Mosquitoes

Bay City, Texas

Weather: low 64 degrees, high 75 degrees, cloudy, light showers in the afternoon and evening

Our visits to the dentist went well. Carolyn is choosing to have a small procedure performed next week that will make it easier for her to clean one of her teeth. We will call them in the fall to schedule our next exams and cleaning.

We left the dentist and had lunch at McDonald's, then took a ride out to Matagorda to see what kinds of changes have taken place. We can tell that there is some growth out there. The growth is probably due to the new bridge being built over the Intra-Coastal Waterway. Access over the Waterway is currently via a drawbridge that is closed every time a barge or boat goes up or down the canal. That means access to the beach area is somewhat restrained, and has kept the area from developing as might be expected. We didn't go to the beach today because of the weather, but there have been a number of new homes built along the Colorado River leading to the Gulf of Mexico, with more new homes built facing the beach. In addition, more homes have been built along the Waterway, so the area is experiencing a mini-boom. We noticed that the elementary school is being added to, with the size appearing to double.

We noticed the new bridge is still not finished. Somebody must be making a project out of the bridge. It has been under construction for about three years.

On our way out of Matagorda, I stopped at the Matagorda Cemetery, established in 1830. Many of the pioneers and early settlers from the area are buried here, and the cemetery is still being used.

As I walked into the cemetery, I was intent on reading the headstones and historical markers. All of a sudden, I realized that my legs were covered with mosquitoes. And my arms, and my back, and..... I quickly started slapping at mosquitoes, but found that the only thing that really helped was to walk quickly and keep moving. That kept me from seeing everything I wanted to see. I'll report on what I saw in another post.

The mosquitoes reminded me of when we lived here. At certain times of the year, the only way we could do yard work was to cover up as much as possible and use repellent. Playing golf here taught a person to keep their ball in the fairway, because if the ball was hit into the rough, the mosquitoes would rise up in clouds to attack. Not fun. I don't miss those pests at all.

At our current location, our Internet connection is very poor. Even with the external antenna, we barely get a signal, and get knocked off the Internet often. Today, I ordered an amplifier for the signal that help us out. The only problem is that it won't be here until next week. We'll suffer with what we have now until then. Technology is great until it doesn't work properly.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Tampa, Florida: The Big Guava

Not all who wander are lost.