RAIN – The Natives Cheer & the Winter Texans Run for cover!!

Listening to the local TV’s weather report is a riot. Whenever it sounds like there is a faint chance of any rain, it is made to sound like manna from heaven. The drought in Texas is no laughing matter, so the absence of rain has been the norm for many months. Well – the sky finally opened up and when it rains – it RAINS. Past five days have seen buckets of water – parts of this park could double as fishing holes!! A few more days and things should dry up.

Not that rain has slowed us down!!

Our friends Doug & Sue did arrive late afternoon on Friday Jan 27th – late due to a blown tire. Is this sounding familiar? Like this year’s Titanium treat is blown tires!! We found out from our friends at the Friday night Country Dance – that a new Titanium had arrived in their part of the park. So we hooked up with them on Saturday after Jane completed her literacy tutor course. Later that night we went to the Vance Greek and the Deep River Boys concert. Vance is a former Branson performer who is very popular here in the Valley - so popular that they almost filled the dance hall for his concert!!

On January 31, we celebrated our friend Connie’s 65th birthday with a BBQ at Dave and Myrna’s.

It was a lovely warm day so we were able to sit out late into the evening and we didn’t even need our propane campfire. However, we were all well coated with bug spray as we have had lots of Texas size mosquitos.

We took Doug and Sue to Oak Hill on February 1 – again it was a lovely day – probably our last day of real sun. Although there was no live music, the DG played enough country music that we could practice our 2 step. The next night, Sue (or was it Jane) convinced Doug that they should try 2-step lessons, so they joined us at the dance hall with BJ Dance instructors Betty and Jerry.

On Saturday the 4th, we joined Myrna, John and Marg who were selling unwanted items at the park garage sale. Well Jane managed to buy for more than I was able to sell. Fortunately the Fun ‘N Sun motorcycle group donated unsold items to a local shelter – win / win for all. After the garage sale, we headed to the pool to swim and sunbathe. When we returned to our 5th wheel for a late lunch, the temperature was 89 degrees F. Within 2 hours, after a severe thunderstorm roared through, the temperature fell 20 degrees. By Sunday morning, the temperature was down to 49 degrees F. Each day is challenge to figure out how to dress.

The Saturday night Rock & Roll dance was well attended despite the heavy rain – we had a great time dancing to songs we knew and not having to struggle with the more intricate moves we are learning at dance class.

We decided to take Doug and Sue to Sam’s Club in Brownsville on Monday the 6th. Jane had read about a Mexican restaurant or take out place that made healthy tortillas and tamale by using olive oil instead of lard, so we headed there for lunch. Well, the newest branch was no longer in business so we headed to the original location in downtown Brownsville. After driving around the block a few times, we found the restaurant but really didn’t know whether it was open or not. However, the outside appearance was so rundown that we decided to keep on driving. Our next stop was the New York Deli but it had moved and we couldn’t find its new location. By this time it was 1:00 pm and the nearby Red Lobster was open for lunch – good choice to fortify us for our trips to Kohl’s and Sam’s Club.

On February 7, Doug drove the four of us to South Padre Island for the annual Snowbird Extravaganza sponsored by the Canadian Snowbird Association. The information session about Canadian / U.S. border issues was very informative.

We then headed to Pier 19 for a seafood lunch.

We helped Sue celebrate her birthday on February 9th. We started with dinner at the Texas roadhouse where Sue avoided riding the birthday bull! Dinner was followed by dance class – hey that’s what the birthday girl wanted. Then we got together at our place for cake and Sue got a chance to meet our friends.

Friday was overcast again – so we made a trip to the Outlet Mall. We didn’t find many bargains, so our pocket book still looked healthy. Friday night we joined our friends at the country dance. During the last dance, Paul suffered an acute attack of vertigo - which knocked him out of commission for Saturday and most of Sunday. Today he is still somewhat unstable on his feet, but able to ride the 3 wheel bike, go on a shopping trip (Jane drove) and attend the afternoon happy hour. Hopefully he will be all mended by tomorrow so we can enjoy the Valentine Day dance.

How Can You Tell We Have Been Busy??

