Lazy Start to the Week

Last weekend, other than church and shooting, neither of us did much outside the house. It was nice to have relaxation time.

Tuesday I accompanied Gail, my Junior Forum recruit, to the Information Coffee. It was very well attended and I was pleased that Gail signed up to join. She has moved here to be near her daughter, is a widow, and has been looking for volunteer opportunities. I think this is a good fit for her. She thinks so too.

Our Christmas gift to Terry and Carol were tickets to see Jersey Boys at the Hobby Theater. We had dinner at Saltgrass to celebrate both their birthdays which are nowhere near this date but we were gone for hers and will be gone for his. So we took care of all occasions in one fell swoop. Dinner was delicious and the play was terrific. Of course the music is "our music" so that added to the enjoyment. It was a later night than we are all used to.

My Canasta group has switched to Shang Hai and Thursday was the first time I played since Christmas. I got stuck again not going down so I didn't win. Adding all those points in one round is a killer and odds are not everyone, or anyone else for that matter, will get stuck too so they will have much lower scores. The 80 single dollar bills I won playing card bingo in Mission have not proved to be lucky in raffles or games.  They are rapidly dwindling.

I finally tackled a job I have put off for too long.  I cleaned out the office and all my files.  Now I have three stacks of paper about 2-3 feet high each.  I have a shredder but between the paper clips, motor overheating, stopping to empty the bin, etc., I decided to call a professional shredder.  He will be here on 4/12 since he only comes to this area once a week and will shred it all right in front of us in less than a half hour.  What a terrific feeling when all that excess is gone!

We met Gerre and Barry Friday night for dinner and to go see Fantasticks.  This is a 1960 musical allegory and took awhile to get into the rhythm of what the story was.  By intermission we had an idea of the story line but Barry and Gerre decided they didn't want to stay for the second act.  Ted and I decided to stay and the second act was much better because we understood the story line by then.  Other than Try To Remember there were no big hit songs but after 50 years this play still plays off Broadway.  To each his own I guess.

I took advantage of being at the theater to request my two free seats for the season.  We have invited our friends Sherida and John to accompany us to Grease in May.  Now that story I know and the music is right up our alley.  I think we will all like this one.

I baked a lamb cake for Easter dinner using a lamb mold Ted bought me at an antique store in Huntsville.  My Aunt Ret always made one for Easter and the children's First Communion.  When she died, the lamb mold disappeared.  It was the only thing I asked for.  With no directions I was taking a chance but it turned out OK.  I am not the best decorator but for a first effort it will do for the five of us having dinner. 

Today we went to church and God was with us, maybe because he recognizes us from the other 51 Sundays.  We arrived 9 minutes before Mass, not a good idea on Easter, but got the last parking spot. We went to the gym instead of the church and got two seats in the second row.  Mass was over before the church Mass finished and we pulled right out of the parking lot.  Three things that can be a problem on Easter and Christmas but not for us this time.

We went to Terry & Carol's about 4:00 and had dinner with them and our friend Jody whose husband was out of town.  Dinner was wonderful and afterwards we played Shang Hai.  Ted won and I came in second.  I am playing again Tuesday so I hope the card gods are with me.

Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song. ~
Pope John Paul II

Back to the Old Grind

There is always a Piper to be paid and he was waiting for me at home.  The first payment was to the three bins of mail!  Everything important had been handled but the shredding takes forever.  I had a few things to tend to but the banking and bills had all been handled so it was just getting rid of the rest of the stuff - like 99.9% of it.

Then it was on to taxes.  I had done most of the ground work so 2012 wasn't hard to finish.  But after talking with an accountant in the valley regarding a new bill passed in 2010 that I was unaware of, I amended my 2011 and am expecting a nice refund!  It felt good to get that out of the way.

Monday I double dipped and played bunco in the morning and Shang Hai in the afternoon.  I didn't win a darn thing either place.  In fact, I got "whupped" pretty bad at Shang Hai.  Getting stuck not going down once is bad enough but twice???  But it was great to see everyone again.

Ted and I had several errands to run and did this on Tuesday because he was leaving for Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.  It was his Piper calling!  First we had to go to the trailer to get the wedding present.  We also brought his suit, shirt and tie home.  We had left it all there so we would have it after our trip to Kerrville when we went to Alabama.  Since that wasn't happening, we moved to Plan B. 

We took the wedding present back to Dillard's and they arranged packaging and shipping of the wedding present.  Then we took trousers Kelly had given him at Christmas to Macy's.  They still had the tags on them but he has lost enough weight that they are too big.  They didn't have his new size so I have a gift card for future use.

My I-Pad cover started coming apart so I called Targus.  They told me to mail it back for a replacement.  So off to the post office we went.  Then there was a stop at Wells Fargo, another at HEB, dropped off four pairs of slacks at the cleaners to be hemmed and finally we made our way back home.  You can spend a whole day just running around and never going very far from home.

I cleaned the house on Wednesday since it had sat for two months.  All things considered, it wasn't too bad, just dusty.  And there were five loads of laundry.  Ted was gone so I had all day to myself to get it accomplished.

Petticoats and Parasols, a Junior Forum "walk through women's fashions show from the 1800s on" was being presented at the Newcomers luncheon on Thursday so I decided I would attend.  The authentic vintage clothes are so interesting to see and the models do such a great job of representing the era.  The gals did an absolutely fabulous job and I was proud to be a part of both organizations.  Again, it was good catching up with so many people.

Today was a Junior Forum meeting and I was assigned biscuits to bring.  I took honey and strawberry jam to put on them.  There were six different breakfast casseroles but they all had meat in them.  You could pick out the few Catholics present because they were eating biscuits, cheese cubes and fruit!  It was a long meeting and after cleaning up I stayed to help get the Installation Luncheon invitations ready for mailing.  I didn't get home until almost 3:00 and I have to admit I am tired. 

I've spent an enormous amount of time working on the family tree that I need to have completed by June.  I have 8 generations and am now looking for a place that can print it in its entirety.  All those I have found only can print 5 generations.  I came across one but I think it involves buying more software so I'll keep looking.  If all else fails 8.5 x 11 card stock and double sided tape will work too.

Well the garage door just went up and that means Ted is home from Florida.  I hope he is hungry because I am.  That biscuit, cheese cube and fruit have vacated the premises and my tummy is calling for something else right about now.  Even a McDonald's fish sandwich sounds good.

Until next time ...

Roberts Burns and the Plans of Men

We had the roof of the trailer washed on Wednesday and then the sides all wiped down.  Ted "swished" the tanks repeatedly to be sure they were really clean and put his bike, grill, table and chairs away.  We went to the last Margarita night of the season and Karen won $85 on the 50/50.  The number was one off of mine!

Thursday morning I was ready inside so Ted hooked up and it wasn't yet 9 o'clock when we pulled out.  We were paid up until Friday but didn't want to spend Friday night on the road and travel on Saturday.

It was just four hours to Victoria and only 1 o'clock when we stopped.  We could easily have driven on but Ted said he is retired and doesn't have to so he wasn't going to!  It would make for a long day and I don't know if we would have the stamina to empty the trailer after a long haul.  We set up and went to find a nail salon for me to get another thing out of the way before getting home where I had lots waiting for me.

We had just finished dinner when Ted saw Joe, a neighbor down in Mission, pull in.  He remarked that it looked as if Joe had a blowout.  The tire rim was white and without a hubcap and the wheel well was tore up a bit.  Ted went out to talk to him and he said he got only a bit north of Edinburg when the tread separated.  Having had this happen to us three times, we knew only too well about such things.

