Another cold front blew in Monday night, with temperatures hovering in the low 40s most of the day Tuesday.  Combined with high winds, it was cold!  But, we’re not complaining.  Kay worked on her second bowl, trimming the bottom, glueing it on, and adding a decorative groove to it, and sanding and buffing the inside.  I went to the Bentsen Rio Grande State Park just after 12 noon, and found no one else in the Kiskadee Blind.  With fresh food, the birds were active, and I got a new “life bird”, a female Black-headed Grosbeak.  Additionally, I saw a molting Indigo Bunting, a fairly rare bird for the area.  A couple of Altimira Orioles would come in to feed at about 15-minute intervals, a Lincoln’s Sparrow came in, a Ladder-back and Golden-fronted Woodpecker were bouncing around, and lots of Cardinals and Green Jays were present.  The Green Jay blind area looked the worse for wear, with some downed shrubs and trees and the platform feeder had been upended; I didn’t spend any time there.  I downloaded the photographs into Lightroom 5 and began post processing them while Kay prepared Mexican Chicken and a salad for dinner.  Needing tortilla chips for the recipe, I volunteered to drive to the store, but it is not the place to go during rush hour, as it took over an hour to go there, buy the chips, and return to the resort.

Al and Sharon came over in the evening and we played bridge for a couple of hours; neither Kay nor I had good hands, but we are learning the “new to us” bidding system; it was fun, and we played a few good defensive hands.  Still battling the Centurytel email fiasco, I worked until early Wednesday morning beginning the process of changing email accounts, and advising contact list addressees of the change (I found that neither Gmail nor Yahoo will allow you to send to 100 or more addressees at one time!). More to come tomorrow.

Despite the early morning hour for bedtime, I was up at 7 AM Wednesday morning.  After reading the home newspapers online, I resumed the lengthy process of changing email address, some of which have major financial implications (Edward Jones, 3 banks, eBay, PayPal, etc.) and some which could have had significant medical ramifications (Mayo Clinic, our pharmacy).  As a bit of advice, I would recommend using a Gmail, Yahoo, or similar email address in lieu of one from an internet service provider like Centurytel/Centurylink, cable internet, etc. as there is a strong likelihood that at some point they will cancel your account, possibly without warning! And another warning.  We had our Centurytel/Centurylink email addresses coming through Gmail and Yahoo, and that proved to be a near fatal mistake.  I finished changing all the affected counts about mid-afternoon, and Kay was kind enough to give me peace and quiet for most of the day, going to exercise and the beauty shop.  The rest of the afternoon was spent updating Kay’s computer, deleting cookies and cleaning the databases, uninstalling unneeded software and applications, and running a scan for viruses, malware, etc.  It was an exhausting day, but the cold, windy weather was not conducive to outdoor activities.  We both collapsed in the evening, and did a whole lot of nothing.  Van did come by about 9 PM for assistance transmitting a pdf to take care of business related to resolution of his late father’s estate.  He and Bonnie have had more than their share of challenges this winter with his dad breaking a hip and consequently passing away, and their 2=year old granddaughter getting sick twice, the latter time being admitted to the hospital at the same time  she, her mom, and dad (Van and Bonnie’s son) were to move back to Canada.

A late night Saturday was no excuse for missing church on Sunday, according to Kay, so we were up early and on the way by 8:30 AM.  Sermons this month have concentrated on “Giving.”  Our church in Mountain Home has their pledge period in late October before we leave for the winter, and the church in Mission has theirs in January; it is understandable since so many of the Mission FUMC attendees are Winter Texans.  From church, it was off to Costco for Healthy Choice fudge bars, a Club 150 lunch (hotdog and soda), and cup of yogurt.  And then, it was back to the motorhome for a brief rest before driving the short distance to the Riverside Club on the banks of the Rio Grande River and just across the river from Mexico for visiting with Lin, Tom, Karen, and Warren, and lots of dancin’.  We had a great time with them, and after dancing ourselves out, we left while they had dinner; note the huge pork tenderloin sandwich!  From the Riverside Club, we paid a good-bye visit to Wayne and Loretta at AmeriCana resort before their departure back to Arkansas on Monday.  With so much going on, we opted out of the 50s and 60s Dance back at the resort, and spent a quiet evening in the motorhome.

