Wednesday, December 24, 2008
December 18 to 24, 2008
December 18 to 24, 2008 ; La Feria, Texas
Thursday ; Today was cloudy, warm, and humid as a sauna.
This afternoon we went into Harlingen to buy some groceries at H-E-B and some pet foods and supplies at PetsMart. Bo loooooves shopping at PetsMart ! He's been feeling a bit "drivey" deprived lately. He's getting "hitch itch", eager to move on. So am I ! At sunset we went to the pool and hot tub, something we haven't done for the last two days because of cold weather. I find it rather unusual that in this area the temperature can rise or fall 50 to 60 degrees in a one or two day period.
Astounding ! We were very unpleasantly surprised to discover, that despite this issue had been the beginning of the end of a friendship, Buppy is still being presented with opportunities, which, being a dog, he is quick to take advantage of, to run over to our trailer and piss on our stuff !
Friday ; Today was partially sunny, very warm, and humid. This morning I helped Joanne a little bit with laundry chores. I chatted with neighbours. I did obedience training with Bo. I sat outside reading, with Bo on his tie-out, and Teddy in his tent. Hey ... it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. HA HA HA !
This afternoon we headed for Hidalgo, about 45 minutes southwest of here. First stop in Hidalgo was City Hall, to buy tickets for tonight's Hidalgo Festival Of Lights guided trolley tour. We had about an hour to kill before the trolley tour, so we drove over to the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse to see the Christmas Villages display. The Old Hidalgo Pumphouse is no longer functional and has been turned into a museum. During the Christmas season they have a Christmas Villages exhibition, about a dozen or so miniature village displays incorporating over 200 little ceramic buildings. We were surprised to find that that the elderly gentleman who was giving guided tours of the Christmas Villages displays was the creator of the displays, along with his wife. Old affluent men surely can find a variety of ways to spend their time and money. HA HA HA !
At dusk we returned to Hidalgo City Hall for our guided trolley tour. It was a 45 minute drive around the city of Hidalgo to see all the many huge and elaborate lighted Christmas displays, many of them done on city property by city employees. The most elaborate of all was a private residence owned by a locally famous Grammy award winning musician by the name of Ramón Ayala. Sorry ... never heard of him. On the way back home afterwards we stopped for dinner at Cici's Pizza Buffet Restaurant in Weslaco. As we drove back to La Feria after supper Joanne asked me if I could remember how little pizza she was able to eat 35 years ago when we were dating, as compared to now. Yeah ... you've come a long way, baby ! HA HA HA ( SNORT ) HA HA !
Saturday ; Today was mostly sunny, very warm, and very humid. This afternoon I removed the fifth wheel hitch out of the back of the truck, in preparation for hauling a load of rice and beans down into Mexico for the Amigos de los Niños de Mexico Fiesta de Navidad. Joanne did more laundry. She hadn't finished yesterday. I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday at the Hidalgo Festival Of Lights. Of course, I read and napped. We chatted with neighbours. We went to the pool and hot tub. Geeeeezzzzz ... I gotta get a life ! HA HA HA ... hitch itch is setting in !
I did Internet research to find out who is Ramón Ayala, the owner of the elaborately decorated home in Hidalgo we were admiring last night. He is a Grammy award winning Mexican musician, song writer, accordionist, and band leader with a career spanning more than 45 years. He is considered to be the grandfather of “Norteño” ( pronounced “Norr TAIN yo” ) music, a genre of northern Mexico “cantina” music. I’m not really sure, but I think Norteño music is a fusion between Mexican Mariachi and American country & western.
There was nothing on TV tonight that we were interested in, so we watched a video DVD that Joanne's brother-in-law Doug gave us entitled Grizzly Man, a sort of biography documentary. What a ****ing nut job !
Sunday ; This morning was cloudy, warm, and humid, with occasional strong gusts of wind. After preparing a late morning brunch of French Toast ( MMMMM ... Teddy loooooves maple syrup ) we headed off for Hidalgo to meet Kevin and Sandy at Dodge Arena for an afternoon performance of Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil.
WOW ! ! ! Did I mention ... WOW ! ! ! The concept of "circus" has certainly evolved !
Thursday ; Today was cloudy, warm, and humid as a sauna.
This afternoon we went into Harlingen to buy some groceries at H-E-B and some pet foods and supplies at PetsMart. Bo loooooves shopping at PetsMart ! He's been feeling a bit "drivey" deprived lately. He's getting "hitch itch", eager to move on. So am I ! At sunset we went to the pool and hot tub, something we haven't done for the last two days because of cold weather. I find it rather unusual that in this area the temperature can rise or fall 50 to 60 degrees in a one or two day period.
Astounding ! We were very unpleasantly surprised to discover, that despite this issue had been the beginning of the end of a friendship, Buppy is still being presented with opportunities, which, being a dog, he is quick to take advantage of, to run over to our trailer and piss on our stuff !
Friday ; Today was partially sunny, very warm, and humid. This morning I helped Joanne a little bit with laundry chores. I chatted with neighbours. I did obedience training with Bo. I sat outside reading, with Bo on his tie-out, and Teddy in his tent. Hey ... it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. HA HA HA !
This afternoon we headed for Hidalgo, about 45 minutes southwest of here. First stop in Hidalgo was City Hall, to buy tickets for tonight's Hidalgo Festival Of Lights guided trolley tour. We had about an hour to kill before the trolley tour, so we drove over to the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse to see the Christmas Villages display. The Old Hidalgo Pumphouse is no longer functional and has been turned into a museum. During the Christmas season they have a Christmas Villages exhibition, about a dozen or so miniature village displays incorporating over 200 little ceramic buildings. We were surprised to find that that the elderly gentleman who was giving guided tours of the Christmas Villages displays was the creator of the displays, along with his wife. Old affluent men surely can find a variety of ways to spend their time and money. HA HA HA !
At dusk we returned to Hidalgo City Hall for our guided trolley tour. It was a 45 minute drive around the city of Hidalgo to see all the many huge and elaborate lighted Christmas displays, many of them done on city property by city employees. The most elaborate of all was a private residence owned by a locally famous Grammy award winning musician by the name of Ramón Ayala. Sorry ... never heard of him. On the way back home afterwards we stopped for dinner at Cici's Pizza Buffet Restaurant in Weslaco. As we drove back to La Feria after supper Joanne asked me if I could remember how little pizza she was able to eat 35 years ago when we were dating, as compared to now. Yeah ... you've come a long way, baby ! HA HA HA ( SNORT ) HA HA !
Saturday ; Today was mostly sunny, very warm, and very humid. This afternoon I removed the fifth wheel hitch out of the back of the truck, in preparation for hauling a load of rice and beans down into Mexico for the Amigos de los Niños de Mexico Fiesta de Navidad. Joanne did more laundry. She hadn't finished yesterday. I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday at the Hidalgo Festival Of Lights. Of course, I read and napped. We chatted with neighbours. We went to the pool and hot tub. Geeeeezzzzz ... I gotta get a life ! HA HA HA ... hitch itch is setting in !
I did Internet research to find out who is Ramón Ayala, the owner of the elaborately decorated home in Hidalgo we were admiring last night. He is a Grammy award winning Mexican musician, song writer, accordionist, and band leader with a career spanning more than 45 years. He is considered to be the grandfather of “Norteño” ( pronounced “Norr TAIN yo” ) music, a genre of northern Mexico “cantina” music. I’m not really sure, but I think Norteño music is a fusion between Mexican Mariachi and American country & western.
There was nothing on TV tonight that we were interested in, so we watched a video DVD that Joanne's brother-in-law Doug gave us entitled Grizzly Man, a sort of biography documentary. What a ****ing nut job !
Sunday ; This morning was cloudy, warm, and humid, with occasional strong gusts of wind. After preparing a late morning brunch of French Toast ( MMMMM ... Teddy loooooves maple syrup ) we headed off for Hidalgo to meet Kevin and Sandy at Dodge Arena for an afternoon performance of Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil.
WOW ! ! ! Did I mention ... WOW ! ! ! The concept of "circus" has certainly evolved !
Today was one of those strange Rio Grande Valley days where the temperature changed about 50 degrees in about 10 hours. This morning I was doing chores outside wearing shorts and no shirt. This evening to walk to the ice cream social at the clubhouse I had to wear my heavy wool sweater coat.
MMMMM ... Joanne baked my favourite cookies tonight. Lots of them ! Thank you !
Monday ; Today was cloudy and cold. This morning we headed into Harlingen to pick up a load of rice and beans, for the Amigos de los Niños de Mexico Fiesta de Navidad. After loading up our truck, another truck, and two trucks with trailers, with 120 boxes / 6000 pounds of rice and beans, we went ... ( huge sigh ) ... Wal-Martin'. Doesn't anybody in Harlingen have jobs ? Are they all at Wal-Mart ? ? ?
This afternoon we went to Kenwood RV Resort's first "social hour with entertainment" of the season. The entertainment was The Lone Ranger. Some old guy playing the guitar, singing country & western songs. Oh, goody ! We sat and chatted with a couple from Hamilton, Ontario who have just arrived here. Friendly enough, but not exactly our type of people. Big, expensive motorhome, usually go to Florida and stay in one spot for the entire winter, afraid to go into Mexico, not much of a sense of adventure. In the evening I retrieved, printed, and reconciled this month's MasterCard statements, then did the monthly backup of all my computer files.
Tuesday ; You know, one of the problems with this lifestyle is there are too many old people who think that going to bed by 9:00 P.M. and getting up at 5:00 A.M. is the norm. The Amigos de los Niños de Mexico "caravan" to haul everything across the border into Nuevo Progreso was scheduled to meet at the border crossing at 7:00 A.M. this morning ( mumble & grumble ). My own personal rebellion against this kind of nonsense was to show up half an hour late, knowing that this "caravan" process was going to be a lot of "hurry up and wait".
Today was partially sunny, cold in the morning, but warming throughout the day. There must have been about 40 vehicles, mostly pickup trucks, some vans, a few cars, almost all with Canadian license plates, hauling Amigos de los Niños de Mexico stuff across the border to the school in Nuevo Progreso where the Fiesta de Navidad will take place on Christmas morning. We unloaded the beans from our truck, found a place to park, then helped haul boxes from the curbside into the school. Then we went looking for something else productive to do. There were a number of classrooms that were busy with repackaging chores. We spent the rest of the morning filling 3000 paper bags with peanuts. While filling bags of peanuts I chatted with a woman from Summerland, B.C., just north of Penticton.
MMMMM ... Joanne baked my favourite cookies tonight. Lots of them ! Thank you !
Monday ; Today was cloudy and cold. This morning we headed into Harlingen to pick up a load of rice and beans, for the Amigos de los Niños de Mexico Fiesta de Navidad. After loading up our truck, another truck, and two trucks with trailers, with 120 boxes / 6000 pounds of rice and beans, we went ... ( huge sigh ) ... Wal-Martin'. Doesn't anybody in Harlingen have jobs ? Are they all at Wal-Mart ? ? ?
This afternoon we went to Kenwood RV Resort's first "social hour with entertainment" of the season. The entertainment was The Lone Ranger. Some old guy playing the guitar, singing country & western songs. Oh, goody ! We sat and chatted with a couple from Hamilton, Ontario who have just arrived here. Friendly enough, but not exactly our type of people. Big, expensive motorhome, usually go to Florida and stay in one spot for the entire winter, afraid to go into Mexico, not much of a sense of adventure. In the evening I retrieved, printed, and reconciled this month's MasterCard statements, then did the monthly backup of all my computer files.
Tuesday ; You know, one of the problems with this lifestyle is there are too many old people who think that going to bed by 9:00 P.M. and getting up at 5:00 A.M. is the norm. The Amigos de los Niños de Mexico "caravan" to haul everything across the border into Nuevo Progreso was scheduled to meet at the border crossing at 7:00 A.M. this morning ( mumble & grumble ). My own personal rebellion against this kind of nonsense was to show up half an hour late, knowing that this "caravan" process was going to be a lot of "hurry up and wait".
Today was partially sunny, cold in the morning, but warming throughout the day. There must have been about 40 vehicles, mostly pickup trucks, some vans, a few cars, almost all with Canadian license plates, hauling Amigos de los Niños de Mexico stuff across the border to the school in Nuevo Progreso where the Fiesta de Navidad will take place on Christmas morning. We unloaded the beans from our truck, found a place to park, then helped haul boxes from the curbside into the school. Then we went looking for something else productive to do. There were a number of classrooms that were busy with repackaging chores. We spent the rest of the morning filling 3000 paper bags with peanuts. While filling bags of peanuts I chatted with a woman from Summerland, B.C., just north of Penticton.
Before leaving Nuevo Progreso we went to "our" dentist's office and made appointments for cleanings and examinations early in January. We have a dentist here in Nuevo Progreso and another in Los Algodones across the border from Yuma, Arizona. We were going to have dental cleanings and examinations done in Los Algodones in March, but since we’re starting our Mexico trip 11 days later than initially planned, we’ve decided to get it done here.
On the way home we stopped at H-E-B to buy a turkey. We have decided to have our own private Christmas dinner, since we will miss the Kenwood RV Resort's communal Christmas luncheon. This is our fifth Christmas on the road. The previous four Christmases we've had communal Christmas dinners in Escapee parks. I'm feeling a bit of self-pity that we're missing that this year. After a very late lunch, I had a long, well deserved nap. I did some minor maintenance chores, did an obedience session with Bo, then we went to the pool and hot tub before supper.
Christmas Eve ; Today was sunny, hot, and very humid. Christmas Eve reminds me of the death of my father, 13 years ago on this date.
Today started out badly. While I was taking care of morning routines, before Joanne was even out of bed, I knocked over a Damp Rid container in the bedroom, sending the greasy fluid contents splashing all over the bedroom counter, and floor, and shoes, and computer case, and Bo's toys, and ... ( sigh ) ! While cleaning the mess Joanne and I found excuses to squabble and snipe at each other. That continued intermittently throughout the day. I felt crappy all day !
This afternoon I prepared magic to have in my pockets at tomorrow's Fiesta de Navidad. We took Bo for a walk, and I practiced juggling while walking, to prepare for tomorrow morning's Fiesta de Navidad parade from the border to the school. Joanne baked more cookies. I gave Bo a bath. We spent time in the pool and hot tub, a new Christmas Eve and / or Christmas Day family tradition that started with our full time RV life.
Joanne made tourtiére ( French Canadian meat pie ) for supper, her family's Christmas Eve tradition carried forward to us. Kenwood RV Resort had scheduled a Christmas Eve party tonight, but as the planning for it unfolded, it evolved into a Christmas Eve religious service. We did not attend. After supper we went for a walk with Bo, enjoying the warm evening. I visited with the two little feral dumpster kittens. Earlier this week their mother was trapped and taken to the local SPCA. The grey one is becoming bolder, allowing me within a foot. Merry Christmas little dumpster kitties ! Maybe tomorrow night I'll bring you some turkey.
DSK
Thursday, December 18, 2008
December 11 to 17, 2008
December 11 to 17, 2008 ; La Feria, Texas
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm. This morning while walking Bo I chatted with our new neighbours, a rig from Ontario and a rig from New Brunswick. We’ve noticed that there are disproportionately more Canadian “snowbirds” this year than American. I think the economy is holding the Americans back more than it is the Canadians. Teddy’s ear infection seems to be improving, with the use of the antibiotic ear drops we purchased in Mexico a few days ago. My colitis flare up of yesterday has improved, leaving me feeling weak but not sick.
This afternoon we went to the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum to see their exhibit of decorated Christmas trees. Each lovely, large tree was sponsored and decorated by a different organization. After viewing all the trees we walked around the museum's grounds viewing the collection of old buildings including Harlingen's first hospital and the home of Harlingen's founder. Very interesting ! The rest of the afternoon ( sigh ) was spent at Wal-Mart and H-E-B.
At sunset we headed to the pool and hot tub, then returned to our trailer to prepare dinner and watch Survivor.
Friday ; Today was sunny and very warm. I spent the morning chatting with neighbours, one after another. Finally saw the woman next door. She finally came out of their trailer, after being here for about a week. After lunch I read, napped, and sat outside enjoying the fine weather. I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday. I composed some e-mails, and made a Christmas e-card with one of yesterday's photos. In mid-afternoon we went to the pool and hot tub, earlier than usual because we were going out for dinner. We are both suffering some chronic muscle and joint pains, and exercises in the pool and hot tub help.
Teddy was suffering the "wobbles" today, with petit mal seizures and obvious dizziness and balance problems. It's impossible to know how much of that is related to old age, and how much is related to an inner ear infection. My poor baby Teddy ! His time seems to be rapidly running out.
We met Kevin and Sandy at Fat Daddy's for a wonderful "barbecue" dinner. As we drove back into Kenwood RV Resort's gate, two little kittens, perhaps six to eight weeks old, were on the road by the dumpster enclosure. When the truck's headlights hit them, they ran under the dumpster enclosure fence. Poor little dumpster kitties. I wonder what the life expectancy of feral dumpster kittens is in this area ? ! ? I brought them a small container of Teddy's food, and left it behind the dumpster where I could see one of them peeking under the fence at me.
While I was sitting outside tonight working on my computer, a new neighbour, from Hawkesbury, Ontario, near Ottawa, was outside with the owner's manual of his new truck, mumbling and grumbling. He bought a new Dodge truck very recently. It only has 5000 km. / 3000 mi. on it. He was trying to figure out how to turn off his headlight high beams. HA HA HA ... I showed him ! I received a couple of e-mails tonight with very good news, including one from Riverside RV Park Resort advising that our park manager has quit. This is me singing "Happy Days Are Here Again". HA HA HA !
Saturday ; Last night was a long, difficult night for both Teddy and me. I stayed awake for half the night, worrying about Teddy, and trying to help him get to sleep. He was having frequent, regular, petit mal seizures. His breathing was shallow and rapid. He had a serious case of the wobbles whenever he tried to move around. He couldn't fall asleep. I thought that his remaining life could probably be measured in days, if not less. Tonight, as I type this after 11:00 P.M., he has improved. He seemed marginally improved this morning. We weren't home for most of the day. By the time we returned home this evening, he had improved noticeably. The wobbles are gone. The seizures have stopped. Teddy rallies to live another week. WOO-HOO !
Today was sunny and warm, a bit windy. Late this morning we headed for a luncheon date with Kevin and Sandy at their RV park in Brownsville, about 45 minutes southeast of here. We had lunch at their place, then spent much of the afternoon chatting outside, enjoying the nice weather. We drove up and down International Blvd. leading to the border crossing from Brownsville, Texas to Matamoros, Mexico, to check out the peso exchange rates at the cambios. None were as good as in Hidalgo, at the other ( western ) end of the Rio Grande Valley. We'll buy more pesos in Hidalgo on Tuesday. We drove to San Benito for the 6:00 P.M. San Benito Christmas Parade. We parked, walked around for awhile, then got ourselves settled into our lawn chairs to await the parade. Somewhat odd parade ! It lasted almost two hours, and included such unlikely parade entries as a Christmas decorated cement truck, and quite a few Mexican style "lowriders", cars with some kind of hydraulic shock absorber systems that can be "pumped" to make the cars bounce up and down. Neat ! But kind of odd for a Christmas parade. By the time we got back home to La Feria it was 9:00 P.M.. We picked up some take out food at Whataburger for a very late supper. Joanne had a Whataburger Meal. I was very hungry, but didn't feel like having fries, so I ordered three Justaburgers. HA HA HA ... great burger place !
