Another week in the Rio Grande Valley

La Feria, TX 85 degrees, bright sunshine

Old screen door before I started working on it.

Inside door and screen door before I started working on it.

                             Main door, partly installed.

               Main door partly installed.

Main door, finally installed and trimmed.  Photo taken today.

New storm door, photo taken today.  Because of these two doors being for a regular house, had to add an inch under the trim on the inside and a full 2" on the outside.  Door is 4" wider and 4" taller than old door.

    Accumulation of leaves and seeds on carport roof.

Some seeds even started growing.  With ladder up against end of carport and a hand garden weeder stuck in the end of a 10' long piece of conduit pipe I was able to pull the trash down to the edge and put it in buckets and haul it back to the newly planted bushes in the back yard.

Put the trash around the plants.

Since then we have put layer of cloth and rocks on top of the leaves, etc.

This does show the curved pavers we put around the plants.

When we arrived in the Valley in late October gas was about $3.699 and diesel was $3.899.


Photo at right was taken a couple days ago a few miles from our house.  What is wrong with this picture??????   Our truck takes diesel!  We have seen a few stations that lowered the diesel all the way to $3.799; how generous.

Spent a little while on Tuesday listening to the Bluegrass Jam at the Rec Hall here in Kenwood.

On Wednesday we went with Ardel and Marion Finken (at right) over to South Padre Island and looked around a bit, then ate at Pelican Station at  Port Isabel.

     At right is Phyllis and Darlene  and Bill Winslow at Pelican Station.  Bill is going into hospital in Harlingen on Monday for knee replacement and was making one last look at the island and getting some oysters before he will be laid up for a while.

Thursday evening bean bag baseball.

Mardi & Carl are staying at another (cheaper) park, but did join us for this activity.

Terri just got here this week from Illinois and joined us.

Have to show you these little imps that watch me when I am at the bathroom sink.  Don't know what they are thinking, but I am sure they are up to no good.

Yesterday (Saturday) we were heading to DonWes to pick up some new screening for the deck and went to  MiPueblo Bakery in Weslaco.

 There are no prices marked on the rolls or donuts and found that it is all sold by the pound.

None of the drinks or milk was marked for price either.  Got a half gallon of milk to have with our breakfast and discovered it cost $3.29 for the half-gallon.  Gallon of milk usually sells for $3.49 a gallon.  A good bakery and tasted good,.

This photo was taken from our parking spot at the bakery while we were munching breakfast in the truck.  It is in full telephoto and shows the door -- the only sign on the entire building.  Guess you have to know where you are going (or be told, like we were, of this place).

    Saturday afternoon we rode a little over 8 miles; went south of La Feria and back.  Stiff wind out of the south made a little work going south, but was cool with the breeze in our face.  Coming back was easier, but warm as we were moving about the same speed as the wind!

   Saturday evening we had Bill and Darlene, and Bob & Bobbi over for pegs and jokers and then some ice cream on apple pie.

At left is Phyllis, Bob and Darlene.

At left is Bobbi, Bill, Phyllis & Bob.
Bill goes into the hospital at 8 in the morning for knee surgery.

    Not a big turn out at church (or for the choir for that matter) this morning.  Rev. Baker got to the park from Oklahoma this week and delivered the sermon.

Phyllis is working on another quilt as I write this.  I think I startled her as I walked by on the way to get the up-to-date photos of the new front door.








We take Bob & Bobbi to the Harlingen Airport at 5:30 pm tonight for their flight to Minneapolis to spend the next couple weeks with both of their families.

  I have the boards to build the shelves for the 14" space by the show I installed a few weeks ago, so will be putting them together and painting them.  Also got some lumber to put up frame for another 6' of roof beyond the carport so it will reach over the storage shed, and also give shade to the kitchen window.

See what happens this next week and will write.  Till later, Lynn

Way too busy

La Feria, TX 85º
     We have been way too busy.

Have been on the run most of this last week, it seems.


Went to HEB for grocieries.

We didn't buy any of the hog heads.

They now have eggs not only in the 1 1/2 dozen, but 3 dozen and even 5 dozen packages!

Lots of vegetables.

Lots of Pomegranates, though we didn't get any of them.

Checkout.

 




Finally clear up to the checkout.

One day, after morning exercises, I and several other guys from exercise gave blood at the setup that came into the Rec Hall.

Thursday night bean bag baseball.

This week Welcome Back Winter Texan day was in Progreso, MX this week.  

Though there were quite a few people, it wasn't as crowded as many years.

                      Sometimes the spelling on things in the                      stores in Mexico is a little different.

In line for free beer and food.  The ran out of food before we got up to the front, but still had some beer.

 We went to Lowe's in Edenburg to get some pavers for around our new plants in the back yard.

They had quite a few of these Christmas flowers.

Over to DonWes for some shopping and vegetables

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 As you can see from these two pictures, not a big crowd at DonWes

The pavers loaded in the back of the truck.  We had taken the trikes to several different parks and places to ride where there isn't so much traffic.  Rode around some residential areas in Edinburg.

Lowe's in Edenburg is in a new building.  Really big, also.









See on internet it is cold and snowy in Iowa.  We are to get a cold front here, too.  Only to be 70 degrees tomorrow.

Got to go, they are waiting on me to get in the car to go to eat and then to some church for Christmas singing program.
Lynn

December here

La Feria, TX 67º at 6:55 am
      Been a while since I have posted.

 Most of time still working on the house, but have taken time to ride the trikes some.  Sunday we loaded both trikes in the back of the Excursion and drove to Llana Grande RV Park in south Mercedes.  It is about 1 mile to ride all the streets here in Kenwood RV -- we rode 7 miles at Llana Grande and probably covered 3/4th of the streets there.

Santa's sleigh landed on an "outhouse" in the photo at left -- instead of the Schmitt house.

The streets are wide and all covered with very smooth asphalt in this park.  Majority are permanent units, but there are a lot of "in and outs" and many of those looked to be from Canada.

    This house is still in the RV Park.  Quite a second story above the garage.

One day while riding we stopped at Stars for some hamburgers and onion rings to take home for lunch.  Yesterday we stopped at Subway on the way back from a ride and got some of their December promotion of 6" for $2, brought home to eat.

 Thursday they started the "Sew & Care" work at the Rec Hall.  Both Phyllis & I had loads on our trikes of material and 100 finished baby caps that Phyllis had made during the summer.

This is a bush, with butterfly, that we rode by in southwest La Feria on Saturday.

We had watched this city recreation hall being built last winter.  Was surprised at their choice of colors and patterns for the exterior of the lower portion of the building.  What do you think?

Countrywood is the area that the city Recreation Building is built in.  They have a nice sign at the entrance to the area.

Started last week on replacing the front door and screen door.  We knew there was some wood damage as when the door was slammed some times there was rotten wood falling from the header.

When I got into the walls discovered quite a bit of old termite damage.  Recall that the Pest Control guy we have spray in the spring mentioned that several years ago they had found termites and exterminated them and he keeps a watch for signs of any new activity.  These 2" x 4"s were quite eaten up.  Fortunately, most of the damaged areas were removed to make way for the larger door.

This is the new door the night it was first put in.  We went one night with just cardboard covering the opening.  With our RV Park being a gated community with gates locked at 8 pm we weren't too worried.

 Although there are a few towel racks to add and some shelves to be built in the small area by the new shower, the bathroom is basically finished.

By not enclosing the area by the sink, but having open shelves, it has much more useable space.

Have played Pegs & Jokers several nights at our neighbors - Bob & Bobbi Raab.  At right is Bob & Bobbi and Ardel Finken.

Doug Salzwedel and Marian Finken

Meinself, Betty Salzwedal and Bob Raab.

Sunday we attended the La Feria Methodist Church, along with many others from Kenwood.

We and the Raab's ate at IHOP after church.

Yesterday we stopped at Patty & Glen Loveridge's RV and visited a bit.  They snapped some pictures of us on our Recumbent Trikes in front of their rig.



Will post again within the week.  Lynn