Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Rain and cool as end of March nears in Rio Grande Valley


With many leaving the park there have been many meals eaten together, whether at homes or restaurants.  We had a good meal of seafood at Pelican Station with several neighbors Sunday.  As the shirt at left says:  Big people are harder to kidnap, eat up.



We got our trailer out of storage last week and have it parked just outside our home, moving things over as we get a chance.  Plan on leaving Sunday morning the 30th.  Has been raining the last two days here, hope can dry up enough between Thursday and Saturday so I can drive around the trailer onto the dirt and back it out onto the street.



Last Friday - the 21st - was Winter Texan Appreciation Day in Progreso,  Mexico.   Huge crowd.  Here we are walking over the Rio Grande River on the International Bridge.
 Many businesses were set up to serve snacks and drinks
 Some of the people walking the 5 or 6 blocks that were closed to vehicles and open to vendors and pedestrians.


Need a ride?


We watched these dancers for several minutes.













Couple of guys painted silver posing and moving.  Signs at there feet suggested donating a dollar to photograph.




Lots of vendors




Some of the entertainers who had been on one of the 4 stages.





One of the neighbors - Frank & Judy Parker - sold their unit and it was moved from the park.  Here it is being pulled past our place.


Rocks and flagstones were to be cleaned up from Frank & Judy's site.


We helped serve ice cream Sunday evening.






Last evening we went to the Am Vets club for spaghetti dinner.  Shown at right -  Lynn & Phyllis Miles and Harold and LaRoahda Neher.

On opposite side of table, from left, are Butch and Dorothy Giesking and Marti & Carl Pingleton.  Marti & Carl are flying to St. Louis Tuesday.  He is progressing with after-effects of stroke, but will get into therapy routine at home.


Remaining 2'x6's and 2'x4's put on wall temporarily.  Since this is open space, this may prevent anyone from walking off with them before I use them to continue the wall on the west side, south end.
Many things put away in the storage area.  A few more and we will be ready to head north for the summer.








More later, sometime, Lynn

Friday, March 14, 2014

Winter Texans heading north

La Feria, TX  Kenwood RV Park, like most other parks here in the Rio Grande Valley, are thinning down as the people head back north.  With the winter weather still in place up north it seems a little early, though we will be heading north March 30th.


Have been slowly getting finished what work will be done on our storage area we built this winter.
 Put vinyl fascia for the ceiling to cover and hold up the 3" insulation I put under the new car-port type awning.



Got some interior paint on the storage area.


A little different here in the south.  Am putting this 3" insulation on the ceiling and the outside walls to keep the heat out.  The west side takes the late afternoon hot sun (at least until someone moves in a mobile home in the vacant spot to the west) and the north wall will take the heat during the summer.  This is under the big storage shelf to the northwest.
 Above the big storage shelf on the north, one last piece of insulation to put under the ceiling.  Seems like the carpenter who put in the 2" x 4"s didn't measure too good.  I had to add two sister 2" x 4"s to narrow this space enough to get the 24" insulation to span.


This is just above the doors into the storage/shop area.
Looking down to the south and near the door to the "not yet organized shelving, but working for the time-being" area.











After Patty went back to Iowa I cleaned and oiled her bike and put it back to bed in it's own bag to wait for her return next year.  Will utilize that high big shelf for it.


One evening Phyllis put buttered/salt/peppered cabbage slices in aluminum foil.  Had it on the grill for about 40 minutes.  During last part of that time added some small steaks.





Couple weeks ago we rode a little over 10 miles on the recumbent trikes.  Went by Oliver & Mary Jo's place at Emerald Grove to say high to them.  (They left for Villisca, IA a couple days ago, will get home today)
On our ride along Business 83 we pulled in and toured through a cemetery.

This guy was doing some cultivating right next to the cemetery on some double-row crop.




We helped Activity Director Allison set up the tables and chairs, linen and decorations for the Park Residents Appreciation Dinner.
 Sitting at the tables prior to the crowning of the King & Queen for 2013-2014.

One of our neighbors, long time winter residents from northern Michigan, Darlene and Bill Winslow were honored by being voted King & Queen.  We have visited their place several times in our travels and enjoy their time with us as neighbors -- 4 or 5 homes to the west -- during the winter.  Phyllis considers Darlene as her "sister".
















Couple of "random shots" here.  At right is Darlene visiting with Phyllis in our kitchen.


This shot is across our bed showing the storage area that I added this season.  Doors are open into the lockable storage area.  With two windows on the west side of the bedroom, the north end of what I call the Texas Room (to be completed next season) encloses one window and I put an awning over the northern window.




Some guy sitting at our kitchen table.


Playing Concentration card game at Harold & LaRoahda's - our next-door neighbors.  Left to right, Dorothy Geisking (from Titonka, IA), Bill Winslow (from West Branch, MI), Phyllis Miles, Harold Neher (from Hiawatha, KS).
Harold Neher (from Hiawatha, KS), Darlene Winslow (from West Branch, MI), Butch Geisking (from Titonka, IA), and LaRoahda Neher (from Hiawatha, KS)  I am behind the camera.




Week or so ago we went to Golden Coral in Harlingen for annual celebration of Doris Winter & Harold Neher's birthdays.  They are day apart (and a few years)







While riding our trikes around the area south of Expressway 83 I took picture of this house decorated with lots of flamingos.  This photo is especially for granddaughter Ashley.


During January and February and part of March there is almost weekly entertainment. I haven't gone to too many of the shows.  This one I did see and it was very entertaining.  A mother and three of her daughters and one daughter's husband.












From the pictures I have taken this month, it looks like I have about caught up on some of our activities.  Most mornings we go to stretching exercises at 8 am at the Rec Hall.  Most mornings Phyllis goes to swimming exercises at 6:45 am at the swimming pool.  Couple Wednesdays a month we go to the Pot-Luck suppers.  Several nights a week we usually play Pegs & Jokers or cards at someone's place.

Now planning to get our travel trailer this morning out of storage and will be putting it in vacant lot beside us so can start transferring stuff for the trip to our other place in Clarinda.
Later, Lynn

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Cold in the RG Valley

La Feria, Texas
Been a while since I have posted -- will review my photos and see where I have been.
 Monday we were picked up by volunteers from Emma's Free Clinic from Progreso, Tamaulipas, Mexico and taken on a tour of their clinic and school in the same colonial as well as around several other colonials of Progreso.  At left, in rear is Burl and Donna Penny from Kansas with Gordon Mayer from Nevada on the right.  In middle seat is Earnestine Malone from New York and Petie Cleveland from Indiana.  Lavin Boozer from Illinois is behind me and Harold Malone from New York is beside me out of the picture.
 Dick, our guide, has lived in Weslaco, TX for the last 8 years, but was from Indiana, I believe.

  His daughter Nora drove the van.   Photo at left shows the trucks on Mexico side waiting for inspection as they go north into the US.


This is the Mabel's Free Clinic building in Nuevo Progreso.  Click here for web site

They are organized in Weslaco but serve in Progreso on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande River.  You can see many of their photos and info there.


This little girl had just gotten some tooth work done and is picking out a knitted cap for herself from the bunch that we brought.  Gordon and his wife Bev (who didn't come on the trip) make these throughout the year to donate in the Rio Grande Valley area.

I have uploaded all photos taken on this trip to Mexico at Mabel's Free Clinic   Click on this link to view them.





Have many more pictures about the trip, and our Appreciation Dinner put on by the owners of Kenwood RV Park where Bill & Darlene Winslow were crowned King & Queen


Has been 5 hours since I started writing this -- seems like interruptions all the time.  Will continue it later.
Lynn