A strong wind blew last night with some rain, and we awoke to a patio covered with leaves from nearby trees.  The wind abated and the light rain quit about mid-morning, with a forecast of severe wind, rain, lightning, and thunderstorms for late in the evening.
After a walk around and through the resort, it was too wet for Kay to finish her recently “turned” bowl, so we rode through the Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park next door, seeing Altamira orioles, Black-crested Titmice, Northern Cardinals, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Green Jays, Great Kiskadees, Orange-crowned Warblers, and a lone coyote.

Back at the resort, we joined other residents of “circle” for happy hour, foregoing “Cards and Games Night” because of a forecast for really bad weather.

A quiet evening in the RV followed, interrupted by a couple of power outages and heavy rain.

With decent weather forecast for the day, we returned to to some semblance of “normal” here in the Valley.  After our morning walk, Kay pedaled to the woodshop to work on the combination walnut and cherry bowl.  She has done an extraordinary job, and it is going to be a beautiful piece.

Meanwhile, I rode to the Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park to see if the orioles had finally returned.  The park is closed on Monday, but still allows visitors. Just recently, park officials and volunteers resumed filling the feeders, with the end result of more birds, and sure enough, there were a couple of Altamira Orioles at first feeding station past the entrance, and a Clay-colored robin. At the pavilion, a Red-naped Sapsucker presented itself. This is a colorful small woodpecker, about the same size as a downy woodpecker.  This was a new “lister” for me.

Further into the park, at the Green Jay blind, there were a couple more Altamira Orioles, but they were too elusive to photograph. However, a Great Kiskadee and a Green Jay were kind enough to pose.

After lunch, I cycled to the National Butterfly Center.  The large butterflies were lethargic because of the cool weather, and there were fewer of them than in December, but the little ones were plentiful and flitted here and there very quickly. The visit rewarded me with a couple of “new” butterflies.

Happy hour at the palapa include a big crowd as almost everyone in the circle attended, catching up on the latest news and gossip. 

After all the exercise, we had a bowl of vegetable beef soup and took it easy the rest of the evening.

Our photo album of this winter in Texas can be found at:  https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fQOMLZ4LrEXLHjeUtTgaJjobmbYpOZwV1zh2FePDoEE?feat=directlink

Back in church for the first time since December 15—too long an absence—we heard a great sermon by Pastor Bill Duke of First United Methodist Church, Mission, Texas, about the new American dream:  affluenza (trying to be affluent), credititis (borrowing up to one’s eyeballs to have what the neighbors have), and entitlement  (society owes us).  Using the recent “Fiscal Cliff” debacle, he addressed these ills as related to our faith journey, our personal finances, and our government finances.  Whether one was a liberal, moderate, or conservative, the message hit home and was well received.

After church, we made the quick drive to Walmart to pick up a few groceries and some hardware to repair one of our infamous Strongback chairs.  A key bolt supporting the chair structure sheared the other night during the movie.  Fortunately, the chair did not collapse on the floor while I was sitting in it.

Back at the RV resort, we cleaned the motorhome and Kay washed clothes.  It seems like forever since we’ve been able to do anything “productive”.  We opened windows and vents to air out a little. And then we enjoyed a long walk in our first decent weather in several days.  Amazingly, the ground soaks up water like a sponge, and everything—and everybody—is drying out. The first photo is taken at the end of the park, the back, from where we are near the front. It is called the wedge because the area in the background of the photo with all the 5th wheels is wedge-shaped.  The second photo is along the fence, and the “back-in” sites are super sites with large concrete pads, a small storage building, etc. The third photo shows our circle, and our motorhome—second from the left.  It is among the oldest parts of the park, but many view it as the most desirable because of the sense of community shared by neighbors. We all have trees, grass, and landscaped sites.

The palapa filled quickly at 4:00 PM as all the neighbors came out to socialize after being cooped up out of the cold and wet for several days.

A quiet evening watching the newest episode of Downton Abbey, a sensational British “soap opera” set in the early 1900s and shown on PBS, wrapped up a great day.

