Gas prices have been a bit interesting. Station near our park is at $1.879 -- in last week have been up and down several times, $1.729 was the lowest, I think. A month ago we got gas at Costco for $1.529 and last week paid $1.699. See by the web that Clarinda is over $2 -- $2.19 showing on Gas Buddy. Of course, we aren't driving much. Had been a month between fill-ups and only took 15 gallon. Looking back over our gas book (we record dates, gallons, prices and mileage at each fill-up) that in 2015 we drove just under 20,000 miles; 2016 19,000 miles; 2017 16,000 miles; 2018 16,500 miles; 2019 17,000 miles and this year we will have driven about 10,000 miles.
While riding the trike after dark last night I took video of our Christmas lights - CLICK HERE
79º with overcast skies as I start this at 5:20 pm Sunday.
Rode 10 miles on the trike this morning, some of it out of the park to the north where they poured more cement yesterday on one of the 8 units that are being built just 40 or 50 feet from the back of our house.
For some of you who are familiar with Kenwood, I took video while riding the streets. You will see lot of green where the mobile RV's aren't here. Many of the permanents are not occupied this year. Video is HERE if you want to view. None of the rental cabins have anyone in them. At least 11 trailers (Travel trailers or 5th wheels) here are not occupied. I suppose maybe almost half of the permanent ones like ours are empty.
Here are some still photos taken while making the video.
Terri & Charlie Serven, from western Illinois, came in a few days ago and Bob & Margaret Henning, from Missouri arrived here today.
Is now 6:50 pm -- wind changed a bit ago from being out of the south to now out of the north, temp has dropped to 73 degrees. Wind has been in the 15-20 mph all day and still is. Forecast is for 46º by morning with a high tomorrow of 62º.
Not a bird but it looks like a bird. This flower is called Magnolia Liliiflora. Beautiful.
Thought these were interesting -- amazing shapes, but in a flower.
75ºhere in La Feria at 10:45 am on Thursday.
Here are some photos taken of sunsets
in the park while riding the trike.
This last week or so have ridden 8, 10, 11, 10,
rain day, 15, 12.5, & 11 miles on trike.
Good exercise, only trouble is, it seems to
create extra appetite.
We are finally
buying tomatoes
from Joe, the Veggie Man.
Jeff, a friend who lives here full time, hunts wild hogs and deer. He makes a sausage with deer, pork, cheese and
Jalapeño
Chili peppers, has been trading some of his sausage for lemon pies. Even with the Jalapeno, these weren't very hot at all.
Finally replaced the window over the kitchen sink with a new "regular house" window.
Phyllis keeps adding Christmas lights to the Texas Sunroom.
GROANER'S CORNER:(( Confucius Is At It Again:: Confucius Say: "Man who drive like hell bound to get there." Confucius Say: "Man who live in glass house should change clothes in basement." Confucius Say: "Women who put detergent on top shelf, jump for Joy!" Confucius Say: "Never argue with fool...he may be doing the same thing." Confucius Say: "Best time to buy new mattress, at first sign of spring." Confucius Say: "Adults are just wrinkled kids who owe money." Confucius Say: "An old grave digger is called an Elderberry." Confucius Say: "People who have gift of gab, not know how to wrap it up." Confucius Say: "Time flies like arrow. Fruit flies like bananas." Confucius Say: "A man who sits on tack gets point and will surely rise."
50º with rain here in La Feria, TX at 11 am. Started raining in middle of the night and forecast to rain all day. Doubt if I do the 10 miles or so on the trike today.
They were pouring concrete when we got up yesterday on this apartment build behind our house. Neighbor, who is a light sleeper, said they started at 4:30 am.
Later in the day they were all working on smoothing the concrete.
While grocery shopping Wednesday I got some Chorizo - a Mexican pork sausage - and mixed it with scrambled eggs. Was okay with me, but Phyllis isn't eating any more of it!
Obviously, with the Covid-19 situation, very little going on here.
54º with a north-west wind blowing at 10:00 am this Thursday. Bit chilly here in south Texas.
For the last 3 years I have been singing with the Barbershop Chorus Men of A-Chord here in the Rio Grande Valley. Phyllis started singing with them last year. We have had no practices account of the Covid and it is finally official now that we won't be getting together any this year and all our programs for January, February and March are cancelled. Bummer!
