Greetings from River's End.

Well, the Christmas holiday is almost upon us and the San Bernard. We Rivers Enders are decorating and getting ready to celebrate. As I promised last week, I'll give you a glimpse of the annual San Bernard Boat Parade and House Decorating Contest.

The boat parade is this Saturday, Dec 9th and begins at the bridge at 521, travels down the San Bernard, and ends up at Las Playas. The parade will start at about 5:30 p.m., and I know there will be a whole lot of people waiting in the cold at the public viewing areas and at Dido's to see the boats and the lights, and their reflections in the river. But, if the viewers don't have a boat, they will miss a magical part of the parade - the houses. Too bad, I have never experienced anything like the magic of seeing the  people in the lighted houses (having Boat Parade parties) who,  seeing the boats, come running out waving and wishing the people in the boats a Merry Christmas. The cold, the lights the goodwill that fills up all of the outdoors- well, all of this would get even Scrooge in the mood for the holidays.

I got to thinking about my neighbors and the river and the wildlife around here and how all of us were getting ready for our winter celebration. Many of our neighbors, who are retired, choose to spend their time making and decorating gifts for their children and grandchildren, leaving the house decorating to the younger set. These wonderful folk are giving magical gifts of self and time, worth more in love than gold.

Then, there are those of us down here that encourage the fantasy of children. As a matter of fact, the River's End Volunteer Fire Department will roll out a fire truck to chauffer Santa on a test run for Christmas Eve on December 16. He will have a chance to meet and greet the precious wee ones and give them a preview of his visit later in the month when he'll be taking his supersonic sleigh. And the young parents decorate their houses with lights and love, giving their children a Christmas memory to cherish.

The wildlife is getting ready for the holidays, too. The cooler, wetter weather lately has put them on the move. Twice in the last couple of weeks, an 8 point buck came out from the underbrush on F.M. 2918 to stare at me. Once, he even ran across the road in front of me. He has also brought his family up there, and I've seen him with a doe and a smaller deer standing next to the red holly at the side of the road. I tell you, a picture of this would make a great Christmas card, but as it is, I'll put this up in my memory as my own personal card from the wildlife on the refuge. Then, there are the snow geese, their calls as cheery to my ears as sleigh bells. When they cover the ground with white, they give us all a feeling of peace on earth that nothing else can. If I look out my patio door across the river, I find the White Pelicans looking for shelter from the ferocious North Wind. Mix them with the American Avocets, and the Roseate Spoonbills, the Great Blue Herons, the Caracaras, the Osprey and other sundry birds the great migration sends us this time of year. Add the smooth cord grass and the prickly pear cactus, and you have another Christmas greeting.

Oh, how the San Bernard River gets ready for the holidays. This time of year, when we get the low tides, the river (or some say the ghost of the Fiddler) sings (or plays music) for all those who will listen. As I've said before, the curve in the river across from our house is known as Music Bend. Sometimes, the music is a whispering song that lulls you to sleep in peace, sometimes it is a constant conversation speaking of the things it has seen. At other times, it is a howling banshee trying to gain entry into your home through any nook or cranny available. At any rate, it sings more this time of year than any other time. The river, with the help of the sky, also put on their finest accouterments.  They give us what I like to call the "Pink Show" and the finest "Pink Shows" come at this time of year. The show is at its best when the air and sky are clear and cold and then, when the sun sets, the sky and the river turn into a pink and blue watercolor. It's a gift I wouldn't give up to live in River Oaks, Houston.