A trip to the Katy Prairie and another to the Brazos Bend State Park resulted in some quality time trying out my new camera and lenses. 

I know the camera has great reviews and the lenses are first-rate, so the problem with the photos lies with the photographer who is still trying to figure out how everything works. But some of the photos turned out, and I invite you to look through them.

What better proof do you need that spring is on the way than babies?

Look close at the alligator in the picture to the left and see the little ones on her back. Along with these two, there were four others in the water or mud. 

She probably started with a clutch of about 30, but everyone likes a tasty baby gator. Probably 2 to 3 will make it to maturity.

Well, it wasn't a river, it was a lake, and yes, it was Saturday, not Sunday.  But close enough. I was with the one I love cruising the lake on Valentine's Day. Who could ask for more?

The weather was absolutely lovely, sunny and about 72 degrees (sorry Boston). We didn't see any eagles, but we did see two osprey, and that was fun. 

After lazing about the water for 3 or 4 hours we headed to a romantic dinner of hispanic cuisine at a little bistro we know - okay, so it was two specials at the Taco Cabana. Then it was home to fall asleep in front of the TV - the finish of a perfect Valentine's Day. 

Thanks for visiting!

Port Isabel
Separated only by a causeway over the bay, Port Isabel and South Padre Island are separated by time as well. Port Isabel is, in fact quite old, established as a town just after the Mexican revolution. It became an important port for cotton before the Civil War. And because of the importance of its harbor, the North and South fought over the town.

A typical Texas coastal town, Port Isabel has all the standard trappings, boat tours (see the dolphins), fishing trips and piers, restaurants, and, of course, gift shops. It is also very much a working town with a large commercial fishing fleet. It is a bit reminiscent of the small Maryland or Delaware coastal towns of the 1950's.

South Padre Island
South Padre, on the other hand, is a new resort community at the tip of the barrier island. It is just three streets wide and has lots of high rise condos that line the beach. The main street is commercial with a tee-shirt store every other block, and restaurants in between. The street facing the laguna has the older buildings, while the Gulf side has all the new construction. South Padre, while sort of bright and shiny, feels like a town without a soul. 

Laguna Atastacosa
We took some time one afternoon and drove to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge which borders the Laguna Madre. Our plan was to take the 15 mile driving loop, but the road was closed to protect the refuge's ocelots. While ocelots are throughout South America, they are rare in the U.S., found only in the southern tip of Texas. There are only about 50 in all of Texas and 12 of them are in the refuge.

Instead of the driving tour we walked some birding trails close to the Visitor Center. Lucky us! We saw three birds you just can't see anyplace in the U.S. except south Texas (aka "The Valley"). Other-wise you must go farther south into Mexico or Central America. 

The green jay is just an absolutely gorgeous bird with a brilliant blue head, black bib, bright green body and yellow on the underneath of its tail. I wish I could say the photo does it justice, but alas it does not.

The bird in the center is a Great Kiskadee, a flycatcher with a bright yellow breast. It has a bandit's mask on its eyes (like a raccoon), but the mask does not really show in my photo.

Finally is the plain (ugly?) chachalaca, a rather large bird that usually stays on the ground or very low branches. Seeing the chachalaca was especially exciting for me as I had never seen one before. Getting the photo was interesting as the bird was on the ground and very low branches in some very thick brush.

Thanks for dropping by!