We ate breakfast out at El Tio Chuy Mexican Restaurant, our new favorite in the Valley, on Saturday, January 5. Family owned and operated by three generations, the food and service is very good, and the prices quite reasonable. We continued our daily walk despite misting rain and cold temperature. The rest of the bleak morning afforded an opportunity to catch up on the blog, absent photos; regrettably, the weather has not provided much of an opportunity to take pictures.  About mid-afternoon, the rain stopped and it began to noticeably get warmer. Remarkably, people began to come out of their RVs, first a few than seemingly the entire resort population was out walking or riding bicycles. It warmed enough to have happy hour at the palapa, and most of the neighbors came out, tired of the cabin fever that had gotten progressively worse since New Year’s Day.  Card bingo was packed tonight with 116 players, but neither Kay nor I even got close to winning.  Hopefully, the  “winter” weather has broken, maybe for the season!

Tuesday, January 1; happy new year, 2013.  Our intent was to celebrate the beginning of the new year by cooking enough black-eyed peas for the entire circle, and we picked up dried peas at home since none can be found in the RGV where frijoles (refried beans) are king.  The weather, however, began turning cold with rain as an arctic front dipped all the way down, to include the valley which was right smack dab in the center of its grasp.  Consequently, practically everyone hunkered down in their RVs, not a Winter Texan was stirring, not even a mouse.  One positive thing was that the mosquitos must have been cold too, as they were not to be seen, or felt.  Kay made a large pot of Weight Watchers taco soup, and with its chili-like taste and texture, it was the ticket to staying warm.  This weather pattern was something that was to last for 5 cold, rainy days!  Needless to say, the black-eyed peas tradition didn’t make it this year.We did have entertainment at the resort this week as Goldwing Express performed tonight.  Goldwing Express is made up of three Native American brothers and their father; their mother is a member of the Creek Indian Tribe.  From Okmulgee, Oklahoma, they currently reside in Branson, Missouri. They play a mix of bluegrass, country western, gospel, and comedy.  They are great instrumentalists, and just okay vocalists.

With rain and cold temperatures all day, nothing exciting happened on Wednesday, January 2, except for margarita hour at the Activities Center; even it was not as crowded as usual. Taking advantage of some down time, I hooked up the new wi-fi Blu-ray player Christmas gift that will allow us to watch “free” movies and TV shows using our Amazon Prime membership.  The hook-up was not too complicated, and the wi-fi capabilities will offer much desired entertainment during this cold, wet weather.

There was no birding trip on Thursday, January 3, this week because of a conflict with the Christmas Bird Count in which our trip leader participates.  So, I was without anything on the calendar. Kay spent the morning in the woodshop working on her combination walnut and cherry bowl; she’s almost finished with this work of art.  Another lady in our circle has not faired so well, gouging her bowl beyond repair earlier in the week, and is having to start over.  We played Pegs and Jokers in the evening, and I am finally getting the hang of it.  It’s a good game, and requires some strategy in combination with lots of luck. Kay grasped the nuances of the game very quickly, and was the best player at our table as the ladies beat the men both games.

Friday, January 4, was a shopping day for Kay.  With a pocket full of gift cards from Christmas, she left the resort about mid-morning and did not return until mid-afternoon.  Meanwhile, I watched a couple of movies:  Grumpy Old Men, and a chick flick How to Lose a Man in 10 Days.  I had scheduled a bridge game but there was a lapse in communication so we did not play.  We had entertainment again this week, the Ball Ranch Family.

From Abilene, Texas, the Ball Family has sung together with their children for over 25 years, and now include Gary Ball, playing lead guitar, Sue Ball, playing rhythm guitar, and Sherry Ball Luster, youngest of three daughters, playing acoustic bass guitar (Gary and Sue are both senior citizens). They play music of the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry, Bob Wills, and even some of their own.  The dad is a super guitar picker, and the daughter has a great voice.  We’re glad we saw them, and when they sang they were wonderful—but there was a bit too much talking and not enough singing.

After suffering the catastrophic loss of my brother to stomach cancer in late 2011, we welcomed a new beginning in 2012, and were richly blessed. Our family grew again once more with the arrival of Harper Ann Riley Painter on July 30; she joins Ridge and Kaden to make up a trio of the greatest grandkids in the world! Our kids—Ron, Karyn and Matt, and Jenny and Brian—have had great years.

Health wise, we are both doing well, thanks in large part to Mayo Clinic, our doctors and healthcare providers, and Weight Watchers. Over the course of the last year, I dropped 45 pounds—the doctor has taken me off all prescribed medications—and Kay lost 25 pounds. We continue to value and savor every moment of our lives here on earth.

