Speaking of creating new traditions to ease the pain of the loss of a loved one during the holidays, I thought it was a wonderful idea that the members of our team came up with a trail ride adventure  to take students and families out to see lights enjoy the holiday atmosphere!


This is a great concept for those who are stressing with the loss of a loved one and how to make it easier on small children, as I am. The excitement of getting out and doing something as a family can do a lot to ease the mind. 


This trip will not put a dent in the wallet and is a great way to get your mind off the stresses of the holiday, whatever those stresses might be.  It could be a great tradition to start with your family or friends.  A short drive to Corpus Christi, Texas, and  you can have a great evening filled with refreshments snacks, and Christmas caroling, all while riding on a hay ride enjoying the beautiful light displays put out for all to see.  Global Connect is planning to make this an annual adventure, so it would be a great date to save every year, and have the kids look forward to!!

Holidays…a joyful gathering of friends and family together to celebrate. With the first fallen leaf of autumn, we begin to anticipate the holidays ahead. Our senses are acute and take in everything: the smell of turkey roasting and freshly baked pies; the holiday songs playing on the radio; the sound of laughter from our loved ones who have gathered together. No one wants to talk about the stressful blues that come with the holidays, yet we can all relate to it.  Whether it be planning meals, figuring funding, managing time, it is all stressful.  I have dealt with all these aspects, but this year has given me  a heavy dose of holiday blues.

I lost my grandfather only a week ago and this joyous thanksgiving holiday will be a sad one.  My grandfather has always been the backbone of our family, and the life of the party.  He was our "Old Fart", and a great kidder.  I am the mother of four young children who have sat in his lap watching the Thanksgiving parade on TV as many years as they can remember.  This is the height of my stress.  How do I ease their pain, and still bring them cheer during this holiday?  How do I fill the Void that will evidently be there this holiday season. As a mom, I want to make sure they don't hurt, and help them cope, but I am also trying to cope with my own pain of this loss.  Five times the stress! 

Grief can overwhelm us with waves of memories, especially during the holidays. Grief will also magnify the stress that is already a part of the holiday season. There are some strategies to help you cope during the holidays and beyond. I have sat and thought of ways to help them get through this.  What ways can I keep their minds busy and making sure they make the most of their holiday time.  Though being around family at this time is a great way to cope with loss, I want to get my kids out and about to ease their thoughts. Create new traditions. If you try to keep your holiday season exactly the way it was before, it probably will make your feelings of loss worse.Try something different to help you and your family move on.  Doing a little traveling can be a great way to get theirs and your mind off the heavy things around them at home.  Adding a little trip, even just to somewhere in your hometown, can be a great way to keep them occupied and active.  The Chamber of Commerce always has information available for upcoming events and activities going on in your hometown.  One can try a trip to a neighboring town to look at decorations people have put up, or highlights that town has to offer.  Just being together during this time can help you all to feel a sense of acceptance and peace during the holiday, and making this a yearly tradition will give them and yourself something to look forward to the coming years, instead of dreading the holiday without your loved one.

If you are ever going to the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, I would highly recommend making at least one trip to this park.  Though not the prettiest of local highlights, it is most definitely one of the most productive of all parks in the area.  This park being the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge located at 22817 Ocelot Road Los Fresnos, TX  78566.  Not only does this park boast an abundance of wildlife, insect, flora, and fauna, it is home to a small museum that highlights the history of the region and the various wildlife that predominates throughout the park. Though the museum is small, it is fairly interesting.

When I get a chance to travel and bird in the South Texas area, I definitely take the time to stop off here.  I have taken many beautiful photographs of the vast amount of wildlife within its borders. Being a birder, I have found many an opportunity to capture shots of these birds in their natural habitat, and also get to study their interactions.  Though birds are generally my major reason for traveling here,  I enjoy the other wildlife that call this park home. 

Let me tell you a bit about the park itself.  Laguna Atascosa-which means “muddy lagoon” in Spanish, is a vast area of 45,000 acres of scrub habitat that represents the largest single collection of protected habitat in the region. This park is a unique blend of temperate, subtropical, coastal, and desert habitat.  The park is home to an abundance  of birds, reptiles, insects, and rare mammals such as the rarely seen endangered ocelot.  Though rarely seen by anyone other than the parks employees, there are many videos available of recorded images of the Ocelot on night cams.  They are enerally more active at night, but  always keep your eyes open while looking through the dense shrubbery. 

 Laguna Atascosa represents a major stop over haven for many species of birds and is the harbor for many once-common animals.  The park is also the home to snakes, jaguarondi, bobcat, javelina and coyote that all prefer the dense thorny brush land areas of the refuge. The ponds and Resaca’s are chosen by alligator, least grebe, black-bellied whistling ducks, Stilts, while spoonbills, egrets, and herons perch along the shores of the Laguna Madre. This is only naming a few of the many species of bird found here.

Without a doubt, the ocelot is the top draw for Laguna Atascosa.  The small wildcat has been on the endangered species list since 1972 and as late as 1995, there were only an estimated 120 cats in the wild.  Laguna holds and estimated 35 of those cats. For an interesting site to learn more about the endangered Ocelot click here. 
 
Whitetail deer hunting is also allowed during late fall and winter.  Hunters must apply and be selected for a permit in order to hunt.  Many times I have visited the park at the peak of hunting season. The park has done a superb job of making the environment safe for both  visitor and hunter, which is a major plus when visitors bring their families.   Two separate archery hunts are conducted on the refuge, the first being in December on a first come first serve basis.  The second being in January, and is randomly chosen by a computer drawing. 

The main path to Laguna Atascosa is both a paved and unpaved dirt road on County road 106. Though not the smoothest route, it is also an interesting drive to the refuge, one interest being the endangered Aplomado Falcon that is often perched on the power lines outside the parks boundaries.  I think the sites along the way outweigh the rough and dusty ride. There are a few trails near the entrance of the park, but the main ways of getting around are two main driving trails. Those trails being the Lakeside Drive which is 1.5 miles long, and passes along the actual Laguna Atascosa, a large and shallow lake near the visitor’s center, and the 15 mile one-way Bayside trail which goes through the majority of the park.  I find this longer one way trail most beneficial for you get to pass all the different areas of the park.  There are many stop offs along the way to get out and enjoy the landscape. 

  One  of the more popular trails is the trek to Alligator Pond.  Alligator watching has become very popular at the refuge and during wet years the Alligator pond usually has a gator or two.  I once had the pleasure of coming up on an alligator that was sunning itself in a ditch along the longer Bayside Trail.  My stopping to watch ended in a long set of parked cars waiting to get a chance to see him in all his glory.  I snapped my pictures and moved along...not wanted to be a "gator hog".  There is an observation deck which not only offers a look out for the Alligators but also offers a view of birds and mammals. South Texas is a great location for birders from all areas of the United States.  Many people will travel thousands of miles to get a glimpse of birds only seen in the southern Texas area.  Laguna is home to many of these birds.  The Crested Caracara, Green Jay, Brown Jay, and Alpomado Falcon are only a select few of the birds sought after at this park.  Many photos in my portfolio can be accredited for being found in this park.  Many a picture is captured along these trails of the vast array of birds.  Laguna is a nature photographer’s haven.
                                                                                      
http://www.stateparks.com/laguna_atascosa_national_wildlife_refuge_in_texas.html