Cowbody Dogs and Guard Dog Donkeys

Today we were on our way to do a little shopping. I am still looking for whatever it will take to repair the leaking roof on my RV. And Chorro told me last night that he is feeling neglected and hopes I will do something nice for him today, maybe buy him a present.

So off we went. We encountered a little wildlife on the way to town.

Okay, they aren't wild at all. They are a farmer's goat herd. Here's a close up. I like the two-tone look.


And this donkey grazing in the same field is actually their guard dog. His purpose is to keep the coyotes away and he protects his herd in a similar way as a dog would.

I guess we should call him a guard donkey.

Here's the view from the top of the Kerrville hills. That darker green line you can see in the center of the picture is the Guadalupe River. This river has its beginnings in Kerrville Country before it travels 230 miles to flow into the San Antonio River near the Gulf of Mexico. Here, it is a popular river for inner tubing but later on whitewater rafting and canoeing take over. It is home to a variety of fish as well, both brown and rainbow trout, perch, and several species of bass, so it is loved by recreationalists.


Yesterday we weren't successful in finding RV roof repairer, but today we were. In fact, we had several to choose among!


We decided on the Ultra, but first the roof had to be scraped and patched.


That would be the handyman supreme on my roof.


Some of you might remember that I had applied several tubes of silicone caulk to that antenna connection. So first we scraped off several tubes of silicone caulk. Then it was necessary to patch with some rubber roof patching material, glued down with contact cement. (I know you will appreciate knowing how to do this if you ever own a leaky RV of your own.)


Then we'll apply several coats of Ultra Roof Repair. I'll show you that tomorrow.

Chorro, however, was not forgotten. We went to the fabric store and look at this wonderful Texas cowboy fabric we found! I hope you can see the bucking broncos and cowboys on the blue background.

Just the thing for a new great state of Texas bandana for Chorro!

And how proud of it he is. He wondered if the restaurant in the picture below might have been named for a pretty little blonde terrier mix with a feminine version of his name, but I told him it would have needed to be "La Chorra." He was disappointed.

But he's sound asleep now, dreaming dreams about being a Texas cowboy, no doubt.

And tomorrow is a new day.

Maintenance

Thought you might like to see a Texas Hill Country sunrise.

And then we have the foggy mists rising off a small channel of the Guadalupe River.

Even vagabonds must attend to maintenance from time to time. The coach of an RV needs attention just as the old bricks and sticks home did. And the van part likes to be taken care of as well, just like my little Montana four wheel drive did. So with the help of my host, who is a handyman supreme, we went through all the little odds and ends of maintenance to make sure the venture can continue to move safely forward.

The roof leak persists, and we are looking for just the right material to apply to that area of my roof around the TV antenna to seal it up tight. If you have been travelling along with me, you might recall that I have been applying silicone sealer every time I dry out after a heavy rain. After many layers, I still haven't sealed the leak.

But after many rainstorms, I do know where to place the container to catch the leak on the inside. :-)

I had an opportunity to see more of small town Texas yesterday as we searched for the right roof sealer. Kerrville is a pretty town lying along the Guadalupe River. It is small enough to be friendly but large enough to offer social and cultural opportunities. It's becoming a popular retirement area because it has a very mild winter climate. I am sorry that I am not here late enough in the spring to see it in its green glory.

Kerrville had a stiff breeze while I was doing laundry and I had the great opportunity of hanging it out on a clothesline! What sweet dreams to fall asleep with my head on outdoors-fresh pillowcases.

And tomorrow is a new day.

The Guadalupe River

For those who are interested (and you know who you are) here's a charming little shop we visited this morning.

With a very spacious interior for lots of coffee sippers.

Or can you imagine having your morning latte' at one of these tables in the sunshine, taking in a view like this?

How lucky to have a little fruitstand with produce from southern Texas. I bought a tomato and some pears. Both are ripe and tasty.

My hosts here knew of a place across the road where Chorro could run, but we would have to drive over first. Through a gate, down a rocky trail and then across one channel of the Guadalupe River.

The wandering wonder dog was quickly busy exploring.

The river is low right now, but serene and shimmering.

Look at this row of cypress trees on the farther bank.

Doesn't this look inviting? Wouldn't you like to just jump right in?

Chorro agreed.

This little channel feeds the pool you see below and then flows into the larger channel.

I'm sure you're thinking this looks like an excellent swimming hole!

Chorro agreed.

Then we had to cross one channel again to get home. Lack of a bridge didn't bother either the pickup or driver.

Eventually, after swimming and running, the wet and dirty little wonder dog arrived back home to a thorough hosing off. And out in the backyard, here's what I discovered. Is this my first sign of spring?

The rest of the day? Well, my ego is reluctant to admit to this, but I got thoroughly beaten at Scrabble!

.

But tomorrow is a new day.

Hill Country Surprises

Here's a Sunday morning city sunrise, San Antonio style.

It crossed my mind this morning that I would have enjoyed going to the San Antonio zoo, and some future trip I will do that, because I enjoy taking pictures of critters almost as well as sunrises. As you will see, my day had its share of critters, exotic and otherwise.

Here's one, no make that two, ofthe campground residents bidding me goodbye. The pretty bird is Sarah, a blue and gold macaw.

She liked me just fine but kept edging away from Chorro. If I look like I'm just a little uneasy about this big bird sitting on my arm looking me in the eye, it's because I am.

Sarah was both well trained and well behaved, however, and before her owner gave her to me he instructed here to, "go potty," and she did. So that was one concern I did not have while she was on my arm.

We're heading toward Texas Hill Country and by the time we are about an hour and a half west of San Antonio, we've gained more than a thousand feet and are topping out on these hills at 2000+ feet.


My camp tonight is special since it is the backyard of some good ol' former Montanans that many of my readers will recognize.

My RV is happy to have a friend so close by.

And Chorro is busy making friends too.

My very gracious hosts took me on a tour of the countryside so I could become acquainted with the hill country.

We encountered some black bok antelope. These antelope are imported from Africa and raised here for hunting. There were several in this group and one actually was the black buck but he was too quick for me.

These emus are not raised for hunting but eventually end up on the table too.

Unlike the black bok antelope, they did not run from the camera!

These you may recognize from the shape of their antlers. They are ibex, also imported from Africa for the same purpose as the black bok antelope.

What a pretty little group this is.

In this area there are quite a few ranchers who have chosen to turn their ranches into wild game hunting ranches rather than lose them when they were unable to make a living raising cattle.

We saw some more pretty birds.

And this is a native deer, grazing in someone's yard.

More exotic animals?

Here is someone's version of the Alamo, probably meant as a tribute in their own way.

And here is someone else's version of some other notable historic attractions.

Are we on the Easter Islands?

No, we must be in England because here's Stonehenge.

These remarkable sculpture (almost)replicas were constructed in 1990 by Al Shepperd and Doug Hill after one huge stone was unearthed in Al Shepperd's field.

Easter Island statues were added because one of the men had visited them and found them intriguing.

They look like the supreme example of play to me. What fun those two men must have had building Stonehenge in a field.

The day ends with an impressive Kerrville, Texas sunset.

Tomorrow is a new day.