John Simank and I canoed the Buffalo River in late March, with early spring temperatures reaching 90 degrees; we had a great “float” and super hike to Hemmed-In Hollow where we had a great view of the tallest waterfall between the Appalachians and the Rockies.  Spring and summer saw great Norfork River fly fishing, perhaps the best I’ve experienced since fishing the river. The dry fly fishing was awesome, and almost addictive—the caddis hatch was great, the sulphur hatch was good, and the crane flies provided excellent fishing.  I had a number of 20-inch fish, and several days where, seemingly, all the fish I caught were big ones.  Time on the water with long-time fishing buddies, Wayne, John, Ed, and Bill was great fun, and I fished several times with friends Patty, Whit, Donnie, and Susie. 

With new kayaks, Kay and I spent several days on the Norfork River with family, and especially enjoyed trips on the White River with Ed and Ellen.We rediscovered our wonderful Ozark Mountains in the fall, and made several hikes in and near the Leatherwood Wilderness, finding large overhangs and caves, and extraordinary bluffs with spectacular 270 degree views.

We are getting more comfortable in our church, First United Methodist Church of Mountain Home, where we sing as members of the Crossroads Band.  We were asked to co-teach a new Sunday school class for adults with children still at home, and began that endeavor in late August; one of the side benefits is becoming friends with Bob and Sharon Jones. I left 4+1 Quartet in early November with much sadness, but my hearing has degenerated to the point that I could no longer hear the tracks, and our travel schedule was becoming increasingly more busy.

Our 2012 Travels

We escaped cold weather in northern Arkansas, leaving January 11 and spending a few days in central Arkansas before returning to south Texas for the remainder of the month in Aransas Pass, enjoying good friends and warm weather but tiring quickly of the wind and sand.  Highlights of our two weeks there included Padre Island National Seashore and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, touring the USS Lexington aircraft carrier, enjoying drives and great meals with Bruce, Jeannie, Jim, and Ginnie from the Arkansas Travelers, and meeting up again with our friend “Uncle” Jack Nimon whom we met in Henry’s Lake, Idaho, in August 2011.

We departed Aransas Pass on February 1, and after a short drive to Mission, Texas, we arrived at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), staying the entire month, before returning home in early March.  Despite a wetter than normal month, we very much enjoyed our time here, and met many new friends; the sense of community here is wonderful. Happy hour at the palapa in our circle was our favorite time of day.  We especially enjoyed the birds and butterflies at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, National Butterfly Center, Salineno, and Quinta Mazatlan, and the fresh fruits and vegetables that are found in the RGV.  We also cherished our time visiting with good friends, Jim and Cheryl, from the Ozark Ridge Runners; though we live within a couple of hours of each other at home, we don’t make time to visit as often as we should.  Of course, a daytrip to Mexico was fun as were a few trips to the Don Wes Flea Market.

April found us in Fayetteville, Arkansas, attending an Arkansas Travelers rally.  It was great meeting up with “old” RVing friends, and we really liked the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, and attending the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball game.

In mid-May, we toured Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks and San Francisco with Nan and George Laux (Kay’s sister); this was a bucket list item for us. We packed each day with sightseeing, hiking and photography.  And we enjoyed a great lunch at the old and famous Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park; the Mediterranean salad was among the best salads I have ever eaten. Though Yosemite Valley, with its El Capitan, Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, is more famous, we were awestruck and speechless as we walked among God’s natural giants in Sequoia National Park on a Sunday morning. Kings Canyon had some great scenery, but was less impressive. San Francisco was alive and resplendent with its cosmopolitan culture. And best of all was the quality time we shared with Nan and George.

We camped several days in late May and early June at Quarry Park near our house in Norfork, Arkansas. We were home most of June and July, welcoming the newest member of our family, Harper Ann, into the world on July 30. We returned to Quarry Park in early August for a few more days.

In mid-September we traveled throughout the Maritime Provinces in Canada with good friends John and Sandy Simank.  Touring Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick—making up Canada’s Maritime Provinces—had been on our bucket list for sometime. Driving and sight-seeing, and attending the céilidhs on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia were our favorites, though eating lobster and scallops was a close second. We were surprised by the amount of agricultural land on PEI, and the extent of forested land in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Most impressive was the rugged Bay of Fundy coastline in New Brunswick, in combination with the most significant tides in the world.