I just received an e-mail from my sister, who lives on the outskirts of Winnipeg, Manitoba, our hometown city. Tonight's overnight temperature, with wind chill factor, will be 50 degrees below zero ! ! ! HMPH ... a cold night even by Winnipeg standards. HA HA HA !
Sunday ; Today was sunny, hot, and windy. Teddy seems completely recuperated today. No wobbles, no seizures, sleeping peacefully. My sweet baby cat ! I took Bo for an obedience session this morning. What outstanding performance. Good dog, Bo ! Finally, with eleven days to go, I am becoming infected with the Christmas spirit. Amazing what a Christmas parade of lowriders can do for you. And listening to zydeco Christmas music. HA HA HA !
I prepared huevos con machaca for lunch. We spent a lazy afternoon of reading, napping, working on yesterday's Christmas Parade photos, and lounging around the swimming pool and hot tub. We went to Kenwood's regular Sunday evening ice cream social, then spent the rest of the evening watching the 3 hour season finale of Survivor.
Monday ; Today was cloudy, hot, and humid. I spent half the morning chatting with neighbours. Teddy came outside to visit with Kee-Kee, a neighbour's cat. Teddy is quite indifferent to other animals. Very much a "take it or leave it" attitude. Late in the morning we went to Harlingen. I dropped Joanne off at H-E-B to do some grocery shopping, and I went Christmas shopping. We stopped at the Post Office in La Feria and picked up a batch of forwarded mail.
After lunch I read and napped. Surprise, surprise ! HA HA HA ! We chatted with a couple from Illinois who came by looking for information on Amigos de los Niños de Mexico. Over the course of a few minutes, while chatting with them, the temperature dropped dramatically, the sky darkened, and the wind became very strong. A few minutes later it began to rain for a few minutes. Joanne typed and I printed some of her cookie recipes for Eve, a neighbour and new friend. Yeah, Joanne makes good cookies ! Late in the afternoon John and Eve came over for a "happy hour" visit. By the time it became dark, the temperature had changed from hot to cold, within a couple of hours. BRRRRR ! Tonight for dessert after supper we had Christmas fruit cake, hauled all the way from Penticton, B.C., because we can't find good Christmas fruit cake down here in the South.
Tuesday ; BRRRRR ... what a gruesome day. Temperature never got out of the 30's ! Cold drizzle most of the day. I don't like damp. I don't like cold. I detest damp cold ! Oh, well, the temperature will be back in the 80's tomorrow or the day after. We abandoned our plans for the day, and just stayed home, indoors, Joanne working on crosswords, me reading, Teddy and Bo napping on or under "blankies". The only productive thing I did today was deal with the batch of forwarded mail that we picked up at the Post Office yesterday.
Wednesday ; Today was cloudy with a bit of drizzle, but warmer than yesterday. This morning, after Joanne's yoga class, we went to the WesDon Farmer's & Flea Market to buy fresh produce and some Avon cosmetics Joanne wants for Christmas. From there we went to check out a restaurant advertising Christmas dinner on Christmas Day, but their seatings are too early for us. We're looking for a restaurant in which to have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day because we are going to miss the Kenwood RV Resort's Christmas luncheon. We will be down in Mexico for the Amigos de los Niños de Mexico Fiesta de Navidad from early morning until afternoon.
This afternoon I read and napped while Joanne did some Christmas baking and prepared a dish for tonight's potluck dinner. We decorated our little Christmas tree and put up our few Christmas decorations. Each decoration or tree ornament is a reminder of a special person or place we've travelled to. From a recent photo of mine I prepared a Christmas e-card to be sent tonight by e-mail. I wrapped Christmas gifts.
Tonight's bi-weekly Wednesday evening potluck was not as well attended as usual. The couple that sat beside us recognized us, although we didn't remember them until they refreshed our memories. We shared a table with them on New Year's Eve 2005 at Saguaro Co-op SKP RV Park in Benson, Arizona. Small world !
I spent the evening updating my investment files ( huge sigh of despair ).
DSK
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm. This morning while walking Bo I chatted with our new neighbours, a rig from Ontario and a rig from New Brunswick. We’ve noticed that there are disproportionately more Canadian “snowbirds” this year than American. I think the economy is holding the Americans back more than it is the Canadians. Teddy’s ear infection seems to be improving, with the use of the antibiotic ear drops we purchased in Mexico a few days ago. My colitis flare up of yesterday has improved, leaving me feeling weak but not sick.
This afternoon we went to the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum to see their exhibit of decorated Christmas trees. Each lovely, large tree was sponsored and decorated by a different organization. After viewing all the trees we walked around the museum's grounds viewing the collection of old buildings including Harlingen's first hospital and the home of Harlingen's founder. Very interesting ! The rest of the afternoon ( sigh ) was spent at Wal-Mart and H-E-B.
At sunset we headed to the pool and hot tub, then returned to our trailer to prepare dinner and watch Survivor.
Friday ; Today was sunny and very warm. I spent the morning chatting with neighbours, one after another. Finally saw the woman next door. She finally came out of their trailer, after being here for about a week. After lunch I read, napped, and sat outside enjoying the fine weather. I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday. I composed some e-mails, and made a Christmas e-card with one of yesterday's photos. In mid-afternoon we went to the pool and hot tub, earlier than usual because we were going out for dinner. We are both suffering some chronic muscle and joint pains, and exercises in the pool and hot tub help.
Teddy was suffering the "wobbles" today, with petit mal seizures and obvious dizziness and balance problems. It's impossible to know how much of that is related to old age, and how much is related to an inner ear infection. My poor baby Teddy ! His time seems to be rapidly running out.
We met Kevin and Sandy at Fat Daddy's for a wonderful "barbecue" dinner. As we drove back into Kenwood RV Resort's gate, two little kittens, perhaps six to eight weeks old, were on the road by the dumpster enclosure. When the truck's headlights hit them, they ran under the dumpster enclosure fence. Poor little dumpster kitties. I wonder what the life expectancy of feral dumpster kittens is in this area ? ! ? I brought them a small container of Teddy's food, and left it behind the dumpster where I could see one of them peeking under the fence at me.
While I was sitting outside tonight working on my computer, a new neighbour, from Hawkesbury, Ontario, near Ottawa, was outside with the owner's manual of his new truck, mumbling and grumbling. He bought a new Dodge truck very recently. It only has 5000 km. / 3000 mi. on it. He was trying to figure out how to turn off his headlight high beams. HA HA HA ... I showed him ! I received a couple of e-mails tonight with very good news, including one from Riverside RV Park Resort advising that our park manager has quit. This is me singing "Happy Days Are Here Again". HA HA HA !
Saturday ; Last night was a long, difficult night for both Teddy and me. I stayed awake for half the night, worrying about Teddy, and trying to help him get to sleep. He was having frequent, regular, petit mal seizures. His breathing was shallow and rapid. He had a serious case of the wobbles whenever he tried to move around. He couldn't fall asleep. I thought that his remaining life could probably be measured in days, if not less. Tonight, as I type this after 11:00 P.M., he has improved. He seemed marginally improved this morning. We weren't home for most of the day. By the time we returned home this evening, he had improved noticeably. The wobbles are gone. The seizures have stopped. Teddy rallies to live another week. WOO-HOO !
Today was sunny and warm, a bit windy. Late this morning we headed for a luncheon date with Kevin and Sandy at their RV park in Brownsville, about 45 minutes southeast of here. We had lunch at their place, then spent much of the afternoon chatting outside, enjoying the nice weather. We drove up and down International Blvd. leading to the border crossing from Brownsville, Texas to Matamoros, Mexico, to check out the peso exchange rates at the cambios. None were as good as in Hidalgo, at the other ( western ) end of the Rio Grande Valley. We'll buy more pesos in Hidalgo on Tuesday. We drove to San Benito for the 6:00 P.M. San Benito Christmas Parade. We parked, walked around for awhile, then got ourselves settled into our lawn chairs to await the parade. Somewhat odd parade ! It lasted almost two hours, and included such unlikely parade entries as a Christmas decorated cement truck, and quite a few Mexican style "lowriders", cars with some kind of hydraulic shock absorber systems that can be "pumped" to make the cars bounce up and down. Neat ! But kind of odd for a Christmas parade. By the time we got back home to La Feria it was 9:00 P.M.. We picked up some take out food at Whataburger for a very late supper. Joanne had a Whataburger Meal. I was very hungry, but didn't feel like having fries, so I ordered three Justaburgers. HA HA HA ... great burger place !
I just received an e-mail from my sister, who lives on the outskirts of Winnipeg, Manitoba, our hometown city. Tonight's overnight temperature, with wind chill factor, will be 50 degrees below zero ! ! ! HMPH ... a cold night even by Winnipeg standards. HA HA HA !
Sunday ; Today was sunny, hot, and windy. Teddy seems completely recuperated today. No wobbles, no seizures, sleeping peacefully. My sweet baby cat ! I took Bo for an obedience session this morning. What outstanding performance. Good dog, Bo ! Finally, with eleven days to go, I am becoming infected with the Christmas spirit. Amazing what a Christmas parade of lowriders can do for you. And listening to zydeco Christmas music. HA HA HA !
I prepared huevos con machaca for lunch. We spent a lazy afternoon of reading, napping, working on yesterday's Christmas Parade photos, and lounging around the swimming pool and hot tub. We went to Kenwood's regular Sunday evening ice cream social, then spent the rest of the evening watching the 3 hour season finale of Survivor.
Monday ; Today was cloudy, hot, and humid. I spent half the morning chatting with neighbours. Teddy came outside to visit with Kee-Kee, a neighbour's cat. Teddy is quite indifferent to other animals. Very much a "take it or leave it" attitude. Late in the morning we went to Harlingen. I dropped Joanne off at H-E-B to do some grocery shopping, and I went Christmas shopping. We stopped at the Post Office in La Feria and picked up a batch of forwarded mail.
After lunch I read and napped. Surprise, surprise ! HA HA HA ! We chatted with a couple from Illinois who came by looking for information on Amigos de los Niños de Mexico. Over the course of a few minutes, while chatting with them, the temperature dropped dramatically, the sky darkened, and the wind became very strong. A few minutes later it began to rain for a few minutes. Joanne typed and I printed some of her cookie recipes for Eve, a neighbour and new friend. Yeah, Joanne makes good cookies ! Late in the afternoon John and Eve came over for a "happy hour" visit. By the time it became dark, the temperature had changed from hot to cold, within a couple of hours. BRRRRR ! Tonight for dessert after supper we had Christmas fruit cake, hauled all the way from Penticton, B.C., because we can't find good Christmas fruit cake down here in the South.
Tuesday ; BRRRRR ... what a gruesome day. Temperature never got out of the 30's ! Cold drizzle most of the day. I don't like damp. I don't like cold. I detest damp cold ! Oh, well, the temperature will be back in the 80's tomorrow or the day after. We abandoned our plans for the day, and just stayed home, indoors, Joanne working on crosswords, me reading, Teddy and Bo napping on or under "blankies". The only productive thing I did today was deal with the batch of forwarded mail that we picked up at the Post Office yesterday.
Wednesday ; Today was cloudy with a bit of drizzle, but warmer than yesterday. This morning, after Joanne's yoga class, we went to the WesDon Farmer's & Flea Market to buy fresh produce and some Avon cosmetics Joanne wants for Christmas. From there we went to check out a restaurant advertising Christmas dinner on Christmas Day, but their seatings are too early for us. We're looking for a restaurant in which to have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day because we are going to miss the Kenwood RV Resort's Christmas luncheon. We will be down in Mexico for the Amigos de los Niños de Mexico Fiesta de Navidad from early morning until afternoon.
This afternoon I read and napped while Joanne did some Christmas baking and prepared a dish for tonight's potluck dinner. We decorated our little Christmas tree and put up our few Christmas decorations. Each decoration or tree ornament is a reminder of a special person or place we've travelled to. From a recent photo of mine I prepared a Christmas e-card to be sent tonight by e-mail. I wrapped Christmas gifts.
Tonight's bi-weekly Wednesday evening potluck was not as well attended as usual. The couple that sat beside us recognized us, although we didn't remember them until they refreshed our memories. We shared a table with them on New Year's Eve 2005 at Saguaro Co-op SKP RV Park in Benson, Arizona. Small world !
I spent the evening updating my investment files ( huge sigh of despair ).
DSK
Thursday, December 11, 2008
December 4 to 10, 2008
December 4 to 10, 2008 ; La Feria, Texas
Thursday ; Today started out cool and windy, ending up sunny and warm. This morning Joanne went with Gil and Maria to sort and count Amigos de los Niños de Mexico toys at the rented storage locker. I spent the morning working on auto body repair on the truck's rear bumper and dually hip. I finished repairing the damage on the corner of the bumper. I finished repairing the damage on the lower part of the hip. I'm not yet finished repairing the damage on the upper part of the hip.
After lunch I read and napped. We went into La Feria and I bought some auto body repair supplies at Auto Zone. We bought some pan dulce at one of the two panaderias in La Feria. Joanne wanted to see what was north of La Feria, and Bo wanted to "go drivey", so we drove north on FM 506 to the village of Santa Rosa. We found diesel there at a great price so I refilled. Back home at Kenwood RV Resort I spent a frustrating period with the Yellow Pages trying to contact local bank branches to obtain peso purchase exchange rates. There are many local bank branches, and they all have local telephone numbers, but inevitably when I would phone them, I would either end up in endless voice mail loops, or be connected to call centres in New York or Arizona ( fume ). I gave up ! We took Bo for a walk, hoping that would work off my frustration. We went to the pool and hot tub. We chatted with our new neighbours from Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Friday ; Today was cloudy, cool, windy, and raining. We had planned to go to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico today, but cancelled because of the weather. Around noon Gil came over to inform us that they have decided not to go to Mexico with us in January and February.
We spent a lazy day, reading, napping, drinking tea, eating pan dulce ... HA HA HA !
Saturday ; Today started out cloudy and mild, but by noon the sky had cleared and it became sunny and warm. I spent most of the afternoon working on repairing the damage on the upper part of the dually hip. I got it as good as I'm going to, I guess. My amateur auto body repair results are less than perfect, but ... life goes on ! ! ! I guess at 3½ years of age Lanoire has earned the right to exhibit a bit of "road rash". I repaired our broken step stool, and reattached a corner of the truck bed rail protector ... again ! This time I used an expensive auto body moulding double sided tape.
As the sun set I visited with neighbours for awhile, then went to the swimming pool while Joanne prepared supper. She didn't want to ruin her freshly applied nail polish in the pool and hot tub.
Sunday ; Today was sunny, warm, and humid. This morning while I was outside puttering and fussing with my auto body repair work Maria bicycled by on her way to the laundromat. After not speaking to me for five days she decided to stop and ... speak her mind !
After lunch Kevin and Sandy arrived for our planned outing to Pepe's On The River, a large, indoor/outdoor, honky-tonk style bar on the banks of the Rio Grande, south of Mission. On the way there we stopped at Camping World to buy some RV supplies. At Pepe's we sat outside on a patio beside the river, sharing a pitcher of beer, watching boats on the river, and Border Patrol helicopters overhead. As we were leaving we briefly visited an old Spanish mission chapel nearby.
We were previously unable to come to an agreement with Kevin and Sandy about travelling into Mexico together. We wanted to go into Mexico at the beginning of January. They wanted to go at the beginning of February. When they found out today that Gil and Maria have changed their minds about travelling into Mexico with us, Kevin suggested a compromise. They would prefer to travel in Mexico with a travelling companion couple. So would we. Kevin suggested that we travel together, starting in mid-January. Joanne and I are considering their offer, and are inclined to accept.
After leaving Pepe's we headed to Fat Daddy's, a barbecue restaurant, for supper. It was difficult to find, and when we finally found it, it was closed on Sundays ( sigh ). Plan B was to drive to La Feria, to another barbecue restaurant, J.C. Stuffgut. When we got there, it also was closed on Sundays ( bigger sigh ). We gave up. Kevin and Sandy dropped us off at Kenwood RV Resort, and they left to return to their RV park in Brownsville. Joanne and I went to Kenwood's regular Sunday evening ice cream social, then had supper in the trailer while watching the season finale of Amazing Race.
I have just finished reading my journal for this date last year. I commented on watching fighter jets from MCAS in Yuma flying circuits, making each turn in the circuit by banking at ninety degrees, and suggesting facetiously that I should try that in a Cessna. Well, as those of you who followed the progress of my Mountain Performance Flying Course last summer know ... I now can bank a Cessna ninety degrees. HA HA HA ! Late in the evening, just before bedtime, I went to the pool and hot tub. AHHHHH ... very relaxing.
Monday ; Today was partially cloudy, very warm, humid, and a bit windy. This morning while I was doing preventive maintenance outside, John and Eve came by and invited me to the Kenwood RV Resort Homeowner's Association meeting, mostly because of the free coffee and doughnuts. MMMMM ... good doughnuts ! HA HA HA ! After the meeting, Joanne wanted to go to Nuevo Progreso to do some Christmas shopping, buy some pet medications, and buy pesos.
On the way to Mexico we stopped at Wal-Mart in Weslaco to cash $1000 of traveller's cheques at their in-store bank, to buy pesos either in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico or Hidalgo, Texas, where we saw a good exchange rate yesterday. What a "loser" trip into Mexico today ! First stop was a veterinary pharmacy where we bought some pet medications, including some antibiotic ear drops for Teddy, who has an ear infection of some sort. If these drops don't clear it up in a week, we'll take him to a local veterinarian. Next I went to Estetica Modelo for a haircut. J**** F****** H. C***** ! ! ! I look some kind of a G** D*** U.S. Marine Corps retiree. I tried to tell the barber I wanted one inch trimmed off my hair. He took that to mean that I wanted my hair to be one inch long. Why would he think that someone who walked in with hair that was at least six inches long would want to walk out with an inch of hair ? ! ? ! ? And my beard is even worse ! I look like some kind of a G** D*** U.S. Marine Corps retiree ... with stubble ! ! ! I haven't had this bad a haircut in 40 years ... since I let my father cut my hair when I was 14 years old ! ! ! I won't need another haircut until next April. My normal hair length is over the ears and collar. This barber lathered and shaved with a straight razor over and behind my ears, and above the collar, leaving a white, untanned strip of skin that hasn't seen the light of day in 40 years. Joanne thinks I will get sunburned on the tops of my ears and above my collar until my hair grows back. He finished up by trimming my eyebrows down to stubble. Sure got my four bucks' worth ! ! ! He slathered some kind of grease into my hair, then brushed it straight back. It hardened like some kind of helmet on my head, leaving me looking like some kind of greaseball drug dealer from the Sopranos.
We had a nice lunch in Red Snapper, a Mexican seafood restaurant. I had tres tacos pescados y uno cerveza Sol ( 3 fish tacos and a Sol beer ). Joanne had a chimichanga. We bought some Nugs and Nugs Crujientes. They were out of Coconugs. Joanne bought a bottle of tequila con sabor de cajeta ... goat's milk caramel flavoured tequila. She found it while looking for chocolate flavoured tequila like we bought in the Baja last winter. Well ... you've got to give her credit for having eclectic tastes ! I bought two cartons of cigarettes at what appeared to be the "duty free" store just before the border. At the border we were required to pay a Texas state tax on the cigarettes that brought the price up to normal retail Texas prices. And the "duty free" shop gave me the wrong cigarettes ! ! ! So I now have two cartons of cigarettes that I don't like, for regular retail price !
