Last post from Brownsville

These are a couple of pictures of the Resaca, near dusk, in the park where we've been living. 

We are leaving Brownsville on Sunday and heading north, then east.  It was our design to spend the summer traveling the northern half of the USA, but right now, life is still too uncertain.  Some campgrounds have opened, but many remain closed.  Some campgrounds that are open are not accepting travelers from out of state.  It has caused quite a dilemma for full-time RV'ers.

We are lucky enough to have good friends who own a campground in the Appalachian Mountains.  It is in the northeast corner of Tennessee where Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina share their borders.  Our plan is to spend a few months anchored there and explore the area.  Here in Brownsville, the temperatures are already in the 90s with 80+ percent humidity.  Our destination campground is running about 20 to 30 degrees cooler.  I have to admit, I'm looking forward to leaving the heat behind.

I've got a few pictures I haven't posted previously, and now seems like the perfect time to post them.  They are, of course, of birds.

I was sitting at the kitchen table the other day, which also serves as my desk, working in my sketchbook.  There is a large picture window right next to the table.  I was constantly distracted by the Great-tailed Grackles, also known as Mexican Blackbirds, that were fluttering in and out of my peripheral vision.  I finally put down my pencil to watch.  The birds would land on the rug outside our door, walk around a bit, and then take off.  It took me a few minutes to determine what was attracting them, but eventually it became apparent.  The birds were pulling heavy threads from the rug, presumably to line a nest.  I had noticed the rug seemed to be fraying, but passed it off to age.  Now I know it was the perseverance of these clever feathered creatures.

These are Roseate Spoonbills.  We saw a small flock of them in a costal lagoon on the way to Boca Chica Beach.  They were very bright pink in color.  I thought I was finally seeing Flamingos.  Consort stopped the truck, turned it around, then drove us back to where I spotted them so we could have a better look.

The birds are pink, but they also have quite a bit of white on them.  Their bills are round and wide and look like a flattened spoon.  They were standing in very shallow water, slowly walking forward while swinging their heads from side to side.

When I took these pictures, I walked down as close as I dared to the water's edge.  I did not want to disturb the birds causing them to take flight.  The cracked mud you see had the consistency of a sponge.  I felt as though I might break through and sink at any moment.

This is a picture from the National Audubon Society.  I wanted to post the Audubon Society's picture so you could see just how beautiful these birds are.  Breathtaking!

And this little guy, a seagull, was perched at the Port Isabel Walmart store.  Apparently, humans are not the only ones to frequent the establishment.