Upon returning home, we camped a few days at Quarry Park near home.

Late October found us joining the Ozark Ridge Runners in wine country near Altus, Arkansas for a few days. We camped at Aux Arc (pronounced Ozark) Park, a US Army Corps of Engineers campground on the Arkansas River at Ozark, Arkansas, arriving a few days early and spending some quality time with Jim and Cheryl Watts.  Though this rally was billed as a “Wine Country Tour”, our favorite activities on this trip were sight-seeing along and adjacent to Arkansas Highway 23, aka the Pig Trail, particularly the Mulberry River valley, and finding Baxley Cemetery in Logan County near Paris, Arkansas, where Kay’s ancestors are buried. 

We co-hosted an Arkansas Travelers rally in Mountain View, Arkansas in early November.  Despite the lateness of the season, it was the best attended rally of the year.  We found that hosting a rally entailed being planner, host and hostess, chief cook, bottle washer, server, event planner, purser, and trouble shooter. The rally preceded the 2012 Fall Bluegrass Festival in Mountain View which was very entertaining, and packed with concert goers—however, we found that one can overdose on bluegrass pretty quickly.

In late November we came back to Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in Mission, TX, for the 2012-2013 winter. Birding is down somewhat, but the butterflies have been spectacular.  Also, with new bicycles and great weather, we rode practically everyday.  The resort was less crowded in December, and provided a chance to get to know other “residents” better.  Kay began a woodworking project—turning a bowl on a lathe—and spent several sessions at the wood shop. We definitely felt at “home” down here.

We drove back to central Arkansas for the holidays, with our kids and grandkids.  On Christmas Day, the weather took a turn for the worse, with freezing rain, sleet, and 10.5 inches of snow falling in a narrow band that included central Arkansas.  Kay spent several hours at son Ron’s house without electricity and cell phone service, though she could text brief messages. I hightailed it home to northern Arkansas before bad weather hit with only 6 inches of snow.  After Christmas, all the kids squeezed time in their very busy lives to be together for a few hours.  After a stress-packed holiday, Kay and I drove straight back to the RGV, stopping only for gasoline and lunch, to spend New Year’s eve at the resort.  We joined other members of our circle for a party, and ushered in the new year on Newfoundland time, Atlantic time, and Eastern time.  Kay did not make it to Central time, and I was asleep about 5 minutes after midnight!

Plans for the New Year

The upcoming year brings lots of promises. We will remain in the RGV through February, returning home in early March, hopefully for great dry fly fishing on the Norfork River.  In April, we hope to join the Ozark Ridge Runners for an rolling RV rally in Pella, Iowa, enjoying the Tulip Festival and Amana Colonies. In early summer, we plan to travel to the Upper Peninsula and northern lake area of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota—another bucket list item. Late summer will hopefully see us in Colorado for cool days and nights, hiking, photography, and fly fishing. We don’t have plans for early fall, but will likely return to the RGV in November.

In trying to summarize our comings and goings in 2012, we’ve relied on failing memories; consequently, and we have surely committed the sin of omission. We have been truly blessed to be able to live our retirement dreams, and 2012 was a great year—we enjoyed blessings beyond measure, but expected no less from our great God—and look forward to 2013.

After an exhausting day of driving down from central Arkansas yesterday, we took it easy today, sort of.  After a decent night’s sleep, and a couple of cups of coffee, we were ready to get back in a routine and do something outside.  We walked the length of the resort to dump garbage, mostly packaging from Christmas presents, and met Chuck, a neighbor, who asked me to join him for a ride.  He and rode 10+ miles on one of the several trails nearby. Kay spent the morning at the grocery store restocking the motorhome after our 10-day absence.  She busied herself cooking most of the afternoon, preparing our contribution to the New Year’s Eve party potluck.

We gathered in the palapa for happy hour at 5:00 PM, and had a potluck dinner at 6:00 PM.  Only about one third of our circle attended as many had other dinner plans. We waited as best we could for the new year, making it through Newfoundland time (2-1/2 hours ahead of us), Atlantic time (2 hours ahead of us), and Eastern time (1 hour ahead of us), but didn’t make it with the group for Central time.  Kay crashed about 11:30 PM, and I made it to just after midnight, working on the blog entry for the holiday period.

