RIO GRANDE VALLEY

Yesterday was again, wet, rainy, windy and bitterly cold. This time I dressed in a T-shirt, hooded sweatshirt, a long-sleeved western shirt, jacket, and scarf. And, I was comfortable with the addition of the sweatshirt. But, hey, we don’t melt. Our first stop was an old 1887 pump-house that pumped water up from the Rio Grande to farm the fertile land. It operated until 1983.

It was closed Saturday, but the grounds made for interesting inspection.

A park built around the pump house is a World Birding Center, the only one in the United States. With over 500 species of birds you’d think we could grab a picture of one. Nope! We could hear birds, we saw them flitting about in the trees and bushes, but none stayed still enough for a photo. A butterfly preserve and study center is also located in the valley.

The pump-house is located in old town Hidalgo and they pay tribute to their birds and butterflies with permanent lighted displays about the park.

Besides birds and butterflies, the lighted displays contained bikes along the riding trail.

And as we explored Old Town, more elaborate displays like this one with ballloons. There were dragons and clocks and huge building sized displays for the Municipal court, the newspaper office and other buildings.  We couldn’t find the Town Hall that has a 35 foot killer bee, but if you type Hidalgo Texas Killer Bee into a search engine, you’ll find it. My computer won’t let me do a link this morning.This valley’s fertility and plant life is pretty spectacular.

There were bougainvillas in bloom along with a plethora of flowering plants I didn’t recognize.

We passed grapefruit and orange orchards; fields of cabbages, kale, cauliflower, corn and other comestibles. Quite beautiful in their own way.

At La Lomita Chapel, darn, the gates were closed. And, even walking to it would put us in the mud. It was built in 1865 on a private ranch, a convenient stopping place for a mission, and later willed to the order that built it, the Oblate Fathers Immaculate.  A novitiate was built on the hill above it and trained priests there until the 1950s.

This is what is left of the novitiate. The older building was obviously better built or had better care.

We stopped for lunch at El Rodeo Restaurant and enjoyed a couple of itinerant musicians who stepped in and entertained us for awhile and then moved on to another stop.

Our next stop was the only government licensed hand-pulled ferry on any boundary of the United States. We brought our passports, but it was closed due to high water or maybe the new construction.  The quaint old ferry building that Jim remembered had been replaced by this “after 911” monstrosity.

We were lucky it was closed because we “trespassed” and followed the old dirt road to the ferry and took our pictures of a friendly, charming landmark.

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The old store is no more.

The “new” store is more in keeping with the neighborhood leading up to the ferry.

Old signs on the ground give hope that the state plans to provide a museum of some kind of this historical Los Ebanos Ferry.

The old road to the ferry is still in place. The new concrete one hasn’t quite connected yet. You can see the pull lines and…

…the steel cables securing it to an ebony tree. (The tree is over 200 years old.)

On the way out of Los Ebanos, we saw this handsome goat roaming free next to the road.

We wondered if he had escaped from a nearby Wildlife Preserve. He seemed pretty tame. If things hadn’t been closed we wouldn’t have returned to the motor home until dark.

EASTER LORE AND FOOD

Persians first began using colored eggs to celebrate spring in 3,000 B.C. Thirteenth century Macedonians were the first Christians on record to use colored eggs in Easter celebrations. Crusaders returning from the Middle East spread the custom of coloring eggs, and Europeans began to use them to celebrate Easter and other warm weather holidays.  When I read these things I always wonder how they know?  So I went to Snopes, and here is what they have to say about Easter.

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/easter/easterlore.asp

The Easter Bunny doesn’t lay eggs, but in ancient times as now, everyone recognizes the bunny as a fertile creature. Tasty, too.  I know they don’t have enough fat to sustain life. Certain Indian tribes,  stuck on reservations with  poor hunting and only rabbits to eat, failed to flourish and could whither away and die.  But, the eggs of a chicken, can sustain life. A tip about eggs. Store eggs in the frig for a few days or a week before boiling. They peel easier than fresh eggs.

We had plenty of rabbits on our property when we were kids and my mother browned them in a dry pan with just a wipe of bacon grease.  Then she put the lid on to roast them on a slow wood fire.  Easier to prepare than plucking a chicken, and just as tasty.  We ate plenty of rabbit meat when we were kids, until the rabbits got infected with blisters. That ended it.

Home grown rabbit is bigger and fatter. Milder tasting, but still worth a try on Easter. And, remember, you cook rabbit, not bunnies.

A stuffed rabbit recipe, great for Easter, can replace that lamb shoulder or ham.

2 tsp cooking oil
2 tbsp finely minced onion
1/4 cup finely minced celery
2 cups soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground dry ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/3 cup chicken broth or rabbit stock
1 rabbit, about 4 to 7 lbs (whole)
1 tbsp soft butter
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp marmalade
2 tsp bottled steak sauce

Heat oil in a small skillet. Add onion and celery, sauté until soft. In a large bowl, mix onion, celery and next 7 ingredients. Spoon into cavity of rabbit, fasten with skewers. Blend butter and paprika, brush on surface of rabbit. Roast, covered, at (350°F) for 50 minutes after juices begin to sizzle. Mix marmalade and steak sauce, spoon over rabbit. Roast uncovered, 20 minutes longer.

Small markets or local backyard farmers have rabbit, (and goat) for sale. It makes a nice change.

MONGOLIANS OF MISSION VIEJO, CA.

Before flying to Southern, CA,  I met this young family in the park. I was dazzled by this young mother because I would see her pass by a couple of times a day with one child on her hip, another in the stroller, her left hand hanging onto the dog’s leash and  fishing gear balanced on the stroller.  I remember those super mom days. We talked about St. Bernards since I once owned a Bernard of my own, named Charlie. Charlie,  a pound dog, turned up  pregnant. That’s when we found out Charlie was  a girl.  The Bernard in the photo is Bear, a male short hair. We never did exchange names.

Flying takes a lot of energy and time that I’d prefer not to spend, but, there are times flying is a must to get somewhere when you need to. My friend Wendy picked me up at the airport and we spent a lavish afternoon on her deck talking, enjoying a bit of wine. Made the trip worth it.

When Paul got home, instead of cooking, we repaired to the nearest Mongolian Barbeque and enjoyed the stir fry. It had been years since I’d eaten at one of these restaurants. They’ve changed  since I’ve been to one. Here you are allowed seconds if you like and they serve rice at the table and fortune cookies as well.Very American, these Mongolians. (I’m remembering my trip to China.)

Of course it’s alway’s fun to watch them cook your food.

Wendy just returned from a trip to Australia to visit her mom. I forgot to ask her if the Mongolians have invaded Australia.

Like me, Wendy likes ethnic art and food.

This is African.

This horse guards the fruit bowl.

A goat to remind you that we share our planet with animals.