Posted on

Mother Neff State Park

 North on Highway 183.  Stopped for a slow-moving freight train in Cuero.  Continued north through Gonzales.  Crossed Interstate 10 at Luling.  Watched a semi-truck loaded with stock suffer a moment of indecision at a railroad crossing in Lockhart and get caught just behind the stacks by the crossing gate.  He backed up as far as he could, held by the gate, with just a few feet to spare as the Amtrack train blew by at speed.  Thought that was going to be ugly.  The truck got clear of the crossing gate, safely crossed the tracks, and pulled right over and stopped.  He might have had a little clean-up to do.  Ten minutes later he barreled past us by at least 20mph.  That mishap might have put him behind schedule. We got on Texas Highway 130, the 85mph toll road that bypasses Austin.  We didn’t go *that* fast, but it was a quick trip the rest of the way to Temple, our turnoff for the park: 2015 summer trip map   An oasis on the prairie. Painted buntings galore.   Singing their little faces off. Tomorrow, Oklahoma.  
Posted on

Goliad State Park

 An easy day to Goliad State Park. 2015 summer trip Remember that post about the mystery clunk/rattle? http://steveandjudystravelblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/i-should-probably-mention.html  Remember how Tom and I figured it out?  Actually, I figured it out; Tom wasn’t quite so sure I had it right.  Well Tom was the only one right about anything.  He didn’t figure it out, but he was right that I hadn’t figured it out either.  We still have our clunk/rattle.  Falfurrias Rest Area. Goliad State Park. It’s love-bug season; we drove through storms of them. Not an easy task for Judy to scrub them off. But of course she was up for the challenge. 
Posted on

Red

 We’ve see some red birds lately too. Like vermilion flycatcher. Northern cardinal. Summer tanager. Scarlet tanager.  Rose-breasted grosbeak.   
Posted on

Morning light

  The park is back to normal; except we have more mosquitos than usual; the aftermath of wet weather. Judy and I are packing.  Well, Judy is packing.  She’s doing all the heavy lifting.  I’m working at the office in Denver (by way of the computer), and helping her check things off the packing list. Did I describe my last visit with the neck doctor?  I was good for six weeks; stayed in the rack and did just what the doctor told me.  After that, I went back to my normal life.  Turns out that was a little too much too soon.  The x-ray last week shows I broke a screw and one of the fusions hasn’t taken yet; too much motion.  The broken screw won’t be a problem.  It will stay where it is if we can get that last fusion to take.  But now it’s official anyway:  I have a screw loose, and we have the evidence to prove it. And I’m determined to be better.  No running.  No lifting.  No repetitive motions (no flyfishing this summer).  We want this whole *fusion* thing to finish.  Judy is doing all the heavy work for at least the next four months.  The problem isn’t getting her to do it, she of course, is being great.  It’s hard for me to let her.  She’s doing all the stuff I’m supposed to be doing. We’re leaving on Saturday(ish) for our summer trip to Colorado and beyond.  We’ll attend Granddaughter Taylor’s college graduation from CSU in Fort Collins.  We’ll spend a couple weeks in Colorado with the kids, then move west to Oregon for a visit with Jeff and Carol in early July.  Then we’ll loop around the Pacific Northwest for the Family Reunion in late July; hoping for a close encounter with a tufted puffin along the way.  No plans after that except to work our way back to South Texas while it’s still hot and sweaty.  Last year we stayed here until August before we did a trip and really enjoyed it.  This year, we’re leaving just as the weather is getting really nice and warm.  We want to get back before it cools off here completely. With any luck, we (Judy) will have the bus pretty much ready to go by tomorrow night.  We can put computers and toothbrushes in on Saturday morning, after coffee, and be good to go.  My trip reports might actually have something to do with trips again soon. Life on the road…  
Posted on

Yellow

 Yellow like the sides of a magnolia warbler. …or the neck of a yellow-throated warbler.  …or a yellow headed blackbird.  …or a yellow warbler.