Florida, We're Here

From Bradenton, the drive South was all wet. Yes, we drove through rain all the way. It was still raining when we pulled into the storage facility where we had arranged to park "The Bus" for two weeks.

We unhooked the Blazer, packed some plastic boxes and lots of plastic grocery bags with the stuff we wanted to take with us to the condo . . . all in the rain. We don't have suitcases with us, so we had to improvise.

We then drove the rest of the way to Fort Myers Beach and the weather began to clear. We stopped at the liquor store, filled the gas tank in the Blazer, picked up a few groceries, then drove straight to the condo. The weather cleared up, the rain stopped, and the sun came out!

The picture below was taken out the front door of our condo unit. It's really nice to be here again and see old friends and neighbors I've know for many years.

"Florida, We're Here!"

Bradenton

We had planned on stopping at the Moose Lodge in Gibsonton, Florida, but all of their RV parking spots were filled. So we located a commercial RV Park in Bradenton, Florida, the Arbor Glen RV Park. The site was pretty tight, but we managed to squeeze in.

Most of the units in the Park were tied down permanently, so this was obviously a Park filled with retirees who live here year 'round. It also appeared to be an older Park as the spaces were all pretty small . . . but it will do for one night.





My brother, Ron, was in the area visiting a friend of his, Tom Davis. They both came over to the RV Park to see us and we all ended up going out to eat at Hooters, where the wings were very good, as usual . . . and the beer was cold, as usual.

Tomorrow, Saturday, will be our last day of driving before reaching our destination of Fort Myers.

Tallahassee Moose Lodge

We stopped for the night at a wonderful Moose Lodge in Tallahassee, Florida. They had RV parking spaces with utility hook-ups behind the Lodge in a flat sandy area under a huge tree with spreading limbs. I don't know what kind of a tree it was, but the limbs had to spread out at least a hundred feet. Just look at the picture below, compare the spread of the tree limbs with "The Bus" which is 60 feet long with the Blazer in tow.


















After we parked "The Bus", we went inside the Lodge for a drink where the members welcomed us warmly. After a stiff drink, on the house, they brought out left-overs from a Lodge dinner the night before . . . ham, potato casserole and corn-on-the-cob. They warmed it up just for us, so we had dinner at the Lodge. After lots of interesting conversation, meeting many pleasant people, and a couple more stiff drinks, we wandered back to "The Bus" and turned in for the night.

Tomorrow we'll be back on the road, again!

Fountainebleau State Park

When we awoke Wednesday morning in Houston, the sun was shining bright and there was no snow on the ground. The streets were a little damp and the air was a little cool, but it looked like a beautiful day with bright sunshine.

We were on the road by about 9:30 AM. The drive across the oil fields and refineries area of East Texas and the rice paddies and swamplands of Western Louisiana was uneventful.

In the early evening, just East of New Orleans, we saw a sign for Fountainebleau State Park with campgrounds, so we followed the signs into a really nice camping area in the woods along Lake Pontchartrain. It was a wooded area and many of the trees had Spanish moss hanging, a really pretty setting.


The site we were assigned was a semi-circular pull-thru. It was fairly short for us to fit in our 65 feet or so with the Blazer in tow, but I tried to pull in . . . until Carole screamed and caused me to stop abruptly. I got out and was shocked that the side of "The Bus" was only inches away from a large tree, but it was getting late so I decided to let it set until morning.

The next morning, I had to unhook the Blazer, back it out, and then back out "The Bus". The curve of the semi-circular pull-thru campsite was just too sharp to make the turn without scrapping against the tree in the center.

Because Carole had screamed in time, no harm was done. We were back on the road Thursday morning un-scathed.

Florida . . Here We Come!

After a last futile attempt to find beach towels at the Flea Market, I came to the realization that we will have to wait until we get to Fort Myers Beach in Florida to get beach towels . . . which will be at a much higher price, I'm sure.

Today we finished getting everything packed, put up, stored, or put away . . . and left Palm Shadows RV Park in Donna, Texas, at about 10:00 AM headed for Florida. It was a heavily overcast day, but no rain was forecast until late in the day. Don't believe the weather forecasters . . . we ran into rain at Harlingen, Texas, only about 20 miles down the road and then drove through rain all day long, not heavy rain, but rain none the less. The windshield wipers on "The Bus" were never turned off!

We pulled off the road at the Moose Lodge in Pasadena, Texas, just East of Houston to park for the night. However, they wouldn't let us stay in the RV Parking area because they were expecting 150 Trail Riders, which would really fill up the place, so we needed another plan.

