February 17. 2015  10 pm cst 45 chilly degrees

Noble Drilller: An oil drilling platform in Brownsville...I don't know if it is in for repairs or if it is retired  (It was built in 1976) but it was cool to see it up close cause this thing is huge.  It can drill down to 25,000 feet.  That's a helicopter pad on the right side.

We thought this ship which was nearby might be the supply ship for the oil rig....  which would indicate that they were definitely in need of repairs.

I wonder why  this area is so beautiful and expensive 

 And this area which is nearby is neglected and rotting.

In a completely different place... the Arroyo Colorado....... Theresa and I saw these kids.   I have shown this pic to Neil and George and they say they had BB or Air guns at an early age and see nothing wrong, but it disturbs me to see these very young kids, unsupervised, shooting at something...probably just a tree or something  but that is a kind of powerful scope so it must have some range on it.  And then they get in this boat

where they have only paddles and only one has a life vest.

 Amazing that we got this pic of a dolphin because George saw them going up the river, called Theresa who then called me and  I had to get dressed and boogie on over..only about the distance of a city block.
 And those sweet little fishies,  (yes, I know they are mammals) waited for us.
 We just got our cameras out and they made a nice little run down the river right near where we were.

Think this guy is dressed warm enough for a boat trip on the Gulf of Mexico?

Been meaning for a long time to include some pictures of the Harlingen library.
This is the entrance.
Sitting on that bench is a bronze of Mark Twain, and just beyond the arch are statues of two children catching fireflies in a mason jar.

And these are just some of the bronze Remington statues that are among the artwork inside. 

It has been one of my favorite places to go until today when I had to return overdue books.  It cost me 2.25 for three books that were due day before yesterday.  Well, I guess someone has to pay for all that art.

february 10 2015   10:30 pm cst  53 degrees

We took a trip last weekend to the hill country  with Matt and Lori  where we did a little wine tasting and a little touristing.  This photo might not look too hilly but in Texas... well mostly  its kind of flat .

If you envision a few pretentious people tasting wine and talking about the scent of clover with just a hint of jasmine, well, yes you might find that
:

but you are more likely to see something like this where you can get your sample or even buy a bottle and sit out in their garden area in these really comfy  areas..sun or shade... and really enjoy.

like this lady who was kicking back and enjoying her wine and a good cigar.

After a couple well  behaved  tastings, we arrived here at the fat ass ranch where the crowd was much younger, the music louder, the decor more....creative

There is a dance floor where the cut off back of a Volkswagon serves as a booth and

the rest rooms are recycled silos.

The sign says  Put your butts here.  Ugh.

So, Matt says would you like to go to Luckenbach?
Well, Yah!
From the Willie Nelson song, I had a vision of a nice  real town with sort of a village feel.

This is about all there is to  Luchenbach.  Lots of picnic tables, a beer shack, a snack shack,a combination store and post office for the 3 residents..

 and a dance hall/barn

 with these neat shutters that open and I can just imagine when they have big name musicians here...which they do often.... makes everything open and cool.

The store/post office  has this big sign that has been signed by just about everyone who has visited, including

Steve McQueen.  See upper right hand corner.  The problem with this is... it  says '88 and Steve McQueen died in 1980.

 

I sort of like this picture of Neil ...a bald man surrounded by a gazillion hats.

A sign as you leave...Plez...guess they didnt have room for please or pleez.

Saw this poster on a fence.

Apparently the internet is  rampant with this manipulated image of President Obama as the Joker from Batman. I was shocked to see it.

February 3 2015 9:30 pm cst    50 degrees

I wonder what the birds are thinking when the annual kite festival takes place.  I always imagined they thought "There are monsters in the sky!"

But it appears they graciously give up the sky for one weekend and park themselves a little down beach and watch the show...just looking out for the four wheeled things that they ARE afraid of. Notice in the following pics that there are not real birds in the sky with the kites.

And some of the kites were monsters.