Saturday, February 27, 2010

Down in the Valley

I've been in the Rio Grande Valley now for 2 weeks, and I've really enjoyed the relaxing lifestyle. Unfortunately, that means I don't have too much to write about in the blog. But here goes....

We're staying at Alamo Rec, one of the many RV parks in the Valley. A lot of singles that I know stay here. The unique thing about this park is the huge lake right in the middle of it.


We're parked in the northwest corner of the park, over there behind that tall palm tree.


Every day, the singles get together for happy hour. Today we had a spur-of-the-moment wine and cheese party.


The lake makes for some interesting wildlife viewing. I can't figure out how the turtle on the left got up on that stump.


The cormorants dive down for fish, then must come out of the water to dry off.


There are several of these apartment-style birdhouses around the lake, and they are all filled to capacity.


South Texas is a bird-watcher's paradise. This little guy is often seen around the lake. I couldn't figure out what it was.


Fellow blogger, Robin, invited me to lunch one day. (Her blog's here.) Turns out she volunteers at a local state park and helps us wanna-be birders identify the little buggers. Anyway, my mysterious bird is an immature vermillion flycatcher. He's just in the process of turning red.


But the big reason many people come to "The Valley" is for the dancing. Every night, several RV parks, all with gigantic dance floors, have dances with live entertainment. At this one the singles are on the whole right side of the room.



And then there are the lessons. We are taking Night Club Two Step lessons with Bob Battaglia. It's a nice dance to do to slower music. (for some reason the video looks black, but if you click on the arrow, it will play.)

Now that the weather is improving, I hope to get out and do some interesting things. There's a lot to see in the area.

10 comments:

  1. I was going to say an immature vermilion flycatcher! We did see lots of cool birds down there.

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  2. Love the picture of the turtles. How DID he get up there? Your post got me thinking - I live in the mountains and see all kinds of wildlife outside my kitchen window, but it's not until I'm in my trailer that I "see" the wildlife and grab the camera.

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  3. Love the wildlife! I'm amazed at how many birds winter here. Keep the post going, even if it seems mundane. I like "dropping in!"

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  4. Wow. What a unique RV park with the large lake in the middle. I would like a spot like that.

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  5. I absolutely love the park your staying in. It definitely sounds and looks like lots of fun. It reminds me of when the kids were young and we did some rving back then and stayed in some big parks, the kids always had so much fun as did we also. I think it is neat how everyone gets together everyday to do something, wine and cheese sounds good :o) I cant wait to see what you get into later, have a great time!!

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  6. Thats so exciting to learn a new dance...I havent been dancing in few years but its always so much fun!! Awesome spot for birding--wow never seen a vermillion flycatcher--great one to have on your list!!

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  7. If an unmarried person in a committed relationship is a "SINGLE," what is an unmarried person NOT in a relationship called?

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  8. Looks like you are having a blast! Hope your birthday is a blast, too!

    Rita

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  9. Great pictures of the birds - thanks for sharing!

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  10. I'm very surprised that no one recognized the turtle on the stump as being a Post Turtle.
    What is a Post Turtle? I'll let an old cowboy tell ya.

    The old cowboy said,"When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'."
    The old man saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain. "You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, he doesn't know what to do while he is up there, and you just want to help the dumb ass get down."

    Many of the people we have 'serving' in Washington, D. C. are Post Turtles.

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