Terlingua Dreams

Terlingua Dreams
Governors Landing Campground - Lake Amistad - Del Rio, Texas

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Facebook to the Rescue

If you have been reading this blog for a while you probably are aware that for close to a decade my neighbors and I have been fighting an uphill battle with a crack house on our street.  We tried everything to no avail.  You know how we finally got rid of them?  Turns out the sister of the “crack head” posted a nasty remark about her brother’s live-in lover on her Facebook page.

The live-in lover then drove home and proceeded to beat up his sister and the mother called the authorities and had her arrested.  Then the mother finally grew a backbone and threw them out of the house.  Go figure when all else failed it turns out we owe a debt of gratitude to Facebook…thank you kindly Facebook!

Last night the family of the crack head threw a party and I was afraid it would revert back to the old times when you could not even drive into my cul-de-sac from all the cars but as luck would have it they did not invite him and the celebration ended at midnight.

I always buy the Sunday paper on Saturday but with the party decided to stay put and did not purchase it until today.  I just love the Houston Chronicle it is one of the best newspapers I have ever read.

Since I stayed up late I did not go buy my breakfast till almost noon…Jack in the Box serves it all day!  When I came back seems like everyone was mowing their lawn.  Even Mr. Town Crier!  He NEVER mows his lawn, as he is lazy and has always allowed Mrs. Town Crier to take care of that chore.

I confirmed my suspicion…she is avoiding me…that is so very odd for her as she LOVES to gossip for hours on end and a couple of days ago I actually caught her hiding from me.  I am wondering if my Game Cam had anything to do with it?  Noticed she had lost weight, hummm…could the theft of my stair stepper and other exercise equipment from my shed had anything to do with that?  Guess I will never know…

Good Night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Game Cam and other Experiments

I may regret this but I am going to do my post without using Word and then cutting and pasting it to Blogger. Shadowmoss http://shadowmoss.blogspot.com had suggested I use LibreOffice which is a free download Office Suite type of program on my Netbook that has no word processor but for some reason my computer is blocking it and being "computer challenged" I have no idea how to bypass this and make it work.

As I have mentioned in prior post I have been having problems with someone breaking into my backyard storage shed.  Thankfully nothing was stolen this time.  If you read Suerte's blog http://7thgenerationtexian.blogspot.com you will see that he uses a Game Camera to post a lot of pictures of the wildlife in his ranch.  So a bell went off and I thought that I might buy one and be able to catch the culprit.



Should of heeded his advice and bought the camera he suggested and not the "on sale" Academy one.  I read and re-read the instructions and set it up in my guest bedroom that has a better view of my shed but in the three weeks I was gone it took a total of 14 pictures!!!  I know there was activity because the neighbors in the back cut down a large tree and it should of captured something....GRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

When I was doing yard work I came right up to the window and it did not capture a thing except for some random pictures and I was out there for hours!  Wish I had brought the receipt with me so I could take it back and buy me good one.  Set it up on top of the refrigerator facing the hallway and this time it did work.  Took about 180 pictures yesterday and today, mostly of me in my undies as I have not turned on the A/C yet and do not plan to either.

Do these cameras not work if there is a glass pane between them and the subject?  Have a lot to learn I guess.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aloe Vera

Post for Friday April 27, 2012
  
I got up early to pick up all the branches I pruned from my neighbor's trees and placed them in his as well as my trash can.  His next-door neighbor is a very nice recently retired gentleman who always looked out for him when he was still living in his house.  To our surprise someone had dumped old sheetrock in his trash can!  It was so obvious who it was too…lovely neighbors I have!

Took to the stores to buy a few things I needed.  I have mentioned before my affinity for dollar stores specially .99 cents Only Store.  They closed a bunch of them down a couple years ago and I had to make a 25 miles round trip to the nearest one.  This past month they finally opened one closer to my house.



Was going down the aisle when this bottle of Aloe Vera caught my eye and I couldn't help but smile when I saw it.  Many of the nice folks that read this blog and I also have in common other blogs we follow.  So most of you probably guessed that it brought back memories of Hobo Joe http://hoboroad.blogspot.com/.  I sure do miss him and wish he would start blogging again.



