The last week in February represents the end of the season for many Winter Texans in the Rio Grande Valley.  Consequently, seas one-ending activities are scheduled and held, social visits are made with friends one may never see again, and odd jobs and wrap-up shopping are performed— such was life in the Valley this past week.
Al and I played golf at Tierra Santa Golf Club in Weslaco on Friday. This is one of the best courses in the Valley. Unfortunately, winds were 25 to 30 mph, and we were behind a very slow foursome, taking some five hours and 15 minutes to play the round.
On Saturday a trip was made to Cosco for cleaning of hearing aids and picking up supplies to last until our return to the Valley next year.  The audiology technician there really did a super job of adjusting my hearing aids; regrettably, I need them more and more every day.
We attended church on Sunday, our last visit of the season. And then, on Sunday afternoon the resort hosted Arts in the Park, displaying crafts and hobby items of resort residents. It continues to amaze us how talented the our neighbors are.  Kay was among the artists, exhibiting her latest Swedish weaving project.  And then at happy hour, Al hosted his own fashion show, trying to weasel his way into hitting from the ladies’ tees at the upcoming golf tournament.

I played in a golf scramble at Meadow Creek on Monday morning; paired with some good golfers, our team won first place, and $6, each.  We helped Wayne celebrate his 75th birthday in the evening with fajitas and chocolate cake.  We so enjoyed he and Loretta being in the Valley this winter.

The resort’s ladies’ style show and luncheon was on Tuesday, and Kay modeled several outfits; of course she looked great as usual. In fact all of the women and men models look really good.


I played golf at Howling Trails, a course owned by the LoJoya school. I personally liked the course as the fairways had good grass and the greens were nice though a bit slow.
Kay hosted her annual “Circle 3” ladies luncheon on Wednesday, and all the ladies had a great time. The luncheon grows every year; this year 20 resort neighbors attended.

And then, on Thursday, we had our annual CanAm golf tournament. This is a major event for the resort, in combination with Retama Village, a sister resort. This tournament pits the Canadians against the Americans, and though fun, it is subtly very competitive. I was paired with Sue King, and our foursome included a Canadian couple, Dennis and Elaine, from Nova Scotia.  We all had a really good time; Sue and I ended up with a 73.

Thursday evening, we attended a dance at Mission West, meeting Wayne and Bessie Nickerson, also from Nova Scotia. The dance floor was large, and could easily accommodate line dancers, trail dancers, and the others of us doing the Texas two-step. The band was good, there was no smoking, and it was just a wonderful evening. We plan to attend there often next year.

On Friday, we had lunch with Jim and Sheryl Watts, from southwest Missouri.  We only see them once a year now, if only to catch up and enjoy each other’s company for a brief time. We had a very nice visit and it was good seeing them.
Kay and I both have mixed emotions about leaving the resort this season; the weather has been fantastic and we have had a super good time. However, we both also look forward to returning home and visiting our grandkids, our kids, and our many friends. Consequently, on Saturday, we began packing up the outdoor stuff: garden lights, grill, hose, outdoor tables, outdoor extension cord’s, and our RV lot sign until next season.
We were both lethargic on Sunday, and took it easy, basking in the last day of relaxation at BPV RV Resort for the season. Most of the residents here in the resort have pets; consequently, the BPV RV Resort annual pet parade was this afternoon.  Here’s a photo f our neighbor and friend, Debbie (aka Debbie Two Poodles).  The people in the photo are from left to right, Tim Creaghan (Debbie’s husband), Debbie, Lorna Graham (our next door neighbor and bird and butterfly expert), and Sue Brown, a neighbor; all are from Canada.

Tomorrow, serious packing will occur.

The last week in February represents the end of the season for many Winter Texans in the Rio Grande Valley. Consequently, season-ending activities are scheduled and held, social visits are made with friends one may never see again, and odd jobs and wrap-up shopping are performed— such was life in the Valley this past week.
Al and I played golf at Tierra Santa Golf Club in Weslaco on Friday. This is one of the best courses in the Valley. Unfortunately, winds were 25 to 30 mph, and we were behind a very slow foursome, taking some five hours and 15 minutes to play the round.
On Saturday a trip was made to Cosco for cleaning of hearing aids and picking up hearing aid supplies to last until our return to the Valley next year. The audiology technician there really did a super job of adjusting my hearing aids; regrettably, I need them more and more every day.
We attended church on Sunday, our last visit of the season. And then, on Sunday afternoon the resort hosted Arts in the Park, displaying crafts by and hobby items of resort residents. It continues to amaze us how talented our neighbors are. Kay was among the artists, exhibiting her latest Swedish weaving project.
I played in a golf scramble at Meadow Creek on Monday morning; paired with some good golfers, our team won first place, and $6, each.
The resort’s ladies’ style show and luncheon was on Tuesday, and Kay modeled several outfits; of course she looked great as usual. In fact all of the women and men models look really good.

