After coffee at the Activities Center, Kay and I drove to breakfast on Saturday morning on our way to Estero Llano Grande State Park.  We ate at Diaz Diner in Mission; it is an old, established diner, and very reliable for good food.  Following breakfast, we drove to Wells of Weslaco, Kay’s favorite women’s clothing store, so she could exchange a blouse from last season; it faded during cleaing, despite following label instructions.  And then we were off to chase butterflies.  As we entered the state park, folks were parking on the grass in front of the large parking lot, and we though that it was just after Thanksgiving traffic.  As we were approaching the path to check in, someone yelled my name, and it was Jerry Smith.  We saw him, and noted at least a hundred birders all grouped together.  Jerry said they were all hoping to get a glimpse of the quite rare Red-legged Honey Creeper bird. After handshakes and hugs, we checked in for wrist bands, and immediately found the somewhat rare Two-barred Flasher Butterfly, another lifer for me.  And while waiting to see the Honey Creeper, we spotted a Zebra Heliconian Butterfly, a first for Kay.  After meandering around for a while, someone spotted the Honey Creeper fly into a tree.  And then, after several minutes, it flew into the area where it had fed yesterday, and I saw it among other birds, through could not identify it, and certainly didn’t get a photograph.  We saw a couple more Two-barred Flashers, and ran into Phil Kelly again.  He provided several pointers with respect to the Two-barred Flasher as well identifying features of some of the Skippers—nice guy.

Once again, we celebrated Thanksgiving without family, though we did enjoy spending the day with Winter Texan friends, including Thanksgiving dinner.  This year, the Activities Committee planned a potluck around roasted turkey provided by the resort.  It was a good meal.  After the consequential nap, we enjoyed happy hour at the palapa (coffee for me), and played bridge in the evening with Al and Sharon. 
Kay was up early this Black Friday morning to purchase poinsettias for decorating the palapa.  She left the RV at 5:00 AM!  And, for the second week in a row, Al and I played golf at a “new to us” course, Tierra del Sol.  Tierra del Sol, in Pharr, is the Winter Texan No. 1 rated course in the Rio Grande Valley.  It was a long course with good tee boxes, fairways, and greens, and lots of water.  As we were approaching the green on the last hole, neighbor Lorna Graham called to advise that she had seen Mexican Bluewing Butterflies at Estero Llano Grande State Park.  Regettably I was too tired to go there.  I’ve been chasing a Bluewing for several years now, and was successful in seeing a few last year—but didn’t get any photographs.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow.  Television was the entertainment of the evening.

It was another typical early first of the week—Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday—in the RGV, beginning with church and involving exercise and golf, playing bridge, finally replacing the tank fill/city water valve, and discovering a broken screen door latch.  Kay shopped for the younger grandkids’ Christmas presents, and I finally made it to the National Butterfly Center.  As I was approaching the gardens, Phil Kelly hailed me over to view a rare Four-spotted Sailer.  Many consider Phil to be one of the top lepidopterists in the world.  He, his wife, and their entourage spend Thanksgiving week in the RGV every year chasing butterflies.  Not only is he very helpful, but is also a very nice guy.  I was able to get several photographs of this butterfly.  Because of the wind, there weren’t many butterflies, but a few provided good photo opportunities.

There seem to be fewer Winter Texans in the Rio Grande Valley this year than in the past; many believe it to be the direct result of all the political, Facebook, and media rants regarding the influx of illegals this summer, most of which were grossly untrue.  Anyway, it has adversely impacted many businesses, and their employees.  And, the resort where we are staying still has many vacancies, and the “energy” level is way down.  Weird!

Hot Springs Village house construction so far this week included completion of the concrete blocks and piers foundation.  Photos are courtesy of Jim Passe.

Sunday began with church and a sermon on Matthew 25:14-30, The Parable of the Talents.  And then, we had a delightful time playing golf with Dale and Donna Short.  Dale and Donna are from Louisville, KY, and have been Winter Texans at BPVRV Resort for 10 years.  Our golf scores are similar, and it was fun playing with another couple.  We joined them at Shary Municipal Golf Course in playing couples’ best ball, and it really helped Kay maintain energy levels.  Hopefully, we can do it again real soon.  Either the water fill valve or a check valve in the new potable water pump has gone bad as the potable water tank is overflowing; consequently, we cannot be hooked up to “city” water and have to use the pump and potable water tank.  After golf, I took the water fill valve out—no easy task—but had to reinstall it for the pump to work.  It appears that either a new valve will have to be installed or the old one rebuilt.  Almost constant maintenance work and repairs is one of the downsides of RVing, but probably no different than the constant work needed to maintain a house!

