Non-Super Bowl Party

Last summer, Carole & I toured Western Canada traveling the Trans-Canada Highway all the way to Vancouver. On the way across the Canadian Province of Manitoba, we detoured further North to visit Canadian friends we had met in Texas a couple of years ago, Doug & Jane McClaren and Ron & Janet Wiltshire. Both couples are now back in Texas again, true Winter Texans, staying here in the Palm Shadows RV Park. It's really nice to see them again.

In addition, new Canadian friends and next door neighbors here in the Park, Jack & Bev Wolfe, are also from Manitoba. It turns out, they live only about 50 miles from the McClaren's. We wanted to get together with all of them, but it was too early for a Super Bowl Party, even too early for a Pre-Super Bowl Party. So we invited all three Manitoba couples to a Friday afternoon party at our place, which we would have to call a "Non-Super Bowl Party" . . . not that we need an excuse to have a party.

We all enjoyed cocktails and numerous hoers 'devours including cheeses, sausages, Carole's spinach dip and Dean's Cream Cheese Crab Pizza dip, a recipe obtained from another Canadian friend. Jane brought her deep fryer with battered shrimp to french fry and Janet brought chicken wings which also went into the french fryer. That's Janet on the right below putting wings into the deep fryer.

















We all ate more than we should have, but what's unique about that? The important thing is we enjoyed each other and engaged in entertaining conversation. It's interesting to hear about life in Canada and their attitudes about what's going on here. Canadians are so much more knowledgeable about the US and what's happening in our country than we US citizens know about Canada and what's happening up North.


















The temperature began to cool off at dusk, so we all changed into sweatshirts and long pants, then later went inside. Seating eight people was just about the "max" in "The Bus", but it was much warmer than on the patio.

We talked about everything but football . . . which made it a true "Non-Super Bowl Party". I guess we'll wait until Sunday to talk football at a real Super Bowl Party.

Steve's Birthday

Today is the birthday of Dean's son, Steve. It's too bad he has to spend his 52nd birthday in the cold weather of Kansas. But, Steve, we love and miss you.




Happy Birthday, Steve! . . . from a couple of Winter Texans . . . and we wish you many more.

Dad & Carole

South of the Border

I ran out of one of my medications and a call to the Kansas City VA revealed that I would not receive a refill for several days. Knowing that prescription drugs are readily available in Mexico, we decided to make a trip "South of the Border" for a short term supply. We set out for Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, about 8 miles away.


Since we do not have auto insurance coverage in Mexico, we decided to park the Blazer on the US side and walk across the bridge into Mexico. As we crossed the bridge over the Rio Grande River, a section of "The Wall" could be seen on the US side. This picture is looking West with the US on the right side of the river and Mexico on the left. You can see "The Wall" in the distance. "The Wall" was completed on one side of the bridge but was still under construction on the other side.







Vehicle traffic into Mexico was moving right on through with no backup. The Mexican border patrol didn't even ask the cars or trucks to slow down . . .











. . . but vehicle traffic coming back into the US was backed up all the way across the bridge as the US Border Patrol was checking each vehicle carefully . . . inside many of the vehicles. Good for our guys!











US Border Patrol agents carried handguns on their belts. On the other side of the border, the Mexican border patrol and police carried handguns too, but the Mexican Army was stationed at the border with automatic weapons. Soldiers were stationed on the sidewalks, in the street, behind sandbag barricades, and on the rooftops. A Mexican Humvee type vehicle with a machine gun mounted on the roof was an ominous sight . . . scary if you're not accustomed to it.
















Signs were posted advising everyone the Mexican Army was there for border security, but I suspect it's really because drug cartel and gang shootings have erupted frequently in other border towns and they are trying to keep the town of Nuevo Progreso safe for Winter Texans. It's quite the tourist town (tourist trap). We've been told it's safe to go to Nuevo Progreso, but we have been cautioned to not cross over into other border towns as we could get caught in the drug cartel/gang crossfire.


The "tourist area" of Nuevo Progreso has numerous pharmacies and dental offices. That seems to be their biggest business. We know of many Winter Texans who go there for medicines and dental work. It's obviously big business there. We were frequently solicited on the street for pharmacies and dental services. They commonly hand out discount coupons and the common line is, "It's almost free".

