Travelog for: -Chuck-

Hello ;-)....

Chuck here!
I wanted to make a short update, since I arrived in Lewisville, Texas a few days ago.  That's just north of Dallas.  It's very hot here, but I'm excited to go out with my new host mom and take some pictures to show you all very soon!

This is the house where I am staying in Lewisville, Texas. 



When I got here, I quickly made a new friend!  His name is Radar O’Reilly, and he traveled here from New Mexico, where he was living in the Carlsbad Caverns. 



I sure am glad we have wings!  I think this kitty cat wanted to have me for a snack!



Radar and I found a perch atop a bookshelf where kitties cannot reach.



There is a nice railroad bridge down the street, where I can imagine spending some time with friends.  Apparently later, we will visit a bridge in another city where there are many bats.  I can’t wait to take that trip.



This afternoon host-Mom took me for a drive to Dallas (it’s about 20 minutes away).


We shared a Slurpee on the way there.


We stopped in a little park with a little lake (Trammel Crow Lake).  There was a Great White Egret who flew to the other side of the lake when we got close.  There were some fake cows here.  I cannot understand why they would have fake cows when there are so many real ones here.  Soon host-Mom says she will take me to see some.


I'm enjoying my stay here very much 

Chuck here! I've had a whirlwind of the last two weeks.  I'm just now getting around to posting my pictures from my short trip to New York City.  Labor Day is a holiday in the US, so we had a 3-day weekend.  Here are a few of my pictures from NYC.  I hope to go back someday and see a Broadway show!

Here I am in Central Park


I also wend to the Guggenheim


This is the ceiling inside the building:


Here I am with my human friend Matt at the Wall Street Charging Bull


When I came home, my host-Mom read me this book called Ferdinand about a bull who didn't want to fight.  I can sympathize.


I will post pictures very soon of my latest adventure!

This weekend host-Mom took me on a trip to see Austin, Texas.  It’s the state capital of Texas and has a very unique atmosphere.  Here are some of my pictures:

We spent most of our time on a street called South Congress.  It’s got lots of shops and some food trucks.

This is outside of a store where you can buy cowboy boots.  Judging from the size of the boot out front, I didn’t think they’d have any in my size.  Everything is “Bigger in Texas” or at least that’s what they say.


We stopped to have a sno-cone at this food truck.  We didn’t want to spoil our appetite for dinner, so we didn’t have any food.


This is a sign in the window of a store called Mi Casa (which means My House in Spanish)

The Mexican culture has influenced a lot of Texas traditions.  Maybe I can visit someone in Mexico soon!

Finally the time had come to see what had brought me down to Austin – the bats!

Every night, over a million Mexican Freetail bats leave the Congress Bridge where they spent the day sleeping and go out to feed.  Even though we got there after dark, we were still able to see some of the bats flying out to eat lots of bugs.  I got so excited when I heard all the bats chirping.  I wanted to go fly with them!

You can’t see the bats because they’re flying so fast and they’re so small (much smaller than I am).  But this is me in front of the bridge.

And here I am with a statue that rotates.



In the morning, we went for breakfast tacos at Mesa Rosa (a Tex-Mex restaurant).  I gorged myself on chips and salsa.


I am now back in Lewisville, recuperating from my trip.  What a fun experience getting to see some of my kind!

My last weekend in Texas was a very eventful one!  I flew down to Houston with my host mom and met her parents. 

I actually got to fly in coach instead of steerage this time.  Seeing the view was incredible!


I don’t think I would actually need a floatation device if the plane were to go down over water.  I think I’d just fly off.


Instead of flying back, we rode in The Parents’ RV.  Here I am riding down the highway.


The Parents keep a log of all the campsites they go to.  I helped write the entry for the park where we stayed: Dinosaur Valley State Park.  There are tracks of a couple different kinds of dinosaurs here, so it became an attraction.


An artist made and donated a model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Brontosaurus (even though neither was actually the kind of dinosaur whose tracks were in the riverbed).


Here I am looking for tracks



The next morning we went to the opening weekend of the Texas State Fair, even though it was kind of rainy.  I think the biggest reason to go to the fair is to eat all the strange fried foods.


There are competitions to come up with the strangest fried foods.  Here they have things like Fried Butter, Fried Beer, Fried Lemonade, and the winner of this year is the Fried Jambalaya.  Here I am with a Fried Hostess Ding Dong.  The outside was kind of dry, but the inside (where the white goo was) was nice and juicy.


I got to meet Bessie, the Borden cow, and her tiny baby cowie named Beauregard.


This was from an exhibit about local farming.


There was a huge area with animals to pet and feed.  Here I am with some goats.


And a momma sow with all of her baby piglets.


and a shorthorn.


This is Big Tex.  He’s over 50 feet tall, and he’s been at the State Fair every year since 1952. 


This is the Texas Star from the Skyway


The Texas Star is the tallest ferris wheel in North America!


And on the way out of town, I stopped by the Reunion Tower, one of the most recognizable buildings in Dallas’ skyline.


This week I'll be headed back home!  It's been a nice trip!