We had paid over $20.00 in tolls on the "Beltway" around Houston, Texas. I can't believe their tollway was was so expensive. But that's the last time we'll take the "Beltway" around Houston . . . next time we're going right through the center of town . . . free of tolls.

Anyway, we got back on Interstate 10 headed East and stopped about 5:30 PM a few miles further down the road at the Houston Leisure RV Resort in Highlands, Texas. This appears to be a very nice RV Park with almost 200 sites. Cable TV and wifi are both furnished free of additional charges along with the usual RV utility connections. We have a 'pull-through' site, so we didn't have to unhook the Blazer.

The rain is expected to turn to snow overnight, but the temperature is forecast to be up in the 50's tomorrow. Other than the possibility of ice on bridges and overpasses, the roads should be clear as we head on East. "Florida . . . Here We Come!"

Flea Market Bargins

We are preparing to leave "The Valley" on Tuesday and head on over to Fort Myers Beach, Florida, where we plan to lay in the sand on the beach for a couple of weeks.

I realized that I had only brought one bathing suit from home, which is OK for an occasional dip in the pool or a hot tub quickie. However, one bathing suit just won't do for living on the beach for a couple of weeks. Carole also has only one bathing suit with her.

So we went off to a large local Flea Market looking for bathing suits.


I found three bathing suits for $8.00 each . . . three suits for a total of only $24.00! One made in China, one made in Indonesia, and one made in Bangladesh. I told Carole that they will probably dissolve in water . . . or turn blue in the pool. But at only $8.00 each, I guess they can be disposable. Any other bathing suit would have cost many times that much at a conventional store.









Carole only found one bathing suit she liked and it was only $10.00, but most of the women's suits had the tops in one place and the bottoms in another . . . and nothing matched. I think I discovered why . . . her top was made in China and the bottom was made in Indonesia. It would be pretty hard to coordinate tops and bottoms from two different countries!









I'm going back tomorrow to see if I can pick up a few beach towels as we also forgot to bring any of those with us.

After a few more trips for "Flea Market Bargains", we should be ready for the beach.

Busy Day . . . for a Retired Person

The ice maker in the refrigerator/freezer in "The Bus" quit working last summer. I could hear it continuing to run, but it never made ice. I guess I was hoping it would cure itself . . . but it didn't. So when I had an RV Repairman out to "The Bus" to repair the hot water heater the other day, I asked him about the ice maker. He said it was shot and I needed a new one!


So today I removed it, ran down to a nearby RV Parts Store, picked up a new one, and installed it. Installation only took about 30 minutes. It was making ice in about an hour and has been dumping out ice cubes regularly since.











While I had the RV Repairman here, I also asked him how the ceiling exhaust fan in the bathroom could be removed. It was really dirty and I couldn't figure out how to get it out for cleaning. I was on a roll today, so I followed his instructions, removed it, cleaned it, and replaced it. I don't think anyone had ever cleaned that exhaust fan since "The Bus" left the factory . . . but it's sure clean now!








In the evening, we went to dinner with friends here in the Park, Jack & Bev Wolfe, from Manitoba, Canada. We led them to Carole's favorite restaurant, China Cafe, in McAllen. Carole sure loves Chinese food and tonight it was as good as usual.

Today was a "Busy Day . . . for a Retired Person"!

A Depressing Day Inside

The weather here in "The Valley" has generally been pretty nice this winter, especially when compared with the weather up North. I played golf the last few days wearing only a short sleeve golf shirt, so I shouldn't complain.

But that nice weather came to an end this morning. It has rained all day long and the temperature only reached 58 degrees . . . so we stayed inside "The Bus" all day. I got caught up on some paperwork and Carole watched a series of old movies on the Turner Classic Movie Channel. It's kind of a depressing day.

We are making a list, and checking it twice, in preparation for leaving "The Valley" next Tuesday and heading over to Fort Myers Beach, Florida. I sure hope the weather over there is hot and sunny while we lay in the sand on the beach.

But for today, it's just "A Depressing Day Inside".

License Plate Geography II

Since I posted the "License Plate Geography" Blog in January, I have stumbled across a number of cars and trucks here in The Valley with license plates not included in the original post. I was surprised that I found 27 states represented originally, but since then I have seen 6 more.


Maine from the New England area . . .








Alabama and Louisiana down South . . .




and Arizona, Nevada and Wyoming out West . . .



That brings the total number of states sighted to 33. Only 15 state license plates, plus Alaska and Hawaii, have not been sighted in "The Valley".

A couple more Canadian Provinces have also been sighted, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.




Plus another vehicle from South of the border in the Mexican state of Jalisco . . .







"License Plate Geography" in "The Valley" is beginning to cover a lot more territory!