Al and I played golf Monday morning at Cimarron Country Club in McAllen; the game is coming back slowly, but I am having a blast playing golf, and Al is a great partner with whom to play.  Kay continued work on her second bowl of the season, trimming the rough exterior, removing the corners, and beginning and finishing turning the bowl’s inside.  The palapa happy hour was well attended, and afterwards, we went shopping for golf accessories, but came home empty handed.  Meanwhile, the satellite went down again, and took about a half hour to restore the signal.  Our summer plans are now in a state of flux as we’ve decided to postpone indefinitely a trip to the British Isles and a cruise to the Baltic.  We may spend a month at Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, playing golf, visiting with friends, and kayaking and fishing for bluegill in their many lakes, and plan to spend part of the hot summer in Door County, Wisconsin.

Up really early Saturday morning with temperatures hovering in the high 30s, I (in the center of the photo, white helmet) participated in the McAllen Arbor Day Bike Tour, a 25-mile tour through McAllen, south to near where we live, and return; some 100 bicycle riders participated.  Though not a race, about half the participants were young, athletic 30-40 mph riders, and led the pack.  My statistics for the ride are as follows:

Ride Time: 1:56:46

Stopped Time: 26:36

Distance: 24.49 miles

Average: 12.59 mph

Fastest Speed: 22.45 mph

Ascent: 138 feet

Descent: 135 feet

Calories: 1717

In addition to the bike tour, 5K and 10K runs were held, and a high speed bicycle race highlighted the day’s activities with riders from all over the world; riders from Russia, Italy, and Germany placed first, second, and third, respectively. 

Today also provided an opportunity to do perform some chores such as dumping and flushing the tanks, and doing laundry.  But, back to fun things, it is also the big day for the Mission Citrus Festival.  Kay and Loretta drove up to town to watch the parade.  Several of the floats were decorated with citrus products, and many reflected the Hispanic culture of the region with Mariachi bands, etc.  One trio of men dressed as bandidos, and allowed their picture to be taken for a $1 donation to Knights of Columbus.

Without further ado, let’s turn back the clock a few days to post some photos of Kay and Loretta’s shopping trip, including a great bakery.  Now, it’s no secret what they shop for!

I don’t have many complaints about BPVRV Resort and the RGV, but one is that it is just too busy!  Of course, one can pick and choose what activities in which to participate, but I like them all!  Al and I play golf most Mondays and Wednesdays; Mondays are at one of the great courses in the RGV, while Wednesdays are reserved for Meadow Creek, an okay course nearby that is a pretty decent course despite some barren places on the fairways.  This cool Wednesday morning we played at Meadow Creek.  Al had a good game, and I ended up with a decent game despite several “blow-up” holes.  It was lots of fun, and I’m really enjoying playing.  

A long absence of birding enticed me to ride to Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park next door, but few birds were observed at either the Kiskadee blind or the Green Jay blind.  A retired couple from Wisconsin was there for the first time, and it was a joy introducing them to the usual species of birds seen at the blinds:  Green Jay, Kiskadee, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Chachalaca.  After happy hour at the palapa, we spent a quiet evening in the motorhome.

Our schedule got changed today, Thursday, by the US Department of State.  We had intended to accompany Lin, Tom, Geraldene, Dean, Karen, and Warren to Neuvo Progreso, Tamaulipas, Mexico.  However, a few days ago, the State Department issued a travel advisory Americans against travel to certain places in Mexico, including Neuvo Progreso because of gun battles between the cartel and federales, and a recent bomb threat closing the Progreso bridge.  Consequently, we were very uncomfortable traveling there.  With a “free” morning, we opted to join the birders on their weekly trip.  The weekly birding trip began by departing the resort at 7:30 AM Thursday to Edinburg Wetlands and Nature Center; Kay had not been there before, and enjoyed the small, but lively part of the World Birding Center.  We saw lots of birds, but the morning was made special by sighting a Tropical Parula Warbler, a life bird for us, and getting a fairly close shot of a Kingfisher. The pohots begin with a Great Blue Heron “painting” the water!  The weekly birding trips are very popular and a couple of dozen people normally attend.  Many thanks to Ernie and Karen Martelle, and Lorna Graham for coordinating and leading these trips. 