However, I checked in many of the "pharmacies" and couldn't find the medicine I needed. I was told that it was not made in Mexico. So I gave up trying to find my medicine there and will have to pay the US pharmacy price. I suppose if I had been asking for Viagra, everyone would have had it instantly available.



The sidewalks in the "touristy" area of Nuevo Progreso had so many booths and street vendors, it was difficult to squeeze through. We were continuously solicited for baskets, jewelry, belts, boots, hats, t-shirts, and trinkets of all kinds as well as for massages, manicures, and pedicures. Carole wouldn't let me get an all-over massage.

















We managed to get through all of that and stopped at a fairly nice restaurant for lunch. The restaurant, Arturo's, had white table clothes and waiters in maroon dinner jackets. The busboys were all in white. I had a grilled chicken breast in a green chili sauce and Carole had grilled salmon with hollandaise sauce. Both were really good.

We then walked the streets soaking up the atmosphere for a while. The main street in Nuevo Progreso is a very busy place in the middle of the day.

.
















So that was our day "South of the Border". Like many Winter Texans, we had to pick up a bottle of liquor at Mexican prices, but we were careful to buy less than the duty-free limit. We walked back across the bridge and it was nice to be back in the good old USA!

Busy, Busy, Busy

In an earlier Blog, I mentioned the Palm Shadows RV Park where we are located has a lot of scheduled activities. This Park probably has as many activities for Winter Texans as any place I've seen.

For those of you who have not been in an RV Park aimed at retired folks and for those of you who wonder what there is to do when you retire, this is a typical week of scheduled activities at Palm Shadows RV Park:



Monday
6:45 Men's Golf
8:00 Exercise Class
9:00 Hardinger Class
9:00 Line Dancing, Intermediate
9:00 Friendly Shuffle (Cards)
10:00 Line Dancing, Beginners
11:30 SkyMed Pizza Lunch
11:30 Park Watch Meeting
1:00 Canasta
1:00 Painting Class
2:00 Bible Study
2:30 Bowling
2:30 Water Aerobics
3:00 Lounge Opens
7:00 Entertainment, Vada & Lafayette

Tuesday:
6:30 Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast
7:00 Men's Golf
8:00 Exercise Class
9:00 Men's Golf
9:00 Quilting Class
9:00 Blood Pressure Testing
1:00 Computer Club
1:00 Sewing Class
1:00 Euchre Cards
1:00 Bocci Ball
2:30 Water Aerobics
3:00 Lounge Opens
3:00 Music Jam
4:30 Fish Fry Dinner (or Baked Potato Bar, or Taco Night)
7:00 Couples Pool Party

Wednesday:
8:00 Mixed Golf 1
8:00 Exercise Class
9:00 Mixed Golf 2
9:00 Wood Carving Class
9:05 Friendly Shuffle Cards
11:30 ND/SD/WI/MN Potluck Lunch
1:00 Canasta
1:00 Quilting
2:30 Water Aerobics
3:00 Lounge Opens
4:00 Karaoke
4:00 Hamburger Bar
7:00 Bingo
7:00 Up & Down River Cards

Thursday:
8:00 Exercise Class
9:00 Activity Meeting
9:15 Ladies Golf
10:00 Blood Donation
10:00 Ladies Pool
11:30 Weight Watchers
12:30 Quilting Class
1:00 Joker Cards
1:00 Bocci Ball
2:30 Water Aerobics
3:00 Choir Practice
3:00 Lounge Opens
7:00 Bridge Cards
7:00 Entertainment, Myrna Hunt, "Desperate Redneck Housewife"

Friday:
8:00 Stained Glass Class
9:00 Horseshoes
9:05 Friendly Shuffle Cards
11:30 Ladies Lunch/Style Show
1:00 Canasta Cards
1:00 Stones Craft
2:30 Water Aerobics
3:00 Lounge Opens
3:30 Wine Tasting
7:00 Cribbage
7:00 Big Band Jam

Saturday:
8:00 Pancake Breakfast
3:00 Lounge Opens
3:00 Country Music Jam
5:00 Pot Luck
7:00 Little Theater Practice
7:00 Entertainment, Saturday Night Live

Sunday:
9:00 Church Service
3:00 Lounge Opens
5:00 Ice Cream Social
7:00 Sock Hop

And of course, this is in addition to all of the things to do, places to go, things to see, and people to visit outside of the RV Park . . . plus reading, visiting with neighbors, and watching a little TV . . . not to mention preparing meals, cleaning up, and RV maintenance . . . plus Carole's occasional shopping trip and periodically going out to eat.

