February 17, 2017 Friday: A Mexican Cruise (Still in Zapata)

The week started with, guess?  

Second Sunday of the month Gospel Jam!  Glen and Marcella both participated!  There were eleven on stage.

Most of the songs fall into the southern gospel genre, with a few from the hymnal.

I can't remember if Jeff fished any day other than today.  The total count today was 27 crappie in the 16" range.  I have never seen such consistently large crappie.  

Jeff fried 12 fillets tonight for supper!  Oh, my! delicious.  Marcella prepared fried potatoes and a salad.

Yesterday, Thursday, we were included in a group from Amigo Inn Motel/RV Park where Fred and Gay are parked that met at the Riverside Club, Mission, TX.

The group boarded a 32-35' pontoon for a one-hour cruise down the Rio Grande River.  The captain was informative regarding the Mexican side of the river, the Wall, a local dam.

Remember you can click on each picture to enlarge.

Bridge over Rio Grand River at Roma, TX, leading to the Mexican city of Cuidad Miguel Aleman

City of Roma, founded 1765; famous for the setting of the John Wayne movie, "Viva Zapata!"

Jeff and Marcella at the Riverside Club, Mission, TX

Gay and Fred Vaughan, best friends from OK

Border Patrol at work

Privately owned party location on the Mexican side of the river.

A section of "The Wall" built several years ago, south of Mission.  It took nearly ten years to do an environmental study; then ten million dollars a mile to build. This section is 18' high with 8' of barbed wire on top.

Dam built in the 1960's to collect water for irrigation.  Name escapes me right now.

Flags of two nations; border between Mexico/US

Portable Border Patrol observation tower along the river

Susan and Robert, hosts from Amigo Inn

Glen

Long-time readers may thinks these photos look familiar.  We first went on this cruise three or four years ago!

Last night and tonight Fred and Gay came over for visiting and card games! Several years ago Gary and Evelyn taught us to play "19-point pitch" which is for six people.

A final thought:  you may wonder if we are ever concerned about our safety.  The short and final answer is "NO!". There are an abundance of border patrol and highway patrolmen patrolling the highways between Laredo and Brownsville.  Yes, they occasionally find vehicles loaded with bales of marijuana.  Those "bad guys" are arrested.  We never see "illegals" or "wet backs".  The "bad guys" are not interested in small-town activities.  They are on the big highways headed to other places.