ARMADILLO TRAPPING

I WAS SEEING THE ARMADILLO ALMOST EVERY MORNING AND HE WAS SO CUTE, I JUST WANTED TO HUG HIM!!

ARMADILLOS ARE NOCTURNAL, AND EVERY MORNING BEFORE IT GOT VERY LIGHT I WOULD SEE HIM. FINALLY ONE MORNING I WAS ABLE TO FOLLOW HIM AND REALIZED HE WAS LIVING UNDER THE MANAGER'S HOUSE. THEY HAD COMPLAINED THEY COULD HEAR NOISES UNDER THEIR HOUSE. DAVID THREATENED TO POISON HIM, AND AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE COMPUTER, I ASKED DAVID TO WAIT TO SEE IF WE COULD TRAP HIM. THERE WERE SEVERAL LIVE TRAPS IN THE PARK.  WE FOUND HIS ENTRANCE HOLE AND SET UP THE TRAPS.

THE FIRST FEW NIGHTS HE WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE TRAPS AWAY FROM THE HOLE. SO, WE TRIED SOMETHING ELSE.

HE WAS ABLE TO OUTSMART US EVERYTIME!! FINALLY ONE MORNING I SAW HIM AND I FOLLOWED HIM BACK TO THE TRAPS.

HE WAS GOING TO DIG UNDER THE TRAPS, BUT HE KNEW I WAS THERE, AND HE DIDN'T LIKE IT....

SO, HE TOOK OFF RUNNING TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HOUSE....WITH ME HOT ON HIS TRAIL..........

AND WENT DOWN A HOLE BY THE AIR CONDITIONER............

THAT'S WHEN WE REALIZED  HE MUST HAVE HOLES DUG ALL AROUND THE HOUSE AND WE WOULD PROBABLY NEVER BE ABLE TO TRAP HIM, HE HAD TOO MANY ESCAPE HATCHES. MUCH TO MY DISMAY DAVID SAID HE PUT POISON PEANUTS DOWN IN THE CRAWLSPACE. I DIDN'T SEE THE ARMADILLO FOR QUITE A FEW DAYS AND WAS PRETTY WELL CONVINCED HE WAS DEAD AND THEN..........ONE MORNING HERE HE COMES!!!!! I WAS SOOOOO HAPPY!!

MEANWHILE.......THE HANGING BASKETS WERE GROWING FAST!!

AND WE WERE UNDER SIEGE BY THE WOODPECKER AGAIN!! 

MARLEE WOULD SIT BY THE HOUR AND WATCH FOR THIS WOODPECKER AND THEN THEY WOULD JUST SIT AND STARE  AT EACH OTHER.

DARRELL BOUGHT A PLASTIC OWL AND TIED IT TO THE LADDER, THE WOODPECKER WOULD SIT ON THE OWL AND PECK THE HOUSE.

WE HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR A FOLDING BIKE FOR QUITE A WHILE AND FINALLY FOUND ONE DARRELL LIKED AT SEARS. CAME HOME, PUT IT TOGETHER. 

IT SEEMS LIKE A REALLY GOOD BIKE AND IT FITS BOTH OF US!

WELCOME NEW MANAGERS!

WE TOOK CARE OF THE PARK FROM THE 24TH OF APRIL UNTIL MAY 1 WHEN DAVID AND SUSAN HAVERTY  TOOK OVER.

I WAS WALKING THREE TIMES A WEEK ON THIS BEAUTIFUL BIKE PATH.

ALSO ENJOYING THE LOVELY POOL AND HOT TUB.

MAGGIE AND MARLEE LOVE THE DOG PARK, WE GO OVER AND PLAY BALL IN THE EVENING WHEN IT'S COOLER.

DARRELL AND I WENT OVER TO AN EVENING PROGRAM AT  THE STATE PARK CALLED "CREATURES OF THE NIGHT". IT WAS VERY INTERESTING!  WHILE WE WERE WAITING FOR IT TO GET DARK, WE GOT TO SEE AN ALLIGATOR GAR THAT A FISHERMAN CAUGHT. THEY ARE VERY PREHISTORIC LOOKING FISH, BUT GOOD EATING THEY SAY. THEY CATCH THESE ALLIGATOR GAR IN AN OXBOW LAKE OR RESACA, WHICH WAS FORMED FROM THE RIO GRANDE RIVER.

