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.