Paperwork and More!

There was a lot on my plate when we arrived home.  We put our bags in our bedroom, keeping the rest of the house tidy.  But the subjects on my desk had me preoccupied with getting my ducks in a row,

First was the credit card scenario.  I was unable to fix our cable account because I did not have the info to get into my account.  A payment was denied so I had to request a rebate of a late fee while entering the new credit card.  I entered new info to my WW account and even though they said my subscription was cancelled, when I went Friday they said the new card was in there and I was good.   AND, I had gained nothing while gone!  I think we are ok on all the changes.  There are a few charities I have not been able to fix so I will wait until they contact me and get it set up again.  St. Jude’s hospital is one.  Tunnels to Towers was easy to do!  What a pain with the efforts to cancel and change, and I have no idea how my number was out there, but it was supposedly being used in PA at a WaWa and the card was present.  We both had our cards!

Next up was a Place Holder for a future Disney cruise in the next two years.  Lots of paperwork to get that settled and copies made.  It gives you $250 (initial deposit) plus a 10% discount off the whole price. If we take the kids for our 60th, 10% would be a bundle.

We rented a cottage on Lake Michigan for 10 days mid August.  So once again, deposits, downloads, copies, etc. to finalize the reservation.  

The biggest thing was cancelling our Barcelona to Dubai cruise.  The circulation in my legs acted up while on the cruise.  It felt like I was wearing socks and bugs were crawling inside my legs.  To say I was freaked out is an under statement.  I have to see the cardiologist but she nixed the 16 hour flight home from Dubai as too dangerous.

So to recoup some of the money we had paid, I booked Thanksgiving week out of Galveston on the Regal Princess.  We have a mini suite and got all the refunds and transfers taken care of.  Whew!  I went ahead and sent my passport renewal in because I don’t know if going to Mexico requires your passport to be good for six months after you return.  Ted’s is in the pipeline and mine was already to go.  So I shouldn’t need it anytime soon so off it went.  

Time to take a deep breath and get back to normal activities.  We went to church Saturday night, then to Joe’s in Conroe.  Sunday we went to Honor Cafe where Ted attends Bible Study on Monday.  My Mother’s Day gift is the Labor Day weekend at the Grand Floridian with Kara, Bill and Kristin in a 2 bedroom suite.  We are taking CeCe too.  Kelly sent two Chico items she said I tried on over Christmas when she and I went shopping!  

Minnie in her 25th cruise anniversary outfit.  

Our beach day on Castaway Cay.

My Mother’s Day and Anniversary cards.

When You Wish Upon a Star …

We went to church Saturday night and left about 8 am Sunday heading to Orlando.  We stopped in Crisply, FL for the night after dinner at Waffle House because it was the only restaurant open after 5!  They must roll up the sidewalks!  

Just as I was settling in at the motel I got a notice on my phone from Capital One that someone was trying to get $1 approved at WaWa, a gas station in PA.  They claimed the card was present but we both had our cards and had not used either for two days.  They cancelled it and mailed a new one to our house.  Luckily Ted’s card is a different number and we both have a Bank of America card too.

The fun began the next day while I tried to change our many accounts that are paid automatically using that credit card number!  We were traveling down the turnpike in FL when I was notified by SunPass that our card was denied.  I changed TX EZ Pass and PA transponder but forgot to change the very pass I was using!!  We are home and I still have some to contact because I was missing pieces of info.  

Kristin is renovating her house so we pitched in breaking down boxes and taking them to Recycle, worked in the garage so Bill could find what he needed when he arrived to do some electrical work, went to the bank, the paint store, the trustee’s office, picked up new cocktail and side table, and met her husband for lunch.  She has been working on scoring student tests and couldn’t go.  

For dinner we went to a German restaurant in downtown Sanford, a gentrified area along Lake Monroe.

Hot German potato salad, red cabbage, and a wurst mit senf (bratwurst with mustard).  Yum!  

