Home Sweet Home! Back to Retama Village

Hi all, Dianne here.  Just a quick blog update on our return to our winter home at Retama Village in Mission, Texas.  One of the reasons we've not updated is illustrated above.  Not many people are back to their winter home yet, so Roger and I have often had the pool all to ourselves.  

Roger has gone over to swim laps several times.  When it cools off a little, we'll start biking in the state park next door for exercise.

We spent the first week or so getting all settled in, moving the grill and furniture back to the patio...

We ordered a bike rack 
and Roger assembled it:

Planting my tomatoes, herbs, and new cactus...

  

Our roses and back yard plantings are doing well...

This year I'm attempting to grow morning glories and moon flowers in my vining pots.  I worried that the wind and baking sun might be too harsh for them, but so far they are thriving!  I'll post another photo once they are big enough to bloom.  The plan is to have morning glories blooming during the day, and when they close up the moon flowers will open up in the evening with their heavenly scent.  

While you all are enjoying the crisp weather of fall, our thermometer still registers in the mid 90s every day (another reason we've spent time at the pool).  Today it's forecast to reach 100!  Evenings and mornings are pleasant, though, and I'll trade shorts all winter for a little afternoon heat now.

Other activities we've done since our return include planning next summer's trip to the Pacific Northwest (Roger), catching up on Quicken with our bills and receipts (me, with Charlie the cat's help as shown above), playing librarian in the clubhouse (me), gearing up for the fall neighborhood activities (Roger), and most of all,

I like to carry my own favorite toy!

 walking Bandido and Tequila over to their beloved doggie park next door for their morning romp and play.  Here's a few more photos of the fun:

Ahhhh!   I could have used this water tub in Moab this summer!!

Ready to rumble!

I LOVE my blue ball!

If you haven't gotten enough of doggie park fun, I made a movie of some of the action, set to music:

Rather than close with more photos of Bandido, Tequila, or Charlie, here are a few night time shots captured by my wildlife cam, both here and at our final stop at Choke Canyon State Park:

Racoon visitors at Choke Canyon

Big ole' Javelina passing through our site at Choke Canyon S.P.

Not to be outdone, soon after we returned to Retama, my wildlife cam caught this large coyote just behind our back fence:

                                                  

There must be a large pack of coyotes nearby, because we can often hear them at night yip-yip-yipping and it sounds like there are hundreds of them in our back yard! 

Once again, I'll point out that we might not update for a while.  Today's blog pretty well sums up our activities since we've been home.  We'll write again if and when there's blog-worthy activity!  For those readers just interested in the travel info, check back next April/May when we set out again for another  five-month-long road trip.

Pa'rus Trail, Zion National Park

Tequila here....   Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!  This time, Bandido and I get to go along on the hike!  The picture above shows us trying to get out of the back of the car at the trailhead.  We could not wait.


I don't understand why we can't go on most of these hikes in the national parks.  They look like adventures that we would love.  It just doesn't seem fair.  But enough whining.  We did get to go on this one.  Dad told us that Zion National Park has set aside a 3.5 mile paved hike just for us dogs... and people, and strollers, and bicycles.


We were able to get on the Pa'rus Trail as soon as we got out of the car at the Visitor Center (whatever that is).  Well, not right away... Mom and Dad had to go pee first.  They called it a restroom.  That's another thing I don't get.  Why do they go inside to pee when they insist that we pee outside.  Humans are so strange.

Anyway, off we gooooooooooo!


Dad said we had to have plenty of water.  Mom and Dad carried theirs in these funny packs that they tied around their tummies.  Bandido, being the gentledog that he is, carried water for the two of us in his spiffy, red pack.  Dad said something about Bandido needing a job.  I am glad that he did all the work so that I could concentrate on chasing lizards.

Look!  There's one of those pesky lizards right there!


There sure are lots of pretty mountains to look at here.  That's what Dad says.  I really did not notice them.  Still looking for lizards.

The trail followed the Virgin River.  I asked Dad what virgin meant, but he told me that I was too young for that kind of information.  Any way, it was fun looking and listening to the water.

We got to see a couple places where the water dropped over some rocks and splashed into more water.  I liked it.  I wonder who is pushing all that water over the edge.  Dad said something about gravity... another thing I don't understand, yet.

We saw some dog prints in the concrete path.  Wow, that must have been some big and heavy dog to make a print in concrete like that!  Or, was it a mountain lion?  Mountain lions make me scared.  I heard they are mean.

Speaking of scared.... Do ya wanna hear something funny about Bandido?  (He's gonna be mad that I am tellin' you this.)  Bandido is scared to go across bridges!  He jumps over walls. He barks at strangers when they get close to the motor home.  Dad says he is strong as an ox (big cow).  Dad talks about how smart he is. He acts like he is such a tough dog all the time.  BUT, he is afraid to go across a bridge.  SO FUNNY!

Look at him with his nose next to the bridge while he is being very careful with every step.  Not me!  I trotted right across.  I am a brave dog.

Mom and Dad let us stop several times to get a drink of water.  One time we got treats while Mom and Dad ate food that looked a lot better than ours.  Not fair!  Here is a picture of Bandido drinking water.  That is my nose on the far lower right, waiting for my treat.