Yesterday Phyllis and I went up to the Rec Hall and set up the tables for the first, of the season, quilting day.
Today the worked from 9 to about 11:30 am with total of four ladies.
Phyllis added another line of red lights (that we found back in the storage area of the Texas Room) to the stair rails and around the Pelican bird at the base of the stairs.
Spotted this Sugar Cane fire north of La Feria as we came home yesterday morning.
Since I got distracted since I started this, it is now 1:30 pm. Is all the way up to 61º and 20 mph winds with gusts to 28 mph. Have been riding between 9 and 11 miles each day on the recumbent trike, but a little cool with the wind this morning.
58º with a 20 mph wind out of the north, here at Kenwood RV Park in La Feria, TX at 10 am on Monday. Had a little rain yesterday morning -- a tenth of an inch. First rain since first of September, think the tv weatherman said Harlingen is about 6 inches below average rainfall year to date. Average annual rainfall for Harlingen is 26 inches, compared with average US rainfall is 38 inches.
Phyllis has been busy with getting out the Christmas decorations for around the place. Haven't taken photos of inside yet.
All of the items in the auction of Roy Rogers memorabilia at Christies this week were sold, fetching a total of $US2.9 million.
Wrought iron wall medallions: $11,250 Buttermilk: $25,000; Bullet: $35,000 Trigger Jr: $18,750 Dale’s parade saddle: $104,500 Kelly Bros Diamond Dick pattern spurs: $10,625 American Eagle plastic saddle: $50,000 Nudie Taylor boots: $21,250
The auction included more than 300 iconic lots from Roy Rogers and Dale Evans – the King of the Cowboys and Queen of the West.
Most items sold for prices far in excess of their pre-auction estimates.
On the first day of the sale, Rogers’ mounted horse, Trigger, sold for $US266,500 and the Edward H. Bohlin parade saddle was sold to a British buyer for $US386,500.
Roy’s favorite, and most photographed plastic saddle, the American Eagle, fetched $50,000; a CF Martin acoustic guitar fetched $27,500; two wrought iron wall medallions expected to sell for $200-$300 fetched $11,250; a pair of rare Kelly Bros Diamond Dick pattern spurs overlaid with Navajo silver and mounted with turquoise fetched $10,625.
Among the many pairs of boots sold was a colourful pair attributed to Nudie Taylor which fetched $21,250, far in excess of their pre-auction estimate of $1000 to $2000. A blue gabardine lace-up top made by Nudie for Roy sold for $11,875. The shirt features a Native American theme with embroidered headdresses on the white leather fringe yoke, tomahawks on the sleeves and arrows on the collar and pearl buttoned fringed cuffs, a large embroidered headdress adorns the back, and is embellished with rhinestones throughout.
Another shirt of Roy’s, a brown wool lace-up top featuring a Trigger theme with embroidered horse heads on the suede fringed yoke and back, saddles on the sleeves and spurs on the pearl buttoned cuffs, embellished with rhinestones throughout, fetched $16,250.
The 1946 Willys CJ-2A Jeep known as Nellybelle and used on Roy and Dale’s TV show, fetched $116,500.
A framed photograph of Gene Autrey, with a message from the singing cowboy to Roy written in 1976, fetched $17,500. Its estimate was $300-$500.
Dale’s red and white plastic parade saddle, expected to bring $20,000 to $30,000, sold for $104,500. The saddle was displayed on Dale’s horse Buttermilk in the Branson Museum.
Buttermilk, who died at the age of 31, fetched $25,000, less than his pre-auction estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. Buttermilk was a young colt when he was rescued by a cattle farmer on his way to the slaughterhouse. The farmer bought him from a horse trader and he had been severely abused which resulted in a very unkind demeanor. The new owners quickly began to work with him, and through lots of dedication and care he eventually came around to become a friendly, affectionate and playful horse.
After renaming the bubbly Quarter Horse Soda, Randall introduced Soda to Dale Evans because her movie horse Koko was too much to handle and also resembled Trigger too much. Dale fell in love with Soda and bought him immediately. He was renamed Buttermilk after Dale saw a cloud pattern in the sky that reminded her of the Hoagy Carmichael’s song, “Ole Buttermilk Sky.” Dale rode Buttermilk in almost all of Roy’s movies and in all but six of The Roy Rogers Show television episodes that aired from 1951-57.
