warm enough to open our windows.  We also saw our first cactus and our first oil rig.

Cactus

Oil Rigs

After 312 miles, we made it to our destination for the night at 4:15 pm.  That is later than we like to stop when setting up someplace, but when we stay in a parking lot it is just right. We are staying in the Corpus Christi Walmart parking lot off I-37 & US 77, exit 14. We were happy to get a spot that was along the grassy edge of the parking lot.  It makes it so much nicer to be able to have the bedroom slideout out.  We were later joined by 3 other campers.  A trucker had arrived before us.  We like it when we are joined by other overnighters.  I guess there is safety in numbers.

As I mentioned previously, we like to shop at the places where we stay overnight for free and we had a few items on our list to get.  Patty Pepper is not happy to be left behind and lets us know.  Just look at that sad face below.  We also are far enough south that our palm trees are back.

Palm Tree

Our Walmart Parking Spot

Patty Pepper

Our drive today should only be about 3 – 3 1/2 hours.  Then fun in the sun and on the beach.  I’ve got to find myself a good book to read.  Loving this lifestyle.

Until next time,

Kathryn

Our Last Day Here

Good morning.  This is travel day.  As you know we are heading down to South Padre Island for the month of February. We will be staying in Isla Blanca Park, which is one of the Cameron County Parks, right on the island.  The park is about 480 miles from here. That is too far for us to travel in one day.  We will stop about 1/2 way and spend the night in either a Walmart or Pilot/Flying J parking lot.  I have a couple places picked out, it just depends on how the day goes and how far we are when we want to stop.

You might wonder why we stay in a parking lot instead of a campground while on the road.  It just works out better for us.  For one, it’s free.  We like free.  Especially when you aren’t staying at a place long enough to enjoy the amenities and sights.  Another reason is we won’t have to unhook the toad from the motorhome.  Very few campgrounds have pull through sites.  And lastly, we won’t be disturbing anyone when we leave early in the morning.

When staying in a businesses parking lot for free we always express our gratitude by shopping there.  In Walmart we are always in need of supplies and in a Pilot/Flying J we fill up our gas and propane tanks.

Day 73.  We had a lot to do yesterday to prepare to leave here today.  On our way out of the park to get our laundry done and do some grocery shopping we were surprised to spot a couple different pairs of deer.  Usually we only see deer at dusk and dawn.  This was mid morning.

On our way back into the park the Red-Tailed Hawks were plentiful.

After lunch, when I was done cleaning the inside of the motorhome and Clyde had finished dumping both the black and grey tanks and filling the potable water tank, we decided to take our last walk around the park.  I took along my camera, although I was sure I had taken all the photos I would want from this area.  Surprise! I’m glad I took my camera.  As we were walking by turtle cove I couldn’t believe how many painted turtles were crammed on one log.

8 Painted Turtles

We really enjoyed our stay here in Airport Park.  Loving the lifestyle.

Until next time,

Kathryn

Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’

Good morning.  It looks like we are going to have another bright sunny day.  It won’t be as warm as yesterday.  I’m not sure we will even reach 60 today, but at least the sun will be out and hopefully the wind will stay at bay.

Day 71.  Remember the lyrics of the song in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma, “Oh, what a beautiful mornin’, Oh, what a beautiful day, I’ve got a beautiful feelin’, Everything’s goin’ my way”.  Well, that was yesterday for sure.  What a gorgeous day we had. The sun was out, the wind was light and the temperature was around 70.  What more could we ask for.

The beautiful weather brought everyone and their brother out and about too, which made walking with our unfriendly pug, Patty Pepper, difficult.  She is a barker.  Funny thing is we got her because we thought this breed of dogs were not barkers.  She never socialized with other dogs, except those in our family, when she was younger (our fault).  So now when we have her out all she wants to do is bark at other dogs and everything else around her.  She is getting worse with old age.  We have tried just about everything; bark collars, squirt guns, a stern voice, etc. Nothing seems to work.  I’m thinking she needs blinders like you put on a horse. Maybe if she couldn’t see anything she wouldn’t bark. How they would stay attached to her tiny head would be interesting though.  Just a thought.  We really would like to be able to stop and talk to the other campers, but she is making that impossible.

Our walk in the morning was uneventful.  With so many people out walking around the wildlife stayed away.  We did see a couple of turtles on the log, but that’s about it.

