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.

Wednesday and Thursday saw us hunkered down in the motorhome as rain continued to fall Wednesday, and temperatures hovered in the 40s and low 50s.  While that doesn’t sound too bad, we are in an RV resort that quietly emphasizes outdoor activities, and a motorhome can get small after cohabitation for several days in a row!  Dance lessons at Mission West RV Resort on Thursday morning provided some relief, and warming temperatures allowed us to get outside in the afternoon.    During the course of all the rain, our internet service has been on the blink, and my MacBook computer has slowed to an almost standstill.  Our internet provider replaced the modem, which gave us the 3 mbs for which we are paying, and after taking what seemed like countless steps to get the computer up and running, I finally opted to reload the operating system, an 8 hour download.  This took all night, but the results resulted in the Apple regaining it’s speed.  I believe the slow computer was partially the result of poor internet reception.  

The “warming” trend continued Friday, but the combination of still cool temperatures, wind, and soggy ground make butterflying and birding near impossible.  And the absence of bicycling and taking photos makes for a dull several days, and to have so many things pending creates a bit of anxiousness.   However, getting the internet modem exchanged and the computer back up and running is a plus.  A steady drip from one of the overflow pipes underneath the motorhome erased the feeling of elation.  I though the ice maker had frozen and was creating a leak, and began the long, messy process of defrosting the freezer; it did not solve the problem.  Turning off the water to the ice maker did not resolve the issue either.  I noted the fresh water tank was full and it was only supposed to have been at one quarter of a tank.  Out of desperation and frustration, we called an RV repairman and he said it was likely the valve between the “city water” and filling the fresh water tank, and suggested blocking the fresh water to the pump.  That worked, and another call established an appointment for next week for him to replace the valve.  We have discovered that if one is going to “RV”, one has to be flexible as there will definitely be issues—but there are issues living in a “stick and brick” house as well!  We wrapped up Friday attended the first concert of the winter RV season:  Freddy and Sheila Pelletier from Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, Canada.  He had been an awesome guitarist at one time, playing for a lot of country western stars.  They played, sang, and told several funny stories.

We awoke to sunshine Saturday morning, and the day proved to be very pleasant with temperatures in the mid-70s.  On the way to Kay’s hairdresser, we picked up my bike after yet another spoke, the third, had been replaced; TREK is sending a new rear wheel, but it won’t be delivered until sometime next week.  At least, I can ride until it arrives, making sure not to venture too far away from the resort. While Kay was getting her hair cut, etc., Chuck Mercer and I rode 10+ miles through the Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, his first ride since last spring.  It sure felt good to be outside again, and being active!  Al and Sharon invited us to their place Saturday night for bridge, and I struggled with all but one bad hands.  As an aside, Kay and I learned to play party bridge using the Goren method of bidding.  That bidding system has now gone by the wayside and replaced by the American Standard system advocated by the American Contract Bridge League.  We are having to forget our old ways, and learn a new one; it has proven challenging, if not difficult.  We both are finally putting the Goren system out of our memory, but now beginning the learning process!

The RGV will remain our winter home until mid-March when we return to central Arkansas for a few days to renew our role as grandparents to Ridge, and will travel to Memphis to do the same with Harper.  Perhaps we’ll get great weather and do some bicycling in the greater Little Rock area.  And then, finally, we’ll return to northern Arkansas for spring.  We will remain there until early June when we plan to travel to the United Kingdom for a tour of the British Isles, and then cruise the Baltic to visit the northern capitals of Europe.  In late July or early August, we plan to return to Door County, Wisconsin, for the remainder of summer, returning back to Arkansas in September.  New Zealand, the coasts of Washington and Oregon, the southwest, New England, and the Natchez Trace are on our life list, but probably not doable for us in 2014.  We hope to make the Ozark Ridge Runner’s traveling rally to Canton, Texas, in early November, followed by a return to the Rio Grande Valley, our winter “home.”

