Nothing Much Going On

The weather cooperated and the deck was done on Monday. A few boards needed pounding, then it was power washed and the preservative was put on. The table and chairs were power washed too so it looks good. Ted's mums in the back are blooming and the crepe myrtles are leafing out. Our yard was showing winter stress upon our return but now is nice and green. It was a very dry and warm winter for our area.

I worked at the thrift shop on Tuesday and cleared the kids' clothing table. Every time Jeannie and I thought we were caught up, another pile would be added but we got it done. Putting some of those little things on hangers is difficult at times. We all enjoy holding up the cute clothes for everyone to see. I never buy Newborn or 0-3 months clothes as baby gifts. Now I know for sure that is wise because those sizes come in brand new. American babies are born at weights that just skip that size it seems.

This week was the Activity Chair thank you party. I was the longest running chair at 12 years for my bunco group. There was a nice turn out and the refreshments were presented so well and were delicious. So many new faces were there this year and it gave me an opportunity to talk one on one with many of them.

Nothing much else has gone on. I am working with a company to get the family tree printed for the reunion. It will be 6 feet by 3 feet and has 8 generations starting with the birth of my great-great-great grandfather, Henry Linfert in Prussia in 1834.

The Moscow to St. Petersburg riverboat cruise in Russia has been on our radar since last year and I am gathering information and interested parties for an August 2014 trip. Six couples is a nice group and I have 5 already expressing interest. Just maybe this will be a go!

Ted went to the NRA convention and heard Gov. Perry and Senator Cruz speak. It was very well attended he said and he enjoyed looking at all the vendors' goods. Two observations: ammunition is hard to come by and the Colorado hunting lodges are hurting, push back from recent laws enacted there I suppose. When he came home we went out to dinner.

We have absolutely nothing planned for the weekend. It seems our time has switched. We used to socialize on weekends but now we are busy all week and less on weekends. I guess retirement does that.

Middle age is when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you. ~ Ogden Nash

Exciting Wine

I had a good day at the card table on Thursday, coming in second.  Charlene was impossible to beat at 4 points; I had 36 which would have been first place at either of the other tables.  She went out four times; I did twice.  That pretty much left Pam and Linda in the dust.  My dime purse runneth over!

My eye appointment was fine.  He said the pollen this year has been so bad that I should keep a bottle of drops he gave me just in case my eyes start to bother me.  Eveything else was good.

Because we had not done anything on Wednesday for our anniversary, we made reservations at an exceptionally nice restaurant here where we live for Saturday night after church.  Truth be told, Ted wanted to go on Wednesday but I didn't want to get dressed up.  I would already be dressed on Saturday so he agreed to that.

They had a quiet table for two with red rose petals scattered on it.  We already knew what we were going to order so I spent time looking over the wine list.  I decided to order what they called a half bottle but I would call a split.  It was about the size of a normal beer bottle.

It was a Riesling (my favorite) from the Alsace region of France.  When she presented the cork to me I read it and it came from the Hugel Winery in Riquewihr, France!  We visited there in 2009 on a wine tour while traveling from Antwerp to Basel.  Because Hugel was founded in 1639 and the cellar we were in was 1572, I think we were at a different cellar than Hugel back then.

Here is what I wrote in Fall 2009:

Continuing on through several delightful villages, we arrived at Riquewihr, the "gem of the vineyards." This town was producing grapes for wine during the Middle Ages and most houses were erected in the 15th to 18th century. It is protected by twin walls.

The first two photos are website photos of the town and the second two I took in 2009.  I had to ask what the date was because they are formed differently than what we use today.  We are wearing our group badge and our personal headphones so we could hear Peter talking.

For dinner Ted had onion soup and the famous pork chop while I had a spinach salad and filet.  We shared a dish of lyonnaise potatoes.  Neither of us could finish our entree so we brought them home.  Compliments of the restaurant we received dessert, a rectangular plate with Happy 48th Anniversary written in chocolate around three mini desserts of cheesecake, truffle and praline creme brulee.  Just enough for each of us to have a taste or two.  And that was about all we had room for.

It was a delightful dinner and after finishing the half bottle of wine by myself I came home and promptly fell asleep!

If the weather holds, the deck should get done tomorrow.  We are in no hurry so when it happens, it happens.  We need the rain so badly that no one should complain.

Be still, sad heart!