Formerly Mexico

Prior to the end of the Mexican-American war in 1848, the border between the two countries was the Nueces River which flows from the San Antonio area Southeasterly into the Gulf of Mexico at Corpus Christie. Prior to that time, the area between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande was part of the country of Mexico. This area was "Formerly Mexico".

At the end of the war in 1848, the border was moved South to the Rio Grande and many Mexican residents moved South of the Rio Grande at that time to continue living in their native country. However, many Mexican residents in that area remained in the new United States territory between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande, including what is known as the Rio Grande Valley, or simply "The Valley".

"The Valley" is today populated largely by the descendants of those Mexican residents who remained in the United States following the Mexican-American War. Many of those descendants apparently did not adopt the language and customs of the United States, but retained the language and customs of their Mexican ancestors.

In many stores and at numerous gatherings here in "The Valley", Spanish is the predominant language. I have stopped in stores in the area to make a purchase, but had to leave because none of the clerks spoke English and they didn't understand what I was looking for.

The Mexican heritage of the area is also very evident in roadside billboards . . .














I don't read or speak Spanish, but it looks to me like the sign on the left above may be a law firm soliciting business concerning immigration and the sign on the right above advertises mobile phones.

This is a sign in front of one of the many local flea markets. I recognize that it is advertising a "Flea Market Open Wed, Thurs, Sat & Sun", but I have no idea what they are promoting.










Even amateur signs posted by individuals are usually in Spanish. I'm told "pollo" means chicken, so maybe this person is selling chickens . . . or?











Even the local churches post information about their services in Spanish . . .















But the most surprising to me are the school bulletin boards announcing activities in Spanish. What ever happened to Spanish as a second language? Looks to me like English is the second language around here . . . even in the schools!

These signs are all examples of Spanish only, not examples of multi-lingual signs in English and Spanish. These signs are Spanish only!

Also, these are not isolated examples, but typical of numerous signs throughout The Valley.



I can understand (but not agree with) catering to recent legal immigrants, but the ancestors of many local families voluntarily stayed behind in "The Valley" when it became part of the United States in 1848 . . . over 150 years ago . . . spanning perhaps five generations!

Having voluntarily stayed in "The Valley" and adopted the United States as their new country, which granted them citizenship, why didn't they adopt the language and customs of their new country? Instead, it appears they chose not only to retain their Mexican language and customs, but to pass that language and way of life on to their ancestors who still live in "The Valley" today.

When I'm shopping here in The Valley, I often feel like I'm in a foreign country, with everyone around me speaking Spanish while I'm trying to figure out what the many Spanish signs around me mean.

This area may have been "Formerly Mexico", but it makes you wonder who really won the Mexican-American War of 1848!

New Windshield

A month or so ago while I was traveling into Mexico to work at the Rio Bravo Orphanage, a large truck passed me and threw a rock up into the windshield. I didn't see any chip or crack at the time, but the next cool morning when I turned on the defrosters, a three foot long crack spread across the windshield.

I called a couple of auto glass companies and found the nationwide firm of Safelite offered what sounded like the best price, service and warranty. The next day, their technician came to the RV Park to replace the windshield in the Blazer right here, on site.



First he removed the windshield wipers, then the old windshield and gaskets. . .














He cleaned out the glass channel, then applied a black gooey adhesive and new rubber gaskets . . .














Then he set the new windshield in place and secured it in position . . .













Wow! A new windshield installed in about an hour!













He advised me to leave the side windows cracked open overnight, don't drive it for two hours, and don't wash it for two days.

Getting a "New Windshield" can be so easy!

Valentine's Day

I felt bad because I had not found a Valentine's Day present for Carole. To make me feel better, she offered to take me out for a Valentine's Day dinner. A neighbor suggested we go to Cheddar's, a new restaurant in McAllen, Texas. Although Cheddar's is a chain, we haven't had one in Kansas City, so we had not previously heard of it. But based on the recommendation of our friends and neighbors, we went to the Cheddar's in McAllen.


We were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant was very nice . . . an attractive building and very attractively decorated inside. As might be expected, there was a waiting line on Valentine's Day, but we sat at the bar for about 30 minutes while we waited for a table. I had a giant Texas Margarita and Carole had a huge Pain Killer. We ordered an appetizer but were called to our table before it arrived, so they delivered it direct to our table instead of the bar.

I ordered grilled chicken with pineapple salsa served over rice along with steamed broccoli and carrots. Carole ordered a chicken pot pie. Both dinners were excellent and the service was very good.


In the picture above, just look at the size of that Margarita glass . . . and I had two of them!

