Written Monday, February 23, 2004
Saturday was a big day. It started off with the raucous wild parrots landing in and near a tree outside our bedroom window so I grabbed my camera and took as many shots as I could before they took off. This was very early in the morning so it was fortunate that I was dressed. The Rio Grande Valley, Weslaco area in particular is the only place in the country these parrots can be seen. They used to land in the park regularly but it has been quite a while since they had done so.
The oddest part of the parrot incident is that I had a dream that I missed an opportunity to get photos of them because I didn't have my camera with me. I had told Butch about my dream less than a half hour BEFORE their arrival. 'Splain that one!
After that big excitement we went with Dave and Marge Scott to a rededication of Iwo Jima Monument at the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen. The statue of the famous monument is the original with a copy of it being in the Arlington Cemetery near Washington D.C. There were several Iwo Jima battle survivors attending the annual ceremony. It was a moving experience.
Following lunch we went to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. We hadn't been there for at least ten years and it is much improved. I took a ton of photos and ran out of room on my memory cards. In my attempt to delete some unwanted shots I erased an entire card of photos losing half my zoo pictures and all the rededication photos. I will be buying a bigger memory card. I must admit it is the first time experiencing three photo events in one day. Oh well...back to the zoo! And the Iwo Jima Monument. At least they aren't going anywhere!