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.

Continuing our holiday-like approach—visit and run—in seeing the kids and grands before leaving for the winter, we were off early Sunday morning to Memphis to see Jenny, Brian, and Harper.  We traveled via Judsonia to drop off the Expedition for winter at my sister’s.  We met Jenny and family at the Memphis Zoo and enjoyed one of the USA’s top 5 zoos for a couple of hours before driving to their house for a continued visit and a late lunch.  After another couple of hours, Harper was ready for a nap, going ninety to nothing.  We had a wonderful visit, and drove the 2 1/2 hours back to Maumelle COE Park for much needed quiet time before a really hectic week.

There was nothing, absolutely nothing, on our calendar for today, Friday—definitely a change of pace from the last several weeks/months.  We drove to Karyn’s after lunch to wash clothes and download apps for the iPhones, iPad, and MacBook, staying for dinner, and enjoying lots of playtime with Ridge.

Again, for the second day in a row, we didn’t have anything on our schedule for Saturday.  We had a great leisurely morning, a walk around Maumelle COE Park, and a big breakfast before washing both the Expedition and Honda.  We will store the Expedition at my sister’s over the winter, and didn’t want to leave a dirty car for their use or for to come back to in the springs.  It was unseasonably warm, with highs in the mid-80s, necessitating the use of one of the air conditioners.  It draws over 15 amps, and when combined with phantom power uses, our consumption was a heavy 22 amps, meaning we couldn’t use any other major appliance without “popping” the breaker—such is life parked in a 30 amp site!

A bit refreshed after completing the move from Norfork and a good night’s sleep, we enjoyed a walk around Maumelle COE Park Monday morning.  With time on our hands, we shopped at Sam’s Club for a few food items, then drove to Kay’s daughter’s to wash clothes and download updates to the computer, iPads, and iPhones.  We met with Brandon Tedder, owner of Renaissance Homes and our builder, to finalize plans and the construction contract.  And then, it was back to Karyn’s for some play time with Ridge and a family dinner.  We were back at the motorhome by 8 PM, and in bed shortly thereafter.

We returned to the Renaissance Homes office Tuesday morning to execute the contract and make decisions about the new house, getting into such details as location of the return air, location of electrical and media outlets, location of outside water faucets, cabinets, built-ins, and a myriad of other details.  We spent all day, but picked out almost everything, including appliances.  Next Monday, before we leave for Texas, we’ll pick out tile, flooring, roof, and paint.  It helps tremendously to have done this before, and to have seen enough of their work to know what we like.  We would be remiss not to mention Cris, who works for Renaissance and assists with picking out everything.  She definitely has her act together, and is assertive enough, but not too much.  Cris made the process much less difficult and painful than it could have been.  And, we really like her tastes.

An early morning trip to Hot Springs Village was on the agenda for Wednesday.  Arriving at about 9 AM, we met the builder and surveyor at the lot to agree on the layout of the house on the lot, then drove to the bank to open a safety deposit box, then to the post office to effect a change of address to Texas for the winter, and then to the storage unit to straighten and tidy up the space for potential storage of new appliances and furniture.  By then, it was noon and we split a chef salad and rueben sandwich at Ponce de Leon Golf Club; it was fantastic!  Finally, it was back to Maumelle COE Park for a brief nap before heading off to dinner with son Ron and his significant other, Cheryl.  It reminds me of Christmas where we try to visit each of the kids in a short period of time, almost a race, but we’re getting too old for this hectic pace.

Up and at ‘em again Thursday morning.  We met with the mortgage banker at 9 AM just to say hello, and have a cup of coffee.  And then, it was off to Cajun Brothers Furniture Store in Conway, Arkansas, to begin looking at furniture for the new house.  Back in the greater Little Rock area, we drove through a Maumelle neighborhood to identify brick facades and roofing we liked.  On the way to Maumelle COE Park, we had a late lunch at a Greek restaurant, and the grilled lamb was excellent, as was Kay’s chicken gyro.  Finally, we returned to the campground, changed clothes, and walked about 4 miles; we’re tired!

Another busy morning awaited us today, Sunday.  Up early, we readied the motorhome for it’s final move south; we will spend a few days in central Arkansas contracting with a builder for a house in Hot Springs Village, and visiting grands and kids.  Dumping the tanks in darkness, we were on the road at first light, 7:15 AM.  Kay drove the Expedition and I drove the motorhome towing the Honda CR V loaded down with “toys”, i.e. bicycles and golf clubs.  We arrived at Maumelle COE Park on the Arkansas River at Little Rock, only to find a near full campground resulting from a rare U of A football game in Little Rock, the state fair, and gorgeous fall weather.   The campground was chaotic as many campers were leaving and others coming in; one idiot had blocked a oneway road with his truck and trailer, and his wife was directing traffic to drive on the grass!  We settled in a nice 30 amp site.  We drove to Maumelle to attend a party celebrating Ridge’s 3rd birthday—lots of sugar and kids on sugar!  We then drove to Trinity United Methodist Church for a concert by the Annie Moses Band—perhaps one of the best groups I’ve ever heard.  Comprised of 6 Julliard trained siblings, an award-winning father who played the piano, and an award-winning percussionist and an award-winning vocalist, the classically trained band played a variety of music.  Photos are from their website.  Awesome!  And what a way to start celebrate the first day of the rest of our lives.  

U+Haul trucks are basic to say the least—no powered accessories, a rough ride, and the front bounces all over the road—but they meet one’s needs for moving stuff.  I left Quarry COE Park Saturday morning at 7:30 AM driving the 20 foot U+Haul, and arrived in Hot Springs Village at 11:30 AM.  Kay left 30 minutes afterward, and arrived at 11:45 AM.  We removed loose stuff at the rear of the truck to facilitate unloading the boxes while waiting for the hired helpers to show up; they never did!  Consequently, Kay and I unloaded the entire truck ourselves, and got almost everything in the climate-controlled storage room except for a few outside tools which we placed in the outside storage room.  After unloading, we drove to Walmart to fill up with gasoline, then to the U+Haul return facility, and then back to Quarry COE Park, arriving at 7:45 PM—a long, hard day for us!  Tomorrow, we leave Baxter County for good, perhaps returning to visit friends, dentist, and doctors next spring.