Winding down our winter stay in the Rio Grande Valley

80 degrees in La Feria, TX as I start this at 3:39 pm on Saturday afternoon.  Heavy overcast with an occasional spit of rain, but not amounting to anything.

 Last Saturday we helped our next door neighbors (From Hiawatha, KS) celebrate their 60th Wedding Anniversary which was actually the day before on Friday the 18th.

 Imogene and Harold Williams (from Marion, IN), Petie and Jim Cleveland (from Ohio) were at the table at the Longhorn Cattle Company restaurant near San Benito, south of  Harlingen.

 In the center is LaRhoda and

Harold Neher (from Hiawatha, KS)

and Phyllis is at the far right.

Jim and Lavin Boozer (Kell, IL) were
across the table from us.

Neighbors 2 doors down,

Bob and Bobbi Raab (near

Minneapolis, MN)  were to

our right.

Bill Winslow took Phyllis and my picture.

At the far end

of the table, near the center

of this photo, is Doug and

Betty Salzwedle (near

Minneapolis, MN) and

at right are LaRhoda and Harold Neher

Wasn't until right now that I realized I missed
getting a photo of Bill and Darlene Winslow (from West Branch, Michigan) -- they sat directly across the table from us!  Bill is in the center of the photo at left

and Darlene is second from left
in this photo.

We had returned from the restaurant to
our place for a nice visit and then
ice cream and cake.

The guests of honor (though

LaRhoda got the

cake and ice cream

and helped Phyllis

set up everything.

They were really appreciative of all their friends

here in Kenwood that the have spent so many

winters with.

All enjoyed themselves
and their time together.

On Sunday morning we rode with Bob & Bobbi Raab to Arroyo City, Texas  to the Baptist Church.
Our church here at Kenwood is done until next December.  Bob Wright, the minister, used to be the Minister here in Kenwood RV Park some 10 years ago.

 
Phyllis got to visit a bit with Beverly Krissemeyer, who was here first piano teacher back in southwest Iowa---and her father was one of the two ministers it took to marry Phyllis and myself in 1963.

 Spent some more time this last week

working in the Texas Room.  No, I

won't get it done this year, but should

within a few years.

Built a bookcase type of

shelves right under the kitchen

window, which completes

about half of the wall

against the mobile home which

is the east side of the

Texas room.

Phyllis, last night, burning the candle at
both ends---------no, actually was
burning two candles on a rock.

I pulled the trailer

near the front

door of our house

so we can spend this

week moving things

over, so we can leave

for Iowa next Friday morning.

When Joe, "the vegie man" was here yesterday we got several things, including this 50 lbs. of carrots and 50 lbs. of Mexican 1015 onions.  Monday we pick up, from another source 50 lbs. of grapefruit.



 

Started packing the pickup for trip north.

More later, Lynn

Busy March 21st

66 degrees here in La Feria, TX at 9:45 am Tuesday as I start this blog today.

Yesterday, the 21st, was Winter Texan Appreciation Day in Progreso, Tamilupis, Mexico.  Expecting a big crowd, we went early and still encountered quite a few people.

After waiting for 5-10 minutes in line outside of Irene's Bakery we were seated with several other people- from Nebraska, Ontario, Iowa, Wisconson.

This sign, entering Mexico has been changed since our visiting other years.

The signage at the top translates:  Mexico  --  Government of the Republic            INDAABIN  --  Institute for Management and Valuation of Domestic Goods

Thought this guy's

shirt had rather

interesting read.

 Phyllis looking for
some items for Russ & Krista's
kids; will see them on April 2nd
in Elkhart, Texas

Phyllis usually cuts my hair;

but, with her right arm still

bothering from her fall the last

night of our Mexico trip, she 

encouraged me to take advantage

of the Mexican barber- $6 including tip.

By 10:00 am the entertainment was
getting started on the main street
of Progreso.  This was a group of
youngsters.

Street was filling up.  Many
stores were offering juice or
margaritas and Tamales.
Couple of larger stores
were giving straw hats with
their store name/logo on the band. 

 Stopped at "our"

pharmacy and got

supply of some meds

to last the summer until

we return in October.

Harvesting Aloe

 Returning from Mexico we got
lunch at a Whataburger and then
some shopping at HEB Grocery store
before stopping at Aloe King - an aloe
vera farm that we get foot cream for me
that has Aloe in it and liquid Aloe for
help with digestion.

Harvesting Aloe

On returning home, I

helped neighbor Harold Neher

get the carrier for his

electric scooter mounted

on their car.  He hadn't used

it much this winter; plans to use

it when the family goes to Colorado

this summer.

Scooter covered and

strapped down.

They pulled out this morning for Hiawatha, Kansas; another neighbor--Jim & Lavin Boozer pulled out for Kell, Illinois early this morning, and Virgil Green's left for Bird Island, MN.  Butch Giesking left Sunday morning for Titonka, Iowa.  Couple of trailers pulled out this morning.  Park really seeming to be getting sparse.  The "bug man" is coming this morning to do ours, Nehers, and Raabs units.

More later, Lynn

The "Floating Gardens of Mexico"

 We had converted some dollars

to pesos before the trip.  It always

seemed like the prices were high, but 

you needed to divide their price by

17 to get the approximate price in

US Dollars. Something that cost

70 Pesos was equal  to $4.12;

100 Pesos was just under $5.90

The different bills

are all different sizes.

 "The floating gardens of Mexico" in Xochimilco  was really colorful with
hundreds of boats being pushed by
one person with a pole against the
bottom. 

I got several videos of this and the thing these photos don't show is the sound.  There were lots of mariachi  bands and lots of music all the time we were on the water.

It was a Sunday afternoon and there were many, many families on these boats.  You rented a boat and their were some with just a few people and there were some with many people having a party, eating a picnic, listening to Mariachi bands, or singers.

This is our "boat driver" with Phyllis as we finished our hour-and-a-half time on the water. 

There were the flying men

"Voladores de Papentla" at

the dock.  We did not see

their performance in

total -- they ascend a 40 foot

pole and then swing down

and out on ropes as they

come to the ground.  This is

the group getting their photo

taken right after they had finished.

A market was at the dock and we
spent some time there.  This is
a photo of the Bano's (restrooms)
where you get to pay 5 pesos to
an attendant and they give you
a few folds of toilet tissue.

Map of the area we were

in.  It was always hard to

get our bearings as to our

location, not being able to

read the Spanish and

not really understanding the

interpretation.  We were

somewhere north and west

of Mexico City,,,,,,,,,,,,I think.

Until another posting, Lynn