Another cold front on Monday and Tuesday prevented, or at least minimized, outdoor activities, and we were caught up on bill paying, check balancing, and other financial chores.  Also, I’ve not taken a lot of photographs because of weather and health concerns, so no work to do in that regard either.  Kay lead exercise Monday morning while I hung out in the RV.  We visited Paul and Lorna Graham, next door neighbors, Tuesday evening to view scrapbooks of their trip to the Galapagos Islands this past July.  They really enjoyed the trip, but it’s a pretty desolate place.  Jim Passe sent a photo of footings being placed, via a concrete pump truck, for the Hot Springs Village house; it’s hard to not get excited!  We are so grateful to he and Ginny for the photos. 

A return to “normal” weather for the RGV sent Al, Fred, Vance and me to Meadow Creek to play golf Wednesday morning.  Meadow Creek is nearby, and is only in fair condition.  Nevertheless, we all had fun, and even though it was Vance’s first time out in about 10 years, he had the most fun of all.  An abbreviated margarita hour, from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM, was okay, but lacked the energy from previous years.

We just hung out on Thursday, but were very busy making, or at least assessing needed repairs to the generator, and unsuccessfully trying to find a replacement city water/fill valve.  After talking to former neighbor Wayne, I isolated the generator problem to a broken cable connection to the positive terminal.  It is a huge wire, perhaps a #2.  note the sheared cable eye near the “B+” terminal in the photo.  I’m hoping Wayne will assist in the repairs when he and Loretta visit the RGV in January.  We, along with fourteen others from BPVRV Resort, did enjoy a great evening of music by the McAllen Symphony, McAllen Chorale, and that UT Pan-American mariachi band, all excellent!  These groups all draw from the greater metropolitan area, perhaps 1 million people, and UT Pan-American.

Al and I played golf Friday at Los Lagos Golf Course in Edinburg, TX, some 20 minutes north.  It is a links-type golf course, and in combination with light rain the first few holes, proved difficult.  However, it was the best course I’ve played in the RGV, with greens fees and cart priced at only $32.  In the afternoon and early evening, Kay and I helped serve Thanksgiving dinner (Dinner with Friends) to some 200 people at the First United Methodist Church in Mission, many of whom were homeless.  It was a rewarding experience and provided an opportunity for us to get to know a few folks in the church just a little bit better.

We had good intentions to run a lot of errands Saturday, but after shopping for an hour or so, we decided to return to the resort for happy hour and bridge with Al and Sharon.

Hot Springs Village house construction this week included excavation of and pumping concrete for the footings, and laying concrete blocks towards completing the foundation.  Photos are courtesy of Jim Passe and Al Vekovius.

The real story of the week is that the Hot Springs Village lot was cleared and fill material added.  With decent weather, hopefully the seawall will be installed, the dock built, and the footings dug and concrete placed therein this week.  Many, many thanks to Jim/Ginny Passe for providing the photos!

Sunday was non-eventful; church and a bit of dancing at the Riverside Club.  Weather wise, it was a very pleasant day with highs in the high 70s.

Al and I teed off about 9:30 AM Monday at Palm View Golf Course, and had a great time, though neither of us played particularly well; in fact it was the worse game for each of us in several months.  Kay and I have definitely settled into a routine, as we’re staying busy, but have taken care of all the necessities of temporarily relocating.

Tuesday, too, was uneventful, as we enjoyed the last day of good weather for awhile.  Rain and cold are forecast for the RGV for the next several days, and the wind began increasing in the late afternoon, bringing in this new front.

It was a “stay inside” day Wednesday, with intermittent rain and temps plunging into the 40s.  I worked on various projects, including updating computers, making phone calls, etc. most of the day, though we did take time in the morning to fill out paperwork for an office consult Friday afternoon with a RGV cardiologist, and in the afternoon to sign papers for construction of the Hot Springs Village house.  Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort had their first “Margarita” evening, a soft opening, and a large crowd attended.  It was good renewing old acquaintances as several new arrivals were there.

Thursday was cold (low 50s) and rainy—another “stay inside” type of day—enough said.

We awoke to cold temperatures, mid-40s, Friday morning, though it did warm to mid-50s before the day was over.  Big events for the day were the arrival of Paul and Lorna Graham and Jim and Regi Miles, and a visit to the cardiologist.  Indigestion was likely the cause of my heart discomfort, and high blood pressure (now with a prescription for Atacand) were the diagnoses.  We really liked the cardiologist, Dr. Giraldo. He had read the file sent by Dr. Camp’s practice in Mountain Home; Dr. Camp’s practice is to be highly commended as they provided the file in record time as it was only requested Wednesday afternoon.