We were up early Sunday morning for church, with the intent of returning to the resort, changing clothes, and going for a long bike ride while Kay made apple dumplings for the BPVRV Resort progressive dinner.  The progressive dinner included appetizers, salad, a main course of baked potato, and desserts at circles 6, 5, 4, and 3 respectively; and since we reside in circle 3, we were to provide desserts for between 250 and 300 people!  Just as I finished changing clothes, some of our neighbors were setting up the palapa for desserts, and Kay “suggested” that I should help them.  So, I changed clothes again, helped set up, and visited briefly before changing back into riding clothes.  I opted to forego most of the progressive dinner in order to take a long solo ride, and de-stress.  And, conditions were near ideal with temps in the mid-70s, and winds less than 5 miles per hour.  Consequently, I rod some 28 miles before returning to find that the baked potato line was forming.  Changing clothes yet another time, I met Kay at the Activities Center in circle 4, where we ate the main course.  Since desserts were next, we hurriedly made our way to the palapa and assisted in completing the set-up.  The desserts were heartily eaten and provided a grand ending for a super progressive dinner.  After phone calls from the girls, we had a quiet rest of the evening; however, I could not sleep and took advantage of the late hour and  downloaded Lightroom 5, a digital photography post-processing software. 

Monday was golf day, and we played at the Harlingen Country Club.  It was a great course, but quite crowded, and I shot the worst game of the year—so far.  While I was playing, Kay took care of some business for me, and tried to take care of some other business, but we had forgotten it was the MLK holiday, and banks were closed.  She biked to Americana RV Resort, where Loretta joined her, and they biked to Green Gate Grove to work on crafts (yeah, sure).  We joined others from the BPVRV Resort for a RGV Vipers basketball game; the Vipers team is a D-League NBA team and while the basketball was just okay, people watching was quite fun.

Van, Ken, and I had tentatively scheduled a bike ride Tuesday morning, but I opted out in order to take care of some banking business; it was an interesting experience.  Seventeen people were in line in front of me, and most were cashing checks (some from Mexico) or having money orders prepared.  The tellers were patient, and the line moved relatively fast.  After taking care of this business, I drove to Jerry and Karen Smith’s place to assist them in setting up a new computer for printing.  We had to load new printer drivers unique for their printer for Windows 8, and the download took some time, as did the installation with only one major and several minor snafus.  After a fatal error message caused by Norton Utilities, we paused the security program for a few minutes, and the download and installation completed.  So, they are up and running with both a hard-wired and a wireless connection to the printer.  Kay took advantage of the quiet time, and washed and dried a a couple loads of clothes, and then went to Steinmart with Gayle for shopping for shoes and unmentionables, using most of her Steinmart Christmas gift card.  And then, she grilled salmon and vegetables for a late afternoon dinner, and it was very good.  Jim, next door, insisted that we go to Marco’s for burgers with a group from BPVRV Resort, and we shared a Marco’s special.  Marco’s was rated the No. 1 hamburger place in Texas by one statewide television show.  They grind their own meat from ribeye steaks, make french fries and onion rings from scratch, and make hand-dipped milk shakes.  We found their burger to be very good, but not as good as the Barn Burner from the Back Forty in Mountain Home—possibly the best cheeseburger in the world!  After we got back, we walked over to Al and Sharon’s for bridge, and had a blast.

