Today we have a mystery to solve. As an ardent feeder of small birds, we travel everywhere with one or more
bird feeders. Putting them up and keeping them full is one of those things which I consider a part of life since we so enjoy watching the songbirds that come in to feed. Our arrival here was no different and so I have my favorite feeder located from a tree just outside of our living room window. Last night we know that it was in good condition because we sat and watched a pair of cardinals use it, just before it got dark.
When we got up this morning, there was clear evidence of a visit from a thief in our camp! Now this is a feeder who's top is held in place by a push-button release for a friction lock which allows it to be pushed up on the steel cable that is hangs from, in order to fill it. The feeder is hanging at about 7' above the ground, yet some visitor not only reached it, but they were able to pull that roof upward to get it open. But that was only part of the mystery. Somehow this thief was able to empty that feeder and did not spill more than a few seeds on to the ground under the feeder!
So here it is folks. Just what got to the feeder and how did it do so and not spill seed all over the ground? Included are before and after pictures as evidence. I actually spilled more seed in filling the feeder than the thief did when he emptied it!
I have become aware that some folks who visit here have not been quite able to figure out just where we are! Thus I will attempt to make readers aware of this beautiful place and what it really is.
First of all, Government Canyon is the primary source of recharge water for the Edwards Aquifer, which is the main source of fresh water to the San Antonio area. Most if not all wells in this area go into the water source that comes from this rock formation. Government Canyon is an area where the limestone formations that filter this water supply are tilted upward and break the surface. These tilted rocks make for some rough country that is laced with rock formations and which has many caves, some of which have not been explored.
The park has many miles of hiking areas and some that are open to bikers as well. In addition they are working to add camping and picnic facilities and it has some picnic areas even today.The park is presently open to the public from Friday through Monday each week and closed midweek.
One of the major attractions of this park is it's proximity to the city of San Antonio. While most visitors consider it to be just outside of the city, it is actually inside of the city limit and we are served by both the San Antonio police and fire departments. We are about five to ten minutes from major shopping areas on the northwest part of the city. If you look at a detailed map of San Antonio, locate the loop route, 1604. If you locate where I-10 & 1604 cross, the park is due west about 10 miles. If you trace 1604 to the point where it intersects with TX16, that highway passes just to the eastern boundry of the park. The entry of the park is on Galm Rd., at a point where it makes a 90 degree turn from north/south to east/west. We are in the quiet countryside, but yet in the edge of a major city!
This morning was our day to move on once more and we left Lone Star Corral at about 9am. We made a stop 
n Hondo for fuel and then one near Castro for propane and from there it was off to our home for the next three months.
We are now parked in the residence area of Government Canyon State Natural Area, a part of the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife. So far we have had a quick tour of the facilities and were assigned a park truck for our use while here left to get settled into our home. Tomorrow we will complete the arrival process and learn just what we will do here and when. Thus far it looks like this will be a great experience.
On Friday we made a trip west to Bracketville, TX to visit friends who have an RV home-base on what the like to call "the fort." We found ourselves far more impressed with the location than we had ever expected to be. The place is a historic old fort that was built in the mid 1800's
as a base to protect the area from both Indians and from intrusions from Mexico. It is located around one of the largest springs in Texas and was in use by the Army up to 1947, when it was sold to a private company. Today, the main part of the fort is now a privately owned historic site with many of the former residences now private homes and the administration buildings occupied by the administration of the facility. It is now owned by members, and by the owners of the properties inside of the grounds. Each lot or home is deeded to the buyer but a membership to the corporation that owns the facilities goes with each property. Basically it is a very large coop but with deeded lots.
We have been considering a place for an eventual home base and while this is located far from where we had in mind, we are now rethinking what our plans may be. So the dilemma grows. Do we make that base near one of our sons, and if so which one, since they live in three different states? Or do we choose a place where we feel that we would be among our RV friends and in an RV community, which is what we have come to love, even if a long distance from the children? So far we have two locations in this area on our list and plan to look at one more here in Texas. I think the decision to sell the house and go on the road was easier than the one to locate a fixed home again!
On Monday we packed up our home and said goodbye to our many friends at Rainbow's End and headed west. I must say that our four weeks there were some very special time! We got to meet five different members of the 
Escapees RV Forums for the first time, We also got to spend some time with Mark, Angie and Gregg from the staff and to meet Kellie who used to be staff. Then we also had the opportunity to renew friendships with an additional half dozen of so friends from previous contacts and to meet several more members who are becoming friends. Even with the poor weather we all endured, the warmth of friendships will stay with us for a long time.
