So this is what 2026 looks like!

79º here in La Feria, TX at 2:30 pm Thursday, January 1st, 2026.

A terific sauerkraut & pork supper
last evening.

    Eating pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day is a superstition meant to bring good fortune and prosperity in the comingyear.  I found out this fact last night.     

Lisa bringing out cake, two big dishes
of cooked sauerkraut on table

Tom & Lisa Urban, from Pennsylvania (He spent some years growing up near Arnold, Nebraska -- a few miles from where I went to school in Callaway, Nebraska) always starts the fermenting of

sauerkrau on November 1st each year and then it is ready by New Year's Eve.  In preparing

for the meal, he puts the pork in big pots, covers it with the sauerkraut and leaves it together

until the meat is cooked.  Gives a totally different perspective to the sauerkraut!

We had something  around 37 people to

the supper.

Afterwards, about an hour later when people

had brought some finger-foods,

 Cliff Weldon, brother-in-law to 

Tom Urban, gave us a test of 15 questions

on facts for the year 2025.  I got two out of

fifteen right and got a prize.  Most of us old

folks don't keep up on the top tunes, best-rated

movies, actors in them, sports figures, etc.

Cliff, AKA the cat in the Hat, read "Your Only Old Once" by Dr.

Seuss.  You can watch video of this book CLICK HERE 

After much visiting (and using the test papers as

paper airplanes to torment each other) 

Things broke up between 9 and 10 pm so 

us old folks could go home.

A few days ago I used some of my scrap

lumber to beef up a failing handrail

for our 86-year old neighbor's back step.

Instead of solid welded frame and rail, the

rail was bolted to the wood.  This made it

very stable with no cost and should                take care of him. 

The bottom of the 2"x12" boards are

bolted to 2"x4" on inside of leg frame.

This huge plane (Russion, I think) has
28 wheels/tires under the main part.

Happy New Year to All!

LCM

Last day of 2025!

 63º with bright sunshine here in Kenwood RV at 11:30 am Wednesday.  Have run furnace last couple nights/days instead of A/C.  Forecast to be in upper 80's Friday and Saturday.

I think this program on this new computer is finally workiing for me so will post some pictures from our cruise in early December.  Click HERE for a good video of The Ritual of the Papantla Flyers at the Costa Maya Cruise Port which was our first stop after two full days at sea. At right is photo I took, but the video has much more clear pictures.

This shows location of Costa Maya just above
the Central America Countries.

We went to the entertainment at the big theater most evenings.  This is a series of photos of this couple doing amazing things.  

She is really in the air, there.

As I type this I am watching Iowa University in their bowl game in Tampa.  Nebraska follows later this afternoon in Las Vegas.

She stood on his hands as well as
being upright, hands to hands.

Hard to believe the way he lifted her in the air, sometimes she twisted on way up and they never missed a catch.

Well, is now 3:32 pm, Iowa won their bowl game and Nebraska is tied up with Utah in their bowl game in Las Vegas.

Lot of energy

One night on ship was "white night" where most everyone wore white and they did a bunch of stuff with mostly younger guests, that was shown on the big TV screen on the top deck.

Lot of energy

I used the step counter program
 on the phone for some of the
days on ship and on shore.

 

Always good food on ship.

And, an occasional ice cream.

These signs were in a
chocolate shop!

Didn't know

of all the

chocolate

that comes

from Honduras.

Well, is now 4:51 pm, Nebraska is loosing badly and I will put this to bed.  LCM

It's Cool in the Valley

 56º at 4:07 pm here in Kenwood RV in La Feria, TX at 4:15 pm Monday.  High for today was 61º before sunrise.  Predicted low in the morning of 47º. Pretty cool for here!

This morning we went to the Board Meeting of the Men & Women of A-Chord barbershop chorus in Pharr, TX.  We now have 7 performances scheduled and a Christmas Carol program was done at a restaurant in Mission early in December so 8 total for the season....only had 6 last year.  I have been putting out flyers - here is one

Well, you probably didn't know it, but it is now 9:45 am Tuesday morning - 52º with some cold north wind.  To be up to 87º by Friday.

Sunday evening Tom & Lisa Urban hosted an all-park gettogether, everyone brought finger food and a gift to exchange

Most of the guys were exchanging BS out on the patio.

Sunday morning we attended church, but choir did not perform.  It was last service of Rev Phillip Hoeflinger as he is transferring to suburb of Dallas the first of the year.  We returned to a 12:30 pm potluck and lots of visiting.  He was raised in this area, has been pastor at the First Methodist in Harlingen since 2021 and has a family that are leaving the area of their grandparents.

Will sign off for now and see if this program cooperates today.

LCM

Some more

 

For whatever reason this program refused to post what I had put in it so will try to continue a little here.  Reminds me why I quit writting in this darned thing!  No, it cut it off!

In Costa Maya, Mexico we watched the Costa Maya Papantla Flyers Performance Click HERE for video  I took a video, but this one from YouTube is much better.  I took something undeer 700 photos and videos and have not gotten them all sorted and edited.  Had to get a new computer and setting it up aat the same time, transferrring files and programs, etc. is something else!

There were a couple glass-floored walkways on the ship which were interesting to walk on.  On one we saw two ladies so scared they hung onto the railing and "Tim Conway shuffled" their way along and said once they got off that damned thing they were never going on it again.

I was with some Flamingos while Phyllis was
getting a sales pitch on "skin tightning" stuff

We stopped at 3 ports and looked around the areas near the dock.

Well, enough for now.  Tired of fightiing the computer and this chair.  I might post something later.  Will see if this posts the entire thing.

LCM

Nearing end of 2025

 80 degrees at 10:30 am Saturday December 27th with high of 86 predicted,  Tuesday will see low of 39 degrees and high of 60 degrees.

On Monday Phyllis drove the golf cart in the Christmas Parade here in Kenwood.  Cody rode with her.  Click HERE to watch video of it going by our place.

Bunch at Richard Pozzebon's unit (from Canada)
watching the parade.

Phyllis with Cody playing
Shuffleboard

Lynn & Glenn playing
shuffleboard

Will post a few of the 700 photos and videos taken on our Cruise in early December from Galveston. 

In Costa Maya, Mexico we watched the Costa Maya Papantla Flyers Performance Click HERE for video  I took a video, but this one from YouTube is much better.  I took something undeer 700 photos and videos and have not gotten them all sorted and edited.  Had to get a new computer and setting it up aat the same time, transferrring files and programs, etc. is something else!

There were a couple glass-floored walkways on the ship which were interesting to walk on.  On one we saw two ladies so scared they hung onto the railing and "Tim Conway shuffled" their way along and said once they got off that damned thing they were never going on it again.

I was with some Flamingos while Phyllis was
getting a sales pitch on "skin tightning" stuff

We stoppe at 3 ports and looked around the area near the dock.