Happy New Year 2014!

We celebrated the New Year with friends at Jean's place (aka "the party palace"). We picked up Jan and Steve, and Hardy and Judy picked up John and Sandy for the trip to Pharr South. When we arrived, we found G.W. and David already there, and it was clear that G.W. had already started to party. He was quite animated. He had had an early taste of the limoncello Jean made using lemons from our tree and a recipe recommended by Terri.

We had a great time, as usual, with everyone contributing food and good cheer to the festivities. After dinner, we all had a small glass of the limoncello as a "digestif" before heading to the dessert bar. Pat made bread pudding with caramel sauce and one of her special sugar free pies. Jean decided to try making a sugar free lemon meringue pie. I brought along some Christmas candy. All yummy.

We played Tripoley at one table and Michigan Rummy at another. All was for fun, since all the pennies were returned to their wrappers and to John and Sandy, who brought them and the games. We wrapped up the games just before 11:00 p.m., when we observed the east coast dropping of the ball in Times Square and wished all and sundry a happy 2014.

One the way home we saw lots of fireworks sparkling in the air, and the fireworks stands were still doing business. As we pulled into our driveway, the fireworks exploded around us: it was midnight and the beginning of 2014 in the central time zone.

Earlier today we went to Tractor Supply and bought a new 40 lb. propane tank. We stopped by Pony Express and had it filled. Luckily one of the other customers loaded the tank in the truck bed. When we got home, one of the neighbors unloaded the tank and put it in our propane slide. We are looking into the possibility of getting a 100 lb. or larger tank. We walked around the neighborhood checking out other people's tanks, most of which we had never noticed before. Read more!

Thieves!

Ironically, we were just confidently telling our guests that Greengate Grove is a very safe community. Everyone puts out money for propane. We put one of our 40 lb. tanks out last night, with an envelope holding $28 for a propane fill. Pony Express comes around on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but we never know what time they'll arrive, so we've started putting the empty tank out the night before.

We've been putting our propane tanks out in this same way for the last five years in the Valley and never had any problem. This morning when we started to pull out of the driveway, I turned to make sure I would miss the tank, which was on the edge of the driveway near the street. Only it wasn't there.

We went to the office to report the theft, and the lady at the desk, Mickey, said that she's never heard of such a theft in Greengate Grove. Guess ours is the first. Now we have to go buy a new tank and get it filled. We spent part of today exploring our options. Fortunately, the second tank has plenty of propane to keep us warm for the next couple of days.

Mickey encouraged us to make a police report, so we did. It turns out that Hidalgo County responds here. The trooper had evidently never heard of a report of a propane tank theft.

We did score one victory: we ordered AT&T high speed Internet, DSL with up to 6 Mbps download speed. Woo-hoo! Now we have to wait for them to ship the equipment. We're not sure when our service will start, but it can't be too soon. We've had frustratingly slow and interrupted Verizon service on our USB modem and not much better on our cellphones.

Rain, Rain, Go Away! It started raining again yesterday evening, and it's been raining steadily ever since. Sometimes it's just a drizzle, sometimes it's harder, and it's always cold (for here). We're tired of this cold, rainy weather, but really glad we're not in the midwest, where the Weather Service is describing "bitter cold" and issuing warnings for wind chill.

We took our Christmas decorations down today, but we won't try to pack them up and put them in the shed until it stops raining. Everything would just get wet, so for now it's all stacked on the coffee table. Read more!

Last Day of Visit

Today was the last day of our visit. Chris and Shawn got up early to pack, and then all of us went to breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at MiChallitas with our friends. We were thirteen at table--but no bad luck, just good company and lots of laughs as usual.

Afterward Jean and Judy picked up Sandy and met us at the state park for a good walk. The weather was lovely--sunny and mild. We saw lots of green jays and chachalacas and a bright, lovely Altamira oriole to top off the experience.

When we got home, Chris and Shawn and I walked over to Jan and Steve's. I wanted Chris and Shawn to see the transformation of the Spaulding Texas room. They were quite impressed. Shawn especially liked the Talavera.