Back in the U.S. we drove west to Hidalgo and bought $1000 worth of pesos at a cambio ( money exchange business ) at a better exchange rate than in Mexico, the best of many exchange rates we've found. Back at Kenwood RV Resort we went to the pool and hot tub for awhile before supper. After supper I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday.
Tuesday ; Happy Anniversary, Bo. Today is the fourth anniversary of us rescuing Bo at RainBOw Plantation in southern Alabama. When I did an obedience session with him this morning I couldn't help thinking what a well behaved / trained dog he is compared to the unruly terror he was when we got him. The result of an awful lot of hard work for both me and him. Today was sunny and hot, temperature in the afternoon of 90 degrees. I started playing Christmas carols this morning. This is our fifth Christmas season as full time RV'ers in the South, and I still find it a bit difficult to get into the Christmas spirit when it's sunny and hot most of the time.
We have previously seen a Peregrine Falcon flying around this RV park, perching in a particular tree a few sites over from us. This morning there were feathers blowing around under that tree. When I looked up into the tree, there was the Peregrine Falcon, happily eating a dove it had caught.
I fussed around a bit more with the auto body repair on the upper section of the rear dually hip. As imperfect as it is, I'm finally satisfied that I've gotten it as good as I can. The neighbours are making fun of my haircut. Deservedly so ! Today we discarded Teddy's old nylon pet tent which has an odour of dog urine, and put him in his new pet tent, which we actually purchased two years ago in Winnipeg. He doesn't like it ! ! ! Teddy is, and always has been, very resistant to change.
After lunch we went to the Amigos de los Niños de Mexico final planning meeting in Weslaco before the big Fiesta de Navidad on Christmas morning in Nuevo Progreso. From there we went to H-E-B in Mercedes to replenish groceries. And, of course ... the panaderia across the street to replenish pan dulce. Mucho pan dulce ! HA HA HA ! It was so hot that we stopped at Stripes for a chocolate sundae for Joanne and a banana split for me. Back home at Kenwood RV Resort we met and chatted with our new next door neighbour, a man from Arkansas. He has a wife, but in the couple of days that they have been our neighbours we haven't seen her come out of the trailer yet. He made a cryptic comment about "she doesn't do anything". We went to the pool and hot tub before having a late supper.
Congratulations to our WorkCamper / Escapee friend Julie in Pennsylvania, on getting ( from a rescue organization ... Bravo ! ) her new dog, a Chinese Crested ( goofy looking breed ! ... HA HA HA ) she has named Triscuit.
Wednesday ; Today was cold and windy. There is a frost warning tonight, which is a big deal here. WOW ... that's a temperature change of 60 degrees in 30 hours ! "I felt quite ill today, with a sudden and severe flare-up of colitis." While that is true, ironically it's copied from my journal entry of one year ago. I spent most of the day in bed, feeling ill, reading and napping. We did some Christmas events planning. There are many interesting Christmas events upcoming in the Rio Grande Valley.
DSK
Thursday ; Today started out cool and windy, ending up sunny and warm. This morning Joanne went with Gil and Maria to sort and count Amigos de los Niños de Mexico toys at the rented storage locker. I spent the morning working on auto body repair on the truck's rear bumper and dually hip. I finished repairing the damage on the corner of the bumper. I finished repairing the damage on the lower part of the hip. I'm not yet finished repairing the damage on the upper part of the hip.
After lunch I read and napped. We went into La Feria and I bought some auto body repair supplies at Auto Zone. We bought some pan dulce at one of the two panaderias in La Feria. Joanne wanted to see what was north of La Feria, and Bo wanted to "go drivey", so we drove north on FM 506 to the village of Santa Rosa. We found diesel there at a great price so I refilled. Back home at Kenwood RV Resort I spent a frustrating period with the Yellow Pages trying to contact local bank branches to obtain peso purchase exchange rates. There are many local bank branches, and they all have local telephone numbers, but inevitably when I would phone them, I would either end up in endless voice mail loops, or be connected to call centres in New York or Arizona ( fume ). I gave up ! We took Bo for a walk, hoping that would work off my frustration. We went to the pool and hot tub. We chatted with our new neighbours from Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Friday ; Today was cloudy, cool, windy, and raining. We had planned to go to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico today, but cancelled because of the weather. Around noon Gil came over to inform us that they have decided not to go to Mexico with us in January and February.
We spent a lazy day, reading, napping, drinking tea, eating pan dulce ... HA HA HA !
Saturday ; Today started out cloudy and mild, but by noon the sky had cleared and it became sunny and warm. I spent most of the afternoon working on repairing the damage on the upper part of the dually hip. I got it as good as I'm going to, I guess. My amateur auto body repair results are less than perfect, but ... life goes on ! ! ! I guess at 3½ years of age Lanoire has earned the right to exhibit a bit of "road rash". I repaired our broken step stool, and reattached a corner of the truck bed rail protector ... again ! This time I used an expensive auto body moulding double sided tape.
As the sun set I visited with neighbours for awhile, then went to the swimming pool while Joanne prepared supper. She didn't want to ruin her freshly applied nail polish in the pool and hot tub.
Sunday ; Today was sunny, warm, and humid. This morning while I was outside puttering and fussing with my auto body repair work Maria bicycled by on her way to the laundromat. After not speaking to me for five days she decided to stop and ... speak her mind !
After lunch Kevin and Sandy arrived for our planned outing to Pepe's On The River, a large, indoor/outdoor, honky-tonk style bar on the banks of the Rio Grande, south of Mission. On the way there we stopped at Camping World to buy some RV supplies. At Pepe's we sat outside on a patio beside the river, sharing a pitcher of beer, watching boats on the river, and Border Patrol helicopters overhead. As we were leaving we briefly visited an old Spanish mission chapel nearby.
We were previously unable to come to an agreement with Kevin and Sandy about travelling into Mexico together. We wanted to go into Mexico at the beginning of January. They wanted to go at the beginning of February. When they found out today that Gil and Maria have changed their minds about travelling into Mexico with us, Kevin suggested a compromise. They would prefer to travel in Mexico with a travelling companion couple. So would we. Kevin suggested that we travel together, starting in mid-January. Joanne and I are considering their offer, and are inclined to accept.
After leaving Pepe's we headed to Fat Daddy's, a barbecue restaurant, for supper. It was difficult to find, and when we finally found it, it was closed on Sundays ( sigh ). Plan B was to drive to La Feria, to another barbecue restaurant, J.C. Stuffgut. When we got there, it also was closed on Sundays ( bigger sigh ). We gave up. Kevin and Sandy dropped us off at Kenwood RV Resort, and they left to return to their RV park in Brownsville. Joanne and I went to Kenwood's regular Sunday evening ice cream social, then had supper in the trailer while watching the season finale of Amazing Race.
I have just finished reading my journal for this date last year. I commented on watching fighter jets from MCAS in Yuma flying circuits, making each turn in the circuit by banking at ninety degrees, and suggesting facetiously that I should try that in a Cessna. Well, as those of you who followed the progress of my Mountain Performance Flying Course last summer know ... I now can bank a Cessna ninety degrees. HA HA HA ! Late in the evening, just before bedtime, I went to the pool and hot tub. AHHHHH ... very relaxing.
Monday ; Today was partially cloudy, very warm, humid, and a bit windy. This morning while I was doing preventive maintenance outside, John and Eve came by and invited me to the Kenwood RV Resort Homeowner's Association meeting, mostly because of the free coffee and doughnuts. MMMMM ... good doughnuts ! HA HA HA ! After the meeting, Joanne wanted to go to Nuevo Progreso to do some Christmas shopping, buy some pet medications, and buy pesos.
On the way to Mexico we stopped at Wal-Mart in Weslaco to cash $1000 of traveller's cheques at their in-store bank, to buy pesos either in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico or Hidalgo, Texas, where we saw a good exchange rate yesterday. What a "loser" trip into Mexico today ! First stop was a veterinary pharmacy where we bought some pet medications, including some antibiotic ear drops for Teddy, who has an ear infection of some sort. If these drops don't clear it up in a week, we'll take him to a local veterinarian. Next I went to Estetica Modelo for a haircut. J**** F****** H. C***** ! ! ! I look some kind of a G** D*** U.S. Marine Corps retiree. I tried to tell the barber I wanted one inch trimmed off my hair. He took that to mean that I wanted my hair to be one inch long. Why would he think that someone who walked in with hair that was at least six inches long would want to walk out with an inch of hair ? ! ? ! ? And my beard is even worse ! I look like some kind of a G** D*** U.S. Marine Corps retiree ... with stubble ! ! ! I haven't had this bad a haircut in 40 years ... since I let my father cut my hair when I was 14 years old ! ! ! I won't need another haircut until next April. My normal hair length is over the ears and collar. This barber lathered and shaved with a straight razor over and behind my ears, and above the collar, leaving a white, untanned strip of skin that hasn't seen the light of day in 40 years. Joanne thinks I will get sunburned on the tops of my ears and above my collar until my hair grows back. He finished up by trimming my eyebrows down to stubble. Sure got my four bucks' worth ! ! ! He slathered some kind of grease into my hair, then brushed it straight back. It hardened like some kind of helmet on my head, leaving me looking like some kind of greaseball drug dealer from the Sopranos.
We had a nice lunch in Red Snapper, a Mexican seafood restaurant. I had tres tacos pescados y uno cerveza Sol ( 3 fish tacos and a Sol beer ). Joanne had a chimichanga. We bought some Nugs and Nugs Crujientes. They were out of Coconugs. Joanne bought a bottle of tequila con sabor de cajeta ... goat's milk caramel flavoured tequila. She found it while looking for chocolate flavoured tequila like we bought in the Baja last winter. Well ... you've got to give her credit for having eclectic tastes ! I bought two cartons of cigarettes at what appeared to be the "duty free" store just before the border. At the border we were required to pay a Texas state tax on the cigarettes that brought the price up to normal retail Texas prices. And the "duty free" shop gave me the wrong cigarettes ! ! ! So I now have two cartons of cigarettes that I don't like, for regular retail price !
Back in the U.S. we drove west to Hidalgo and bought $1000 worth of pesos at a cambio ( money exchange business ) at a better exchange rate than in Mexico, the best of many exchange rates we've found. Back at Kenwood RV Resort we went to the pool and hot tub for awhile before supper. After supper I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday.
Tuesday ; Happy Anniversary, Bo. Today is the fourth anniversary of us rescuing Bo at RainBOw Plantation in southern Alabama. When I did an obedience session with him this morning I couldn't help thinking what a well behaved / trained dog he is compared to the unruly terror he was when we got him. The result of an awful lot of hard work for both me and him. Today was sunny and hot, temperature in the afternoon of 90 degrees. I started playing Christmas carols this morning. This is our fifth Christmas season as full time RV'ers in the South, and I still find it a bit difficult to get into the Christmas spirit when it's sunny and hot most of the time.
We have previously seen a Peregrine Falcon flying around this RV park, perching in a particular tree a few sites over from us. This morning there were feathers blowing around under that tree. When I looked up into the tree, there was the Peregrine Falcon, happily eating a dove it had caught.
I fussed around a bit more with the auto body repair on the upper section of the rear dually hip. As imperfect as it is, I'm finally satisfied that I've gotten it as good as I can. The neighbours are making fun of my haircut. Deservedly so ! Today we discarded Teddy's old nylon pet tent which has an odour of dog urine, and put him in his new pet tent, which we actually purchased two years ago in Winnipeg. He doesn't like it ! ! ! Teddy is, and always has been, very resistant to change.
After lunch we went to the Amigos de los Niños de Mexico final planning meeting in Weslaco before the big Fiesta de Navidad on Christmas morning in Nuevo Progreso. From there we went to H-E-B in Mercedes to replenish groceries. And, of course ... the panaderia across the street to replenish pan dulce. Mucho pan dulce ! HA HA HA ! It was so hot that we stopped at Stripes for a chocolate sundae for Joanne and a banana split for me. Back home at Kenwood RV Resort we met and chatted with our new next door neighbour, a man from Arkansas. He has a wife, but in the couple of days that they have been our neighbours we haven't seen her come out of the trailer yet. He made a cryptic comment about "she doesn't do anything". We went to the pool and hot tub before having a late supper.
Congratulations to our WorkCamper / Escapee friend Julie in Pennsylvania, on getting ( from a rescue organization ... Bravo ! ) her new dog, a Chinese Crested ( goofy looking breed ! ... HA HA HA ) she has named Triscuit.
Wednesday ; Today was cold and windy. There is a frost warning tonight, which is a big deal here. WOW ... that's a temperature change of 60 degrees in 30 hours ! "I felt quite ill today, with a sudden and severe flare-up of colitis." While that is true, ironically it's copied from my journal entry of one year ago. I spent most of the day in bed, feeling ill, reading and napping. We did some Christmas events planning. There are many interesting Christmas events upcoming in the Rio Grande Valley.
DSK
Friday, December 5, 2008
November 27 to December 3, 2008
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November 27 to December 3, 2008 ; La Feria, Texas
Thursday ; Happy ( American ) Thanksgiving
Today was sunny and hot, with a gentle cool breeze. At noon we went to Kenwood RV Resort's communal Thanksgiving dinner. Kenwood supplied the cooked turkeys, and the residents all contributed salads, side dishes, and desserts, potluck style. There was a large crowd, probably a couple of hundred people. There's not that many residents in this park, so many of the residents must have had guests. Adult middle aged children, and young grandchildren were obvious, so I guess there's a lot of "let's go visit Grandma and Grandpa on Thanksgiving". We sat with John and Eve, our new friends from Cornwall, Ontario, and Gil and Maria. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. But ... at 1:05 P.M. us six Canadians were the only people left in the recreation hall. I do not understand the American "eat and run" mentality.
I spent the afternoon working on the damage on the truck. I used the power buffer that Joanne uses to wax the trailer, and a polishing compound, attempting to buff out as much of the damage as possible. Well ... it's better ... but ! I was able to make the scuff marks on the dually hip pretty much disappear, but there are some deeper scratches on both the hip and the corner of the bumper that will require repainting. Late in the afternoon we had a short off leash play session with Bo and Buppy, then sat around with Gil, Maria, John, and Eve having an afternoon "social hour". As the sun set Joanne and I went to the swimming pool.
We watched Survivor then had a late, light supper.
Friday ; Today we remember Toby the cat, who died 4 years ago, while we were WorkCamping at Trout Lodge up in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. We miss you, my little friend. Today was cloudy, warm, and humid. This morning I went to Auto Zone to buy Joanne's Christmas gift to me. HA HA HA ! I did more work on repairing the damage to the truck's dually hip and bumper. I used a coloured "chip stick" and a coloured wax I bought at Auto Zone. They improved things, but painting will still be necessary. Today Gil's bicycle got put out at the front of their site with a "for sale" sign on it. After his accident of a few weeks ago, Gil has decided that his bicycling days are over.
After lunch Joanne and Maria went to Kenwood RV Resort's weekly Friday afternoon music jam session. I napped, then joined them for the last 45 minutes of the session. Even that exceeded my capacity for endurance of old women singing country and western songs off key. There were many guitars, a banjo, a ukulele, an accordion, a dulcimer, and an African instrument called a marimbula. And a bunch of old women without instruments who considered themselves singers ! To give credit where it’s due, I suppose I should be grateful that my wife is aging reasonably gracefully ! And as she approaches her “golden years”, doesn’t suddenly declare herself to be a country and western singer ! HA HA HA ! We spent the rest of the afternoon having "social hour" with John, Eve, Gil, and Maria. At sunset we headed for the swimming pool. This morning I had masked the tailgate and rear fender of the truck, to prepare for spray painting the damaged corner of the bumper. Then I waited all day for the wind to stop so that I could paint. It never did. Oh, well, maybe tomorrow.
Today was "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States. Most retailers opened in the middle of the night, between 3:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M.. Tonight's news reported on today's Black Friday highlights. A Wal-Mart employee in Long Island, New York trampled to death when the customers waiting for the doors to open busted down the doors and rushed into the store ... and 2 fatalities at a shoot out at a Toys R Us store in Palm Springs, California. ( sigh ) Merry Christmas and God Bless America ! ! !
Saturday ; Today was cloudy and warm. I did some Internet research last night on chiggers. The burrowing worm in Teddy's abdomen was not a chigger. I wasn't able to determine what it was. And I don't know if it was an external parasite burrowing into his flesh, or an internal parasite burrowing its way out ! Joanne thinks we should deworm Teddy and Bo, just as a preventive measure. Okay ! AH, geeeeezzzzz ... as I'm typing this, Joanne has Teddy upside down on her lap, examining him. She's just found another one ! EEEEEUUUUUWWWWW !
In addition to pulling another worm out of Teddy's abdomen ( shudder ), I painted the damaged corner of the truck's bumper. Well ... it's not as perfect as a professional body shop's work, but good enough under the circumstances, I guess. Next I'll try to paint over a couple of deep scratches on the hip, maybe tomorrow. I remounted the shower head mounting bracket which came off the wall of the shower stall. ( mumble & grumble ) Because Joanne hangs her wet bathing suit, with its heavy prosthesis in it, on the shower head. And I repaired one of our folding lawn chairs.
After lunch we took Bo for a long walk down the road behind Kenwood until we reached a sugar cane field. Bo enjoyed barking at some goats in a yard. I read. I napped. We visited with Gil and Maria. When Gil and Maria went to church, we went to the swimming pool. Chaqu'un à son goût.
After some more research, I now suspect that the two maggots that we pulled out of Teddy's abdomen were likely botfly larvae. Botfly eggs get into a host's body either by ingestion ( like eating grass ... like Teddy did when he escaped recently ... on which a botfly has dropped eggs ) or by a mosquito bite. The warmth of the host's body allows the eggs to hatch, then they burrow through the intestine and out to the skin, where they live just under the skin. A little breathing tube sticks out of the skin, and the rest of the larva lives under, and eats the flesh of the host. Do a Google search on botfly larvae to see some pretty gruesome videos !
Sunday ; Today was sunny and warm, a very lovely day. This morning we headed out with Gil and Maria in their toad to visit Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. We stopped at Auto Zone and Family Dollar in La Feria to buy some truck repair supplies, then headed south on Hwy. FM 506 and west on Military Hwy. 281 following the Rio Grande River / Mexican border to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. While driving on Military Hwy. 281 Gil experienced his first taste of "Mexican passing". HA HA HA ... first time is kind of shocking, isn't it, Gil ?
At Santa Ana National Wildlife refuge we briefly did some bird watching, and saw some Green Jays, one of the more spectacular birds seen here in the Rio Grande Valley. We went on a 1½ hour guided tram tour around the refuge's seven mile park road, stopping a couple of times to visit an old cemetery and to take a short hike to the Rio Grande River. Swimming across the river from Mexico to the National Wildlife Refuge is one of the more popular "wetback" crossings locations. We saw a pack of Javelinas, and a Texas Indigo Snake. Once back at the Visitor Centre we ate our picnic lunches. In violation of federal regulations, I picked a couple of tiny, wild chili pequin ( pronounced "pay keen" ) and gave to them to Maria to use in cooking. They are the "hottest" of the chili peppers, "hotter" than jalapeños and habañeros. And it's easy to underestimate them, because they are tiny, smaller than a pea.
From there we drove to the village of San Juan to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle National Shrine, a church Maria wanted to visit. We wandered around the outside and inside of the beautiful basilica, then wandered across the grounds to see the "old church", which was rebuilt after a small plane pilot intentionally crashed into it in 1970.