Trouble in Texas called me out for not posting a picture of my zero gravity chair, so here it is.  I know your son suffers from back problems and while mine are not as severe as his I can tell you that this wonderful chair has helped alleviate the pain in many occasions.  I highly recommend it if you have back problems or even if you don’t…they are very comfortable and I always take mine to Terlingua.



Except for Thursday April 26th I have been struggling to stay up to watch the nightly news.  I like watching the talk shows as well but have fallen asleep before they even come on.  I apologize to all the blogs I follow for not dropping by this week.

Guess I can not say good night, may you all have Terlingua Dreams…since it is 11:37 a.m. central time in Texas :D

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Rewards

I have been busy mowing the lawn, weed eating, edging, digging up crab grass and pruning trees (not even my own but my neighbors).  After hurricane Ike I had all the big trees chopped down as they caused considerable damage to my property.  I only have a crape myrtle in the back and one in the front as no matter what I do these two trees come back time after time.


Before

After
Hurricane season is just around the corner and we take that seriously in the Gulf coast area.  To the right of my house is a house that even when the elderly gentleman lived in it he never bother to keep up with it and now it is worst.  I do not understand why he does not get any notices from the HOA or maybe he does but his daughter ignores them. It is currently vacant.


The elderly man's house with his untrimmed limbs that hang to the
ground but I am the one that gets letters from the HOA :-(
To the left of my house is where my lovely neighbor “The Town Crier” lives with her husband and two sons that do not even help her take out the trash or do the yard.  She has been telling me that they are going to cut down a tree in between our property line since 2007 and have yet to do it.  I offered to cut it at my expense three years ago but she was evasive about it so now they can foot the bill themselves!

Though not a name brand, but the cheapest gas nonetheless
that I found in Northwest Houston today.

Today I decided to reward myself for all the hard work I have done.  Remember my letter to Santa last year?  I asked him for deluxe zero gravity chair (which he did not bring) well Gander Mtn. had a fabulous sale on them this week so I went and bought me one.



I also treated myself to lunch at Taco Cabana.  Afterward I came home and took a nap, I guess that is the only reason I am up at this hour.  All week I have fallen asleep during the news.  The only good thing is that I get up early and can do things when it is still relatively cool.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

What Was I Thinking?

What was I thinking? Or more like did I think at all?  Another thing to blame on CRS!

It has been a long time since I have traveled back to the big city on Sunday and had plumb forgotten that 50 miles before hitting Houston the traffic slows to a crawl as everyone is trying to make it back into town to join the rat race on Monday.

This time it was 70 miles before Houston.  Were these party revelers coming back from the first week of Fiesta in San Antonio?  Maybe but it was a bit early for that or at least when I used to attend Fiesta we did not leave San Antonio till at least 6:00 p.m.

It took me 7 hours and 13 minutes to make it home. You can bet your bottom dollar I will not be traveling on Sunday again unless it is going the opposite direction.

The grass is high so will have to tackle it soon before the HOA deems it necessary to send me a love letter.

Want to welcome Frann to my followers list.  She is one of five bloggers that I have had the pleasure to meet in person.

Friday, April 20, 2012

On the Mend

I am on the mend after my fall.  Spent Wednesday in pain so decided to go pay the good doctor a visit.  Nothing is broken just a little sore and bruised.


I have been taking it easy this past couple of days.  The pain pills make me sleepy so I have been napping all day and going to bed by 10:00 o’clock.  As you know something quite rare for me the night owl!

We went back to Ciudad Acuna today and I decided that this time I would cross the International Bridge at Amistad Dam so I could see how far along the progress was on the new border crossing station.



Got a nice older agent who was not bitter or in a bad mood.  I guess I can see how agents working in congested crossing, out in the elements and having to deal with hundreds of people daily would not have a sense of humor.