Then it was back home to have a quick light lunch before taking our visitors to the McAllen airport for their flight to Houston. We had such a great visit, and we're making plans to see them again sometime this summer. They have a busy summer planned, including a trip to Tokyo.

We spent the rest of the day decompressing and doing some laundry and other chores. We played one round of Battle Line. We need to practice, and we encountered some questions of rule interpretation we want to talk to Chris about.

Ken signed up today for a brand new e-mail address: CaptKen@starfleet.com. Just what every Trekkie needs! Read more!

Mexico and Hidalgo

We’ve been looking for a good day to go to Progreso, but the weather hasn’t been cooperating. Finally, today was the last possible day, and we got a break in the rain. It drizzled a bit this morning, but by the afternoon it was clearing, and we even saw the sun a bit. It was cool, but otherwise a good day for our expedition over the border.

After the great rivers of the Pacific Northwest, the Rio Grande in south Texas seems less than impressive to our Portland guests. Much of the flow has been restricted by dams or withdrawn for irrigation, and the remaining water is slow and muddy.

This was Anara’s first visit to Mexico (she’s been in Canada and traveled to Puerto Rico). Chris and Shawn have both been to Mexico, but not here, and it’s been a while, so this was a new experience in a way for all of them. They enjoyed browsing the wares at the various shops. Shawn found some gifts for her girlfriends, souvenirs of her trip to south Texas an Mexico.

We went to the Red Snapper for lunch, we all enjoyed the food and the music. In addition to the musician who usually plays, there was a singer with a rather good voice. By the time we returned to the truck, it was nearly 4:00 p.m., so we didn’t go to Don-Wes.

This evening both Ken and Shawn were feeling like a rest, so Chris and Anara and I went to Hidalgo to view the Festival of the Lights. Chris took lots of photos, but mostly with my iPhone camera. His iPhone camera suddenly refused to work. It’s under warranty, but he’ll have to make an appointment to take it in to an Apple store. There aren’t any here or in the Lufkin/Nacogdoches area, so he’ll have to wait until they return to Portland. That’s frustrating.

[photos later]

Chris’s injuries seemed to be healing, but today his groin seems to be hurting worse. We’re hoping he’ll feel better in the morning. Read more!

More Adventures

Ken wanted some R & R today, so Chris, Shawn, Anara, and I headed out for new adventures today. We went to Quinta Mazatlan for a quick tour. There was no charge, because the house was empty, being readied for the floors to be refinished or some such. We weren’t there for any special tours or events, so we just walked around on our own, enjoying the plants and birds and statuary.

We went to Zamoras’ for lunch before heading to IMAS (International Museum of Arts and Sciences). The first thing we saw was a long series of decorated Christmas trees lining the hallway. Each had been decorated by some group or school classes, and each featured a different theme. One tree was decorated entirely with recycled items. Another preschool tree had lots of dogs and puppies. One of my favorites was the Grinch tree, and another was the “It’s not easy being green” Kermit tree.

We enjoyed several exhibits in the art building. One really unusual exhibit was based on an artist’s conception of subatomic particles. It included sculptures, paintings, and an interactive 3D display set up on two iPads.

We had parked in an unpaved lot across the street from the museum, and when I started the truck and tried to drive out of the lot, it became clear that the muddy lot was too deep and slick. The rear wheels spun, and my attempts to rock back and forth weren’t successful. Finally I decided to try 4-wheel drive. What a relief to make it out onto the street, but for the next several miles, the truck tires were throwing off large lumps of mud.

We drove only a few blocks to the McAllen Public Library. Chris is a library director, and I knew he’d enjoy this unusual library, which is housed in a repurposed Walmart store building. It has been transformed inside and out, in a spectacularly successful way. Chris and Shawn and Anara made a beeline to the Advocates of the Library bookstore.

We stopped at H.E.B. on the way home. Chris looked up the origin of the name. The store is named after Howard Edward Butts, son of the company founder. It’s easy to see why the name has been shortened.