Our big event Saturday was the refitting of hearing aids from Costco; the prior right ear hearing aid had ceased working fully, and adjustments also had to be made to compensate for the 10 decibel loss of hearing in the right ear just since last year.  Wow, everything is so loud now!  Afterwards, we hit golf balls—not so well!

The time change this fall was really confusing to me.  I was up early Sunday morning, walked, and readied for church, and urged Kay to get ready so as not to be late; it was just 7:00 AM, rather than 8:00 AM!  We did make it to church.  Afterwards, we returned to the motorhome, killed some time, and went to Peppe’s on the River, newly reopened, only to find that seats were sparse, despite uncrowded conditions.  We were to meet Wayne and Bessie there, but had a disconnect and could not reach them.  We (Kay, Lynn, Clint, Ann, and Vance) left there for the Riverside Club where we found a great band, food, and adult beverages, and enjoyed an afternoon of dancing.  Back at BPVRV Park, we made it to late happy hour, and settled in for Sunday evening television.

Monday and Tuesday provided great opportunities for photographing butterflies and dragon/damsel flies while Kay explored a few stores and shops.  Despite winds gusting up to 35 miles per hour, lots of the bugs were flying, and a few landed long enough for photos.

Kay was able to schedule a “beauty” appointment Wednesday morning.  The plan was for me to drop her off, hit golf balls, return to the motorhome and dump the tanks, and then pick her up.  Forecast rain struck early, and while Kay was able to make her beauty appointment, visiting the driving range was out of the question, but neither rain nor shine prevented dumping the tanks.

More rain on Thursday, almost all day.  I had a hearing re-test only to discover a loss of 10 decibels in the right ear since last year; it formerly was the better ear, but no longer.  And, the hearing aids were not operating correctly, so off they went for what will likely be a new pair thanks to Costco.  Kay spent the morning researching new furniture online, and then went shopping just to get out of the motorhome.  The RGV here in Mission is so flat that the rain doesn’t run off, it just sits and slowly soaks in.  Consequently, we’re sitting in a very shallow lake. After happy hour in the palapa, we drove to Green Gate Grove for the first dance of the season, and enjoyed the evening with Wayne and Bessie.

Intermittent rain was the order of the day Friday.  Good friends, Al and Sharon Crawford of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, arrived about mid-afternoon, and were warmly greeted at the Circle #3 palapa happy hour.  It was sure good to see them.  Al and I play golf together, and he, Sharon, Kay, and I really enjoy playing bridge.  Also, Al had stents and a heart attack (in that order) earlier this year making him my stent mate.  With rain and cool weather, Kay prepared a pot of potato soup for our dinner, after which we watched a bit of television.

We were off to breakfast and the driving range Saturday morning when chest pressure and indigestion for the last couple of days caused finally caused enough concern for Kay to drive me to the ER at McAllen Medical Center.  An EKG and a battery of other tests and blood work revealed no cardiac issues, and the doctor released me shortly after lunch.  This is a new world for us—after my heart attack on July 14—as I don’t know how to react to the “little” chest pressures, twinges, and other side affects from stents.  Oh well, better safe than sorry.  I slept the rest of the afternoon, and we enjoyed happy hour with the rest of Circle #3 residents.  A quiet evening was the prescription for the rest of the day.

The weather is conducive to walking, and the sunrises are typically very colorful.  This Saturday morning was no exception.  After 2 laps around the resort, about 2 miles, we had breakfast, and Kay was off to HEB for regular groceries and I scrubbed on the tables and floor in the palapa.  It apparently had not been cleaned since we departed early last spring, and the birds had used it for all their “needs.”  Afterwards, we scurried off to the pool only to notice Clint and Lynn Charlesworth from Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, had just arrived.  After brief hugs, they began the long check-in process, while Kay and I basked in the sun and soaked in the hot tub.  And then an hour or so later, Gayle Neas from near Austin, Texas, pulled in in her motorhome.  Again, there were lots of hugs, followed by assisting her in setting up her motorhome for the winter.  And then, at 4:00 PM we had our first “big” happy hour at the palapa, joined by other RVers and some of the work campers.  It almost felt like old times.  In a couple of weeks, we’ll have at least 4 more RVs in the Circle, and enough folks to have a regular happy hour.  Upon returning to the motorhome, we set the clock and our watches back an hour, and watched football the rest of the evening.

After a walk and breakfast Thursday morning, we began the process of reorganizing, inside and out.  First, we collected our belongings from storage left here at BPVRV Resort over the summer.  We retrieved outside chairs, a garden hose, an outdoor “name” sign, bicycle rack, clothesline, and Christmas decorations. Once these were retrieved and either set up or put away, we washed the car, chairs, and bicycles, and then set up the patio for outdoor living.  By then, we were hot and sweaty, and the pool and hot tub was beckoning us to soak and relax.  Vance and Ann Grabow accompanied us to Buchanans for dining and dancing to the sounds of Roland Garcia Jr.  It was great to be back on the dance floor, and Roland was as good as ever.  What a way to end a great first day in the RGV.

