En La Pulga

I mentioned yesterday in my post on the ride I took on Saturday, that we went to the "Flea Market" in Brownsville, Texas. Flea Markets are big business here in the valley. Almost every town has at least one. Some are open throughout the week, while others, like the Brownsville Flea Market, are open only on weekends. In Spanish, the word for "flea" is "pulga". When my wife was teaching here she would ask the kids where they got a particular item of clothing, and many would answer, "en la pulga." Literally translated, "at the flea." My riding partners, Rudy on the left, and Joe on the right are standing the the first of five long covered cement runways with open air stalls on either side. In the last runway there are some more permanent stalls.

At the end of these runways, open air stalls are set up all around the perimeter of the Market grounds. We were looking for a stall that sold leather goods for motorcycle riders. We found it and looked at all the available gear before moving on. I cannot begin to list the items to be found here.
There were several vendors with great looking fresh fruits and vegetables.

In the section with the permanent stalls, there were vendors selling boots, hats, clothing, plants and a variety of other items. Food vendors were in every runway and the smell of good things cooking made me want to feed the muffin top. I will go back when Bebe can go with me and will take a vehicle suitable for hauling everything she buys.

Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger. Franklin P Jones

March

March is approaching. I can feel it in the wind. March can be a very windy month, and yesterday was a February preview. I left for Brownsville, TX in the morning fighting a 30 mile per hour head wind from the south in advance of a cold front. By 11:00 A.M., when I stopped to take out a loan to buy some gasoline, the wind had shifted and I faced a 35 mile per hour head wind from the north on my return trip. For those of you in the northern climes, it is 43 degrees here this morning. The shorts I wore yesterday were a little inadequate this morning when I strolled outside to get the newspaper. The new picture in my heading is the Queen Isabella Causeway spanning the Laguna Madre between Port Isabel, TX and South Padre Island. The picture above is of a resaca in Bayview, TX. A resaca is a man made irrigation reservoir and some are quite beautiful.

The town of Port Isabel, TX has a beautiful old lighthouse, and is typical of other fishing and resort areas in other parts of the country. The seafood in the area is wonderful. I ate lunch at Captain Roy's yesterday and was not disappointed. I love the water, and at one time had a small day sailer. I went sailing one March on a large lake north of here. The wind was strong and my wife reluctantly agreed to go. The following poem was written after that outing.

MARCH SAILING

It started out a lovely day
March breezes softly blew.
I pulled my sailboat to the lake
my wife the only crew.

But as we launched, clouds drifted in
cool wind began to gust.
It was my crewmate’s first assist
some training was a must.

My boat was small with open hull
no keel, just centerboard.
I turned her bow into the wind
set sail and ran from shore.

She heeled to starboard on a reach
my wife was seated there.
The gunnels touched the water line
her eyes were wide with fear.

The water finally breached the side
and roused her from the trance.
She crossed the hull and glared at me
with malice in her glance.

I took the hint and made for port
riding with the wind.
I’d have to find another crew
or sail alone again.

Harlingen, TX

In the very southern tip of Texas sits the town of Harlingen. I think it was founded in around 1908. We are about 24 miles north of Brownsville, TX (the last town south before the Mexican border) and about 30 miles south of the King Ranch. The area is largely agricultural, and we are in a semi-tropical zone. We are about 40 minutes by ground transport (motorized) west of the Gulf of Mexico and South Padre Island. The top photo is the entrance to Jackson Street, the main drag in old town Harlingen.

Many of the older stores are being re-done by owners of small specialty stores, antique shops, restaurants, art galleries, and offices in an effort to re-vitalize the down town area. These photos were taken yesterday with an azure sky and temperatures hovering around 90 degrees.

The building at the end of this block houses an artist's studio and art shop. His residence is above the store. Harlingen has great wool gathering potential for photographers, painters, and practicioners of the literary arts. We have some great birding opportunities here where many species come to winter. The water and seascapes are magnificent around SPI and surrounding costal areas. We also have wonderful part-time residents from the colder climes (mostly in the middle tier of states and Canada) who

flee the winter cold. One of our favorite eateries downtown is the Java Cafe. On occasion, the Java hosts an open mike for poets in the area. The King ranch north of us also has great history and offers tours of the ranch headquarters. All in all not a bad place to be.