Back at home we made chili and cornbread and ginger pears. Ken had the salads ready, so it wasn’t long before we sat down to an enjoyable dinner. Afterwards Ken decided to rest a while, and the rest of us played a couple of rounds of Ingenious. Anara won both easily.
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Boxing Day

It rained pretty steadily all night and all day. It’s still raining. Not an outdoor kind of day, and we missed our exercise walks, darn it! It also just wasn’t a day for visiting Mexico or going to the Hidalgo Festival of Lights.

After breakfast, we exchanged presents and ate chocolates while listening to holiday music, making for a great morning. There was plenty of Christmas spirit to go around.

We decided to go to a matinee 3D performance of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The special effects were stunning, but the plot was thin, with long scenes of elves killing orcs, dwarves killing orcs, and assorted characters improbably surviving vicious attacks by orcs and a huge fire breathing dragon. The movie ends abruptly with Smaug heading towards Lakeland with fire-breathing death and destruction his aim. How will the townsfolk cope with this threat? Stay tuned for the next bloated Hobbit movie. Definitely a let-down after the Ring Trilogy, at least for people who have read the books and love Tolkien.

After a dinner of leftover lasagna (the best kind), we played games and ate more delish birthday cake. Chris taught us how to play the game he gave us for Christmas: Battle Line. It’s an intriguing two-player strategy card game. Anara ably assisted Ken, and Chris helped me. We’ll have to play a bit more before we really have a handle on the tactics. Read more!

Christmas Cheer

We had Caramel Apple Breakfast Pudding (recipe from New Hope Bed & Breakfast) for breakfast. It’s put together the night before, so it should be a shoo-in for Christmas morning—but only if you remember to put it in the oven! We had a late breakfast, but everyone enjoyed it.

Then on to making lentil loaf and green beans for the Christmas feast at Bob and Pat’s house. We all had a great time at the celebration, and everyone made Chris and Shawn and Anara feel very welcome. The usual crowd were gathered: in addition to Bob and Pat, we had Hardy and Judy, Jan and Steve, John and Sandy, and Jean. With the five of us, that made fourteen for dinner. It’s great that Bob and Pat’s home and hearts could make room for everyone.

After a great dinner Jean led some of us on a walk around the neighborhood. We got to see everyone’s decorations and landscaping, including some very unusual trees. We heard the parrots gathered across the way in the treetops.

Next we watched a heartwarming Hallmark movie called The Christmas Choir. It is loosely based on a true story of homeless men who formed a choir and earned money for Christmas.

By the time we got home, people were too tired to open Christmas presents, so we decided to have our gift giving in the morning. Read more!

Happy Birthday, Chris!

Today was a busy one, filled with shopping and baking and cooking and game playing and celebrating. (Yes, I know, shopping on Christmas Eve is not my favorite activity!) We baked a German chocolate cake for Chris’s birthday, his current favorite recipe. Very decadent and delicious!

We walked around the park this morning, checking out everyone’s decorations. This afternoon we went back to the state park, and this time we hiked down to the Rio Grande. Shawn was excited to see it, but disappointed by the reality. The water was not moving, and it looked like a wide drainage ditch! Ken told her that the view from the International Bridge would be more impressive when we go to Progresso.

Merry Christmas eve to all our family and friends! Read more!

State Park and Dancing

We went to the State Park this morning to see some birds and get some exercise. We walked around the outside loop and down to the Hawk Tower, where we didn’t see any hawks, but did see Mexico. We saw lots of Green Jays as usual, and one Great Kiskadee that posed for Ken’s camera.

After a quick lunch we headed out to Darryl’s C-1 workshop, taking our guests along to see us dancing and meet our friends. We had fifteen couples plus Bob, so Jim Booth was called to fill in, making four squares even. After the first two tips, Darryl’s laptop battery died. What to do? We could have open squares and trust everyone to try to mix the squares up. But wait! We could use “cards,” which is what everyone did before computer squares.

We had fun, and before the dance was over, Darryl got Chris and Shawn and Anara up to dance. He tried to get David and G.W.’s friend Peter up too, but Peter said he’d be happy to get up if Darryl set up a boxing ring—but that he didn’t dance. Chris and Shawn and Anara did very well and seemed to enjoy themselves.