A true Quarter Horse, Buttermilk displayed bursts of speed and could outrun Trigger. On the set, Roy asked Dale to please hold Buttermilk back when riding alongside him, since Trigger always had to lead.
The horse Trigger Jr was expected to fetch $30,000 to $50,000 but realised $18,750. Trigger Jr. (1941-1969) was a purebred Tennessee Walking Horse named Allen’s Gold Zephyr who was bred by C. O. Barker of Readyville, Tennessee.
Paul K. Fisher of Souderton, Pennsylvania, who claimed to be the world’s largest breeder and dealer in yellow horses, sold Trigger Jr. to Roy Rogers in 1948 when he was still registered as Allen’s Gold Zephyr. Fisher often took his horses to the Madison Square Garden Rodeo to show or sell and Roy stated that it took him six years to buy Trigger Jr. – finally succeeding after Fisher was forced into a well publicized dispersal sale in 1947.
Trigger Jr. had beautiful conformation and a very stylish way of going. He was perfectly schooled and could accomplish a variety of difficult tricks including high stepping dances – always a crowd pleaser on Roy’s national tours and the perfect protege to Trigger.
Bullet was expected to fetch $10,000 to $15,000 but sold for $35,000. He was an AKA Registered German Shepherd originally given the name of “Bullet Von Berge”. He was billed as the ‘wonder dog’, and made his debut in the Roy Rogers film Spoiler’s of the Plains in 1951, produced by Republic Pictures. Bullet was a regular on The Roy Rogers Show on NBC television from 1951-1957 and CBS from 1961-64. In real life the German Shepherd that played The auction included more than 300 iconic lots from Roy Rogers and Dale Evans – the King of the Cowboys and Queen of the West.
Most items sold for prices far in excess of their pre-auction estimates.
On the first day of the sale, Rogers’ mounted horse, Trigger, sold for $US266,500 and the Edward H. Bohlin parade saddle was sold to a British buyer for $US386,500.
Roy’s favorite, and most photographed plastic saddle, the American Eagle, fetched $50,000; a CF Martin acoustic guitar fetched $27,500; two wrought iron wall medallions expected to sell for $200-$300 fetched $11,250; a pair of rare Kelly Bros Diamond Dick pattern spurs overlaid with Navajo silver and mounted with turquoise fetched $10,625.
Among the many pairs of boots sold was a colourful pair attributed to Nudie Taylor which fetched $21,250, far in excess of their pre-auction estimate of $1000 to $2000. A blue gabardine lace-up top made by Nudie for Roy sold for $11,875. The shirt features a Native American theme with embroidered headdresses on the white leather fringe yoke, tomahawks on the sleeves and arrows on the collar and pearl buttoned fringed cuffs, a large embroidered headdress adorns the back, and is embellished with rhinestones throughout.
Another shirt of Roy’s, a brown wool lace-up top featuring a Trigger theme with embroidered horse heads on the suede fringed yoke and back, saddles on the sleeves and spurs on the pearl buttoned cuffs, embellished with rhinestones throughout, fetched $16,250.
The 1946 Willys CJ-2A Jeep known as Nellybelle and used on Roy and Dale’s TV show, fetched $116,500.
A framed photograph of Gene Autrey, with a message from the singing cowboy to Roy written in 1976, fetched $17,500. Its estimate was $300-$500.
Dale’s red and white plastic parade saddle, expected to bring $20,000 to $30,000, sold for $104,500. The saddle was displayed on Dale’s horse Buttermilk in the Branson Museum.
Buttermilk, who died at the age of 31, fetched $25,000, less than his pre-auction estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. Buttermilk was a young colt when he was rescued by a cattle farmer on his way to the slaughterhouse. The farmer bought him from a horse trader and he had been severely abused which resulted in a very unkind demeanor. The new owners quickly began to work with him, and through lots of dedication and care he eventually came around to become a friendly, affectionate and playful horse.