Once he got settled he came over and Ted told him what we did, how great Goodyear was about the tires and damage and our subsequent move to H rated tires instead of G.  We put him in touch with Jay who is a Heartland guy and he is advising him on how to proceed to get a new tire, fix the damage and make changes so it doesn't happen again.  Tires should last longer than 6,000 miles.  Joe is a really nice fellow and we look forward to seeing him in Mission next year. 

We made it home on Friday with no problems and started the unloading of two months of living.  It took two trips and we messed up our 2300 sq. ft. house with stuff from our 350 sq. ft. trailer.  I can never figure out how that happens.

I spent the rest of the day working on the three bins of mail and finishing up our taxes.  Saturday morning was more of the same.  We made plans to meet up with Jay and Stella for a late lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.  They hit the road later this week for their summer trip.  We had a great visit and they left for a grandson's ballgame and we went to church.

We sure did miss Fr. Roy at church.  Fr. George is from India and try as I might, I still only get every other word.  No mention of John Wayne, no country music CDs, no dogs, no jokes.  I know I am there to praise the Lord and not be entertained but Fr. Roy is a real tough act to follow.

Our trip to Troy, Alabama has been cancelled.  Ted's niece decided to marry quickly in December when her fiance graduated and got a job that required moving.  They intended to return in April for a big reception for everyone to attend.  In anticipation I bought that wedding present at Dillard's so I didn't have to do that when I got home.  Now I have 12 place settings of silverware that weigh a TON.  I think I will take them back, get a credit and send a check rather than package them up and pay the postage which would be substantial.  But we are still going to Kerrville and will just be home for the weekend instead of in Alabama.

Happy St. Paddy's Day to everyone. 

"The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft aglee". ... Robert Burns

Ready To Head Out

We had a great sermon from Fr. Roy on Saturday.  The gospel was the Prodigal Son and he said we probably can all find ourselves a bit in each one of the folks mentioned.  I know I am the "eldest son" on so many levels.  In a nutshell Fr. Roy said the story goes like this:

A man has two sons and the youngest wanted his inheritance which Daddy gave to him.  He went off and blew all the money and came back home with his hat in his hand.  Instead of being mad, the father said "Come on in.  We'll have a cookout and tie one on!"  But the oldest boy was pissed."  And that is how we hear the Word according to Fr. Roy.  We told him goodbye for the year and how much we enjoyed his sermons.  He thanked us and wished us safe travels.

We came home and went right over to the farewell party.  We had eaten before we left so we didn't eat anything.  When it was time for the ice cream social we all walked to the clubhouse and got sundaes.  We stayed at the party until time for Pokeeno and then went back to the clubhouse.  We play 10 games - 3 nickles, 3 dimes, 3 quarters and one for $1.  And I won the $1 game raking in $80!  Usually you win about $125 but many folks have left and the crowd was smaller.  But I was happy.

Sunday morning we took Dave and Karen to the Embassy Suites for brunch.  They are so kind and helpful to us that we wanted to say thank you.  We had a nice meal and visit.  They are changing parks next year and we will certainly miss them being right across the street.  The rest of the day we just hung out.  DST had everyone a bit mixed up in their eating and sleeping patterns.

The National HitchHiker luncheon was yesterday and the crowd there was less too.  This is the last one of the season.  We sat with Linda and Gordon who belong to our subgroup Haulin' HitchHikers.  They are not going to Kerrville in April but two other couples that were there are.  This is the group we were with in Manistee MI last August.

After lunch we drove to Mercedes to the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo.  We saw several shows and looked at many exhibits.  We spent close to four hours walking around.  The rodeo competition part doesn't start until Wednesday so we missed that.  It was pretty late when we got home.

We have no more plans other than getting ready to leave and saying goodbye to our friends.  I have a very full plate when I get home and hope I can get it all done before we take off in a couple weeks again.

Get busy living or get busy dying.  ~ Stephen King

Seriously, More Fish!

We made our way to Mexico along with lots of other Winter Texans.  I did get that last cinnamon roll and while Ted had his pedicure I went to the drugstore and to find the honey.  I thought I remembered where Ronnie got his but that wasn't the right store.  I asked at the pharmacy where I could buy honey (they do sell vanilla) but I got blank stares.  So I just bopped in and out of stores until I found it at a meat market.

Meanwhile back at the salon Ted was nicknamed Roja Hombre because he turned red from laughing. He is terribly ticklish and has a hard time holding still when someone touches his feet.  But he thinks it is worth it in the end.  I will introduce him to my salon when we get home.  There isn't anything I can do about the ticklish part.

Since we didn't know if we were leaving, we started making preparations.  Ted had a few jobs to take care of and I started packing up the inside.  I had to separate all the things I bought for others into individual bags and then using the receipts, break down the pesos into US dollars.  Those bags are now ready for distribution.  As it turned out, we didn't have to leave so we are ahead of the game.

We have had no rain in two months and the dust has been unreal.  We climbed high, dusting the slide tops, ceiling fan, even the inside of the oven that I seldom use because I use the convection oven.  Today we took the four A/C filters down and washed them.  On Tuesday a fellow is coming to wash the roof.  We had the whole trailer washed and waxed when we arrived and yesterday Ted was putting another coat of wax on the front to keep bugs from sticking.  This fellow stopped by and offered to finish the job.  Ted told him he was almost done but he could come back on Tuesday and do the roof because it is as dusty as everything else.

I made deviled eggs for Margarita night on Wednesday.  One more thing out of the refrigerator.  Last. night we all headed to the Riverside Club for dancing and dinner.  The musician is supposed to play from 2-6 but when we arrived at four, he had gone home!  So 16 of us had dinner and I had cod while Ted had shrimp.  I am going to grow scales soon!

We have a farewell party tonight because everyone is heading out pretty soon.  Pat and Vern leave on Tuesday and we go on Thursday but there have been departures every day since March 1.  We signed us up and our FL friends for next January.  On 2/1 we will leave with them and head to Florida for a month and be there for our daughter's wedding.

This afternoon will be our last Mass with Fr. Roy for the year.  There is also the ice cream social and Pokeeno tonight so we will just have to see how long the party lasts.

Leaving is bittersweet this year because our group is now divided in thirds.  Three couples are going to Llano Grande, three to Victoria Palms and three are staying here.  I think some may be cutting off their nose to spite their face but everyone has to do what they think is best for them.

I like this park because of its size.  The other two mentioned have 1800 spots!  We are close to the skeet club and Fr. Roy.  There are lots of churches but as long as he is at Our Lady of Guadalupe we will attend there.  We are next to McAllen that has every chain store and restaurant known to mankind.  I don't think sales of these spots are going to happen anytime soon.  That will be plenty of time to make a change then.

	All change is not growth; all movement is not forward. ~ Ellen Glasgow

No Tacos This Trip

We were all discussing the restaurants we have gone to this season and Ted and I realized we haven't been to a Mexican restaurant even once but we've had lots of fish.  We started with shrimp at Alejandro's, the tray of fish and shrimp at Dirty Al's,  talapia at Pappadeaux, some kind of fish at Mambo's, wonderful parmesan talapia at Red Lobster and even fish sandwiches at McDonald's on Ash Wednesday!  For the most part we have eaten at home.

On Saturday Ted and Don were in a skeet tournament.  Ted came in first in the 12 gauge in his class, second in the 20 gauge in his class and Second Overall in the 12 gauge portion of the tournament. His student Don came in first in his class in the 12 gauge. Don was so proud of himself and Ted was proud of him!  Their names will be in the magazine Skeet Shooting next month.