Despite the near perfect temperatures during the day, the lows plunged to the mid-40s last night, and we awoke Tuesday morning to 44°—it makes for great sleeping weather.  We were up too early, but time flew by and we dressed for a bike ride with Van, Bonnie, Chuck, and Sue.  We all rode about five miles, and then split up with Kay, Bonnie, Sue, and Chuck taking the bike trail back to the RV resort (making for a 10-mile ride), while Van and I continued east, making a 29-mile circuit.  We came by Americana RV Resort to check on Wayne and Loretta, and caught them in the middle of repairing their sink.  Ride statistics are as follows:

Ride Time: 2:33:33

Stopped Time: 43:18

Distance: 29.19 miles

Average: 11.41 mph

Fastest Speed: 18.37 mph

Ascent: 561 feet

Descent: 515 feet

Calories: 2117

After a very brief visit, we returned to Bentsen Palm Village, and I changed the primary water filter on potable water coming into the motorhome.  It was so clogged with algae that the incoming water had a difficult time passing through, and in fact, had blown the hose off just a couple of days ago.  In terms of quality, the potable water here at BPVRV Resort is marginal, at best, and most Canadians will not consume it.  We, however, filter it once before it enters the water softener and motorhome, and then again, using a micro filter, for use in foods, beverages, and ice.  (I really should sanitize the tank and water lines; maybe in a couple of days!)  Kay had gone to pick up tickets to a high school production of Annie Get Your Gun, and I enjoyed a short soak in the hot tub and pool, easing the muscles and joints from the long bike ride. We picked up Wayne and Loretta and brought them back to experience our palapa happy hour, showed them some of Mission and McAllen, returning to the RV so they could prepare their tablets and phone for internet service, and then Kay fed us all a great pulled pork sandwich meal, complete with slaw and potato salad.  After taking them back to their RV park, Kay and I caught up on email, etc. to end the evening.

Al picked me up early Wednesday morning for golf at nearby Meadow Creek.  We were in a slow foursome, taking over 5 hours to play the 18 holes.  I am really enjoying playing golf, particularly with Al, but suffice to say, my golf game stunk today, but after all, it’s only a game, and Kay and I plan to play golf this summer in between travels.  While I played golf, Kay was healthy selfish, and enjoying some alone time, and beginning her second bowl; she’s really into bowl making, and has become quite an artist. Replacement motors for the Tailgater satellite dish arrived today, and after the golf game, I installed the motor controlling the vertical movement of the dish, hooked it up, and it began searching for the satellites.  I put everything back together, moved it to the roof of the motorhome, and it worked.  Kay and I visited briefly with neighbor, Chuck.  At 4 PM, Kay walked over to the palapa for happy hour, and I assisted Brian and Shar in setting up for karaoke this evening in the Activities Center.  Returning back to the motorhome, the satellite was not working, and a couple of attempts to restart it, on the roof, failed.  Moving it down to the ground seemed to do the trick, though, as it worked again, and perhaps now it can be moved back onto the roof and out of the way. While I was working with the Tailgater, Kay attended the margarita party at the Activities Center, “just to be sociable”; she’s the social butterfly of the family!  We both returned to the Activities Center at 6:15 PM to finish setting up for “Karaoke with Shar and Donald”.  A sparse audience was there for the beginning, but picked up as the evening wore on to such an extent that there were more singers than the 9 PM closing time allowed.

We were up early for church Sunday morning, hearing the second part of a series regarding “what should be” versus “what is” important in one’s life.  We have hear similar sermons before, but the subject is always thought provoking, and more importantly, helps reset one’s priorities.  We returned from church with the intent of Kay washing clothes and my washing the car, but the laundry was fully occupied; we both washed the car, removing road grime from travels to central Arkansas to celebrate Christmas with family, and about 5 inches of rain over a three week period here in the RGV.  Because of all the bare ground in this tropical desert, rain creates road grime like you wouldn’t believe.  We changed into dancing clothes, and met Bessie and Wayne at the Riverside Club, only to find a packed parking lot.  We were directed to a parking lot about a quarter of a mile downstream (of the Rio Grande River), and were shuttled back to the crowded dance hall.  Kay and I danced our way around the large hall looking for table space for 4, and finally found one adjacent to the band stand.  We later found that we were sharing it with a Winter Texan couple who had already had too much to drink.  Consequently, we tried dancing every dance to avoid being around them.  It was warm in the hall, and table waiters were scarce, so Wayne finally bellied up to the bar for our Diet Coke (Kay shared hers with me).  Bessie wanted to leave by 3:30 PM to watch the NFL playoffs, and we all bailed out after an hour or so of dancing—just about right.  Kay christened her new bowl today at happy hour as we joined neighbors at the palapa.  She has become quite an artist with the with the lathe, and her newest creation is definitely a work of art.  Finally, we watched a couple hours of television to end the day—Downton Abbey, of course!  

