"Today is a Good Day to Drive!" .....Van-Go

It was dark when we walked toward Karlita’s. We stopped at the little store. He had only one bottle of Corona left so we bought a large family size bottle of Corona. At Karlita’s they were just putting the wood under the grates on the outdoor stove. We motioned we wanted to eat; they talked gibberish back that we figured was something about the food. We responded by sitting down. They showed us eggs and meat we agreed by nodding our heads. There was an older woman who broke up the flour in a large plastic bowl. Two younger woman got busy with frying pans. Another woman used a stone bowl to grind up leaves and peppers. This she brought us. The older woman was taking balls of dough from the bowl and rolling them around to make balls, then flattening them. She then went to a shelf and rolled them out with a hollow plastic pipe. Next she put the flat tortillas on the grill, turning them when they got hot. We were given the first ones off the grill. We spread a little “salsa” over them and ...

We did it we had traveled 301 miles and arrived at Casa de Piedra, our B&B in the little town of Gomez Farias. We were escorted to our balcony room, Magnolia. French doors open into the room about 20x10 feet. A double bed was in the center of the wall with little night tables on each side. Each table held a lamp. A two-seater couch was against the opposite wall. A closet with a very high shelf for giants was built into the side wall. Up a tall step was the bathroom. Inside the beige tiled room was a toilet, open tiled square area tub/shower, and the sink with tiled counter top. The room was trimmed with deep blue tile and along the top rows tile with a bird. The mirror used the same pattern tile- blue bird with blue trim. After dropping off our things in the room we sat in the courtyard playing scrabble and drinking Coronas. We nibbled on an apple and cheese. A van arrived with other guests that had been out birding for the day. They sat at another table in the courtyard talking lo...

Three days, two nights in Gomez Farias, Tamaulipas, Mexico began early in the morning. We drove the Roadtrek to Dixie Storage where we have the MR2 in a garage and we loaded up the sports car for the trip. That included snacks, computer, binoculars, extra 5-gallon gas can, extra oil, scrabble, camera, toiletries and clothes. Our first stop was at the currency exchange near the border where we changed our dollars to pesos at at rate of $1= 110 peso. We hit the border around 9am and were surprised by a customs check on the US side of the International Bridge. They asked where we were going, why, and if we had firearms or drugs along. On the Mexican side we parked and enter the building to get out visas (free if less than 7 days, otherwise $26) and vehicle permit ($23) and Mexican car insurance ($26). We drove through Matamoros, the border town with a splash of gibberish and followed signs for Victoria on Route 180/101. The drive is quick along a two lane road with wide shoulders that ve...

March 4, 2007 Sunday is the night we spend at Harley's on the back side of Bayview. The beer garden and country store is open every day with free pool on Tuesdays. But on Sundays John and the Bayview Bushriders play some great music and Sylvia puts out a really yummy BBQ. We were lucky to hear Fiddler Jason join the group adding a lot of depth to the music. John was in rare form dancing with all the ladies. Kathy got a turn too. Sylvia made an announcement about someone taking the anniversary bucket and hoping it would be returned. No one we talked with can imagine how someone could keep a bucket that says right on it: "gift". Everyone is angry that the anniversary bucket was taken. We stayed til the music stopped then weaved our way across the street and crawled into bed. In the morning we were awaken by sunshine in our windows! We made some coffee and headed over to Laguna Atascosa. We love watching the greenjays and listening to the grackles. We saw THE all blue greenj...

March 3, 2007 Stopped at the Shell Shop and watched out for the pirates! got out to South Padre Island and walked the beach; spring breakers are starting to fill the Island! Stage set up for loud bands, Volleyball nets, arcades, and booths ready for the crowds. We got Spring Break 2007 caps, tanning lotion and teeshirt while checking out the booths. The young girls on the beach in their bikinis either have tatoos or belly button piercings. Met friends at Dirty Al's for lunch. We got there a little early and put our name in; took about half an hour before we were seated; this is a popular spot! The shrimp in the case are big and juicy. Meals are served in a basket or on a cafe tray. Yummy. Then we drove over to Dolcey's across from Black Beard's Restaurant and had gelato; they have lots of flavors and it so creamy. We parted ways and we went up the end of the Island past the Convention Center where they are having a car truck expo and parked for the night. We watched Eddie w...

March 2, 2007 After laundry duty we picked up the MR2 and drove to Nueva Progresso, Mexico. We park on the US side and walk across the international bridge that brings our two countries together belly to belly. The streets are filled with vehicles and people. There are more pharmacies and dentists than you can count. We wonder the shops and outside vendors. Many work on their crafts while hoping to sell their jewlery, blankets and trinkets. One we really enjoy watching are the guys that paint on spoons and glass vases. It is just amazing how they get such beautiful art displayed using spray paint, plastic bags, and their fingers. These are truely talented individuals. Our favorite restaurant is Iay Jiliscos. We are greeted at the door and enter into a small world for tourists and locals alike. Colorful banners hang from the ceiling, colorful oil clothes cover the solid wooden tables, and waiters are dressed in longsleeve yellow shirts with green scarfs tied at the waist. There is alway...

March 1, 2007 We walked along historic Jackson Street in the city of Harlingen, Texas. Mostly we past antique shops filled with church rumage sale items and vintage collectibles. Jackson Street is the "antiques capitol of the Valley".There is a must stop at establishment- the old time soda shop! They have original signed posters of the Beatles and other memoribilia to entertain you while you sip a soda, lick an icecream cone or have a burger. We stopped to look at the many mural along the street. One of these days we will have to stop at the Chamber of Commerce and pick up a location list of the murals around town. There is also a mural to Bill Haley; his Rock Around The Clock became the Rock n'roll anthem after it was used in the movie Blackboard Jungle.