We arose early this morning (Thursday), and quickly headed out the door for the almost 14-hour trip south.  It was uneventful, with rain the last three hours.  Kay and I really enjoy road trips—we get time to talk without a lot of interruptions.  It was interesting to note that the terrain and vegetation both changed considerably at LaGrange, Texas, and leaves were just beginning to turn.  Everything south of there was green.  We arrived at “home” abut 7 PM, quickly unloaded the car, and relaxed for the first time in several days—it is good to be home.  As an aside, we listened to a lot of Texas Two Steppin’ music on the way down, and are ready to dance!

It was so good to sleep in our bed, and wake up in our house (the motorhome) Thursday night and Friday morning, respectively.  The rain we drove through last night continued, and in combination with cool temperatures, encouraged us to remain inside most of the day.  We used the time to clean up the remains of Christmas wrapping paper, boxes, and other holiday products.  Kay called Wayne and Bessie to inquire as to their availability for dancin’ tonight, and they readily accepted the invitation.  We picked them up shortly after 7 PM, and drove to a “joint” in Penitas, Texas, to hear Roland Garcia, Jr. play and sing.  We really enjoyed the dancin’ but the smoke-filled place was too much for my allergies, and we left after a couple of hours.

The rain that had been falling the last couple of days finally abated Saturday morning.  We drove to Costco for an appointment with the hearing center, to pick up a few items, and to just leisurely browse.  After a quiet afternoon, I left happy hour to retrieve Kay’s bicycle at The Bike Masters, a local bicycle shop where her bike was cleaned, tuned, and repaired.  It was thought that a new part was needed for the gears, but when I picked it up, the bike mechanic said it was a cable, and he replaced it for $8.65.  I could not believe his honesty, and that is a shame that our culture has degraded to the point that we don’t trust service businesses!

Attending church Sunday morning helped get us back to normal after the hectic  Christmas holiday.  The moderate temperatures and sunshine felt really good and refreshing, and after an early lunch, I took off for a long bike ride.  Some 12 miles away from the RV resort, I heard a spoke pop, the third one to break on the new bicycle in less than two months.  Fortunately, Kay had taken her phone to the laundry, and came to pick me up after I called her.  We drove immediately to the bike shop, and left the bicycle, hopefully for a new wheel, or complete respoking.    Palapa time was good as we continued “catching up” after Christmas.  After going to bed, the wind began howling, and I had left the awning deployed.  A quick look at the forecast showed heavy winds, plummeting temperatures, and more rain—just what we need—so, it was out of bed, and outside to untie the taut lines and retract the awning; that’ll put you to sleep!

Rain that began during the night continued Monday, and with everything already soaked, standing water is everywhere, including about and inch and a half on our patio.  This area is flat, and rain doesn’t run off very rapidly, particularly when it is a long, steady downpour.  Kay began making a bowl this morning, and cut out all the pieces and glued most of them together.  She will glue the base on in her next class, and then began turning the block of wood into a bowl shape on the lathe.  Shortly after lunch, Al and Sharon and Chuck and Sue arrived from eastern Ontario, and we welcomed them “home” in the rain.  Chuck and Sue came to our motorhome for a brief rest before setting up their RV as their winter home.  While they were here, I spent a portion of the afternoon resolving issues related to effecting the warranty on my bicycle.  Even though I registered it with TREK when it was purchased, the local bike shop was extra cautious in preparing a warranty claim, much to my dismay after half a dozen telephone calls!  In late afternoon, Chuck and Sue departed and began the set-up process, and Paul Graham and I plugged in their “shore” power, reconnected the battery,, turned on their propane, and connected the water as Chuck and Sue began the process of reorganizing their trailer and unpacking.  While away, the bike shop called and said they had everything need to file a warranty claim—yes!  Along with Van and Bonnie, Paul and Lorna, and Chuck and Sue, Kay and I went out to Cheddar’s for dinner so no one would have to cook and clean up.  Clint and Lynn took Al and Sharon out for the same reason.  After returning to the motorhome, Kay and I hunkered down for an evening of reading.