They were gone all day so Trudy and I did what all women do when left alone - we went shopping.  Trudy wanted to go to the Hanes store in Mercedes so we started there and ended at a darling boutique in McAllen where we also had a nice lunch.  No fish, chicken salad.  I bought a few things and am ready for summer.

We were home in time to go to church at 5:30 where a Hispanic priest from California, visiting relatives in the area, said Mass.  Fr. Roy spoke at the beginning.  He told us that little Puebla, his three legged dog, had died the night before.  She lost her leg to a fungal infection and finally succumbed to it.  Fr. Roy loves his animals.  The little black and white spaniel dog kept walking in front of me as I made my way back to my seat after Communion.  No matter which way I stepped, he was there.  The first rows were chuckling at my dilemma.  Everyone is used to several dogs in church and love having them there.  As we drove away, a young couple was feeding the llama some carrots.
We will miss attending church here when we leave.

Since we are winding down, on Sunday we invited Dave, Karen, Dulce and Berndt to help us finish off our brats from Cincinnati.  We needed to get a few things from the Don-Wes flea market since we have had a few more requests so we did that and bought a bag of oranges and a bag of grapefruit too.  Ted started the grill when we got home while I fixed brocolli slaw, beans and baked apples.  Karen made a chocolate pie.  It was breakfast, lunch and dinner for us.  Afterwards we all walked around the park twice.

Today we are going to Mexico with the last of the shopping requests from there - some medicine and honey.  It will be a big payday when we get home and give everyone what they have requested.  Just maybe I can get a last cinnamon roll from Renee's if Ted gets another pedicure!

Shot Not Heard Round the Campground

Wednesday we joined several couples at Schneider's German restaurant.  It appears most of them are moving to Victoria Palms in light of the sites being for sale here along with a 10% increase in price for next year.  Since we are coming for just one month and Victoria Palms won't even take a one month reservation until December 1, we are reserving here for next year on the premise that we seriously doubt the sites will be sold.  If we get "shoved" out, we will go somewhere else.

We had a great meal of food like I ate at home when I was a kid.  Ted had zweibel schnitzel which is grilled onions over pork loin with fried potatoes.  I opted for just sides - spaetzel, German potato salad (not as good as mine) and awesome red cabbage.  Everyone enjoyed the food and many had apple strudel.  It looked good but I passed.

The next day we went next door to Retama Village whose owners took advantage of the turmoil here to have an open house of their sales and rentals.  It wasn't productive because we aren't interested in buying and they don't want to rent for less than 3 months if they can.  Probably around December 1 a one month rental will be more attractive if they have nothing lined up.  Something for us to keep in mind.

Then we went to Walgreen's only to find out neither of us had our wallets and we had to come back.  Later on we went back and stopped at Wal-Mart too.

Today Ted went shooting and afterwards we went to Dillards to buy a wedding present so I don't have to do that once we get home.  The Fed Ex guy dropped off a package and that is where the shot in the title comes in.  One morning around 5 o'clock Ted said he was awakened by a single gunshot. However no one else heard it including me.

We had a motor replaced on our awning because it would stop short of closing and in a few minutes would then close all the way.  Ted checked the batteries and they seemed OK.  Then our LP detector started going off.  We checked everything and decided it needed to be replaced because Dave's detector said to replace in four years and ours was five years old.  Today Fed Ex delivered it.  Ted hooked it up and it appeared not to work.  Dave and Ted went to check the batteries because it runs on 12 volt and the battery had blown up!

So we think the battery was going bad and the awning possibly didn't need a new motor just better 12 volt power, the sulfur smell from the battery may have set off the detector and the shot was the caps flying off the battery when the case cracked and blew up!  So now we need two batteries!  Never a dull moment.

We may have to leave a week early if Ted has to make a business trip.  Usually he would fly off and come back but the timing overlaps with our scheduled departure.  Since I have stuff piling up at home I would rather get home sooner than later.  After all, we only have 2.5 weeks before we hit the road again.  We will know more on Wednesday.  We will either be leaving the next day or leaving the next  week as planned.

Talk to y'all later.

And The Exodus Begins

March 1 is fast approaching and many are gearing up for departure. Lots of them will head to Texas's hill country to wait for spring to arrive further north before they continue home. We have a couple more weeks before we leave.

A new restaurant, Mambo's Seafood, opened recently so we gave it a try on Friday. It was just OK and I certainly wouldn't wait an hour to be seated. Since we went about 3 o'clock our wait was short but then we waited a half hour for our food! Mediocre dining at best is my thought.

Our BBQ and dance was scheduled for Saturday afternoon and the weather was great. We saved three tables for our group but people were up and down all afternoon so we met some new folks who sat down to eat. Here we are with Don and Trudy that we have known for three years now.  Very few things go on in the evening here so you get used to putting on your dancing shoes early in the day. The brisket was very good and we had a nice time.

We chose to go to 5:30 Mass so we could stay longer at the dance. We missed Fr. Roy but Speedy Gonzales was there and we were out quickly.

Sunday was the craft show and this "picture" was created here in the wood shop by a very talented artist and carpenter.  I would have liked to have bought it for my niece Ann who does competitive cowgirl shoot and ride races but it wasn't for sale.

We had a happy hour later in the afternoon. There has been some "drama" about the park's conversion and it was decided to get together to talk about it. But no one took ownership of the subject so small conversations were going on but there was no big speech about what was expected to happen or info on other parks like I expected.


Karen invited our entire group for dinner on Monday. Since there were 18 of us and there was a Wind Advisory for the entire day, we ate in the clubhouse . We were supposed to have this dinner the day we arrived but it was rainy and 47 degrees that day so she only had me and Ted. She asked for a salad so I did an antipasto and it was well received.  Everyone liked all the "good stuff" I put in it.

Several people are checking out other parks this week.  The front runner won't let you make a reservation for less than 3 months until November.  That could put you in a park you would rather not be in if they couldn't accommodate your request.  We have to make our reservation at this park on March 8 so you can see where being made to wait until November isn't desirable.  The others all stay at least three months and this isn't a problem for them. We intend to make our month of January reservation for here next year and hope for the best.  Time will tell.  

Yesterday was so windy that after lunch everyone stayed put inside.  We walked up to check our mailbox and to mail a letter in the afternoon.  I felt like the Flying Nun.  I would estimate the winds at 60 mph.  Watching the news last night told me we weren't alone in all that wind.  I'm just glad the temperatures were comfortable and we didn't have any snow like so much of the nation is battling.

Karen is determined to finish off those meatballs so she invited us for meatball subs for lunch.  We are both in the mode to empty the refrigerator and freezer as much as we can to minimize having to take it back home.

I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. ~ Jimmy Dean

Another Week Gone By

After our "beer tasting" on Sunday, we chose to skip the "wine tasting" on Monday. I don't like beer; Ted doesn't like wine. We only did the beer thing because it preceded the pizza party!

Tuesday was Don and Trudy's annual "Brat and Sauerkraut" party that is held across from us on Dave and Karen's super site. I think 40 couples were invited. Ted helped drag tables, set up chairs and came to get our two vinyl tablecloths. In the meantime I was making German potato salad. To me potato salad is sweet/sour and served warm. Until supermarkets put in deli cases I had no idea potato salad could be cold and made with mayo!

Don and Dave tending the grill.

