Winter Camp Reporting In

With the arrival of the new year, it seems like a good time to update the Wanderings. We are now in out winter camp on the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, Texas. We pulled in just after Thanksgiving. December and January have been kind of strange as Texas, along with the rest of the country, has experienced unseasonably cold weather. I normally expect a few weeks of winter weather in late January and February. But this season, we have been getting freezing weather about every three or four days since mid-December. Then it warms into the 70s for a day or two, before dropping again. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. We're still enjoying a lot of outdoor time.

During December, we spend several days holed up inside and in Austin at Kim's home. We were gone from base camp enough some of our neighbors though we had moved out. For the first ten days of the month we seldom ventured out of our trailer as I let the flu run its course and stayed in from freezing weather. Then, as Christmas approached, we headed to Austin for the holiday season.

Our favorite spot at Casa las Aguas

We spent January back and forth between Austin and the Guad. On cold days, I've been catching up on movies that are out in theaters. When we are traveling we seldom are close to cities that have large theaters, so winter is movie time.

It is also a good time to catch some live performances. In mid-January I enjoyed seeing Daily and Vincent perform at the One World Theater in Austin.

Daily and Vincent

D&V is one of my favorite bluegrass bands. I listen to them almost every day on SiriusXP radio.
This was the first time I have seen them in person. They put on a show that had the audience foot stompin' and woopin' for two hours. I hope to catch them again in the future.




Later in the month, I got another treat. At the Bruntex Theater on New Braunfels I attended a performance by The Oak Ridge Boy. The Oaks are starting their 41st year together and are as high energy as ever.

The Oak Ridge Boys

They opening the show with Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight and closed with Elvira.
In between they did an hour and a half of nothing but Oak Ridge Boys hits.  Once again it was a night of foot stompin' and whoopin' Texans enjoying a great show.

As the winter months roll on here in the hill country, I plan to catch several other performers. Between Austin, San Antonio and New Braunfels, there are many opportunities. Next week I'll be seeing Gordon Lightfoot at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio. I list that as one of those "can't miss that" situations.

Meanwhile, back down on the river, the fish are biting. Weather permitting, I will be "standing in the water waving a stick" several time a week till May. The Guadalupe River Chapter of Trout Unlimited has supplemented the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife trout stocking program with three stockings of larger trout this year, so the river is full of fish. On Monday of this week I joined one of my neighbors, Jim Haines,  for a brisk wade.

Fortunately, there was little wind, so we didn't have to deal with below freezing wind chill. I had a good day fishing, hooking ten trout and landing seven of them. Jim, on the other hand, couldn't seem to buy a strike. At one point, it got so bad he said he was going to tell the other guys in the campground not to take me fishing, since I hog all the fish!

"Here Fishie Fishie!!!"

But just after noon, Jim's luck turned and he hooked into one that did a run about fifty yards upstream before he could turn it. After a lively fight he landed the fish and found he had the catch of the day in his net.

This will keep you coming back.

After a day like that, I'm now encouraged to keep my wader wet.

Toes in the Sand

After spending five months in the Rocky Mountains, it has taken me a while to get in an "island mood". The flat uniformity of a beach is a stark contrast to the rugged peaks and valleys the Leos had become accustomed to over the summer.

Mustang Island Beach, Port Aransas, Texas

But after being here at Port Aransas for two weeks, I'm beginning to come around.  A few visits to the local establishments for some good sea food and a healthy dose of the National Beer of Texas makes a fellow mellow. And that is, after all, what the island life is all about.

About the only thing I found disappointing about Colorado was my inability to obtain Lone Star. For some reason Coors seemed to be offered as a substitute, which it IS NOT. Before I head west next spring, I'll fully stock my cargo bay.

The Trusty Companion has had no problem with the change of scenery. Dogs have such a wonderful way of living in the moment. This moment for Leo calls for running after every shore bird he can find from the time we got here. As soon as he leaps out of the truck door onto the sand, he is running as hard as he can go toward the nearest seagull or sand piper. Of course, the birds take flight just before he reaches them, but that doesn't slow him down. He continues his mad dash for exactly 15 feet, then makes a hard right or left turn and runs in a circle around me and repeats. 15 feet? That's the length of his retractable leash. If I hold tight, he only jerks my shoulder out of joint as he hits its limit and tries to launch himself after the birds. A looser grip and he pulls the leash from my hand and gives chase further down the beach.

No matter the occasion, Leo manages to turn it into a party.

Let's go for a ride on a party boat!

So, following Leo's example, I have been spending each day living in the moment.

Sunrise on Port A

After a few hot and humid days when we first arrived, the weather has cooled and been perfect most days for relaxing on the beach. It's only about a five minute walk from our trailer to the surfs edge. We spend most mornings there with my good friends Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, Jane Candiotti, Carter O'Brien and Alex Cross, all of whom live in my Kindle. After about a half an hour of chasing his gull friends up and down the beach, I can generally get Leo to sit in his beach chair with me for an hour or so while I learn of my friends latest adventures. Then we repeat the process. Chase the birds..relax...chase the birds...relax. Tough duty.

And as we have settled into this routine, I have found that all I had to do to break the monotony of the flat open beach was turn around.

And even the beach itself is growing on me.

Toes in the sand.