Back home at Kenwood RV Resort I did some more work on repairing the damage on the truck's bumper, spray painting it with clear coat, hoping that would increase the gloss / shine of the black spray painting I did yesterday. I'm not sure that it did. I won't know for a few more days, until after it dries for 2 days and then I use polishing compound on it. The painting that I did yesterday is not quite as glossy / shiny as the original factory paint. We went to the swimming pool, then the Sunday ice cream social, before having dinner and watching Amazing Race.
Monday ; Today was sunny and warm. Well, Buppy has fleas again ( still ? ) ! Gil and Maria continue to resist my recommendations to purchase good quality flea control products, relying instead on their "old wives' tale" approach to flea eradication. Obviously ( to me, at least ) it's not working ! Since Bo suffers from flea bite dermatitis, an allergic reaction to flea bites, I feel that there is no choice but to keep Bo away from Buppy.
This morning I puttered around with minor maintenance chores, including disinfecting the fresh water holding tank. This afternoon we went to Harlingen to do some shopping. Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart, then H-E-B. Back at home we sat around for awhile having "afternoon social hour" with Gil, Maria, John, and Eve. In the evening I downloaded and processed my photos from Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, then worked on investment updates.
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and warm. This morning I removed the step assembly off the trailer, to take it for welding repair tomorrow. I discovered that Buppy has been urinating on Teddy's nylon tent and Bo's pet carrier which he uses as a bedroom in the back seat of the truck while we're travelling. Both were stored outside under the side of the trailer. We were able to clean the hard sided pet carrier, but cannot get the urine odour out of Teddy's nylon tent. Teddy is not pleased about the odour. I guess we'll have to discard the tent and get another. I brought the problem to Maria's attention but she seemed ... skeptical that Buppy was the cause ( despite having previously witnessed it ) ... and perplexed about how to solve the problem.
Getting in and out of the trailer without the steps attached, using a step stool, was difficult. In the afternoon Joanne did laundry. I read and napped. We took Bo for a walk. Gil advised us that their solution to the problem was to relocate. They are going to move to another site in the park. We don't think that's the most effective or practical solution, or one that's particularly necessary, but ... ! I spent some time having "social hour" with John and Eve, then Joanne and I went to the swimming pool before supper.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny, warm, humid, and windy. This morning Joanne went to the first yoga class of the season here at Kenwood RV Resort. I noticed that Gil was moving to another site, without help. Maria had also gone to the yoga class. He was trying to squeeze their 37 foot class A motorhome into a tight spot, impossible to do without help. I went over and helped him. I was hoping that my gesture would be perceived as an "olive branch". By Gil it seemed to be.
I drove Joanne to the WesDon Farmer's Market, dropped her off there, then went to a nearby welding shop to have the trailer steps assembly repaired. When the welding repair was done, I drove back to the farmer's market and picked up Joanne. We drove to Ron Hoover RV and I picked up the RV part I had special ordered a couple of weeks ago. From there we went to H-E-B in Weslaco and did some grocery shopping. I bought some Mexican wedding cookies, which we've never had before.
Back at home, after lunch I painted the weld repaired area of the steps assembly, then reinstalled it. Tough job ! Aren't they all ? ! Joanne prepared a dish for tonight's pot luck dinner. While climbing in and out of the bed of the truck, to get some tools to fix Joanne's broken watch strap, I fell off the tailgate. Ouch ( grumble ) !
We went to the potluck dinner. As always, it was good. I never met a potluck I didn't like. HA HA HA ! Although 5:00 P.M. is about three hours too early for a big supper, from my perspective. But ... these old folks sure do love their "early bird" suppers. After supper Eve and John invited us over for some Mexican Tres Leches cake they had bought today. Tres Leches ( pronounced "tress lechays" ) means three milks. It's made with regular milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. It's a very, very creamy cake. Late in the evening we went to the pool and hot tub. Oh, boy ... the hot tub was functional again after being out of service for about a week.
DSK
Thursday ; Happy ( American ) Thanksgiving
Today was sunny and hot, with a gentle cool breeze. At noon we went to Kenwood RV Resort's communal Thanksgiving dinner. Kenwood supplied the cooked turkeys, and the residents all contributed salads, side dishes, and desserts, potluck style. There was a large crowd, probably a couple of hundred people. There's not that many residents in this park, so many of the residents must have had guests. Adult middle aged children, and young grandchildren were obvious, so I guess there's a lot of "let's go visit Grandma and Grandpa on Thanksgiving". We sat with John and Eve, our new friends from Cornwall, Ontario, and Gil and Maria. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. But ... at 1:05 P.M. us six Canadians were the only people left in the recreation hall. I do not understand the American "eat and run" mentality.
I spent the afternoon working on the damage on the truck. I used the power buffer that Joanne uses to wax the trailer, and a polishing compound, attempting to buff out as much of the damage as possible. Well ... it's better ... but ! I was able to make the scuff marks on the dually hip pretty much disappear, but there are some deeper scratches on both the hip and the corner of the bumper that will require repainting. Late in the afternoon we had a short off leash play session with Bo and Buppy, then sat around with Gil, Maria, John, and Eve having an afternoon "social hour". As the sun set Joanne and I went to the swimming pool.
We watched Survivor then had a late, light supper.
Friday ; Today we remember Toby the cat, who died 4 years ago, while we were WorkCamping at Trout Lodge up in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. We miss you, my little friend. Today was cloudy, warm, and humid. This morning I went to Auto Zone to buy Joanne's Christmas gift to me. HA HA HA ! I did more work on repairing the damage to the truck's dually hip and bumper. I used a coloured "chip stick" and a coloured wax I bought at Auto Zone. They improved things, but painting will still be necessary. Today Gil's bicycle got put out at the front of their site with a "for sale" sign on it. After his accident of a few weeks ago, Gil has decided that his bicycling days are over.
After lunch Joanne and Maria went to Kenwood RV Resort's weekly Friday afternoon music jam session. I napped, then joined them for the last 45 minutes of the session. Even that exceeded my capacity for endurance of old women singing country and western songs off key. There were many guitars, a banjo, a ukulele, an accordion, a dulcimer, and an African instrument called a marimbula. And a bunch of old women without instruments who considered themselves singers ! To give credit where it’s due, I suppose I should be grateful that my wife is aging reasonably gracefully ! And as she approaches her “golden years”, doesn’t suddenly declare herself to be a country and western singer ! HA HA HA ! We spent the rest of the afternoon having "social hour" with John, Eve, Gil, and Maria. At sunset we headed for the swimming pool. This morning I had masked the tailgate and rear fender of the truck, to prepare for spray painting the damaged corner of the bumper. Then I waited all day for the wind to stop so that I could paint. It never did. Oh, well, maybe tomorrow.
Today was "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States. Most retailers opened in the middle of the night, between 3:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M.. Tonight's news reported on today's Black Friday highlights. A Wal-Mart employee in Long Island, New York trampled to death when the customers waiting for the doors to open busted down the doors and rushed into the store ... and 2 fatalities at a shoot out at a Toys R Us store in Palm Springs, California. ( sigh ) Merry Christmas and God Bless America ! ! !
Saturday ; Today was cloudy and warm. I did some Internet research last night on chiggers. The burrowing worm in Teddy's abdomen was not a chigger. I wasn't able to determine what it was. And I don't know if it was an external parasite burrowing into his flesh, or an internal parasite burrowing its way out ! Joanne thinks we should deworm Teddy and Bo, just as a preventive measure. Okay ! AH, geeeeezzzzz ... as I'm typing this, Joanne has Teddy upside down on her lap, examining him. She's just found another one ! EEEEEUUUUUWWWWW !
In addition to pulling another worm out of Teddy's abdomen ( shudder ), I painted the damaged corner of the truck's bumper. Well ... it's not as perfect as a professional body shop's work, but good enough under the circumstances, I guess. Next I'll try to paint over a couple of deep scratches on the hip, maybe tomorrow. I remounted the shower head mounting bracket which came off the wall of the shower stall. ( mumble & grumble ) Because Joanne hangs her wet bathing suit, with its heavy prosthesis in it, on the shower head. And I repaired one of our folding lawn chairs.
After lunch we took Bo for a long walk down the road behind Kenwood until we reached a sugar cane field. Bo enjoyed barking at some goats in a yard. I read. I napped. We visited with Gil and Maria. When Gil and Maria went to church, we went to the swimming pool. Chaqu'un à son goût.
After some more research, I now suspect that the two maggots that we pulled out of Teddy's abdomen were likely botfly larvae. Botfly eggs get into a host's body either by ingestion ( like eating grass ... like Teddy did when he escaped recently ... on which a botfly has dropped eggs ) or by a mosquito bite. The warmth of the host's body allows the eggs to hatch, then they burrow through the intestine and out to the skin, where they live just under the skin. A little breathing tube sticks out of the skin, and the rest of the larva lives under, and eats the flesh of the host. Do a Google search on botfly larvae to see some pretty gruesome videos !
Sunday ; Today was sunny and warm, a very lovely day. This morning we headed out with Gil and Maria in their toad to visit Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. We stopped at Auto Zone and Family Dollar in La Feria to buy some truck repair supplies, then headed south on Hwy. FM 506 and west on Military Hwy. 281 following the Rio Grande River / Mexican border to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. While driving on Military Hwy. 281 Gil experienced his first taste of "Mexican passing". HA HA HA ... first time is kind of shocking, isn't it, Gil ?
At Santa Ana National Wildlife refuge we briefly did some bird watching, and saw some Green Jays, one of the more spectacular birds seen here in the Rio Grande Valley. We went on a 1½ hour guided tram tour around the refuge's seven mile park road, stopping a couple of times to visit an old cemetery and to take a short hike to the Rio Grande River. Swimming across the river from Mexico to the National Wildlife Refuge is one of the more popular "wetback" crossings locations. We saw a pack of Javelinas, and a Texas Indigo Snake. Once back at the Visitor Centre we ate our picnic lunches. In violation of federal regulations, I picked a couple of tiny, wild chili pequin ( pronounced "pay keen" ) and gave to them to Maria to use in cooking. They are the "hottest" of the chili peppers, "hotter" than jalapeños and habañeros. And it's easy to underestimate them, because they are tiny, smaller than a pea.
From there we drove to the village of San Juan to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle National Shrine, a church Maria wanted to visit. We wandered around the outside and inside of the beautiful basilica, then wandered across the grounds to see the "old church", which was rebuilt after a small plane pilot intentionally crashed into it in 1970.
Back home at Kenwood RV Resort I did some more work on repairing the damage on the truck's bumper, spray painting it with clear coat, hoping that would increase the gloss / shine of the black spray painting I did yesterday. I'm not sure that it did. I won't know for a few more days, until after it dries for 2 days and then I use polishing compound on it. The painting that I did yesterday is not quite as glossy / shiny as the original factory paint. We went to the swimming pool, then the Sunday ice cream social, before having dinner and watching Amazing Race.
Monday ; Today was sunny and warm. Well, Buppy has fleas again ( still ? ) ! Gil and Maria continue to resist my recommendations to purchase good quality flea control products, relying instead on their "old wives' tale" approach to flea eradication. Obviously ( to me, at least ) it's not working ! Since Bo suffers from flea bite dermatitis, an allergic reaction to flea bites, I feel that there is no choice but to keep Bo away from Buppy.
This morning I puttered around with minor maintenance chores, including disinfecting the fresh water holding tank. This afternoon we went to Harlingen to do some shopping. Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart, then H-E-B. Back at home we sat around for awhile having "afternoon social hour" with Gil, Maria, John, and Eve. In the evening I downloaded and processed my photos from Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, then worked on investment updates.
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and warm. This morning I removed the step assembly off the trailer, to take it for welding repair tomorrow. I discovered that Buppy has been urinating on Teddy's nylon tent and Bo's pet carrier which he uses as a bedroom in the back seat of the truck while we're travelling. Both were stored outside under the side of the trailer. We were able to clean the hard sided pet carrier, but cannot get the urine odour out of Teddy's nylon tent. Teddy is not pleased about the odour. I guess we'll have to discard the tent and get another. I brought the problem to Maria's attention but she seemed ... skeptical that Buppy was the cause ( despite having previously witnessed it ) ... and perplexed about how to solve the problem.
Getting in and out of the trailer without the steps attached, using a step stool, was difficult. In the afternoon Joanne did laundry. I read and napped. We took Bo for a walk. Gil advised us that their solution to the problem was to relocate. They are going to move to another site in the park. We don't think that's the most effective or practical solution, or one that's particularly necessary, but ... ! I spent some time having "social hour" with John and Eve, then Joanne and I went to the swimming pool before supper.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny, warm, humid, and windy. This morning Joanne went to the first yoga class of the season here at Kenwood RV Resort. I noticed that Gil was moving to another site, without help. Maria had also gone to the yoga class. He was trying to squeeze their 37 foot class A motorhome into a tight spot, impossible to do without help. I went over and helped him. I was hoping that my gesture would be perceived as an "olive branch". By Gil it seemed to be.
I drove Joanne to the WesDon Farmer's Market, dropped her off there, then went to a nearby welding shop to have the trailer steps assembly repaired. When the welding repair was done, I drove back to the farmer's market and picked up Joanne. We drove to Ron Hoover RV and I picked up the RV part I had special ordered a couple of weeks ago. From there we went to H-E-B in Weslaco and did some grocery shopping. I bought some Mexican wedding cookies, which we've never had before.
Back at home, after lunch I painted the weld repaired area of the steps assembly, then reinstalled it. Tough job ! Aren't they all ? ! Joanne prepared a dish for tonight's pot luck dinner. While climbing in and out of the bed of the truck, to get some tools to fix Joanne's broken watch strap, I fell off the tailgate. Ouch ( grumble ) !
We went to the potluck dinner. As always, it was good. I never met a potluck I didn't like. HA HA HA ! Although 5:00 P.M. is about three hours too early for a big supper, from my perspective. But ... these old folks sure do love their "early bird" suppers. After supper Eve and John invited us over for some Mexican Tres Leches cake they had bought today. Tres Leches ( pronounced "tress lechays" ) means three milks. It's made with regular milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. It's a very, very creamy cake. Late in the evening we went to the pool and hot tub. Oh, boy ... the hot tub was functional again after being out of service for about a week.
DSK
Thursday, November 27, 2008
November 20 to 26, 2008
November 20 to 26, 2008 ; La Feria, Texas
Thursday ; Today was sunny, hot, and humid. I spent the morning installing new hub covers on two trailer wheels. I had to jack up the trailer, remove the wheel, install the new hub cover, reinstall the wheel, lower the trailer off the jack, then repeat the process for another wheel. I discovered that all the trailer wheels' lug nuts are worn and need to be replaced. That's 24 lug nuts that I'm going to have to remove and replace ( sigh ). And I discovered a break in a metal brace in the trailer's exterior steps assembly. I'm either going to have to have it welded, or I'll have to replace the steps assembly. I washed the roof and hood of the truck, to remove the muddy cat paw prints on the roof and hood. Apparently some cat with muddy paws couldn't walk around the truck during the night, he had to go over it ! ! ! We took Bo for a long walk and chatted with a neighbour, who gave us some cheese from St. Albert's Cheese in St. Albert, Ontario, near Ottawa. St. Albert's is their favourite cheese, and they always buy a large quantity of it when they visit their daughter who lives in Ottawa.
We had lunch, then I napped. I put that in for the benefit of Barry, a former employee of ours. I received an e-mail from Barry asking for my new blog address. He's lost track of how often I nap. HA HA HA ! I finished waxing the trailer. Joanne is afraid to go to the top of the ladder, so she leaves the highest sections of the trailer for me to wax. I removed an exterior light fixture from the trailer, and on Saturday will install a new one that I bought.
At sunset we went to the pool and hot tub. I barbecued supper while we watched Survivor. Well, we watched part of Survivor. For 15 minutes during the show we were both outside looking for Teddy. He walked out the door on one of my trips outside to tend to the barbecue. He was gone for about 10 minutes before I noticed he was missing. He stealthily sneaks out the door about once every two years or so. And it's very frightening ( to us, not him ) when he does !
Friday ; Today was cloudy, cold, and windy. We had planned to spend today down in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, but decided first thing this morning that it was too cold to go today. The weather made us feel lazy, so we stayed in bed for most of the morning.
This afternoon we went to Mercedes for some grocery shopping at H-E-B. The H-E-B in Harlingen is better, but there are two panaderias ( Mexican bakeries ) across the street from the Mercedes store. We bought some pan dulce ( Mexican pastries ) at one a week ago, and today we tried the other. They're both very good. Mind you, I haven't yet found a panaderia I didn't like. HA HA HA ! Back at Kenwood RV Resort, I installed three new light fixtures I bought a few days ago. They are battery operated LED lights. I installed them to use when we're boondocking, to conserve the main "house" battery in the trailer. Gil and Maria spent the afternoon at Kenwood's weekly music "jam session" in the clubhouse, then went to the local legion for a Friday fish dinner.
We went to the pool and hot tub before supper. BRRRRR ... it was cold walking back to the trailer. After supper I got online and ... took a look at what's happened in the stock market this week. When is this going to end ? ! ? !
Saturday ; Today was cloudy, warm, and humid. This morning I installed a new exterior light fixture on the trailer. And fretted about our investments ! And worried about finding employment next summer !
This afternoon I worked on the electromagnetic brake wiring, fussing, tidying up, redoing Camco Wheel & Axle's workmanship to my anal retentive standards. That was all the "home improvement" work I was going to do today, but with encouragement from Joanne, I also installed the Extreme Vent on the kitchen grey water holding tank's plumbing vent on the roof. We took Bo for a long walk. Late in the afternoon we took a guacamole break with Gil and Maria. Maria made the guacamole. ( whispering very quietly ) Joanne's is better.
We went to the pool and hot tub a little earlier than we usually do, before heading for Edinburg. Edinburg is about ¾ of an hour northwest of here. Gil and Maria went to church, having forgotten that we had planned a trip to Edinburg tonight to see the Rio Roundup Rodeo at Sheriff’s Posse Arena. The Rio Roundup Rodeo is advertised as taking place every Saturday evening at 7:00 P.M.. Except when they don’t feel like having it, I guess. And apparently tonight was one of those nights ! What a waste of an hour and a half worth of fuel !
Sunday ; Today started out cloudy, warm and humid, becoming sunny, hot, and humid.
I spent most of the day installing a new water pump. It was a very difficult job, although I had expected it to be even worse than it was. I had been contemplating buying and installing a better water pump for about 2 years, and finally got serious about it just before we left Keremeos seven weeks ago. The factory installed water pump in the trailer was constant flow, essentially on or off. To conserve water when we're boondocking, I wanted a variable flow pump, providing "home like" infinitely variable water pressure and flow. The "variable speed demand" RV water pumps are very expensive, but I finally bought one at Camping World last week. I've kept the old water pump as a spare. Having a spare water pump while travelling in Mexico is recommended, as RV parts and service businesses are pretty much non-existent in Mexico.
We went to the pool to cool down after a long hard day of work before going to Sunday ice cream social, a regular weekly event that has just resumed for the winter season here at Kenwood RV Resort. We chatted for awhile with neighbours, then rushed home to watch Amazing Race. After supper I reconciled our monthly MasterCard statements. Ooooo ... what an expensive month !
