Kay’s insistence on my taking Zicam was a blessing as I awoke Tuesday feeling much better.  Typically, when one of these head colds takes hold, it’s a week and a half of misery, stuffiness, and generally not feeling well.  However, this time there were only short spurts of not feeling well, though I certainly did not feel good, and the stuffiness was sufferable.  I did stay in, continuing to convalesce, though the motorhome gets exponentially smaller the longer one stays in it without getting outside, i.e. I’m going stir crazy!  Kay shopped for groceries, made shrimp creole sauce, and busied herself around the RV.  Despite the cool temperatures, happy hour at the palapa was fun, and there was a big crowd, all glad to escape the confines of their RVs.  As evening approached, we sauntered over to the Activities Center and played bridge with a couple of ladies with whom we played last year.  Our bridge lessons this past summer has decimated our game, and we are practically starting over, but nevertheless it was an informal game, and we all laughed and enjoyed the evening.  Once again, our evening ended with a couple of episodes of Bomb Girls.

Another cold front blew in last night; seems these are happening every three weeks.  We arrived in the RGV on the tail end of one on November 13, then experienced another beginning November 26.  Fortunately, these don’t last too long, about 4 or 5 days, and temps rarely get below 40°.  Nevertheless, the cool temps and high winds severely hamper outdoor activities such as birding biking, and butterfly watching.  Van and I did go for a 5-mile walk this morning (Saturday), after which Kay and I pretty much hung out around the motorhome.  Bentsen Palm Village is normally “busy” with people scurrying here and there, but even with all the Canadians and upper mid-western folks wintering here, most seem to stay in when one of these fronts comes through.  We sure hope this “winter” weather bodes well for a warm January and February!

Bill Duke preached another great sermon Sunday, the subject being repentance. He is able to say a lot in a short time, and make it both interesting and relatable.  As more and more Winter Texans arrive in the RGV, attendance at church increases dramatically.  We returned to the motorhome after church, only to find a small pool of water under where the potable water hooks up to the RV.  A further check revealed a slow drip, and a change of hoses, pressure regulators, and connectors did nothing to resolve the drip.  Neighbor Jim Miles and I drove to Walmart to pick up another hose, and the leak was still present when the new hose was installed.  The pressure regulator was removed from adjacent to the motorhome, and reconnected to the outlet of the water softener, and lo and behold, the drip ceased.  We now have several extra potable water hoses.  With milder, near 60° temperatures, the palapa was packed for happy hour, and we all talked and laughed—happy to be outside.  As evening approached, I began sneezing and had a runny nose—hmmm.  Kay and I continued watching Bomb Girls in the evening until bedtime. 

Perhaps because of riding and walking amidst the cold and windy weather late last week, or running around in a tee shirt yesterday fixing the drip, I awoke feeling stuffy, and sneezing and coughing—a cold—urghh.  I advised Van that I would not be riding bicycles today, came back to the motorhome, put on pajamas and a sweatshirt, and generally felt lousy.  Kay began feeding me Zicam every 3 hours, and I took advantage of the down time to write and print our Christmas newsletter, and sort and print mailing labels for Christmas cards; do folks still send out Christmas cards?  A bowl of hot, homemade chicken noodle soup in the evening, in combination with the Zicam, worked well to ease the cold symptoms.  We closed out the night watching more commercial-free episodes of Bomb Girls on Netflix.

Just after dark last night, winter weather began catching up with us here in the RGV as high winds brought in our second cold front of the season, dropping temperatures into the low 50s—not what we signed up for, but it beats what is happening at home.  I checked the internet for power outages at home and was relieved to see that North Arkansas Electric Cooperative had none in our service area, though Kay and I were still prepared for the worst, i.e. my returning home. 

As Kay left for exercise “class” at the Activities Center, I put on all the warm clothes I had in the motorhome (looking like a swelled-up frog) and Van and I departed for our now regular “every other day” bicycle ride with temperatures in the low 50s and wind howling at up to 30 miles per hour.  At the southern terminus of the Roadrunner Trail, about 2 miles from the RV resort, I received a call from Wayne letting us know our area of Arkansas had escaped much of the freezing rain that had been forecast, that it was still snowing, and that there were no power outages—great news for us, and I breathed a long sigh of relief.  Regrettably, he had come down with what appeared to be a really nasty upper respiratory problem.  With that good news, Van and I continued our bike ride to Anzulduas Park and return, some 17 miles, with high winds at our backs on the way, and into our faces returning, and temperatures dropping from the low 50s to the high 40s.  About two-thirds of the way back to the resort, Van saw that my rear bike wheel was wobbling; a check showed another broken spoke.  We “limped” back to the resort. 