Tomorrow, I’ll post a review of 2012 thanks to seeing that done on a couple of other blogs we follow:  Travels with Emma, and On the Road of Retirement.  By the way, 2012 was a super year, and Kay and I were truly blessed in more ways than the human mind can perceive.

We’ll end the year with some photo memories of our grandkids:  Kaden, Ridge, and Harper Ann.

We’re excited to be going to Central Arkansas and environs to spend Christmas with family.   Friday morning, we were off about 6:46 AM, headed north towards Houston where we spent the night with cousin Lin and her husband, Tom, in Magnolia, Texas. Nestled among the trees in a wide open space, their house and home was warm and welcoming. It was great catching up on family matters, and just plain visiting.  They fed us catfish and all the fixings.

We left their great accommodations about 9:30 AM Saturday for the last leg of our trip “home” to Arkansas, arriving at Karyn’s about 5:30 PM.  Ridge and Matt were asleep, but not for long, and we hugged and kissed on Ridge for some time; he’s been a little under the weather cutting a bunch of teeth at one time. Kay was hungry for barbeque and     in Little Rock filled the bill.

Sunday was full of hustle and bustle completing pre-Christmas details, but we took time as a whole family to attend church together, meeting Ron, Kadyn, and Cheryl at Church of Rock Creek for their 4:00 PM Christmas service.  Afterwards, we ate at Copeland’s, and had a great meal.

Monday, Christmas Eve, was spent preparing lots of roasted vegetables for the Christmas meal with Matt’s family, and Matt smoked a turkey and pork tenderloin.  It was a fabulous meal, and my favorite was the kale salad and low calorie millionaire pie, both of which Karyn made, though everything else was might scrumptious. Afterward, Matt’s family opened gifts, and Ridge had a ball with a toy remote control given to him by Matt’s mother. Of course, he was the star attraction for the evening.

With rain, sleet, and snow predicted to begin about 8:00 AM, Kay rushed me out the door towards home in Norfork, Arkansas, about 6:30 AM on Tuesday, Christmas day.  The drive was uneventful, as there was hardly any traffic, and no precipitation.  On the way I thought how sad it was to spend Christmas by oneself, then decided it could be a great day—it’s all a matter of perspective.  The solitude gives me a chance to reflect on the true reason for Christmas, and the blessings Kay and I share with respect to our Christian faith, kids, grandkids, and life in general—thank you, Lord, for all this.  Everything at home was okay, though a few small limbs had blown down late last week. The house was a bit cold, but the fireplace began heating it immediately.  I turned down an invitation to have Christmas dinner with Wayne and Loretta as the pounds gained the last few days will be hard enough to take off. The left mouse key on the computer mouse pad had been sticking, and the spring finally gave way and is now lost forever, rendering the mouse pad useless; is it time for a new computer?  A USB mouse is filling the gap, but is difficult to use with the laptop computer on one’s lap. Wayne came up for a visit in the late afternoon, and the snow finally began about 5:30 PM.  Kay texted about that time to say they had lost power in Benton, AR, with freezing rain and ice still coming down after beginning about noon.  With no television and limited internet (the phone is a temporary hotspot), it was eerily quiet, and bedtime came early.

It must have snowed half the night, as there was about 6 inches on the ground Wednesday AM, with temps in the high 20s.  With all the cameras in the RGV, the IPad was employed to take a few photos to show the Canadians that we have snow in the Ozarks, too.  After a few chores, Wayne and I continued our visit over coffee.  Otherwise, it was a pretty quiet day, almost boring, though there are lots of little chores waiting to be done—it was not to be, today!

With bad weather once again predicted for the area, I opted to return to central Arkansas on Thursday, rather than Friday.  It’s amazing the mess one can make in just 2 days, and it took several hours just to clean, reorganize, pack, and lockup.  Enroute, the roads did not present a problem, except the further south I traveled, the more snow that had accumulated and the area around Batesville still had snow on one or more lanes of the highway. Near Searcy, Arkansas, a stop and visit was made with my sister and her family, before continuing on to Maumelle, Arkansas.  The number of houses and businesses without electricity was amazing.  It was reported that 200,000 were without power at one time.  Central Arkansas received 10.5 inches of snow, falling on top of sleet and freezing rain!  Kay made it back to Maumelle okay, so we were back together once again. We enjoyed playing with Ridge Thursday evening.

