Honor and Support our Veterans

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"This Memorial Day weekend, we reflect upon what it really means to honor the memory of the men and women who fought for our country. We'll visit gravesites, observe moments of silence, hold parades and barbeques and celebrate the freedoms our soldiers provided -- all important gestures.

But as a country, we can do better than that.

In Congress, while the House's proposed defense budget calls for significant increases, it also cuts 11 billion dollars from veterans spending -- including healthcare and disability pay. Be clear: we can't equate spending on veterans with spending on defense. Our strength is not just in the size of our defense budget, but in the size of our hearts, in the size of our gratitude for their sacrifice. And that's not just measured in words or gestures.

The President has overseen dramatic troop reductions in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and the first step towards caring for our soldiers is getting them home. He has also increased funding for veteran healthcare, pushed tax credits for businesses who hire vets, and approved a stronger GI bill to educate them.
But there shouldn't be a contrast between the political parties. Caring for veterans shouldn't be a partisan issue. It should an American one. We should be willing to show our respect by sacrificing something too, perhaps even, yes, by raising taxes on those who can afford it; who benefit from having a free nation, a free enterprise system could give back to those who enabled their prosperity. We are defined as a nation by how we treat those who have defended us.

As governor, when I visited our troops in Kuwait and Iraq, I served them Thanksgiving dinner. It was a small gesture compared to their sacrifice. And I hosted a Memorial Day ceremony every year, which brought together families of our fallen soldiers. It was simple and emotional, but it was important. I would say the names, ranks and cities of the soldiers, their families would stand with each name, and at the end, I would assure these families that we would not forget them. That their names would be etched in our hearts, that we would remember them in all things around us, when the wheat fields or the banners of white cloud in the sky waved in their honor. I thanked them as a governor and as a parent, for raising a hero.

And as one mom said to me, "That we remember my baby's name means that my son did not die in vain."

Ceremonies are important. But our gratitude has to be more than visits to the troops, and once-a-year Memorial Day ceremonies. We honor the dead best by treating the living well.

We will remember their names, this weekend and beyond. And we must remember them, as a nation, through a commitment to treat our living veterans as well as they have treated us."
Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm

“I wouldn’t take her to a dog fight”

A little CHARLIE WALKER to start off the memorial day weekend.

“…even if she had a chance to win” :)

Thanks to JG for the link.

 

There was a small possibility for blog posts detailing Inks Lake State Park and Canyon of the Eagles, but we’ve been side-tracked by a major landscaping project inspired by GRJ.

You do NOT want to be a Crape Myrtle on our property. We have ripped out another one…

Everything I do Gonna be Funky, From now on….

COUNTDOWN TIMER WIDGET

 

It’s Official!

On September 28th, 2012 the Driver will forsake his business wardrobe for jeans, sneakers and plaid bus driver shirts.

 

If you see a guy bopping down the road singing this song, it will most likely be him.

The Retirement Song

Two more Campgrounds around Kerrville

First stop on our campground explorations day was Kerrville-Schreiner City Park run by the City of Kerrville. Your Texas Parks Pass doesn’t work here. They charge $4.00 for a Day-Use Pass, which we gladly paid. The camping closest to the river seemed a bit too tight for a big rig, but there was plenty of room at the sites on the other side of the highway.

There is a very good park map HERE, and you can see that the road and the river are very close. I’m guessing that traffic noise from HWY 173 might be pretty awful on a busy day, so we’d opt for a site further back toward the trails. This Park would be a great bargain choice, especially if you wanted to be in the area for a few weeks taking advantage of all the RV services available. Although hot as blazes in summer, the weather here in winter is magnificent. Things do book up with Snow-Birds, so plan ahead.

 

Next stop was Guadalupe River RV Resort, which was just gorgeous.

 

Some of us goofed off while the more serious made phone calls and listened to critically important radio broadcasts.

The verdant,  peaceful ambience, the cool flowing river bordered by lots of shady paths and charming swings make this the place we’d visit when next in Kerrville.

Buckhorn Lake Resort, Kerrville Texas

For reviews look HERE.

 

I might have been a little bit hard on this Lovely RV Park, giving it only a 7.5 rating, but we were disappointed to find no nature trails, highway noise and loads of people.

 

 

Still, it was pretty. The stream has fish and turtles. We swam, we biked, we did quite a bit of eating and catching up with our friends.

