'Taters in the Park

Today was a good day to take down the Christmas decorations and store them for next year. After that, we just sat on the patio and swapped stories with our neighbors here in the RV Park. We also tried to solve all of the world's problems, but when it was over the world's problems were still there.

It's a good thing the RV Park had scheduled a baked potato bar at the Rec Hall, as it gave everyone something to do. We all wandered down to the Rec Hall to have our 'taters smothered in fixin's.
















Everyone enjoyed not having to prepare dinner at home tonight. Just look at that smile on Carole's face.

It's nice to eat out once in a while even if it's just "'Taters in the Park".

Valley Meats

I thought we were getting a real education when we went grocery shopping in The Valley, but "Valley Meats" were the real surprise.


Back in Kansas, many meat markets have pickled pigs feet, but here in The Valley, we found frozen beef feet . . .












and fresh chicken feet . . .














and fresh pork belly skins . . .














and packages of fresh tripe . . .
(oh, my gosh)












and frozen whole hog's heads. At least they're shaved and have the eyeballs removed! I wonder if they pulled their teeth too. But, I guess at 40 cents a pound it could be a cheap meal.










. . . but I think I'll just stick with pork chops and t-bones

!

Grocery Shopping in the Valley

Grocery shopping in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is an interesting and educational experience. Many grocery stores are large, clean supermarkets similar to those back home. But it didn't take long for us to realize "we're not in Kansas anymore".

The Valley in Texas is a large agricultural area with lots of fruit and vegetable farming, particularly grapefruit and orange groves. The farmer's markets and grocery stores are full of fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally. Most of the items we find at home are available here along with some items which are available only occasionally back home, like mangos and papyaya.















In addition, however, we are getting an education about a number of unusual fruits and vegetables we don't see in Kansas. Like the Jicama, a vegetable which looks a little like a potato but is sweeter and is usually eaten raw, frequently with dips. Sometimes this vegetable is referred to as the Mexican potato or Mexican turnip.









The calabaza squash looks similar to green zucchini, but is a lighter green. It's a vegetable eaten raw or used in stews. We had some steamed and it tasted a lot like zucchini.











Or the chayote squash, a strangely wrinkled vegetable used to add flavor to beans or eaten raw in salads . . . or pureed in a blender with milk to make an antacid. I guess it's nature's Rolaids.











Then there's the prickly pear. A spiny fruit of the cactus plant which is eaten raw (after peeling off the spines, of course) or used to make jams and jellies. A syrup made from this fruit is used to flavor martinis and margaritas. The prickly pear is high in antioxidants and vitamin C . . . and is said to reduce the symptoms of a hangover. Where were these when I was younger?








And, of course, many varieties of fresh peppers. Some obviously like it hot.












Then you see dried peppers in a seemingly endless number of varieties, many of which I had never seen or heard of before and, of course, lots and lots of dried garlic.















Beans are obviously a large part of the diet around here and pinto beans are readily available in bulk, by the scoop. Just grab a bag a fill it up.












As you would expect, tortillas are stocked in a wide variety of sizes, styles, brands, and lots of different packages. Most groceries and even convenience stores have fresh, warm tortillas displayed in heated containers.









But, if you want to make your own, just buy a package of tortilla mix . . . or pick up a package of dried corn husks to use in making tamales.















We are sure getting an education every time we go "Grocery Shopping in The Valley".

Christmas "Winter Texan" Style

On Christmas Eve, we decided to enjoy a traditional holiday eggnog. So I retrieved the carton of eggnog I purchased at the store earlier and poured a couple of glasses. Carole & I drank a toast to Christmas and all it means. But, wow! That eggnog was absolutely horrible! Then I looked closely at the carton and discovered I had purchased a carton of liquid eggs, not eggnog. We were drinking raw eggs!

I returned the carton of "eggnog" to the fridge and then on Christmas morning, we enjoyed "scrambled eggnog" for breakfast along with bacon, fried potatoes . . . and a couple of mimosas.

Santa actually showed up after breakfast . . . in the form of the dog next door, Molly, who Carole has fallen in love with. I guess we should call her "Molly Clause".

Carole now thinks we should get another dog. But I keep reminding her the neighbor dogs are just like grandchildren. You play with them, enjoy them, and then return them to their "parents" when you're done . . . and of course with dogs, before they have to be taken to the doggie run where owners play "pick-up".






