Floating in the Laguna Madre

Saturday we headed over to South Padre Island where we went on the Sea Life Safari & Dolphin Watch boat trip. Jane had won the tickets at the park’s western day in late January. We really enjoyed floating out in the Laguna Madre for a few hours and actually got to see lots of dolphins swimming next to the boat!!

The Laguna Madre, which is Spanish for "Mother Lagoon," is home to a beautiful diversity in wildlife, vegetation, and unique habitats. The Laguna Madre, formed between the mainland and Padre Island, is the longest barrier island in the United States. Migratory birds are just a part of the complex system that makes the Laguna Madre such a majestic and important place

Of course what trip to the Island would be complete without a seafood dinner! So after a stop at the Schlitterbahn's Shrimp Haus, we headed back to the park.

Bad Bad Leroy Brown

On Tuesday the 22nd, we were invited to a Karoke party at a neighbour’s down the street from us who are friends of Tall Paul and Patty. Paul is from the south side of Chicago, so he and his friends did a cute skit based on the song “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”. Later in the evening, we went a dance with the Bottom Line band – their last appearance of the season here at Fun N Sun.



Wednesday night we headed back to the dance hall with Doug & Linda and John & Marg for Line Dancing class. Unfortunately Jerry decided to introduce a Zorba the Greek dance which killed our knees and thoroughly confused us. We are still not sure how that fits with Western Line Dance classes.






Sharon and Blair from London, ON invited us to a Happy Hour on Thursday afternoon where we got to say goodbye to a few American friends and visit with our Canadian friends. It seems that the Americans are all leaving earlier than we are.











Friday night was the last Country and Western dance of the year – we are starting to enjoy these dances now that we have learned the basic Texas two step and country waltz.

Turista Day in Nuevo Progeso

Monday March 21st was Turista Day / Winter Texan Appreciation Day in Nuevo Progresso, Mexico so Tall Paul, Patty, Paul and I headed across the bridge to enjoy the festivities. The main street was turned into a pedestrian mall with vendors and open air patios lining both sides of the street. We joined hundreds of other Winter Texans going into the shops and checking out the side-walk vendors. After more than an hour of walking, we decided it was time to find a place for a drink and snack. The Red Snapper restaurant was full so we continued walking until we found Rudy and Inga (friends we made on the cruise) on a patio with empty chairs and tables so we decided to join them. We soon found out that the quarts of Mexican beer were free; we only had to tip the waiter so we settled in to enjoy the music and chat. A few minutes later, we realized that we were sitting outside one of the new “Gentlemen’s Clubs” in this small Mexican town.

After several quarts of beer, we decided to head farther down the street to Arriba’s (a Winter Texan haunt) so that we could get something to eat. There was live music so we were able to dance while we waited for our food. On our way back across the bridge, we stopped to make a few last minute purchases – Tequila, a knock-off purse and vanilla.

Park Activities are Winding Down but we are still busy

In the two weeks since we returned from the cruise, we have started saying goodbye to friends who are already heading north. We have also noticed that organized park activities have much smaller attendance and most will end in the next two weeks.

On Tuesday March 7, we went to the Mardi Gras dance but did not dress up. It wouldn’t have been hard to win a prize because there were so few people in costume. The band, the Bottom Line, was good.

Thursday evening we went to our second dance lesson – couples two step and waltz with a few line dances thrown in at the end to confuse us. Hopefully the Jerry & Betty Jo will be back next year so that we can continue with the same teachers.

Friday we started the day at the Volunteer Breakfast (Jane’s weekly Toys for Tots) and ended the day at Dave & Myrna’s house warming party just down the street.






On Monday the 14th, we went to the State Fair / Travel show here at Fun N Sun. Although there were fewer states represented than last year, the Canadians had a great table with representation from 4 provinces. We left early to go to Harold & Marilyn’s for a delicious BBQ dinner which we were able to eat outside since the wind died down. They were expecting Harold’s mother to fly in the next day from St. John, N.B.

Wednesday night, we went to Line Dancing class (same teachers as couples dancing). We found this class quite challenging so Paul was glad he could bring a few beers with him to enjoy during the breaks. On Friday night we went to the Texas Country Dance so we could practice a few steps that we had learned.