After renaming the bubbly Quarter Horse Soda, Randall introduced Soda to Dale Evans because her movie horse Koko was too much to handle and also resembled Trigger too much. Dale fell in love with Soda and bought him immediately. He was renamed Buttermilk after Dale saw a cloud pattern in the sky that reminded her of the Hoagy Carmichael’s song, “Ole Buttermilk Sky.” Dale rode Buttermilk in almost all of Roy’s movies and in all but six of The Roy Rogers Show television episodes that aired from 1951-57.
A true Quarter Horse, Buttermilk displayed bursts of speed and could outrun Trigger. On the set, Roy asked Dale to please hold Buttermilk back when riding alongside him, since Trigger always had to lead.
The horse Trigger Jr was expected to fetch $30,000 to $50,000 but realized $18,750. Trigger Jr. (1941-1969) was a purebred Tennessee Walking Horse named Allen’s Gold Zephyr who was bred by C. O. Barker of Readyville, Tennessee.
Paul K. Fisher of Souderton, Pennsylvania, who claimed to be the world’s largest breeder and dealer in yellow horses, sold Trigger Jr. to Roy Rogers in 1948 when he was still registered as Allen’s Gold Zephyr. Fisher often took his horses to the Madison Square Garden Rodeo to show or sell and Roy stated that it took him six years to buy Trigger Jr. – finally succeeding after Fisher was forced into a well publicized dispersal sale in 1947.
Trigger Jr. had beautiful conformation and a very stylish way of going. He was perfectly schooled and could accomplish a variety of difficult tricks including high stepping dances – always a crowd pleaser on Roy’s national tours and the perfect protege to Trigger.
Bullet was expected to fetch $10,000 to $15,000 but sold for $35,000. He was an AKA Registered German Shepherd originally given the name of “Bullet Von Berge”. He was billed as the ‘wonder dog’, and made his debut in the Roy Rogers film Spoiler’s of the Plains in 1951, produced by Republic Pictures. Bullet was a regular on The Roy Rogers Show on NBC television from 1951-1957 and CBS from 1961-64. In real life the German Shepherd that played Bullet had the same name, and was also the family’s pet.
“This highly anticipated event brought out thousands of Roy and Dale fans whose emotions and memories flooded our galleries,” said Cathy Elkies, Director of Iconic Collections at Christies.
“We were privileged to handle a collection that resonated so deeply with so many people.”
Linda Kohn and Joseph Sherwood of High Noon Western Americana added: “We were thrilled that the collection has found its way into homes of Roy and Dale fans around the world insuring that their legacy continues. The highlight of the week was the saleroom’s spontaneous round of “Happy Trails” sung at the conclusion of the auction.”
One of Roy and Dale’s nine children, Roy Rogers Jr, said the sale of the Roy Rogers Museum was the most difficult decision for our family to make.
“Dad acknowledged many years ago that if the museum ever became difficult to maintain after he died, then we should let it go. We thought we’d always be able to keep it open, but my dad, smart as he was, knew that some day his fans would get older and they would slowly become unable to travel to Missouri,” Rogers jr said.
Nudie Taylor shirt: $11,875 Nellybelle: $116,500 Lace-up shirt: $16,250
“With the economy the way it is, and visitor traffic slowing dramatically, the expenses of operating the museum eventually outweighed the profit. Without being able to break even, we simply couldn’t support it anymore,” he said.
He also spoke of the bond his father had with Trigger. “Dad and Trigger were both young when they started – Trigger was only four years old, and Dad was 26 – and on some level I think they both felt this was the start of something special. Over their years together, they established a bond of trust and mutual respect.
“When Trigger passed, my dad was so distraught he didn’t tell the family for over a year (we didn’t know, because he was kept in another stable off our ranch). I think to him it was like losing a child. He told my mom, ‘I can’t just put him in the ground.’
“He had Trigger beautifully mounted and installed in the museum. A lot of people were upset about that, but I think he made the right choice. Trigger was one of the most popular attractions at the museum,” Rogers Jr said.
Trigger Jr: $18,750
Dale’s parade saddle: $104,500
Kelly Bros Diamond Dick pattern spurs: $10,625
American Eagle plastic saddle: $50,000
Nudie Taylor boots: $21,250
Nellybelle: $116,500
Lace-up shirt: $16,250