We then joined four other Winter Texan couples here in the RV Park for Christmas dinner. The weather was nice, temperature in the 80's with mostly sunshine. One of the neighbors had a turkey fryer, so we deep fried a 14 lb turkey on an empty site beside "The Bus".











Of course, there were a lot of supervisors. We attracted considerable attention as the turkey smelled pretty good downwind for quite a distance.















One of the couples also cooked a ham and everyone contributed a dish or two: mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potato balls, dressing, cranberries, corn, salads, and breads with home made pies and cake for dessert all accompanied by a few glasses of Texas wine.















The food was set out on tables in the unit with the meat in the kitchen and everything else in the den. We then filled our plates Buffet Style.













Tables and chairs had been set up on the covered deck and we all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner outdoors under the palm trees like good Winter Texans. Of course, we all ate way too much . . . but I guess that's part of the Christmas tradition.

The day didn't seem much like Christmas with warm temperatures, palm trees and no snow. But that's "Christmas Winter Texan Style". But most importantly, a good time was had by all.






This was our first Christmas away from home, but we talked to all of the family, kids, and grandkids on the phone, which made the day better.

We wish a very Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends . . . and may your weather be warm too!

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

Rain at the Beach

Looking at another cool, rainy day, we decided to drive to South Padre Island for a seafood lunch. Three other couples here in the RV Park joined us; one couple from Vermont, one from Missouri, one from Canada, and Carole & I from Kansas. As predicted by the weatherman, we drove through rain most of the way and, as we approached the Island, crossing the bridge/causeway to the island, we were in a lot of fog . . . and it was definitely raining at the beach!








But we came for lunch, not the beach, so we went directly to the best local seafood lunch place on the Island, Dirty Al's. Dirty Al has his own shrimp boat, which docks right at the restaurant. Much of the seafood served here is caught on Dirty Al's own boat, so presumably, it's very fresh. The restaurant is nothing fancy; bare wood floors, sparse walls, picnic tables, and a long plain bar . . . but the view out the windows is of the boat docks and the bay. The menu is somewhat limited, but it's all good and the beer is cold.






Carole had oysters on-the-half-shell, of course, then a shrimp and fish basket. I settled for deep-fried mushrooms followed by a blackened fish sandwich and cold beer. That's Dean on the left with Carole beside him. We all ate too much. We may have had "Rain at the Beach", but the weather inside Dirty Al's was just fine!









After lunch, going down to the beach was out of the question as the fog was so thick, we would not have been able to see much of the beach. So we decided to skip the beach and stop at the Shell Factory so the ladies could at least get their "shopping fix". By the time we got to the Shell Factory back on the mainland, the rain had stopped and the fog was clearing, but it was still overcast.

The Shell Factory had a dinosaur out front along with a large display of "underwater" statues.
















The store building is huge with monster size shells on each side of the entrance. It's very gaudy . . . and it grabs your attention as you drive by!












There was enough variety inside the Shell Factory for anyone to get their shopping fix. None of us bought much, but we all had a good time looking over everything on display.

We enjoyed our day on the island even if there was "Rain at the Beach". But the next time we go to South Padre Island, we'll do it on a bright sunny day so we can walk barefoot in the sand.

Wine Tasting

We checked Today's activities schedule for the RV Park, saw a Wine Tasting Party listed, and didn't hesitate. Everyone was asked to bring a snack dish or an hors d'oeuvre along with a bottle of wine, preferably from their home State. Did they think we were from California or New York . . . or France? Who wants to drink wine from Kansas?

Fortunately we didn't have any Kansas wine with us, so I ran down to the liquor store and picked up a bottle of wine from Texas. After all, we are "Winter Texans". Carole prepared a platter of shrimp finger sandwiches, which we took along with our bottle of Texas wine.

The Wine Tasting Party was held in the Rec Hall with wines displayed by red, white, pink, or homemade. There were wines from California, New York, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois, and Ontario. There were also five homemade wines offered including a plum, cranberry, and a rhubarb. The food was set up on separate tables and represented quite a wide variety including meatballs, sausages, cheeses, shrimp, veggies, dips of all kinds, and everything imaginable on a cracker.
















We enjoyed sampling as many of the wines as we could get to as well as "pigging out" on the great variety of snacks and hors d'oeuvers. The homemade cranberry wine was particularly good, although I found out later the winemaker had added vodka to it. No wonder it was so good!


