Yakkin' Around Texas

We're been busy since Pam and Dennis got here.  We had to work Saturday, Sunday, and half of Monday.  These days were very boring, so Pam and Dennis came and sat with us to pass the time.  Plus, Pam loves to walk Butch so he got outside more often than normal.

Tuesday we golfed with Joyce and Jim.  This time they were both able to golf 9 holes. 

Just a few of the wildflowers along the golf course.

Erik loaned us the Avatar DVD over a week ago, so Tuesday night we decided would be movie night.  Mark decided before supper that we needed a few "movie" snacks.  He said he would run to HEB to get snacks, and would pick up a roasted chicken for dinner.  A half hour later he showed up with 2 big bags of M&Ms (peanut and pretzel), a box of milk duds, a box of malted milk balls, a plastic container of sugared fruit slices, and a half gallon of peach ice cream.  We were set!

We drug in one of the new chaise lounges for Dennis, and I was on the couch.

Today we headed over to Port Lavaca to kayak.  Since none of us had eaten beforehand, we stopped at the local golden arches.

Yes, that's us eating outside in the playground area of McDonalds.  It was too cold inside.

The kayaking was wonderful.  I believe we were on Chocolate Bay near Port Lavaca.  We only paddled for about an hour - Mark's back wasn't doing so good in the wind.

Every evening we walk around the park.  We've seen some interesting sights lately:

Cat on an alligator.

Dog being pushed down the street in a stroller. 

The owners said the dog didn't like to walk! 

Winding Down

Monday was "spring fling" in the park.  Erik and Tania provided hotdogs, chips, margaritas, and beer to the winter folks.  In addition, there was a shuffleboard tournament which we signed up for.  Surprisingly enough, we won our first match.  Since the only time we have ever played shuffleboard has been on a moving cruise ship, we really had no idea how good or bad we were.  We beat Gene and Linda (fellow workampers) by 30 points, which moved us into the second round - but that's as far as we got.  Pam and Dennis made it into the third round.  By losing, we got into the pool much quicker than everyone else.

By 1:00p we got several other couples into the pool for 3 hours of volleyball.  Our calves and backs were not happy the next day.  I think we got out around 5:00pm, quite waterlogged, and too tired to cook.  We ended up going to the Chinese Buffet with Pam and Dennis. (They are now hooked on it too.)

Wednesday we kayaked the Guadalupe again with Pam and Dennis and Roger and Monette.  It was a perfect day.

Getting ready to launch.

Mark and Pam

I woke up yesterday ready to clean.  I got the bathroom done, and immediately started cleaning windows and defrosting the fridge at the same time.  By noon I'd had enough so the four of us headed over to Mumphords for BBQ.

Dennis with his beef and sausage plate.

Last night was the final potluck for the season.  I had made a monster bowl of strawberries, angelfood cake, jello, and Cool Whip dessert.  Everything was delicious, and as always, we overate one more time.

Ride Em Cowboy!

Tuesday brought in our new neighbors - my sister Pam, her husband Dennis, and their two cats Spazz and Smudge.  Butch doesn't like the cats, but he loves Pam!  When we tie him up outside, he can go underneath our trailer to get to Pammy.  It's a tradition we have, that when one of us is camping, and the other one shows up, dinner is provided so that the arriving ones don't have to worry about cooking after traveling all day.  I had "no peek stew" (thank you Sally for that fabulous recipe!) ready.  Unfortunately it was a crazy evening, and we didn't get to eat until almost 8:00pm. 

Enjoying our beverage of choice for Happy Hour(s) after a long day of work on Wednesday.

We're glad that Spring Break is now over.  We love seeing all the kids in the park, but we're really looking forward to peace and quiet at the pool from now on. 

Pam and Dennis headed down to the Rio Grande Valley to see Dennis' folks before they head back to Missouri for the summer.  While they were away, Mark decided to put in a new electrical outlet in the kitchen area.  While easy in a house, it's a really tight squeeze in an RV.  He emptied all the bottom cabinets in the kitchen to run the new wire.  What a mess this was.  It gave me a chance to through away some stuff that never gets used.

The hardest part was having both of us squeeze inside cabinet doors so he could use the screw gun to tack up the wire.  These cabinet door openings are not wide enough for us.  

