This started out to be a quick note to say that the cedar waxwings have returned and spring is nigh. But alas, the weather has been fickle and spring is not yet on the horizon.

WINTER IN HOUSTON
First the news is that it is still very much winter in Houston. It seems that there was an ice storm overnight, and Houston completely shut down today. Even though most of our population has moved here from colder parts of the country, being in Houston has caused them all to forget everything they ever knew about winter.

All the morning national television programs were pre-empted as the Houston stations could not contain their excitement and had what seemed like every reporter and cameraman on their staffs out doing “on-the-street” interviews and reports. There must have been 100′s of videos of cars and trucks and buses sliding on the flyovers (Houston’s term for the very long and high multi-level expressway interchanges. Of course all schools and colleges were closed. Even my gym opened four hours late.

So, yes, there is winter in Houston and it is here now. And it seems as though it will be with us for another week. I know all of you in the northeast and midwest are feeling sorry for us. You should know we appreciate your compassion.

A HINT OF SPRING
Now for the waxwings and spring thing. Just a day before all of this winter ice foolishness we were on the patio enjoying balmy weather and watching the cedar waxwings. There were seemingly hundreds of them flitting in and out of the bushes and trees. They don’t ever stay long. These beautiful birds typically fly in to town, gorge themselves on ligustrum berries, and with full bellies move on to the north. So seeing the waxwings generally means that spring is soon to be on its way. Well, apparently there will be a slight delay.

A Day At Brazos Bend In January
The holidays are over and the Polar Vortex has left us, so we took some time this past Friday to visit nearby Brazos Bend State Park.It was an overcast, but pleasant, 67 degree day, and there was plenty of activity around the park’s small lakes. And the winter colors tend toward a variety of shades of brown (not white, thank goodness) which give the park a different beauty than it has in spring and summer.

We wondered about the park taking care not to step on the alligators which were out along the banks of the lakes. Linda did come close however, walking about three feet past a good sized gator while looking the other way.

After a fine walk with lots of picture-taking and binocular-peering, we found a picnic bench by one of the lakes and tucked in. We watched a raft of black-bellied whistling ducks.

Don got to talking with a couple from Kentucky who are in the middle of a six-month RV tour (Don’s dream). They had never seen the black-bellies before, so that started the conversation.

Winter Wildlife
It was a wonderful day of turtles, gators, and water birds. Most of the birds are here all year long, but their numbers can change (increase or decrease) in the winter. Enjoy!

A Waterfall In Houston?
The past week or two it has been cold in Houston (for Houston), and Linda and I warmed up our world by taking a quick road trip to a tropical rainforest. Actually we just visited theCockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The Cockrell is a beautiful glass enclosed tropical garden with a 50-foot waterfall. It is a small oasis in the middle of a big city filled with exotic plants and hundreds of gorgeous butterflies.

Some Butterfly Pix
The butterflies don’t stop and light for very long, so taking pictures was a catch-as-catch-can situation, but here are some shots I was lucky enough to get.

Good Bye 2013
We took our last boat ride of the year this past weekend. It was a bit chilly, but it was a lovely day and the lake was as smooth as glass. We spent about two-and-a-half hours on the lake, and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish our year.

We hope your year was as fine as ours was, and we wish you all the best for 2014.

Happy New Year!
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