Nice weather and weekends make the perfect time for families to go camping with their children. We enjoyed watching the children play.  We have some great climbing trees here in this park which the kids took full advantage of.

And, as it was Sunday, those same families had to return home for school and work.  The park emptied out quickly by lunch.  It was the perfect time to take another walk.  The wildlife was back.

As we walked by the area where we had seen the turtles a number of times before, I was surprised to see so many all at once.  On one log was a loner who looked like he was hugging the log.  On another log, we observed 4 at one time.  The 4th looked like he was barely holding on.  He finely gave up and went for a swim.  That’s when I noticed the other turtles swimming too. Look closely at the picture and you will see not only the turtles on the log, but 3 in the water.  We decided to name this area of the lake “Turtle Cove”.

Painted Turtle – Tree Hugger

4 Painted Turtles

6 Painted Turtles – (3 in the water)

We also came across an armadillo carcass. We wondered what animal would be its enemy.  So I looked it up.  I found out that automobiles are their biggest threat.  Next are hunters, dogs and coyotes. I can’t imagine what a hunter would want with one. By process of elimination we must have coyotes in the area, although we haven’t heard any.

Armadillo Carcass

We weren’t ready to head back home just yet.  It was too nice of a day.  So we found a picnic table by the water to sit and relax and just enjoy the sun and sights.  We watched the boaters, ducks, birds and a Great Blue Heron. We also watched the planes go overhead.

England is not the only place you can see the prehistoric monument Stonehenge. We spotted a miniature version of one in our park.

We are loving this lifestyle.  Enjoy your day.

Until next time,

Kathryn

 

Between the Showers

Good morning everyone.  It’s going to be a beautiful day; sunny with a high near 70.  A perfect day to be outside enjoying nature.  Hopefully we will see our wildlife friends out too enjoying the nice weather.

Day 70.  As predicted, yesterday was a cold, dreary, rainy day.  We never did see the sun.  In the afternoon we chose what we thought would be the warmest part of the day to take our walk.  It had just stopped raining.  I’m glad I wore my coat, because I was cold even with it on.  The wind is wicked.  I took my camera along, but I wasn’t expecting to see anything out and about in this weather.

Those of you who know my husband know how much he is into recycling, keeping our environment clean and doing what he can to be ecologically responsible.  You may wonder what he is doing while I am taking pictures of nature and wildlife.  He is doing what he does best, keeping the park clean by picking up the trash others leave lying around.

Clyde and Patty Pepper

I did see a duck in the water bobbing for fish.  I watched him as the current took him down the lake.  I was amazed at how long he stayed under water each time he plunged down for his catch.  The current was strong and fast.  I had a hard time keeping up with him.  When I got too close, he flew off.  He appeared much bigger in the air than when he was in the water.  I have no idea what kind of duck he is.

While I was busy watching the duck I totally missed seeing the Great Blue Heron below me.  He saw me though and took off.  I love watching them fly.  I wonder if man studied them when inventing the airplane.  I also think of the Olympic divers and the precision of their form when I watch the birds too.  The birds are so perfectly aligned.  Aren’t they fascinating creatures to watch and observe.

As we walked by where we saw the turtles the other day, we were surprised to see a couple relaxing on the log.  We can’t say they were sunning themselves.  There was no sun out and it was cold and windy.

When we got back from our walk, into our nice warm motorhome, we could smell our dinner cooking in the crockpot.  I’ve been trying new recipes I find on Pinterest.  We get tired of the same dishes all the time.  I love being able to put something together in the morning and having it ready in the afternoon, like today.

As we were getting settled back inside it started to rain once again.  We had timed our walk perfectly.

One funny I’d like to share.  While we were watching TV in the evening, every time a plane would fly over us our TV would lose its signal for just a minute.  It had never happened before, not sure why it happened last night.  We just thought it was weird and laughed.  Loving this lifestyle.

Until next time,

Kathryn

 

 

 

You Just Never Know

Good morning family and friends.  The temperature never did go down last night.  It is 61 now, foggy and sprinkling.  It looks like rain on and off all morning and then another overcast day with no sun and a high in the mid 60’s.  This area is desperate for some rain.  Everything is so dry.

