We have been here in Goose Island State Park since Monday, the 20th.  The weather was wonderful until Friday night.  We have taken a couple of bike rides and several nice walks in the park.  Birds are plentiful and we even managed to get over to 4th Street to see the Whooping Cranes that seem to hang out there.  Actually it is the block between 4th and 8th, when they numbered the place they were thinking in smaller blocks then currently exist, the next street is 12th.  We were directed to this location last year during our stay.

There are no organized walks or activities at this time, after all it is that season.  We are in site 105 right across from the designated Bird Host.  We have seen Dennis, but he has been busy on many CBC’s in the area (for the non birders reading this that is Christmas Bird Count – a national project that has been ongoing for many years without internet connection I can’t recall how many, but over 50 years).  We do not have to stir from the coach to see many different birds from Cardinals to Grey Catbirds to Mockingbirds and Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers and many many more.  As I write two birders are standing in front of the coach peering through binoculars into the distance. 

We are being industrious water conservers.  The site has water and electric but no sewer so when the grey water tank is full we will have to move to the dump which will require 75% of the work necessary to get on the road – we can leave our outdoor stuff set up.  This is day five and the highly inaccurate gauge shows we are at 3/4.  Two more nights and we plan to move out on Monday in any event, we should be good.  Fortunately we set up across the street from a nice clean bathroom with nice showers.   This is a big water saver. 

Yesterday was a “work” day (sorry about the four letter word).  In the morning we took our laptops to the office to spend some quality time using the free wifi offered there.  In the afternoon I had committed to hold a board meeting of the Goldberg Berbeco Foundation, Inc to do some grant making and then to begin the process of dissolution of the corporation.  After 50 years we are moving on.  We drove into Rockport and established ourselves in the Rockport Dairy Queen parking lot to take advantage of their free wifi which is combined with decent cell service, something we lack at Goose Island.  After the meeting we set out to find a coffee shop to await movie time.  Oops, December 24 at 4 in the afternoon is not a likely time to find a small shop open.  We did find a book store – those that sell stuff stay open until the bitter end – but no coffee shop.  Off we went to Cinema 4 which was running a matinee showing of True Grit.

This might be considered a mini Occasional Movie Review – haven’t done one of those in a long time.  GO SEE IT, if you haven’t.  The Coen Brothers have made a fantastic movie and the acting is wonderful and the use of language is just great. More than enough said.