The park held a St. Patrick’s Day parade which consisted of the Fun N Sun train plus numerous golf carts all decorated with green paraphernalia.

 

 

Later in the afternoon, we went to Harold’s mother’s 85th birthday party. Marilyn was able to organize a pot luck dinner at a friend’s house for close to 40 people and still keep it a surprise. We had a great time as did the guest of honor!!.

 

 

 

On Friday the 18th, we attended the last Canadian pot luck dinner of the season. The food was great and the organizers provided several cakes decorated in red and white. Canada Day here we come – just a few months early. We then headed home to change for the dance although several of our friends opted for the swimming pool instead since it was well over 80 degrees when the dinner ended.




On Saturday we went shopping again– we are trying to snag some deals before we head home. After a swim and dinner, we went to the Cowboy and Hobo show in the Dance Hall. The show featured Boxcar Bob, Cactus Willie and Wil the Drifter, a group which we have heard before and really enjoyed. First was the rousing song, “Good-Hearted Woman” which put the crowd in a lively spirit. This was followed by “On the Road Again” another Willie Nelson song. Cactus Willie sounds a bit like Willie Nelson when he sings it so we were glad he closed with another Willie Nelson song. Their singing was interspersed with some jokes – all in all a fun evening.

When we returned to our 5th wheel, we joined a number of neighbours all trying to photograph the Super Moon. Paul managed to get several photos before the clouds rolled in.

 

Relaxing in Paradise

Well, we spent the last week aboard the Voyageur of the Seas in the western Caribbean. We went on this trip with 14 couples from Fun N Sun Resort. It was really fun to know so many people on the ship and to do some group activities. We were blessed with perfect cruising weather – seven full days of sunshine. This made up for the confusion at the port of Galveston. Fog had delayed the arrival of the returning ships, so for the second time in two years, it was mass confusion with delays checking in with Royal Caribbean International. Our friends Wayne and Carolyn, who accompanied us on the trip to and from Galveston, were glad that Paul was driving and knew how to find the baggage drop-off and port parking lot.

The first two days were spent at sea, so we got a real chance to explore the ship and partake in many ship events. It didn’t take Wayne and Carolyn long to start enjoying the ship – and it sounds like they will book their second cruise in the future. On our trip we visited Cozumel, Mexico – Grand Cayman Island – and Falmouth, Jamaica.





Since we have been to and shopped in Cozumel on previous trips, we opted for a day at the beach. We went to Mr. Sanchos – an all inclusive beach club. Your admission included all you can eat and drink, beach chairs, snorkeling equipment, two swimming pools and lots of white sandy beach. Our group did have a great time.










At Grand Cayman, we couldn’t decide which tour to take – so went to the on-ship tour desk as soon as it opened on Wednesday morning. We ended up booking the Taste of Cayman tour. We quickly headed off to the buffet for breakfast and then ran down to jump on a tender boat. Our tour ended up being excellent. It started at the Cayman Islands Brewery, then headed off to the Tortuga Rum Cake factory where we sampled their 8 different cakes as well as their flavoured rums, and finally ended up at a distillery where we tried Seven Fathoms Rum! We had a great time. When the tour ended, what did we see but a Diamonds International store across the street from the distillery? Jane now has a lovely souvenir from the Cayman Islands.






Our third port was Falmouth, Jamaica. Falmouth is a brand new port that Royal Caribbean is in the process of building to allow their largest ships to dock. It is half way between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. Falmouth is a National Heritage Site that is being restored with the help of the University of Virginia. We were only the fourth ship to visit, so the port is very much under construction. We booked a Historical Highlights and Beach Break tour. Falmouth is very small and very poor, so although interesting, it did not take long to view. We were glad our tour was on a bus instead of a walking tour since many areas were questionable. The beach club was located on a warm sandy beach, and our tour included a lunch of jerk chicken. Following our relaxing day at the beach, we enjoyed a margarita at the pier while listening to the reggae band and watching the carnival dancers and other entertainment.

The last two days were spent back on the ship as we sailed back to Galveston. We were very impressed with the entertainment on this cruise. Each night after dinner we were able to find a bar with music that we could dance to, and we seemed to never make it back to our rooms till after midnight.












We made it back to Fun N Sun at 5:30pm on Sunday – in plenty of time for the Ice Cream Social – what a supper!!