Year 3 Week 39

March 11 to 17, 2007

Rio Grande Valley, Texas

Year 3 week 39

 

Sunday ; Today was cloudy, windy, hot and humid.

This morning Erbon and Lorraine left. They are driving to Kingsville today and staying overnight so that they are close to King Ranch for their guided birding outing there tomorrow morning. Then they'll return to Port Aransas, and will be returning here in 8 days to spend another week with us.

My priority this morning was to change all clocks and watches to daylight savings time. I did some e-mail, then went to the clubhouse to get online, send and retrieve e-mail, and update my blog. After lunch I read, then napped. Ahhhhh ... back to normal routine. Joanne did laundry while I napped. We went to H-E-B in Palmview to replenish groceries. In the parking lot was a Golden Retriever puppy, scratching incessantly due to severe flea infestation. His ears were almost stripped of fur, and he had bald patches on his body where he had scratched so long and hard that the fur was worn off. Poor puppy. Neglect of dogs is an element of Mexican culture that's difficult for me to accept. While looking for a tub of ice cream Joanne found a flavour that she had never seen before. Cajeta ! I asked a young Mexican man walking by what Cajeta is. He said it's a Mexican form of caramel. We bought a tub of Cajeta ice cream, and now Joanne says it's her new favourite. She hopes it's available in Keremeos, B.C.. HA HA HA !

We had a late, leisurely supper, and watched Amazing Race. While we enjoyed our time with Erbon and Lorraine, it's nice to be "alone" together again. We very much enjoy being just the two of us.

 

Monday ; Today was cloudy and warm, with intermittent light rain. Well, the "Upper" Valley ( La Feria to Mission ) got light rain. The "Lower" Valley ( Harlingen to Brownsville ) got heavy rain.

The gloomy weather inspired a late start to the day. I made a few phone calls before lunch. After lunch we went out for a day of errands. First stop was to adjust the air pressure in one of Lanoire's tires. It seems to have a slow leak. I hope it's just the valve extender, and not a puncture. I removed the valve extender, and will monitor the pressure carefully for a few days. Next stop was to refill Lanoire with diesel. Gee whiz ... the price of fuel has just gone up, for spring break week, no doubt. We went to an RV parts dealer to pick up theSlide Out Slickers that they special ordered for us. I looked at them and realized that they would not be suitable for our trailer now that we've replaced the carpet with vinyl flooring. We didn't buy them. The RV dealer was miffed. As a former retailer, I can appreciate that. Next I stopped at a used auto parts dealer to ask if they would buy Lanoire's factory air intake system. I replaced the factory air intake system with an after market high performance air intake system while we were in Palm Springs. I don't want to throw out a perfectly good factory air intake system. I'm trying to find a used parts dealer that will buy it from me, while we're here in The Valley. There are a few used auto parts dealers here in The Valley.

We drove all the way over to La Feria, to pick up 2 batches of mail I was expecting to be waiting for me at General Delivery. Doggone it ... only one was there. I'm going to have to drive all the way back to La Feria later this week to get the second batch. We drove back towards Mission, stopping at Wal-Mart in ... I don't know ... I think we were in Alamo. While Joanne started Wal-Martin' I went to Pep Boys to browse for truck accessories. After Wal-Mart I stopped at a couple more used auto parts dealers. No luck yet selling Lanoire's factory air intake system.

There is a small notice in the clubhouse from a local propane supply company. They are expressing their appreciation for the Winter Texans' business by inviting us to come and pick all the free citrus we want, from the citrus trees on their property. How nice ! After supper we watched a movie Joanne borrowed from the clubhouse video library. An old John Belushi and Dan Akroyd movie. YUCK ... what a stinker. I gave up halfway through and went to read a book in the bedroom.

I have just returned from walking Bo late at night, after a light rainfall. The park smells like a perfume factory thanks to all the Mexican Oleanders in bloom.

 

Tuesday ; Today was hot and humid. It started out cloudy and raining. The sky cleared by late afternoon.

Today was a lazy day. This morning I walked Bo, then went back to sleep until noon. I phoned some more used auto parts dealers trying to find one that would buy the factory air intake system from the truck. No luck. Very reluctantly I am going to discard the perfectly good parts. Because I had a toothache for a couple of days last week, and now some sensitivity on the same tooth, I decided I need to see a dentist in either Reynosa or Nuevo Progreso, the 2 nearby cities in Mexico. I did some research, checking ads in the local tourist newspapers and magazines, got a referral from the owner of the RV park, and did some online research. I selected a dentist and made an appointment for Friday at noon. The air pressure in the truck tire seems to be holding okay, so hopefully the problem was just the valve extender. I'll keep checking the air pressure for a few more days, then if everything is okay, I'll just replace the valve extender.

I composed some e-mails regarding the purchase of our new RV lot in Keremeos, British Columbia. I prepared an e-mail to Valid Manufacturing regarding the 2 utility pedestals and concrete bases we will need, and another one to my investment broker about the money I will need to pay for the lot and its development. I finished reading a book, then surprisingly fell asleep. How can one sleep until noon then fall asleep for a nap 6 hours later ? ! ?

For supper I barbecued "Texas seasoned" beef ribs. They were great ! Holy, mackerel ... Joanne scarfed down an entire tub of Cajeta ice cream in 3 days ! And she wants to go to H-E-B for more ! HA HA HA !

 

Wednesday ; Today was sunny, windy, and hot, temperature in the 90's !

