Relaxing in Mansfield

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We Made It to Mansfield

We made it to Mansfield this afternoon to put our home in storage for six weeks. It's the longest we have been away from our traveling home in eight years of full-timing. Fortunately we found a good spot, covered, with 20 amp electric, gated and patrolled, so we feel comfortable leaving our Majestic behind as we venture across the world.

For the next two days we're staying with Ed and Julie and Cate and Sam and Jesse. Sam invited me outside to watch him leap off their mailbox to catch a football in midair thrown by his sister. Actually after the first flying leap into the air resulted in a rather hard landing, he decided he could catch it just as well from his perch atop the mailbox.

Cate took an even more relaxed approach.

Jesse was more interested in playing tag, but by that time the photographer had gone inside.

Later we went to On the Border for dinner, and later still I discovered that my Fitbit Charge was no longer on my wrist. Even with special care to be sure the fasteners were firmly embedded, the band has never been very secure. Evidently it finally succeeded in jumping completely off my wrist while I wasn't looking.  After paying $87 for a Fitbit, it's disappointing to have it for only two months. I definitely will look for something more secure next time.


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Georgetown

We left Pleasanton this morning and headed north on I-37 to San Antonio, where we discovered that the exit to take 410 to bypass the city was closed. Construction and accidents slowed our journey, but we continued north on I-35. We usually go through Austin, but this time we decided to take the toll road, 130, to bypass Austin on the east and go north to Georgetown.

We are camped now at Berry Springs RV Park. We've been here before and like it because it is very convenient to our route, the spaces are relatively large, and it is adjacent to Berry Springs Park and Preserve.

Entry to the park is just across the street from Berry Springs RV Park

Today we took an extension of the hike and bike trail that goes west under I-35. It runs along Berry Creek, where we saw lots of evidence of the destruction caused by the big flood last October. The trail has been cleared, but the tangled brush and snapped off trees that were carried by the flood are still visible everywhere.

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We're On the Road Again....

We pulled out of our winter home in Green Gate Grove today, headed north for more adventures! We always feel very shaky when we first move on after spending an extended period sitting still. Do we still remember how it's done? Will we learn something new--the hard way?

We made it to our first destination in one piece. We're at Bar M RV Park in Pleasanton, just south of San Antonio. It's our first time here, and we are pleased with the wide roads and easy access to the sites. Tomorrow, on to Georgetown.

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Super Bowl, Super Party

Today the Carolina Panthers played the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 ("L" just didn't seem to have the swagger needed for this historic game!). G.W. and David graciously opened their home for our annual Super Bowl party, co-hosted this time by Harold Lee and Dot. As usual the food was plentiful and delicious and the company was great.

Unhappily, we were missing some of our friends because of their recent health issues. Steve and Hardy are recuperating well, but decided to stay home, along with Jan, Cheryl, Deb, and Judy. We are glad that both of the patients are home from the hospital and doing very well.

Not everyone in the group is a big football fan, so some of us talked and knitted while others played games. Everyone had a good time. The photos were taken during the half-time show, which was clearly aimed at a different (younger?) demographic. G.W. won the pool, so the party will be at their house next year again (thanks, guys!). We're hoping for a full house next year, including Peter and Pearl, who didn't make it to the RGV this year. Read more!

International Dinner at Jean's

Jean invited our group to an international dinner at the party palace tonight, but as it turned out, we were a much smaller group than usual. Steve had his surgery on Tuesday and was released from the hospital this afternoon, so Jan and the girls were busy taking care of him.

Meanwhile Hardy also was released from the hospital today, so we missed him and Judy too.

We are just delighted that our friends are home and recovering.

Meanwhile at Jean's, we had nine for dinner: G.W. and David, Bob and Pat, John and Sandy, Jean, and us. We had an interesting and delicious assortment of "international food." G.W. and David brought Texas taters (hey, Texas is its own country, right?). Sandy made Croatian cucumbers (shipped in from Croatia, just arrived today, according to John), and they brought garlic bread. We brought lasagna and rye bread. Jean made Italian peas and Greek chicken made with our Meyer lemons and lots of garlic and spices. Pat brought a Danish dessert made with crescent rolls and cream cheese, and Jean made a key lime pie with limes from G.W. and David's tree plus lemon bars made with our lemons.

After dinner we played Five Crowns. Only seven can play, so Ken and Pat were kibitzers. Sandy squeaked out a win over Jean on the final hand when she laid down all thirteen cards on the first round.

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Renaissance

Both Hardy and Steve are currently patients in Doctors' Hospital at Renaissance. Steve knew in advance that he'd be there: he was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday to improve the circulation in his left leg. Hardy's visit was impromptu: he had unplanned brain surgery on Tuesday to drain an acute subdural hematoma. The two could not be put in the same room, but that didn't stop them from texting jokes back and forth!

