Merry Christmas
December 21, 2009
It is absolutely impossible to be this late in the year already. It might be getting close to Halloween or with a wild stretch of the imagination Thanksgiving might be a couple weeks away, BUT THAT IS ALL! I can use the excuse that I have been busy but I almost think that it would be more correct to say that I have been buzzy. It seem that all I do is buzz from one place to another. I am not complaining. I would much rather be fully occupied with activities than to be sitting around and bored. One of the activities that keeps me busy is line dancing. This picture is the first group picture of the 2009-2010 season. You can be assured that not only will more people will be in the next picture but some of those that could have been in this one will be there too. This is a good group of people to have an activity with. The background of these people is so varied that it is amazing. When a person gets together with a group of people there is usually many common backgrounds. Perhaps religion, occupation, or perhaps kids in sports. But here in Bentsen Grove the common part is simply that we all like to get away from the cold in other parts of the country and keep active doing things. I guess I should also add that we are all retired. This truly is a fun place to be, even if some times it is almost too active.
THE BENTSEN GROVE LINE DANCERS OF THE 2009-2010 SEASON
A short time ago I was at a fellows home helping him with a computer problem. As I was leaving he pointed out a very large moth that had landed on his sunscreen. I think it was the largest moth that I have ever seen. I dashed home and got my camera right quick in hopes that it would not fly away before I got back. Obviously it cooperated with me. I was given a ladder so I could get high enough to get a view that did not have the sun glaring in the background. When the picture was displayed on the the computer screen I was pleased with the effect of the sunscreen mesh showing through the wings of the moth. There have been a lot of butterflies and moth here in the park this fall, but this one surpassed all the rest by being at least double in size. I had a friend that was asked how he was able to get a butterfly to pose so well for a picture and he said, "Raid. One little spray and they will pose anyway you want for as long as you want." I think the girl he told that too just about killed him him before he could say "I'm kidding you!" I did not have to use raid. I would never do that, but it was a great story. I used fill flash to get a better picture and took several pictures. Every time the camera flashed the moth would move to a slightly different position. But when I left it was in the position that is here.
VERY LARGE MOTH WITH A FOUR INCH WING SPAN ON SUN SCREEN
There are those that claim that everything in Texas is bigger than anywhere else. While the state was for a long time the biggest state it has to be proved that everything else is bigger too. This moth does a lot toward making that claim correct. Here in the park is a lemon tree that also adds another layer of fact to that claim. One of the residents here in the park has a Ponderosa variety of lemon tree. The story that is told is that they used a common fertilizer that they bought at Walmart and had a full time resident water the tree during the summer while they were gone. These are honestly lemons that are six to eight inches in diameter. I have had one of the Ponderosa lemons from another tree and the flavor is just great. There is so much juice that it is hard to cut into the fruit without making a mess. Also it is about as sweet as a lemon could be and still be a lemon. The owner of the tree says that they can make about six lemon pies from the juice of one lemon.
A PONDEROSA LEMON TREE IN BENTSEN GROVE RESORT
The weather here has been unusual in many ways. During the summer there was less rain than usual. In fact many places have been graded as being in an extreme drought. Then when fall came along came the rain, small compared to many places, but lots for here. Some of the residents that have wintered here for many years have claimed that there has been more rainfall just this season than there has been in the entire time they have been coming to Texas. In the last few days there has been more rain than I have seen some entire years of our travels. I heard one person say that in one day we had over four inches this last week. And that was only one of several days that it rained. The temperature has also been getting very low for this part of the country. There was a light frost one night which damaged a lot of plants. It has been odd to see well manicured bushes with an inch or so of dead foliage at the top. One thing that did not seem to get hurt was the cactus. I have always thought of cactus as living where it was not only always dry, but also always hot. I have found out that is not necessarily true. Cactus can take a lot of freezing weather without being hurt. I have also learned that the fruit that grows on cactus is called a tuna. Some of the tuna grow to a very large sizes. One cactus here in the park has tuna that must be over five inches long and over two inches in diameter. It is no wonder that the little animals eat them so often. I have even seen some of the tunas in the grocery store. If I knew how to fix them I would be temped to buy them and see how they taste.
Since Christmas is almost here I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and send you wishes for a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Till Later This Is Doug Of
Peace On The Road