Our only criticism of that Cheddar's Restaurant was it was very noisy. Many families brought young kids to the restaurant who certainly contributed to the noise level. I don't know if that's the reason for the high sound level or if it's the acoustics in that restaurant.

But the food and service were so good, I would go back in a minute.

Later in the day, I learned that a Cheddar's Restaurant recently opened in Overland Park, Kansas, on the Southwest side of Kansas City . . . and my granddaughter, Jordan Crowl, is working there as a hostess . . . so we will definitely go to Cheddar's when we return home.

We enjoyed a very nice "Valentine's Day".

Time for Sunscreen

After a couple of cool days with some rain, the sun came out again . . . "Time for Sunscreen".


The temperature is only in the 70's, but it is expected to warm up more in the next few days. That will be good for hanging around the pool and hot tub!

Where in Kansas?

During the time we've been living and traveling in "The Bus", many of the RVer's we've met display signs in front of their unit announcing who they are and where they're from. It invites inquiries and makes introductions so much easier.

We have talked about getting a sign, but for some reason, never got around to it . . . until now!

A vendor at a local flea market specializes in sign making, so we had him make one for us. I then had to figure out a way to display it and settled on brackets to hang it from the windshield wiper arms.


Now everyone will know where that wonderful Kansas couple are staying!



Carole & I had discussed whether to put "Paola" on the sign, but decided against it because when the house sells, we will probably buy a place in another town. But when I picked up the completed sign, the first person who saw it asked, "Where in Kansas?" Some days you just can't win . . . but maybe that adds to it's value as a conversation starter.

Now people passing by "The Bus" will know that's where Dean & Carole live. You know, that nice couple from somewhere in Kansas.

Six for Dinner

When we bought "The Bus", the salesman advised us to tell everyone that "The Bus" only sleeps two. However, we have expanded on that telling everyone it will "sleep two, feed four, entertain six". With that in mind, Carole invited two couples from here in the RV Park for dinner Thursday night thinking we could comfortably "entertain six" on the patio.

Well, you've undoubtedly heard the old saying, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft times go awry". It rained all day Thursday and was much to cool and wet to eat on the patio . . . so we had to "feed six" in "The Bus"!

I brought our folding patio table inside and set it up as an extension of the dining table. A neighbor brought us a couple of extra folding dining chairs which we used with the patio table. It was a little crowded, but we were able to seat six for dinner.

Following appetizers and drinks, we served a dish we have prepared a few times, Mango Chicken Curry over rice and a Napa cabbage salad. Of course we served wine with dinner and followed dinner with strawberry cheese cake and coffee. The whole meal was absolutely delicious!

Our friends Doug & Jane McLaren are shown at the table below on the left, Jack and Bev Wolfe are on the right below.


Both couples are Winter Texans from Manitoba, Canada. Doug & Jane were our next door neighbors three years ago and are our next door neighbors again this year, Jack & Bev were our next door neighbors here in the Park last year.

Doug "turned the tables" on us and took our picture at the other end of the table. Carole looks nice and relaxed, but he sure caught me by surprise.


Well, in spite of the fact that "The Bus" only "feeds four", we had "Six for Dinner" and had a wonderful time. The space wasn't spacious, but it was certainly adequate. Of course we had to return the folding table to the patio and return the extra chairs to the neighbor just so we would have enough room to do the dishes.

Next time we have "Six for Dinner", I hope the weather is nice so we can serve on the patio.

State Flags

The nearby City of Weslaco, Texas, has an interesting display near their downtown. A small park surrounds a line of flag poles flying the flags of each of the fifty States of the Union, in the order of their entry into the United States, from Delaware to Hawaii. (Yes, Barack, we only have fifty States.)
















A very up-lifting, patriotic sight. Each pole has an attached plaque giving a brief history of that State including the date that State ratified the US Constitution in the case of the original thirteen States, or joined the Union in the case of the subsequent thirty-seven States.

Makes you feel proud to be an American!

Super Bowl Sunday

I was looking forward to a great Super Bowl Sunday until Carole told me we needed to do laundry. So we loaded up the Blazer with a lot of dirty clothes, towels, and bedding, then drove to the laundry room adjacent to the Clubhouse. Boy, did we have a pile of laundry. I told Carole that we need to get a smaller laundry bag, then we would have to do laundry more often . . . in smaller batches.

We did finish that big pile of laundry, then slipped over to the Clubhouse for the Pre-Super Bowl Party. They served two soups; Chili and Charo Beans. The Chili wasn't very exciting, a Missouri version, I think. But the Charo Beans were outstanding; pinto beans with bacon, onion and seasonings, probably a Southern soup.

