Texas’ Rockport-Fulton-Arnansas Pass-Port Aransas-Corpus Christi area is great for bird watching and studying our feathered friends. We learn that there is no such thing as a seagull. There are gulls of many kinds, but "seagull" is a generic nickname, as in Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Gulls are some of the most visible birds in this Coastal Bend area year-round. Gulls can eat almost anything, and thanks to the glands at the top of the skull that eliminates extra salt, they can drink salt water. Of the five species of gull you expect to find in this area, the Laughing Gull is the most common. Heads of this species, which are white in winter, begin in early spring to change to black for breeding. Most of the gulls along the bayfront already have black heads. An occasional late blooming bird still has a white head. Now comes the confusion. The second most common local gull is called a Ring-billed Gull. An adult Ring-billed, in breeding plumage, has a white head and breast, and a pale gray mantle. Its wingtips are black and white. A black band around a yellow bill is characteristic, except for juvenile and first winter birds. Another source of confusion in identifying gulls is that they take two to four years to reach their first breeding plumage. The third local species, often seen here in winter, is the Herring Gull. It is a large white bird with pink or flesh-colored legs. The yellow bill is marked with a red spot. Two other species that also appear in the Coastal Bend are less common and are highly seasonal. They are Franklin’s and Bonaparte’s Gulls. Franklin’s is a gull of the plains. Spring migration is not complete until Franklin’s Gulls have been spotted overhead.

Our RV park in Rockport-Fulton–Rockport Gulf Resort–is fantastic for bird watching. Here we see the White-tipped Dove, Common Moorhen (Common Gallinule), Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Red-winged Blackbird, Tufted Titmouse, Great-tailed Grackle, Neotropic Cormorant, Laughing Gull, American Coot, Turkey Vulture, and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. Also see six turtles and numerous squirrels. There is a resident alligator but we fail to see him/her. We are pleased to hear that Rockport Gulf Resort has been purchased by Western Horizon Resorts, one of our membership campground clubs.

We spend part of a day in Corpus Christi. The city reportedly received its name Corpus Christi, Latin for "body of Christ", from the Spanish explorer, Alonzo Alverez de Piñeda in 1519. Since he arrived in the area on the feast day of Corpus Christi, he named the bay in Christ’s honor. Corpus Christi bills itself the "Sparkling City by the Sea". The city is a deep-water port, industrial center, agricultural hub, and one of Texas’ most popular seaside playgrounds. From fall through spring, the area is sunny and usually warm; summers are hot and humid, though sea breezes temper the heat. One of the State’s prettiest cities by the water, Corpus Christi has an entertaining mixture of things to see and do, augmented by more than 100 miles of largely undeveloped seashore along the Gulf of Mexico, across Corpus Christi Bay from the city. A two-mile seawalk located in the heart of the business district opens onto the bay, with stairs leading into the water. From Corpus Christi, a causeway crosses to Padre and Mustang Islands.

Padre Island National Seashore covers almost 70 miles of 113-mile Padre Island, a barrier island along the South Texas coast that parallels the Texas coast between Corpus Christi and Port Mansfield. This sparkling preserve by the sea embraces 70 miles of white sand-and-shell beaches, picturesque windswept dunes, wild landscapes of grasslands, and tidal flats teeming with shore life, and warm offshore waters. The National Seashore is one of the longest stretches of primitive, undeveloped ocean beach in the United States. There are several ways to see the sights of Padre Island and to enjoy its many seaside pleasures. One is by driving along the scenic road and sandy beaches. All vehicles can travel on the 8-1/2-mile paved park entrance road, North Beach, and the first five miles of South Beach. 4-wheel-drive vehicles can continue "down island" from South Beach another 55 miles to Mansfield Channel. Although our Tracker is a 4X4 vehicle, we decide not to go all the way down island. After a couple miles of compact sand we turn around. We must return another time and camp right on the beach.

On March 10, we drove northeast on Texas Highway 35 to Port Lavaca and Palacios, north on Texas 71 to El Campo and Columbus, for a total of 156 miles. Several miles out of Columbus we stay at Thousand Trails Colorado River Preserve right on the Colorado River. The park offers an atmosphere of rustic beauty and tranquillity and hiking trails, where wildflowers, animals, and birds can be observed in a natural setting. Northern Cardinal, Turkey Vulture, Carolina Chickadee, Meadowlark, and owl are among the bird species we saw here. Also, white-tailed deer and squirrels. What a gorgeous spot! We should have spent more than four days here.

Columbus is centrally located on Interstate 10 and Highway 71, almost mid-way between Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. Columbus is approximately 55 miles west of Houston and is the oldest surveyed and plotted Anglo-American town in Texas, being laid out in August 1823 by some of the original 300 families of the Stephen F. Austin Colony. It is located on the Colorado River at the original site of an Indian village called Montezuma. Visiting Columbus is like stepping back into the 1800s, with its many homes from that period restored to their original grandeur. Huge, centuries-old oak trees line the streets, forming numerous "tree-alleys", demonstrating why Columbus bills itself as the "City of Live Oaks".

While in Columbus, we take in yet another parade. This time its sponsored by the FFA–Future Farmers of America.

My Compaq Presario died while at Columbus. Spent several days driving from computer shop to computer shop, trying to trouble shoot the problem. Finally we drive to Xper Net in Katy (located 15 miles west of Houston) for lap top repair. They take it apart, put it back together, and voila–it works again.

While at Katy, we wander and shop Katy Mills. Katy Mills is a 200-store, $200-plus-million retail and entertainment shopping theme park. More than 120,000 shoppers turned out for Katy Mills’ grand opening on October 28, 1999. Colorful, large-scale sculptures mark each of the seven entrances. The subjects of these larger-than-life objects include dancing neckties, pick-up sticks, kites, and old-fashioned juicers. Each entrance leads to a different neighborhood within the mall. These neighborhoods, numbered one through six, are distinguished by decor themes, sounds, and lighting effects. The list of 200 stores runs the gamut. Highly visible from I-10, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World boggles the mind with its vast inventory of hunting, fishing, camping, and sports merchandise. Among the store’s astonishing features are a three-story waterfall and a giant aquarium full of fish.

Spring is a season of change. The countryside is being transformed by the blossoming of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, black-eyed Susans, primroses, and other wildflowers. They can turn the mundane cow pasture into a magical place.

- - - to be continued next issue.