"Busy, Busy, Busy"

Wow! All of this hardly leaves time to Blog.

Rio Grande City

The primary highway through The Valley is called the "Texas Tropical Trail", which follows the Rio Grande River from Rio Grande City East to the Gulf of Mexico. We took a day trip to Rio Grande City at the head of this trail about 30 miles West of our RV Park.

When the treaty with Mexico was signed in 1848 defining the Rio Grande River as the border between the two countries, Fort Ringgold was established as one of five forts along the river to defend border settlements against Indians and Mexican raiding parties. Fort Ringgold, situated on a 350 acre tract, became one of the most elaborate posts on the frontier, and was a Calvary garrison until it was deactivated in 1944. The area around Fort Ringgold became the town of Rio Grande City, where the Texas brush country meets the Texas subtropical region.


Most of the original log and stucco buildings of the fort are no longer standing, but the brick buildings constructed in 1869-1875 are still standing. When the fort was decommissioned, it was turned over to the Rio Grande City School District.

Several of the buildings have been converted to classrooms as was the old barracks building shown here. Other buildings surrounding a seven acre parade grounds are being maintained.

The whole fort area is a living history book.




In downtown Rio Grande City is an old hotel, The La Borde House. Built in 1877 in old European style, it was recently renovated and furnished in turn of the century style.

















We found the hotel parlor fascinating with the massive buffet, ornate sofa, marble top tables, busy wallpaper, old pictures, and wall decorations.

















The bedrooms were quite interesting with a huge four poster bed and toilet & bath facilities out in the open along one side of the room.





















The hotel has outdoor balconies with wrought iron railings and a wonderful courtyard. The floor of the of the courtyard is stone and the brick walls are decorated with panels of colorful ceramic tile designs. The courtyard was furnished with concrete tables and wrought iron chairs. The whole area had nice trees, shrubs, and planters.





















The restaurant in the hotel was quaint and had a fairly complete menu, but we settled for a Mexican lunch of taquitos and a chimichunga.

We then went to the Catholic Church where we visited the grotto designed after the Lady of Lourdes Grotto in France. It was built by a local Priest of stone and petrified logs gathered from the surrounding area. The Virgin Mary is a bronze casting imported from France. It is a very inspirational place.










We then drove around town viewing the many really old homes and buildings. Of course, most architecture is in the Spanish-Mexican style of brick and stucco, with many stone arches and tile roofs. Most of the homes had wrought iron bars on the windows . . . I don't know whether this is a throwback to the early days of Indian and Mexican raids or if this is a testament to today's society.

But, having soaked up lots of local history, we called it a day and drove the 30 miles back to
"The Bus".

A Day of Change

Today was "A Day of Change" in our Nation and we watched many of the events on TV. It was surprising how many people were in Washington on The Mall for the Inauguration . . . an estimated two million people.




Whether you agree or disagree with the politics of the Obama group, whether you voted or not, whether you are a republican or democrat, whether you are black or white . . . Tuesday was a "Day of Change" for our Country! Out with the old, in with the new!




We spent much of the morning and early afternoon watching the Inaugural Events in Washington on TV. It was definitely an historic occasion.

But "the more things change, the more they stay the same". In the middle of the afternoon, Carole had seen enough TV and wanted to make a trip to one of her most favorite places . . . Chico's!




We left "The Bus" for a trip to Chico's. But this was "A Day of Change". Carole looked all through the clothes in Chico's and could not find any thing she could not live without. So she left Chico's empty handed and we returned to "The Bus". Yes, this was "A Day of Change"!

Not All "Fun 'n Games"

I thought living in a Recreational Vehicle was supposed to be all "Fun 'n Games", but once in a while, we receive a reality check. Today was one of those days.

During a periodic resetting a few days ago, one of the computerized leveling jacks would not extend. A service call determined a solenoid/valve was going bad, so a new part was ordered. Today the part arrived and was installed by the service shop. After paying the $300 repair bill, I thought all was well again.