We sat with two couples, one from Canada and another, Dutch citizens living in Canada. They told us of needing to buy an expensive medical policy to travel outside Canada and it was unbelievable what the Dutch couple had to do to emigrate to Canada and continue to visit the US. I told them they should swim across the Rio Grande like the other 14 million people who are here. It is ludicrous to have some jumping through expensive hoops and waiting to enter and then hang a "get in free card" on our southern border.

Wednesday Ted went shooting and then we went to the premier outlets in Mercedes where I wanted to do some shopping. I found several things and bought a pair of shoes to match one outfit.

Ted had been wanting to stop to visit Bill and Marge since we were over that way. Bill worked at the Thunder Bay mill for Abitibi and we had learned from others what park they were in. We had a great visit and they are supposed to come over this way for lunch and to see our park.

Speaking of which we were all invited to a meeting yesterday and were told the park is going "condo." They expect in five years for it to be all individually owned! Considering there are 17 super sites in Retama next door that are bigger and better, but not sold,  at around the same asking price, tells me that is wishful thinking.

This is a high end park for the valley and the people here did not retire this comfortably by making poor financial choices. Besides the $45,000 asking price there are taxes, condo fees and utilities (they forgot to include insurance). They made the case from an investment standpoint saying you can't get 1% on your money now and then offered to finance at 7.9%. I said at that rate I would lend them money! All of that for a concrete strip!  The super sites with the coach houses are more.

On March 8 we have to make next year's reservation but I don't know what happens if your site gets sold or is needed for their "show and tell" program. There are approximately 30,000 sites here in the valley so I am not going to worry about it. I have the rental info for the Retama sites and we'll see what happens. We like Bill's park but we want to stay in the Mission area because of the skeet and trap club.

As it stands we will only be here one month next year with our second one in Florida because of the wedding. Who knows? Maybe we will like being back in our old stomping grounds!

Such Beautiful Weather

We sure can't complain about the weather but the farmers could use rain. They were burning off the sugar cane fields when we arrived. It has been harvested and the fields replanted this past month and the new growth is over a foot already. Such fertile ground here along the Rio Grande.

We spent Wednesday and Thursday cleaning, doing laundry and grocery shopping. By Friday it was time to venture out again. About two dozen of us went to Pappadeux's for Pat's birthday. Since Lent had started, going to a fine seafood restaurant worked well for us. Our reservation was at 2:30 and it was about 5:00 before we got home.

Some interesting appetizers floated around. Alligator bites, raw oysters and boudan were at our end of the table. Ted had shrimp and I had talapia. It was all very good. The restaurant brought Pat a huge piece of cheesecake with strawberries and a lit candle in it. She passed it all around and when it came back, she and I finished it!

A Cajun fiddler was playing at the clubhouse but we had not gotten tickets for the show. We tossed around attending the 7:00 show because what we could hear of the 4:00 show sounded good. Just then our next door neighbor yelled in our door for me and asked if we were going. I said we were if tickets were left and she gave us two for free. They were passed to her by a friend from another friend and they didn't want any money.

Wade Landry plays at the God and Country Theater in Branson six months of the year and the other six months here in the valley. He and his wife put on a terrific show with a lot of zydeco music in it. He told lots of jokes about Boudreaux and Tibideau that were so funny. We were glad we attended after all.

We went to church Saturday with Fr. Roy. Our entrance song was Hank Williams' Oh Lonesome Me and the collection song was by Alan Jackson but I don't know the name. It was about Mom and Dad teaching us right from wrong. Fr. Roy gives everyone a Hershey's kiss for Valentine's Day. Last week he chastised those who leave before Mass is over so this week he asked they give him 35 seconds so he and the altar dogs can get to the door to give out the kisses. Surprisingly everyone did.

We had tickets to see Solitaryman who sings Neil Diamond songs on Saturday night. He sounds exactly like him singing and when he sang three Elvis songs he sounded just like him. But ... he was a one man show and his actions on stage were very disruptive to the entertainment value. He spent most of the time adjusting his sound, playing with his computer, knocking over his stool, getting a cough drop (which I was waiting for him to choke on) and taking drinks from a Subway cup. Ted said he chose to close his eyes and just listen because he was very good but
his actions were disconcerting!

Today we had horse races that were hilarious. The horses were created in the wood shop and volunteers were the color coded jockeys. They had big bows, huge glasses, matching colored horse and a colored sign with their horses name. We bet on Ann and Pat in the first race and then chose remaining colors in the others and did not have a single winner in any race. There was a contest for best Derby hat. I had on my red cowgirl hat since it was windy not because of the contest but a floral one was the winner. Today was the first time they did the races and next year people will be decked out like they are at Churchill Downs.

Late this afternoon was beer tasting prior to pizza night. Ted had gone with the fellows and they all bought unusual beers for the tasting. I tried some ale with strawberries and honey but it still tasted like beer (which I hate). Then I tried Fuzzy Navel malt. I liked that OK. There was a Lime Margarita one and that wasn't as good as the Fuzzy Navel. There were lots of beers to try but
I ended up drinking Sprite with my pizza. I just don't care for beer.

We had a good crowd and a few more plans were made for the remaining time of the season. In a week and a half around the first of March, the exodus will start. We are scheduled out of here mid-March.

Our youngest daughter will be married next February in Florida so we need to decide soon how much time we will spend here next year. I think we may do a month here and a month there. Stay tuned and you'll know when we know!

Boat Rides, Shows, Day at the Beach

Here are a couple of photos from our trip to Mexico.  Cindy is in Mexico and Tim is in the U.S.  This is on the bridge over the Rio Grande as we walked into Mexico.

Our anniversary drink in Progreso to honor Karen and Ron's 54th wedding anniversary.

Friday morning Tim cooked us breakfast at their casita and then we took a boat ride on the Rio Grande River. Ted and I did this about 8 years ago and we were truly shocked this time. The development on the Mexican side was astonishing! Both public and private beautiful construction was going on. The only thing I noticed different on our side was the total collapse of the restaurant, Pepe's On The River. During the flood of 2010, it became Pepe's IN The River.  To see it just hanging there in total collapse from the river side was astounding.  There has been no attempt to tear it down and so it just hangs there as a terrible eyesore.

Afterwards we took a ride to the ropas (clothes in Spanish) to show them a few places with the mountains of clothes and people climbing all over them.  What they purchase will end up at a flea market or hanging on their fences for sale.  It is a sight to see.

That evening Crosstrung performed at our park and we had second row seats.  The group is from Utah, all family, and they were truly amazing.  Their two fiddle players were unbelievably talented and they had the audience participate which is always fun.  Everyone enjoyed the show and my family was amazed that we were able to see such quality entertainment here in the park for $5.

Saturday we went to the Don-Wes flea market and produce stands.  Karen and Cindy were interested in the bathing suit store and they both ended up with new suits.  We all bought fruit and I bought a new rug for the bottom of the RV steps.  At 4:00 we went to church and Fr. Roy was his usual self and they enjoyed his sermon.  There was an ice cream social followed by Pokeeno that evening at the clubhouse.  Cindy and Tim borrowed park bikes and rode to the state park while we "old folks" stayed at the clubhouse.  None of us won anything but we enjoyed the evening.

The weather was supposed to be the warmest and sunniest on Sunday so we chose that day to go to the beach at South Padre Island.  It went to 95 degrees and for once the weatherman was right.

Tim brought his metal detector and walked the beach with it but found only a few coins, none of which were gold doubloons!

He had to watch where he walked, as did everyone, because jellyfish were all over the place.  When we arrived, the yellow caution flag was flying.  By the time we left the red flag was up along with the purple one.  This meant "do not go in the water" and "jellyfish are present." 

