Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort looks the best of any of the 3 years we’ve been down here.  With heavy fall rains, all the trees and shrubs are green, and the grounds crew has done a great job of trimming, mulching, and repairing and adjusting the irrigation system.  All the parking pads are clean, and ready for their winter visitors.  The resort is still largely empty, about 20 percent occupancy, but RVs are pouring in everyday, with today’s (Friday) group being the largest, including two members of our circle, Circle 3:  Jim and Reggie Miles next to us and Debbie Creighton a few spaces around.  Debbie is our new hero, driving a diesel pusher and towing a car all the way from New Brunswick, Canada, following Jim and Reggie.  Jim called it his harem!  It’s a great sight when “new” RVs arrive, as everyone exits their RV at about the same time to come welcome friends from last year.

On Thursday, Kay and I made an early trip to Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Costco to stock up on supplies, and timed it just right to eat at Diaz Diner, our new favorite Mexican restaurant.  Many regulars from winters past were there and were greeted warmly by the staff.  Back at the RV, we continued to organize after the trip down, and did a pretty through cleaning of the inside, particularly dust that had accumulated over the end of summer and early fall at home.  With great weather, highs in the 60s, I washed the road grime off the Honda, and it’s now clean and shiny—for the most part.  I stole away part of the afternoon to visit the National Butterfly Center and there were lots of butterflies, including the Mexican Fritillary shown here, but a light rain forced me out of the elements to return to the motorhome.  I did get some great photos in the brief time, though.

Though we had the heat on during the night, we awoke Friday and immediately turned it off, and opened the roof vents.  Trying to establish a routine, we began the mooring with a walk around the resort, and returned for  breakfast at the RV.  After cleanup, we went for a 45-minute bike ride around the area, probably covering 7 miles or so, and necessitating a trip to the hot tub and pool—my, oh my, but they were great and rejuvenated these old muscles.  After lunch derived from cleaning out the refrigerator (ugh), I visited the Hearing Center at Costco for a hearing test and new hearing aids (huh?).  The palapa party was already in full swing, with many traveling stories from Jim and his harem, and I only caught the tail end.  We tried to follow the group to Church’s Chicken, Jim’s favorite, but got lost on the way there, and a visit to all the Church’s we could find proved fruitless.  We drove back to BPVRV Resort, only to have Paul and Lorna knock on the door and drop off two Church’s fried chicken meals; we’ve got to think of some way to repay them!  With our time so monopolized with getting settled, there has not been much time for television, so it was an early night for me.

Our efforts on Saturday finally got us settled, hopefully.  We did our walk around the resort, Kay went grocery shopping, and I washed the RV—wiping out a beautiful Saturday morning, but also accomplishing these necessary evils.  We immediately headed for the hot tub and pool after finishing these chores, and soaked in the warm water, easing muscle aches and pains—oh, what a relief it is.  Back at the RV, we had grilled scallops, salad, and broccoli for our mid-afternoon meal and it was GREAT!  Kay took a long nap, and I went for a bicycle ride to Americana RV Park, one we have recommended to our friends Wayne and Loretta when they come to the RGV.  It is a very nice park, and well-maintained.  Potential sites for them to hook-up will allow a great satellite signal for their roof-mounted dome, and is wide open to allow Wayne’s solar collectors to operate at optimum efficiency.  Americana RV Park is only 2.3 miles from our site at BPVRV Resort, and a straight shot down South Bentsen Palm Drive.  With no wind, it is about a 10-minute bike ride.  We enjoyed a lengthy palapa happy hour with neighbors, and watched Skyfall, a 2012 James Bond thriller, to wrap up the evening.

Our first Sunday in the RGV this season was filled with spending time with old friends.  We had breakfast at IHOP with the Sunday breakfast bunch, returned to BPVRV Resort to dress for church, and made it to the 11 AM traditional service.  On our way in the door, we met Bob Pataglia, our dance instructor since 2008, coming out the door.  We exchanged pleasantries and found where he was teaching near us.  Looks like it will be dance lessons on Wednesday.  Pastor Bill Duke preached on Idle Worship, and he can say a lot in a few minutes.  We really like him, and like First United Methodist Church in Mission.  Kay and I rode bicycles north on South Bentsen Palm Drive to Green Gate RV Resort to visit friends Wayne and Bessie Nickerson from Nova Scotia.  After the ride back in temperatures hovering in the mid-80s, I changed for the pool to cool off while Kay caught up on email, etc.  Our Sunday afternoon concluded with Happy Hour at the palapa where the mosquitos feasted on my ankles.