Saturday morning I headed up to the other end of town to pick up our rodeo tickets.  Pam had been wanting to see a rodeo, and as luck would have it, there was one this weekend in Goliad, about 25 miles away.  We opted for the finals on Sunday, which started at 2:00p.  The kid's mutton bustin' started first, and it was hilarious.  It might be illegal to beat 3- and 4-year olds, but it's is ok to strap them to a farm animal and have them take off across an arena, trying to hang on for dear life.

Most of these little guys fall off right out of the gate.  One managed to last almost 3 seconds. 

The bull riding was my favorite part until one guy got his hand stuck in the rope and he went around the arena dragging the ground while everyone was trying to help him get his hand unstuck.  He ended up being ok.

Wrestling a calf that just doesn't want to get on its back.

After leaving the rodeo, we drove around Goliad to check out another paddling trail.  After viewing the put-in and take-out spots, we opted to skip kayaking the San Antonio River.  Since there's been no rain this winter, most rivers are very low.  While this is probably ok for a hard shelled kayak, our inflatables are no match for trees sticking out.

We made it back to the park in time for ice cream(dinner) and a dip in the pool and hot tub. 



Can You Play Lady of Spain?

Sunday was our day to relax before the three workdays in a row.  I envisioned afternoon at the pool.  Too bad the clouds and 30mph winds had other plans for my day.  After a quick trip to the grocery store, we stayed indoors watching golf, going out only for ice cream at 6:00pm.

It was cloudy with a couple of quick thunderstorms today while we worked.  I had to make a mad dash out in the storm to get back to the trailer for a quick bite to eat.  We had lots of people coming in today, one was a couple from Wisconsin.  He asked if he could play his accordion and have people stop by to listen.  Sure, we said, we're starved for entertainment.  Mark parked the guy in the only spot left in the park - right next to us! 

Sure enough, he started playing at 6:00pm and played for an hour.

Quite a few people stopped by to listen.  He was very good!  Too bad he's leaving to go back to Wisconsin.

"If Cows Could They'd Give Milnot"

Tuesday we were supposed to golf with Joyce and Jim but the weather wouldn't cooperate.  It was sprinkling and windy.  There's no reason to golf in bad weather since we're all retired; we rescheduled for Thursday.  As luck would have it, the sun came out so Mark and I headed to golf course at Colony Creek for the $22 special. Mark's back continues to improve. 

After dinner that night I started making my dessert for Thursday's potluck.  Since we had to work on Wednesday, and we were golfing on Thursday, I thought I'd get a head start on my Jello cheesecake.  What a fiasco.  I had the recipe, and even printed out another similar one on the internet.  The problem was, it called for Milnot.  At home, this is no problem; apparently it's unheard of in south Texas.  I bought was I thought was the same - sweetened condensed milk, and stuck it in the fridge for several days to get it cold.  If you ever try it, you will soon find out that sweetened condensed milk does not mix into hard peaks.  I had Mark do some research online to find out exactly what Milnot is.  It very specifically says, "it is NOT sweetened condensed milk, use evaporated milk."  At 8:30 Tuesday night I was making a mad dash to the HEB.  My dear husband was kind enough to clean up my dirty dishes was I was away - a very big help, since I had to restart again.  I wasn't real sure what it would taste like, but there were only 4 small pieces left after potluck.

Thursday was a perfect day for golf, and the course was very crowded.  We had to wait on every shot so we all decided to just play 9 and then go to lunch and then a stop off a Specs, the Texas discount liquor store.  I finally got the vodka I was looking for.

Potluck Thursday night was baked potatoes with various toppings provided by the owners, and then everyone brought a salad or dessert.  One person brought potato salad - strange salad to bring since the main entre' was a gigantic baked potato.  My cheesecake was the only non-store-bought dessert, and thus, the favorite (at least in my mind.)  Only one more potluck since all activities cease the end of March. 

Last night we played Canasta with JC and Edith and Roger and Monette.  We found out that JC and Edith were leaving early this morning.  He's convinced that the weather will be great now in southern Missouri, so off they went at 6:30 this morning.  Now we must await the arrival of Pam and Dennis next Tuesday.  Can't wait!