And cease repining;

behind the clouds

is the sun still shining;

thy fate is the common fate of all,

into each life some rain must fall

 ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



Good Check Up

Tuesday I met Jennifer for lunch and we did a little shopping.  The deck guy cancelled Wednesday morning for fear of rain (which it didn't!).  We actually had a beautiful day while states up north are still dealing with some snow.  Friends keep sending me photos of it.  I KNOW what it looks like.  That is why I live here!

It was our 48th wedding anniversary yesterday and Ted bought fillets and grilled them. We are going to Perry's for dinner Saturday after church to celebrate.  Ted loves their pork chop!  We were delighted to receive oodles of greetings on Facebook from family and friends as well as some cards in the mail.  It is nice to be remembered.

Today Ted left for Dallas on business.  It is also today that the Bush library is being dedicated and I hope it doesn't cause backed up traffic.  I know he has a hotel reservation so maybe the newspaper and library are far enough apart that it won't impact him.  I have been to the other Bush Presidential Library in College Station so I will have to see about getting to Dallas to see this one.  LBJ's is in Austin.  Eisenhower was born in Denton TX but moved to Abilene at a young age and that is where his library is.  We have also visited the Truman Library in Independence, MO.  While in Little Rock we saw the Clinton Library but didn't have enough time to visit.  So much to see, so little time to see it!

Three exhibits we would recommend people see are the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, OK; the Federal Building bombing site in Oklahoma City and Woolarock in Bartlesville, OK, the country home of Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips 66 (which was named for the mother road, Route 66).

Sorry for the detour but you don't even want to get me started on our National Parks - Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, Alamogordo, Arches, Mesa Verde.  Again, so much to see, so little time.

But my best news this week is Ted's two biopsies were nothing of concern and my mammogram was normal.  Whew!  Good for another year.  I will see the eye doctor tomorrow and the dermatologist next week.  That should do it for awhile.  At least I hope so.

Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. - Erma Bombeck

Out with the Boomers

We spent a long weekend out with the Boomers in Montgomery TX.  It has been quite a while since we have camped out with them.  Lots of food, wine tasting and games - Mexican Train, Pegs and Jokers, Texas Hold 'em, Shanghai - all were getting a workout in the rally hall.

Ted cleaned the carpet in the trailer which was my main reason for wanting to go out for the weekend.  Even the weather was cool at night so the heat being on helped dry the carpet!  Mission accomplished.

I have to relate the funniest story told to me by one of our friends.  Her very young son was sent home from school with a note saying he needed to be taken to the eye doctor.  He had failed the eye exam and had very bad vision.  Of course she took him right away.  As the test began he told her "these are the same words I couldn't sound out last time!"  Hooray for phonics I guess.  It still makes me chuckle.

We did enjoy seeing everyone, sharing great food, visiting and playing the games.  I didn't win at anything but Ted split the pot at the end with Darlene in Texas Hold 'em.

Ted heard from Dr. W and his two biopsies were nothing of concern.  He is to continue his medicine and return in one year.  I had my mammogram and have not heard back yet.  The year seems to go by so quickly and it is time to do the tests all over again.  The older I get the more I hate that because one of these days the news is not going to be good.

And here is another story about a friend in her mid-70s.  Her husband had a cancerous lung lobe removed.  He did not need chemo or radiation and he asked her "what if it comes back?"  She said "Then you'll die but you are going to die even if it doesn't ever come back.  No one stays here forever.  We are not going to  spend what time we have left worrying about what if."   She made an excellent point and exhibits a great attitude I think.  Being a professional worrier, I need to listen to her more.

I took today off foregoing a trip to Bellville with a group of Forum friends.  I am meeting Jennifer for lunch tomorrow.  The crew is coming to clean and preserve the deck on Wednesday and I play cards on Thursday.  It will be time for a  "down" weekend to catch our breath.  Our 48th wedding anniversary is 4/24 so maybe we will celebrate over the weekend.

Worry is like a rocking chair.  It gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere.

He Came, He Saw, He Shredded

Thursday was our monthly neighborhood ladies' luncheon.  We had a good turn out and it was great to see everyone.  The men's lunch was the day before but Ted  forgot about it and didn't go.