The MI folks flew in Wednesday night with Kelly coming to Kristin’s while Bill and Kara went to Disney’s Key West to be there in the morning to meet up with Morgan who had been there for four days with her father and stepmother.  She chose to stay in FL even though she had to spend Friday to Monday with just the fellows.

Ted drove us to Port Canaveral on Friday. We timed it perfectly, walked right on the ship and had several hours before sailing. 

Kristin had hats made for the four of us and they were a huge hit. 

This trip was to celebrate Kristin’s 50th birthday celebration so Kara decorated her door, something most people do.  They did our door for our 50th anniversary in 2015. 

We had a delightful, but short time, cruising from Friday morning to Monday morning.  Sunday was spent all day at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private Island.

On Monday evening we had a group of 14 at Giovanni’s for a dinner to celebrate Kristin’s 50th birthday!

1970 Cincinnati neighbors, now living in The Villages,  and Florida late ‘90s neighbors, now living in Palm Coast joined family and friends for dinner and birthday cake from The Glass Knife, Kristin’s favorite. 

Tuesday morning we hit the road and drove to Mobile for the night. We made it home about 3 pm Wednesday afternoon.

It was good to be home to continue untangling the compromised credit card mess, get the laundry done after unpacking and sleep in my own bed. 

1977-2023

Our camping days started with the rental of a small motorhome back in 1976 followed by the purchase of an 18 foot trailer to accommodate all 5 of us.  It wasn’t long and we upgraded to a 23 foot Wilderness that we thought was the cat’s meow.  We kept that and moved it to MI in 1981.  By the mid 80s it became apparent that Ted’s weekly travel schedule plus the girls’ school activities and the need for a third car made selling the trailer and truck a good decision.  We just didn’t have time to use it.  Life went on and about two years before retirement, Ted had chosen a HitchHiker 5th wheel and new truck to re-enter the camping world again.  That 2004 was replaced later with another 2008 HitchHiker, a little bigger.  By 2014 he had his eye on a dually truck to pull a 2014 36 foot Mobile Suite since HitchHiker was no longer in production.  

We traveled extensively in the HitchHikers and Mobile Suite with 2009 our banner year.  We traveled out West covering 11,000 miles, over 109 days visiting 17 states and a bunch of national parks.  In 2020 we decided to check out motorhomes. After much research and knowing our needs, I set my sights on a 2016-19 Newmar Ventana.  The 2016 was the first year for the added Star frame and Ted wanted a tag axle and Comfort Steer.  I wanted two recliners opposite a couch, a table not a booth, and light colored furniture.  Black and gray were coming into vogue and I didn’t like it.

At one point I knew every Ventana fitting some of that criteria for sale throughout the entire US.  I finally joined Newmars For Sale and put an ISO ad to narrow down selection.  No one had everything I wanted.  It took 15 minutes for Jim to write to me from Maggie Valley, NC.  He had exactly what we wanted but couldn’t sell until April because he needed to use it in March.  Covid was just shutting everything down so we had many conversations until April when our Mobile Suite sold and we told Jim we were coming.  We ended up buying the motorhome and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit set up for towing.  We enjoyed it for 3 years but much has changed.  Most of our traveling companions have stopped traveling or sold their rigs for medical reasons.  There is no place in the US we particularly want to go or see.  We have visited 49 states for Ted, 46 for me.  That is coupled with our 44 countries visited that will be 49 when we return from Dubai next December.  

A nice couple is all excited with their new motorhome and we have coached them from start to finish to help them enjoy it for a long time to come.  Ted took Rusty out driving, followed him to a local campground to go through setting up and tomorrow we will both go back over to go through departure protocol.  We leave for Florida Saturday in our new Expedition to meet up with the girls for our “girls gone wild” (on a Disney cruise) long weekend.  And a new chapter begins.  

Here are some memories.  

In Missouri heading north.

Addison Oaks, 15 miles from the kids in Michigan

Retama Village, Mission TX 

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky

Ted cooking a beef tenderloin for our whole family.  I baked a dozen potatoes in the convection oven,  a dozen ears of corn in the instant pot, made a broccoli salad and chocolate eclair cake.  It turned out perfect!