 WE SAW SCORPIONS WITH A BLACK LIGHT AND A BEAUTIFUL TEXAS SUNSET.

WE ARE LOVING OUR SUMMER HOME!  I MET A YOUNG GAL BY THE  NAME OF HANNAH BARRY, HIS HUSBAND IS WORKING HERE FOR THE SUMMER. I ASKED HER IF SHE LIKED TO WALK,  SHE SAID "YES!".WE HAVE BECOME VERY GOOD FRIENDS, WE WALK AND BIKE, SHOP, PLAY WITH MAGGIE AND MARLEE . SHE GOES TO CHURCH WITH ME.......SHE LOVES SHIPLEY DONUTS!!!  I FEEL SO BLESSED TO BE IN SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND TO HAVE FOUND SUCH A SPECIAL FRIEND!!

AND WHILE I WAS PLAYING......DARRELL WAS STILL WORKING. HE PAINTED ALL THE NUMBERS ON ALL THE SITES THROUGHOUT THE PARK.

FINALLY SAW MY FIRST TARANTULA........THEY ARE HUGE!!

AND EARLY IN THE MORNING I WOULD SEE THIS ARMADILLO.

OUR SUMMER HOME

WE LEFT FOR BENTSEN PALM VILLAGE ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, IT ONLY TOOK 45 MINUTES TO GET THERE. WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL SITE!

AND THE BEST PART IS........ WE HAVE THE PARK PRACTICALLY  TO OURSELVES! WE MET WITH GUY THE NEXT MORNING AND HE TOLD US THAT HE AND JUANITA HAD GIVEN THEIR TWO WEEK NOTICE. HE ASSURED US THAT IT WOULDN'T AFFECT OUR JOB AT ALL. WE WILL  HAVE FULL USE OF THIS  GOLF CART FOR THE SUMMER.

WE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LOCKING AND UNLOCKING GATES, GUY GAVE US ALL THE CODES AND DARRELL WILL BE ESCORTING GUESTS TO THEIR SITES.
RIGHT AWAY WE NOTICED THE BORDER PATROL PRESENCE, GUY EXPLAINED WE ARE  ONLY A FEW MILES FROM MEXICO. HELICOPTORS FLY OVERHEAD DAY AND NIGHT AND BORDER PATROL TRUCKS  AND SUVS  EVERY WHERE. ONE NIGHT I WAS AWAKENED TO CLOPPITY  CLOP, THE BORDER PATROL ALSO PATROLS ON HORSEBACK.  THE NEXT MORNING WE HAD OUR FIRST "ENCOUNTER" WITH THE "ILLEGALS". THERE WERE THREE OF THEM BEHIND OUR RV, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EIGHT FOOT CHAIN LINK FENCE. I CALLED GUY, HE CAME OVER AND  SPOKE  TO THEM IN SPANISH.   GUY GAVE THEM WATER AND CALLED THE BORDER PATROL. THEY WERE READY TO BE PICKED UP, THEY WERE COLD AND HUNGRY.  THEY HAD BEEN ON THE ROAD 40 DAYS FROM HONDURAS.

THERE IS A SHEPARD'S HOOK AT OUR SITE AND A LITTLE PLACE I CAN PLANT SOME ANNUALS.....I WAS HAPPY.....I CAN GARDEN!! 

BENTSEN PALM VILLAGE IS LOCATED AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE BENTSEN-RIO GRANDE VALLEY STATE PARK AND THE  WORLD BIRDING CENTER, WHERE  BIRDERS COME TO SEE TROPICAL BIRDS FOUND NOWWHERE ELSE IN THE UNITED STATES.

GUY ASKED IF WE WOULD PUT THE BICYCLES AWAY FOR THE SUMMER, WE HAD FUN RIDING THEM OVER TO THE STORAGE SHED.