Friday was the big day.  I managed to fill the 96 gallon bin (about 300 lbs.) with paper needing to be shredded.  The gentleman brought the bin into the office, tossed everything in and wheeled it out to the truck.  Pretty soon it was chewing it all up like a hungry monster.  There is also a clunker chunker for hard things and I tossed in an entire box of backup tapes from the late 1990s.  It felt wonderful to get such a big job over so easily.  Now I need to stay on top of the situation.  The accumulation occurred as we moved from Michigan to two different addresses in Florida and three different addresses in Texas over the past 17 years.

Next up were the bags I keep in the guest room closet.  I toss mostly clothes, but on occasion household items, into them.  Ted finally went through his closet and tossed a lot of shirts and pants that are now too big. Paralyzed Veterans of Texas was coming for a pick up.  I often say I am easily amused but I am also easily elated over something so mundane as getting things cleaned out.   What a great feeling.  Moving frequently helps but we have stayed put longer where we are than anywhere else in our 48 years of marriage.

Saturday after church we played cards with our old Canasta group.  But they, like so many others, have switched to Shanghai.  I came in second and refilled my dime purse considerably.  I am ready for the next game!

Carol invited us for dinner on Sunday.  Their son-in-law was in town to golf with Terry.  We had delicious steaks and watched the exciting end to The Masters.  One of Ted's biggest thrills was playing at Augusta National in 1996.  His nephew has played the day after The Masters on occasion with the press corp.  An invitation to play there is no easy feat and is most golfer's dream.

Monday was my bunco group in the morning and Ted's yearly endoscopy surveillance procedure in the afternoon.  They biopsied two spots but Dr. W didn't think it was anything to be concerned about and told us to return next year.  We have to wait up to two weeks for the results to be sure he is right.

I worked at the thrift shop on Tuesday and we "kicked butt" in the accomplishment department.  We emptied both huge bins, sorted, tagged and put out all the clothes.  The buttons were removed from the clothes going to recycle and that made room for shoes to be laid out, sorted and tagged.  Even the toys were gone over to see what had all the pieces and what actually worked.  Everyone was happy because we normally have nowhere to go with stuff.  More order in my life!  But I know that will be short lived.  Next week we will be piled up high again and looking for a place to work on things.

Our friend Don had driven from Nacogdoches to attend a sale with Ted for ammo components.  I think they had a good time since they spent quite a bit between the two of them.  I left "work" a half hour early and met them for a late lunch.  Trudy had a small surgery and wasn't able to come with him but I did talk to her when she called while we were at the restaurant.  Hopefully they will come again when she is feeling better.

I have my mammogram today and then one last eye doctor appointment and I should be finished.  Whew!  So many body parts to look after!

The last two babies due before our June family reunion have arrived.  Rosalie and Jacob are our newest additions.  I have found a company that can print the entire tree either 6 x 3 or 16 x 2.  I am working out the details now and it will be laminated once it is printed.  I am going to wait until mid-May to order it just to give everyone time to check their info.

"If you don't know your family's history, then you don't know anything.  You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree." ~ Michael Crichton

In The Swing of Things

Our drizzly day turned into a beautiful late afternoon and evening. We wandered further around the property and visited the small chapel, gazebo, spring and clubhouse that we had not gone into yet. What a lovely place.

The park furnished dinner and was a great farewell send off. Everyone received a door prize and ours was a string of lights for the awning shaped like little RVs. The problem is our awning puts itself away if it gets too windy so hanging them up would be a problem. There are lots of opportunities at rallys to add these to gifts so they will be enjoyed by someone. We are heading out with the Texas Boomers soon and they might find a home.

After dinner we were entertained by a couple playing the guitar and singing. There was a dance hall with a stage on the other side of the rally hall and we all met in there. That's also where all the karaoke took place earlier in the week. We went back to the trailer before it got too late because we were leaving in the morning.

After saying our goodbyes over coffee in the rally hall the next morning we hit the road. There was a large branch hanging over our spot and you could see where the underside of it had been hit in the past. Ted decided to back the trailer out onto the road behind us rather than pulling straight out. That worked fine and Denny and Jami gave us a big wave sending us off.

We took I-10 and the wildflowers were so abundant. It was a beautiful drive home. We got the rig put away and went out to eat right after. It was late afternoon and we were both hungry. We had stopped at a rest area and had a snack but that didn't last too long.

I had the normal mail stuff to get caught up on, had my bone density test and we subbed in a group playing cards Wednesday night. Coming home after a week is so much easier than after two months.

We have a busy period before our summer trip. Chris is on board to house sit again so things are falling into place. We know where we will be until mid-August. How we spend the last two weeks of August and what route we take home is up in the air. But in the RV, home is where the wheels stop.