Kay and I had lunch, loaded the bike on the rack, and drove to BikeMasters for repair.  They called about 4 PM saying that the bike was ready to be picked up.  I asked what could be causing the problem, and their response was pothole, bumps, etc.  The only things similar to these that we travel on are the dried mud clumps on the trail left by the Border Patrol trucks seeking out illegals.  There is about a 1-mile long stretch on the Roadrunner trail with lots of these “mud bumps”.  If the problem persists, I’ll seek warranty coverage since the bike is only a few weeks old.  After her exercise “class”, Kay made a large pot of chicken noodle soup, and we enjoyed a bowl (or two in my case) for dinner, and watched a new-to-us series on Netflix, Bomb Girls. Bomb Girls is a Canadian series set in a bomb-making plant during World War II.  We watched the first 3 episodes, and really enjoyed the series.

Today was pretty much a typical day—different activities, but busy, and definitely more stress.  Back home in northern Arkansas, rain, freezing rain, sleet, and then snow is forecast for the next couple of days, along with below freezing weather expected for the next 8 days—temperatures are not forecast to rise above 32°  for the next week!  We were on pins and needles wondering whether the area would experience a power outage similar to one in 2008 that forced us to return home from the RGV for a few days.  This morning, we prepared ourselves for the worst, and if neighbor Wayne calls with bad news, I will return to Arkansas as soon as road conditions permit to take care of business.  With this scenario looming, Kay was off to exercise “class” in the Activities Center while Van and I walked a short route, about 5.0 km (3.6 miles), taking advantage of the road from the resort past the National Butterfly Center to the southern terminus of the Mission Nature Park trail (aka the Roadrunner Trail), and back to the resort.  Back at the resort, I phoned Wayne and he informed me that temperatures had dropped below freezing and freezing rain was coming down.  He promised to let me know if I needed to return home.  He’s such a great friend to take care of us!

Grapefruit harvest is in full swing and pickers were busy in a field near us.  The grapefruit are picked by hand, and the workers use long ladders to reach the top of trees.  The illegals must find it difficult to hide with all the harvest activity!

Since there was nothing we could do about the weather back home, Kay and I drove to Mission West RV Resort for dance lessons with Robert Bataglia.  Bob does dance lessons throughout the week at different RV parks and Mission West is relative near to us, less than 4 miles.  We began taking lessons from him in January 2008 and really like his teaching style.  We practiced the Texas 2-step, waltz, and cha-cha.  While there, we met and visited with a couple from Siloam Springs, Arkansas, who were winter residents there.  This was their third year in the RGV, and they plan to stay 6 months this year, arriving October 1, and remaining until April 1.  Much of our talk was about the winter weather forecast for northern Arkansas.  After dance lessons, Kay brought me back to Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort, and she drove to her scheduled appointment for a cut and color, which looks great!  We visited with Regie, Jim, Bonnie, and Van in lieu of happy hour at the palapa.  Wayne phoned to let us know that our area of Arkansas had escaped much of the freezing rain that had been forecast, and that there were no power outages—great news for us, and we breathed a long sigh of relief.  Still coming down from the stress of the day, we spent a quiet rest-of-the-evening in the RV.

Kay was off to exercise Monday morning at 8:30 AM while I walked around the RV resort.  Warmed up, we joined Van and Bonnie for a long ride to HEB so they could buy groceries.  They are opting use their bicycles much of their winter stay here in the RGV for transportation to and from the grocery store rather than drive—mainly for the fitness benefits.  Two years ago, their truck was in the shop here in the RGV for over a month and Van did all their shopping via bicycle, making rides of more than 40 miles.  And, just this past summer, they rode 1000 kilometers for Bonnie’s rehabilitation from knee surgery; she rode the 600 miles with a loose staple, suffering pain on every pedaling stroke!  Today, our ride took us to the Road Runner Trail (Mission Nature Park), across Military Highway to multiple intercity and subdivision roads and streets to near Walmart where Kay and I stopped while Van and Bonnie traveled the short distance to HEB for groceries.  As Kay and I waited, I pulled a thorn out of the front tire, but no immediate flat.  Van and Bonnie returned and we began our return journey.  Along the way, the front tire began to feel a little soft, and when we stopped for a water break at the Mission Nature Park pavilion, the tire was too low to continue—a full blown flat.  Unfortunately, I did not have a spare tube nor a pump, but fortunately Van pedaled back to the RV resort, transferred to his truck, and returned via truck to carry the bike and me home.  Bonnie and Kay continued pedaling to the resort, resulting in Kay completing her longest ride yet—16 miles.  Back at home, Kay and I took the tire to BikeMasters in Mission for a new tube, including a liner to prevent more thorn and sticker flats.  Back at the RV resort, I installed the tire, and rode the bike a short distance noticing a significant wobble in the rear wheel.  It was so bad, we loaded the bicycle on the rack behind the Honda, and took it back to BikeMasters where they found a broken spoke—no riding tomorrow!  We wrapped up a full and busy day playing Court Whist at the Activities Center, and having a blast in the process. 