Easter 2022 with John and Vivian at their park in Cypress TX.

Foley, Alabama with Ira and Lee

Indian Springs, Cincinnati where we stayed each and every year visiting family. 

Thanks for the memories NuWa, DRV and Newmar for your fine vehicles that added so much to our life,

Staying Busy

Ted had his “annual” endoscopy since he missed 2020 (Covid) and 2021 (travel and difficulty with scheduling) and 2022 allowing me to be the patient with two surgeries.  Dr W said there were some acid streaks and upped his omeprozal from 20 mg to 40 mg.  A few innocuous polyps were removed from his stomach opening but doc said they were nothing to worry about.  It will be two weeks to get pathology report.  I will worry anyway.  Update:  All is good with pathology.  

Thursday we had our neighborhood birthday lunch at Chicken Salad Chick.  I really like their food but my WW app certainly doesn’t.  I was going to rejoin WW the next morning so I went for broke and had a chicken salad croissant, broccoli salad, grape salad and ate the cookie that comes with it.  WW gave me the news the next morning that I have 13.6 lbs. to lose to get back to goal I reached in August 2018.

Friday evening we went to hear Gerre sing in the Methodist church presenting The Weeping Tree Cantata.  They had an impressive choir, bells and orchestra and we enjoyed the presentation of the Passion of Our Lord.  Last year for Good Friday we went to Cowboy Church while camping with John and Vivian.  Then there was the Christmas concert at the Baptist Church.  So ecumenical of us!

Sunday we attended Mass at 9 am.  Holy Saturday Mass the night before is a 3 hour long stream of events including reading special prayers, blessing holy oils to be used throughout the year in sacraments, baptisms and confirmations of those entering the church after completing the RCIA program, burning the remaining palms to use for Ash Wednesday next year, etc.  It has been years since we attended that Mass.

We went to Gerre and Barry’s for dinner Easter Day with their son and his family.  We hid 170 eggs for the kids to find (young adults really).

The Masters was on TV and we watched that while some of the kids went fishing since they live on Lake Conroe.

We had a huge table running from one end of the room into the entry hall for eating dinner.  When we were finishing up, their grandson-in-law brought them a card and it contained a sonogram telling them their granddaughter is 3 months pregnant.  Gerre cried, Barry cried and I cried.  It was such a wonderful ending to a wonderful day.

Because I am out of town so much I took the first available Canasta play day to host after I came home.  It just happened to be the day after Easter.  To make things easy, I chose to serve a catered lunch from Chicken Salad Chick.  I ordered Fancy Nancy chicken salad croissants, broccoli salad, pasta salad and cookies.  I had fruit salad left over from Sunday so I included that along with chips and macaroons.  

It was a big hit!  But the catering for 10-12 people had at least 3 dozen sandwiches!  Everyone ate and I bagged up two sandwiches and a separately wrapped cookie in a ziplock and everyone took one home.  I had pretzel nuggets and York peppermint patties on the play tables and even some of that was eaten.  I didn’t win, I was in the middle again.

I had my bone density, blood work and oncology appointment later in the week.  They are trying the last of the three hormone therapy pills available to see if I can eliminate the joint pain the other two have caused.  Bone density was a bit better, blood work was all good, I was down a bit in weight and an appointment for December for a mammogram and follow up was made.  All good news!

The community college where Nancy and I take classes presented “Footloose” on Wednesday evening.  It was free for students and seniors!  We scored on both fronts.  The Drama Department did an excellent job and we both enjoyed it.  I have been humming “Let’s Hear It For The Boys” ever since!  We grabbed a bite to eat afterwards (it started at 5:30) so we had a late dinner.

I took this week’s class via Zoom but was disappointed in the presentation.  It sounded like a sales pitch to me and apparently the college agreed because I received an email from the Director advising people to be careful about following through on the subject discussed!

Friday was my first weekly weigh in since joining back up with Weight Watchers.  I was down 4.2 lbs. leaving me a little less than 10 lbs. to lose.  Ted was proud of me!

