The Adventure Begins

In an RV park tucked away almost at the tip of Texas, Amber and I rest among all the other midwesterners who have found the Rio Grande Valley. Over 500 RV parks are sprinkled through the Valley. Some permanently have winter homes in retirement subdivisions.

Flat lands verdant with fields of citrus, hay sprinkled with an occasional palm tree conflicts with the image of "a valley." Over 94 percent of the natural vegetation of this area has been replaced with agriculture and long stretches civilizations which at night might look like a necklace along the southern border of Texas. It's a culture like no other I have experienced. Most of the year 91 % of the people here are hispanic. On every weekend the shopping centers bulge with buyers up from Mexico. Amber and I have learned to get groceries before Friday afternoon, and try not to leave the park until Monday.

I have finally become a snowbird. While living in Florida, every winter we were invaded by people from the north. Now I have become one of "them." The Rio Grande Valley is a pit stop for migrating birds - who also find their way from the snow. Smart they are!

Our lap tops are set up to see what the temperature is here in Mission, and at home in Minnetonka. Every day we look. Every day everyone in this park looks! The season is almost over down here, soon temperatures will be too hot, so everyone is making plans for leaving, and daily report what temperatures they are going back too. Just like Minnesotans are consumed by the weather, people here in the parks are consumed by both the weather here and the weather back home.

It's a strange land down here. Sunday was a gorgeous day, clear skies, in the 70's, beautiful. Monday, we were almost blown away by what I call the Santa Anna winds. They come up pretty often, and blow really hard. When I first moved down here, I could not sleep from all the groaning, and buffeting of the metal roofs and shutters responding to the wind. Temperatures can change 30 degrees in any direction within the day, and does.

This is a picture of baby goats on the acreage into the park. There must have been over 40 goats there - including a whole bunch of babies. If you didn't know, one of Amber's not so secret dreams is to own a goat farm!

Twilight is one of my favorite times here. Lovely sunsets, the coolness of the evening begins, and its peaceful.