Steve and Judy's Travels!

If they visit us, we take them to see things we think are interesting.

Today, it was the border crisis on the river again at Anzalduas Park.

Then we got them spreading their wings at Quinta Mazatlan.

Today’s challenge.  A federal government installation at Anzalduas.

It’s a whole bunch of wooden posts painted black and yellow surrounding something in the middle.

It’s hard to figure out.

It’s right adjacent to the river.  What could it be?

We got to go to the McAllen International Airport.

(This is a photo from how far away the car was parked from the terminal.  It’s not a difficult challenge to go to the airport here.)

Admire the local aviation technology.

And pick up Andy and Christy!

They’re taking a break from their Pacific Northwest springtime weather to help us enjoy ours down here.

Nice and warm for hanging out on the deck.  We got to eat outside.

(Grilled hot wings, Judy’s rice, and salad.  Can’t tell from the empty dishes.)

…about air conditioning.  And swamp coolers.  And cars.  And cars before air conditioning.

And I suddenly remembered 1950s air conditioning for the car on desert trips.  That canvas bag hung off the front bumper; I think that was for radiator water.

But there is more.  That silver jet engine looking thing feeding air into the car window; that was air conditioning in the desert.

An evaporative cooler, swamp cooler, for a car.  No electrical hookup, powered by the air blown through it at speed!

If we want seat heat in the Jeep, we reach the touch screen in the middle of the dash, click “Climate”, select “Seat and steering wheel”, select “high” or “low” and whether you want driver’s side, passenger side, or both; then click back to where we started.  It’s so sophisticated.

The Mazda is primitive by comparison.  If we want seat heat in the Mazda, we turn the knob for seat heat…

…about Chinese food.

I want Chinese food out of waxed cardboard cartons stuffed in a brown paper sack, like Mom would call-up and order, then one of my older brothers would drive to the back door of Ling’s Café in Belmont Shore.  I’d ride along and we’d carry it home, the aroma in the car exotic, and serve ourselves chicken chow mein over crispy noodles.