Winter in Texas ... "Ice Storm" #1

Awning on Back Patio

We complain about the heat, but this winter we had some cold to complain about.  Photos not too dramatic, but illustrative of the interesting weather pattern.

Frozen Bird Water

Most of the ice was higher up and these shingles were coated next door!

Icicles on Shingles

My feelings about the cars parked in front of the house are well documented, but I did enjoy seeing them coated in ice!

Harry's Car Windshield

Of course, I was worried about the squirrels and was happy to see this early riser at the feeder the next morning.  He coudln't get water, but at least he had food.

Although our back patio is protected by high brick walls, I go to great lengths to protect the ponytail palm that we've had since the 80's ... it's like a member of the family at this point!  The patio becomes "tent city" for the plant groupings and I have two heaters that keep things warmed up under the sun umbrellas and plant coverings.

A Toasty 36 Degrees Under the Palm Tent

 The Palm and surrounding plants get a tent with their own heater to keep their roots warm ... Ice Storm #1 didn't claim any Brewer plants!

Long Weekend in Galveston

After all the brouhaha of the holidays, we were finally able to spend some time at the beach over the MLK weekend.  The weather was beautiful and we even got in a round of golf.  Also discovered the next generation of Pirates Cove Townhomes homeless ...

CAN YOU SEE ME?

Click photo to see larger image.

Sadly, we've got two "wild" kittens on the property.  It's always been this way, but we haven't had any homeless kitties since Ike in 2008.

I'm calling this one Marble - he/she has a beautiful classic tabby pattern.  Very hungry and fairly brave.  He wouldn't come to me, but got closer than you'd expect ... always with an escape route!

His sibling is solid black - I'm calling him Jet.  I couldn't get a photo because he's SCARED with a capital S!  When I first saw him sneaking out of the front flowerbed I thought he was a "munchkin-Manx" with no tail and legs only 2" long.  Later, as I saw him streaking back to the safety of the landscaping, I could see that he's just fine.  I guess he was doing the "fraidy-cat slink" with tail tucked under and staying low to the ground.

The good news - if there is anything good about being a homeless cat - is that they're currently living in the neighbor's boat, inside their garage.  They have easy access to our garage, where I've got the insulated cat house we bought for Ike in the early days and I've put out Ike's old feeder/water tank.  They won't have a constant source of food, since we're only there a few times a month, but it's better than nothing.

The pelicans were out in force and I got some great photos ...

 

We also have some young brown pelicans in the area ... this guy is a cutie!

Take a look at this HUGE Egret we saw by the 17th green ... beautiful!

Took a long walk on the beach

and had a great MLK lunch at the Sand Bar at West End before heading back to Houston.