Park the rig at 1PM. Get an assignment by 3PM and report to work at 7:30 the next morning. We are back at it; tearing down boardwalks and structures at Aransas Wildlife Refuge. Reconstruction is to begin tomorrow. I am anxious to see something new go up.
During our final few days in Rosenberg it rained and rained and rained. Water puddled everywhere as it lay on the sticky clay soil like a moat around the motorhome. Sunday when we began gathering up to head on, the puddles had subsided but all was still mushy and our tires were sunk pretty deep. It didn’t look good. We jacked up the rig with the leveling jacks and inserted boards under all the wheels. First try, it spit the boards out. Second try, a bit of burning rubber. Third try, we are out! we got the entire rig out onto high ground without even needing to resort to the backup, pulling it out with a tractor. We spent the night parked in the driveway and departed for Aransas NWR the following morning right on schedule.
My Birthday wish, music for Brian, Mike, Lynn and I to play together. Mike delivered a wonderfully fun arrangement based on familiar movie themes. So, as a special birthday gift the “Sayre Family Players” performed that arrangement as well as well as some Christmas classics. Lynn played flute, Brian his Double bass (some tuba and percussion parts), I played trumpet and Mike his French Horn in addition to arrangement of the piece. It was a blast! Feeling really blessed!
Brian and Johnna graciously hosted. Tracy and Mike flew in. We took advantage of a level spot out front of their house for a few days then we all headed to Brazos Bend State Park for a bit of quality outdoor time. Great family time. Fantastic food. Favorite Christmas cookies. Smores and campfire pies. Gator encounters. It was a bit chilly and we even had some rain; still a wonderful time.
The final highlight, a tour through Zoolights….. including a Snow Globe proposal. On one knee and everything, enchanting. Welcome to the family, Johnna.
Tall prairie grass waves in the wind. Acres of yellow, blue and purple flowers surround us. Just imagine what it was like when a field like this went on for miles and miles, as far as the eye can see!
The only bummer for the visit to the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken NWR? No Prairie Chickens showed up. I just have to trust they are there I guess
It is a lovely green spot along the Brazos River just west of Houston off I-10. Birding was mostly Cardinals and Black headed vultures. Warblers don’t seem to be here yet. Trails wind through the heavily treed river bottom. A coyote worked its way along the far river bank. This was a pleasant, quiet get away during the week. I suspect the weekends are pretty zooy.
Some quality time with Brian and Johnna.
Our visit to Camping World didn’t go very smoothly. What was originally set for a day and a half stretched to 5 days. Despite all the literature, the Invis-ibrake system and a Ford Focus were not immediately compatible. The Camping World techs called the manufacturer techs and the Ford techs and think they have figured it out. Parts were ordered and installed. Tuesday at 5PM we rolled our now-even-larger menagerie out of their lot. Whew, I’m glad that’s done.
In the mean time we have had a chance to hang out with Brain and Johnna. Brian showed off his tractor driving/bush hogging skills and we met nine Chihuahua puppies that are just a couple weeks old. Otherwise just catching up and hanging out. It is great.
One small hiccup, a low motorhome tire. No worries, Dave’s service truck to the rescue. The guys fired up the compressor and drove it right over. We were aired up in no time. Brazos Bend SP here we come.
It has been sort of cool to watch the seasons change here in Texas but I am anxious to move on. We will spend a few days in the Houston area getting the Focus ready to tow, head toward Phoenix, then set our sights on points North.
We finished up a few odds and ends on projects here at the Refuge. I took the morning off to wander the trails one last time. Spring has really taken a foothold. Everything is growing like crazy. More critters are making appearances. The huge bull frogs chorused, Rails flitted into the rushes, a Black Capped Night Heron and a Green Heron stirred in the early morning air. Snakes are emerging. Mosquitoes are getting more intense. Gators are lolling around everywhere. Ah, warm, sticky days in the marsh.
Kent is finishing up a pile of “home improvement” projects: getting and mounting a motorhome spare tire, installing our kayak carriers on the Focus, and putting the hitch on the Focus so we can launch the boat.
All that is left is to turn in our snake spats and hardhats. So long Aransas. We will probably check in again some day to see how things are going.