LIZARD!  LIZARD!!!!!!!  It was movin' around right next to me in the tall grass next to the trail.  You can see part of it in the lower right part of the picture.I saw it first and lunged at it.  THEN, it lunged at me and tried to bite me.  Whoa!  The lizard tried to bite me?  It's a good thing it missed because I would have been a "goner" (whatever that is)!  Mom pulled me back right away.  Dad said it was a coiled Diamond Backed Rattler.  Now he was acting scared.  Mom tried to get a picture of it with the photo zoom lens (whatever that is).  Dad told her that she could not chase this snake like she did the other day.  Because Dad was so hyper, Mom's pictures weren't that good.  Drat. I really wanted to see what it looked like.  All you can really see is the back of it.

Mom and Dad told a park ranger along the trail about the rattler.  The rest of the hike we had to stay in the middle of the trail.  What fun is that?  How was I supposed to harass the lizards?  Dad stayed in the middle of the trail too --- to set a good example for me n' Bandido.

To change the scary mood, Mom decided to take pictures of flowers along the trail.  Even though this does appeal to my feminine side, chasing the lizards was more fun.

OK....  We got back to the car, and we're on our way back to the motor home.  Dad says that I have to call this last picture, "The Pet Picture of the Day."  Mom took it when I fell asleep in the back seat when I was sitting up.  I was so-o-o tired!   I am mad that she took a picture of me without my permission.

A Walk in the Park

Bandido here....   It has been raining here since last Saturday.  Mom and Dad say that the rain is needed, but I am sick and tired of sitting in the motor home watching old Dog Whisperer episodes.  Except for the first rain, most of the rain has been drizzle, but it has been chilly (50s) so our fun trips outside have been short.  Mom has been busy making 16 pie crusts for the Retama Community Christmas Dinner.  I am not allowed in the coach house when she is cooking, and even worse, I am not invited to the dinner.  I have not been a happy puppy.  Grrrr.

Everything changed yesterday.  The sun came out.  The wind dried up the mud.  The temperature climbed to the mid-70s.  I let Mom and Dad know that it was time to get off their butts and get outside by closing Dad's computer with my paw and vocalizing a few doleful whines.  Works every time.




I thought we were headed to the dog park when I saw Dad putting on his shoes.  So, I helped him along by licking his face and nipping at his feet when he put on his socks.  They surprised me though, when they did not take the turn to the dog park.  At first I was upset, but I sensed that this might be a long walk.  I was right.

After a short stroll, we arrived at the entrance to Bentsen Rio Grande State Park.  I have been here before.  It is a fun place.  Lots of things to smell.

We passed a couple of Border Patrol cars as we entered the park.  The agents always wave to me.  They are so nice.  I try to never bark at them because they might take me away from my parents and send me to Mexico.

We looked at a map to see where we would be walking.  We decided to walk all the way around the park.  Wow, look.  We are really close to Mexico.

Mom and Dad took turns going into one of the bird blinds.  One of them always stayed with me because I don't like to be alone.  In fact, I don't like any of us to be away from each other.  We are a family of three (not counting the cat who is really not one of us).  If any of us wanders off, I try really hard to herd that person back.  It is a big job.  Anyway, Dad says that he saw a Baltimore Oriole and a Black Crested Titmouse.  Big woop.  Unless I can chase them out of the yard, I really don't care.


I would much rather spend my time smelling new smells.

After a while, Mom had to go to the bathroom.  This happens a lot with Mom.  Dad secretly took her picture coming out of the "Big John".  So funny!  Mom didn't even know he took the picture and now it is here for everyone to see.  Funny Dad.  He might be in trouble.

We walked to the top of the hawk tower, but did not see any hawks.  I love it up there.  It is so high and you can stand in the wind and see all the way to Mexico.

Mom and Dad were all excited about the water level in the resaca (a lake that used to be a bend in a river) below the tower.  It almost dried up in the drought.  It is not full yet, but it is getting better.  That is a good thing for all the wildlife in the park.

We passed by Dad's favorite tree.  He thinks it looks all eerie and creepy.  He especially likes riding his bike by it at Halloween time.  Just looks like a tree to me.  I really don't understand why Mom and Dad get excited about some things, but I like them anyway.


The sun really was bright.  Me and my shadow..........

When we got back home, Mom's pedometer said that we walked 4.9 miles.  I don't know what that means, but I feel a nap coming on.

Wait a minute..... This day just keeps getting better.  Mom stopped by the mailbox after we got back.  She ordered some special yogurt stuff to put on my dog biscuits and it arrived.  Chaplin used to really like the dog biscuits, but being from south Texas, I have always thought they were a little bland.  Anyway, she glazed the dog biscuits right away and I got to have one.  It  was yummy.


When my parents weren't looking, I helped myself to some more.  (I guess they had to have been looking or there wouldn't be a picture.)

It was a perfect day.  


Now for the "human" picture of the day.....  It got pretty hot during our walk.  When we were close to home, Mom started walking with her arms sticking out.  She told Dad that she was airing her armpits because she forgot to put on deodorant after her shower.  Personally, I think she was very aromatic!