On the way home we stopped at Dollar Tree and Target. Both were humming with business. The Dollar Tree shelves were nearly empty in the Christmas area. December 23 is definitely not the best day to shop.

I made butternut squash lasagna for dinner. It was a hit. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Of course Anara had to pick out the squash and spinach! Read more!

South Padre and Cheese!

After a late night at the airport, we all slept in a bit this morning. After brunch we headed to South Padre Island for a walk on the beach. The weather promised to be mostly sunny and mid-70s, just right for beach walking. When we got close to the island, we made a potty stop at a fast food place.

That's when we realized that, yikes! it was cold and extremely windy! The sky was heavily overcast, and the waves had a leaden color. Suddenly the day didn't seem quite so promising for beach walking. By the time we got to the island, things were looking a bit better.

We stopped at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center and walked around viewing the rescued critters. Some of the most recent arrivals were suffering from being "cold stunned" when the temperature of the water in the bay suddenly dropped during the recent cold snap.

We drove to Beach Access #3 and headed across the sand dunes to the Gulf side. Although the sun was shining, the wind was still quite strong, and the multitude of grains of sand swept across the pavement. Shawn wanted to dip her toes in the water. She and Anara pulled off their shoes and socks. I huddled against the wind with my jacket pulled over my shirt. I wanted to walk on the beach, but it just didn't seem to be a "walk on the beach" kind of day.

We went across to the bay access near the birding center and watched the parasailers there.

After a bit we headed north to the end of the highway. Much of the roadway was covered by drifting sand. The dunes were being shaped and reshaped by the blowing wind.

Finally we headed back toward home, but we were all getting hungry. Chris checked out several places on Yelp, and we ended up going to Costa Messa in McAllen. Google maps sent us to their old closed location, so we decided to try another restaurant. On our way north on 10th Street, Chris spotted Costa Messa--their new location.

We had more cheese than I usually see in a month! First Chris and Shawn ordered a queso appetizer that came on a square metal serving plate perched on a charcoal heater. Usually the melted cheese would come with jalapenos, tomatoes, and onions, but Chris asked for those items on the side so that Anara could enjoy the cheese. It was melted and gooey and bubbling warm, and all of us dug in. It came with flour tortillas. We scooped up the stretchy cheese and spread it on the tortillas.

The food was good, and the company was great, of course. We all left the restaurant satisfied and zoning into food comas. Good thing Ken was driving home! We were all tired after an interesting day. Read more!

More Visitors Arrive!

Today was the big day: Chris and Shawn and Anara were due to arrive this evening. We worked hard to clean the patio, including the screens, which were black with the wind blown dirt and grime.

Ken cleaned the Texas room while I did some  shopping to stock up with food for the visitors and other necessities.

Chris called to say their flight had been delayed. Instead of 10:45 p.m., it was now due at 11:33 p.m. Then he called again from Houston to say that the flight had been delayed again. The earlier flight to McAllen had been cancelled, so we were crossing our fingers.

After all the delays, we were delighted when the plane finally landed. It was nearly midnight when we saw first Shawn and Anara and a few minutes later Chris walking through the gate into the terminal. Chris realized suddenly that he didn’t have his iPad! Then he remembered that he had left it in the seat back pocket. An airport worker retrieved it for him. Crisis averted.

Lots of hugs and the trip home took us into the wee hours of Sunday before we all got to bed, tired but glad that everyone was safe and together.

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Still in Kansas???

I've begun thinking we must be in Kansas. No Toto, no Auntie Em--but lots and lots of wind! It howls around the trailer. It carries fine black dust everywhere. I just never quits. Our big poinsettia was knocked over on the patio and is somewhat the worse for wear. The other two are wind damaged, and all of the bracts and leaves are covered with that black dust. Yuck.

All that cleaning I did yesterday? Total waste. I'll have to do it all tomorrow again.