Another beautiful day loomed on the horizon Tuesday morning, with a brilliant sunrise.  Kay and I did our two-mile walk around the RV resort, had a bit of breakfast, and Kay drove into town for a pedicure.  We were both hungry for Mexican food, and Kay had picked up a restaurant recommendation while grocery shopping.  We ate at Danny’s, an authentic Mexican restaurant, and were the only gringos in the place; the food was good, but I like Diaz’s better.  A call to BikeMasters indicated that the spoke replacement would not be ready until about 4:00 PM, so we returned home and Kay enjoyed a long nap.  Near 4:00 o’clock, I slipped out, drove to the bike shop, and picked up the bicycle; it was good to have the new “friend” back.

 

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November was a busy month for us, but aren’t they all:

• Babysitting younger grandson Ridge for a few days
• Medical and dental appointments
• Preparation for our winter trip to the RGV
• Hosting Jenny, Brian, and Harper for an early Thanksgiving weekend
• Traveling to the RGV
• Acclimating to the RGV and renewing acquaintances with old friends
• Thanksgiving in the RGV, and
• Christmas shopping! 

However, despite the busy season, it was fun, fulfilling, and rewarding, and we wouldn’t trade anything for our experiences with family and friends.

Today, Sunday, began as most do with “early” church.  As we have commented previously, we really like the First United Methodist Church in Mission, and find the sermons presented by Pastor Bill Duke to be thought provoking.  For example, today’s lesson was on the subject of “Hide and Seek.”  Also, as it is the first Sunday of the month, we were blessed with partaking in Communion, one of my favorite church traditions.  We are so blessed!

After church, we returned to BPVRV Resort, changed clothes, relaxed for a couple of hours, greeted Tim and Rosie just arrived from New Mexico, and met Wayne, Bessie, Bill, and Dee for a couple hours of dancin’ and dining at the Riverside Club.  Despite it being the early part of the season, the place was full; lots of Winter Texans arrived the last couple of days.

Speaking of which, we only stayed a couple of hours as we were expecting friends Van and Bonnie to arrive at BPVRV Resort from Austin where they had stopped in route from Ontario to visit their son.  Van and Bonnie are from Ontario, and we really enjoy their company.  They had to return to Ontario just last week for the burial of Van’s father; he died just a month short of 101!  The “Circle” prepared dinner for the new arrivals, as both couples were tired from traveling today.  Our friends down here as just the nicest people!

With Van’s arrival, I am pumped to fly the RC airplane purchased last year, and concluded the day and evening watching several videos on YouTube for instruction.  Now, if the wind will just lay.

Too many calories yesterday necessitated a long bike ride on Friday.  After a 2-mile walk around the resort and breakfast, I rode through the Mission Nature Park, and then east.  As I entered the town of Granjeno, I was chased by 4 dogs, including 3 Blue Heelers.  Intending to ride further east, I looked up and saw 4 more dogs crouching along the road, waiting for me.  Chickening out, I turned around and faced the first 4 dogs again, and managed to ride by without getting bit.  I exerted so much energy that I was spent for several minutes.  I rode to Anzulduas Park, but it was closed for the holiday, so rode back to the Mission Nature Park, and then to “home” to the resort, a total of 20+ miles, stopping to take photos of the citrus fields along the road.  After a quick lunch, I drove to Costco to have the new hearing aids checked while Kay prepared leftover food for the after Thanksgiving palapa buffet; we sure do eat a lot!  I was tired with bicycle saddle sores, and stayed in the rest of the night, but Kay enjoyed a couple of hours among friends at a campfire in the middle of the circle—she’s such a social butterfly.

