Since we have chosen to stay here at River Bend for two months we have adapted to just everyday living. We are not on vacation so to speak but just living in a different place. We get beautiful sunrises over the golf course in the morning as we have coffee and watch Good Morning America. Josie brought along one plant from the house, a shamrock and it is thriving here in Texas. We also have  chores and washing the RV is one of them. I like to wash the top myself and let one of the local workers who drive through the park everyday looking for work wash the rest of the coach.  We were looking for a lamp to put in our front window and Jo came up with the great idea of getting a leg lamp. After all it is a "major award". I cannot keep the Jeep clean since I go out on many gravel roads looking for birds, and I also have a pretty good sized ding in the windshield from those roads too. We don't have to go too far for the more common birds like this Great Kiskadee  below on our back yard.

We were joined here at River Bend for ten days by Bruce and Audra Stewart. I am sure that most of you know that Bruce and I have been friends for 35 years and worked together for most of those. He and Audra are also full times. We had a lot of fun trying out all the local cuisine. Of course Mexican but also oysters and Texas BBQ. They joined us for the Ronny Cox concert at the club house, which was ok but the highlight was everyone brought a dish so all the food was great and we won the table lottery and were the first  to  go through the buffet line. They also joined us for bingo and Audra was a winner. One day we drove over to South Padre Island and drove up the beach. You can drive 28 miles north on the beach and a few folks even camp in their RVs on the beach. They headed north to get a new floor in their Winnebago a few days ago and we miss having them and the dogs across the cul de sac from us.

Our next door neighbors pulled in a few days after Bruce and Audra arrived. They are Gary and Mary from Northern Wisconsin. Gary and I are now golfing two times a week and tomorrow we will venture over to another course here in the Valley and see how bad we can play there. Today they went with us over to Progresso Mexico. Almost every Winter Texan we talk to goes over the border to buy their medicine. You do not need a prescription and the prices on many drugs is far lower then in the US. Many of them also have their dental work done there. So the whole main street after walking over the bridge is filled with pharmacies, dentists and even plastic surgery places. Of course there are hundreds of street vendors and gift shops selling pottery, leather goods and of course tequila. My only purchase besides lunch with great margaritas was a small wooden table for outside. The Even the restaurant we ate at had a dentist office in it. No kidding! Once onto  the Mexican side of the bridge children reach their hands through the fence begging for money and Gary was a soft touch.

The birding here is fantastic  and I have gone out with local groups every Saturday morning. But you only have to look out the window of the RV to see beautiful birds. We have a Vermilion Flycatcher that is always around on the wires and the street sign right outside our door!!

We have been here at River Bend Resort for a week now and getting settled in. Our home site is within 100 yards of the Rio Grande River and we can see right into Mexico from our front window. We are also right next to the driving range for the golf course and the 5th green and 6th tee. I was able to get out on the course on Friday, and it is a challenge with water hazards on almost every hole.  Six of the holes are right along the rivers edge. On the first hole that borders the river I teed one up and hit it over into the farm field in Mexico. I have hit balls over a state line ( NC to SC ) and now from one country to another. Josie takes a power walk every morning and I ride my bike down the along the border road and bird watch. We always run into a Border Patrol  car or agent on our trips. In some places along the road there are huge fences as you can see below. l have been on one Birding trip to one of the World Birding sites , Resaca de la Palma , and saw a lot of great Valley birds. Since I was up early and did not want to wake Jo I had breakfast at the breakfast taco bar at the Valero service station on the corner. Two warm  chorizo, and  scrambled eggs  tacos. The coffee bar offers a French vanilla red chili creamer.  We attended Bingo night on Thursday and had a great time meeting all the other Winter Texans who are staying here. On Thursday Jo is playing Mahjong with the ladies and we are going to a Concert by Ronny Cox (actor who played the guitar on dueling banjos in the Movie "Deliverance") at the club house on Friday night. I have downloaded an English to Spanish app on my phone so we are able to understand the signs and menus here. Almost everyone we have come in contact with- in the community are of Mexican heritage. Our banker, the lady who cuts my hair and of course the waitress at a great Mexican restaurant we have discovered via Trip Advisor. Today we went to a local Flea Market where we bought a half dozen avocados, a half dozen tomatoes, two limes, one jalapeno and a bunch of cilantro for under $10 dollars. The first few days we were here it rained, but the past three days have been beautiful and that brought out the first armadillo and I was able to watch football and golf out side.