The first thing I saw this morning was a Kik from Terri mentioning Chris's post about a bicycle wreck. It turned out that both Chris and Anara wrecked their bikes on the ice yesterday. Yikes! Anara wasn't injured, but Chris ended up being checked out in the hospital. After x-rays and exams, he was diagnosed with deep bruises and a mild concussion. When I talked to him this morning, he said he was feeling a bit better. We'll have to give him lots of TLC when he arrives tomorrow.

Speaking of arriving, we were thinking that Chris and Shawn and Anara were arriving at McAllen-Miller International Airport around 8:00 p.m. tomorrow. Then I happened to notice a second calendar entry--this one for the flight from Houston to McAllen: arrival time 10:48 p.m. They will spend over three hours in the Houston airport. Not much fun, but the best schedule available. We will be delighted to see them whenever they arrive! Read more!

Dust Storm

What started out as a clear sunny day today took a turn for the worse. A gusty south wind picked up lots of fine black dust and deposited it all over everything outside. For a while it actually seemed a bit dark and foggy. Now everything seems to have a layer of very fine black stuff that is hard to clean up.

Tonight we went to Darryl's dance. Jean was dancing the boy's part with Jan as her partner. Steve stayed home. He's doing fine as long as he's sitting. He returned to the doctor today and got a temporary contact lens to help his cornea heal.

There was some Christmas spirit in the air tonight. Jane wore her reindeer antlers.

Darryl called some left handed calls that require left and right thru's instead of the standard right and left thru's. It's really difficult for the dancers to go against years of practicing the standard courtesy turn.

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Christmas in the Air, Friends Everywhere

This was our last morning together with Terri and Molly. We didn't plan any outings--just some Christmas cheer. I got to read Bialosky's Christmas to Molly. She doesn't really remember it, but she does know that Kelley loves it. We had stocking stuffers to exchange. Terri remembered my love for Turtles (the candy, not the reptiles). We had fun and munched on some Christmas candy and listened to Christmas music, starting with Terri's favorite,

After lunch we headed to the airport so they could catch their flight back to Dallas. Today is Blake and Terri's 20th anniversary. Blake is in D.C. now and will join them in Dallas in time for a family celebration this weekend.

One group leaves, another arrives. Our friends John and Sandy pulled in to Green Gate Grove today. They're renting a lot here for their fifth wheel and will be in the RGV until the end of March. Jan organized a welcome dinner for them, and everyone brought something. Of course the resulting feast was delicious, and all had a great time.

We heard all about the blowout they had yesterday on the freeway around San Antonio. They called 911, and the officer who responded was very helpful--after he had asked them, "Why did you call me?" He made a referral to an RV campground and service place that fixed them up and even refused to charge for coming out to where they were broken down.

Steve and Jan went to Jerry's dance this afternoon, but they didn't end up dancing. Steve was dizzy and disoriented by his two eyes not working together. His right eye has had the cataract removed, so he has good distance vision in that eye. The left is still blurry. Read more!

Birthday, Beach, and Band

 Today would have been my brother Joe's 66th birthday if he had not passed away in 2005. I miss him and wish he were still here to tease me. December 21 will be the eighth anniversary of his death. Very sad time, but I have lots of good memories too. Here's one of the family's favorite photos of him at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.

This morning we headed over to South Padre Island to enjoy a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful day. We drove to Beach Access Point #4 and walked out on the Gulf side of the island. The dome of the sky was a deep clear blue, the sand clean and hard packed. Evidently the tide was out.

Molly collected a bag full of interesting shells. She and Terri explored the beach near the access point while Ken and I walked a mile down the beach and back up again. We pretty nearly had a private beach. Only a few other people were in sight. One couple was sitting in their beach chairs facing the ocean, engrossed in their reading. Someone was out on the water on a personal watercraft. We heard it buzzing about, but it was far away, so the noise was minimal.

We had arranged to meet up with Hardy and Judy and Jean for lunch at Daddy's Seafood and Cajun Kitchen. When we drove up to the restaurant, I noticed there were very few vehicles in the parking lot. We walked into the restaurant, only to be met by the general manager who apologized that the place was closed today for an employee holiday party. He gave us a 10% discount card and invited us to eat at Dirty Al's or Pelican Station.