I saw Dr. Chang Monday.  All vitals and blood work in line!  I got a haircut and Cindy noticed how I am getting curls out of nowhere!  Our class on Medicare was cancelled but our Doc Talks on joint pain and weight management were very good.  

Wednesday, the folks wanting to buy our motorhome had it inspected.  A husband/wife team spent 5 hours testing a total of 700+ items.  There were a few things they needed some assistance in how it worked, to get them checked off.  When all was said and done, there were two items.  A wood screw missing from the glide on a drawer (if I had a wood screw I would have fixed it), and the sensor in the black tank still says 1/3 even though it is empty. 

That is not unusual for something to be stuck to the sensor.  We sat still for 3 months.  We emptied and cleaned it every week and filled it with Calgon and Pine Sol for the drive home.  Nothing worked.  The inspectors told them the sensors are notorious for doing this.  You will know when it is empty but will not get another reading until 2/3 which gives you plenty of time to empty the tank.  One day it will just work loose and the 1/3 will go away!  Fluids were taken from transmission, engine and generator and as of 7 pm Friday, no results.  The buyers were told by the inspectors that they didn’t expect any problems based on our maintenance records and the condition of the well cared for motorhome.  

And in the midst of all of this we sold our current Expedition and bought a new Expedition from Planet Ford.  We pick it up Saturday.  We hope to close Tuesday of next week on the motorhome.  Our storage will be due 5/1, the license plates expire 5/1 and the insurance expires 4/27!  Time now is of the essence!  There was a MI man who opted to take his 5th wheel home from FL before getting into serious negotiations and he was on the phone to Ted several times on Wednesday asking how it was going.  He was “ready to pull the trigger.”  So we have a back up if things go south though I would not pay $1000 to get an inspection and then not buy over a screw and dirty sensor!  

Wish us luck!  

Wild Set of Events

We didn’t even make it off Lark Drive before a problem cropped up.  My job is to watch that the two tow bars stretch out and lock.  It has never been a problem until this time.  The passenger side one would not lock.  We undid it and tried again.  Same result.  A fellow walking by stopped and told us to stretch out the tow bars, lay them flat on the ground so we could drive up to them square.  It worked!  I guess we were just lucky all these past 3 years.

We drove to Victoria and when we were just about there, my phone was down to 8%.  The generator was turned on when we left but based on my phone battery check, it didn’t stay on and I should have had power but apparently didn’t.  I checked the microwave and it was off.  Oh-oh!  We pulled in to set up and when Ted plugged into the post … nothing!  These rigs are electrical computer giants.  One little thing like the driver’s foot rest not being properly closed will keep it from starting.  So the fun began.  Ted was on his back in the basement looking for the transfer switch when a neighbor walked by and pushed our Oasis (hydroponic heat) reset button.  That turned on the inverter and we then had power but not the source we wanted.  Ted checked the generator and it was switched off,  so he reset that.  Still nothing.  He asked the office to check the power to our post.  The guy comes out, looks at it and said “one of those two plugs is dead, try the other one.”  Viola!  Power!  

We went to church and then a Mexican restaurant we like there and we both had margaritas!  The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived right at 11, check in time.  We had a couple coming at 4 to look at the motorhome.  I had cleaned closets and drawers, done the nooks and crannies where the valley dust had settled and just needed to touch up the bathrooms a bit.  She looked great.  

The couple was very impressed.  The wife loves it and wants to travel, he is hesitant to spend the money. They have cash, having sold a business, but he is dragging his feet.  I am not sure he wants any RV.  The  negotiations are ongoing with more visits and more explanations of how things work.  We are not doing anything but answering their questions and letting them go through it.

We spent our days there emptying out everything that will not go with it.  That was hard enough without removing dishes, linens, cleaning supplies, Ted’s maintenance items and tools in the cargo bays, etc.  That all stays and we have more than enough of that at home.  We once again messed up a 2300 sq. ft. house with some of the contents of a 40 foot motorhome.  It took two days to do the mail and get things back where they belong,  

I worked hard all week at home while Ted met with Brian to do some maintenance issues.  Now the Oasis and both ACs have been serviced. 