I played golf at Howling Trails, a course owned by the LoJoya school. I personally liked the course as the fairways had good grass and the greens were nice though a bit slow.
Kay hosted her annual “Circle 3” ladies luncheon on Wednesday, and all the ladies had a great time. The luncheon grows every year; this year 20 resort neighbors attended.

And then, on Thursday, we had our annual CanAm golf tournament. This is a major event for the resort, in combination with Retama Village, a sister resort. This tournament pits the Canadians against the Americans, and though fun, it is subtly very competitive. I was paired with Sue King, and our foursome included a Canadian couple, Dennis and Elaine, from Nova Scotia. We all had a really good time; Sue and I ended up with a 73.

Thursday evening, we attended a dance at Mission West, meeting Wayne and Bessie Nickerson, also from Nova Scotia. The dance floor was large, and could easily accommodate line dancers, trail dancers, and the others of us doing the Texas two-step. The band was good, there was no smoking, and it was just a wonderful evening. We plan to attend there often next year.

On Friday we had lunch with Jim and Sheryl Watts, from southwest Missouri. We only see them once a year now, if only to catch up and enjoy each other’s company for a brief time. We had a very nice visit and it was good seeing them.
Kay and I both have mixed emotions about leaving the resort this season; the weather has been fantastic and we have had a super good time. However, we both also look forward to returning home and visiting our grandkids, our kids, and our many friends. Consequently, on Saturday, we began packing up the outdoor stuff: garden lights, grill, hose, outdoor tables, outdoor extension cord’s, and our RV lot sign until next season.
We were both lethargic on Sunday, and took it easy, basking in the last day of relaxation at BPV RV Resort for the season. Most of the resort’s residents have pets, and today was the annual pet parade. Tomorrow, serious packing will occur.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sleep, this winter, has come easy.  Normally averaging maybe 6 hours a night, I am averaging over 8 hours a night, and Kay, too, is sleeping an additional hour everyday.  We can’t pinpoint a reason, but more than likely it is a combination of cool nights, a dark RV, and a relaxed pace.  Regardless, we both feel great.  In this same vein, a look at our calendar reveals lots of blank spaces.  We are being healthy selfish, doing what we want when we want.  For Kay, that means shopping when the mood strikes, though she rarely buys anything, Swedish weaving on Thursday afternoons, and an occasional foray to the palapa for happy hour.  For me, it’s golf on Mondays and Wednesdays, bike riding on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and an occasional trip to Costco.

Our bike ride on Tuesday was notable in that Chuck, Van, and I rode the “Roadrunner Trail” (otherwise known as the Mission Park Bike Trail), and saw 9 Chachalacas and 7 Roadrunners, a record for each of us—and the trail was quite busy with other riders. (NOTE:  Chachalacas are found in wooded habitats in far southern United States, Mexico, and Central and South America.   They are about the size of a small pheasant, and have a loud, four-noted cackle.)

Wednesday was golf at Meadow Creek; that course gets to me!  It has narrow, often grassless fairways, with just enough water to cause havoc, and the greens are small and very rough.  I have difficulty hitting off of bare ground, particularly close to the greens, so the putter gets extended use off the greens.  I never score well at this course.

Thursday, because of heavy winds, Chuck and I rode through the Bentsen Rio Grande State Park, taking advantage of the tree-lined roads to shield the wind.  The bird park was crowded with people, and we later discovered that a fairly rare White-throated Thrush was frequenting the area.

We had a quiet weekend—no concerts, no golf, no shopping, no road trips—just hanging out around the motorhome, a bike ride, and church on Sunday.  On the Saturday bike ride on the Roadrunner Trail, Chuck’s bicycle exhibited a slight wobble in the rear wheel, and remembering a similar experience two years ago, suspected that it was the likely result of broken spokes.  Sure enough, we stopped at the halfway point, and found 3 broken spokes.  Upon arriving back at the RV resort, we took it to BikeMasters for repair and a general tune-up.

Kay ventured into Mexico on Monday, I played golf with Al and Eddie at Harlingen CC.  It is a nice course, but not in as good a condition as in previous years.  The greens had been patched and partially aerated, and were quite bumpy.  

We retrieved Chuck’s bike from BikeMasters, and dropped off Sue’s for a general tune-up.  BikeMasters did a super job of repairing Chuck’s rear wheel, tuning the bike, and cleaning it.  We rode the Roadrunner Trail and added a segment around Meadow Creek for a total of 13.1 miles, our most for the season.  Tuesday night we celebrated Valentine’s Day with Al and Sharon, Chuck and Sue, and Van and Bonnie at PF Chang’s.  The evening was wonderful.

Golf was on the schedule again for Wednesday, while Kay drove to Wells of Weslaco for fittings for a fashion show in which she will model.

As an aside, we have really enjoyed visiting with Wayne and Loretta this winter.  They were our neighbors for 10 years in north Arkansas, and Wayne and I had coffee together almost every morning during that time and spent many hours and days together flyfishing the Norfork River.   We have really missed them.

With great weather and so many friends here in the Valley, we have reserved again for next winter.  It is truly a special place for us.

