We are clearly the most exciting couple in the world

You can tell because we spent New Year's Eve in a library.  The McAllen Public Library to be exact.  Another rainy and chilly day here, and when you are mostly planning outdoor vacation activities you have to improvise when the weather doesn't cooperate.

We had been to the library here before, and it's a great one.  The outstanding feature is that it is a building that used to be a Wal-Mart.  Here's an article:  http://nbclatino.com/2012/07/13/walmart-transformed-into-library-unites-a-community/

But it really is a great public space.  Not only have we seen for ourselves that it is well-used, we spoke with some local people who confirmed that.  It's also beautifully landscaped.  Tons of study rooms, a huge computer room, a quiet study area, and books, lots of books.

Steve found a place for me to sit that was just two stacks from the Travel Guide section.  Coincidence?  I don't think so!  I managed to do a little travel planning while there.

Out for dinner on New Year's Eve

We didn't eat breakfast or lunch, so we were hungry early.  We thought about 4 at a Texas Roadhoues woudn't be crowded at all.  We were wrong!  But we managed to get in and have a meal, and enjoyed being by far the youngest people in our section.  Winter Texans were the predominant crowd.

And that's it.  Back to the room where Steve is watching a Walking Dead marathon and I'm continuing some travel planning.

When Room Upgrades Count

It's all relative of course, but it is rainy and chilly here in South Texas (46 right now).  This beats 3 F at home, but it does mean that there is no birding, butterflying, or golfing to be done.

Luckily, when we arrived here we had been upgraded to a suite and this was waiting for us:

So I didn't meander at all yesterday.  I did laundry, read a book, and worked on a quilt square:

It was all made more comfortable by being in a suite.  Lots of room to spread out.

Unfortunately, it looks like a few more days of this :-(

Warning signs of Texas

We have a running joke in my family about warning signs I encounter in Texas (Hint, there are a LOT of them).  I'm also prone to mishaps on vacation, usually minor (well, except the time I fractured four vertebrae falling off a runaway horse when we were in Belize).

This was the only warning sign I encountered yesterday.

It was not at all helpful when, while innocently sitting at a butterfly feeding station, something came up and stung me on the wrist!  Dammit Texas!

Since this was not the first time we had been stung or bitten by Texas inhabitants, we had Sting-Eze in the car, and once applied I merrily went on my way.

We were at Estero Llano Grande State Park.  It was a gray, chilly day so not a lot of activity.  Steve had nice views of the Green Kingfisher.  I had some nice looks at the buff-bellied hummingbird.  Unfortunately only two American Lady butterflies, and no Pavon Emperor to be found. 

http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/estero-llano-grande

Dinner with Virtual Acquaintenaces Made Real

Over the years of going to the Rio Grande Valley I had received some travel advice on a travel board from a poster who lives here in McAllen, TX.  They generously asked us over for drinks last night and took us out to dinner.  We enjoyed playing with Kelly Ripa, their new rescue pup (sort of a Chihuahua/Terrier mix of some sort) and we enjoyed the conversation.

Dinner was good at Koko's, and they seemed to know everyone in town!

 http://kokosuptown.com

Camo is the new black, and a visit to the Edinburg Wetlands

Camo is the new black

Okay, so I know camo is fashionable, but at this hotel, it seems to almost be required.  I don't know anything about hunting, but there has to be something hunting-related nearby, because I have never seen so many people wearing camo in my life. Camo with leggings and cowboy boots, camo overalls with camo long sleeved shirt, camo gaiters.  

Edinburg Wetlands

Steve spent a little more time at the Brooks County rest stop chasing the Painted Redstart, then about noon we hit the road again.  This time we were headed for the Edinburg Wetlands, a World Birding Center.   For me it is also a good butterflying location. 

The Admission sign at the entrance listed that over 55 you get senior rates.  Woo hoo (for Steve anyway) but we didn't get to take advantage because apparently the last Saturday of every month is Spectacular Saturday and admission is free.  Double Woo Hoo!

