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