Where have the last two weeks gone??

January is a busy month both at Fun ‘N Sun RV Park and in this part of the Rio Grande Valley - so we have been taking part in lots of the activities. We have resumed our in-park activities such as Toys for Tots, computer club, golf, couples dance classes, and weekly Texas Country dances. Sunday morning breakfasts at the local Mexican restaurants are our regular after church activity.

On Thursday, January 12th, Myrna and Dave came with us to the Rio Grande Valley RV show. We looked at 5th wheels; they looked at park models and fortunately for our bank accounts, our big purchases were limited to an RV cleaner and lunch at Big John’s BBQ.

Later that week, we went to a Saturday night pizza party at Bonnie & Jack’s park model. That kitchen has a full size oven which was great for baking Bonnie’s home-made pizzas. We had a great time visiting with friends.

Monday January 16 we attended the city of Harlingen’s annual Winter Texas Appreciation Day. Each year, the number of Winter Texans increases so it gets harder to see the various vendor exhibits. In the afternoon about 1500 people attended a Willie Nelson tribute show performed by a singer named Willy Fortune. Winter Texans certainly love free events!!

We went to Lindley Creek’s bluegrass performance on Tuesday January 17th. This musical family comes from Missouri and performs here in the valley during the winter. On Friday evening we attended our in-park monthly Canadian Club pot luck supper and get-together. About 150 Canadians attended and there was lots of food to share.

Saturday night, we attended a performance of Late Bloomers – set in the clubhouse of the mythical Late Bloomers RV Park in San Benito. The University of Texas Pan American students were good actors and actresses but unfortunately the play was not the comedy we expected despite the glowing reviews. Oh well the occasional dud is fine!

The Mexican Fiesta held here in the park on Tuesday January 24 was great fun with spectacular entertainment and a delicious meal prepared by one of the San Benito Mexican restaurants.

There were performances by two local Mexican dance troupes - students from ages 9 to 23 - plus Pans of Steel – a steel drum band from McAllen High School. It was a great way to experience Mexican culture without even leaving the park.

On Wednesday Jan 25th the Titanium Owner’s Group hosted a luncheon meeting at a neighboring RV park (Victoria Palms). A total of 75 owners attended and it was fun to see some of our friends we have not seen since last May’s rally in Kingston.

After the luncheon, we were invited by John & Judy to drop by their RV for a beer, so we spent the afternoon enjoying the beautiful sunshine on their deck at Victoria Palms. A great way to spend the day – catching up with friends.

This week Mark & Lucy Greenwald from Malone, NY dropped into the park for a one week stay – so we had a chance to introduce them to Fun N Sun and some of the activities. We had last seen these folks in Kingston. Later this week we are expecting our good friends Doug & Sue to arrive.

Oh yes, did I mention that this year a friend told a friend who told a friend…… that Paul knows a thing or two about computers and networking – so Paul has been called upon numerous times to help ‘fix’ a problem or two. Just another thing to keep me busy.

Jane is taking a 12 hour English as a Second Language Tutor training course. The Literacy Centre of Harlingen offers the course to train volunteer tutors for their ESL courses but they have also opened the course to Winter Texans who might want to teach ESL in their home cities. Jane is not sure whether she will volunteer with one of the literacy centres once we return to Ottawa but she has certainly enjoyed the course.

Happy New Year

Our scheduled departure from the Great White North was on Sunday Jan 8th. On Saturday around noon I recall hearing a voice from the laundry room calling out "Paul, come down - we have a problem" - sort of in the tone of "Houston we have a problem!!". Well lo and behold our Maytag washer bit the dust during the final rinse cycle - so we had a dead machine filled to the brim with clothes and water. We were leaving in less than 24 hours - Nothing like a last minute panic since we couldn't leave Amy without a washer - or could we?? Well three hours later we had purchased a new machine and it was to be delivered the next day - problem solved!!

Sunday morning we traded the cold and snow for a 12 hour airline trip through Toronto, Houston and finally Harlingen. We knew we would be arriving too late for Sunday night ice cream so we found a Blue Bell kiosk in the Houston airport where we could feed our addiction.