In addition, Park residents brought appetizers; a variety of meats and cheeses, veggies and crackers with all kinds of dips and spreads. As you can see, there was way too much food . . . as usual.


A couple of weeks ago, I found a recipe for "Armadillo Eggs" and copied it. It sure looked interesting; peeled hard boiled eggs inside a spicy sausage ball rolled in Bisquick, then baked. Some call them "Scotch Eggs" and they were on the table in the Clubhouse. I tried one . . . I'm going to throw out the recipe.

After that Pre-Super Bowl Party, we returned to our neighborhood where we found a number of groups gathered outside socializing . . . waiting for the game to start. It's nice to be able to just "pull up a chair" and join in the conversation. Nearly all of the people here in the Park are very sociable.


We then retired to "The Bus" where we watched the game on TV. Contrary to most Super Bowl games, this one certainly wasn't boring. A very exciting game . . . with a surprise ending, but the Saints played so well, they earned it.

Maybe the Colts will do better next year. Or . . . just imagine . . . the Kansas City Chiefs!

Beer or Margarita

Glory be! After two days of solid rain and one day of very high humidity, the sun came out, the wind stopped blowing, and the temperature rose to 79 degrees. Given another day to dry out, and today is beautiful!

This weather is expected to hang around for awhile. Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday with a big finger-food & appetizer party planned in the Park Clubhouse. After that, we'll be able to enjoy the game on the patio in shorts and t-shirts. We asked for nice, warm, dry weather, and here it is.

The big decision now is "Beer or Margarita?"

Count Our Blessings

Our weather here in The Valley has been pretty nice. We have had days of warm weather and days of cool weather, but few days of wet weather . . . until today.

Last night at about 9:00 PM, it began to rain. Not a gully-washer as we occasionally have in the Midwest, but a steady moderately heavy rain. It rained continuously all night long and finally began to let up at about 10:00 AM. The rain didn't stop then, but at least it began to slow down.

When we awoke, the streets here in the RV Park were flooded, curb to curb. Fortunately we do have paved streets with curbs, otherwise our lot may have been under water too. I would have taken a picture of the flooded streets, but had left the camera in the Blazer and wasn't about to go out in that steady rain to retrieve it.

South Texas needed the rain, I guess, and the forecast is for more rain throughout the day today and all day tomorrow . . . but the the sun is expected to return with temperatures in the upper 70's on Friday and through the weekend. That will be nice.

I hate to complain about the rain as I should be thankful that we're not in the cold temperatures with ice and snow, which our family and friends are experiencing back home. I promise to "Count Our Blessings".

Horseshoe Wine Rack

Our friends and neighbors here in Palm Shadows RV Park, Doug & Jane McLaren, have a farm in Manitoba, Canada, where we visited them in the summer of '08. They raise Registered Red Angus cattle and, as you may expect, they use horses to round up and separate cattle and, of course, their horses go through a lot of horseshoes.

Last year Doug came to Texas with a big bag of used horseshoes, which he planned to use to make things. He bought a small electric welder and made a flower pot holder for Jane. The RV Park had him make some number holders for tables in the Lounge so waiters would know where to deliver food orders. Doug was still looking for additional projects as he had a lot of horseshoes.

When Carole and I were in California last Fall, I went through a museum in an old gold mining town. On display was a wine rack made out of old horseshoes. I took a picture and sent it to Doug, thinking it may be an interesting project for him.

This Winter, when Doug and Jane returned to Texas, he again brought his bag of old used horseshoes and the electric welder. Before I knew it, he was working on the tailgate of his truck and turned out a wine rack, which he painted and presented it to us as a gift.




We proudly loaded it with bottles of wine and set it out on display in "The Bus". Can you imagine? A wine rack made from old horseshoes from the working horses on a friend's farm in Manitoba. We are quite proud of our new wine rack.

Thanks so much, Doug.

Mustang Sale

Brought to this country by the Spaniards many years ago, today wild horses roam the lands of the West. Sometimes the herds grow too large for the lands they occupy to support, so it is necessary to reduce their numbers. This week, the Department of the Interior brought into The Valley about 30 wild horses which they rounded up to make available for adoption.

They held a "Mustang Sale", 4- legged, not 4-wheeled, at the County Fairgrounds allowing qualified buyers who had the space and facilities to buy and adopt these wild horses.



I didn't get to the County Fairgrounds until after most of the mustangs had been adopted and picked up, but it felt great just to be able to see a few wild horses up close. They had halters on, but no horseshoes. These mustangs should made good pets for new owners who take the time to patiently work with them.

There were beautiful animals at this "Mustang Sale".