Dirty Al's, a South Padre Island institution, was our choice for dinner.  We chose a platter the size of a cafeteria tray covered with french fries and 40 pieces of fish, shrimp and chicken on top.  It fed all of us for $38 and was absolutely some of the best fish I have ever eaten.  You could also include oysters if you wanted but no one wanted them. 

On Monday everyone did their own thing.  Ronnie went fishing in the state park, Cindy and Tim went antiquing in Harlingen and then returned to Mexico, Ted and I went to the HitchHiker monthly luncheon and Karen watched her soap operas.  It was a change of pace that everyone enjoyed.

Tuesday morning everyone but Ted went to the Mexican flea market.  I guess they call it this because all the vendors are Mexican!  Little English is spoken and the signs are in Spanish.  I bought a pair of silver earrings, Ron and Tim bought Colt knives and that was about it.  The car returning to Cincinnati was at its capacity and Cindy and Tim only had carry on bags for the plane. 

Ted and I went to the Palapa to help decorate for the Mardi Gras party and put streamers on Roger's truck.  The parade began at 5:00 and somehow I ended up sitting in the truck facing backwards.  Roger was standing over the cab with his I-Pod playing "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" while Vern and John sat on the tailgate.  We all threw candy and beads to the park residents before culminating at the Palapa for the party.  This is the view from my seat in the pick-up bed.

Our friends and neighbors Karen and Dave with their dog Smoki, who has outfits for every occasion.

Wednesday morning Karen and Ron left.  Around 2 o'clock they called and said they were north of Houston trying to make Texarkana.  That is a l-o-n-g haul in one day.  Ted took Cindy and Tim to the airport for their 11 o'clock flight.  I received a text message around 5 saying they had arrived to snow in Cincinnati.

We had a great time while they were here and now we will settle back into our normal routine.  This first month has flown by but we still have another one before heading home.

Company Has Arrived

That was an interesting outcome to the Super Bowl.  It looked like a runaway until the lights went out!  Neither of us did any good on the betting squares, not even close.  I didn't think the commercials were all that great and the half time show left me with a "is that it?" feeling.  But I have to admit I am glad the season is over and I can have my TV back.

We were busy on Monday doing laundry, going to the grocery and doing some cooking in anticipation of going shopping Tuesday and expecting Karen and Ron on Wednesday.

As it turned out, the shopping was cancelled due to the illness of one of the driver's husbands and our company arrived around 2:00 on Tuesday afternoon, a day ahead of schedule.  Their cabin was empty and they were able to move in.  Otherwise they would have spent the night with us.

This gave us an opportunity to take them around a bit on Wednesday before Tim and Cindy flew in.

We first stopped at Our Lady of San Juan of the Valley Shrine and Basilica.  It is a beautiful church and grounds.  This is the main altar banked with flowers that people bring constantly.  There are also many, many candles lit in front of it.

The grounds are large and impressive.  Sculptures of the "stations of the cross" that mark Jesus' journey to be crucified are spaced throughout.

From there we went to Harlingen to see the original casting used to make the bronze Iwo Jima memorial that now resides in Arlington National Cemetery. 

Also buried here is Cpl. Harlon H. Block of Weslaco, TX who is depicted in the memorial.  He was killed in action five days after the flag raising.

We watched a movie on the taking of Iwo Jima.  We have seen it before but it still brings tears to my eyes when I think of the thousands of boys who lost their lives on that small island.

Next up was a small showroom of Classic Chevrolet cars.  Here are Karen and Ron next to a 1961 Corvette that they would have loved to own when they first married 54 years ago!

My first car was a 1956 black and white BelAir like this one but mine was not a convertible.

Of course one of the most famous Chevrolets of all was the 1957 model.

From there we stopped at an antique store where Karen & Ron bought a mirrored beer sign originally from Cincinnati.  Shhh!  It's a Christmas gift.

By then it was time to head home so Ted could make his airport run.  Cindy and Tim arrived just in time for Margarita Hour in the clubhouse.  After a few drinks and some appetizers we all came to our trailer and had a light dinner.

It wasn't long before everyone was heading to their own place to turn in early.  It had been a long day and we were meeting at 9:00 this morning.  Destination:  Mexico.

We made our way to Progreso this morning before 10:00.  Our first stop was for coffee and pastry at Renee's Bakery.  Being serenaded by mariachis that early in the morning is a real eye opener! 

Ted bought a new black belt and had his hardware transferred from the old one to the new one.  I bought a few more things at the drugstore to fill additional requests.  And that was it for us.  But the others were Christmas shopping from cowboy boots to leather wallets, necklaces, belts and things in between.  We were going to be loaded down on the way home.

We ended the day on the music patio in Progreso having a drink to celebrate Karen and Ron's 54th wedding anniversary.  We came back across the bridge and ate brisket at Fat Daddy's.  It was late afternoon when we finally made it home.

Later we took Cindy and Tim to the grocery so they could stock their kitchen with some items.  Tomorrow we are taking a boat ride on the Rio Grande River.  Y'all come back, ya hear!

Fun weekend

There was a good turnout for our ladies luncheon and style show on Friday. Everyone was so dressed up compared to the normal attire around the park. I sat with Pat, Ann and Diana. Trudy and Karen were models so they ate at that table. Three different stores showed off their wares. The one I liked best is actually a 14W and up store so I can't even shop there.

However, we are all going to Weslaco on Tuesday to shop at the other two stores and use our coupons that were at each table setting. We will be having lunch over there too. I took photos for Karen but the light was not good so I don't think they turned out all that well.

Afterwards I found Ted over at Dave's so I sat down for awhile too. I gave him Karen's camera and phone because she was still getting her things together in the dressing room.

Yesterday we went to Tony Roma's for an early dinner. That is only the third time we have eaten out since we arrived. Diet or not, I couldn't pass up the ribs. I got the smaller portion but still brought home half of that. Ted could not eat all of his either.

Then we went to church where Mary, Joseph, Simeon, Anna and the donkey re-enacted the Presentation of the Lord in the temple. Benito the dog barked at the donkey and Fr. Roy had to tell him to be quiet, it was OK for the donkey to be in church. Fr. Roy said "That must be Simeon's dog. I read in the Bible that he had a cranky dog." Afterwards we received the "blessing of throats" in honor of St. Blaise Day. Fr. Roy had mentioned that if he asked everyone what day 2/2 was, half would say Groundhog Day instead of Candlemas Day. I think the percentage would have been higher. I want to go to Mass at San Juan Shrine with the mariachi bands but it is hard to skip our weekly encounter with Fr. Roy.

We then picked up Jay and Stella for the Rainey show at Chimney Park. This park sits right on the banks of the Rio Grande River and every one's cell phones were getting messages about the costs of international dialing. We get them when we walk across the bridge too. We just all know not to make or take calls there. I wonder how the people in the park make sure they are not internationally roaming.

Rainey did a fantastic job as Patsy Cline. We all really enjoyed the show. I have everything Patsy ever recorded and she has the nuances down pat. Donna from our park was there because she knows Rainey. They are both from Thunder Bay, Ontario. She introduced Ted because both Rainey's mother and her husband had worked for mills owned by Abitibi. They knew a few people in common.

Today is the Burger Bash and Super Bowl. I think the fellows may shoot this morning. I saw the photo of Obama supposedly shooting skeet. If he is, he isn't on a skeet field, there are no high and low houses nor 8 stations and he is shooting below the birds. So let's just say he probably isn't any good.

I haven't taken any photos but maybe next week with our company here that will change. They arrive on Wednesday and we will be out and about all week. I better charge my camera battery while I am thinking about it!