 
Working at the Dam you probably have a car crossing maybe every ten minutes?  You inspect their documents and then go back into air conditioning and sit down until the next vehicle comes along.  Then you have the added bonus of looking at a beautiful and tranquil setting.  It is no wonder these agents are in a good mood.




I asked this nice officer when the new station would open and he told me that my guess was as good as his since they had delayed the move on three occasions and that at least on paper they were supposed to have been already there.




Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Took a Tumble

Drove Mom to her appointment at the beauty shop in Ciudad Acuna and while there decided I too would get a hair cut.  She really likes her new hairdresser and she did an excellent job on her hair.

Afterwards we proceeded to buy groceries at two of the local stores that we frequent the most Soriana and Bodegas Aurrera (owned by Wal-Mart).  Soriana had a great price on Roma tomatoes one kilo for $3.45 mexican pesos.  For those that are not familiar with kilos:

1 Kilo = 2.2 lbs


That is like buying 2.2 lbs of tomatoes for .35 US cents.  We then proceeded to Bodegas Aurrera where we usually buy nopales (cactus) though not often on special this is a great vegetable with innumerable properties that help with cholesterol, diabetes, cardio vascular disease and osteoporosis just to name a few.


This particular module had all of the health benefits one can get by eating this great vegetable but unfortunately for my readers it is in Spanish…but try googling it for further information.


I take minimum two medium size ice chests since we buy a lot of fruits and vegetables. We usually go grocery store hopping so they come in handy in keeping our stuff cool as we go from store to store.  Today I brought along two small ice chests as well so I had stuff spread in different coolers (this will make sense as you read on).

When you go shopping in Mexico you will get better prices if you pay in Mexican currency rather than US dollars.   I had to buy my high blood pressure medicine so I pretty much used up all the Mexican currency I had.  Decided to stop at a local exchange house and buy some more pesos before heading home.

Unfortunately for me I have not fully recovered from my sprained ankle in Terlingua last year and did not notice that the pavement was not leveled and my left ankle gave out and I took a tumble.  A young couple selling hats heard me scream and then saw me laying on the pavement and came to my rescue.

My only thought was that my mother would think someone saw me come out of the exchange house and had tried to rob me.  So I asked the girl to please tell my mother that it was only a fall, that I was fine.  They helped me to the sidewalk where I sat for a long while till I felt well enough to walk to my car.

If that was not enough drama for the day when we got to US Customs the lady officer began to grill me about what I brought back.  Believe me, we bring a ton of stuff back and with the pain in my ankle plus my CRT (Can’t Remember Shit) syndrome I was slow in responding to everything she asked.

That is when she told me that it was not HER…but the computer had generated “A Random Inspection of my Vehicle” and sent me off to the inspection station…WTH?  She said it like I had just won the damn lottery!!

I was in so much pain I really did not give a darn since I did not have anything to hide.  I must say though that the guys that searched the vehicle were very nice and considerate of my mom.  They even cracked a couple of jokes…one said, “looks like we need to crack the coffee pot and enjoy the cake she forgot to declare” : D

Have to mention that when they got to the medium ice chest in the trunk one of the guys told me “before I open this ice chest I need you to declare what you have here because if I find you have a prohibited item I will have to fine you” to which I responded that I had four other ice chest and I could not remember exactly all that was in that particular one but that it was nothing prohibited”…he then proceeded to open it and inspect it and everything checked out.

I will probably get a lot of flack for this but I am going to say it anyway…I know that they are only doing their job… but if you can, stay clear or change lanes and avoid women inspection officers if at all possible especially elderly ones and that goes for the men too, it is like they have a chip on their shoulder, at least all the ones that I have dealt with.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Monday, April 16, 2012

True to my Procrastinating Ways

Last week when we were heading into town I spotted a DPS vehicle coming the opposite direction, as soon as he passed me I saw him make a U-turn and I knew he was going to stop me.  He was behind me for about a minute but it seemed like an eternity and I knew I was going to get a ticket for having an expired inspections sticker.  Lucky for me he passed me and pulled over a truck in front of me with paper license plates.