The bird sighting listed a black throated gray warbler, so Steve went off to chase that.  I chased butterflies, and got lucky enough to watch a ceranus blue with its wings open for quite awhile.  I spotted the green kingfisher and was able to take a picture.  A beautiful buff-bellied hummingbird made lots of appearances.  Possibly not an exciting day for everyone, but a nice relaxing day for us.

http://www.edinburgwbc.org

Unfortunately the clouds were rolling in in front of the cold front that was on its way and butterfly activity slowed early.  Steve got the black-throated gray, and we decided to get on our way a little after 4 to head to Harlingen, where the best-laid plans of mice and men were thwarted.

Rainy and cold

Even in South Texas it happens.  We were using a free night from Marriott to stay at a Courtyard in Harlingen, the closest Marriott property to where we thought we wanted to be on Sunday.  And that was to be South Padre Island so I could go on Dolphin Watches and we could chase birds and butterflies in that neck of the woods.

Unfortunately a cold front has swept in and it is cold and rainy.  No birding or dolphin watches today, so we are going to see the last Hobbit movie today.  Always have a backup plan!

I'm meandering again.

We spent the first offical day of vacation at a rest stop.  The Brooks County, TX rest stop outside Falfurrias to be exact.

This isn't just any rest stop though (for one thing, there might be snakes!)

You might be asking yourself why we spent all day at a rest stop?  A Painted Redstart, that's why.  We don't get this bird where we live, and the only other option for us to see it is to go to Arizona.  We had seen it there, but not particularly good looks. There had been reports for months that this bird was hanging out here, so on our way down to the Rio Grande Valley we hoped to see it, and we did.  

In fact, there were quite a few birds--bluebirds, the painted redstart, the Audobon yellow rump, yellow throat, golden-fronted woodpecker, caroline wrens, and more.  It was a beautiful, warm day, and Steve chased birds and took video, and when I tired of that I sat at a picnic table and drew.

I also opened up my Christmas morning Crackerjacks and found this as my "surprise"

Naturally I posted it to Facebook to rib a few friends who are Royals fans.

Driving to the Lower Rio Grande Valley

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day found us driving to Texas.  The first night we made it to Pauls Valley OK and luckily Santa found us the next morning and brought us stockings.

We drove the rest of the way to Falfurrias on Christmas Day.  I had established a TXTag account earlier in the month so we could use TX Tollways at a cheaper cost, and just drive through.  We took the 130 around Austin all the way to Seguin.  It was great to go 80 then 85 legally!  That last stretch though had really wavy pavement.  It was like being on a boat without the benefits of blue water and dolphins, and at 85 mph you really felt it.

Christmas Night

After a brief stop at the rest area, we checked into our hotel and went in search of food.  There was none to be found.  The ONLY place in town that had food was the Stripes at the gas station.  It was surprisingly good Mexican and the lineup was practically out the door.  The other thing we found in Falfurrias was Game Rooms.  The only places open (besides gas stations) as we drove around on Christmas night were these Game Rooms.  We asked the desk clerk on our return what they were, and apparently Falfurrias is the only place for miles around that have slot machines.  These Game Rooms were packed!  Gambling away the Christmas money I guess.

The Breakfast Room

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express two nights.  The breakfast room is a great place to people watch, no kidding.

A conversation between two young women the day after Christmas:  Did you have a good Christmas? Yes, we went hunting (she's wearing camo pjs).

And PJs are apparently de riguer now.  In addition to the young woman in camo pjs and slippers, a woman in black silk pj pants and short robe made her appearance.

This morning was a little more boring in comparison, although camo jackets, leggings and cowboy boots did make an appearance (yes, all worn by the same person).

Sunday June 22 2014 The end of the trip

So really, that was the end of the report. On Sunday morning Steve and I made the drive back to Boston, which went quite smoothly. Dropped the car, hung out at the airport, took the direct flight home, where we disembarked to 91 degrees and humid. Should have changed to shorts before getting on the plane! Jeans were killing me.

We had a wonderful time and made some new memories. Thanks for riding along for a bit.

