Scenes from a Border town

We got to see my son in his new home on the Texas border. He is 3 miles from the Rio Grande, which means 3 miles from Mexico. 

Shopping downtown was fun.

Seeing the beautiful, historic buildings was interesting.

The landscaping was very different than what we have here in Central Texas. So pretty.

You can't get that close to the border without eating authentic Mexican food.

And you can't skip one of the prettiest, clearest lakes in Texas (also shared with Mexico).

We were able to see the entry point to Mexico from our car.

 


Our shopping trip resulted in 3 new pairs of shoes. I think I'll show them to you soon. And soon, we hope to return to see my son and continue exploring this unique area. John Wayne appeared in the movie "The Alamo" which was filmed in a nearby town and part of the "Lonesome Dove" set was on one of the huge ranches. I have lots of touring left to do.

First crop of the year!

Some of my yellow summer squash were big enough to pick and I always celebrate the first squash or okra by frying it up for supper. So simple, and so delicious. Just cut the squash into thin circles, rinse with water, coat with cornmeal, salt and pepper. Then fry in hot oil until the cornmeal is very golden and crispy.

Our pool project update

We are declaring the area for the pool level now. You can see how massive the landscaping became. The timing was perfect though, because the pool kit arrived yesterday. When we get back from visiting my son, we will assemble the pool. I guess we will see how level the space actually is then.

Flowers-beauty for every situation

Easter Lilies for the church altar

Wild bluebonnets decorate my kitchen window

Cemetery serenity

Fragrant memorial

Angelic Paintbrushes for the piano

Little house guest-Annie

This is Annie, as in "Little Orphan".

She's tiny but is still 10 pounds heavier than my dog Amos.

She's black, but you can't tell because she is lying in the brightest sun.

She's silky, but you can't tell because she's covered with burrs, sticks, mud and leaves.

She has an abundance of energy but she's winding down after hours of play.

She's well groomed, but not this weekend because she's staying with us.

Annie is a country girl this weekend, enjoying all the open air, pasture land and water. Annie's owner is visiting her daughter over the Mother's Day weekend and wanted Annie to stay here with us. Come Monday morning, Annie will get a good bath and some major grooming so our friend won't faint when she sees her dainty little dog.

Pool Project Phase 2

Our neighbor brings in the second round of heavy equipment. This dozer allows him to more smoothly contour the area because it is so heavy. Mike is showing him the correct angle of the blade. I love his body language.

The next step is a load of sand which we will smooth out and level. The pool has been ordered, as is a salt water system. As soon as the ground is level, some cement blocks are leveled for the supports, and the ground is free of any lumps or rocks, the pool can go up.

Those 2x4 boards have levels on them and it seems to me that the hardest part of this whole project is leveling the area. The cement blocks should sit on the hard clay which has to be level. The soft liner of the pool should sit on a little sand, which has to be level. Moving the dirt is hard work, I have been trying to help. I'm better at being the assistant who anticipates which tools Mike needs next and then holding things for him, but I have done enough shoveling and raking to have a sore shoulder (I'm out of shape).


I guess I will just have to soak in the pool soon...

Book Club Update

The book for this month at http://readers-haven.webs.com/thismonthsbook.htm

is Betty Smith's semi autobiographical novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I hope someone will pick this book up at the library and join me. You won't regret it! And when you're done, watch the movie. I will.