It was so warm that night that we found it hard to sleep. But it is great to be back in the Kralik-mobile and seeing all our friends.

Monday morning saw both Paul and Jane rushing off to their respective activities, namely computer club and stretch class - followed by aquacise. Monday night the city of San Benito Chamber of Commerce hosted their Welcome Back Winter Texan show featuring the musician Walter Plant - and lots of door prizes from the local merchants.

Tuesday morning we were up early for the tour of the local HEB Grocery store (we had forgotten that we had signed up for this tour back in December!) - not a great idea, but it was interesting. Tuesday night the park's CRAB group (Conservative Retired Adult Bikers) sponsored a DJ who played a lot of music from our era. We went with a large group from our street - and had a super time.

Wednesday morning was the weekly golf morning for Paul - while Jane went to Toys for Tots and her aquacise class. The weather is really interesting. When Paul left for golf at 7:30am it was 43 degrees - then the sun came out and heated up things - it is now 83.6 at 5pm. Just a 40 degree jump!!

Love this heat!!

What were we thinking??

As we woke up this morning to -17 celcius or -31 with the wind chill, we wondered why we thought staying here for a month would not be too hard on us!! Brrrrr !! Jane has decided to hibernate until it warms up which may only be when we return to Texas.

We have enjoyed sharing Christmas with our family and friends. On Christmas day we hosted dinner for twelve and I think Jane had cooked a dinner for forty!! Good thing I love turkey and ham left-overs.. LOL Our great niece and nephew were the hit of the party.

During our time in Ottawa, Jane got the cookie baking monster out of her system, I got to a Senator's hockey game with Amy,

We also handled an emergency garage door repair, and spent some time with Jenn.

On Tuesday, Paul's sister Terry and her husband drove up from Montreal to have a belated Christmas lunch with us and Jenn.

Jenn also had some of her Jersey friends (who were visiting relatives in Montreal) drop by for lunch. It was fun to meet some of her friends here at home.

We are planning a small dinner with our friends on New Year's eve - so we won't be too wild, since Jenn flies home on New Year's Day.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year - and wishing we were already back in Texas... :-)

Christmas Wishes

On December 8, we flew home from Texas. Our plan is to celebrate the Christmas season with family and friends in Ottawa. Friday morning Paul was out bright and early buying new Christmas lights and then installing them on the front of the house.

Our next task was to decorate the tree so that by Saturday evening the neighbours could tell that we had returned home and would soon be celebrating Christmas.

After a month away enjoying the “low calorie Mexican food”, both Paul and I headed to our respective gyms to work out. The aquafit classes at the OAC are much more strenuous than those at Fun ‘N Sun so Jane certainly enjoyed using the steam room and hot tub to relax her tired muscles after class!!

Yesterday the house looked even more like Christmas as our friend Janet and Jane spent the day baking cookies and squares. The challenge now is to make sure they last until Christmas so that we can serve them to the family.

We want to wish all of you the joy and peace of this Christmas season and we hope our paths will cross early in 2012.

Yikes - December already!!

Wednesday evening we went over to the Oak Hill event center (just across from our park) for their live music and dancing. This week’s group played a lot of slow dances, so we spent quite a bit of time on the dance floor. During the draws, Jane won herself a cowgirl hat.

After the dance we ended up at C&C Wings with our friends Dave & Myrna – wings were good, but as our Ottawa friend Guy would say “pigeon wings not buffalo wings”.

Thursday was a chance to do some things around our rv home. Paul dug out the weeds and grass from our small garden area and did some gardening. Our Kralik rv sign now has a prominent new home.

The garden was full of white lava rocks, so the only solution was to add more.
Thursday night saw the return of Texas two-step dance classes for this camping season. It was fun to get back and find out all the things we had forgotten – how could this be, there are only two steps??? LOL

Friday was Wayne’s 68th birthday, so eight of us went to the Texas Roadhouse to celebrate the occasion. Instead of making Wayne wear a hat, here they made him ride a saddle while everyone sang.

We all had a fun time. Even after 2 margaritas, Wayne wouldn’t come to the weekly Fun N Sun Western dance, but Dave & Myrna joined us and we met Blair & Sharon and other friends there.