With things somewhat organized, we were preparing to leave for shopping Friday morning, when an unexpected knock on the door alerted us to visitors.  We were very happy to greet good friends Wayne and Bessie Nickerson from Nova Scotia.  As we were catching up on news, it began to blow and rain.  They had just arrived the evening before, leaving some of their belongings outside while they organized; they had to rush back to their winter home to put those things in the dry.  And then, friends Jerry and Karen Smith knocked on the door.  It was great seeing them, and catching up with news over the summer.  They had been fulltimers, but recently sold their RV and truck, moving into a permanent house in Wisconsin where they will spend summers, while living in their permanent house here in the RGV in winters—the best of both worlds. We made it to Costco about mid-afternoon for some speciality groceries, and I was lucky enough to find the hearing specialist briefly unscheduled; she installed new receivers in the hearing aids, and scheduled a hearing test for next week.  We returned to BPVRV Resort to join Vance and Ann at happy hour, only to find the palapa really dirty and dusty as it had not  been cleaned for the season.  We cleaned off a small space, and enjoyed our first BPVRV Resort Circle 3 palapa happy hour.   Incidentally, today is Halloween, and the forecast is for 28° in northern Arkansas, with snow in other parts of the US!

Yesterday, we had decided to delay the trip by one day to our winter place of residence in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  However, we were up real early Tuesday morning, and the forecast showed a 0% probability of rain until 11 AM.  We, therefore, began getting the motorhome ready to head south for the winter.  Wouldn’t you know it, just as soon as I got on the ladder to remove the Tailgater satellite dish, it began sprinkling.  Kay drove to Walmart to purchase insecticide granules for the ferocious ants in Texas, I continued readying the motorhome for travel, and the sprinkling became intermittent.  We pulled out of Maumelle COE Park at 7:40 AM, making our way through Little Rock traffic.  After a half hour on the road, it began lightly raining, and continued until we reached the Texas border—so much for the 0% forecast!  With a front coming in, we faced a headwind all day long, and we discovered the dash air conditioner did not work.  Fortunately, the motorhome generator powered the coach air conditioner and provided relief as we drove to overnight at Colorado Landing RV and Mobile Home Park in LaGrange, Texas.

Wednesday, we continued the drive south.  After the atmosphere heated to the mid-80s, we stopped for gasoline, and tried the generator with no success; thus, no coach air conditioner, either, for the rest of the way.  We began to see butterflies by the thousands as we neared Alice, Texas, and several hitched a ride on the front of the motorhome!  The day’s drive was relatively easy, but rough roads are everywhere, perhaps because of the substantial oil and gas industry which has ramped up the last few years.  Upon arrival at Bentsen Palm Village RV (BPVRV) Resort, the inside of the coach had heated to 90°.   We met the new managers, checked in, and set up for the winter; for us, a very deliberate process as this will be home for the next five months.  Finally, after a few hours, electricity, water softener and water, sewer, internet, and satellite were up and working.  We enjoyed pool time, cooling off in the 90° temperatures, and meeting several of this year’s work campers.  Cheddars was the dining choice of the evening, and it was packed with wait times to get in.  The food was very good.  This is the earliest we have arrived in the RGV, but it seems like more Winter Texans are here already compared to mid November and early December from years past.  And, the RGV area in general is growing in leaps and bounds—perhaps the fastest growing area in the US—but still quite friendly!  Oh well, we were glad to be “home” and breathed a long sign of relief from the hectic pace of the last several months.

Another appointment, and our last one, was scheduled for 9 AM at Pro Source in Maumelle on Monday.  Pro Source is the largest wholesaler for flooring in the US; they also handle granite, speciality sinks, tile, and paint.  The interior designer, Bill, has over 20 years experience, and was very good, particularly when working with Cris of Renaissance Homes. He solicited our tastes, and then arranged everything on the floor from which to pick and choose, pointing out pros and cons of each.  We were pretty easy customers—having done this 10 years ago—and this time the process was more organized, perhaps because of his expertise and vast experience.  We are still uncertain about the brick or brick/rock facade, but provided several alternatives to Cris.  So, unless there are some forgotten details, we have finished with our selections!   

We returned to a hot motorhome; temperatures have been unseasonably warm the last three days, with temps in the mid to high 80s.  Ridge and his parents came by about 6:30 PM for a final farewell, and he seemingly has grown an inch or two since his birthday a few days ago.  Our original plans were to leave today, then were changed to leave tomorrow, but now rain and thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow have caused us to delay departure yet another day.