This reporting period was a busy time for us as I was trying to catch up from being sick for several days.  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were golf days, and though not scoring well—stupid mistakes and decisions, and mishits—I feel better about the game than any time in the past.  For the most part, we play later in the day, and the back has loosened up considerably by then.

We had lunch at the Riverside Club with Wayne and Loretta on Thursday, and their pork tenderloin sandwiches were as big as ever.  The Riverside Club is on the US side of the Rio Grande River, and we have gone there on Sunday afternoons in prior years for dancing.  After lunch, we drove through Anzalduas County Park, one of the most well-known county parks in the U.S.  The 96-acre Hidalgo County park was opened in 1951, and sits on the banks of the Rio Grande River.  It is considered by many to be one of the top birding areas in the RGV.  Following a drive through the park, we drove west to Los Ebanos.  The Los Ebanos Ferry or El Chalan, formally known as the Los Ebanos-Diaz Ordaz Ferry, is a hand-drawn ferry that travels across the Rio Grande between Los Ebanos, Texas, and Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, Tamaulipas, Mexico.  It is the last hand-drawn ferry in the U.S.  

On Saturday, we traveled to South Padre Island (SPI) for the 2016 SPI Kite Fest, meeting up with Al and Sharon, Chuck and Sue, and Deloy and Charlene.  The festival had been in hiatus for a couple of years lacking sponsorship, but SPI provided some funds to assist primary sponsor, B&S Kites of SPI, with the event.  This year’s fest was perhaps the best ever, and perhaps better attended than any previous fest, despite little advertising.  It is amazing to see what one, two, or four-person teams can do with kites.  All kite flying demonstrations are performed to music, and the teams can make the kites dance, fly in various formations, etc., all without tangling the kite strings/wires.  And the single flyers can do things with two kites that are almost unbelievable.  How they can separate eye/hand coordination for each hand is bewildering to say the least.  These are not our kites of childhood; some had brakes because of the heavy winds.   On the way back to the RV resort, we stopped at Dirty Al’s in Port Isabel for seafood.  The food was very good, but the service was some of the poorest we’ve ever experienced!

Sunday was a slow down day for me as I stayed in the motorhome most of the day, enjoying peace and quiet.  Kay attended church, and in the late afternoon, had a BBQ pork plate sponsored by the resort’s wood shop, and she was kind enough to bring one home to me!  Neither of us watched the Super Bowl, but was glad to see Peyton go out on top.

Monday was our “regular” golf day at Cimarron County Club—nice course.  It sure is fun playing with the other guys here at Bentsen Palm Village.  Kay and I both stayed in in the evening, enjoying yet another British murder mystery on Netflix.  Yesterday, our neighbor and friend from New Brunswick, Jim Miles, brought us a bowl he turned from cedar cut on our place in Norfork.  It is a lovely reminder of our time there.  He is a very talented artisan, and a good guy to boot. 

Our weather this winter here in the RGV has been spectacular.   Most nights have been in the 40s and 50s, and the days have been mid 60s to mid 80s, and we’ve had very little rain.  We typically turn on the heat when we awake, but only for a couple of hours.

The weather here in the Valley is just wonderful—cool at nights and warm during the day, and a bit more wind than usual—near perfect.

Al and I played Palm View Municipal Golf Course on Friday, part of the city of McAllen, Texas, recreation department.  It is a nice municipal course, but the fairways were cut short, and the greens were bumpy.  A couple of Border Patrol agents completed our foursome, and they were a hoot, hitting mulligans on every hole.  Getting used to them hitting so many balls took a bit of adjustment as Al and I both had high scores for the front nine.  One of the agents had to work in the afternoon, quitting after the front, and our scores improved considerably.  On Friday evening we attended Mariachi Aztlan and Mariachi Junevil Aztlan at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.  Guest artists included UTRGV Ballet Folklorico, Jorge Ivan Velasco (a fantastic Mexican harpist), Mariachi Los Coyotes from La Joya High School, and Mariachi Los Lobos from Palmview High School.  They all were perfect, but we particularly enjoyed Mariachi Los Coyotes.  The fine arts talent in the high schools and university here in the RGV is amazing, and almost unbelievable. 

Despite gorgeous weather, Saturday was one of our first quiet days since arriving in the Valley.  Our morning began with birthday greetings for Aker, who was celebrating her first birthday.  FaceTime is awesome for grandparents keeping in touch.  We visited with Wayne and Loretta, former Norfork, Arkansas, neighbors on Saturday and really enjoyed spending time with them.  I sure miss coffee with Wayne every morning.

The sermon at church on Sunday was a great one, focusing on love.  We’ve heard many preached on the topic and based on the same scripture, but none as passionate.  A late breakfast/early lunch and a brief nap followed church, and I ventured to the National Butterfly Center hoping to get some good photos in the hot (near 90°) weather.  There weren’t many butterflies, but a few posed just long enough for pictures.

Kay and I wake up each morning thankful for the infinite blessings that have been provided; we are truly a blessed couple.