After a late breakfast on Saturday, Kay and neighbor Shar drove east towards McAllen and Donna for shopping while I hopped on the bicycle for a ride to the National Butterfly Center.  Instead, I rode back to the Mission Nature Park (and the Roadrunner trail) and managed to photograph a Roadrunner and a tarantula—the beginning of what was to be a fortuitous day.  Kay was still shopping when I returned, so I rode to the National Butterfly Center with neighbor Lorna.  I have been desperately looking for Orioles, and for Mexican Bluewing and Zebra Heleconian butterflies.  As we were locking the bikes, one of the staff said both the Mexican Bluewind and Zebra Heleconian had been spotted today!  We walked down to where they had been seen, and after a short while, Lorna spotted the Mexican Bluewing open on a tree.  Regretfully, I did not get a photograph as I was trying to get close rather than take the sure shot.  She said she was going to walk around a bit and would yell if she saw the Zebra Heleconian.  After only a few steps, she yelled, and we saw the Zebra Heleconian floating among the plants.  There ate two beautiful butterflies!  I hung around the area a while longer hoping to photograph the Mexican Bluewing, without success.  I slowly walked down to the bird feeding station only to find a couple of Altimira Orioles feeding on a nearby limb allowing for a decent photograph.  Wow, what a day.  We saw many other species of butterflies and took lots of photos, and returning to the bird feeding station, saw a Long-billed Thrasher, Clay-colored Thrush, American Kisskadees, Gray-tailed grackles, Green Jays, White-tipped Doves, Chachalachas, and a rare-to-this-area American Robin.  Score today a 10!  Back at the RV, we visited with neighbors at the palapa until about 5 PM when I returned to the RV to download and edit photos and write this portion of the blog.

 My, oh my, but do we have an infinite number of things for which to be thankful.  God has truly blessed us, and though we should and do thank Him everyday, Abraham Lincoln set aside today for our nation to give thanks.

Despite the warm weather, shorts, and T-shirts down here in the RGV, Thanksgiving is a big holiday—and our Canadian friends graciously help us celebrate even though they celebrated Canada Thanksgiving in October.  Kay made cornbread in the oven using hints from last night’s viewing of YouTube, and the top racked pan did well, but the bottom was a bit undone in the center.  While the uncooked pieces finished cooking, we mixed up the dressing ingredients, and added the remaining cornbread pieces, and began the almost hour long baking.  Once again, the top pan came out great, but the bottom pan was not cooked through and through; lesson learned is to only cook one pan at a time!  At the same time the dressing was cooking, the green bean casserole was cooking outside on the electric burner.  Fortunately, all was ready bat 1:45 PM, just in time to carry over to the clubhouse for our 2 PM meal.  Our group had “reserved” two tables, and the resort furnished the turkeys and gravy, and each table (or in our case, tables) provided a pot luck assortment of food for their table(s).  Kay and I were the only US people at our two tables.  We had scrumptious food, and the pumpkin pie (from Costco) was the best I have ever eaten.  So, rather than the turkey getting stuffed, it was us who got stuffed!  Here are photos of our friends and neighbors here in the Valley, beginning with Kay and me, Paul and Lorna Graham (our next door neighbors on the passenger side; Paul is like neighbor Wayne in that he can fix anything, and Lorna is a great birder and butterfly person), Regie and Jim Miles and Debbie (Regie and Jim are our next door neighbors on the driver’s side; Debbie drove a diesel pusher motorhome and towed a car all the way from New Brunswick traveling with Jim and Regie), Shar and Brian Ward (Shar does a lot of Karaoke and has a great alto voice), Lynn and Clint Charlesworth (our neighbors in 2011), and Cherly and Ron Lowe (our other neighbors in 2011).  The rest of our circle will straggle in between December 1 and January 1. 

After all the food, I did a short ride (5 miles) in the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, but didn’t see any new birds.  

The rest of the evening was spent recovering from all the food!

Our weather has warmed considerably, allowing us to spend considerable time outdoors, despite early morning temperatures in the low 40° range.  After our morning walk around the park and breakfast, we rode over to the National Butterfly Center to see if anything new had arrived on the winds of the recent front moving through the area.  We didn’t see anything new, but did see more butterflies than expected.  Here are a few photos.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we committed to bring cornbread dressing and green bean casserole, two Southern favorites.  However, each required an oven for baking, particularly the cornbread dressing, and we haven’t had overwhelming success with the combination microwave/convection oven.  I did a search on YouTube using the brand and model of the microwave/convection oven in the RV, and lo and behold if there weren’t several instructional videos!  We watched these and had a much better “understanding” of how the oven worked.  Now, tomorrow will be the real test.