After everyone had their plates and glasses full, we sat at tables where we had the opportunity to meet people from all over. That's Carole with her plate and wine on the left in green. Th MC made a round of introductions of newcomers and then many people took turns, microphone in hand, telling stories. A good time was had by all. We'll certainly attend the next Wine Tasting Party in the Park.






However, next year I'm going to surprise everyone with a bottle of Kansas wine!

Getting into History

We have become so accustomed to temperatures in the 70's or 80's that today's misty 55 degree weather felt downright cold. We didn't want to spend the day hanging out in "The Bus" to keep warm and dry, so we decided this was a good day to visit the Museum of South Texas History which we had heard so much about.

On the way to the museum, we passed a Whataburger Restaurant, a fast food chain we don't have in Kansas or Indiana, but one we have seen with their bright orange and white striped roofs all over Texas. Since we have never been in a Whataburger, this was a good chance to try it out. Instead of a Whataburger, however, we had a Whatachicken sandwich and found it to be pretty good with a hint of smokey flavor. We'll stop at a Whataburger another day to sample their burger sandwich. You place your order at the counter, but they bring it to you at your table . . . a nice touch for fast food. For those of you back home, there could be a Whataburger coming your way and, when it comes, we'll recommend it.





We found the Museum of South Texas History in downtown Edinberg, in a very large modern building adjacent to the old county jail, which is incorporated as a part of the museum. We found the museum to be very interesting covering the history of the Rio Grande Valley on both sides of the border from prehistoric periods to present day. The exhibits are very complete with numerous artifacts dating back to the 1500's. We learned a lot about this area and the many conflicts between Mexico, Texas, and the United States streching over hundreds of years.

Anyone able to visit this area should include the Museum of South Texas History on their To Do List. You can also learn more about this museum at their website www.mosthistory.org.




Oh look! I found one of the native species in their natural habitat. Oops! That's Carole shopping in the Gift Shop at the museum. Of course, she had to pick up "a little something".










The weather is supposed to be better tomorrow so we can get back out in the sun.

Getting Off the Ground

Living in an RV offers a lot of flexibility in our lives but does have some limitations. One of those is storage space. It simply isn't possible to store all the "stuff" which can be stored in a house . . . yet we need a lot of the same "stuff" we needed in the house.

Living in an RV isn't all fun and games, travel and sightseeing. Cleaning and maintenance is still a necessary evil. Of course. some maintenance requires getting "off the ground" to repair items around the outside or, pardon the expression, wash windows. So, a ladder is a necessary item to have on hand. I've had several different types, but all were too large, too heavy, too cumbersome to handle, or too big to store in "The Bus".


I finally found the answer. A ladder that folds to only 3 x 4 inches and is just 7 1/2 feet long . . .











One that easily fits in the basement of "The Bus".












It's light enough to be handled easily and simple to set up.

First, unfold it sideways to reveal steps . . .


Then open it like a stepladder, 7 feet high . . .


The only disadvantage is I can no longer use the excuse "I can't reach the windows" when Carole says she can't see out anymore! She knows I can now "get off the ground".















Well that certainly put a damper on sightseeing today.

A Day at the Flea Market

The day was bright and sunny, but rather windy . . . gusting to 25 mph. So it was a good day to stay inside, or go somewhere out of the wind. One of the local Flea Markets sounded like a good place to get out of the wind, so off we went.

The Flea Market is under roof covering about four acres with lots of isles running every direction. They have everything imaginable there . . . and some things you wouldn't imagine. We had an enjoyable stroll being amazed at all of the stuff displayed. Of course, we had to pick up a "few things" while we were there.

From the Flea Market, we went across the street to the Farmer's Market and picked up a variety of fresh vegetables. The booths at the Farmer's Market are staffed by very interesting people. Of course, an ability to speak Spanish would help along with an egarness to haggle over the price!

After we returned from the Flea Market and the Farmer's Market, we grabbed a dish of bean salad Carole had prepared earlier and walked to the Rec Hall where a Pot Luck Dinner was scheduled. However, only one other couple was there and we learned the Pot Luck had been cancelled. The two of us could have had our own "pot luck dinner", but we had bean salad and they had baked beans . . . so we declined.

Instead we stopped at The Lounge, ordered a jumbo hot dog and a beer, which we called our dinner along with some of Carole's bean salad. Several residents at the bar also had a little bean salad with their beer and everyone thought Carole's bean salad was pretty good . . . but so much for the pot luck!