Monday ; Nuevo Progreso, Mexico
Today was sunny and hot. This morning we went with Gil and Maria to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, about 15 or 20 minutes southwest of La Feria. This is only the second place in Mexico that Gil and Maria have been to. They've also been to Los Algodones, near Yuma, Arizona. We wandered around Nuevo Progreso for about 4 or 5 hours, browsing and sightseeing. We bought Creminos ( chocolate hazelnut mints ), Nugs, Coconugs, and Nugs Crujientes ( chocolate bars ). We checked out the currency exchange businesses. The one bank in Nuevo Progreso had a better exchange rate than the 3 or 4 private money exchange businesses called cambios. We will also check out the exchange rates at a couple of the banks here on the U.S. side, but last year the exchange rate was better in Mexico than in the U.S.. Gil withdrew 5000 pesos from an ATM using his bank card, to see what exchange rate he would get from his Canadian bank. We got comparison pricing on pet medications at 3 or 4 veterinary pharmacies. I got some dental work prices my sister had asked me to get for her. We took a rest break in a bar, ordering piña coladas, a margarita, and cerveza. We walked to the school where the Amigos de Los Niños de Mexico Fiesta de Navidad ( Friends of the Children of Mexico Christmas party ) will take place on Christmas morning. We found a church. Maria wanted to visit a Mexican church. We had lunch at a roadside taco stand. Six beef and avocado tacos for U.S.$3.50. I had told Maria about the great fish tacos we had in the Baja last year, and she was eager for fish tacos. But none of the taco stands in Nuevo Progreso had fish tacos. I guess we're not close enough to the Gulf of Mexico for fish to be readily available. Either that, or the Texas influence makes beef the preferred choice. Maria struggled with Spanish words and phrases I was trying to teach her. I hope she can at least remember the word for bathroom, which she had difficulty with today.
The border crossing from Mexico back into the United States is now guarded by soldiers in sandbag bunkers with machine guns perched on top. Seems a bit dramatic for a border crossing where the only people crossing are senior citizen gringos with trinkets and booze. I attempted to take a picture, but a soldier waggled his finger at me. So ... I stood off to the side by a store and used the zoom function on my camera. HA ... take that ! Joanne chastised me for once again indulging in activity that runs the risk of getting me shot in a foreign country. HA HA HA !
Back at Kenwood RV Resort we had some of Joanne's freshly made ( yesterday ) plum pie with frozen plums we picked back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. We spent time in the swimming pool before supper, a daily ritual. Gil checked his bank account online to determine how much his 5000 peso withdrawal cost in Canadian dollars. The Mexican peso to Canadian dollar exchange rate the bank applied was good.
Tuesday ; Today was cloudy and mild. This morning I downloaded and processed yesterday's photos from Nuevo Progreso. I mounted a small wall calendar I picked up at a dentist's office, so I can learn the months of the year in Spanish. I prepared huevos rancheros for lunch. Fried eggs on warmed tortillas, covered with salsa and queso ( melted, seasoned cheese, like on nachos ). Well done, Daniel !
After lunch Joanne went with Gil and Maria in their Westie to Ropas Usadas ( Used Clothing ) in Mercedes. I went to a local bank to check on their peso to dollar exchange rate, then met Joanne, Gil, and Maria at Ropas Usadas. From there we drove in both vehicles to the meeting of Amigos de los Niños de Mexico in Weslaco. We took both vehicles anticipating having to transport lots of toys from the meeting to the organization's storage unit in a local storage business. After the meeting, we loaded up toys and some school supplies and took them to the storage unit.
While my truck was parked at R & R Storage, Gil scraped the side of his Westie along the rear dually hip and bumper of Lanoire, damaging the hip and bumper of my truck, and the side cargo door of his Westie. In the interests of not destroying a friendship, suffice for me to say that I'm not pleased, and leave it at that ! ! !
On the way back to La Feria we stopped at H-E-B in Mercedes to buy some groceries, and stock up on pan dulce at the panaderia across the street. Back at Kenwood RV Resort we gave Bo a bath and went to the pool and hot tub before having a late supper.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and hot. This morning I cleaned the damaged areas of the truck with acetone, to remove as much of the Westie's white paint as possible. The corner of the bumper and the rear of the dually hip are scratched and scuffed. Tomorrow I will use a polishing compound to try to buff out as much of the scuffing as I can. On the weekend I will spray paint the corner of the bumper and the rear of the hip. Wish me luck with that ! In the interests of friendship, and given that Lanoire is now 3½ years old, I'm trying to avoid having such minor damage repaired professionally.
We spent the afternoon running errands ( sigh ). First stop was the Post Office to post some mail and pick up my Mexican vehicle insurance policy sent to General Delivery. Then the WesDon flea market to buy some hardware and the farmer's market to buy fruits and vegetables. Next stop was Ron Hoover RV to pick up Gil's special order and my special order. Gil's had arrived, mine had not ( sigh ). Next was Camco Wheel & Axle to buy 24 new lug nuts for the trailer. Then ... the joy of my day ... Wal-Martin'. On to Pep Boys to buy spray paint for the truck. Then Auto Zone to buy a gallon of Lucas diesel additive, and select the torque wrench I want for Christmas. Last stop was El Centro Foods to refill our 5 gallon water jug. By the time we got home it was too late, and we were too tired, to go to the pool and hot tub before supper.
EEEEEUUUUUWWWWW ! ! ! While loving up Teddy, Joanne found a lump on his tummy. A close examination showed it to be ... wait for it ... the end of some kind of a worm, embedded in his flesh. While Joanne held Teddy upside down, I grabbed the end of the worm and pulled. EEEEEUUUUUWWWWW ! ! ! Only about ¼ of it was sticking out, the rest was in his flesh. It left a big hole in his abdomen. I'm not certain, but I think that type of worm is called a chigger. When Teddy "escaped" last week he was outside for only about 25 minutes. He certainly is poorly equipped for outdoor survival !
I cooked catfish for supper. The cooking of fish or egg dishes is my responsibility, because I'm better at fish and eggs than Joanne is. We trimmed Bo's dew claws. We administered flea prevention treatments to Teddy and Bo, and heartworm prevention medication to Bo. Joanne did laundry. I ate Nugs and Coconugs. HA HA HA HA HA !
DSK
Thursday ; Today was sunny, hot, and humid. I spent the morning installing new hub covers on two trailer wheels. I had to jack up the trailer, remove the wheel, install the new hub cover, reinstall the wheel, lower the trailer off the jack, then repeat the process for another wheel. I discovered that all the trailer wheels' lug nuts are worn and need to be replaced. That's 24 lug nuts that I'm going to have to remove and replace ( sigh ). And I discovered a break in a metal brace in the trailer's exterior steps assembly. I'm either going to have to have it welded, or I'll have to replace the steps assembly. I washed the roof and hood of the truck, to remove the muddy cat paw prints on the roof and hood. Apparently some cat with muddy paws couldn't walk around the truck during the night, he had to go over it ! ! ! We took Bo for a long walk and chatted with a neighbour, who gave us some cheese from St. Albert's Cheese in St. Albert, Ontario, near Ottawa. St. Albert's is their favourite cheese, and they always buy a large quantity of it when they visit their daughter who lives in Ottawa.
We had lunch, then I napped. I put that in for the benefit of Barry, a former employee of ours. I received an e-mail from Barry asking for my new blog address. He's lost track of how often I nap. HA HA HA ! I finished waxing the trailer. Joanne is afraid to go to the top of the ladder, so she leaves the highest sections of the trailer for me to wax. I removed an exterior light fixture from the trailer, and on Saturday will install a new one that I bought.
At sunset we went to the pool and hot tub. I barbecued supper while we watched Survivor. Well, we watched part of Survivor. For 15 minutes during the show we were both outside looking for Teddy. He walked out the door on one of my trips outside to tend to the barbecue. He was gone for about 10 minutes before I noticed he was missing. He stealthily sneaks out the door about once every two years or so. And it's very frightening ( to us, not him ) when he does !
Friday ; Today was cloudy, cold, and windy. We had planned to spend today down in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, but decided first thing this morning that it was too cold to go today. The weather made us feel lazy, so we stayed in bed for most of the morning.
This afternoon we went to Mercedes for some grocery shopping at H-E-B. The H-E-B in Harlingen is better, but there are two panaderias ( Mexican bakeries ) across the street from the Mercedes store. We bought some pan dulce ( Mexican pastries ) at one a week ago, and today we tried the other. They're both very good. Mind you, I haven't yet found a panaderia I didn't like. HA HA HA ! Back at Kenwood RV Resort, I installed three new light fixtures I bought a few days ago. They are battery operated LED lights. I installed them to use when we're boondocking, to conserve the main "house" battery in the trailer. Gil and Maria spent the afternoon at Kenwood's weekly music "jam session" in the clubhouse, then went to the local legion for a Friday fish dinner.
We went to the pool and hot tub before supper. BRRRRR ... it was cold walking back to the trailer. After supper I got online and ... took a look at what's happened in the stock market this week. When is this going to end ? ! ? !
Saturday ; Today was cloudy, warm, and humid. This morning I installed a new exterior light fixture on the trailer. And fretted about our investments ! And worried about finding employment next summer !
This afternoon I worked on the electromagnetic brake wiring, fussing, tidying up, redoing Camco Wheel & Axle's workmanship to my anal retentive standards. That was all the "home improvement" work I was going to do today, but with encouragement from Joanne, I also installed the Extreme Vent on the kitchen grey water holding tank's plumbing vent on the roof. We took Bo for a long walk. Late in the afternoon we took a guacamole break with Gil and Maria. Maria made the guacamole. ( whispering very quietly ) Joanne's is better.
We went to the pool and hot tub a little earlier than we usually do, before heading for Edinburg. Edinburg is about ¾ of an hour northwest of here. Gil and Maria went to church, having forgotten that we had planned a trip to Edinburg tonight to see the Rio Roundup Rodeo at Sheriff’s Posse Arena. The Rio Roundup Rodeo is advertised as taking place every Saturday evening at 7:00 P.M.. Except when they don’t feel like having it, I guess. And apparently tonight was one of those nights ! What a waste of an hour and a half worth of fuel !
Sunday ; Today started out cloudy, warm and humid, becoming sunny, hot, and humid.
I spent most of the day installing a new water pump. It was a very difficult job, although I had expected it to be even worse than it was. I had been contemplating buying and installing a better water pump for about 2 years, and finally got serious about it just before we left Keremeos seven weeks ago. The factory installed water pump in the trailer was constant flow, essentially on or off. To conserve water when we're boondocking, I wanted a variable flow pump, providing "home like" infinitely variable water pressure and flow. The "variable speed demand" RV water pumps are very expensive, but I finally bought one at Camping World last week. I've kept the old water pump as a spare. Having a spare water pump while travelling in Mexico is recommended, as RV parts and service businesses are pretty much non-existent in Mexico.
We went to the pool to cool down after a long hard day of work before going to Sunday ice cream social, a regular weekly event that has just resumed for the winter season here at Kenwood RV Resort. We chatted for awhile with neighbours, then rushed home to watch Amazing Race. After supper I reconciled our monthly MasterCard statements. Ooooo ... what an expensive month !
Monday ; Nuevo Progreso, Mexico
Today was sunny and hot. This morning we went with Gil and Maria to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, about 15 or 20 minutes southwest of La Feria. This is only the second place in Mexico that Gil and Maria have been to. They've also been to Los Algodones, near Yuma, Arizona. We wandered around Nuevo Progreso for about 4 or 5 hours, browsing and sightseeing. We bought Creminos ( chocolate hazelnut mints ), Nugs, Coconugs, and Nugs Crujientes ( chocolate bars ). We checked out the currency exchange businesses. The one bank in Nuevo Progreso had a better exchange rate than the 3 or 4 private money exchange businesses called cambios. We will also check out the exchange rates at a couple of the banks here on the U.S. side, but last year the exchange rate was better in Mexico than in the U.S.. Gil withdrew 5000 pesos from an ATM using his bank card, to see what exchange rate he would get from his Canadian bank. We got comparison pricing on pet medications at 3 or 4 veterinary pharmacies. I got some dental work prices my sister had asked me to get for her. We took a rest break in a bar, ordering piña coladas, a margarita, and cerveza. We walked to the school where the Amigos de Los Niños de Mexico Fiesta de Navidad ( Friends of the Children of Mexico Christmas party ) will take place on Christmas morning. We found a church. Maria wanted to visit a Mexican church. We had lunch at a roadside taco stand. Six beef and avocado tacos for U.S.$3.50. I had told Maria about the great fish tacos we had in the Baja last year, and she was eager for fish tacos. But none of the taco stands in Nuevo Progreso had fish tacos. I guess we're not close enough to the Gulf of Mexico for fish to be readily available. Either that, or the Texas influence makes beef the preferred choice. Maria struggled with Spanish words and phrases I was trying to teach her. I hope she can at least remember the word for bathroom, which she had difficulty with today.
The border crossing from Mexico back into the United States is now guarded by soldiers in sandbag bunkers with machine guns perched on top. Seems a bit dramatic for a border crossing where the only people crossing are senior citizen gringos with trinkets and booze. I attempted to take a picture, but a soldier waggled his finger at me. So ... I stood off to the side by a store and used the zoom function on my camera. HA ... take that ! Joanne chastised me for once again indulging in activity that runs the risk of getting me shot in a foreign country. HA HA HA !
Back at Kenwood RV Resort we had some of Joanne's freshly made ( yesterday ) plum pie with frozen plums we picked back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. We spent time in the swimming pool before supper, a daily ritual. Gil checked his bank account online to determine how much his 5000 peso withdrawal cost in Canadian dollars. The Mexican peso to Canadian dollar exchange rate the bank applied was good.
Tuesday ; Today was cloudy and mild. This morning I downloaded and processed yesterday's photos from Nuevo Progreso. I mounted a small wall calendar I picked up at a dentist's office, so I can learn the months of the year in Spanish. I prepared huevos rancheros for lunch. Fried eggs on warmed tortillas, covered with salsa and queso ( melted, seasoned cheese, like on nachos ). Well done, Daniel !
After lunch Joanne went with Gil and Maria in their Westie to Ropas Usadas ( Used Clothing ) in Mercedes. I went to a local bank to check on their peso to dollar exchange rate, then met Joanne, Gil, and Maria at Ropas Usadas. From there we drove in both vehicles to the meeting of Amigos de los Niños de Mexico in Weslaco. We took both vehicles anticipating having to transport lots of toys from the meeting to the organization's storage unit in a local storage business. After the meeting, we loaded up toys and some school supplies and took them to the storage unit.
While my truck was parked at R & R Storage, Gil scraped the side of his Westie along the rear dually hip and bumper of Lanoire, damaging the hip and bumper of my truck, and the side cargo door of his Westie. In the interests of not destroying a friendship, suffice for me to say that I'm not pleased, and leave it at that ! ! !
On the way back to La Feria we stopped at H-E-B in Mercedes to buy some groceries, and stock up on pan dulce at the panaderia across the street. Back at Kenwood RV Resort we gave Bo a bath and went to the pool and hot tub before having a late supper.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and hot. This morning I cleaned the damaged areas of the truck with acetone, to remove as much of the Westie's white paint as possible. The corner of the bumper and the rear of the dually hip are scratched and scuffed. Tomorrow I will use a polishing compound to try to buff out as much of the scuffing as I can. On the weekend I will spray paint the corner of the bumper and the rear of the hip. Wish me luck with that ! In the interests of friendship, and given that Lanoire is now 3½ years old, I'm trying to avoid having such minor damage repaired professionally.
We spent the afternoon running errands ( sigh ). First stop was the Post Office to post some mail and pick up my Mexican vehicle insurance policy sent to General Delivery. Then the WesDon flea market to buy some hardware and the farmer's market to buy fruits and vegetables. Next stop was Ron Hoover RV to pick up Gil's special order and my special order. Gil's had arrived, mine had not ( sigh ). Next was Camco Wheel & Axle to buy 24 new lug nuts for the trailer. Then ... the joy of my day ... Wal-Martin'. On to Pep Boys to buy spray paint for the truck. Then Auto Zone to buy a gallon of Lucas diesel additive, and select the torque wrench I want for Christmas. Last stop was El Centro Foods to refill our 5 gallon water jug. By the time we got home it was too late, and we were too tired, to go to the pool and hot tub before supper.
EEEEEUUUUUWWWWW ! ! ! While loving up Teddy, Joanne found a lump on his tummy. A close examination showed it to be ... wait for it ... the end of some kind of a worm, embedded in his flesh. While Joanne held Teddy upside down, I grabbed the end of the worm and pulled. EEEEEUUUUUWWWWW ! ! ! Only about ¼ of it was sticking out, the rest was in his flesh. It left a big hole in his abdomen. I'm not certain, but I think that type of worm is called a chigger. When Teddy "escaped" last week he was outside for only about 25 minutes. He certainly is poorly equipped for outdoor survival !
I cooked catfish for supper. The cooking of fish or egg dishes is my responsibility, because I'm better at fish and eggs than Joanne is. We trimmed Bo's dew claws. We administered flea prevention treatments to Teddy and Bo, and heartworm prevention medication to Bo. Joanne did laundry. I ate Nugs and Coconugs. HA HA HA HA HA !
DSK
Thursday, November 20, 2008
November 13 to 19, 2008
November 13 to 19, 2008 ; La Feria, Texas
This morning Joanne and I spent some time chatting with our new neighbours, in two rigs from Quebec. A couple in a fifth wheel trailer and a single woman in a very large motorhome. It's unusual to see a single woman travelling alone in such a large motorhome. We went to chat with them because they have Escapees decals on their rigs, and because we know that Quebecois often feel a bit isolated while travelling if they don't speak English. They comprehend English, but speak it poorly. I comprehend French, but speak it poorly. Joanne is bilingual. We all got along just fine. They spoke mostly French, I spoke mostly English, Joanne spoke both.
We went to Wal-Mart ( sigh ). Then to H-E-B. Then to Walgreen's. And there went the morning and part of the afternoon. On the way back home we stopped at a drive in burger place called Stars for a very late lunch. Back home at Kenwood RV Resort we spent time with Gil and Maria in the swimming pool and hot tub. We watched Survivor then had a late supper.Friday ; Today started out cloudy and warm, becoming sunny, hot, and very humid in the afternoon. I went to the Post Office to pick up a batch of forwarded mail that I was expecting. It hadn't arrived yet ( fume ) ! This morning Joanne and Maria prepared picnic lunches and we set off in the "Westie" ( Gil's and Maria's Volkswagen Westfalia toad ) for Estero Llano Grande State Park. We wandered around the butterfly gardens and the Visitor Centre for awhile before having our picnic lunch. After lunch we went on a guided butterfly walk with a Park Naturalist and one of the park's WorkCampers. Beautiful butterflies ... lots of them ! By the end of the guided walk Maria and I were both tired and "butterflied out".
Back at Kenwood RV Resort, after a short nap, I worked on removing the truck's bed rail protectors which were coming loose. Joanne helped me to clean off the old, deteriorated double sided tape that was the cause of them coming loose. We didn't quite finish before it got dark. Tomorrow we'll finish removing the old double sided tape, get them all cleaned up, then reinstall them with new double sided tape. Joanne's fingers got blistered from scraping off old tape. My feet got bit by fire ants. We went to the pool with Gil and Maria. I drove across the street to use the Wi-Fi signal in Super 8 Motel's parking lot, and for the second evening in a row, the Internet seemed to be "down".