Friday night John and Irene took us to Red Lobster for dinner.  We brought him some Voltaren cream and her some vanilla from Mexico but that certainly didn’t warrant  dinner; however, we were delighted to accept and spend time catching up.

I had a dr appt., we went to church and I used my free meal coupon at Black Bear for dinner.  Other than that I stayed focused on the house.

Our Disney cruise tags arrived and the girls are excited.  Kara has been on several Disney cruises and the rest of us have been on one but also other cruise lines. So we tamp down the enthusiasm so exhibited by many on the Disney Cruise page!  

I don’t need magnets, fish extender gifts (don’t ask), or period costumes to match the dining room themed  restaurants.  My Dad told me Ted and I would be jaded in retirement because we traveled so much throughout our lives.  I think I have arrived.

In the meantime while Couple #1 try to make a decision, a fellow from MI, wintering in FL, is “very, very interested”in our MH.  He is knowledgeable, asking all the right questions and doing proper due diligence contacting Newmar and Freightliner for maintenance and repair history.  No repairs, maintenance as called for by Freightliner.  And so we wait.   

The only thing on the calendar this week was working at the Give A Gown event.  This is an amazing organization that is tremendously organized and productive.  High school students, mostly from lower income schools, are brought in and allowed to choose a prom dress, a purse and jewelry!  I was merely checking in volunteers, checking them out, answering questions and collecting pink aprons on their way out.  I had a great time and saw several Forum girls also working.  Next year I think I will be a “fairy godmother” and help someone choose their outfit.  I learned that anyone can take a dress to any Tide Cleaners and they will clean and store it for this organization. 

I did all I could on our taxes and had to file an extension to wait for a K-3 that won’t be sent until June!   Or I could file without including it and then amend it!  I have enough to do leading up to summer and a respite to October sounded good.  

To add insult to injury, I chose to move our insurance for the cars, house, personal property and liability, all coming due in April.  So much info, comparing, questioning to do.  The hardest thing was to find the place on Xfinity to prove we have a monitored alarm system!  Every click took me to a new website that had nothing to do with what I needed.  Finally I was asked if I wanted a phone call!  Voila!  A website was sent to me and that quickly sent me where I needed to be.  Now we need to stop Travelers from withdrawing from our bank and change it to State Farm.  Fingers crossed we get this off my desk real soon.  

We have to renew our passports a year before they expire because they must be good for 6 months AFTER you return from a trip.  We will fly home from Dubai on 12/8 so our passport must be good through June 2025!  I have Ted’s ready to go but I can’t send mine off until May 8 when our Disney cruise ends.  I have to put my passport numbers on our Oceania info sheet by June 21, final payment date.  So … I can try expedited service in May and cross my fingers.  This happened once before when we were going to Eastern Europe in August and I needed my passport in Mexico January to March earlier that year.  They kept bugging me and I kept telling them I would get one after March.  It turned out ok.  Nothing has changed in the past 20 years so hopefully it will come through quickly.  One more day and then…

 Our  motorhome 

Mallard Drive, runs parallel to Lark, our street in Retama Village, Mission, TX

Our pool

Our choice

So Long, Not Goodby

We went to church, Golden Chick and card bingo on our last Saturday night here.  Other than mahjong I didn’t do much but straighten and clean drawers and cabinets.  

Wednesday was our field trip to Gellman Stained Glass Museum.  This is housed in a building specifically designed and built to house this collection of windows from near and far, but many were from the NE US.  Only two pieces were made for the museum, the dome and another that I do not remember.   I tried to identify the various Bible references without looking at the sheet.  We had a group of about 35.  I am on the washed out left, third in wearing white blouse and black pants.  

This is the entrance facing the top of the cross of the nave. 

This is a small piece of a Tiffany window called Te Deum, Of God.  The baby signifies Herod’s slaying of the Holy Innocents, trying to kill the Christ Child.  