The pool was wonderful and the cottages were very nice, but unequipped, so plan on all meals at your rig if you have guests staying in one of the units.

Duke supervises while his Uncle JG sets the table for dinner.

 

Nice roomy sites in the Adults Only executive area.

Rather packed in like sardines over on the other side.

The view from the cottages and our friends on their Veranda.

 

We took a drive to check out the GUADALUPE RIVER RV RESORT and the KERRVILLE-SCHREINER City Park.

More on both in a future post. We preferred the overall ambience at Guadalupe River RV better than Buckhorn and will probably stay there when next we find ourselves in the neighborhood.

More Images from Cottonwood Creek RV Park

For a review look HERE.

The campground sites, situated on a little creek with lots of shade.

The cedar-mulched paths, the water-strider, the man and beast.

Simple things.

Pointy Things.

Pretty things.

Fascinating things.

And so close to Austin.

Go-Eat BBQ-Drink SHINER-Have fun.

The Rabbits, the Snake and the Owls

Canyon of the Eagles RV Park, Burnet Texas

 

It is in the warm golden glow of soft sunlight that we set out for our evening stroll.

The Driver catches a glimpse of activity through the low, straggly branches of live oak, mesquite and cedar. I'm distracted by an odd sight, two large zip-lock bags, the kind with the red zipper,  filled full with water, sealed tight, hanging from a tree branch. The  bubbles capture the light and scatter rainbows. I wonder who hung them, and why?

"Look over here" the Driver points. "Something is going on". We approach to investigate.

A mottled grey owl, small in size, big in attitude, is making repeated swift, silent descents from branch to ground, ground to branch. This Eastern Screech Owl is striking hard with it's sharp talons. Hard enough to send up puffs of dust.

We get closer to investigate the subject of the Owl’s attention.

There, writhing at the base of the tree, is an alarmingly large snake. It doesn't look like a pit viper, so we creep closer still. The snake is roiling and coiling, busily up to something slithery.

 

Quick as a flash, seemingly out of nowhere appears a large buffy brown rabbit. The rabbit attacks the snake, sending the astonished owl off to the sidelines.

 

The Owl sits on the ground just a few feet away with one wing extended, swiveling it's head from side to side, up and down, watching the snake-seething, fur-flying melee. Owls can rotate their heads 270 degrees in each direction. Watching the owl perform this seemingly preposterous trick distracts me for a moment from the battle at the base of the tree.

The Rabbit, thrown into a sudden panic, decides it's time to flee the sinuous serpent. It leaps vertically up from the ground, then bolts off in a mad dash, straight toward the Duke, the Driver and the Cook!

The Snake, now clamped firmly to the terrified Rabbit, finds itself taken on a wild ride, flying behind the speed-demon Leporidae, thrashing on the ground and flapping in the breeze.

The Driver hurriedly scoops up the Duke, who would be inclined to join the commotion, while I hop up on a picnic table to get above the fray.

The Snake lets go, the Rabbit disappears into the thorny cactus underbrush, and the Owl glides up onto a cedar branch.

The injured snake,

mouth stuffed full of bunny fur, 

slithers back to the hole at the base of the tree.

The rays of the sun slant low on the scene as the snake resumes it's activity.

The ratty snake is eating baby bunnies !!!

 

"Could the owl have been attacking the snake to help the parent rabbit save the bunnies?" I ask.

Not likely, retorts the Driver. "The Owl was simply chasing off the competition. It probably has babies of it's own to feed. Owlets might just have a taste for yummy baby bunny".

 

Along comes Mr. Park Host, a congenial, limping man with tales of his thespian past and medical future.

He confirms that the Rat Snake is a non-venomous species that does not warrant re-location. We must let nature takes its course.

"These rat snakes are terrific tree climbers" he cheerily informs. Oh joy. It will be a very wary visit outside the Rig tonight when the Duke requires his 3 am draining.

Rat snake had at least one bunny down his gullet. You can see the bulge. And one stuffed in his mouth. A single, solitary bunny escapes.

 

With one last look around with it's enormous twin moon eyes, the Owl returned to it's family. Those owl eyes can see 100 times better than human eyes in dim light, and the light was almost gone.

Owlet

The Screech Owl’s haunting tremolo, a soft descending trill, almost a whinny, could still be heard as the sun set and the moon rose.