Saturday ; Today was sunny, warm, and windy. This morning we went to the Kenwood RV Resort's charity fund raiser omelette breakfast. We lingered over breakfast and chatted with neighbours, then finished cleaning and reinstalling the truck’s bed rail protectors. Gil and Maria went shopping in Harlingen. Joanne continued waxing the trailer. I removed the light fixture from inside the front “trunk” of the trailer and replaced it with a better light fixture I purchased recently. Boy, my fussy workmanship is much nicer than that originally done by the factory, especially on work like wiring.
After lunch and a nap, and more procrastination, I washed the truck. The wash we gave it a couple of weeks ago in Hondo was "quick and dirty", so to speak, so it needed a more thorough wash. Joanne walked over to El Centro Foods, the Mexican grocery store in the village of La Feria to buy milk, then she continued waxing the trailer. I saw our Quebecois neighbour walking around with her laptop computer. I thought she was trying to find a strong Wi-Fi signal, so I went over to offer assistance. She wasn't looking for a Wi-Fi signal. She was showing this RV park to her son in Montreal. Her computer has a built in camera and microphone, and she was online with her son using Skype, a VOIP service like our Vonage Wi-Fi phone. Her son could see what she was showing him, and he, sitting at his desk in Montreal, was on her computer screen . What a neat way to communicate ! Gil and Maria went to church. They go to a weekly church service ... a Catholic mass, I think ... on Saturdays. When it got dark, we went to the pool and hot tub. We chatted with the couple who own Lucky, the 16 year old Scarlet Macaw.
I learned a new Texan word today. While at this morning's omelette breakfast, I overheard a woman telling her friends that she went to bed last night right after watching the "nyi woos". It took me awhile to figure out that that was a Texan pronunciation of "news". HA HA HA !
Sunday ; It was cold overnight, but sunny and mild today. At 11:00 A.M. Kevin and Sandy arrived at Kenwood RV Resort. They, us, Gil and Maria all loaded into Lanoire and set off west on Expressway 83 headed for La Joya, about an hour away. We stopped for Sunday brunch at Shoney's, a buffet restaurant in McAllen. The 2½ hour Mariachi and Folklorico concert at La Joya High School was, as expected, stupendous. The concert was broken down into ten different "acts" of song, music, and dance reflecting Mexican song and dance culture from Mayan times to the present.
By the time we got back to Kenwood RV Resort it was 6:00 P.M.. We had a late, light supper while watching Amazing Race.
Monday ; Today was sunny and warm. This morning Gil and Maria received news that their daughter's dog, Buppy's 10 month old offspring named Solo, had been killed by a car. That was saddening news for them.
I did some minor maintenance chores this morning. This afternoon I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday at the Mariachi / Folklorico / Conjunto concert at La Joya High School. Then ... ( huge sigh ) ... I worked on updating my investment files. Joanne did laundry, baked some apricot tarts with apricots we picked last summer and froze, and continued waxing the trailer. We took a guacamole and tortilla chip break with Gil and Maria late in the afternoon. AHHHHH ... I haven’t had any of Joanne’s excellent guacamole since we last bought fresh avocadoes in Yuma last spring. Just before it turned dark I got the truck and trailer hitched, to prepare for departure tomorrow morning to have the trailer serviced.
We went to the pool and hot tub before preparing supper. We discussed our long term future plans, in consideration of the current status of our investment losses. After supper I completed updating and analyzing our investments. It seems probable that our lifestyle as unemployed vagabonds will have to end next spring.
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and warm. It was a long, tiring day of errands.
Early this morning we pulled the trailer out of Kenwood RV Resort and headed west to Pharr. We dropped the trailer off at Camco Wheel & Axle to have Harvey's wheel bearings repacked and the electromagnetic brakes replaced. WOW ... an expensive job ! We refilled with diesel. Went to Discount Tire and Sears to get prices on new tires for Lanoire. Went to Texas Tops Of McAllen to get a price on a grille guard ( or, as I like to call them, a Toyota pusher ... HA HA HA ) for Lanoire. I suppose it’s unrealistic to contemplate indulging myself in something that expensive that has no real practical value, given the state of our investments, and the high costs of replacing the truck tires and trailer brakes, essential expenditures. Went to Camping World, renewed our Camping World President's Club ( discount ) membership, bought three new light fixtures, a new water pump, a 12 volt heated "blankie" for Teddy when boondocking, and some other RV supplies. Had lunch at Whataburger, Joanne's favourite burger restaurant. Went to Petco. Bo loves shopping ... HA HA HA ! Bought a nylon tunnel to add to the dog agility course I am building for Bo back at Riverside RV Resort. Bo got a new bandanna. He's very pleased, having been "bandannaless" since he lost his bandanna in my sister's yard about a month and a half ago. Went Wal-Martin' ( sigh ). Late in the afternoon we returned to Camco Wheel & Axle to pick up Harvey. On the way back to La Feria we stopped at Ron Hoover RV and bought more RV supplies. By the time we got back to our site at Kenwood RV Resort it was 6:00 P.M..
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and warm.
Poor old Teddy is often cold at night. On cold nights, when we're plugged into 120 volt AC power, we run a little electric heater in the bedroom to keep him warm. But when we're boondocking, without AC power, Teddy doesn't understand why we won't respond to his very clear signals that he wants his heater. Yesterday we bought him a little 12 volt heated "blankie" for when we're boondocking, which we expect we'll be doing regularly down in Mexico. Last night we "road tested" it. Teddy was very pleased with it !
This morning we drove into La Feria, I dropped Joanne off at El Centro Foods to buy a few groceries, and I went to the Post Office to pick up a batch of forwarded mail. I refilled our 5 gallon water jug. Joanne bought a pound of shredded barbecued beef brisket at a small barbecue take out place on the edge of the grocery store's parking lot. MMMMM ! Very disorganized "hot dog stand" kind of business, but very nice barbecue. And preparing barbecue is a very individual thing. Every barbecue is different, using a different recipe or approach. I did some maintenance work on a plumbing problem under the kitchen sink. I purchased Mexican vehicle insurance for the truck and trailer for our trip into Mexico in January and February.
After lunch we went with Gil and Maria in their Westie to the WesDon Flea & Farmer's market. First thing we saw as we walked into the flea market was a grizzled old man, long hair, long beard, walking his pet ... wait for it ... alligator ! The alligator had a leash attached to the dog harness it was wearing. Geeeeezzzzz ... welcome to Texas ! Gil bought some RV supplies. I bought an Extreme Vent for the trailer's kitchen grey water holding tank's plumbing vent pipe on the roof. Last year I installed an Extreme Vent on the bathroom grey water holding tank's vent pipe, and it works excellently to remove odours from the waste holding tank and prevent waste holding tank odours from seeping into the RV. On the way out of the flea market, the alligator man was now showing off his huge python. The python was 24 years old, blind, having been born without eyes. Huge ... perhaps 10 or 12 feet long, circumference of a fence post. Seemed like a friendly enough creature ... I petted it. We crossed the street over to the farmer's market and bought fresh fruits and vegetables. On the way home we stopped at Home Depot and I bought the part I needed to complete the plumbing repair under the sink. Gil picked up the new fuel filter and fuel pump he had ordered from Auto Zone for the Westie.
Back at Kenwood RV Resort I napped for awhile while Joanne continued waxing the trailer. I repaired one of our folding chairs. Gil determined that the fuel pump and fuel filter that he got at Auto Zone were not the correct ones for their Westie. He returned them for a refund, and tomorrow will go to a Volkswagen repair shop that Joanne and I found yesterday near Camco Wheel & Axle. We took Bo for a long walk at sunset, then went to the pool and hot tub before supper. After supper, I reviewed the batch of forwarded mail that I picked up at the Post Office this morning.
DSK
Friday, November 14, 2008
November 6 to 12, 2008
November 6 to 12, 2008 ; La Feria, Texas
Thursday ; MMMMM ... Mexican pastries and miniature bananas for breakfast. Today was partially cloudy, humid, and hot. Gil's forehead and knee are slowly healing. But he's developing a lot of deep purple bruises all over, including around his nose and two black eyes. Joanne's leg rash is slowly healing. Teddy was very ill today, vomiting ten times overnight and today. ( sigh ) Old people, old pets !
We spent the morning running errands in and around Harlingen. Gil and Maria came with us. I refilled a trailer propane tank and the barbecue propane tank. We found our way to O'Reilly's Auto Parts where I had ordered new shock absorbers for the trailer. We went looking for the veterinarian that gave us the cheapest quote on an examination and innoculations for Bo. It was much further than we thought, and when we finally found it, and I went in to inquire about / verify the rates, they quoted me approximately the same as all the other veterinarians we had phoned ( grumble ). Finally, we went to Wal-Mart for groceries and supplies.
When we returned from our shopping trip, Teddy was in bad shape. We lay him down on the bed, covered him with a cold, wet towel, and administered water to him with a syringe. Poor, sick Teddy. I hope this isn't the beginning of the end for him. He's 16½ years old. His condition today seemed similar to how our previous cat Toby was five days before he died. We realized later in the afternoon that he was severely constipated.
There is a man in this RV park who bicycles around the park with his large Scarlet Macaw on the handlebars. The bird seems to really enjoy his daily outings. It's a really gorgeous bird. When the man and bird cycled by today while Joanne was outside with Teddy, the bird said ... I kid you not ... "puddy tat ... meow" ! HA HA HA !
I found a strong, fast, unencrypted ( open access ) Wi-Fi signal at the Super 8 Motel across the street. I parked in their parking lot and did some computer work this afternoon. And I returned later with my Wi-Fi phone and phoned our friends Kevin and Sandy who are nearby in Brownsville. They're coming to visit tomorrow. We hope they will join us, along with Maria and Gil, in Mexico in January and February.
By late afternoon Teddy finally stopped vomiting. We rehydrated him frequently throughout the day by administering water to him with a syringe. After supper, we administered a small amount of a liquid laxative to him using the syringe. He was still constipated, although resting more comfortably than earlier in the day.
Late in the evening, Maria, Joanne, and I went for a late night dip in the hot tub. AHHHH ... that could become habit forming.
Friday ; Today was cloudy, mild, and windy. Teddy's fine !
This morning when Bo woke me up to be walked, the first thing I did was peek into the litter box. ( huge sigh of relief ) And I saw in there what I wanted to see ! Yesterday was a "close call" for Teddy. He's not a "fighter" like Toby was. Yesterday afternoon, severely constipated, dehydrated from vomiting and the hot, humid weather, feverish, so weak that he was immobile and unable to drink water, Teddy just flopped down on his side, unable to even lift his head, and began to die. Without our intervention, he would have. I'm glad that we have the pet knowledge and skills to have saved him.
This morning our friends Kevin and Sandy came to visit. We introduced them to Gil and Maria, and we all spent the morning and part of the afternoon visiting and chatting. We had hoped that Kevin and Sandy were going to join Joanne, me, Gil, and Maria in our 2 month exploration of mainland Mexico. Unfortunately, they are not going to. They do not want to go down into Mexico before February. And we want to go at the beginning of January. Too bad ... we would have really enjoyed their company.
After Kevin and Sandy left, I went to nap and Joanne went with Maria to shop at health food stores. After they returned, we met Dana, the manager of this RV park walking her dog Angus, who is ... well, a "twin" of Bo. From anything more than 25 feet away, they look identical. Angus is 13 years old. Dana rescued him 3 years ago after he had been abandoned at a boarding kennel. What kind of moron abandons a 10 year old dog ? ! ?
Saturday ; Today was a beautiful, sunny, warm day, high of 80 degrees, low of 65. A perfect "June 18" day ! A great day to be alive ! I've been suffering from mild depression lately, so it was refreshing to have higher spirits today.
I prepared huevos ( pronounced "hooWAYvoes" ) con machaca ( scrambled eggs with shredded, dried beef ), Joanne's favourite Mexican breakfast. We found packages of machaca in the grocery store recently. We went for a walk around the park with Bo, and did an obedience training session. I drove over to an independent mechanic in La Feria that I have dealt with in the past to discuss having him remove three shock absorbers from the trailer, probably cutting them off with an acetylene torch. I changed one shock absorber on the trailer this past summer in Keremeos, and it took me an entire day of brute force "persuasion" to remove the old shock absorber. I'm going to start working on removing and replacing the remaining three shock absorbers within a day or two, but if they prove to be as difficult to remove as the first one, I'll pay someone else to do it.
We gave Bo a short haircut today. It's too hot and humid here in the Rio Grande Valley for him to have long hair. I hope "winter" doesn't suddenly arrive here in South Texas. If it does, he's going to want to sleep under the duvet at night. Joanne applied Aloe Vera ointment to his flea bites, then we applied a flea spray all over him. Poor Bo has flea bite dermatitis, an allergic reaction to flea bites. Each flea bite produces an itchy, red bump. Maria assures me that she has eliminated fleas from Buppy. I certainly hope so !
After much procrastination, I began working on removing the three old shock absorbers from the trailer this afternoon. The first one came off relatively easy. The remaining two were difficult, but I got them off. WOO-HOO ! I removed all three in less time than it took me to remove the first one last summer at home. Tomorrow I'll install the three new ones. Cleaning myself up after the job was difficult and messy. I was covered in grime from my fingertips to my biceps. My reward to myself for a job well done was some time in the pool and hot tub. This park has a very nice swimming pool and hot tub facility. The pool temperature is perfect, warmer than the one back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. And the hot tub is hot ! AHHHHH !
Sunday ; Today was cloudy, warm, and humid, with a warm breeze. A few drops of rain fell around lunch time. This morning I installed the three new shock absorbers on the trailer. I repaired a broken side marker light assembly on Gil's and Maria's motorhome. We went for a long walk with Bo. Joanne did laundry. The rash on her legs has almost disappeared. Gil's forehead and knee are healing nicely, although he still has two black eyes.
This afternoon Joanne wanted to go grocery shopping to an H-E-B. We usually go east a few miles to Harlingen but today we went west a few miles to Mercedes. The H-E-B in Mercedes was a smaller, older store, without a deli, not as nice as most H-E-B stores, but ... across the street was a ... wait for it ... ( pause ) ... a great panaderia ( Mexican bakery ). Who needs sliced luncheon meats when you can have empanadas ? ! ? HA HA HA ( SNORT ) HA HA ! After returning from grocery shopping we spent some time in the swimming pool and hot tub before preparing supper and watching Amazing Race.
Monday ; Today was sunny, hot, humid, and windy. This morning we took Bo to Altas Palmas Animal Clinic between La Feria and Harlingen for a physical examination and innoculations. He's healthy, vaccinated, and ready for Mexico. This is the first time he's had an intranasal vaccine. SQUIRT ! Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you, Bo ? HA HA HA ! I made some phone calls to get quotes on some trailer service and made an appointment for next Tuesday to have the trailer serviced at Campco Wheel & Axle in Pharr. Joanne worked on cleaning windows and waxing the trailer. Gil and Maria went health food store shopping in Harlingen.
After lunch and a nap, we met with Gil and Maria to do some planning of things to see and do here in the Rio Grande Valley over the next week or two. While reading some local community newspapers over lunch I found some very interesting activities and events. I am particularly interested in joining Amigos de los Niños de Mexico ( Friends of the Children of Mexico ). Every year a large group of a few hundred "Winter Texans" organizes, sponsors, and hosts a Fiesta on Christmas morning in Nuevo Progreso for about 3000 underprivileged Mexican children from northern Mexico who are bussed into Nuevo Progreso for this annual Christmas morning Fiesta.
I have been suffering ( sometimes a lot ! ) with arthritis in both my knees and one shoulder. I have been doing knee and shoulder exercises in the swimming pool and hot tub. Today we went to the park's exercise room and I did some knee and shoulder exercises on the Nautilus equipment. I hope I don't regret it. There's a very fine line between just enough exercise to be helpful, and too much. Then we went to the pool and hot tub. Today was the first day that Gil was able to use the pool and hot tub, having healed enough since his bicycle accident a week ago. Through the large glass patio doors of the pool we watched the Scarlet Macaw outside swinging very adeptly on its swing. While Joanne prepared supper I drove over to the Super 8 Motel across the street, parked in their parking lot, and used Wi-Fi to do some Mexican vehicle insurance comparison shopping.
Tuesday ; Veteran's Day ( U.S. ) / Remembrance Day ( Canada )
"Lest We Forget"
I found a quiet, private area of the park, and on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, I observed a minute of silence ... "To Remember". When I was a child, my father, who was a veteran of World War II, taught me that this ritual was important. In his honour, I continue to practice it. Today I remembered my father, of course, and Joanne's Uncle Gerry, who was a veteran of the Korean War. And I remembered an old man who shared my minute of silence on a Remembrance Day some years ago at the airport in Winnipeg. Joanne and I had flown from Ottawa to Winnipeg on the morning of November 11 to attend a memorial service for my mother who had died a few weeks earlier. We were waiting for our luggage at the luggage carousel with Joanne's family. It was a few minutes before 11:00 A.M.. I noticed an elderly gentleman wearing a Legion blazer and beret, and Remembrance Day poppy, waiting for his luggage. I introduced myself, and invited him to join me in observing a minute of silence to remember, in a quiet corner of the airport. He accepted, and joined me. We stood in a corner of the airport, and while we observed a minute of silence, he held my hand, and quietly wept.
Today was sunny and hot. Kenwood RV Resort hosted a Veteran's Day ceremony and luncheon for local veterans and residents of the RV park. WHEW ... it was tough wearing a shirt and long pants for a couple of hours in this heat and humidity. Over lunch Joanne and Maria chatted with a couple from Ontario. Gil and I chatted with a "Snowbird" ( rolling eyes ) couple from Oklahoma, a few hundred miles north of here. They "can't stand the cold" ( rolling my eyes again ). Last winter in Oklahoma the temperature REACHED THE FREEZING LEVEL THREE TIMES ... OMIGOD ( still rolling my eyes ). I was going to tell them what it was like to stand waiting for a bus at the corner of Portage and Main in Winnipeg in 40 below weather, but I didn't think they would believe me. People from the south can't comprehend 40 degrees below zero. I guess there's Snowbirds and then there's Snowbirds ! ! !
I dismantled and Joanne cleaned the "Fantastic Fan" ( a type of RV ceiling fan vent ) in the kitchen. Joanne continued waxing the trailer. I dusted the truck ... again. It's windy and dusty here in South Texas, and the truck needs to be dusted every few days. I discovered an infestation of tiny fire ants around our kitchen sink. I don't know where they're coming from. We went shopping this afternoon for a solution. We found our solution at the first store we tried, Dollar General in La Feria. They had a huge section of products to get rid of ants, so I guess it's a common problem around here. We went to the exercise room, then the pool and hot tub, before preparing supper.
Wednesday ; Today was cloudy, hot, and humid. This morning we set off for a day of errands all over the Rio Grande Valley. Gil and Maria joined us. We headed west on Expressway 83 towards the "upper" valley. First stop was Ron Hoover RV in Donna. Ron Hoover RV is a Fleetwood dealer. Gil needed to order two side marker assemblies for their Fleetwood Southwind motorhome. But ... just before we arrived, he realized that he did not have the piece of paper that I gave him with the side marker assembly part number on it ( sigh ). Nevertheless, we shopped for some other RV parts. I bought a new light fixture for the inside of the storage "trunk" on the front of our trailer, a new window knob, and a damaged package of "dually" valve extenders. A package of four dually valve extenders is $80. This damaged package was $20. I couldn't resist, since I didn't currently have any spare valve extenders, and malfunctioning valve extenders have proven to be the most common tire problem I experience with our truck.
