South Texas

January to April 2015

Aransas Pass and Rockport, Texas

After spending a couple of months in Florida, we left for Texas on January 3. 

Our first destination was Houston.  We’d found a company that could rip out the old and dirty carpet in the motorhome and change it into wood floor.  We shelled out a considerable amount of money but it was something that needed to be done for health (hubby’s allergic to dust) and aesthetic (the carpet was dingy and stinky) reasons.  Also, it would be easier for me to clean up after Brontë who sheds her hair like a lumberjack in summer.  We stayed in the hotel while the guys worked on the floor.  It took them 3 days to finish the job.

The new floor matches the woodwork in the motorhome :)

Did you notice the flat screen TV in the above photo?  Pete installed it when we were in Florida.  We got rid of the bulky old sets in both the living room and bedroom. 

Next, we headed to Waxahachie to spend time with family.  Then, we traveled to Fredericksburg for our check-ups and doctors’ appointments.  After being poked and prodded, we set off to the Gulf Coast where we camped for three months.  We spent the first month in a small campground by the water in Aransas Pass.  We were hoping to launch our kayak from our site but the water level was too low.   We transferred to another RV park in Rockport by the Salt Water Lake.  We went out kayaking a few times to fish but we weren’t able to catch anything.  The fish, on the other hand, outsmarted us.  They gobbled up all our shrimp baits – stinkers!  

The water level was too low.  Pete got stuck and had to maneuver using the paddle.   

Of course, the paddle broke.

Next to our Aransas Pass campground is land used for duck hunting.  Since it was off season, it became Brontë's playground.  

Wind-swept live oaks in Rockport 

Lake Corpus Christi State Park 

"Hiya, do you wanna play?"
After the heavy rains in our Rockport campground, we often encountered turtles. 

Couch hoggers

The president of Daddy's fan club

South Texas Fauna

During our stay in Texas, we carried out minor jobs and maintenance on the motorhome  (e.g. painting) to save some money.  However, some tasks required calling in RV repair professionals (e.g. removal, painting and purging our LPG tank).  Despite our DIY projects, we still spent more than what we had allocated in the budget.  We were glad though that we had accomplished most of the tasks on our to-do-list.

We were Arizona-bound on April 29.  I couldn’t wait to get to Grand Canyon National Park!

Enchanted Rock State Natural Park

Taken on 06 May 2014 in Enchanted Rock State Natural Park in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Turkey Vulture

Let's go, Mommy!

Bluebonnet - Texas's national flower

Nature's Corres

Brontë has practically taken over our lives.  So much so that we haven't been able to carry out our usual nature activities lately - bird watching in particular.

Last week, however, we got some respite from puppy parenthood when my sister and brother-in-law visited from France.  We dropped Brontë off at the daycare first thing in the morning and then picked her up before 6 pm.  The thought of her playing with other canine friends consoled a mother's bereft heart.  I know this sounds very dramatic but I am not ashamed to admit it.  I missed her very much but the image of her sitting, looking at me with her tail wagging never failed to put a smile on my face.  It helped me make it through until it was time to bring her home.       


Despite the temporary Brontë bereavement, Pete and I spent a wonderful time with our French family.  Together, we were awed by nature's wonders.

Knackered after staying at the daycare.

Female Allen's Hummingbird at the Pike's Peak Cog Railway Depot (PPCRD)

American Pipit at the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbirds at the PPCRD

Arctic Raven at Pike's Peak Summit

Clark's Nutcracker at the RMNP

Dark-eyed Junco at the RMNP

Female Mountain Bluebird at the RMNP

Gray Jay at the RMNP

Turkey Vulture at the Red Feather Lake

Bull Elk

Cow Elk

Chipmunk

Ground Squirrel

Pika

Pika stocking up for the winter

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Ate and Claude traversing the tundra at the RMNP

Encounters with the Wild and the not-so-Wild (International)

Pete promised to take me whale-watching in Australia.  It's nestled in the top 3 of my dream travels list, the other two being a safari in Africa and birding at Tandayapa Lodge in Ecuador.  The more I watch nature shows, the more the list grows.  I bet my life he will not be surprised when he finds out that it's turned as voluminous as Tolstoy's War and Peace.  

I haven't done any nature trip in the past but I've had numerous interesting encounters with the wild and, erm, the not so wild.

Pink Dolphin in Sentosa Island in Singapore.  2002.  Dolphins are one of my favorite mammals.  Someday, I wish I could swim with them in the wild.

Now that I'm older, my feelings towards dolphins (or any wild animal for that matter) in captivity have drastically changed.  I recently watched the award-winning documentary, The Cove, on Netflix.  It shows the mass killings of dolphins in Taiji, Japan and aims to put a stop to the cruel practice.  I couldn't help crying like a baby.  

The neighbor's toutou in Hendaye, Pays-Basque - France where we rented a gite in 2006.

Course de Vaches in Saint Pée sur Nivelle, Pays Basque - France.  2006.

In 2006, I had the pleasure meeting Claude's (my brother-in-law) friend, Jacques (seated, second from the right).  He's an amateur wildlife photographer and he took us to the Rambouillet Forest in the evening to listen to the elks in rut.  What an eerie experience!

Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy.  2005.

Garde Republicaine.  Jardin des Tuileries - Paris, France.  2006

Oman.  2006.

I met some local fishermen in Oman in 2006.

Goats attacking our mode of transportation.  Oman, 2006.

My friends and I witnessed the hatching of turtle eggs in Oman on the beach the name of which I can't recall at the moment (not the photo above).   Somehow, we felt that everything was staged.  We could be wrong, of course.

Jeff Koon's Puppy (LOL)outside Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.  2006.  Funny how it looks so much like a kitty cat.

Stork in Alsace, France.  2007.

Ate having fun with Mr. Turkey Vulture and the kids.  Alsace, France.  2007.

Pete and Django, a kalabaw or carabao in English, Philippines' national animal at Villa Escudero in San Pablo City, Laguna - Philippines.  2007.

Avernes, France.  2008.

Mandarin Ducks in Munich, Germany.  2008.

Gannets nesting in Filey, Yorkshire - England.  2009.  I would've wanted to see puffins but Pete and I arrived too late.

The Lake District, England.  2010.

Le ragondin or coypu in Argelès-sur-Mer, France.  2010.

Dog Charmer at Park Güell in Barcelona, Spain.  2010.  

with Antoni Gaudi's mosaic dragon (haha!) at Park Güell in Barcelona, Spain.  2010.

On one of his business trips to Bassano del Grappa in Italy earlier this year, Pete brought me along but had to leave me on my own when he drove to Innsbruck, Austria.  I went for a walk by the Brenta River and came across some feathered friends.

Alpine Swift

Black Redstart

Crested Tit

White Wagtail

European Goldfinch.  Very different to its North American cousin (see photo below).

American Goldfinch in breeding plumage