Then I received another reality check! Looking for something in the basement, I noticed water dripping from the kitchen area. Closer examination revealed one of the water fittings at the filter under the sink was leaking. I needed to put on my plumber's hat, tear apart the under-the-sink plumbing, make a trip to the hardware for parts, and fix the leak. A couple hours later, the leak was repaired but I needed to leave the cabinet doors open with a fan blowing in for several hours to dry out the carpet on the bottom of the cabinet.

No time for "Fun 'n Games" today. Maybe tomorrow we can get back to the "Fun 'n Games" we're supposed to be enjoying.

Lobsterfest

With one of our neighbors here in the RV Park being from New England, we knew it wouldn't be long before the subject would come up about ordering live lobsters flown in from Maine. Sure enough, the neighbors were soon collecting from those who wanted to participate and, of course, Carole & I wanted to be included.

Saturday was selected as the day for the "Lobsterfest", so lobsters were ordered to arrive on Saturday . . . and 24 live lobsters were delivered right here by FedEx about 9:30 Saturday morning. We were ready with tables & chairs, shell crackers, seafood picks, lobster bibs, melted butter, salad, and pots of boiling water.

About noon, the first live lobsters went into the pots without a squeal!















And soon after, boiled lobsters were ready for cracking!




Carole & I grabbed our lobster crackers and went to work like we knew what we were doing. The lobster was delicious. Of course, the melted butter, fresh spinach salad, and Bloody Mary all contributed to a great dinner. You can see we enjoyed it!




We weren't the only ones enjoying lobster. Tables had been set up between the RVs providing enough space for 24 neighbors to enjoy a wonderful lobster dinner.

















What an interesting get together. Good food, good drinks, and most importantly, new friends from all over the US and Canada. Lobsterfest! What a great idea. We'll have to do this again . . . or maybe we should have some "real steaks" flown in from Kansas City and have a "Steakfest".

The Wall

As I was doing a little scouting around near the Rio Grande River, I came upon a lot of big time construction. There were numerous huge earth movers, monster dump trucks, bull dozers, flat bed 18-wheelers loaded with steel, cement trucks, cement pumpers, and tall cranes . . . all out in the middle of nowhere!



Could this be "The Wall" we have all heard so much about? The whole area was posted with "Restricted Area" signs and, as I learned, was patrolled by construction company security personnel. When I was told, "No pictures", and that I had to leave, I tried to engage the security officer in conversation. I asked, "Is this the wall I've heard so much about?" and he said he couldn't talk about it . . . I simply had to leave! My insistence that this wall was being built with my tax money didn't seem to influence him, so I took another quick picture before I got back in the blazer to leave.

The Rio Grande River (and the border with Mexico) winds all over the place, so since "The Wall" is being constructed in a fairly straight line it is quite a distance North of the border in many places. Some homes and businesses will be between the river/border and "The Wall". Those people will have to evacuate leaving their land and buildings behind.

All along "The Wall" a dike nearly as tall as the wall with a roadway on top is being constructed on the US side. "The Wall" appears to be at least thirty feet high, made of steel and concrete, and where it is finished or under construction, stretches as far as the eye can see. The cost obviously has to be in the billions.
















Mayors and town councils of all of the communities along the border oppose "The Wall" as do many of the area residents. "No Wall" yard signs are quite common in the area. The local newspaper editorial pages talk of hope that the new administration in Washington will tackle the illegal immigrant problem in other ways. The Homeland Security Director, Michael Chertoff, who has been the primary proponent of "The Wall", is certainly not a popular person around here.
















But, if the new administration stops building "The Wall", what will we do with just half a wall?

Catch Up & Ice Cream

Today was a day of getting caught up on Blogs. I have been having a lot of trouble staying connected to the Internet on wifi. I think the server I'm connected to at a neighbor's simply has too many people tapped in, or maybe his computer does not have sufficient capacity or speed to handle the load. I had several Blogs in draft form, but couldn't stay connected long enough to finalize them and get them posted.

So I spent the better part of the day at the clubhouse here in the Park where I have a good Internet connection and I have been able to complete the Posts which have been in-the-works for several days.

I did interrupt my Blog posting activity to run back to "The Bus" for an ice cream social on the porch/carport of one of the neighbors. Everyone brought ice cream or cake and they set up a buffet line including all the fixin's. Yes, I ate too much ice cream but, after all, I don't do that every day!

















