Display of Nuts, Seeds and Grainola at Brownsville Farmer's Market

The vendors at this stall also had the most delicious oatmeal cranberry cookies.

Views From Our Back Window at Sunrise

...again? What am I doing awake at sunrise? The light is magnificent, but so is sweet, gentle sleep.

White Lake Area Shrouded in a Delightful Fog

Approaching the Fishing Bridge from the bike trail.

The park behind Trailway Campground.

White River Delta as seen from the Fishing Bridge.

Fishing Bridge from the boat ramp.

First Fishing Excursion of the Season

Shortly after 6:00 this morning, we left the pier at the White Lake Marina.

This was to be the first fishing trip in Rocky's new boat, although he had taken it out on the water for a couple shakedown cruises during previous weeks.

Just as we passed the first buoy, the sun crested the horizon.

As we approached the Channel, it was full daylight and White Lake was relatively calm. When we got into the channel, there was a bit of a roll.

Out on Lake Michigan, the water was choppy with a much larger roll in the waves. There were also a very few small whitecaps. Much too rough for comfortable fishing in a small boat.

The Cap'n brought us back into White Lake where we caught a few bluegills and sunfish until late morning.

Mobile Bay at the bottom of Alabama

Natural gas rigs sit on the horizon looking north across Mobile Bay from the Fort Morgan peninsula.

Driftwood on the beach,  damaged piers and boat houses are the result of recent storm surges and high winds.

Wasp on a Cactus Blossom

When I took this picture I was intent on getting the wasp in focus and didn't notice the spider web or the spider hiding beneath the petal of the top blossom.

Easter Lily Cactus Blossom

An Easter Lily Cactus blossoms in a window-box garden at the side of our patio. The box also holds Ghost Plant succulents and Pin Cushion Cactus.

This year there were two blossoms. This was yesterday's. It was open when we opened the door at about 9:00 A.M. and lasted until shortly after noon.

The second blossom was open when I stepped outside at about 7:00 o'clock this morning. There are several varieties of this plant with slightly different colored flowers from pristine white to brilliant pink. They begin with an ugly black hairy growth from the side of the globular cactus that lasts two or three weeks, and then very suddenly this gorgeous blossom appears.

Sunset Over the Rio Grande Valley

About twenty minutes before sunset. Because of the clouds I had hoped for more spectacular color in the western sky, but it didn't quite happen.

Notice the tethered blimp hovering between the two prominent palm trees at the left. It's "Big Brother's" eye in the sky. It keeps watch over the Valley from Mission, TX to Sullivan City.

A ground crew maintains the blimp and keeps an eye on the monitors 24 hours a day, every day. This part of the Texas border is a high traffic area for illegal immigrants.

River Patrol on the Rio Grande

Early morning at Anzalduas park in Mission, TX. The Texas Highway Patrol had their boats launched and tied up at the dock when we arrived.

I had seen photos of these boats, but seeing them in person was a bit of "shock and awe."

Each of the boats has two tandem sets of M240, 7.62 mm machine guns mounted in the bow and two single mount guns at the rear. All six guns, capable of firing 750 - 950 rounds per minute, were locked and loaded. With a range of 4,000+ yards, I can't imagine any drug runner resisting.

Texas State Highway troopers were preparing for exercises with the Border Patrol and willingly posed for photos.

 Armored as they are it takes every bit of the 900 horsepower three Yamaha outboard engines crank out to push the boats up and down the river at speed.

Look out bandidos, here they come.

Illegal Crossing

This scenario began to unfold while our photography group visited Anzalduas park in Mission, TX a few days ago.

I was taking photos of egrets and pelicans in the river just below the dam on the Rio Grande River when I noticed a group of people emerge from the woods on the other side.

 

A man began to prepare an inflatable raft and I began to realize what was going on.

The coyote carried the raft to the river...

...as soon as it was in the water, six people scrambled down the river bank, boarded and began their trip across the river.

A few minutes later this group of four women and two children were sauntering up the road toward the dike that intersects the park.

To me, this seemed to be a very strange crossing. Four women, two children illegally entering the U.S. in broad daylight, within view of the dam where people are working and surveillance cameras continually watching. They casually stroll down the road as if it's a regular commute.

They trek to the top of the dike and stroll about a hundred yards when one of the women waves to the constable who will detain the group.

During the entire episode there was no sense of urgency, concern or furtiveness displayed by any member of the group. The constable had no probable cause to detain them, he hadn't witnessed the crossing, they could have been American tourists, like me, exploring the park.

In addition, the Border Patrol, and the Texas State Highway Patrol were conducting some kind of joint exercise during the day. Earlier the constable told us the park would be closed at noon, presumably because of those exercises.

So, why would this group of women and children pay a Coyote to smuggle them across the river, nonchalantly cross as if they belonged here and then casually walk into the arms waiting law enforcement? If normal procedure was followed they would have been escorted to a port of entry and deposited back into Mexico before lunch.

Dead Sparrow

Children of Nuevo Progreso

As we cross the bridge into Nuevo Progreso, there is an onslaught of beggars. They are separated from the tourists by the welded-shut louvres and the concrete railing. Nevertheless, little children can push their hands through while they plead for pocket change.

We visited on "Appreciation Day" with throngs of Winter Texans as well as local families.

Immediately past the first cross street a huge sound stage hosted musicians and entertainers all afternoon, but soon after passing that raucus crowd there was this air slide where small children slid and jumped while their parents waited.

I hadn't seen so many hispanic families on the street before this visit. Also, for the first time locals by far outnumbered the tourists.

Children work with their parents selling street food from vending carts.

Boy watches his father prepare a fruit cup for a customer.

 A persistent little girl and her younger sister relentlessly pursued a sale of trinkets and artificial flowers.

The apparently very tired boy wans't nearly so persistent choosing instead to have a seat and rest for a while.

The ecstatic little girls finally made a sale to a very tough customer.

Ghost Plant Flower

Same shot, different f:stop.

Variations on a Bowl of Tangerines

 

Buildings on the Square in Historic Roma, TX

On the left is the John Vale/Noah Cox house, early merchants in Texas. In the center is Rosita's Cantina with the Guerra market and residence on the right.

Roma was a major trade center on the Rio Grande River in the mid to late 1800s. Before dams were built to control flooding, flat bottom boats wheeled upriver as far as Roma.

Richard King of "King Ranch" notoriety made his first fortune as a river boat captain on the Rio Grande and was a frequent visitor in Roma.

Minimalism in Hidalgo, TX

Texas Lantana

At the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse.

New Mesquite Leaves

Beautiful green Mesquite leaves and their patterns draw me in every spring. It seems I take the same photos every year.

More From Chihuahua Woods

Field of Daisies

Huisache blossoms

Retama Tree blossoms