Kay left for exercise about 8:15 AM Monday morning, followed by more work on her newest segmented bowl creation.  Al picked me up for golf just after Kay left for exercise, and we played a very slow 18 holes at Cimarron.   It was the slowest round I have ever played, mainly because a fivesome was in front of a foursome in front of us, and would not let us play through.  I played better than last week, and had more good shots than bad, but 3-putted too many times.  Oh well, it was still fun.  After golf, Kay had gone grocery shopping, and I rode up to American RV Resort to visit Wayne and Loretta from back home, who had just arrived.  They appeared a little shell-shocked from the quick, near 1000-mile trip to south Texas, and the obstacles always present when traveling after an absence of doing so for several months.  And, one of their two dogs had become terribly ill with diabetes and its side effects, including blindness; they are heartbroken.  When Kay saw that they had arrived, she drove up to see them as well, and we all enjoyed the mini-reunion.  Knowing that they had to finish “settling in”, we left, spent some time at the palapa happy hour, and had a late dinner followed by an hour of television; our television time is way down!  We are waiting for a couple of new motors for the Tailgater satellite dish, and hopefully, when installed they will allow us to resume recording the few shows we really like.

Finally, the cold wet weather that has been pounding much of the US and Canada has gone, and our RGV weather is back to normal, with sunshine, highs in the 70s and 80s, and lows in the 50s and 60s.  This also means a return to our busy Winter Texan lifestyle—hoorah!

Al picked me up early Wednesday morning for golf, I haven’t played in almost 10 years!  We drove the short distance to Meadow Creek Golf Club, and though my play was terrible, as usual, there were enough good hits to warrant a return another day.  Kay continued making (turning) her segmented bowl, and after today, lacks only about another hour of turning before applying the finish.  The afternoon found us in the hot tub and pool after an absence of several weeks.  We joined a boisterous crowd in the clubhouse for Margarita Hour, though neither of us drink margaritas (700 calories), and returned to the RV to find the satellite television not working; it’s always something!  Calls to DishTV did not provide a solution, and we suspect that a motor in the Tailgater satellite dish has gone bad.  It’s nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.

With Jerry and Karen Smith gone, our birding trips have been uncertain.  However, Lorna Graham and Ernie Martelle stepped up to the plate and are leading weekly trips.  We met in front of Guest Services at 7:30 AM Thursday for the drive to Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco; there were 27 of us.  We had a great trip, and saw lots of birds, including a couple of my favorites, an Aninga and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron.  During the course of the outing, I met another amateur photographer, Roger Parks, who also happens to be a retired United Methodist minister.  We had a great conversation about cameras, lenses, Lightroom, and a photography class he is leading at BPVRV Resort.   While I was gone, sweet Kay picked up my bike at the bike shop, so now I don’t feel quite as isolated.  Let’s hope the new rear wheel doesn’t pop any spokes.  We played bridge in the evening, and both of us had lousy hands and poor fits most of the night.