Well, this morning I finally discarded the perfectly good factory air intake system from Lanoire. It irritates me that I wasn't able to sell it to a used auto parts dealer here. They seemed to be concerned about buying parts from a stolen and "chopped" vehicle. Understandable, I guess. We spent most of the day washing both the truck and trailer. Whew ... what a tough job.

Late in the afternoon I filed our corporate GST return online. I suppose that once we get settled in our new "home" in Keremeos, B.C. I'm going to have to "dissolve" Misty Ventures & Developments. YIKES ... more money lost in the market. I hope the stock market stabilizes and starts heading back upwards again soon. After supper I continued working on the latest incoming batch of mail we recently picked up.

 

Thursday ; Today was hot and humid, cloudy in the morning, clearing in the afternoon.

Today was another day of running errands. First we drove east on Hwy. 83 all the way back to La Feria, to get the batch of mail that wasn't there a few days ago. It still wasn't there. Darn ... that's a 90 mile return trip... for nothing ! On the way back to Mission we went to Lowe's in Pharr, and bought a new barbecue. A very deluxe, stainless steel one. I didn't know they made such nice barbecues in small table top versions. Next stop was PetsMart in McAllen to buy cat food. I stopped at a truck accessory business and took a look at brush guards for Lanoire. Huge, honkin’ brush guards / "Mazda swatters" are "de rigueur" for pickup trucks down here in Texas. I'm considering buying one. HA HA HA ! Last stop was H-E-B in Palmview for milk, bread, and < whispering > more Mexican pastries. What can I say ?

Late in the afternoon I began to work on repairing a stress crack in the fiberglass on the trailer. I'm trying to figure it out as I go along, and if it turns out okay, there's two more. After supper I went to the clubhouse, got online with Wi-Fi, and retrieved mid-month investment updates. HMMM ... not great !

 

Friday ; Today was sunny and hot.

The population of The Valley is slowly declining. The mass northward migration has begun. Except for the Manitobans. We are noticing a disproportionate number of Manitoba license plates in the last few days. I wonder why the Manitobans haven't begun heading home ? Could it have something to do with the fact that the temperature is still 15 degrees below zero ? ! ? HA HA HA !

This morning we headed east on Hwy. 83, then south on Hwy. FM 1015, to the Mexican border, for my dentist appointment in Nuevo Progreso. WOW ... consultations with 2 dentists, and x-rays. Total bill : $10 !

I arrived at the dentist's office at 11:30 A.M. for my appointment at noon. I was in the chair, being seen by Dr. Ricardo Carreon ( Caddy own .. roll the "rr") at 11:45 A.M. ! WOW ! A dentist who see patients even before their appointment time. What a pleasant surprise ! Without a doubt, this was the cleanest, most impressive dental office I've ever been in, even slightly superior to our "regular" dentist in Los Algodones, Mexico, south of Yuma, Arizona. Certainly superior to our upscale expensive dentist in Ottawa. All instruments are in sealed packages. All water used is distilled water imported from the United States. Even the handles on the dental lamp had plastic sleeves on them, which were changed between patients. Before he even looked in my mouth, based on my description of the toothache problem, Dr. Carreon suspected it was a gum problem, not a tooth problem. He examined my teeth, then took an x-ray. No cavity, no loose filling. He is a specialist in teeth. He called in his associate, Dra. Elizabeth Salinas. She is a specialist in roots. She tapped hard on the sore tooth, blew water on and around it, blew air on and around it, studied the x-ray, and concluded there was no root problem. That leaves a gum problem. They recommended that I see their periodontist / gum specialist, who isn't in the office on Fridays. I made an appointment for Monday with Dra. Elizabeth Lince ( Linn say ). There was no charge for the examination and consultation with Dr. Carreon. There was no charge for the examination and consultation with Dra. Salinas. The x-ray cost ten dollars. When was the last time you went to the dentist and the bill was ten dollars ? ! ?

We crossed the border back into the United Sates for the third time with expired passports. For the third time, there was no problem. We drove back to Seldom Rest Ranch, had lunch, read, napped, then spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool. I did some minor maintenance, then some online work, retrieving some corporate income tax forms.

 

Saturday ; Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Today was sunny, hot, and humid again. As nice as the weather is here in The Valley, we still prefer the weather further west, out in Arizona and Southern California, because of the much lower humidity.

Today was another lazy day. I finished working on my fiberglass repair of the first of three stress cracks on the trailer. It turned out pretty good. Tomorrow I'll tackle the other 2 stress cracks. I assembled the new barbecue. Very nice. After almost 3 years in the world of full time RV'ing, it's time we move up in the RV world, to a deluxe stainless steel barbecue. The RV world table top version of those stainless steel "outdoor kitchen" barbecues. Gotta keep up with the Jones ! HA HA HA ! Somewhat hard to do when the neighbours have half million dollar Wanderlodges and three quarters of a million dollar Prevosts.

We took Bo for a long obedience walk, followed by a tennis ball play session. That left just enough time to read and nap before attending the park's communal St. Patrick's Day dinner in the clubhouse. Very nice corned beef and cabbage. Well ... nice corned beef, anyway. I'm not a big fan of cabbage. Or, more precisely, Senor Colon isn't a big fan of cabbage. The park's residents contributed desserts. We got an introduction to a local favourite. Grapefruit Pie ! Very good ! One of the park's residents invited me to come pick fresh limes from the lime tree in his site. After supper, while walking Bo, I did that.

I spent the evening updating my investment spreadsheets. HMPH ... lost half a dually !

 

DSK