A Week of Saturdays

I had my six month check up at the doctor and all my numbers were fantastic he said. I have my mammogram and bone density in the next week and if all is OK there, I am good to go for six months on the blood work and a year on the others. Ted has an endoscopy and colonoscopy in the next month. It will be a relief when it is all done and we are hopefully in good shape for a couple of old folks. Ted has lost 36 lbs. and our doctor was so excited to hear that. I am proud of him!

Tuesday I played Shang Hai and did well. Second place was only a 12 point spread for three of us but Elaine prevailed. It was a good game in that scores stayed very close.

Wednesday we drove in miserable weather to the hill country of Texas. It rained the whole way accompanied by lots of fog. Lucky for us the rain stopped by the time we arrived and set up. We barely got finished and it was time for Happy Hour followed by a burger dinner provided by our hosts. There are between 25-30 rigs in for the rally. This is a beautiful park built in a pecan grove. The rally hall is a little western town of storefronts so I took some photos.

We had a restful day on Thursday with time to explore before another Happy Hour. We had planned to take our Mission friends to dinner but Bernd had a medical procedure and wasn't up to going out so we drove into town for dinner by ourselves. When we returned there were at least two dozen deer behind our rig in the pecan grove. I couldn't get close enough to get a good picture but they were so beautiful to watch.

On Friday about 20 of us drove to Stonewall to a winery for a tasting. There were several bachelorette parties going on and we took advantage of a huge parked limo to get our picture taken in front of it. We were a "group with reservations" so our tasting included cheese, crackers, pate, etc. but our six wines were chosen by them. I wanted to taste all whites so when they got to the reds I wandered over to the other bar and chose what I wanted to taste. I bought two bottles of Moscato and a bottle of Melbac for our hosts.

We came back to the park and later drove with Jami and Denny into Fredericksburg for a group dinner at a German restaurant. The food was very good but was not familiar to many of the folks. I helped explain some of the dishes and most seemed pleased with their choice. Ted and I enjoyed our schnitzels. It was past 8 o'clock when we all got back. There was karaoke at the rally hall but we chose to stay in.

Every day has seemed like Saturday and finally it arrived.  It must have been our Wednesday arrival that got my point of reference screwed up this week.  We drove to another park to visit Dulce and Bernd.  She needed to look at two K-1s I received AFTER I filed my taxes.  They didn't arrive until towards the end of March.  She said what I had done was correct, gave me a carryover sheet to keep for next year and said to hold off filing the Amended Return until the end of the month.  Bernd  was feeling better but did not want to go to lunch.  We had a good visit and promised them a dinner next January in Mission.  With hugs and handshakes we said our goodbyes.

When we returned I got my Dorito Chicken Casserole together for the potluck.  The weather was beautiful so we walked around the park and visited with those outside their rigs.  Happy Hour and dinner was another feast and my chicken dish was empty!  Afterwards we had a white elephant exchange.  I ended up with a nice necklace and earrings.  There was going to be karaoke but I had dishes to do, wanted to shower since church was real early in the morning and besides I was tired and went to bed by 10:00.  Ted stayed and I don't know what time he came in.

We attended Notre Dame Church and the sermon was very good.  "When did God stop being relevant?  How did we get from Ozzie and Harriet to commerecials that embarrass us in front of a six year old?"

Once back we left at 11:00 heading to Cooper's BBQ in Llano.  I have had many restaurants' ribs but I swear these were THE BEST ribs I have ever eaten.  Your first stop, after standing in line, was the grill where you have them slice off whatever meat you want.  Inside are the drinks, sides and desserts. The meat gets wrapped in paper, weighed and meets back up with you at the register.  We chose ribs, brisket, sausage and a pork chop.  Needless to say we brought half the pork chop and some sausage home.

On the way back we drove the Willow City loop, one of the most scenic drives in the hill country.  It was pretty and interesting.

I made my pesto spread for Happy Hour and afterwards left to watch Amazing Race which was displaced by the Country Music Awards!  Bummer.

Today was overcast and drizzly so Ted and I took time to teach Connie and Jami how to play Shang Hai.  We had the rally hall to ourselves but were treated to smells of the catfish dinner with all the fixins' being prepared by the park for our dinner.

We head home tomorrow with an equally busy schedule but, for now, I wouldn't have it any other way.

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!