Most importantly, the company and conversation with many new friends from all over the US and Canada was lots of fun. Besides, I skipped lunch today . . . and didn't bother checking my blood sugar either.

Tip 'o Texas

Friends from Kansas, Paul & Patsy Kettler, stopped by for a visit and asked if we had ever been to the "Tip 'o Texas", the place where the Rio Grande River flows into the Gulf of Mexico. I knew the Rio Grande emptied into the Gulf, but I had never heard of anyone who had ever been to that spot. Paul had talked to someone who had been there, so we decided do a little exploring to find the "Tip 'o Texas".


Paul drove his car and we thought we would see a little of Brownsville, Texas, on the way, so we checked out the brochures and decided to stop at the Brownsville Museum. The museum is in the original Rio Grande Railroad station and has a lot of historical displays and artifacts of the area including items from both sides of the border. Back in the 1800's this area changed hands six times: Spain, France, Mexico, Texas, The Confederacy, and the United States. That in itself explains the varied history and cultures of "The Valley".

The museum was very well done plus it included an adjacent building which was a railroad museum. A very early steam engine was on display along with numerous railroad artifacts. A very interesting place.


After we left the museum, we toured part of Brownsville; the International Bridge to Matamoros, Mexico, the old downtown, Fort Brown, the International Airport, and the Brownsville College which is huge and ultra-modern.They must be enjoying considerable growth as many large new buildings are under construction. At least one of the buildings under construction was being built by JE Dunn, a Kansas City construction company.


We then drove on East to find the "Tip 'o Texas". After about twenty miles crossing what appeared to be a large wasteland interspersed with tidal basins and fields of cactus, we ran out of road. The wide two lane blacktop road simply ended at the Gulf of Mexico . . . nothing in front of us but sea and sand!

That's Paul standing literally at "the end of the road". Nothing behind him but sea and sand . . . no river in sight!





Looking South down the beach toward the river, we could see a number of vehicles driving on the beach, all four-wheel drive vehicles. We were in Paul's Mercury, so we were at the end of our drive to find the "Tip 'o Texas". I estimate the Rio Grand River flows into the Gulf about a mile further South, so I shall return another day in the Blazer, drop it into four-wheel and drive down the beach to the "Tip o' Texas". Stay tuned!








In the salt air at the beach, we all worked up an appetite. So we returned to civilization, drove past the Port of Brownsville through Port Isabel and across the bridge to South Padre Island for a great seafood lunch at Dirty Al's. That's Carole, Patsy, and Paul entering the restaurant on the bay.

I had a great blackened fish sandwich and Carole had her usual shrimp and oyster basket. Also the beer was nice and cold. I had a Shiner, a dark beer bottled in Shiner, Texas, which was pretty good.






With our stomachs full, we drove North up South Padre Island almost to the end of the road. Then on our trip back South to the bridge, Carole and Patsy spotted a couple of shops where we just had to stop . . . one of which was a Fresh Produce shop . . . one of Carole's favorite women's clothing stores. I caught Carole and Patsy in their comfort zone . . . shopping. Fortunately, Carole was just shopping today, not buying.







We then drove back to "The Bus" talking about how close we came to the "Tip 'o Texas" and another day, another trip.

Guy's Morning Out

The ladies in the neighborhood thought it was a good idea if the guys in the neighborhood had a morning out. Little did we know it was because there was a jewelry party at the clubhouse here in the park . . . but we all jumped at the chance for a "Guys Morning Out".

Many of the guys in the neighborhood and I went to the Shriner's Lodge in McAllen, Texas, where they were serving breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash brown potatoes, biscuits & sausage gravy, french toast, and coffee . . . all you can eat for $4.00! And it was for a good cause with the proceeds to be used by the Shriners to help children in the area who have medical problems.

Sorry, I forgot my camera, so there are no pictures today.

After breakfast, we went to Harbor Freight Tools . . . a real GUY shopping place! Of course, I couldn't just shop. I had to buy something. So I came away with an LED light for my outdoor gas grill (now I can bar-b-que after dark without holding a flashlight in my hand) and a really cool laser temperature sensor so I can quickly check the condition of the tires on "The Bus" when we are on the road.

After Harbor Freight, we went to Sun Harbor Market so some of the guys could pick up tart cherries to make cherry vodka. Yes, they all loved my cherry vodka and asked for my recipe so they could make their own batch. Of course, after Sun Harbor, we had to go to a liquor store for the vodka. Then we stopped by Stark's Meats, the only place around here that carries real Iowa beef cut like they do back home, to pick up some great steaks.