Not having enough frustration a couple of days ago, I returned to the golf course with Al Crawford Friday morning.  The first couple of holes were ugly, with a couple of ball-topping strokes, lost balls, and some really short hits—with woods and long irons; it’s going to take a while.  However, there were more good strokes than bad, and except for 4 or 5 holes, it wasn’t a bad game.  At least there was some improvement from two days ago.  Kay and Bonnie rode bikes for several miles, riding to the Mission Nature Center “Roadrunner” trail and back; no reports of roadrunners on the trail were made.  Our weekly Friday evening entertainment was Goldwing Express, currently out of Branson, Missouri.  The group consists of an Anglo father, and his three Native American sons (their mother was a full-blooded Creek).  A segment of their performance is dedicated to their Indian heritage. Each brother wears his very own Native American headdress representing their mother’s Creek Indian tribe.  They played a combination of  bluegrass, gospel, and country western music, and the comedy typical of most Branson type shows.  This family music show originated in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.  They were good last year, but better this year. 

I was up early Saturday morning for a bike tour sponsored by BikeMasters, the shop where our recent bike repairs have been made.  They sponsor a couple of rides each Saturday morning, including a “Beginning” ride.  The store was closed tight and dark at the appointed time, so I drove north and west to explore riding opportunities.  Returning about twenty minutes later, I saw several people gathering in the parking lot.  Those of you who know me know that stepping into a new situation with new people is not something I like to do at all—that’s Kay’s thing (the social butterfly of the family).  Most of the riders were first timers, and the “tour” leader, the bike shop owner, opted for an approximate 20-mile ride.  As the oldest rider by well over 10 years, I was concerned about keeping up.  We rode north on 10th Street to University, then west on University to Conway, made a U-turn, and returned.  The bike lanes were wide, and the surface mostly smooth, making for a great ride.  Here are the ride statistics:  

Ride Time: 1:36:23

Stopped Time: 15:12

Distance: 21.96 miles

Average: 13.67 mph

Fastest Speed: 20.45 mph

Calories: 1568

Upon returning to the RV resort, Kay and I joined Al, Sharon, Chuck, and Sue for a trip to the Don Wes Flea Market, the original Farmer’s Market, and lunch at Willie’s.  We picked up a pre-ordered awning screen at the flea market, and some fruit and vegetables at the fruit and vegetable stand across the street.  Willie’s is known for their humongus baked potatoes, but Kay had ribs and I had brisket.  It was good.  On the return we stopped at Green Gate Grove for a visit with former neighbors Ken and Sandy from New York, but didn’t have time to see Wayne and Bessie.  Back at Bentsen Palm Village, who did we see as we turned into the circle—Wayne and Bessie!

We were astounded at the quality of both instrumentalists and vocalists as Al, Sharon, Kay, and I enjoyed a concert, Sounds & Splendor of Mexico, featuring Mariachi Aztlan and presented by the University of Texas-Pan American.  Special guests were the Luz de Luna Dance Company, Christina Lopez, and the McAllen High School Mariachi.  All we can say is WOW! 

Monday was very cold by RGV standards with highs in the 40s and winds sufficient to create  windchill temperatures in the high 20s; however, the rain has stopped.  After her exercise class, Kay returned to the woodshop, busy turning her second bowl (using a woodturning lathe); it is a segmented bowl made of maple and walnut.  She has finished gluing all the pieces in place and has made significant progress in turning the wood segments into a bowl shape.  I walked to and around the Bentsen Rio Grande State Park, about 4 miles, getting the itch to photograph birds.  I returned to the motorhome, loaded binoculars, camera, and 500 mm telephoto lens and biked back to the park, mainly to get a good photo of an Orange Crowned Warbler.  I stopped first in the Green Jay Blind, spending about an hour, and saw and photographed several birds, though seeing nothing unusual. And then, I biked and walked to the Kiskadee blind and was again rewarded with some nice photos.  As I was about to leave, a Peccary quietly made its way to the watering hole, and I able to get a couple of photos despite the Peccary being very skittish; it finally bolted as I slightly moved the behemoth telephoto lens.  Again, as I was about to leave, an Altamira Oriole appeared at a close watering drip line.

With the success found Monday in the two blinds at the Bentsen Rio Grande State Park, I returned Tuesday with slightly less cold temperatures and less wind.  Though some birds presented themselves for photos, no new bird species were photographed, but I did finally get a photo of an Orange Crowned Warbler.