End of January coming up

73º here in La Feria, TX with bright sunshine and little wind at 2:52 pm as I start this.
One week from today we will be boarding our ship in Galveston, TX.
To pick up Patty Steckelberg from the airport here in Harlingen tomorrow morning so she can spend a month with us--including the 5 days on the cruise ship.

Finished this very interesting book
I borrowed from Deana Messer

Another book of Deana's I am done with.
This cat was at the library in Spencer, Iowa,
north of us for some 17 years.

Am reading this book of Deana's now

A book of Deana's I am reading.  It has a lot
more information that the move "Sully" does
about the flight that went in the Hudson River

With weather a little wet and cool the last few days did quite a bit of reading.

Phyllis at her job as Activity Director for the Park

Phyllis working with the outdoor sign of events.  We are replacing this sign soon.

I am building interior wall in the Texas room
by laying 1"x3" boards flat

Worked some more this
morning on getting screen
over the end of roof above gutter.

Our Great Granddaughter Jessica - on her
7-month birthday

Phyllis working with the Care & Share ladies making quilts

Harold and Phyllis

Marion and Harold

Saturday evening we played Concentration card game at the neighbor's to the west and the neighbors to the east joined us.

Ardel and LaRhod

More later, Lynn

Wind, Wind, Wind this week

60 degrees here in La Feria, TX as I start this at 10:11 am Thursday.  Was 48¨ when woke this morning.  Rather cool, especially when you remember Harlingen (only 4 miles away) set a record high for the day at 91º a few days ago.  We have had consistent winds in the 20-30 mph range with gusts in the 40 mph range most of this week.

There are about 10 palm fronds caught in the trees and also one frond hanging
on the insulated electric line by the transformer on the pole at the right.

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I have made numerous trips from our street on the north side to the
garbage area on the south side where leaves, branches, etc. are piled seperately

I strap the fronds on the back and the ends drag the
street - making me a street sweeper, also.

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Might seem early for the Midwest, but corn is being planted here in the Valley.

Bought some nice soft, large grapefruit yesterday at a stand run by a 70-something
oriental widow lady that grows them, and oranges, behind her house on her farm only
about a mile and a half from our house.

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 This week we went with neighbors Harold and LaRhoda Neher to a program at the Baptist Church in Weslaco.  They do missionary work in the Philippines and performed many old gospel songs.   Sam Ray, his wife, Brenda Ray and son, Curtis (2nd from right) with 46" tall Duke Masen in the center and David Little on the right make up "The Texans"

Here the four guys perform as a quartet - really amazing sound.

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Cut all the lower leaves away from this plant in the back yard -- and
hauled them off in the back of the trike.

Well, it is now 2:00 pm - had to go somewhere.  Temp is now 67 degrees with 12 mph winds.  We went to a luncheon put on by Skymed - we are members of this group that can fly us anywhere in case of medical emergencies - and had great lunch, but had to leave before the program was over.  Phyllis is now working full time here in the park as Activity Director and today is she quilting day for the ladies that she helps run as well as in charge of Meet & Greet at 4:00 pm and we have to take all tables down and set up chairs for a 7:00 pm entertainment program tonight int he same hall.

Later, Lynn

Warm day in the Valley

This was on Wunderground La Feria, TX a few minutes ago.

I start this at 2:34 pm - 90.1 degrees with bright sunshine outside here in the Rio Grande Valley in La Feria - near Harlingen, Texas..

Just took this photo out the back door.

Out the back door towards our neighbors the Neher's and Raab's

Bright sunshine out the front door, too.

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This was after the fog had abated a little this morning after we had gone to
Walmart about 7:15 am and then to Chick fil-A about 8:30 am.  Visibility was
only about one car-length as we drove downtown.

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At Chick fil-A

This bear must have had a rough Friday night -- at Walmart

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Food table at Meet-N-Greet
Thursday afternoon.

Watched much of the inauguration on Friday.

After eating fish/shrimp buffet at the City Market on south edge of La Feria
last night we played several games of Pegs & Jokers with group at the Rec Hall.
LaRhoda,-  Lynn & Sharlene Stivers from Nebraska

Sharlene, Doug and Betty Salszwedel from Minnesota

Phyllis, Harold and LaRhoda Neher from Kansas

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While riding the recumbent trike yesterday saw this guy standing on one of the
park models power-washing the roof.

Yesterday was my sister-in-law Carolyn Miles' birthday; talked with her on phone this morning.  Things are going okay in Lincoln, Nebraska.   Got Text messages from son, Cameron, today - they are visiting Patty's dad in the hospital in Omaha today.  He had open heart surgery nearly two weeks ago and is getting along slowly.

Later, Lynn

Half-way thru January

81 degrees, with strong wind blowing here in La Feria, Texas at 3:30 pm Sunday as I start this.  Had a hard rain yesterday afternoon, although neighbor said he only had a short 1/2 inch in his gauge.

I helped serve breakfast at the Rec Hall Saturday morning.  Biscuits & gravy
with eggs and Tater Tots.

Dave was deep fat frying the Tater Tots in peanut oil.  Had over 50 people for
the breakfast.  Think number of RV's in park are higher than last year at this time.

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Still have some of the car track to disassemble.

All the long pieces of the car track piled against wall under the edge of the roof.

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Lost the small hubcap in the car wash.

Went to car wash and they had found it.