Thursday ; MMMMM ... Mexican pastries and miniature bananas for breakfast. Today was partially cloudy, humid, and hot. Gil's forehead and knee are slowly healing. But he's developing a lot of deep purple bruises all over, including around his nose and two black eyes. Joanne's leg rash is slowly healing. Teddy was very ill today, vomiting ten times overnight and today. ( sigh ) Old people, old pets !
We spent the morning running errands in and around Harlingen. Gil and Maria came with us. I refilled a trailer propane tank and the barbecue propane tank. We found our way to O'Reilly's Auto Parts where I had ordered new shock absorbers for the trailer. We went looking for the veterinarian that gave us the cheapest quote on an examination and innoculations for Bo. It was much further than we thought, and when we finally found it, and I went in to inquire about / verify the rates, they quoted me approximately the same as all the other veterinarians we had phoned ( grumble ). Finally, we went to Wal-Mart for groceries and supplies.
When we returned from our shopping trip, Teddy was in bad shape. We lay him down on the bed, covered him with a cold, wet towel, and administered water to him with a syringe. Poor, sick Teddy. I hope this isn't the beginning of the end for him. He's 16½ years old. His condition today seemed similar to how our previous cat Toby was five days before he died. We realized later in the afternoon that he was severely constipated.
There is a man in this RV park who bicycles around the park with his large Scarlet Macaw on the handlebars. The bird seems to really enjoy his daily outings. It's a really gorgeous bird. When the man and bird cycled by today while Joanne was outside with Teddy, the bird said ... I kid you not ... "puddy tat ... meow" ! HA HA HA !
I found a strong, fast, unencrypted ( open access ) Wi-Fi signal at the Super 8 Motel across the street. I parked in their parking lot and did some computer work this afternoon. And I returned later with my Wi-Fi phone and phoned our friends Kevin and Sandy who are nearby in Brownsville. They're coming to visit tomorrow. We hope they will join us, along with Maria and Gil, in Mexico in January and February.
By late afternoon Teddy finally stopped vomiting. We rehydrated him frequently throughout the day by administering water to him with a syringe. After supper, we administered a small amount of a liquid laxative to him using the syringe. He was still constipated, although resting more comfortably than earlier in the day.
Late in the evening, Maria, Joanne, and I went for a late night dip in the hot tub. AHHHH ... that could become habit forming.
Friday ; Today was cloudy, mild, and windy. Teddy's fine !
This morning when Bo woke me up to be walked, the first thing I did was peek into the litter box. ( huge sigh of relief ) And I saw in there what I wanted to see ! Yesterday was a "close call" for Teddy. He's not a "fighter" like Toby was. Yesterday afternoon, severely constipated, dehydrated from vomiting and the hot, humid weather, feverish, so weak that he was immobile and unable to drink water, Teddy just flopped down on his side, unable to even lift his head, and began to die. Without our intervention, he would have. I'm glad that we have the pet knowledge and skills to have saved him.
This morning our friends Kevin and Sandy came to visit. We introduced them to Gil and Maria, and we all spent the morning and part of the afternoon visiting and chatting. We had hoped that Kevin and Sandy were going to join Joanne, me, Gil, and Maria in our 2 month exploration of mainland Mexico. Unfortunately, they are not going to. They do not want to go down into Mexico before February. And we want to go at the beginning of January. Too bad ... we would have really enjoyed their company.
After Kevin and Sandy left, I went to nap and Joanne went with Maria to shop at health food stores. After they returned, we met Dana, the manager of this RV park walking her dog Angus, who is ... well, a "twin" of Bo. From anything more than 25 feet away, they look identical. Angus is 13 years old. Dana rescued him 3 years ago after he had been abandoned at a boarding kennel. What kind of moron abandons a 10 year old dog ? ! ?
Saturday ; Today was a beautiful, sunny, warm day, high of 80 degrees, low of 65. A perfect "June 18" day ! A great day to be alive ! I've been suffering from mild depression lately, so it was refreshing to have higher spirits today.
I prepared huevos ( pronounced "hooWAYvoes" ) con machaca ( scrambled eggs with shredded, dried beef ), Joanne's favourite Mexican breakfast. We found packages of machaca in the grocery store recently. We went for a walk around the park with Bo, and did an obedience training session. I drove over to an independent mechanic in La Feria that I have dealt with in the past to discuss having him remove three shock absorbers from the trailer, probably cutting them off with an acetylene torch. I changed one shock absorber on the trailer this past summer in Keremeos, and it took me an entire day of brute force "persuasion" to remove the old shock absorber. I'm going to start working on removing and replacing the remaining three shock absorbers within a day or two, but if they prove to be as difficult to remove as the first one, I'll pay someone else to do it.
We gave Bo a short haircut today. It's too hot and humid here in the Rio Grande Valley for him to have long hair. I hope "winter" doesn't suddenly arrive here in South Texas. If it does, he's going to want to sleep under the duvet at night. Joanne applied Aloe Vera ointment to his flea bites, then we applied a flea spray all over him. Poor Bo has flea bite dermatitis, an allergic reaction to flea bites. Each flea bite produces an itchy, red bump. Maria assures me that she has eliminated fleas from Buppy. I certainly hope so !
After much procrastination, I began working on removing the three old shock absorbers from the trailer this afternoon. The first one came off relatively easy. The remaining two were difficult, but I got them off. WOO-HOO ! I removed all three in less time than it took me to remove the first one last summer at home. Tomorrow I'll install the three new ones. Cleaning myself up after the job was difficult and messy. I was covered in grime from my fingertips to my biceps. My reward to myself for a job well done was some time in the pool and hot tub. This park has a very nice swimming pool and hot tub facility. The pool temperature is perfect, warmer than the one back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. And the hot tub is hot ! AHHHHH !
Sunday ; Today was cloudy, warm, and humid, with a warm breeze. A few drops of rain fell around lunch time. This morning I installed the three new shock absorbers on the trailer. I repaired a broken side marker light assembly on Gil's and Maria's motorhome. We went for a long walk with Bo. Joanne did laundry. The rash on her legs has almost disappeared. Gil's forehead and knee are healing nicely, although he still has two black eyes.
This afternoon Joanne wanted to go grocery shopping to an H-E-B. We usually go east a few miles to Harlingen but today we went west a few miles to Mercedes. The H-E-B in Mercedes was a smaller, older store, without a deli, not as nice as most H-E-B stores, but ... across the street was a ... wait for it ... ( pause ) ... a great panaderia ( Mexican bakery ). Who needs sliced luncheon meats when you can have empanadas ? ! ? HA HA HA ( SNORT ) HA HA ! After returning from grocery shopping we spent some time in the swimming pool and hot tub before preparing supper and watching Amazing Race.
Monday ; Today was sunny, hot, humid, and windy. This morning we took Bo to Altas Palmas Animal Clinic between La Feria and Harlingen for a physical examination and innoculations. He's healthy, vaccinated, and ready for Mexico. This is the first time he's had an intranasal vaccine. SQUIRT ! Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you, Bo ? HA HA HA ! I made some phone calls to get quotes on some trailer service and made an appointment for next Tuesday to have the trailer serviced at Campco Wheel & Axle in Pharr. Joanne worked on cleaning windows and waxing the trailer. Gil and Maria went health food store shopping in Harlingen.
After lunch and a nap, we met with Gil and Maria to do some planning of things to see and do here in the Rio Grande Valley over the next week or two. While reading some local community newspapers over lunch I found some very interesting activities and events. I am particularly interested in joining Amigos de los Niños de Mexico ( Friends of the Children of Mexico ). Every year a large group of a few hundred "Winter Texans" organizes, sponsors, and hosts a Fiesta on Christmas morning in Nuevo Progreso for about 3000 underprivileged Mexican children from northern Mexico who are bussed into Nuevo Progreso for this annual Christmas morning Fiesta.
I have been suffering ( sometimes a lot ! ) with arthritis in both my knees and one shoulder. I have been doing knee and shoulder exercises in the swimming pool and hot tub. Today we went to the park's exercise room and I did some knee and shoulder exercises on the Nautilus equipment. I hope I don't regret it. There's a very fine line between just enough exercise to be helpful, and too much. Then we went to the pool and hot tub. Today was the first day that Gil was able to use the pool and hot tub, having healed enough since his bicycle accident a week ago. Through the large glass patio doors of the pool we watched the Scarlet Macaw outside swinging very adeptly on its swing. While Joanne prepared supper I drove over to the Super 8 Motel across the street, parked in their parking lot, and used Wi-Fi to do some Mexican vehicle insurance comparison shopping.
Tuesday ; Veteran's Day ( U.S. ) / Remembrance Day ( Canada )
"Lest We Forget"
I found a quiet, private area of the park, and on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, I observed a minute of silence ... "To Remember". When I was a child, my father, who was a veteran of World War II, taught me that this ritual was important. In his honour, I continue to practice it. Today I remembered my father, of course, and Joanne's Uncle Gerry, who was a veteran of the Korean War. And I remembered an old man who shared my minute of silence on a Remembrance Day some years ago at the airport in Winnipeg. Joanne and I had flown from Ottawa to Winnipeg on the morning of November 11 to attend a memorial service for my mother who had died a few weeks earlier. We were waiting for our luggage at the luggage carousel with Joanne's family. It was a few minutes before 11:00 A.M.. I noticed an elderly gentleman wearing a Legion blazer and beret, and Remembrance Day poppy, waiting for his luggage. I introduced myself, and invited him to join me in observing a minute of silence to remember, in a quiet corner of the airport. He accepted, and joined me. We stood in a corner of the airport, and while we observed a minute of silence, he held my hand, and quietly wept.
Today was sunny and hot. Kenwood RV Resort hosted a Veteran's Day ceremony and luncheon for local veterans and residents of the RV park. WHEW ... it was tough wearing a shirt and long pants for a couple of hours in this heat and humidity. Over lunch Joanne and Maria chatted with a couple from Ontario. Gil and I chatted with a "Snowbird" ( rolling eyes ) couple from Oklahoma, a few hundred miles north of here. They "can't stand the cold" ( rolling my eyes again ). Last winter in Oklahoma the temperature REACHED THE FREEZING LEVEL THREE TIMES ... OMIGOD ( still rolling my eyes ). I was going to tell them what it was like to stand waiting for a bus at the corner of Portage and Main in Winnipeg in 40 below weather, but I didn't think they would believe me. People from the south can't comprehend 40 degrees below zero. I guess there's Snowbirds and then there's Snowbirds ! ! !
I dismantled and Joanne cleaned the "Fantastic Fan" ( a type of RV ceiling fan vent ) in the kitchen. Joanne continued waxing the trailer. I dusted the truck ... again. It's windy and dusty here in South Texas, and the truck needs to be dusted every few days. I discovered an infestation of tiny fire ants around our kitchen sink. I don't know where they're coming from. We went shopping this afternoon for a solution. We found our solution at the first store we tried, Dollar General in La Feria. They had a huge section of products to get rid of ants, so I guess it's a common problem around here. We went to the exercise room, then the pool and hot tub, before preparing supper.
Wednesday ; Today was cloudy, hot, and humid. This morning we set off for a day of errands all over the Rio Grande Valley. Gil and Maria joined us. We headed west on Expressway 83 towards the "upper" valley. First stop was Ron Hoover RV in Donna. Ron Hoover RV is a Fleetwood dealer. Gil needed to order two side marker assemblies for their Fleetwood Southwind motorhome. But ... just before we arrived, he realized that he did not have the piece of paper that I gave him with the side marker assembly part number on it ( sigh ). Nevertheless, we shopped for some other RV parts. I bought a new light fixture for the inside of the storage "trunk" on the front of our trailer, a new window knob, and a damaged package of "dually" valve extenders. A package of four dually valve extenders is $80. This damaged package was $20. I couldn't resist, since I didn't currently have any spare valve extenders, and malfunctioning valve extenders have proven to be the most common tire problem I experience with our truck.
We drove all the way to the far west end of The Valley, to La Joya, where we bought tickets to this Sunday's afternoon performance of La Joya High School's Performing Arts concert. Mariachi "Los Coyotes", Grupo Folklorico "Tabasco", y Conjunto "Los Diamantes". Mexican musical group The Coyotes, Mexican folkloric dancing group Tabasco, and the alumni band, The Diamonds. We attended a concert at La Joya High School 2 years ago, and it was the highlight of our winter. These high school kids are great ! And their concert theatre is a professional theatre seating about 600 people.
Heading back east, we stopped for lunch at RJ Mandarin, a Chinese buffet restaurant in McAllen. Driving out to La Joya and back took longer than I had expected, so by the time we were finished lunch, it was time to head for the Amigos de los Niños de Mexico planning meeting in Weslaco. Amigos de los Niños de Mexico is comprised of about 150 Winter Texans. They have about 3 or 4 meetings in November and December to prepare for their Christmas morning Fiesta for about 3000 children in Nuevo Progreso. The activities and functions of the big Fiesta are broken down into "committees", each with a chairmen and members. Toys ( acquire, sort by age and gender ), fruits, candy ( acquire bulk, repackage), crowd control, entertainment, transportation ( drive it all down to Nuevo Progreso on Dec. 23 ), etc., etc. ... ! A total of 37 different committees ! A huge project ! After the meeting, we went to volunteer our services. I volunteered for crowd control, entertainment as a magician, and transportation, since I have a large truck that will be insured for travel within Mexico. Much to our very great surprise ( and perhaps a bit of chagrin ), Maria volunteered to be the chairman of the toy committee, the largest responsibility of the organization. I thought it a bit unwise for a "rookie / newbie" to volunteer for this huge responsibility, but I guess Maria deserves credit for enthusiasm and commitment. Good luck !
After the meeting we drove to the WesDon Flea & Farmer’s Market. Darn ... the flea market was already closed for the day. But the farmer’s market was still open, so we were able to buy fresh fruit and produce. Oh, goody ... today limes were 36 for a dollar ! ( sigh ) It was a long day. By the time we got home, it was 5:30 P.M.. We unloaded the dozen or so large bags of toys that were in the back of the truck ( the beginnings of Maria’s responsibility ! ), then headed to the pool and hot tub.
DSK
Thursday, November 6, 2008
October 30 to November 5, 2008
October 30 to November 5, 2008 ; Hondo to La Feria, Texas
Thursday ; Today was sunny and hot. All of the "projects" that I could do prior to arriving in the Rio Grande Valley are done, so today was, and tomorrow will be, days for relaxing. This morning I updated my blog during one of the few brief periods per day that Lone Star Corral's Wi-Fi system was working properly. This afternoon we went for a long, leisurely walk with Bo. We sat outside in the warmth and sunlight and read books. And, of course, I took a nap.
We learned that a television in the library in the clubhouse was hooked up to a satellite dish, so in the evening we went into the library and watched Survivor. Then, back at our trailer, we watched the movie The Terminator. Ah'll be bahk !
Friday ; Hallowe’en ; Today was sunny and hot. This morning I cleaned the barbecue. YUCK ! I trimmed my beard. We took Bo for an obedience session. Good dog, Bo. After lunch we went into Hondo to buy groceries at H-E-B and refill with diesel in preparation for departure tomorrow. Joanne was agonizing over what to contribute to the Hallowe'en Party finger foods potluck. I made the decision for her from the options she presented. And I regret it ! Neither of us is exactly Martha Stewart ! We made "eyeballs". Joanne cut small cherry tomatoes in half, then scooped out the insides. I cut black olives into slices, then stuffed guacamole into the tomato halves, and positioned olive slices on top, so they looked ( allegedly ! ) like eyeballs ( rolling eyes ). My efforts at the beginning looked a lot better than my later efforts, when I was getting tired of making the damn things. HA HA HA !
We went to the Hallowe’en Party. Some well done costumes. Interesting people, interesting food. Lots of neat Hallowe’en cookies and cup cakes. Afterwards, we hitched up Lanoire to Harvey, to expedite our departure tomorrow morning. We’ve got a long drive to “The Valley” and we hope to arrive at La Feria RV Park before their office closes for the day. I noticed as Joanne was climbing the steps up into the trailer, and I was behind her, that she had a severe rash on the backs of her legs, from ankles to knees. Wonder what that's from ? ! ?
Tonight we watched the movie A River Runs Through It. HUH ? ? ? WHAT ? ? ? Fly fishing is a metaphor for life ? ? ? I don't get it ! Joanne thinks the movie should have been called A Story Line Doesn't Run Through It. HA HA HA !
By bed time the severe rash on Joanne's lower legs was spreading upwards. Uh-oh !
Saturday ; Hondo to La Feria, Texas
Dia de los Muertos ( Day Of The Dead ) ; dia uno de dos ( day one of two )
Today was sunny and hot. This morning we prepared for departure and left Lone Star Corral SKP Park. We drove into the town of Hondo and stopped at McBee's to buy a pound of barbecued beef brisket for lunch sandwiches. How fortuitous ... we arrived exactly at 10:00 A.M., just as they were opening for the day. We had to wait a minute or two for the first barbecued beef brisket of the day to come in off the barbecue, after having been slow cooked all night. MMMMM !
We left Hondo heading southeast on Hwy. 173. At Devine we encountered a police road block and detour. The highway, which was the main street of the town, was closed for the Dia de los Muertos Parade. Sheesh ! Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican two day holiday of celebrating the memories of dearly departed loved ones. With considerable difficulty we found our way around the town, and then with the assistance of the police at the roadblock on that side of town, got directions back to Hwy. 173, by going onto Interstate 35 briefly ( sigh ). We continued southeast on Hwy. 173 to Pleasanton, then with a bit of "dipsy doodling" made it to Interstate 37 heading southeast. At Hwy. 281 we turned south heading for the Rio Grande Valley.
It was a long hot day of driving down to "The Valley". Just before reaching the Rio Grande Valley we refilled with diesel at Flying J. It was the first time since entering the U.S. that we paid less than $3 a gallon for diesel. From the Canadian border southward the price of diesel has been slowly but steadily decreasing. Once in The Valley we turned east on Hwy. 83 heading towards La Feria. We arrived at La Feria RV Park in La Feria and checked in. The park was not quite yet ready for the influx of Snowbirds. This is quite early for Snowbirds to be this far south already. The only RV's in the park were us and ... BUPPY ! ! ! Bo's best friend Buppy ! Bo was very happy to see Buppy. Our friends Gil and Maria, and their dog Buppy had arrived shortly before us. It was the first time we've had a chance to see their new Class A motorhome. They traded in their land and “Park Model” ( modular home ) in Riverside RV Park Resort in Keremeos this spring on a Class A motorhome, and became full time RV'ers. The last time we saw them was in May when they left Riverside RV Park Resort headed for Alaska. We're going to be travelling through Mexico in January and February with Gil and Maria ( and Buppy ).
After getting set up in our site, we went with Gil and Maria in their "towed", a Volkswagen Westphalia camper van, into Harlingen, a city about 8 miles east of La Feria. First stop was PetsMart to buy cat food for Teddy, and flea treatment for Buppy. Buppy got fleas while Gil and Maria were at Padre Island National Seashore on the Gulf Of Mexico coast a bit northeast of here over the last week. It only took a minute or two of visiting Buppy for Bo to get fleas. ( SCOWL ) I'm not pleased ! Next stop was Cici’s Pizza for supper. Cici’s is an all you can eat pizza restaurant chain. They used to have an incredibly low price, but their price has almost doubled since we were last at a Cici’s, about a year and a half ago, I guess. We ate a lot of pizza, and chatted, then returned to Gil’s and Maria’s motorhome for tea ( they’re British ) and more chatting, until late in the evening.
