Money Talk
Prospecting On the beach at Padre
Prospecting is in your blood, or it isn't. On a weekday, at the beach, Neal prospects, Joan knits, Scott pulls his hat down and lays back against a dune and watches kite surfers move across the water. The wind is blowing, but it is better here than in a...
Pieces of Eight Morning walk on Padre Island beach
Early, gold hunters show up with wading boots, windbreakers, wide brimmed caps, sunglasses, their gold detectors dipped into frothy water. The sky, water, and beach run together like a tightly edited film. Everything in this landscape moves but seems to...
Wash and Wax winter cleaning
Isla Blanca Park, at the south end of South Padre Island, is full of recreational vehicles that are more homes than campers. Snowbirds come down here to the tip of Texas for months, unfold carpets in front of their rigs, set up lawn chairs, bring out...
Going to the Dogs South Padre Island beach
People love dogs. Dogs behave as we humans should behave. They are loyal, patient, love unconditionally, and show affection. Many retirees who pull their Rv's to the Isla Blanca Park in South Padre Island, Texas do so because they don't want to...
Seagull Charley Morning on South Padre Island Beach
Seagull Charley doesn't come when you call his name. Without a fish for Charley, he ain't going anywhere and he won't push tennis balls with his beak or do circus tricks. This morning Charley strolls the beach watching for opportunities. What he catches...
Monahan’s Sandhills Where are the camels?
It is Weston's idea to go see the dunes. Passing through Midland on my way to the beach at Padre Island,Texas, I pay a visit to a nephew living in what some call " the armpit " of Texas. Saturday we drive to the sand hills, take off our shoes and climb...
Oil Country in the oil patch
Leaving Roswell for Midland, Texas you start seeing oilfield pump jacks right off the highway. There are no trees or bushes to hide them so they can't be missed, look like grasshoppers, and have been shot with twenty two's more than once. Some of the...
Up in the Air back to the states
When I get to the airport to fly back to the U.S., my plane home has already taken off without me. The change of my flight times was buried and unread in an e mail from the airline so I am left grounded and have to purchase another ticket home. The...
Panama Hat from Ecuador a traditional Ecuadorian craft
Panama hats have oddly enough always been made in Ecuador. From the 1600's, the weaving of hats out of the leaves of the toquilla palm has been done, at it's finest level ,on the western coast of Ecuador. These best hats are called Montecristo's and are...
Orchids Gualaceo, Ecuador
Within thirty minutes of Cuenca, right on the highway not far from Gualaceo, is an orchid farm that grows, cross breeds, and sells orchids worldwide to collectors and aficionados. Ecuador is home to thousands of varieties of orchids and Ecuagenera is a...
Flower Market A big export for Ecuador
You can buy flowers all over Cuenca, but one of the best places to buy is at a small flower market in front of the Sanctuario Mariano, across from the New Cathedral, down the street from Parque Calderone. Daily, under white canvas tents, ladies and men...
Coconut Jose selling water
This morning Jose scampers up a coconut tree on the Island Academy grounds and separates coconuts from their necks. They fall with a thud to the sand where he collects them, uses his machete to scalp them, then pours coconut water into plastic jugs that...
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