We arrived at Lone Star Corral about 3pm after making a stop to renew our Texas safety inspection sticker on the motorhome. The park can be
a little difficult to find as it is off the highway far enough that you can't see it and the road is not well marked. But the greeting was warm and the folks at social hours made us feel welcome. We expect to be here for a week, before we move on to our next work-camping experience.
Lone Star Corral is located a little more than eight miles to the west of Hondo, TX. It is about 1/2 mile to the south of US-90 on a county road. It is very quiet and a nice respite from the road noise that is so prominent in the new section of Rainbow's End.
On Wednesday we had nothing of significance going on and we had been hearing stories of a very large truck moving a unique load through the area, so we chose to make a trip over to the area just to see the operation. This truck(?) is moving a large electric generator from the Port of Houston to a plant near Waco. The reports say that the total weight is 1.7 million pounds and it travels at no more than four miles per hour
with an average speed of one mile per hour.
We came upon it as it was making a ninety degree turn to change highways. That turn took very nearly an hour with all of the things that must be done. Each of the two wheeled sections can be steered and had to be in order to go around the corner. Of course, traffic lights, power lines and all sorts of other things have to be moved or raised in order for the load to pass. The 
yellow/orange frame around the load is all for weight distribution, as the actual generator is in the center and fills less than 1/4 of the area.
Each end has 20 axles under it and each of the axles has ten tires. At the back are attached two of the largest tractors made and on the front are two more. One of the power plant representatives that was near us said that the planning for that move took just over a year. So if your electric bill should go up in the near future, you now know what you are having to pay for!
We have not had very good weather for this visit to Rainbow's End, but things do finally seem to be looking up! The cold seems to have broken and we are staying well above freezing once more with temperatures that are running normal or above normal. Sunday was a beautiful day, so we went off to the flea-market that is held at a park near Livingston once each month. With the first two days having been wet and cold there were not many vendors, but it was a nice outing anyway and we even found a few things to buy!
After a nice morning outdoors we went down the CARE center and joined Orv and Nancy Hazelton who are volunteering there at present, for an afternoon of conversation and Mexican Train. It was a great way to spend the day.
With all of the rain and cold we discovered that we have developed a small leak at one corner of the skylight in our bathroom.
At least the drip was into the bathtub so that could have been worse, but with leaks being enemy #1 for RVs, we did not want to let it go. Since I really do not like working on the roof, we chose to get repairs from Road Runner RV, a mobile RV repair service from a retired RV tech who lives here in the park. With the weather so nice they came down and took care for cleaning and conditioning our roof, as well as resealing all of the seams and roof penetrations for us at a cost that I felt was quite reasonable. It is work that I have always done in the past, but with the birthdays slipping past, Pam & I just decided that it might be tie to avoid work on the roof when possible. They also washed the entire motorhome for us and the cost was only $250. I felt that they did a good job and am very satisfied!
One of the nice things about being a member of Escapees RV Club is that when the Polk County Courts call you for jury duty and you are traveling, it simply takes a phone call and the clerk will release you immediately from the requirement of service. In return, they ask that members stop by and volunteer for service when they happen to be spending some time in this area. 
While I am sure that not all members do so, since Pam has been released twice and I have been released three times over the years, we felt that this time we too should do our duty and volunteer.
On Monday, Jan. 11 we both reported to the clerk of court for jury service. The clerk expressed gratitude to us for having done so as they were to call four juries, which was two more than anticipated and were in a position of needing everyone they could round up. The groupings for jury pools are drawn randomly, so who would think that the two of us would find ourselves in the same pool? But that is exactly what happened, with Pam #14 and myself #21. And it was to be a trial for murder! As selection progressed, and they narrowed things down through questioning by the attorneys, it began to seem as though we might both be chose to serve on the same jury. As people were called up and released, it began to look like it might actually happen. At the last moment, just prior to the actual seating of the jury, the judge called first Pam & then I up to ask about the shared address and last name. Both of us were dismissed based upon that factor. While it would have been an interesting case, they were anticipating trial to take about three to five days so we are rather relieved that it turned out as it did. The result is that the next time we stop in, only one will volunteer for a specific court date.