We returned to the Park about noon and learned the get together at the clubhouse was not a jewelry party after all. It was a Beignet Party where french pastries and coffee with Kalula were served. Entertainment and live music was also provided. The ladies paid a dollar a number to dance with about ten guys. I guess it was a fund-raiser . . . but they couldn't have raised much from all of those retired women.

Carole had stayed home to do laundry, so she missed a good time with the ladies. I guess the other ladies enjoyed the party . . . and it was nice to have an excuse for a "Guy's Morning Out".

Then we opened my bottle of cherry vodka for a little toast so the guys would all know what their batch is supposed to taste like. A nice way to end a "Guys Morning Out".

Shopping Interrupted

We were reading some travel brochures of the area and Carole was intrigued by the brochure about Jackson Street in the town of Harlingen . . . an historic old downtown area with a lot of restored buildings known for lots of neat shops including home decorating stores, antique shops, and art galleries. Carole's kind of place!

So off we went to get Carole her "shopping fix" for the week. She immediately located an antique store, but when I parked and turned off the Blazer, it sounded strange. I tried to re-start it, but the battery was dead.

A dead battery didn't slow Carole down. She went into the antique shop while I called Good Sam Emergency Road Service, then waited outside until they arrived to jump start the Blazer. Carole found a couple of hammered aluminum serving trays which she felt she could not live without.

With the Blazer running and Carole's new trays in hand, we set out to find a store to have the battery checked. As I suspected, it was shot, so we had a new battery installed at AutoZone.

Back on the road, Carole was too "bummed out" to return to Jackson Street to resume her shopping, so with our "Shopping Interrupted", we left Harlingen and returned to "The Bus" . . . but at least with a couple of new serving trays, Carole had her "shopping fix" which should hopefully last her for a few days.

Farming in The Valley

The Rio Grande Valley was originally very arid, dusty, and covered with scrub growth and cactus. It was called the "Wild Longhorn Desert" and was the source of wild cattle roundups to drive cattle North to rail heads in Denver and Kansas City where they were shipped to markets back East. But not anymore!

With the construction of pumphouses along the Rio Grande River and the construction of irrigation canals in the early 1900's, water from the river made farming possible. The Valley is very flat and, with all of the irrigation canals, reminds me of the San Joaquin Valley in California. Without irrigation, both areas would be still be desert.

It's fun and educational . . . as well as scenic . . . to drive through the country side here in The Valley and see the variety of crops.


Most people think of Texas Ruby Red grapefruit as the primary crop in The Valley, and there are a lot of citrus groves including oranges, lemons, and grapefruit. Freshly picked Texas Ruby Reds are so sweet and tasty, they're pretty hard to beat!








But there is a large variety of other crops grown in The Valley . . .


cabbage . . .













cauliflower . . .















carrots . . .













spinach . . .

. . . and, as you can see, farm workers were harvesting the spinach at the time. It was interesting to watch the way they picked it, shook it, removed any bad leaves, and then wrapped each bundle with a twist tie. When they were done, it was obviously ready for market except for the probable step of washing (hopefully).





I also saw fields of onions and radishes as well as many fields recently planted or being prepared for planting. It appears that they raise vegetables year-round here in "The Valley".

I saw a few small fields of corn, but the most common crop appears to be sugar cane.


It was really interesting to see these fields of sugar cane . . . we don't have anything like this back in Kansas. When the sugar cane is ready to harvest, they burn the field to get rid of the dried leaves as well as spiders and other bugs so that it's easier to harvest when just the stalks are standing. I guess the fire doesn't hurt the sugar content of the stalks.

I was also told that the sugar cane farmers use bull horns to announce the burning of the field in Spanish just before they light it to give any illegals who may be hiding in the sugar cane a chance to get out. Before the farmers began announcing the burn, some illegals were caught in the fields and killed or seriously injured.

When the wind is in our direction during a "burn", we get a lot of black sugar cane ash deposited on our patio. But it isn't a serious problem as the wind soon blows it all off into the grass.

Seeing the type of "Farming in The Valley" is certainly an interesting and educational experience. To coin a phrase, "We're not in Kansas anymore"!