OUR FIRST  "SPECIAL PROJECT" WAS PAINTING THE ROCKING CHAIRS THAT SIT OUTSIDE. THERE  ARE  TWENTY FIVE OF THEM.

 A FEW DAYS LATER GUY TOLD US THEY HAD HIRED NEW MANAGERS AND THEY WOULD BE HERE IN A FEW DAYS. WE MET THE NEW MANAGERS, DAVID AND SUSAN, THEY SEEMED REALLY NICE. GUY AND JUANITA WILL LEAVE THE 24TH OF APRIL. THE NEW MANAGERS WON'T TAKE OVER UNTIL MAY 1. GUY INVITED US FOR EASTER DINNER WITH HIS FAMILY. I MADE COLORED DEVILED EGGS AND A BUNNY CAKE.

WE HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME MEETING GUY'S FAMILY. IT WAS A DELICIOUS DINNER AND EVERYONE WAS SO NICE.

SO, ON THE 24TH OF APRIL, WE SAID GOODBYE TO GUY AND JUANITA.....WE HATED TO SEE THEM GO, WE WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THEM.

WE THANKED THEM FOR HIRING US AND WISHED THEM NOTHING BUT THE BEST! A GREAT COUPLE THAT WILL BE MISSED BY ALL HERE AT BENTSEN PALM VILLAGE.

BENTSEN PALM VILLAGE RV PARK JOB AND SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, I NOTICED BENTSEN PALM VILLAGE RV PARK IN MISSION, TEXAS WAS ADVERTISING FOR WORKAMPERS FOR THE SUMMER. WE TALKED IT OVER AND DECIDED WE COULD STAY IN TEXAS FOR THE SUMMER. WE LOOKED THE PARK UP ONLINE, IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PARK AND CHECKED ALL OUR BOXES FOR WHAT WE WANTED. DARRELL CALLED TO ASK WHAT THE JOB INVOLVED, AND IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING WE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PURSUING. I SENT THEM OUR RESUME AND GUY CAVAJAL, THE MANAGER CALLED THE SAME DAY. WE SET UP AN INTERVIEW  FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 21.  MISSION IS JUST 45 MINUTES FROM HARLINGEN.

THE INTERVIEW WENT WELL. GUY HAD AN EMERGENCY, SO WE TALKED WITH HIS WIFE JUANITA. THIS IS A NEW JOB OPPORTUNITY BEING OFFERED FOR BENTSEN PALM  RV VILLAGE. IN THE PAST, BENTSEN PALM HAS ONLY HIRED WORKAMPERS FOR THE WINTER SEASON. JUANITA EXPLAINED THAT SUMMER IS THEIR OFF SEASON AND WE WOULD BE THE ONLY WORKAMPERS WITH VERY  LIGHT DUTY. WE WOULD BE THERE MORE AS A PRESENCE, ASSISTING GUY AND JUANITA AND DOING A FEW  "SPECIAL PROJECTS."  THE PARK IS BEAUTIFUL AND BENTSEN RIO GRANDE STATE PARK IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR. WE WANTED THE JOB!! GUY CALLED LATER THAT AFTERNOON TO TELL US THE JOB WAS OURS IF WE WANTED IT........WE DEFINITELY DID!! THE JOB STARTS APRIL 2, AND WE CAN STAY AS LONG AS WE LIKE. WE  GOT BUSY THEN, WASHING AND WAXING THE 5TH WHEEL AND THE TRUCK.
BEFORE STARTING  OUR SUMMER WORK, I WANTED TO TAKE MAGGIE AND MARLEE TO SOUTH PADRE ISLAND SO THEY COULD PLAY ON THE BEACH.

WE WENT TO "OUR BEACH", IT WAS PRETTY MESSY......LOTS OF SEAWEED!

MAGGIE AND MARLEE DIDN'T SEEM TO MIND, THEY HAD FUN CHASING THEIR BALLS!

THEY FINALLY WORE OUT AND THEN WE JUST ENJOYED SITTING ON THE BEACH.

IT WAS A FUN, RELAXING DAY!!! WE LOVE THE BEACH!!!