I recognized the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.  The Beatitudes.  The Mysteries of the rosary, particular Bible stories and many family windows with one to four or so people mentioned on it.   

Below, the wedding feast at Cana, birth of Jesus, Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, in memory of the Bew family over a 78 year time span.  Just a few of the great windows on display.

We have been working on our two trips to Disney, the 4 day Disney Wish cruise in May and Labor Day weekend at the Grand Floridian.  This family does nothing in a vacuum so the cruise “weekend” we girls are going on, is now at 7 people.  Bill and Ted decided to come to Orlando too so Bill can finish up some of the jobs that still need to be done for Kristin’s renovation, Ted will be the tool caddy!  Bill’s shoulder surgery keeps him from lifting, working with his hands above his head, etc. so Ted will serve in that capacity.   Morgan is flying down with her Dad and Susan prior and we will pick her up at Disney Springs the day before our cruise.  She will hang with the fellows, enjoy the pool and probably eating out, until we return on Monday.  That way she will be there for Kristin’s 50th birthday celebration dinner.  We will all fly home back to Detroit on Tuesday.  

The Labor Day trip airplane reservations have been made.  We will travel Wednesday before to Tuesday after Labor Day out and back to Detroit.  Our Andre Rieu concert is 9/13 at Caesar Arena in Detroit and now my 60th high school reunion celebration is 9/21 in Cincinnati.  We will spend a week or so there before we will finally head home.

Thursday we had dinner with 3 couples to say goodbye.  Friday we cleaned and packed to be ready to depart Saturday morning bright and early.  I have trouble getting down on my knees but even more getting up!  Getting down to get in all the nooks and crannies of the floor totally wore me out.  Ted cleaned out and packed up everything we had stored in the coach house.  We are ready to roll.  We met Jay and Stella next door at the fish fry to say so long, by April they will be back south of Houston.  They are coming in off the road for good.

Next stop Gateway to the Gulf campground.  That allows us to go through Houston Sunday morning about 10 when traffic should be light, relatively speaking! 

Last Week, Mixed Feelings

Nothing much happened Monday, we fielded a few calls on the motorhome and have finally heard from a few legitimately interested in purchasing an RV.  Since we are getting ready to move, we are holding back a bit so we can get home, empty and clean it before having lookers.  

Marisa and I had our annual girls’ day out Tuesday, getting our facials.  I also had some waxing done!  These hormone therapy pills are playing havoc with all kinds of things.  She did a great job and I really could see a difference in my skin.

Then we took Steve and Patty, who are parked next to us, to Texas de Brazil steakhouse as a thank you for the meals Steve has cooked in his smoker and shared, the checking to be sure our water and electric were  turned on and sharing their Wi-Fi password with us until we got our communication problems squared away.  I wasn’t sure I would ever be hungry again!  It was all so very good.

Our last (possibly forever) Newmar luncheon was Wednesday.  I don’t know if there was some kind of Hispanic holiday or celebration but Golden Corral was full!  And then a mariachi band came in and played.  We saw Paul and Ruth (old HitchHiker friends) again but didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.  Ted went to find the busboy that took care of our group in the private room and then we did not see them. Ted was shooting at 2:00 and was in a hurry to get home.  I did laundry and read my book.

Thursday, despite what has happened in Matamoros, we went to Progreso to finish up our shopping.  The US side parking lot was full.  The streets were crowded with winter Texans and no one seemed too concerned about what happened 85 miles away in Matamoros.  We have NEVER in 15 years, crossed into Matamoros or Reynosa, they have been considered dangerous for as long as I can remember.  They are big cities with major roads from the interior of Mexico coming in.  Progreso is a 3 block little village of restaurants, souvenir shops, pharmacies and dentists.  I know of only two incidents in all these years happening there and neither involved US citizens.  Ted had his pedicure, I bought what I needed and home we came.

Kelly and CeCe flew to Florida to visit Kristin and the three of them headed to Disney the very next day.  They were there bright and early on Thursday.  It was a “do over” for our August Covid escapade last year.