We awoke to continued rain on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, and about two inches have fallen from this latest storm.  There are few complaints from locals as they experienced a near catastrophic drought this past summer.  Us Winter Texans, on the other hand, are ready for it to stop, the sun to shine, and warm temperatures to return—the RGV has been about 10° below normal the last few days—and we’re in much better spirits when we can spend time outdoors.  Kay and I cleaned the inside of the RV, having tracked in stuff from all the rain and muddy ground.  By lunch, the wind had abated sufficiently to allow deployment of the awning, helping us to at least have a covered entrance into the motorhome.  The rain continued to fall intermittently, but at a much less intensity, and we began to see dry spots on the patio.  A large group from the resort met for dinner at a great steak house, Republic of the Rio Grande, and the food was very tasty.  We returned to the resort and attended the New Year’s Eve party with two tables of neighbors and many friends, and danced the night away, saying farewell to a blessed 2013, and hailing in 2014.

Kay and I were up early to exchange gifts with Karyn and Matt, and watch Ridge open his gifts from Santa and from us.  We packed up all of our goodies, and drove to Memphis to share Christmas with Jenny, Brian, Harper, and Jenny’s mom.  Harper had a room packed full of gifts.  She particularly liked Bubble Guppies items, which were in abundance.  After the gift-opening, we all pitched in to assist Jenny in preparing a feast.  The food was extraordinary, and there was far too much, but we did our best to lessen the load!  This was a particularly poignant Christmas for Jenny as it was the first time that she, her mom, and I had spent Christmas together since she was 18, and of course we were joined by Kay, Jenny’s husband, and little Harper, the primary reason we were all together.

We left mid-afternoon driving back to central Arkansas to spend some short, but quality time with Ron, Kaden, and Cheryl.  Ron had prepared a great cabbage casserole for us, and after eating, we had another gift exchange.  It was really good to spend some time with Ron, Cheryl, and Kaden.  Kaden has grown into a really nice young man, and has decided to attend Arkansas Tech University in the fall, majoring in mechanical engineering—go Wonder Boys!   I would be remiss if no mention was made of our laughing at work stories told by Ron.  He kept us rolling in the aisles with elevator and restroom stories.

Kay and I have been especially blessed with respect to our kids.  While each is different, they all are wonderful parents, are caring and compassionate individuals, and are really good, innovative cooks—thank you, Lord, for our kids.

Karyn, Matt, and Ridge have their family Christmas dinner and open gifts on Christmas Eve; Ron, Cheryl, Kaden, and Jordan celebrate over the course of several days as is the case of most blended families; and Jenny, Brian, and Harper celebrate on Christmas Day.  Of course, all of the kids run themselves ragged traveling back and forth among in-laws, step-families, etc. opening gifts and eating large holiday meals at every stop—madness!   Kay and I took a break from all the hectic activities after noon, and attended Christmas Eve services at our old church, St. James United Methodist Church, in Little Rock.  Our former Mountain Home First United Methodist Church pastor is now the senior pastor at St. James, and it was especially good hearing him give the homily.  We also saw an old friend, Sally Graves, and caught each other up-to-date.  After church, Karyn and Matt prepared a scrumptious meal, and together with his family, we enjoyed a great Christmas Eve evening, particularly watching Ridge open and play with his many gifts.  Shortly after he went to bed, everyone else was too tired to enjoy more holiday spirit and retired for the night as well.

We awoke early today, Sunday, and were on the road at 5:40 AM, driving north.  The temperature in Mission was 69° as we departed.  Our drive was uneventful, except for the change in temperature near Victoria, Texas, where the thermometer showed 45°; it never got warmer, but instead continued dropping slightly as we drove north.  We switched off driving about every 3 hours, arriving in Maumelle at 7:00 PM to a great steak dinner with Karyn, Ridge, and Matt.  It was good to see everyone, but especially Ridge as he and I have a special bond.  With an early morning start, we went to bed early.

As Kay and Karyn shopped, cooked, and visited with each other Monday, I began driving toward home, stopping to visit my sister and her family in Judsonia.  At home, I visited with neighbor Wayne and he bought my lunch, contrary to our prior agreement!  I checked on the property, exchanged some clothes, picked up some miscellaneous items, took care of some end-of-year business in town, and got a much needed haircut.  I also cut a cedar log to take back to RGV neighbors who will use it to build something in the woodworking shop at the resort.  I arrived back in central Arkansas about 6 PM to find Kay babysitting Ridge to give Karyn and Matt a much needed date night.  We all went to bed early.