Day 69.  You just never know when a photo opportunity will come your way.  That’s why I’ve gotten in the habit of taking my camera with me wherever I go.  Yesterday I shared pictures of my findings while walking around our park that I was happy to see.  When walking in the park I look for wildlife, nature and interesting things to capture on film (memory card now).  It is their natural habitat and therefore not unusual to see things.  I forgot to post one of my favorite pictures yesterday of the turtles and the American Coots together.  So here it is.

Painted Turtles and American Coots – Lake Waco, Airport Park, Texas

Yesterday afternoon we decided to take a drive and see the suspension bridge in Waco which crosses the Brazos River.  The bridge was completed in 1870 and contains nearly 3 million bricks.  For years it served as a Chisholm Trail crossing.  It is a single-span suspension bridge with a main span of 475 feet.

Before we got to the bridge, on our way out of the park we weren’t expecting to see anything out of the ordinary.  We’ve been in and out of the park a number of times before and hadn’t seen anything.  But this turned out to be a great day to add to my wildlife photo collection.  I was ready with camera in hand, lens cap off and camera on,(lesson learned previously).

Female Turkey

Female Turkey #2

White-Tailed Deer

Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk #2

On our way back into the park, after our sightseeing and grocery shopping, Clyde spotted an armadillo.  He pulled over and suggested I get out of the car to get pictures.  We were hoping it wouldn’t scurry off before I could get to it.  He didn’t seem to be phased in the least by my watching him.  He was too busy scrounging for bugs or whatever he eats.  At one point he looked up and appeared to be saying “yes, can I help you?”, then went back to foraging for his bugs.

Armadillo

Armadillo

Armadillo

Armadillo

Who would have thought on an overcast sunless dreary day that we would have seen so many great wildlife sightings.  You just never know.  Loving this lifestyle.

Until next time,

Kathryn

 

Bird, Coots, Turtles and an Armadillo

Good Morning.  Wow, I can’t believe we are hovering around 50 this morning.  Nice.  The temperature is forecast to be in the mid 60’s today with no sun and rain early this evening.  It will be a good day to get my meals planned for the next few days and grocery shopping done.  I prefer going on a week day anyway to avoid the weekend crowds.  Why fight them if you don’t have to.

Day 68.  As I was getting ready for the day, I noticed a bird perched on top of the tree outside my bedroom window.  Of course I had to grab my camera a get a picture.  I have no idea what kind it is and would really appreciate some help identifying it.

We waited until after lunch to take our walk around the park.  This was the warmest time of the day and the sun was shining brightly.  Being by the water the breeze can be quite chilly so I automatically put on my windbreaker.  You can always take a coat off if you get too warm.   In the same turn, you can be uncomfortable the entire time you are out if you get chilled and you leave your jacket at home. I’m glad I wore my jacket.  The wind was a bit strong and even though the sun was out, it was cool.

The nice weather brought more people outside than on our previous walks.  We even saw a couple of kids which has been unusual this winter.  One thing we noticed about this park is how well it is maintained.  We see park employees working everywhere cleaning and repairing the sites and picnic areas.  With so many people out and about we weren’t seeing any wildlife.  I thought this was going to end up being a nice walk only without getting any good photos to share.  How wrong I was.

We were almost back home walking along the bank of the water when I noticed more American Coots.  They are the cutest little ducks.  I started to snap some shots of them when I noticed three turtles sunning themselves on a log.  How cool.  What a find.  I believe they are Painted Turtles, if not please let me know. Don’t forget, you can click on each of the photos to get a better look.

As we walked a little further we decided to extend our walk and go just outside our campsite area.  This took us by an area that was fenced off with barbed wire and signs that said keep out.  That’s when I noticed out of the corner of my eye something moving.  I couldn’t tell what it was but I was determined to get a picture of it anyway.  I can always delete it if it turned out to be a piece of paper or something.  I was ready this time with my lens cap off and camera still turned on I got two pictures before it disappeared down a hole.  It turned out I got a picture of an armadillo.  My very first armadillo sighting.  What a good day; bird, coots, turtles and an armadillo.

Armadillo

Armadillo #2

The shots below were taken at dusk from inside the front window of our motorhome.  What a beautiful view we have.

American Coots-View from inside Winnie

American Coots – View from inside Winnie #2

Loving the full-time lifestyle.

Until next time,

Kathryn