Upon arrival in the FL sun!

On our way to Disney World,

Buzz Lightyear

Sporting my Minnie ears.

Friday 

Best way to visit the Hall of Presidents.  Comfortable chairs, AC, dark, enough time to catch a few winks! 

Friday was back to Disney starting with breakfast at Topolina’s

She had a ball with Grammie and Auntie Kristin fawning all over her.  

Wrapping It Up

We were invited for fajitas at Sue and Nile’s house on Thursday.  They were kind enough to switch it from Wednesday when we declined the invitation because of Ash Wednesday and we would not be able to eat meat.  The lady starting with dementia across the street who lost her husband Christmas Eve was there with her daughter and son in law who are trying to wrap up her affairs.  I’m not quite sure what the long term plans are for her.  Jim and Karen did not come because they both had colds.  

With Bill and Ornell gone, we attended church alone but picked up Jay and Stella afterwards to have dinner at Golden Chick and then attend a show at their park.  It just so happened they had a group of 20 people coming and had reserved four tables.  It worked out well for us.  Piano Man put on a very good show.  

Stella’s birthday was this week so the same group went to Dirty Al’s for dinner on Sunday.  I chose not to play mahjong so I could clean the RV and do some laundry and we could leave at 3:30 to get to the restaurant in time.  We had a chicken and fish botana and brought five chicken tenders home.  I have been using them as snacks in lieu of lunch!  

Other friends Don and Trudy who were unable to come for the season have come down from Nacogdoches for a visit.  Ted took Don to sporting clays in Edinburg on Monday and Trudy picked me up for some shopping.  I had been wanting to go to Sketchers and finally made it.  I bought two pairs for the summer and all our travels.  Then we went to the new boutique opened nearby by the gal who owns Lionel’s.  She always was 1/3 of the Retama fashion shows for years.  The other two have gone out of business and taking different routes while Sandy opened her second shop.  I bought a bright, cheerful yellow blouse for my cruise in May!  That evening we went to BJ’s with them and Karen and Dave.  

It was back to the dentist on Tuesday.  We left at 8:00 and we were back home about 11:15.  Considering it is over a half hour to drive there, we hit a traffic jam of a semi on fire, and I had 2 fillings taken care of, that timing was amazing.  The Customs officer asked me what I was taking back and I said “two fillings.” He waved me on!  Recently at home I had a root canal with a temporary filling ($1300).  Then I paid my Dentist $200 to put a permanent filling in.  Down here I had a cleaning, check up, photos, panorama X-ray and two fillings for $250.  Ted’s cleaning was $40.  

It was a low key day Wednesday  I bought hair coloring in Mexico simply because it was there  I chose based on photo and number because the description was in Spanish  and so were the instructions!  No bilingual here!  Good thing I knew how to use it and the color turned out ok.  Then I got my hair cut!  

Thursday was ladies’ breakfast again and a good sized group turned out - close to 20!  I rode with Mimi and Mary since Sharon and Marisa were not going.  I offered to drive!

To send Trudy and Don off, we went to 492 BBQ with them and Mimi and Jim.  Everyone enjoyed their food and fellowship until it was time to say goodbye.  They will not return to Retama as season renters anymore. We will miss them.  

We attempted to attend the fish fry at Mission West on Friday but as we got out of the car ladies exiting the hall said they were all out of fish!  So a nearby Whataburger had a Whatacatch sandwich for Lent so that had to do. But it was good!

The season is ending and the entertainers are heading back to Branson so we went to card bingo next door instead of a show after church and dinner.  Ted got down to one card twice, I never moved.  

I played mahjong on Sunday then we went to the Pizzaria at Niles’ request.  We are now down to a dozen days until we head for home.

We are getting requests about the RV but the first have been dealers, consignment companies and scammers.  We are being extremely careful and have learned that an escrow at our brokerage firm to receive funds send the crooks on their way.  We are in no hurry and have decided if the right deal does not come along we will simply use it this summer and re-evaluate our winter plans in the fall.