The Texas Tropics

There are several local terms which are universal in the  valley.  "The Valley" is what everyone calls the Rio Grande River valley.  Since we have been here, I have never heard it called anything other than "The Valley."  There is the upper and lower valley, the local news always give both forecasts.  I have not figured out where one starts and the other ends, but no one questions the terms.  The other universal term used is "The Island."  All winter Texans seem to migrate to "The Island" at least once a week.  The Island is South Padre Island.  Pastimes include walking the beach, buying some of the worlds most expensive fruit and vegetables while you hobnob with the beautiful people.  Some just go to The Island to hit the bars.

As we entered Texas and headed southwest, the land, climate and character of the state seemed to change with each mile.  When we entered from Louisiana, Cajun was still the local restraint fare.  We hit the Piney Woods area which is heavily wooded with an assortment of marketable timber.  As we went south, the land became much more arid and one could see that it would take a Texas sized ranch to raise a few head of cattle.  Unless one wanted to raise brush, not much could be produced from the land. 

About 40 miles north of The Valley we started seeing signs of green and life.  Palm trees lined the highway, grass was green, and the weather definitely had a warmer glow.  By the time we reached the valley, everything had the look of Florida in January.  It was beautiful.  In the middle of December, lawnmowers were everywhere keeping the greenery from becoming a shaggy mess.  Mid 70's is the average December temperature. 

Observations:
ALL Winter Texans agree on one thing:  this is the cheapest place to live that they have ever encountered in the U.S.  Prices continue to amaze us.  A car wash is 75 cents.  The local H-E-B store sells bread at five loaves for $1.  I got a haircut, (and a good one) for $3.  We picked grapefruit right from the tree in the RV park. The cost is free but the downside is we had to pick our own. The area is dominated by Stripes restaurants.  Judy and I had lunch one day for $6.50 for both of us.  Fast food, i.e. McDonalds are outnumbered by Stripes and Whataburger by about a 10-1 margin.  Valero is the gas station of choice.  Over 50% of Valero stations have a Stripes affiliation.  There is always a lady rolling out tortillas, and always a lady frying them on the stove. Condiments include a fresh salsa bar. I am guessing freshness wins the food wars in little Mexico.   Judy lamented the other day that in The Valley, a couple could easily live on one social security check.  This is MY kind of place.