Steve had a lot of nice things to say about the staff and care, and even some positive words about the food!

We weren't able to visit Hardy because he was in a stroke care area, but Judy met us in the lobby and filled us in on his progress. Read more!

Dinner Party

We had a dinner party this evening. Judy's brother, Frank, is renting a place across the street from their house here for a visit, but Hardy and Judy are out of town for a week. Hardy has an IEEE meeting in Las Vegas, and they took a couple of extra days to drive over to the L.A. area to see Hardy's son and family, including his young grandson. We thought it would be nice to have Frank over while he's batching it here on his own. Unfortunately he wasn't able to make the dinner tonight, but we still had a great meal and a good time with friends.

Dinner started with a wonderful (Asian) Italian salad that Jan brought (the tomatoes and avocados on top make it Italian, right?).

It segued on through lasagna and garlic bread (sorry, no photos) to the pièce de résistance, another of Jean's delightful lemon meringue pies made with Meyer lemons from our tree.

After dinner we played Farkel. Various people were in the lead, but I had a solid lock on last place--I didn't get on the board until late in the game. Steve ended up the winner, but Sandy gave him a good run. Read more!

Handymen at Work!

Today our good neighbor Chuck and Ken tackled the job of tuning up our patio screens. Some of the screws had pulled through the frames, and the downspouts were pulling away from the canopy frame pieces. One had even fallen down in a windstorm over the summer.

After these two guys were finished, the screen frames were definitely squared back up, and the downspouts are guaranteed not to fall down in the next windstorm. Thanks, guys! Read more!

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

No, not that other National Wildlife Refuge, the one in Oregon where Bundy and a bunch of armed guys are at a standoff with federal officials. Fortunately Santa Ana is peaceful and occupied only by birders, hikers, and helpful staff.

Jean hikes here regularly, but somehow we have never made it here before, and it's been a year since Judy hiked here with Jean. Jean was our leader on a five mile hike around the refuge, passing the Cattail Lakes and the Old Cemetery. We saw few other people while we were in the refuge, but we did see some wildlife, including a couple of foraging armadillos, some ducks on the lake, and a magnificent white Ibis taking flight.

Thanks to Jean for this wonderful experience. We certainly intend to come back soon.

The Old Cemetery

Curious armadillo rooting along the roadside Read more!

Redhead Express!

The Redhead Express sang their hearts out tonight at the Green Gate Grove hall. These girls have it all: energy, talent, personality. Both performances here today were sold out in advance. We were lucky to be near the front center. Jan and Steve got tickets for our group and organized a party to save some good seats for us.

Lots of our square dancing friends were in the audience.

The girls played and sang some of their own compositions, including one about red heads: it's not just a hair color, it's an attitude!

Ken and I both have a soft spot for Alisa, the fiddle player, but all the young women are excellent musicians and performers. At intermission they brought their babies on stage. Their three younger brothers also performed a couple of numbers. They have a group called the Walker Boys. Altogether a very talented family.

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Happy Birthday, Friends!

Or is it "Any excuse for a party"?  We picked up John and Sandy for the drive to the International Bridge connecting Nuevo Progreso in Mexico to Progreso Lakes in the U.S. We always park on the U.S. side and walk across the bridge. Visitors generally feel safe in the tourist area near the bridge, but it was a bit unnerving to find armed soldiers at the Mexican end of the bridge.

The group gathered first at Pancho's Bar, as usual, for beverages and conviviality.

Third from the left is Clint Godden, celebrating his 80th birthday next week.

Across from Clint is Jean Hayden, celebrating her 70th birthday today.

A Mexican Toast

Clint and Jean were serenaded with an English Happy Birthday song.

Later we all went to El Rancho Grande for lunch. As usual, they had a long table set up for us.

Judy's sister-in-law Shilah (on the right) is visiting for a few days.

Judy's brother Frank (on the right) is in Mission for the month.

Hardy and Judy stepping out

Jan and Steve  Read more!

German Dinner Party at Jean's

The party palace was open again today (that's Jean's place). We had a great German dinner with contributions from everyone. Jan made rouladen for appetizers. Although my family has some German heritage, I've never had them before and didn't even know what they were. They are beef rolls simmered in gravy, with a surprise inside: a dill pickle. Delicious.

Jean made some fabulous sauerbraten and red cabbage. Judy made sauerkraut, and in addition to the rouladen, Jan also made German potato salad. We brought kale salad from Costco. Joannie picked up some really good rye bread. For dessert, Pat made apple crisp, and Jean also made a lemon meringue pie. All yummy of course.

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