If you are ever in Del Rio and need to fix a flat or have your car inspected
I highly recommend this family owned business.

First thing on the agenda this morning was to get a new sticker so as not to get paranoid each time I see a law enforcement vehicle.  Second was to go to the post office to drop off my Income Tax Extension Form along with a check…you really did not think I was actually going to mail my completed tax return did you?  I will tackle that before October 15th, as I cannot go through what I did last year!



A lot of the bloggers I follow are planting stuff and their gardens are off to a great start.  I have a brown thumb but I decided to invest a dollar and bought me a Roma tomato plant, we will see how that goes.  Any bets on how long it will survive?



Gas prices are holding steady at $3.79 for regular unleaded.


Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Catching Up on Blogs

The wind last night was pretty strong at times.  Was concerned about the people at the different campgrounds in the area as well as the bloggers that live in the Terlingua area, especially Tffnguy since he has a broken arm.

So far this year we have yet to turn on the A/C even though we have had some rather warm days already.  I am sure it will have to be turned on soon…it is after all Texas.

Was hoping to make it to Home Depot this afternoon but got lazy and decided to catch up on all the blogs I follow instead.  Since I usually don’t go online until midnight I don’t always have time to catch up if I miss a couple of days.


Billy Bob I know I mentioned an aluminum ladder but this is really what I meant...a small ladder or step stool…so you could climb up to your RV ladder without having to hurt your back carrying those heavy cinder blocks.

Wanted to share something with you guys that I read last year when I was trying to find natural ways to fend off mosquitoes.  It said to put fabric softener sheets that go in the dryer in your pant pockets or to pin them on your clothing.  I thought it was a little crazy but when I was mowing the yard I was unable to find any of my long sleeve shirts but came across my dryer sheets and decided to give them a whirl.

I was so surprised it worked!!  Well at least it worked on the mosquitoes outside, did not get bit not even once.  However it has not worked on the ones that are inside the house. It is those that I am concerned about since my Mom is allergic to chemicals or sprays of any kind.  Anyone have any natural mosquito killing solutions you would care to share?

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Sofia

I was supposed to rake the weeds and grass clippings today but woke up at noon and by that time it was just too hot and humid and the winds were blowing pretty good to get anything done.

Instead decided to wash clothes.  I have not had a chance to call the washing machine repairman so did it the old fashioned way.  Have I mentioned before that I hate going to the Laundromat?  It is a good thing that between my mother and I we have tons of sheets and towels.

If I never bought another article of clothing in my life it would not matter as I have enough clothes to last till the day I die, which hopefully will not be anytime soon.



The Field Lab has Dennis…Terlingua Dreams – Del Rio branch has Sofia and her two little friends but today only Sofia showed up.  They seem to like the weeds in the north side of the property (the portion that I did not mow).


My old computer is doing better now; I am now having problems with my back up, which is a Netbook.  For the life of me I cannot open up any of my hotmail accounts or Messenger.  It tells me I have an invalid IP.  Maybe I need to go to the library and check out Computer for Dummies :-(

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Tackled the Weeds

There was no more getting around it, needed to tackle the weeds and I did so.  Was out there for about four and half hours and took care of the front yard which is on the west side as well as the east and some of the south side.  In other words mowed what is visible when you drive by.

The picture I posted last time of the cactus, large mesquite tree and weeds is on the north side of the property and not visible by passing cars unless you are in a tall vehicle like a school bus or dump truck so it was not a priority.

I am so pleased with my little Homelite weed eater that I am considering buying another one.  My parent’s house sits on three county lots so there is a big area to clear and this little electric weed eater has performed like a champ and I have not run out of string yet.

I know how to thread a single line string but not a double line one.  May just break down and buy those pre-threaded spools even though they are more expensive than threading them yourself.