The Truck Is Home

Ted picked the truck up late Monday afternoon and returned the rental car. He has driven it for two days and he and Dave have "listened" to it and all seems good. We have lots of time to make sure.

Tuesday we went to what is called the Mexican flea market just a little west of here. Cindy and Tim are shoppers so we are finding places worthwhile for them to go. The best buy was 7 avocados for $1! I bought a pair of sunglasses for $5 and that was all. Having lost the Michael Kors ones that Kara gave me but still having the $10 ones I bought at Disney years ago, this makes sense for me. We walked for two hours and that is good for us.

In the morning on Wednesday Stella called to remind us of the lunch at Ron Hoover RV they had invited us to and asked if we were going. They are Heartland RV district leaders (or something like that) and attend lots of functions in that capacity. Ted was supposed to shoot but it was so windy he was over at Dave's discussing the situation. I told her I didn't know until he came back. He stayed there an hour and a half so the answer turned out to be "no."

Wednesday is always Margarita night and we headed over to the clubhouse at 5:00. Pat and Vern were already there and invited us to join them. We met others as the table filled up. I don't know about next week because we have to be at the airport at 3:50 to get Cindy and Tim. We will just play it by ear. I will keep something simple here to take over just in case everyone arrives in time. Karen and Ron are driving and stopping in Kingsville at the King Ranch so I don't know what time to expect them.

I will fix something easy for dinner because whether we make Happy Hour or not they will need to eat. And we will take them to HEB grocery to get a few things for their casitas. They have a LR, kitchen, bath and BR. I have provided them with lots of info on what there is to do and see so we will also be setting up our plans for the week.

We have a busy weekend - western style show luncheon Friday, Patsy Cline Legend Show Saturday and Burger Bash and Super Bowl party Sunday. I will need the next days to get my laundry done and groceries in for our company. It will be a busy week while they are here.

"What we anticipate seldom occurs, what we least expect generally happens." - Benjamin Disraeli

Lost Day

On Saturday Ted went shooting and then we left about 2:00 for a late lunch/early dinner at Outback. We had a gift card from Terry & Carol to use. The Citrus Fiesta Parade was scheduled at 3:00 and would come right down the street we use to get to church. So after eating we went west of the street and made our way there. We knew parking would be doubly hard because parade watchers were parked too and we could see them all in their lawn chairs watching the parade.

Two young fellows were walking and we asked if they had a car parked and were leaving. One answered he lived around the corner and we could park at his house. So that is what we did and it was still there after church!

Fr. Roy was riding his horse in the parade along with the church float so the assistant Pastor said our Mass. He is Speedy Gonzales and we were out quickly.

We returned home and at 6:00 went to the ice cream social in the clubhouse followed by Card Bingo at 7:00. No winners at our table and another lady won twice but neither was the big pot.

On Sunday I woke up tossing my cookies and visiting the bathroom frequently. It didn't last long and I didn't feel all achy or lethargic so I think it was something I ate on Saturday. Since I only had a bowl of cereal at home, a steak and salad at Outback and the ice cream at the clubhouse I am blaming the salad, dressing or lemon in my water at the restaurant. I feel fine today but still am not hungry.

It was Souper Supper last night so Ted made tortellini soup and went to the clubhouse to meet the folks with the rest of the supper. He brought me a small lemon pie Karen had made for each one of us. I will eat it today I guess.

We have no specific plans for today but maybe the truck will be done and we can pick it up. Ted wants to put at least 500 miles on it before we head home. We will be going to South Padre Island next week while our company is here and that is at least 150 round trip so I doubt the 500 mile goal will be hard to reach.

Video For Him, Laundry For Me

Thursday Ted went to the shooting range where they were making videos for the park website. They shot the clay targets with no special instruction and were not even aware when filming was going on. We have no idea if Ted will appear in the video or end up on the editing room floor.

I, in the meantime, got three loads of laundry together but waited for the car to return to go to the laundry room. I cannot drag three sorted bags, hangers, detergent, bleach, Spray and Wash and money by myself. When Ted returned he dropped me off, ran some errands and then came back to bring me and the clean clothes back home. I really do miss my own laundry room when out in the RV but doing it all at once in several machines makes it go quickly.

We went over to visit with Dave and Karen. We decided to go to the Souper Supper on Sunday so we all walked up to the office to sign up. Four couples are assigned to a table and each brings something. We have Ted making soup, Dulce is making sandwiches and Karen is making dessert. There is one spot open for appetizers but we haven't checked the sheet to see if anyone has taken the last two seats at our table.

Today we went to the grocery and the produce market. I remembered our HEB free bacon coupons so we have plenty in the freezer for our company coming on 2/6. We stopped at the Ford dealer but the truck is still not ready. We were due at Diana and John's site at 5:30 to celebrate Anne's birthday. I took brouchetta and my own Riesling. There was plenty of food and two different birthday cakes. A pole took out an electric line in the state park and the whole 700 group of sites in our park were without electricity. We used small lanterns for awhile but these groups break up early so it wasn't much of a problem.

We are sleeping with the windows open and the roof vent fan on. Delightful!

Busy Wednesday

Ted went trapshooting with the fellows Wednesday morning and I made cookies for Margarita night. My Christmas exchange gift at the neighborhood luncheon was a jar with Cookies For Santa contents. I had to add egg, vanilla and butter. Making them for others kept us from eating them.

As soon as Ted came home we went to McAllen to the Senior Expo. Boy am I grateful for our good health. We didn't need any physical therapy, rehab, pain management, etc. which constituted lots of booths. I did have my eyes checked but with the mono vision cataract lenses, I was 20/400 in the eye with the close-up lens. It was 20/30 in the distance eye. She said it only checks for distance and there was no way to check that other eye. I am not sure what will happen when I renew my driver's license. I do have glasses and I was 20/20 in both eyes with them at the doctor so I may need to be tested in them. Then my license will say Corrective Lenses but I don't really need them to drive!

We visited all the booths and collected lots of things. We both won a coupon for a free package of bacon from HEB, two drink cozies from the duty free liquor store as you enter Mexico along with two $5 off coupons. My Sam's Club renewal was due so I did that and received a $10 gift card and large box of Ziploc freezer bags. There were lots of pens, candy and calendars too. I also picked up lots of info on South Padre Island for Cindy & Tim who are coming 2/6. Ted won a long stem pink rose for me somewhere while I was renewing Sam's Club. Since admission was free I would say we came out OK.

Next stop was Spikes Ford. The other dually being worked on was still on the oversized lift. Until that one gets finished they can't start on ours. Since Ford is paying for the rental we don't care. The Altima is easier to park and uses way less fuel than our truck so a little more time is fine with us.

On the way home we stopped at Chimney Park and bought tickets for the Patsy Cline legend show. Then we called Jay & Stella and asked if they wanted to go and they said yes. So Ted went back in and bought two more. We stopped by and dropped off their tickets and visited for awhile. They had been out for lunch with Tom & Judy who are staying in Edinburgh this year instead of at Mission West. We were sorry we missed them.

We arrived home in time to grab the cookies and head to the clubhouse. Margaritas are free and everyone brings something to share. I had a small bowl of chili, a little salad, a small roll with ham salad and a junior butterfinger for dessert. My cookies were gone quickly because they were homemade. Next week I will take something more substantial. I just wanted those cookies out of here. We sat with Don and Trudy and talked about all their dance training since they were kids.

It hit 83 degrees and 90s are predicted for next week. Good thing I brought some shorts and my bathing suit along! Life is good in the valley.