The rash on Joanne’s legs did not get any worse today, nor did it get any better either.
WHEW ... from home to here the journey has been about 6000 km. / 3750 miles.
Sunday ; Dia de los Muertos ; dia dos de dos
Today was sunny and hot ! Welcome to the Rio Grande Valley. This morning I chatted for awhile with Gil and Maria, took Bo for an obedience session, then went to the clubhouse to get onto Wi-Fi and get caught up on some online computer work. I retrieved updated investment and banking data, retrieved and sent e-mail, added some photos to my blog, then Joanne researched shingles and leg rashes. After some research she concluded that the rash on her legs is likely not shingles. Seems more likely to be eczema. Which is much less of a concern than shingles.
After lunch I napped for awhile, then joined Joanne, Gil, and Maria who were at the swimming pool in the RV park across the street. The VIP RV Park across the street is owned by the same people as the La Feria RV Park that we're in, and the VIP RV Park is more "ready" for the winter visitors than the La Feria RV Park is, so we have to go across the street to use the swimming pool and laundromat. Joanne and Maria did some laundry. Back at our RV site, we sat around on the patio, munching on snacks, chatting with Gil and Maria, and enjoying the great late afternoon weather.
In the evening, we watched Amazing Race ( woo-hoo ), and I worked on reconciling bank statements and updating investment records ( sigh ). The rash on Joanne's legs remains constant, neither improving nor getting worse.
Monday ; Today was sunny and hot again. We spent the morning with the phone and the Yellow Pages, researching local veterinarians and trying to find a place that carries Monroe shock absorbers. We didn't make a decision on a veterinarian. I ordered 4 shock absorbers for the trailer. When I pick them up in Harlingen in a couple of days, we'll check out a couple of veterinarians, then make a decision and an appointment for Bo to have an annual physical examination and innoculations.
In the afternoon we went out with Gil and Maria in their “toad” to run a few errands and check out three other RV parks that I found a coupon for. We went to the Post Office in La Feria, tried unsuccessfully to find the veterinarian that is allegedly in La Feria, and went to two of the three RV parks. Gil’s and Maria’s toad, a Volkswagen Westphalia camper, was acting up. Either there is a problem with the fuel pump, or they got dirty fuel, or water condensed in the fuel tank. And at the RV park in La Feria across the freeway from where we currently are, when we inquired about the coupon special at $189 per month, the clerk at the counter volunteered the information that they had an Internet special, with a coupon on their web site for $249 for two months ! That’s irresistible ! That’s less than the monthly maintenance fees we pay as owners at home at Riverside RV Park Resort. With that rate, and the toad having fuel flow problems, we decided that there really was no good reason to go see the third RV park.
We did some Mexico trip planning with Gil and Maria, coming to an agreement on our route. I had originally intended a route through Mexico of about 3500 km. / 2200 miles, but Gil and I got ambitious while planning and have now agreed on a route of about 5000 km. / 3000 miles. Joanne and Maria went to the swimming pool. I set up our barbecue and started to “slow barbecue” a beef brisket.
At 6:30 P.M. there was a birthday party in the clubhouse for one of the park's residents whose 84th birthday was today. Since we're checking out tomorrow, Joanne didn't think it appropriate to go to the birthday party and eat free cake and ice cream ( shrug ).
Tuesday ; Today was sunny, hot, and humid. Which probably contributed to the main event of today ; Gil's bicycle accident.
This morning we prepared for departure from La Feria RV Park. I accompanied Maria to the office to settle our bills. Our bill was straightforward. Gil's and Maria's was not. They had made a one month reservation at La Feria RV Park, and paid a $100 deposit. They were worried that the park would not give them a refund, after staying only three days. My role was to stand behind Maria, and look mean and tough, while she attempted to persuade them to give her a refund. She spun a tale of woe that, while not a lie, was certainly "creative". HA HA HA ... she got her refund.
We drove from La Feria RV Park over to the other side of the freeway to Kenwood RV Resort, checked in, and got set up in our sites, which are "back to back". After lunch I had a nap. I woke up from my nap to find Joanne rushing about, compiling first aid supplies. She had been visiting with Maria in Gil's and Maria's motorhome. Gil had just been brought back to their motorhome, in a golf cart, by an employee of the RV Park. He had blood streaming down his face. YIKES !
While riding his bicycle around the park, he ... fell ! ! ! He has no recollection of the fall. He simply remembers feeling somewhat ... faint ... then he was lying on the pavement with his bicycle on top of him. He ... fainted ... or passed out ... or blacked out ... or something ! He landed on his left knee, right arm, and ... forehead. There was a bump in the middle of his forehead the size of an egg. And the skin was split open, with blood running down his face. There was another bump on his temple, about the size of a walnut. And it, too, was split open and bleeding. His left knee was ... shredded ! ! ! OW, OW, OW ! His right arm was severely scraped and bruised. Maria lay him down on the couch, and applied ice packs to his forehead and knee. After a couple of hours, he came to sit outside, and Maria performed "first aid" on him, cleaning and bandaging his head and knee wounds. The swelling on his forehead and temple had subsided somewhat, so he didn't look quite as horrible as he did immediately after the accident. Gil ... you're waaaaay too old ( he's 70 ) to be falling off bicycles ! ! ! SHEESH !
Joanne and I spent the afternoon washing the trailer. Around supper time, when we were finished, and Maria finally felt that she could leave Gil alone briefly, Maria, Joanne and I went to the swimming pool / hot tub complex in this RV park. It's very nice, similar to the pool complex at Riverside RV Park Resort. Warm pool, hot spa, indoors, lots of glass walls and windows.
We spent the evening watching the U.S. Presidential election coverage on TV.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and hot again.
Oh, geeeeezzzzz ... Gil looked like **** this morning. The entire front and top of his forehead was bruised, swollen, scraped, split open skin. His knee doesn't look much better. Not surprisingly, he had a variety of aches and pains today, including a sore jaw. He really did a "face plant" on the asphalt roadway yesterday.
This morning I did a few minor maintenance chores then we ran a few errands in La Feria. First stop was ... wait for it ... the Mexican bakery ! HA HA HA ! Joanne, Maria and Gil did some shopping at Family Dollar while I tried, unsuccessfully, to get my Wi-Fi phone to work. At El Centro Foods, while Maria and Joanne did some food shopping, I refilled our 5 gallon water jug and used a pay phone to pay my MasterCard bills.
After lunch we drove to the WesDon Flea & Farmer's Market in between Weslaco and Donna. Maria came with us, Gil stayed home. I priced some RV accessory items that I recommend Gil buy for our Mexico trip. Maria and Joanne stocked up on fresh vegetables and produce at the Farmer's Market. Darn ... I knew it was a rip off to pay seven cents per lime in San Antonio. HA HA HA ... they're thirty for a dollar here in the Rio Grande Valley. After the WesDon Flea & Farmer's Market we went to H-E-B and stocked up on groceries. Back at Kenwood RV Resort we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside chatting and watching the sun set.
Well, finally, the rash on Joanne's legs has begun to improve, with daily applications of a strong hydrocortisone cream. I think it's eczema. Joanne thinks it's hives, an allergic reaction.
DSK
Thursday ; Today was sunny and hot. All of the "projects" that I could do prior to arriving in the Rio Grande Valley are done, so today was, and tomorrow will be, days for relaxing. This morning I updated my blog during one of the few brief periods per day that Lone Star Corral's Wi-Fi system was working properly. This afternoon we went for a long, leisurely walk with Bo. We sat outside in the warmth and sunlight and read books. And, of course, I took a nap.
We learned that a television in the library in the clubhouse was hooked up to a satellite dish, so in the evening we went into the library and watched Survivor. Then, back at our trailer, we watched the movie The Terminator. Ah'll be bahk !
Friday ; Hallowe’en ; Today was sunny and hot. This morning I cleaned the barbecue. YUCK ! I trimmed my beard. We took Bo for an obedience session. Good dog, Bo. After lunch we went into Hondo to buy groceries at H-E-B and refill with diesel in preparation for departure tomorrow. Joanne was agonizing over what to contribute to the Hallowe'en Party finger foods potluck. I made the decision for her from the options she presented. And I regret it ! Neither of us is exactly Martha Stewart ! We made "eyeballs". Joanne cut small cherry tomatoes in half, then scooped out the insides. I cut black olives into slices, then stuffed guacamole into the tomato halves, and positioned olive slices on top, so they looked ( allegedly ! ) like eyeballs ( rolling eyes ). My efforts at the beginning looked a lot better than my later efforts, when I was getting tired of making the damn things. HA HA HA !
We went to the Hallowe’en Party. Some well done costumes. Interesting people, interesting food. Lots of neat Hallowe’en cookies and cup cakes. Afterwards, we hitched up Lanoire to Harvey, to expedite our departure tomorrow morning. We’ve got a long drive to “The Valley” and we hope to arrive at La Feria RV Park before their office closes for the day. I noticed as Joanne was climbing the steps up into the trailer, and I was behind her, that she had a severe rash on the backs of her legs, from ankles to knees. Wonder what that's from ? ! ?
Tonight we watched the movie A River Runs Through It. HUH ? ? ? WHAT ? ? ? Fly fishing is a metaphor for life ? ? ? I don't get it ! Joanne thinks the movie should have been called A Story Line Doesn't Run Through It. HA HA HA !
By bed time the severe rash on Joanne's lower legs was spreading upwards. Uh-oh !
Saturday ; Hondo to La Feria, Texas
Dia de los Muertos ( Day Of The Dead ) ; dia uno de dos ( day one of two )
Today was sunny and hot. This morning we prepared for departure and left Lone Star Corral SKP Park. We drove into the town of Hondo and stopped at McBee's to buy a pound of barbecued beef brisket for lunch sandwiches. How fortuitous ... we arrived exactly at 10:00 A.M., just as they were opening for the day. We had to wait a minute or two for the first barbecued beef brisket of the day to come in off the barbecue, after having been slow cooked all night. MMMMM !
We left Hondo heading southeast on Hwy. 173. At Devine we encountered a police road block and detour. The highway, which was the main street of the town, was closed for the Dia de los Muertos Parade. Sheesh ! Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican two day holiday of celebrating the memories of dearly departed loved ones. With considerable difficulty we found our way around the town, and then with the assistance of the police at the roadblock on that side of town, got directions back to Hwy. 173, by going onto Interstate 35 briefly ( sigh ). We continued southeast on Hwy. 173 to Pleasanton, then with a bit of "dipsy doodling" made it to Interstate 37 heading southeast. At Hwy. 281 we turned south heading for the Rio Grande Valley.
It was a long hot day of driving down to "The Valley". Just before reaching the Rio Grande Valley we refilled with diesel at Flying J. It was the first time since entering the U.S. that we paid less than $3 a gallon for diesel. From the Canadian border southward the price of diesel has been slowly but steadily decreasing. Once in The Valley we turned east on Hwy. 83 heading towards La Feria. We arrived at La Feria RV Park in La Feria and checked in. The park was not quite yet ready for the influx of Snowbirds. This is quite early for Snowbirds to be this far south already. The only RV's in the park were us and ... BUPPY ! ! ! Bo's best friend Buppy ! Bo was very happy to see Buppy. Our friends Gil and Maria, and their dog Buppy had arrived shortly before us. It was the first time we've had a chance to see their new Class A motorhome. They traded in their land and “Park Model” ( modular home ) in Riverside RV Park Resort in Keremeos this spring on a Class A motorhome, and became full time RV'ers. The last time we saw them was in May when they left Riverside RV Park Resort headed for Alaska. We're going to be travelling through Mexico in January and February with Gil and Maria ( and Buppy ).
After getting set up in our site, we went with Gil and Maria in their "towed", a Volkswagen Westphalia camper van, into Harlingen, a city about 8 miles east of La Feria. First stop was PetsMart to buy cat food for Teddy, and flea treatment for Buppy. Buppy got fleas while Gil and Maria were at Padre Island National Seashore on the Gulf Of Mexico coast a bit northeast of here over the last week. It only took a minute or two of visiting Buppy for Bo to get fleas. ( SCOWL ) I'm not pleased ! Next stop was Cici’s Pizza for supper. Cici’s is an all you can eat pizza restaurant chain. They used to have an incredibly low price, but their price has almost doubled since we were last at a Cici’s, about a year and a half ago, I guess. We ate a lot of pizza, and chatted, then returned to Gil’s and Maria’s motorhome for tea ( they’re British ) and more chatting, until late in the evening.
The rash on Joanne’s legs did not get any worse today, nor did it get any better either.
WHEW ... from home to here the journey has been about 6000 km. / 3750 miles.
Sunday ; Dia de los Muertos ; dia dos de dos
Today was sunny and hot ! Welcome to the Rio Grande Valley. This morning I chatted for awhile with Gil and Maria, took Bo for an obedience session, then went to the clubhouse to get onto Wi-Fi and get caught up on some online computer work. I retrieved updated investment and banking data, retrieved and sent e-mail, added some photos to my blog, then Joanne researched shingles and leg rashes. After some research she concluded that the rash on her legs is likely not shingles. Seems more likely to be eczema. Which is much less of a concern than shingles.
After lunch I napped for awhile, then joined Joanne, Gil, and Maria who were at the swimming pool in the RV park across the street. The VIP RV Park across the street is owned by the same people as the La Feria RV Park that we're in, and the VIP RV Park is more "ready" for the winter visitors than the La Feria RV Park is, so we have to go across the street to use the swimming pool and laundromat. Joanne and Maria did some laundry. Back at our RV site, we sat around on the patio, munching on snacks, chatting with Gil and Maria, and enjoying the great late afternoon weather.
In the evening, we watched Amazing Race ( woo-hoo ), and I worked on reconciling bank statements and updating investment records ( sigh ). The rash on Joanne's legs remains constant, neither improving nor getting worse.
Monday ; Today was sunny and hot again. We spent the morning with the phone and the Yellow Pages, researching local veterinarians and trying to find a place that carries Monroe shock absorbers. We didn't make a decision on a veterinarian. I ordered 4 shock absorbers for the trailer. When I pick them up in Harlingen in a couple of days, we'll check out a couple of veterinarians, then make a decision and an appointment for Bo to have an annual physical examination and innoculations.
In the afternoon we went out with Gil and Maria in their “toad” to run a few errands and check out three other RV parks that I found a coupon for. We went to the Post Office in La Feria, tried unsuccessfully to find the veterinarian that is allegedly in La Feria, and went to two of the three RV parks. Gil’s and Maria’s toad, a Volkswagen Westphalia camper, was acting up. Either there is a problem with the fuel pump, or they got dirty fuel, or water condensed in the fuel tank. And at the RV park in La Feria across the freeway from where we currently are, when we inquired about the coupon special at $189 per month, the clerk at the counter volunteered the information that they had an Internet special, with a coupon on their web site for $249 for two months ! That’s irresistible ! That’s less than the monthly maintenance fees we pay as owners at home at Riverside RV Park Resort. With that rate, and the toad having fuel flow problems, we decided that there really was no good reason to go see the third RV park.
We did some Mexico trip planning with Gil and Maria, coming to an agreement on our route. I had originally intended a route through Mexico of about 3500 km. / 2200 miles, but Gil and I got ambitious while planning and have now agreed on a route of about 5000 km. / 3000 miles. Joanne and Maria went to the swimming pool. I set up our barbecue and started to “slow barbecue” a beef brisket.
At 6:30 P.M. there was a birthday party in the clubhouse for one of the park's residents whose 84th birthday was today. Since we're checking out tomorrow, Joanne didn't think it appropriate to go to the birthday party and eat free cake and ice cream ( shrug ).
Tuesday ; Today was sunny, hot, and humid. Which probably contributed to the main event of today ; Gil's bicycle accident.
This morning we prepared for departure from La Feria RV Park. I accompanied Maria to the office to settle our bills. Our bill was straightforward. Gil's and Maria's was not. They had made a one month reservation at La Feria RV Park, and paid a $100 deposit. They were worried that the park would not give them a refund, after staying only three days. My role was to stand behind Maria, and look mean and tough, while she attempted to persuade them to give her a refund. She spun a tale of woe that, while not a lie, was certainly "creative". HA HA HA ... she got her refund.
We drove from La Feria RV Park over to the other side of the freeway to Kenwood RV Resort, checked in, and got set up in our sites, which are "back to back". After lunch I had a nap. I woke up from my nap to find Joanne rushing about, compiling first aid supplies. She had been visiting with Maria in Gil's and Maria's motorhome. Gil had just been brought back to their motorhome, in a golf cart, by an employee of the RV Park. He had blood streaming down his face. YIKES !
While riding his bicycle around the park, he ... fell ! ! ! He has no recollection of the fall. He simply remembers feeling somewhat ... faint ... then he was lying on the pavement with his bicycle on top of him. He ... fainted ... or passed out ... or blacked out ... or something ! He landed on his left knee, right arm, and ... forehead. There was a bump in the middle of his forehead the size of an egg. And the skin was split open, with blood running down his face. There was another bump on his temple, about the size of a walnut. And it, too, was split open and bleeding. His left knee was ... shredded ! ! ! OW, OW, OW ! His right arm was severely scraped and bruised. Maria lay him down on the couch, and applied ice packs to his forehead and knee. After a couple of hours, he came to sit outside, and Maria performed "first aid" on him, cleaning and bandaging his head and knee wounds. The swelling on his forehead and temple had subsided somewhat, so he didn't look quite as horrible as he did immediately after the accident. Gil ... you're waaaaay too old ( he's 70 ) to be falling off bicycles ! ! ! SHEESH !
Joanne and I spent the afternoon washing the trailer. Around supper time, when we were finished, and Maria finally felt that she could leave Gil alone briefly, Maria, Joanne and I went to the swimming pool / hot tub complex in this RV park. It's very nice, similar to the pool complex at Riverside RV Park Resort. Warm pool, hot spa, indoors, lots of glass walls and windows.
We spent the evening watching the U.S. Presidential election coverage on TV.
Wednesday ; Today was sunny and hot again.
Oh, geeeeezzzzz ... Gil looked like **** this morning. The entire front and top of his forehead was bruised, swollen, scraped, split open skin. His knee doesn't look much better. Not surprisingly, he had a variety of aches and pains today, including a sore jaw. He really did a "face plant" on the asphalt roadway yesterday.
This morning I did a few minor maintenance chores then we ran a few errands in La Feria. First stop was ... wait for it ... the Mexican bakery ! HA HA HA ! Joanne, Maria and Gil did some shopping at Family Dollar while I tried, unsuccessfully, to get my Wi-Fi phone to work. At El Centro Foods, while Maria and Joanne did some food shopping, I refilled our 5 gallon water jug and used a pay phone to pay my MasterCard bills.
After lunch we drove to the WesDon Flea & Farmer's Market in between Weslaco and Donna. Maria came with us, Gil stayed home. I priced some RV accessory items that I recommend Gil buy for our Mexico trip. Maria and Joanne stocked up on fresh vegetables and produce at the Farmer's Market. Darn ... I knew it was a rip off to pay seven cents per lime in San Antonio. HA HA HA ... they're thirty for a dollar here in the Rio Grande Valley. After the WesDon Flea & Farmer's Market we went to H-E-B and stocked up on groceries. Back at Kenwood RV Resort we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside chatting and watching the sun set.
Well, finally, the rash on Joanne's legs has begun to improve, with daily applications of a strong hydrocortisone cream. I think it's eczema. Joanne thinks it's hives, an allergic reaction.
DSK
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