We took time out of an otherwise hectic schedule to visit the National Butterfly Center Sunday afternoon.  It was the first time Kay had been there this season, and the first time we had ridden our bikes any distance since arriving a couple of months ago.  Walking the trail to the garden revealed several Orange-crowned Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Green Jays, Kiskadees, and Altimira Orioles.  While it was windy, we saw a few butterflies, including Zebra Heliconians, Queens, and Monarchs, as well as the usual Skippers.  And, an owl was gawking out of the newly-erected Screech Owl box.

I explored the Edinburg Scenic Wetlands and World Birding Center on Thursday morning with a group of birders from the BPVRV Resort.  There were fewer birds observed than on any previous visit.

Kay has been feverishly shopping for Christmas gifts for family; I feel bad that I haven’t helped, but …  As it’s now Friday, “we’ve” finished almost all preparations; we lack washing clothes and packing the car.  And, we identified a few things we don’t want/need here in the Rio Grande Valley for the rest of the winter, so those things will be making the journey to Arkansas for storage.

The HSV house is progressing nicely.  Updates can be found on the blog we specifically created for that purpose:  Our HSV House

Kay and I wish for each of you a stress-free, blessed Christmas.  Until then…

This was a pretty typical week in the Valley, with too much going on and not enough time to do all we want to do. Exercise and golf, for Kay and me respectively, were significant events of the day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and Kay decorated the motorhome for Christmas this week.  We began waxing the motorhome, and made significant progress on the almost too big job.  I have been foregoing happy hour at the palapa and margarita hour, to have some “me” time, and enjoy the peace and quiet in the motorhome.

The week began on Sunday with a TubaChristmas at the University of Texas, Pan America.  TubaChristmas is a music concert held in cities worldwide that celebrates those who play, teach, and compose music for instruments in the tuba family, including the tuba, sousaphone, baritone, and euphonium.  Some 400 musicians played to a standing room only crowd (2,500+ people) in the concert we attended.  The music was great and the event was a hoot!

Kay managed to get a dental appointment Monday to check out the tooth ache, and scheduled a root canal for next week, ugh!  This has becoming an annual event.  She is taking heavy antibiotics in preparation for the oral surgery.

On Tuesday, we did cutouts of furniture for the new house, and placed the pieces on the floor plan in different configurations to see how the furniture would fit.  And then, our attempts to shop for furniture were defeated as none of the stores here in the Valley carry the brands in which we are interested.

On Thursday evening, we attended an outdoors “big band” Christmas concert at Quinta Mazatlan.  The concert was just so so.  (NOTE:  Quinta Mazatlan is an old estate centered around a historic mansion in McAllen.  For much of its existence since construction in 1935, the Spanish Revival Style mansion was a private and rather luxurious residence, complete with a Roman tub. It possessed the distinction then and now of being one of, if not, the largest adobe structures in Texas, about 10,000 square feet.)

Both Friday and Saturday were relatively quiet for us, with no outside activities, except golf at Tierra Santa in Weslaco, though I did finish waxing the motorhome Saturday.

We’ve begun another blog chronicling the move to Hot Springs Village (HSV), Arkansas, and construction of the HSV house.  It can be found at hsvhouse.wordpress.com  Consequently, details and photos for this big activity have been omitted here.  This week did see installation of the floor joists/beams and subfloor, and erection of some of the walls.  And, we approved the first big draw on the construction loan.  Photo below courtesy of Jim Passe.

What can I say—we’ve allowed ourselves to get too busy.  Sunday was church, lunch out, and dancing, not really an anomaly, and then we played bridge in the evening.  Monday was golf, exercise, and Court Whist.  Tuesday was an “off day” so we saw Interstellar, just an okay movie, and we played bridge Tuesday evening.  Golf and exercise were on the schedule again on Wednesday followed by the hot tub and pool.  While we were both away, we had the motorhome washed, and Nick’s did a good job, especially for $60.  With too much going on, I passed on Margarita hour in the evening.  We did dance lessons Thursday, including our first “night club” dancing, followed by pool and spa time, with bridge again in the evening.  Friday was golf and exercise, a 50th anniversary party for next door neighbors Paul and Lorna Graham, dinner at Costa Mesa (our favorite Mexican food restaurant in the RGV) and the “First Friday Art Walk” in downtown McAllen with Al and Sharon Crawford, Dave and Sandy Muscat, and Ernie and Karen Martelle.  We were treated to a performance by the McAllen High School Mariachi Band at one of the venues for the Art Walk, and they were amazing as usual. Finally, Saturday, with Kay suffering from a serious tooth ache, we called a halt to our “goings and comings” though we did show at Costco’s, I waxed part of the motorhome, and Kay did some Christmas shopping for the grands.

Hot Springs Village house construction this week included preparing the garage footprint for placement of the slab, involving leveling the base material and placing a vapor barrier on top of the base, and delivering the “house kit”, i.e. lumber and wood components for framing the house.

Many, many thanks to Jim Passe for keeping us up to date and proving photos for our enjoyment.  In addition, we made a decision on the style of brick for the veneer, Vernon by Claymex; hopefully, it will be within budget.