My arms are a little tired but not like I imagined they would be, I am not even sleepy as I often am when I do yard work.  Tomorrow I need to rake and pick up the grass and weeds.  I also need to cut some mesquite limbs that are too close to the clothesline.  I tried cutting a few but my cutting shears seem to be dull.  Need to figure out how to sharpen them or if not go buy me some other ones as I have had those for well over ten years.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

La Pachanga Panga

The day started off rather cloudy and dreary but cleared up nicely. Took Mom to her doctor’s appointment and she was given a clean bill of health.

We needed some things from HEB and the minute I entered the parking lot I spotted it and pulled over to take a picture.  Mother rolled her eyes and could not believe I had seen Terlingua, Texas on it.



For those not familiar with Del Rio, Texas we have Lake Amistad and seeing boats in the parking lots of HEB, Wal-Mart and local businesses is common place as we have a lot of tourist visiting us.  What was unusual was that my eyes were drawn to that boat!



When we came out of the store I looked for it but it was gone. Hope the owners of La Pachanga Panga had a great time at Lake Amistad or whatever lake they visited or were on their way to visit.


They had this cute dog in the truck and he/she did not even bark at me
and instead posed for the picture, lol :)

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Why so much paperwork?

Mom goes to see several doctors and I am amazed at all the paperwork that has to be filled out.  Wish they had some kind of generally accepted standard form so I would not have to fill out the same thing over and over again.



Today I took her in for blood work in preparation for her appointment on Thursday and I will be darn if once again I had to fill out more forms of things that her doctor already has on file, after all she has been seeing her for five years!



The rain this weekend has made the weeds as well as the mesquite grow even more.  The only pretty blooms in my opinion are the ones on the cactus.  Took some pictures but my Mom is in them and she would KILL me if I posted them so will post the ones of the cactus with those horrible mesquite trees growing in the mist of them.



For the past couple of days I have not seen two of the three horses that mom’s heartless neighbor has in the sun and heat all day without shade.  I hope he sold them to a person that will take care of them.  He has one horse now and he had him tied up in the vacant lot behind mom’s house so he could eat the weeds but did not leave him water!  I was going to take a picture to document it but by the time I found my camera he had moved the horse.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to each and every one of my blogger readers and cyber friends.  May you spend this day the way you most deem enjoyable for you and your family.

As previously stated Del Rio has in the past years allowed camping during this holiday in its local parks so I set out to document it.

I also went to the various Amistad Lake Recreation Areas and took pictures of this weekend so my readers could see how locals as well as tourists were spending this holiday weekend.

Took a lot pictures and decided to divide my posts by campground as well as by city parks.  Please check under this month’s posts if you would like to read about each location.

Have a great day!

Easter Saturday – State Park

Part of Moore Park but known as State Park because it faces State Highway 90 East and West.  This side of the park is the most popular because of its short proximity to San Felipe Springs.












Easter Saturday – Moore Park

Moore Park is the oldest park in Del Rio, Texas.  It is known by two names Moore Park and The State Park because part of it borders Highway 90 East and West.







Easter Saturday – San Felipe Lions Park

There were definitively more people today than Thursday afternoon and everyone looked happy and seemed to be having a great time specially the kids.  Must admit I was a little envious and wished if only for this weekend to be a kid once more.



This nice vintage RV provided electricity and restrooms to their camp
This guy along with a lot of other campers brought
along plenty of mesquite wood. He was playing
some cool old time Tejano tunes.




This senior citizen lady had some nice hip sunglasses
she was featured in my "Early Birds" post.





Boys being boys


This kid was having the best time. His mother would launch him
and another friend of hers would catch him as he went
down this mini waterfall.



Easter Saturday – Governors Landing

This is my favorite campground.  All the spots were taken except for one.  Wanted to take pictures but when you drive by the people are right in your face and I did not want to invade their privacy or take their picture without their consent.

So I took pictures of the picnic area that is open to the public and is frequented by the locals. Once again the low lake levels can’t help but jump at you.









On the way to this campground you pass a favorite watering hole of some of the nice folks I met at the chili cook-off when they happen to come into town.  Can’t help but wonder what happened to them?  They have not been back since 2008…Jeelbare are you around?  Sandy?  Charlie?