We went to Pelican Station, which is in Port Isabel, right near the bridge to the island.  The food was good, but very rich. Our grilled mahi mahi was buried under a cream sauce. No one left the table hungry. It was fortunate that we had the chance to introduce Terri and Molly to our friends. They had a good conversation.

We stopped on the way home at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Harlingen. The statue there is the plaster working model of the bronze statue in Washington D.C. It's painted Marine green and quite impressive.

When we arrived home around 5:30 p.m., we barely had time for a light supper before going to the Town Band Concert, 'Tis the Season. We walked into the building before 7:00 p.m., but the Trinity Worship Center seats were nearly full. We walked upstairs only to find most of those seats occupied too. Ken noticed that seats on the main floor on the far right were open. When we reached our seats, we were delighted to discover Bob and Pat, Hardy and Judy, and Jan and Steve in the seats directly in front of us.

That gave us a chance to introduce Terri and Molly to Steve and Jan. Steve startled us by sticking a finger out through the right lens of his glasses--or rather where the right lens had been. It was removed yesterday after his cataract surgery. He is very happy about the improvement in his distance vision in that eye. It will be a few weeks before his second eye is done and his vision stabilized so that he can get whatever glasses he needs going forward.

The concert was enjoyable, although I prefer to be able to see the musicians' faces. After a rousing final rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus and a standing ovation, the orchestra played one extra piece: Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride. Anderson is one of our favorite composers.

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Walking in the Park, Dancing, and Hidalgo Lights

After breakfast, we started the morning with a trip to Bentsen Palm Village for a drive through, to show Terri and Molly the park we used to winter at. Then we went on to the State Park and walked the loop to the hawk tower and back out.

Along the way, we spotted some birds, mainly at the Green Jay blind. Green jays and red-winged blackbirds were scuffling over the feeder platform. A cardinal visited, and some doves completed the picture.

Afterward we went home for a quick lunch before going to Darryl's C-1 workshop. We introduced Terri and Molly to our dancing friends. About midway in the session, Darryl called them forward and got a square up to dance with them. Terri danced with Chuck, and Molly danced with Dick. David and Jean and Hugh and Terry completed the square. Darryl called a simple patter tip.  Everyone commented on how well the girls danced. Darryl came over later to talk with them, and he pointed out that "Square dancing is not a spectator sport!"

We mentioned our plans to go to South Padre tomorrow, and Jean said she was also planning to go to the island. Steve and Jan might join her, depending on how Steve feels after his cataract surgery this morning. We agreed to try to meet for lunch.

Then it was home to fix supper and eat before leaving for the Festival of Lights in Hidalgo.

We parked and walked to the Town Hall square just in time to enjoy some of the entertainment. The La Feria band played some Christmas arrangements, including "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (the band director reassured the audience that he hoped this wouldn't happen to anyone--it was just a song!).

We spotted this Angry Birds display and took a picture for Ed and family.

Then we took the trolley tour. It was nice, but we decided that next time we'd prefer to drive around to look at the lights by ourselves. The tour wasn't very informative, and in your own vehicle you can stop where you want to take photos.

Back at the square, we got hot chocolate and then walked across the street to look at a massively decorated house. Ken remembered that it belonged to a famous Latin entertainer. We saw that Santa and Mrs. Claus were graciously offering to pose for photos in front of their home with Festival visitors, so Terri, Molly, and I posed with them and their elves. Ken took the photo. Now Terri and Molly can say they've met Ramon Ayala, Latin Grammy award winning accordianist and singer. (At least we think it was the star in the Santa suit!)

We walked back to the truck and drove part of the festival route so that Ken could take a picture of the space shuttle in lights.

He also got a shot of Santa surfing a wave in the "Tropical Christmas" display.

In the interest of truth, Terri wants everyone to know that she actually did buy something at Don Wes--a glass cutting diamond drill bit. She wants to use it to make a lamp from a bottle.


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