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 About finished with this book (actually borrowed from our neighbor here in the park-they are from Hiawatha, KS) but it is about the Manager of the Clarinda A's Baseball team in the town where we live in Iowa.  Lot of things I had not realized -- Merl Eberly led such an interesting life.  Though he bought a lot of advertising signs from us for the baseball field in Clarinda, and we did a lot of work on the scoreboard for advertisers, we never went to a single baseball game there in town.  See a book review BY CLICKING HERE  It is a very interesting book and we knew a lot of the town people mentioned in the book.  Get it to read if you get a chance.







My daughter-in-law gave me this book for Christmas.  Just finished it this morning.  It relates story of Leland Stanford - one of the main instigators for the Central Pacific Railroad who was a store owner at the time of the California Gold Rush and went together with 3 other store owners to form the Central Pacific.  He had been Governor of California, also.  They made a fortune off it and when he started a horse farm by his mansion he got Edward Muybridge to do "motion studies" with crude cameras of the time. Muybridge went on to form what was later the motion picture business, though he got no credit for it--when it was right at the edge of being workable he interested Thomas Edison in it and Edison went on to develope it without giving Muybridge any credit for it.  Very interesting book.   Click HERE for review

This book was published by one of the men in our RV Park.  I haven't found any record of it available through Amazon, etc.  He loaned it to Phyllis and wanted it back before too long.  She read it and I just photographed all the pages, so can read it in the Picasa 3 program as I get time.  Donald Steinke spent most of his life as an auctioneer and real estate agent.  We visited him and his wife Terry at their log cabin home in northwest Ohio in 2015.  He is a very interesting man -- he speaks each Sunday at the church service at the Rec Hall and leads Responsive Readings.

I started a Facebook page -- Clarinda, IA Class of 1962 -- hoping to get their classmates together for their 55th Class Reunion this September 22/23rd in Clarinda.

22 days until we leave Galveston for our 5 day Musical Cruise.

More later, Lynn

Wind, Wind, Wind in the Valley

69º in La Feria, TX as I start this post at 7:00 am on Friday.  Had windows open with fan pulling in air all night.  Little different from a week or so ago when had furnace running and electric blanket turned on during the night---with windows tight shut.  For the last 5 days or so the wind has averaged in the mid to upper 20 mph range all the time with gusts as high as 48 mph.  Settles down overnight, but comes back up in the daytime.  10 days or so ago Record high temperature readings were made in the Valley and then about a week ago record low temperature readings were made.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

While getting gas at Sam's club yesterday, got to reading this sticker on the pump.  $.384 of the price of gas (paid $2.08 yesterday) is Taxes.  And noted that Federal tax on Diesel is 6 cents higher than gas.  Explains a little of the difference in price.

This gentleman gave us a 40 minute tour of Channel 5 TV KRGV
in Weslaco, Texas on Wednesday.

Some of the many monitors in one of the "back rooms"

Green screen to the right for the weather person - part of
the desk set in the background

All the lights overhead - aimed at the 5 or so different
sets where cameras can be aimed.

One of the main cameras in front of the
main news desk.  Note all the lights above.

Most of our group - listening to the morning weather
girl in photo below

The morning weather girl telling about herself and her
daily work schedule.  This is her first job out of college -
came from central Florida - been here 3 years.

There were 20 Kenwood people on the TV station tour.
9 of us went to Nana's in Weslaco afterwards for lunch.
Here are Maxine - from Ohio - and Kathy - from Kansas

Phyllis from Iowa - and Deane and Dick from Minnesota

Lillian and Jerry from Ohio and Lynn from Iowa.

Lynn from Iowa, Bill from Kansas and Maxine from Ohio

Rueben was our server and he is quite outspoken.

Rueben took our photo outside.  Bill & Kachy Connally from
Kansas, Jerry & Lillian Witt from Ohio, Maxine Koch from Ohio,
Lynn & Phyllis Miles from Iowa and Dick & Deanne Messer from Minnesota

Rueben taking our picture.

Well, got interupted - is now 2:15 pm - 81 degrees with "feel like" of 84 degreed.
Went to choir practice then helped move some material from the rec hall to the workshop and since was given okay to take the old race track for salvage I hauled it from the spot it has been in since last March to the back of my place.

Have part of the bolts out- still working on it.

Imagine I can use the 1"x 4" boards for something.

This is what it looked like on the lot a hundred feet
or so south of us before I started taking it apart.

Thursday Phyllis put on a program at Meet & Greet, showing the
work that is put on making quilts.  The ladies have made
over 4,000 quilts since their program started some 16 years ago.
Here two ladies are using sewing machines putting blocks together

These quilts were completed that day - and some of the smaller
items made by the ladies and brought in.

Phyllis at left - the sewing tables.

Table where the blocks are laid out to be sewn together.

Table in center has the sewn blocks, with under-sheet and
the filler material (large white thingy) is pinned together

Tying the three layers together.

Phyllis talking to the room

Pillow case dress - made by
Lola 

Quilts for the "chance tickets"

Wall hanging people can
buy chance tickets on.

We didn't go to bean-bag baseball last night - first time this season when we were at the park.  I also didn't go with the guys to eat out today while the ladies all went to "Red Hat" program.  Was good thing as it took me couple hours to move the scrap wood over behind our place.

Maybe more later, Lynn