Three In One Day
March 15, 2007
Santa Anna is a Fish & Wildlife Refuge in the Rio Grande Valley. It is part of the World Birding Center, a group of sites know for birding. The trails are wide and clear and FULL of mosquitoes. We put on our extra strength Deet spray and still they came at us, but at least now they were not biting. We climbed the new 40-foot tower and looked out over the treetops in a 360-degree view of the area. We spotted a few birds; the Great Kiskadees chattered “pick me…pick me” and Golden fronted woodpeckers pecked their way up old dead trunks. We discovered our camera would not work; it would not focus so we have no pictures til we get this figured out.
Will had wanted to talk with Joe or Ken about his mowing certificate which he earned in 2005 and has yet to receive, but they were not available so we met Ranger Mike and told him our story. He promised to pass along our concern and request for the certificate.
We drove to Nueve Progresso,Mexico. Well, actually we parked in Progress, USA and walked across the international bridge into the Mexican tourist town at the border. The streets are filled with cars, the sidewalks are filled with people and we weaved our way through the crowds. We walked into a few shops. A young boy about ten walked the streets with his accordion and sang out; Will rewarded his attempt with a dollar into his bucket. We have seen this boy over the years and his talent is improving. At Aja Lisco we had a few Corona and Sincronizadaz, a sandwich of torilla with beef fajita with melted cheese. They also serve red and green salsas with had chips. Both are very spicey!
Our next stop was the Gladys Porter Zoo. Today we walked straight for the bird cage where cockatoo and parakeets fly free. You can purchase a small wooden stick with seed attached. The birds come down to eat. Today one of the cockatoo sat on Will’s hat, played with the string of his glasses and pecked at this earring. Then he jumped over to sit on Kathy’s hat. We spent several hours with the birds. Kathy remembered the cockatoo she had in her sixth grade classroom. She would give the kids bonus points on their math papers if the bird had “bombed” or chewed it; that was one small way to get the children to respect the bird. We watched the gorillas as they picked spots in their indoor enclosures for the night. Bangora came to the glass and gave a little pat before running off to find a spot. We met the baby camel, born the middle of February. The little camel liked Will’s beard and Kathy’s hat. The elder mandrill gave us a challenge for the brown hat we placed at the glass. The tigers paid no attention to the hats today. The ostrich fanned out his wings and opened his beak wide as we lifted our arms. We watched a courting ritual of the pigmy hippos. The chimps ignored the stick we put in the drainpipe today; usually they take it out and play with it. We were one of the last cars out of the parking lot at about 7:30pm.
We drove back, dropped off the MR and drove to Waldrof (Wal-mart Directly Right Out Front) in Harlingen in the Roadtrek. We watched a few more episodes of West Wing while munching on fresh Ruby Red grapefruit. Then crawled into bed.
Santa Anna is a Fish & Wildlife Refuge in the Rio Grande Valley. It is part of the World Birding Center, a group of sites know for birding. The trails are wide and clear and FULL of mosquitoes. We put on our extra strength Deet spray and still they came at us, but at least now they were not biting. We climbed the new 40-foot tower and looked out over the treetops in a 360-degree view of the area. We spotted a few birds; the Great Kiskadees chattered “pick me…pick me” and Golden fronted woodpeckers pecked their way up old dead trunks. We discovered our camera would not work; it would not focus so we have no pictures til we get this figured out.Will had wanted to talk with Joe or Ken about his mowing certificate which he earned in 2005 and has yet to receive, but they were not available so we met Ranger Mike and told him our story. He promised to pass along our concern and request for the certificate.
We drove to Nueve Progresso,Mexico. Well, actually we parked in Progress, USA and walked across the international bridge into the Mexican tourist town at the border. The streets are filled with cars, the sidewalks are filled with people and we weaved our way through the crowds. We walked into a few shops. A young boy about ten walked the streets with his accordion and sang out; Will rewarded his attempt with a dollar into his bucket. We have seen this boy over the years and his talent is improving. At Aja Lisco we had a few Corona and Sincronizadaz, a sandwich of torilla with beef fajita with melted cheese. They also serve red and green salsas with had chips. Both are very spicey!
Our next stop was the Gladys Porter Zoo. Today we walked straight for the bird cage where cockatoo and parakeets fly free. You can purchase a small wooden stick with seed attached. The birds come down to eat. Today one of the cockatoo sat on Will’s hat, played with the string of his glasses and pecked at this earring. Then he jumped over to sit on Kathy’s hat. We spent several hours with the birds. Kathy remembered the cockatoo she had in her sixth grade classroom. She would give the kids bonus points on their math papers if the bird had “bombed” or chewed it; that was one small way to get the children to respect the bird. We watched the gorillas as they picked spots in their indoor enclosures for the night. Bangora came to the glass and gave a little pat before running off to find a spot. We met the baby camel, born the middle of February. The little camel liked Will’s beard and Kathy’s hat. The elder mandrill gave us a challenge for the brown hat we placed at the glass. The tigers paid no attention to the hats today. The ostrich fanned out his wings and opened his beak wide as we lifted our arms. We watched a courting ritual of the pigmy hippos. The chimps ignored the stick we put in the drainpipe today; usually they take it out and play with it. We were one of the last cars out of the parking lot at about 7:30pm.
We drove back, dropped off the MR and drove to Waldrof (Wal-mart Directly Right Out Front) in Harlingen in the Roadtrek. We watched a few more episodes of West Wing while munching on fresh Ruby Red grapefruit. Then crawled into bed.
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