King Ranch/Parade/Music Man / Granny Clare’s/March Madness

March brought on more consistent warm weather and therefore a willingness on our part to get out and enjoy the territory.  We went north an hour and toured the King Ranch.  It is the largest ranch in Texas. It comprises 825,000 acres and was founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis. It was the largest ranch in Texas and offered hunters an opportunity to hunt exotic animals.  It was an interesting afternoon touring the farm but we would have liked to tour the old home place which the daughter of Captain King,  Alice and husband Robert Kleberg built.

This ranch was full of horses and cows and employed as many as 600 people in its heyday--now about 250

This tree and décor were antlers

Side entrance to the pretty home

Stable built in the Alamo motif

YUK

Charro Days is the 81^st celebration of “bi-national” community in Brownsville –right on the Mexican/American border.  The all day Saturday parade was a throwback to the parades of our youth where the police, fire department and different schools marched down the main street in full Mexican garb and entire families turned out.   Terry said it is why politicians think we hold them in high esteem—they all rode in convertibles (but not necessarily getting big applause).

Border Patrol and Police were a pretty major part of the parade.

This Mexican/Texas Cowboy is a Charro

The dresses were fabulous

At Granny Clare's you show off your home place, Wolford was put up by our Fritel Friends (Diane and Bob) and I love that Knoxville was already there

Jack is our buddy from Birmingham--big Crimson Tide Fan

The community theatre did Music Man –outstanding – which we went to with neighbors Roberta and Jim Richel from Minnesota.  Pickle ball with Diane (who turns out to be the twin of Donna Shalala—Democratic politician) and Bob Fritel (Rugby, North Dakota) continues and both of us continue to get better and meet a lot of friendlies.  Bob is a font of information—they have been coming here many years—and through him we found Granny Clare’s citrus where we go to get the BEST oranges and grapefruits.  Bingo partners Cheryl and Karl Sellers are people we would love to keep up with.  They live near Allentown, PA and are huge Penn State football fans.  Next time UT and Penn State play we have decided we will have to take our RV’s and park together and have a big party.  Of course, it will be the best if the Vols could manage to beat them.  

Cheryl and Karl--we won at bingo!