Saturday, November 28, 2015

End of Thanksgiving week.

La Feria, TX 53 degrees with very light mist.   Click on photos to enlarge. 

 4:15 pm on Saturday - Just finished 8.5 miles on trike, but my windshield wipers weren't working on my eyeglasses, so came in.

Meal for Thanksgiving at the Rec Hall went well.  Served around 90 people.
 Phyllis headed up a crew that prepared 6 turkeys, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy.  Everyone
brought a dish and there was quite a variety of vegetables, salads, deserts, etc.




This is earlier in the day
and they were checking
on the dressing.






Lot of checking on the dressing!







Judy and Maxine
were in charge of arrainging
the desserts and
side dishes.






On Wednesday, we had just brought the turkeys in from the local market in La Feria, El Centro.

Unbagging, washing,
and putting the
turkeys in the roasters.


Cindy came in to take pictures of the kitchen work -- maybe some of them will be on Kenwood's Facebook page.


Cutting up the French
Bread for the
dressing.


More bread cutting.

















Last Sunday we drove, with the Winslows
 over to South Padre Island for a sea-food fix.










Fried mushroom appetizers were delicious. Among the 4 of us we had shrimp bisque, shrimp, scallops, fish and oysters.  Good eating.











Drove up along the coast a ways and walked out once.  Was quite windy and high waves -- red flag flying as warning.







Coming across the causeway
back toward Port Isabel on the 
mainland.











After Ice Cream and Announcements Sunday evening we played dominoes with Dave and Jan Engle
and Don and Lawrence Ferguson.



 Have been trying to ride
my trike at least 10 miles
a day.  Have done several
8-mile days and a couple
13 and 14 mile days.

These five photos were taken as we rode from west to east on the street (unused mostly) on the
outside of the fence.





Gets an idea of some of the vegetation (Flowers by Phyllis and cacti by Meinself)


Nice to have the Holiday week about over.  Have talked with the kids and all doing well.  Granddaughter announced we will be Great-Grandparents in June.  Niece is still in hospital St. Louis, hopefully she will get to go home today or tomorrow, though is still having kidney problems.  Son and all his family made it to Clarinda this afternoon from eastern Iowa; hope they make it back home this evening safely.

Watched on TV as Iowa football team got their 12th win of the season--over my home-state Nebraska team that hasn't done well this year.

If you wish to look at all the Photos I have taken so far this month, Click HERE 
More next time,  Lynn

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Third week in our RGValley home!

La Feria, TX - 66degrees - been raining last couple days.  Dumped 1/2 inch from rain gauge yesterday.


Here are some 3-day old radishes.
And 4 day old lettuce -- not so tall.









Thursday was Darlene Winslow's
80th Birthday and as a part of the Thursday
Meet & Greet at the Rec Hall, Phyllis had a
small program for her.  And, the Activity
Director bought a birthday cake which about
50 of us enjoyed with ice cream.  These
are some pictures Darlene's daughter sent
us and we printed them up for the event.

Bill provided a lot of photos - and the notation "Lordy, Lordy, she's 2 X 40"




Think she enjoyed it.
 Friday I helped Darlene and Bill put new outdoor-carpet on their two steps into their Park Model.











 Friday, yesterday, was the first time of the season that "the veggie man" came to the park.  He always provides good fresh vegetables every Friday.





Decoration at one of the full-time residents place here in the park.







 Well, I got interrupted - it is now Sunday morning and was 47 degrees at 8:00 am.  Cool for here, since we had air conditioner on yesterday morning when it was in mid 70's and humidity was 85%.
Saturday morning
Phyllis headed up cooking
and serving breakfast at the Rec Hall.
She enlisted Pat & Lois Sumner as
well as myself.
 Pat manned
the grill, making all
the pancakes for 40-some
people.  Sausage was
also served, with the butter-syrup
as you wanted.

Coffee and orange juice
were served.




Some of the people at the tables.







Phyllis, standing, with Jenine Houk.





 Above - what do you think of Marti's shirt?


We went over to Alamo to the Mexican Flea Market - walked most of it; it is very large and there wasn't much of a crowd until just before noon so we didn't have much walking-resistance.  We left about noon and it was starting to rain so good timing.  Found several items we needed.

There are about 10 times as many booths at this Flea Market compared to Don-Wes and they offer all sorts of things.  Here are bunny rabbits, puppies and birds.


You can see the rain
clouds off to the
west in this picture.