Just Enjoying The Valley

On Saturday we went to the shooting range here on the property. There are four shooting stations and one of them was open for the five of us. It has been a real long time since I shot but I did pretty darn good. Hit the bullseye a time or two and always hit the target, no stray shots. We are supposed to go back on Thursday while they do some PR videoing.

That afternoon we had our Baked Potato Early Supper in the clubhouse. I had bought two nicely shaped, same size baked potatoes at the flea market so I used my microwave bag to cook them. There was butter, sour cream, bacon bits, chili and cheese to top your potato and drinks and dessert to go with it. We had a nice time visiting but the clubhouse was being used at 7:30 for dance practice so we gathered our things and came home.

While we were driving to and from the shooting range Ted and Dave were "listening" to the truck. Ted said he could hear a "howl" and Dave agreed. Now I can hear way better than Ted but I couldn't hear anything. There is just some familiarity between a man and his truck that defies reason. So on Monday Ted took the truck to the Ford dealer. Long story short, we are getting a new differential. We have a rental car paid for by Ford and the repairs are under warranty. Now we are just saying prayers that a top notch mechanic is doing the work.

Today we went to Mexico. First stop was Renee's Bakery for a pastry and coffee. We had met Stella, Jay, Kelly and Mike at the bridge. Afterwards we stopped at our favorite drug store and bought our list of drugs for us and others. It was quite a list but they had everything I needed including two bottles of vanilla for a friend. Then Ted agreed to a pedicure. His men friends in the park said the spa next to Renee's was great and they all went there. I hope he will continue with them now that he has found out how good your feet can feel.

Last stop was the leather shop where Ted had his brown belt worked on and I bought two belts. I left the bag with Ted's black belt in the car so he didn't get that one cut down (he has lost 25 lbs. since our return in November!). We will be going back over in a couple of weeks so we will get it fixed then.

Tomorrow is trap shooting, Senior Expo at the convention center and Margarita night at the clubhouse. We have been invited to a birthday party on Friday. We are still enjoying ourselves and the weather is great.

Lovely Weather

It has been cool at night and sunny and 70s during the day. Perfect! We ran into Marilyn and Vern, fellow HitchHikers from Minnesota. They said it was going to be 9 below at their home last night. Brrr! We will see them again at the HitchHiker luncheon.

Friday we saw The Redhead Express perform here at our park. This is a family originally from Alaska, now living in Nashville, who have been performing down here for a couple of years. We have watched the four girls and three boys grow up. They are very talented and a joy to watch.

Saturday we rode with Jay and Stella to the flea market. I had several items to get for myself and others. Bill wanted a potato baker. These are hand made of cotton, sort of a double potholder with a flap to close it. Wrap your potatoes in a wet paper towel, put inside the baker, close the flap and microwave as usual. They come out as if done in a regular oven. I love mine and will use it tonight to make our potatoes for the Baked Potato Supper tonight at the rec hall.

Carol wanted a six deck card shuffler and two six deck card trays which I found easily because there are game booths all over. I was also looking for wood domino holders so Morgan would have 8 instead of just 4 for her Mexican Train set but they only had plastic. I will order another set from Amazon for her. Ted bought new conchos for his belt. I needed ground nutmeg at home so I went to the spice shop for that. Then we crossed the street to the produce market and bought a pineapple, grapefruit, oranges and peppers.

Since we were that far east we decided to stop at Furr's Buffet for a late lunch/early dinner. What a crowd! We had to wait in line to pay but then it was smooth sailing. I ate a balanced meal and other than a bowl of cereal, that was it for the day.

As soon as Jay dropped us off we got into our own truck to go to church. We found the church under total renovation, the dome at ground level and expansion on both sides. We thought oh- oh but people were streaming into the school hall across the street. Fr. Roy and his dogs were there. Fr. Roy is a Texas ranch boy from San Antonio. He preaches Texas style.

The gospel was the wedding feast at Cana. In his sermon he talked of when the headwaiters asked the bridegroom why he saved his best wine for last instead of serving it first. Fr. Roy said in Texas you would serve your Lone Star beer or Shiner Bock first and when that ran out you could give them a Bud Light!

When we left he told us to take a calendar and send one to our college students and servicemen. He said every barracks and dormitory needs a crucifix, a Lady of Guadalupe calendar and a picture of John Wayne. We LOVE going to church there.

After church we returned to the park and played Pokeeno. None at our table won but one lady won twice, one of which was the big one!

It was a busy day but so enjoyable. We are settling into our routine.

It's Warm Again. Yay!!

It's Cold In The Valley

We arrived Tuesday before one o'clock. I remember because the office was closed for lunch. Guy, the manager, came out of his house to greet us. I told him we knew where to go and also knew the spot had been vacated so he told us to set up and come back later.

When we pulled in, Dave came right over. He had called just as we went through Kingsville to get a time on our arrival because Karen was fixing a meal for us. We got set up and went right over to eat delicious salad, garlic bread, meatballs and spaghetti (Ted's favorite) and chocolate cake. We were both starving because we had skipped breakfast. It tasted mighty good.

We went to the office, paid our fees and signed up for a few activities. It was good to be settled for two months.

Ted went shooting with the fellows yesterday. When he came back we did the "RVers run to Wal-Mart." There is a new one west of here so there is no dealing with traffic into McAllen. I am sure it will be our store of choice for that reason alone.

As soon as we got back I hurriedly put the groceries away and we headed next door to pick up Jay and Stella. They had invited us to have dinner with them and friends of theirs who are workamping at the Birding Center in the state park. There were 11 of us in all at Alejandros Restaurant. Unfortunately there are two and we went to the wrong one first. But we ended up all together. This place had the biggest shrimp I have ever eaten.

Afterwards we went to their trailer and visited. We haven't seen them since down here last year though we stay in touch constantly. We will be spending time together until they leave in the middle of February.

We have had to keep the furnace on all the time. It doesn't run much during the day. The sun has returned and we need the temps to get back to normal then all will be OK.

We have no particular plans for today but I'm sure something will come up!

Welcome Back, Chris!

It took awhile to get all the bed linens stripped, laundered and back onto the beds but once that was done things were pretty much back to normal. Kara had given us a new mattress pad, among other things, so our bed got a complete overhaul.

I worked four hours at the thrift shop on Tuesday and found a WDW sweatshirt for Sam and a silk Ann Taylor sweater for Kara. Junior Forum is collecting women and children PJs at this week's meeting for the Women's Shelter and I came across a girl's size 8 brand new pair with tags still attached so I bought them too and asked Donna to take them to the meeting for me. I don't rummage looking for things but sometimes nice, new articles pop up.

Our neighborhood luncheon was Thursday and we had a nice turnout at the new Mexican restaurant near the house. It is the second time I have been there and I didn't care for it either time. There are too many to choose from to go to one that isn't real good. But I enjoyed the company and wrote it off as one of thousands of meals I will eat in my lifetime.

We spent the rest of our time getting ready to take off. A lot goes on in two months and you have to be prepared so things don't fall through the cracks. At least we are going to be in one spot with a mailbox so Chris can send things to us if necessary.

Ted went to fill both tanks on the truck to use his 30 cent discount at Krogers. He was so pleased to announce it only cost $372! Now isn't that special! The cost of fuel is what it is. You either pay it and use your unit or you may as well sell it. Our space rent went up again too. Between the capital outlay for the truck and trailer, the insurance, space rent, fuel costs and camping fees don't think for a minute that RVing is an inexpensive way to travel! But it is our choice versus a vacation home. We can move our "vacation home" to where we want or need to be.