We awoke Friday morning to light rain, and it continued through noon.  A haircut was in order, and thank goodness the salon had electricity and was open. Friday afternoon and evening was pretty quiet, and we had a ball playing with Ridge while his parents enjoyed a date night.

Saturday was our family day, and we were successful in having everyone together for the first time in 3 years, though we were not able to get a photograph of the whole kit and caboodle.  Neither of the girls’ nor their babies had seen each other since before the babies were on the way, so it was a real treat to see them together.  Ron and Cheryl were able to come by for a couple of hours, and we sure enjoyed visiting with them, as well.  It would be an understatement to say that things were a bit chaotic.  Harper Ann had really grown since our last visit on Thanksgiving.  She was in awe of Ridge, but all the excitement was a bit too much for her.  She’s a real doll though.  Kay and I really appreciated the kids and their significant others giving up a day to spend with us. With a blended family, everyone busy with careers and other parents, one grandchild 17 years old, and the other two 14 months and 5 months, respectively, getting everyone together is proving to be an impossible endeavor.

We departed central Arkansas early Sunday morning and made the 14-hour trip back to the RGV without any mishaps or problems.  The route included Dallas, Waco, Austin, and San Antonio, and traffic this entire route was quite heavy for a Sunday.  We stopped for a late lunch at Gruene River Grill in historic Gruene, Texas, (pronounced Green) near New Braunsfel just north of San Antonio.  The Gruene River Grill sits high on a bluff overlooking the beautiful Guadalupe River.  The food was good, but not as great as the reviews in TripAdvisor.com indicated (their jalapeno crawfish chowder was excellent—among the best chowders I’ve eaten).  We finally arrived at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in Mission, Texas, at 6:45 PM, unpacked the car, and headed to the hot tub for a soak.  It sure felt good to be “home”.

We spent 28 grueling hours driving to and from Central Arkansas for the Christmas holiday.  We thoroughly enjoyed the grandkids, and got to spend some quality time with their parents.  But they have busy lives, lots of other commitments, and we’re getting too old for this!

We had a tough group of birders today, fighting winds gusting to at least 40 miles per hour, ushering in a major cold front.  Our trip today was a short one, to the city of Edinburg’s Scenic Wetlands and World Birding Center.  We, as a group, saw 47 species, mostly water birds, though a few other birds, like the Western King Bird shown in the photo below, survived the blowing wind to make themselves available.

Upon returning to the the RV resort, Kay and I drove to a Mexican restaurant for lunch.  It was family owned and operated with three generations present.  We were waited on by granddaughter, her mother, and her mother’s father.  The cheese enchiladas I ordered were great, though Kay’s chicken dish was not quite as good.  The friendly, family atmosphere was terrific and we’ll definitely return.

We then drove to Lowe’s to pick up some stainless steel stove bolts as one broke in our relatively new Strongback chair.  We have sung praises regarding these chairs and are very much disappointed at their durability.

Back at the resort, we began preparations for our trip home tomorrow to spend the holidays with family.

Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort is winding down, as many of the Winter Texans have left or are leaving soon to return to their domicile to spend time with family.  An observation we’ve made is that Canadians live a long, healthy life, and several of our neighbors have returned to celebrate birthdays with aged parents; one turns 100 over the holidays, and another turns 94.  These do not seem to be the exception, either.  And, without getting political, most really like their Canadian health care system.

Kay took a couple of the ladies in our circle shopping today; another observation we’ve made is that several women don’t like driving on the crowded RGV highways, and others don’t like driving the 3/4 and full ton pickup trucks or the dually they use to tow their 5th wheel trailers.

My intention was to ride to a county birding park today, but with winds forecast at 25 miles per hour gusting to 35 miles per hour, Chuck, a neighbor, and I rode to, around, and through the Bentsen-RGV State Park, for a distance of about 10 miles.  The roads were out of the wind, but there were few birds available to observe today.

We enjoyed palapa time, but only stayed an hour, and then adjourned to the activity building for margarita night.  Here’s a photo of our palapa, taken from inside our motorhome.  There are about 25 RVs in our circle, all pointed toward the palapa.  We usually have 10 to 25 people gather around most afternoons.  The activity building where the margaritas and hors d’ oeuvres were being served was crowded, too much for me, but we endured and got to know some more people just a bit better.  It will be really packed after the crowds arrive after the holidays.