It got cool overnight with 45 being shown as low.  To gradually get warmer and 83 degrees is forecasted for Thursday when Phyllis is heading up the cooking crew for Thanksgiving Dinner at the Rec Hall.


Saturday, November 14, 2015

Friday the 13th in Rio Grande Valley

La Feria, TX  70 cool degrees with heavy overcast and trying to mist.





We went to Progreso, Tamaulipas, MX this morning to get our teeth cleaned, and pick up

 some ointment for my Psoriasis that cost about 30% of what I would have to pay at the pharmacy up here after Insurance paid.

Those of you who have been across the bridge there might not recognize these pictures--lots of brush cleaned out.  All three photos are taken from near where you pay on the US side, looking back to the north.  It is so cleaned up that
 it is hardly recognizable.  Lot better looking.

This taken from same spot as above photos, but looking south at the pay-place before you walk over the bridge.





Well, as usual, been a bit since I started this.  Is now 10:00 am Saturday - 68 degrees with bright sunshine - predicted to get to 80 degrees today.

 At right is photo of the two
blossoms that were on my 8' tall
cactus in the back yard.  They fell off
after a few days and the ants ate 
up the insides of them post haste.


Tuesday was Armistice Day and there was a short ceremony raising the flag (Don Ferguson and Morris Azure) with Bill Martin leading Pledge of Allegiance and a reading.















At right is small snail
that had fastened himself
to one of our sun room
windows.

Photo looking east on second street from north of the park.  They removed the two new rental units yesterday that had just been put in a month ago.  Something about "they needed them at another park"?????   Doesn't make sense to me.
 Looking east on north street.  Don Ferguson's home is first one on the left.

Looking west on north street.
Baker's house in center/right
of this photo.

Looking west on north street.  Nehr's house on right, our house in center.
 Our current setup - our travel trailer at the rear of the vacant lot next to our place.


Monday was first day we went
to Gatti's Pizza in Harlingen to
play bingo, chat, and eat.










Don called the bingo numbers.



 I got oil changed in our pickup this week.  Had just over 2,000 miles on it when we bought it in May.  Now has just under 19,000 miles -- but we enjoyed them all.


I washed most of the travel
trailer this week.  Used "Beast
Wash" and scrubbed the roof,
and all but one side.  Need
to finish it today.


I had inserted this reflector aluminum between the two "sun bubbles" over the shower.  It lets in a little light, but on the really bright sunshiny days it keeps most of the heat out.
The trailer
is less than a 
year old, but the top
had accumulated some
dirt.  We had spent 2 weeks,
3 months, and 2 weeks on
the three trips this summer in it.
Haven't added actual miles
we have pulled it, but something
 around 12,000 miles since
we picked it up in eastern
Iowa in early April
this year.






On returning from Mexico yesterday we stopped at the new Stefano's Pizza on Business 83 just west of Harlingen.  Had a terrific 10" House Pizza and less that $11, including tip -- and had enough left to have for supper last night.

The sign for the restaurant is on Business 83, but the actual entrance and main parking lot is off the side street to the "back" of the building.






 The kitchen is
behind one of the dining areas
across the way where you
could watch them making
your pizza.  They have
a full menu of items
besides Pizza.


The Pizza.
You can see into
adjacent room that
can be closed off
for private parties.

The dining area as you come into the restaurant.






Well, we are going back to restaurant across Business 83 at noon, taking Carl & Marti for lunch at the buffet.  Today is Carl's 84th birthday.
Many more coming in to the park.  Earl and Sharon Taylor got here this week; Pat and Jim Lindstrom got here yesterday.  Gene and Barb (in the permanent on the west end) got here this week.  Several that I am not sure of their names --but said welcome back as was riding our trikes around the park.  Talked with Bill Oberholzer - they aren't coming this year as their older pickup was totaled after a front-end accident.  Yesterday he let me know had found another truck, but with finances a little tight were going to stay at his mother-in-laws place where they park their 5th-wheel (usually just for the summer).  Mac Laster, from Kentucky, got here this week.  Oh, Pam and Harold Patten got here last week.  They were headed to Florida, but Harold said he could get in more golf here- they will stay until in January when they head north for their job in Minnesota.  Roger & Jenine Houk got her couple days ago from Michigan as well as our neighbor John Metzgar from Mound City, MO came in Monday.

Later, Lynn

Performed in Easter Cantata

 Well, the blogger program did it again -- hang up so I couldn't finish it properly. On our return trip from Progreso we had a delightfu...