Saturday started off at 8am with a garage sale in our rec hall. We did manage to accumulate several small items. Once that was over we headed into Harlingen for their Jackson street market day – an outdoor six block long flea market. Saturday evening we headed over to Port Isabel for the annual Christmas lighted boat parade.

Although the parade was small, the entrants really did a nice job decorating. After the parade, Dave & Myrna, Mitch & Connie, Jane & I went over to Pelican Station for an excellent seafood dinner.

Sunday after church and breakfast at one of the local Mexican restaurants, we headed to the malls for some last minute Christmas shopping - since we are starting to think about heading home this Thursday. The evening ended with the weekly ice cream social and live entertainment at the rec hall. The show was Aloha in Texas - the Hawaiian entertainers were fabulous and the audience participants did a great job (Myrna & Jane may even sign up for hula lessons after their stage debut).

Tuesday evening we went to the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum for their "Christmas at the Museum" open house. The theme was Toys of yesteryear and magical Christmas Trees which could be viewed while enjoying hors d'oeuvres, desserts, wine and champagne. We went with nine of our friends and it was an enjoyable way to celebrate the lead up to this holiday season.

Today is our last full day in Texas. Tomorrow morning we fly home to Ottawa for the Christmas season - so today will be spent getting the RV ready to sit here in the warm sun while we go north to enjoy (?) the cold north!! Although we are looking forward to seeing family and friends - the Texas sun will be drawing us back.

Can't wait to be back here in January.

Thanksgiving & Black Friday

Thanksgiving day, Jane finally got up enough courage to try out her new bike. It did not take long for her to get used to the three wheeler – and we enjoyed a nice ride all around the park. The bike is a real hit – courtesy of our neighbor John Luxton and his bike supply service. John has supplied Paul with a bike for the last three years.

We got together with friends (mostly Canadian) for Thanksgiving dinner. Myrna & Dave BBQ’ed the turkey and the rest of us provided all the accompaniments – starting with Happy Hour in the warm afternoon sun. The food was fantastic and we ended the meal with pudding and jello shooters around the portable campfire.

At ten p.m., John volunteered to drive the women over to Walmart for the Black Friday shopping extravaganza. The trip turned out to be a real bust as the store was overcrowded and they couldn`t find any of the advertised specials. The shoppers returned home empty-handed – but the diehards set out early Friday morning and Myrna returned with not one but two sewing machines!!!

Around 11 a.m., we made what we hoped would be a quick trip to Kohl`s but waited in line for 45 minutes to pay for our one purchase.

Friday afternoon (Nov 25th) we went over to the Valley Racetrack with our friends Myrna and Dave, Mitch and Connie for an afternoon of greyhound dog racing. We bet based on the names of the dogs and came out $1.40 poorer. Not bad for an afternoon of fun. After supper, we went to the Texas Country Dance and visited with Blair and Sharon who had arrived from Canada late the week before.

Saturday morning we were up early to take a historic walking tour of downtown Harlingen. From Mike, the owner of the Java Café, we learned about the frontier days, mid-century boom times and modern Harlingen. We enjoyed seeing the murals painted on the outside of buildings as well as in the Capital One Bank building.

The most notable mural is a tribute to Bill Haley (and the Comets) who moved to Harlingen in 1976 and died there in February 1981. A reporter from the Valley Morning Star joined the tour and not only quoted Marg in his article but included a photo of her. After two hours of walking, we appreciated a nice lunch at the Java Café.
For more info on our walk click on :
http://www.valleymorningstar.com/articles

After supper, Dave and Myrna; John and Marg joined us for a free outdoor music festival commemorating the Centennial of the city of San Benito. The weather didn`t exactly cooperate – yes we got rained on and almost blown away by the Texas winds but the music was good and we had fun.

Tuesday night (Nov 29) we went over to the Valley Baptist Medical complex for their annual “Lights for Life” Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

Two local school choirs sang Christmas carols, Santa made an arrival in a red convertible – in all a nice ceremony but still somewhat strange as we were dressed in our shorts and sandals.