 

Maybe It's where Head Cheese Comes From!

It was a pretty boring weekend of work.  The worst part of the weekend was calling BINGO Friday night.  It's the chore that all of the workampers dislike the most.  Fortunately, that was the last time we have to call it since all activities in the park end on April 1 because most winter people will be gone by then. 

We had lots of free time so Butch got to spend quite a bit of time on Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon with us by the rocking chairs.

Chillin' out on top the gas fire place.

The 45mph winds on Saturday kept everyone in the park inside their own trailers so that day was very quiet, and too cold and windy to sit outside.

This is how we fill lots of our time when the workday is slow:

Yes, we are both addicted to "Words with Friends" on our I-Phones.  Whatever did we do before we all had smart phones?

Today we finally got to the grocery store.  It's been a while; the fridge and cupboards were bare!  We find the strangest things in the HEB.  Today they had not only pig's heads, but today we also found a calve's head (with the eyes in it) frozen right next to the pig's heads and lamb heads.  What do these people do with them?????

Lots of frozen animal heads can be bought, but no vodka!  Grocery store only sells beer and wine.

Strange citings in the park:  Erik (the owner) occasionally stomps down the trash in the dumpster rather than pay for additional pick-ups.  He's had these same white boots for at least six years.

We have been having conversations this week with a retired Telco engineer regarding fifth wheel trailers vs motor homes. He is selling his 2004 Winnebago Journey and it would be the ideal motor home for us if we were a little more serious about buying one. The time and the stock market just aren't right at this time but we always look. It gives us something to do that is free when we aren't working. One thing we have learned about motor homes is that you always need to close the curtains after dark. Unfortunately during our evening walks we have found that there are folks that think no one can see in. We have started being careful where we look when we walk Butch after dark!

There's Nothing Like A Good Nap!

The Heartland Band played in the clubhouse Sunday evening.  This group has played in this park for the past seven or eight years, but last year the room was too crowded and we couldn't get a seat.  Even though there are eight or nine members, only three played for us.  They travel around in an old red bus that has been converted to an RV.  These members played banjo, Dobro, guitar, and bass.  Even though I'm not a big fan of gospel or bluegrass, they were entertaining.  It sure beat sitting at home watching the Academy Awards.

Monday I exercised with the girls while Mark headed to Walmart and Academy.  We've moved the exercising outdoors for 15 minutes of stretching, and then we walk around the park for a half hour.  I'm used to a fast walk while most just lallygagged along.  Fortunately Lorna is a fast walker too so we headed out on our own, lapping the others just 10 minutes later.

Mark needed a light bulb for the refrigerator and was also checking out a kayak paddle that was on sale at Academy.  He's been searching for a lighter one, and the Sunday ad had one half price.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any in stock, but assured him a truck would be coming in Monday night and he could pick one up later in the week.

Mark and Butch napping Monday afternoon while I was "crafting." Boy is this little black dog going to be jealous when there's a grandbaby napping with Grandpa! 

I never participate in the organized crafts because I just don't want most of what the girls make, but this week Mark suggested that I might be interested.  They were making baked potato bags.  Two pieces of cotton material sewn together with a piece of flannel; fold to make a pocket, two more seams, and you have a small bag to bake potatoes in the microwave in.  As luck would have it, we had a potato in the cabinet and I tried it out for dinner that night.  It worked perfectly!  The girls were all joking that they should be taking a picture of me, because I never come to crafts.  (Probably won't be going back either.)

Tuesday we met up up with Joyce and Jim from Maine to go golfing.  Jim can't golf because he needs a knee replacement and can hardly walk, but he rode along while the rest of us golfed.  

Today we headed to the Guadalupe River with Roger and Monette for a few hours of kayaking.  They wanted to try out their new inflatable.

What you can't seen from this picture - Monette fell in the river while trying to get into the kayak.  Rodger told her to stand in it and sit down - BIG mistake.  She immediately fell in but took it all in stride.  Fortunately the water wasn't real cold and it was very warm out. 

Besides this guy, we also saw three turkeys swoop across the river in front of us, lots of turtles, and a few ducks.  Rodger is deathly afraid of snakes, so it's good we didn't see any, and the water's too cold for gators to come out yet.