We were happy to see Chris since we hadn't seen him since we came back in August. His parents are settled in their new home but his mother has been diagnosed with dementia. Rebecca had suspected this. But when her mother-in-law called me about my cataract surgery doctor she seemed fine to me. This is a really hard thing for everyone. Chris will only be 10 minutes from them but let's hope nothing comes up while we are gone.

We drove to Victoria yesterday but it is cold. It was 47 degrees inside the trailer when we parked. I turned the propane furnace on and once it warmed up turned the fireplace on and the furnace off. Since we have to pay for our electric in Mission we will need to determine if the propane furnace is better than the fireplace and/or portable electric heater.

We are passing through Refugio, birthplace of Nolan Ryan. It is no warmer, overcast and sprinkling a bit. Karen and Dave said she would have dinner for us today so we have that to look forward to. Tomorrow will be the Don-Wes flea market for fruits, vegetables and some card holders, shufflers and domino holders to fill requests from family and friends. I also promised someone a microwave potato baker but I can't remember who!

Mama Bear Sends the Photos

Hey, my kids read the blog and pay attention to what I say! So here are a couple other photos from the photo shoot Larry did.  The second photo is the one I chose to go with the one of Kara by herself for our bedroom wall.  I really like the third one better but I needed a landscape, not portrait, photo to make the rest of the photos work. 

We went to church Saturday, then to Joe's in Conroe to eat with Gerre and Barry before going to their house to play cards and exchange our Christmas gifts.  Gerre's grandson Ross asked Gerre if I wasn't her friend anymore because that one lonely present was still sitting there after Christmas.  We can only imagine what goes through the little ones' heads. 

Today I worked four hours at the thrift shop and now I am full steam ahead to get ready for our departure next Monday.  Chris will be coming back since his folks are now settled in their new house.  We had someone else take care of things at home when we went to Europe.  It will be good to have him back staying at the house in our absence.  I'm just glad the house shouldn't burn up (oven) or blow up (water heater) now that Bill has fixed those things.  The alarm problem and toilet leak came up while Bill was here and he fixed them in no time.  I told him if he waited I could probably break something else or at least find something else that needed to be fixed.  He has been gone since Saturday and so far so good!

Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph. ~ Matt Hardy

Larry Carpenter Photography

Larry did a photo shoot of Kara and the kids while they were here.  This is on the wall in my bedroom right above the most current one of the kids.  They did it first in a pink sweater but that clashed with the other photos that are hanging so she changed and it worked just fine.  I have the photos but just pulled this off Facebook so when I get the kids in .jpg form, I'll show you that too!  I am going to like having our own photographer in the family.  Oh the pressure on the photographer they have chosen for their wedding!

Ah-h-h-h-h-h

I have seen the sights of London
I have seen the sights of Rome
But there's nothing like the tail lights
of my grandkids going home!

I really shouldn't blame that ah-h-h-h-h-h on my grandkids.  They just happened to be the last ones to leave Saturday afternoon.  Morgan came and hugged me goodbye at least four times.  She didn't want to leave but at the same time was anxious to get home to her Christmas presents, toys and her own bed.

We have gone non-stop since the end of October.  First there was the three week trip, followed by company for a week (however, they were SO HELPFUL in getting the house decorated) and we had a ball.  Then the parties started in earnest.  I had my 12 neighbors for lunch here, a dinner for Terry & Carol's friend Judy, Christmas dinner for 8 and company for 11 straight days from the day after Christmas until January 5.  Whew! 

BUT ... everyone pitched in and right now everything is put away from Christmas.  The garage and several drawers, cabinets and closets are cleaned out and organized.  My oven is fixed, a small gas leak in our water heater is repaired, our alarm on the door has been reseated and the flapper on the toilet cleaned and reset.  Thank you, Bill.  I seriously considered sending Ted back to Detroit and keeping Bill but no one was in favor of that but me!

Tuesday was spent settling in, getting the oven repaired and playing Mexican Train.

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The Children's Museum of Houston was our outing on Wednesday. It has been voted the best children's museum in the country by Parents' Magazine and they deserve it. This place is awesome. The entry hall was filled with pedal cars going back to the early 1900s. We grownups all remember having such a toy.

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Morgan and Sam (as well as the rest of us) had a great time playing with all the hands on exhibits that are available.

For dinner we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and even the kids gave it their seal of approval.

Thursday we drove to Brenham to visit the Blue Bell factory. If I ever need a job, I think I could give this tour as well as the folks that do it now. But it does give me a chance to try one more flavor of Blue Bell. That evening Terry & Carol treated us all to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. We had a nice long visit and the kids were very good reading their books while the adults lingered.

Friday I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and everyone at home was taking down Christmas decorations, marking the boxes and stacking them in the garage in the space created by Keith. Ted, Kara and Bill went shopping in the afternoon and I stayed with the kids. Morgan, Bill and I had all been working on her American Doll raccoon that needed to be sewn and stuffed.

All too soon Saturday arrived and it was one last trip to the airport. But we know we will see them again in June at the family reunion in Kentucky. This has been a wonderful Christmas season. As the years pass, the memories created become more meaningful. It is not the gifts, the food, the parties that are important. It is the peace within our families, the love we share and the precious time we spend together.

The Oven Fix

We did make it through dinner with the spastic oven. With the brisket in the smoker I had rebaked potatoes, baked apples and garlic toast to worry about but it all cooked fine. We had one last big meal. I have cooked more since our return from Europe with all this company than I have in years. Lora, Steve and Hope left early but Terry and Carol stayed until 11 o'clock.  Larry took photos and posted this "decreased saturation" photo on Facebook.

The next day I turned the oven on to bake a breakfast casserole and got an F2 error code. Now I had something to work with. That meant my oven sensed heat in excess of 600 degrees ... but it was still cool enough to stick my hand in. It had been on for only a few minutes. We moved on to plan B for breakfast.

Ted took Larry and Kristin to the airport for their flight home and picked up Kara's friend Bill. I was anxiously awaiting his arrival because he was the caped crusader of fixing my oven! He assessed the situation and decided it needed a new sensor, exactly what I told the two GE repairmen who said I should not use a portable thermometer to check the temperature, charged me a lot of money and fixed nothing!

Bill decided to test the sensor. When he reached for it, it came off in his hand with the wires all burned. Now the entire oven needed to be taken out of the cabinet to get to the wiring harness. Bill did that and found the plastic clip of the sensor fried at the harness. He said it was a miracle we didn't have a fire. But the new sensor could not be clipped into the harness because of the damage so he used special connectors to reconnect the old sensor. And it works! The oven is reaching the correct temperature and staying on. I know GE would have sold me a new $1500 oven before they would have gotten to the bottom of the problem and fixed it! Thank you, Bill!

We spent New Year's Eve playing Mexican Train (I lost big time). The next day and Kara and Bill took the kids to play miniature golf and Ted and I returned two gifts. We picked up pizza afterwards for dinner and went to church at 7 o'clock.

We are going to the Children's Museum today if everyone gets moving.  I have lots of the Christmas stuff down and staged in my sitting room.  Bill has been very helpful in reaching things for me.  He took the box down for my wreath and took it off the wall and put it away.  Then he put the picture back up which usually takes me half an hour because of trying to hit two different hooks with the wire.  I am missing a photo of all the grandkids so I'll keep looking to discover where I stuck it.

Happy New Year to all in 2013.  Good health is my first wish for you, happiness always and at least a penny for your shoe.

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!"

 ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie