The 'REAPER' is coming

WISHING Y'ALL A 'COOL YULE' FOR 2012

Here it is New Years Eve, a time to reflect on the past 12 months. For me, they have just flown bye, which means that I must be having FUN! This is our second season in sunny Texas without snow, sleet and freezing rain. We love every minute of it too!

 

Things that I remember and want to forget include: A) arriving in Canada last April to be greeted to cold and flooding rain. We blew a wheel bearing somewhere on the return trip and luckily the wheel remained on the 5th wheel, the chrome rim was steel blue from the heat and we didn't even know we were crippled. We are grateful that this didn't result in a serious accident. 

B) Tearing my Achilles Tendon in early July which wiped me out as chief cook and bottle washer at my Chip Truck 'The Works' for the rest of the season.


C) Packing up and moving the 5th wheel to another RV Park with a little longer season. We set up Camp at Riverwood Park mid Oct. and left on Oct. 24th. 
 (They say everything comes in 3's!)

The good news is that we were able to sell both, The chip truck 'The Works' and  the property 'Balsam Station'. This means I am officially retired, although Jane, bless her, is keeping my 'job jar' full.


We arrived at our Park in Texas on Oct. 26th, 3 days at 11 hrs easy driving per day. The weather was awesome as well as the State highways.


The front garden was like a jungle with a Papaya Tree growing up the centre of the garden to over the height of the roof. We cut it down last week after enjoying some of its fruit.


We have renewed friendships and created new friends too! Jane has been enjoying the Park's facilities, water aerobics, line dancing, walking and biking. I have been trying to empty the job jar but have enjoyed some functions, volunteer helper, and biking. We painted the inside of the trailer as well as the outside doors and shutters.  I enclosed a private reading/entertaining area under our awning too.

Jane auditioned for a part in a play (This River is Gold) to be held early Feb. in Pharr, Tx. and she got it (Mabel), what a gal.

We went on a Christmas Tour of Lights last week and it was a great showing.       

Tonight is Christmas Eve and we will be spending the evening at home with the dogs. The locals go crazy with firecrackers and shooting guns, the dogs get so upset we have to care for them all evening. The 'Big Bangs' have started.

We are having a dinner party with our friends tomorrow.

Till next time TTFN!

More Rain in Paradise!!!

I was feeling like this was home until I checked the weather at home in Lindsay, Ontario. I'd rather be here in Texas. It has been quiet with the McNulty's, and that's okay. I have all the 'major' paint areas done and put aside the brush for a bit. Jane painted 2 coats to the outside doors and shutters and I finished it off with a 3rd and final coat. We cut down the Papaya tree and cleaned out the front gardens. We lost 2 nice plants in the lawn garden and may just settle with a nice 3 tier bird bath that doesn't need watering. The Papaya tree was a water obstacle so the plants didn't get enough water and died.

Jane auditioning for Mabel

Jane has been getting 'cabin fever' and has been doing more line dancing and helping the 'Activities' Director on a volunteer basis. Pat, our A.Dir. in a semi-volunteer position. She works about 60 hrs a week but gets min. wage for 20 hours. I guess she has cabin fever too, but gets some pay and is kept busy while hubby, Vic, follows his favourite past time as a pool shark.

Jane auditioned for a acting part in an up coming musical/play at the local arts theater in Pharr, many showed up for 4 parts.........and Jane was successful in being asked to join them as 'Mabel'.


The Bicycle Club is up and running. Last Friday only 4 of us biked and the others went by car/truck to El Rancho Grande in San Juan a small Town about 4. 5 miles from our park. Rain was a threat but the 4 of us gambled and where able to bike both ways, a little misty on the return trip tho, but refreshing too.

Peter Piper Pizza (Wed) is back on stream. We, a group of 5, were going to take the 'Tour of lights' in Hidalgo and when we arrived for the Trolley we were advised that it was running that night so we will have to re-schedule. I did take one picture as we walked from the parking lot.

A nice display as we walked to the trolley

Our friends from Kentucky drove

Peter Piper Pizza w Vic and Jane

Stuffed Bake Potato Nite

Last week, instead of 'Homemade Soup Supper nite' they had a special 'Stuffed Potato Supper nite' with all the trimmings and boy was it ever good, beef brisked and a desert was included.



I should mention that on my final 'Root Canal' trip to Mexico last Wed.  I bumped into my next door neighbours at Alpine RV Resort in Lindsay. Small world, aye!!!!!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Stay tuned for 'More Fun in the Sun' coming to you from ALAMO, Texas along the RGV where  the Sun always shines (NOT).

Paul & Jane

Rain in Paradise

Didn't expect to be back so soon.We are getting flooded with a much needed rain here in Southern Texas where it seems to seldom rain. The locals are pleased and the 'Winter Texans' are taking a day off by catching up on correspondence or curling up with a good book. Me, I'm doing it all, little by little, it's blog time, lol!

 My second trip to the Dentist included the installation of a post and an impression of my mouth. The crown will be read on my next and final visit next Wed. I don't think I did anymore painting since my last sit down here.

L.R. before

I took a few more 'after' photo's of the living room and kitchen areas. I'm almost out of paint as well as incentive to finish once the main area is done. here are a few before and after pics.

Kitchen before

L.R. after

Kitchen after

L.R. after

Jane has booked us on a 'Tour of Christmas lights' in Hidalgo, a small historic town not far from us. Apparently we will be on horse drawn trollies, we hope it will be a nice warm clear evening.  The Park residences are slowly decorating there lots, some quite elegantly considering many are short term residence travelers.

There is a pleasant odour coming from the kitchen so I'd better be off, don't want to miss out on the 'chiken diva'

TTFN

Update from Texas

The weather has been hot and cold with more rain than previous years. This week we even had frost warnings, tomorrow we return back to the 70's.

Since my last blog a few important things have happened. First, Tex, our truck quite on us, all the amateur mechanics narrowed it down to a blocked 'fuel filter'. We had it towed to Bogus Ford, it stayed there for the weekend and it started up and a test run showed no problem?? I had them change the fuel and air filters anyway and we haven't had a problem since. The old Ford F350 (1999) has served us well and we have faith in our travels with 'him'.

We had an 'on site' garage sale and we picked up some trellis privacy screen and we had enough to enclose part of our carport into a private reading/entertainment area.

As mentioned in my last BLOG I promised Jane to paint the inside of the mobile home, it has turned out to be a bigger job than I anticipated and is coming to an end. Thank goodness it is looking nice so making the effort was worthwhile. I will be glad when it is over an I can start enjoying myself. here are a few before and after pictures:

Texas en-suite 'after'

Before and After

M. Bedroom before with queen bed

M. Bedroom after with king air bed

We planned a trip to Mexico and booked a dentist appointment to check my teeth. I had a broken filling that needed repair and just recently I got the start of a tooth ache. The Dentist said I needed a root canal or an extraction, I wanted neither, lol! Since I'm running out of teeth I chose 'root canal. I am 1/2 way through as we speak with my next appointment tomorrow (Fri) AM. I am going with my good friend Don from Ohio who needs some dental work done as well. jane can have a sleep in...maybe!

We have been slowly getting involved with a few things, Bike to breakfast, Jane in lion dancing, Jane helping her friend Pat who is the activities director. Tonight we did bean ball baseball and tomorrow is bingo. There are card games going on every evening and I'm afraid to get involved and 'committed' to an on going structure. Jane feels the same way. She was setting the alarm every morning to go for a walk with some other AM walkers. She gave that up to go walking with Daisy when she woke au natural.

The Park is slowly filling up but still many more to come. The next crowd comes after Christmas at home with the family. Our next door neighbour from Saskatewan will be here for New Years. The Park is having a NY's Dance this year but we have declined to go. First we are not NY's Party people and the dogs go crazy (Marco Polo) with all the fireworks and gun shooting, yes that's correct and real guns too!

Till next time.. have a very Merry Christmas and warm wishes to you and yours.

A New Season a New Reason!

We have been in Texas for 3 weeks and this is my first attempt at our 'BLOG' update. We had and uneventful trip down, the weather was excellent and the roads down here are awesome. We set the GPS and cruise control and away we went. We planned on 3 nights and 4 days but we did 2 nights and 3 days at 11 hours per day, we arrived about 7:30PM on the 3rd day still relaxed and fresh. We did between 60/70 mph (speed limits) and we were able to enjoy the scenery and countryside.
Fortunately we had a thorougher truck inspection before we left and discovered that we needed front ball joints so that avoided a traveling disaster.

On arrival we found that my battery operated water sprinkling system was still working. The front gardens were an overgrown jungle, we basically had to cut our way into the driveway. We had plants that we didn't even know we had, the biggest surprise was a huge Papaya tree overflowing with fruit in our front garden. The fruit trees in the rear yard didn't do do well, somehow the hose got kinked and the trees didn't get water and are not too healthy. Our largest tree (grapefruit) was okay, the other three trees look like they belong to 'Charlie Brown', very little leaves and scrawny fruit. Constant watering is helping...a little.

The Park is slowly filling in, we expect early Dec. will fill in the blanks with the final late arrivals sometime after Christmas.
We haven't been to active yet, Jane has been going on early morning walks with Daisy and a few girlfriends she met last year. Polo and I sleep in until they come home. We have gone to one Bike to breakfast trip and 2 Pizza nights, one bingo and one bean bag baseball game. I haven't been to the pool yet, although yesterday being well into the 90's was tempting. I went to a 'Bill and Bob' meeting with Don and Jane and Sara went shopping. It was even to hot to shop so not much damage to the pocketbook, lol!
I have started to paint the inside of the trailer, I promised Jane that would be the one big job that I will do this Winter, I have the M. Bedroom and the en-suite done so far. I will move to the Living room and Kitchen next and then the nuisance stuff in between later.

Jane's mode of transportation, Daisy just pulls her along.
Next week we will be going to Progreso Mexico for some dental work (me) and heartworm pills for the dogs.

TTFN

Getting Lonely

At months end the remainder of our friends have started to head home. Many of the 'Full Timers' are taking indirect exploratory routes. On Wed. we will visit some friends that stopped off at South Padre island for a few weeks. We are looking forward to a real beach and of course our 'missed' friends. That's the 6 of us on the right.

The picture on the right was taken at Macaroni's Bar & Grill in Pharr, Tx. It was a 2 for 1 special, boy did we dine well for under $15.00.






We did a quick run over to Mexico to get dog medication (Heart worm) which is required during warm climates (mosquito infections) so we will be using this med every month from here on. The Mexican cost is a fraction of CDN/USA cost. We got a 12 month supply. Jane had an eye on a small storage cupboard on our last trip, since Frank and Genia drove their truck into Mexico we took advantage of their vehicle and bought the cupboard. We couldn't get that one but we got one that fit just as well.



The rest of the week was spent saying goodbye's and planning our trip home to ensure that we allowed enough time to visit with our new found 'Yankee' friends in Kentucky and Ohio on the way home. You will have to pardon our y'all accent when we get home until we learn to speak English again, LOL!













Good bye, Maurice & Lucille (Montreal), Ted & Connie (Ottawa). Ted and I went to the same High School in Ottawa (Fisher Park HS).









Don and Sara Jane from Ohio with their friends Bruce and Peggy.



















Dan and Evelyn from Lakefield Ont were late arrivals but
became good friends for a short time.







The hardest 'Good Bye' will be to our new 'Winter Texas Mobile Home' as well as 'The Rio Grande Valley' that has graciously made us feel so welcome.

MASS EXODUS

Get out of my way I'm going home. We are loosing our new found friends and neighbours daily, two left to day and a bunch more during the last week of March.

On March 6th we had our 1st 'Canadian Pot Luck Luncheon' and on the 8th the Park provided a 'Guest Appreciation Day' where they provided free food, drink and entertainment.

We did another visit to the Donna flea market, boy they are sure going to miss us, lol! On March 17th we loaded up on drugs/gifts on our final visit to Mexico. Cocktails (virgin) were provided while we waited for our drugs.

Last mail delivery from Canada, last Pizza night, last soup night and our final 'Bike to Breakfast' trip. The park is quiet, very little action at the courts (Tennis, shuffle board, horseshoes...). The pool is active, Jane has been 'Pool Volley-balling' and trying to get me involved, maybe I will join them next week....nuttin left to do!

We are starting our plans for our trip home too! We expect to leave on April 17th, spend a few days in San Antonio, a couple of days with friends in Kentucky, a couple of days with friends in Ohio and a few spare days to goof around. Our site at Alpine RV Park is not accessible until may 1st.

Our neighbours here have been very helpful on showing us what we have to do to 'Summerize' our Mobile Home and there is more to it than just locking up. We have a service to cut and water the grass, all our utilities are on 6 month 'Winter Texans' plans. We have to spray for various critters including, Mexican Beetles (look like huge cockroaches), ants (various) and termites. Most important is to seal all water drains to keep the water traps full of water so smell and critters don't come up from the septic system. A little different to Winterizing but just as important.
I think we are pretty well shopped out and running low on funds. Just informed that we need to go back to Mexico for 'Heartworm' pills for the dogs, very cheap in Mexico, very expensive in Ontario.
We received good news that my brother Tom is mending up better than expected from a serious fall at his home in Dec.
It has been a wonderful Winter experience!!! We are already planning for next November.