Saturday June 21 - Tuckerbox, Dan and Whits, Carpenter and Main

Tuckerbox, Dan and Whits, Carpenter and Main

The Tuckerbox

After leaving Saint-Guadens, we sought out a light lunch. The GTG gang was having an early dinner, so we didn't want much, but it had still been a long time since breakfast. Ultimately we drove into White River Junction, VT trying to spot something. A friend spotted the Tuckerbox and said let's try that!

The Tuckerbox has Turkish and Mediterranean style dishes. All brick exposed walls and big windows, it has a coffee house vibe as well. I had a very good Doner Kebab. I saw lots on the menu that intrigued me, so if you are headed to VT, maybe to a function at Dartmouth which is just 8 miles away, consider The Tuckerbox for lunch.

http://www.tuckerboxvermont.com

Dan and Whits

Back at the Inn, all of us had some different things we needed to do. I needed some cash (assuming that I would need cash for splitting the bill at dinner that night) and wanted to pop into Dan and Whits next door to the Inn..

I walked down to the only bank I had seen on the Main Street and walked up to the drive through ATM to get my cash, then back to Dan and Whits, billed as a Vermont General Store. It's quite a place, and I'm not sure I can tell you something that hasn't been said before.

Gas pumps out front, on that Saturday a knife grinder set up shop out front, a wildly decorated piano out front where a young man (12-13) played a little earlier that morning with all his friends around. There were community boards with flyers everywhere, and this was all before you even stepped in the front door.

I browsed around the jumble of goods, and spotted a Bodum. This gave me an idea. I am missing a nut on the plunger of a large Bodum coffee press. Dan and Whits has everything, including a hardware section. Maybe they could help me! So I walked back to the hardware section and checked out the nuts and bolts, and pretty soon a Dan and Whits staffer asked if she could help.

I explained what I was looking for, but not very well, and said they had some Bodum coffee presses up front. Pretty soon she was off at a trot for the corner where I had found them. I did my best to keep up, and when I arrived, slightly out of breath, she already was opening a box to examine how the plunger went together.

After some examination she grabbed the plunger and headed back to the hardware section with me in her wake. She found a nut that would fit the plunger, then put two in a sack explaining how they would "lock" if I put two. All this for a total sale of something like 27 cents! 

(Please note, I put them on the plunger at home, and it worked beautifully!  Yay Dan and Whits)

My little brown bag in hand, I explored the rest of the store but only ended up with additional purchases of rolled Lifesavers. You can hardly find them anymore, they are all in bags, individually wrapped, and I hate that!

My pricy purchase gripped firmly in my little fists, it was back to the Inn for me, where I decided I needed a nap before the night's main event at Carpenter and Main for dinner with the GTG gang. The untouched Whoopie Pies with a note for Steve indicated that he had not yet appeared, so I had the room all to myself and took a little snooze.

http://www.danandwhits.com

Carpenter and Main

Directly across the street from the Norwich Inn is Carpenter and Main. It was so nice to just walk across the street! When I arrived, there were already a few people at the bar, and after a short discussion with the bartender I ended up with a Carpenter Cup, their play on a Pimms Cup. It was the perfect refreshing summer drink.

Soon we all congregated in a small dining room where a table had been set up for our group. There were a few other small tables there, but few diners, and this was probably lucky for them. Much hilarity ensued. What a blast we had.

C&M specializes in small plates, but also has entrees. Some ordered all small plates, which is fun so you can try different things. Some ordered small plates AND an entree (me for instance). Several of us shared our small plates. For myself, I ordered avocado fries (really good) ; Thai style cod cakes with Nuoc Cham (so good I had to order more); Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Glaze. I shared with others, they shared with me. Another small plate I had a bite of that was particularly delicious was 
~Roasted Eggplant, Red Pepper And Onion with Sherry and Piment d’Esplette.

For entree I had Mussels in a Thai Curry sauce. A fresh, intense raspberry sorbet finished it off.

The meal was great, the service outstanding, the company even better.


http://www.carpenterandmain.com/index.html

Some of us chatted a bit longer in the parlor over at the Inn, but at last it was time to say our good-byes.