New Year

Happy New Year to You All,

Yesterday most of our park went to Progreso, to a place called Arriba's for lunch, drinks and dancing. Each time I go to Mexico I am amazed with the talents and creativity of the Mexican people. I watched a young man make me a bracelet with my name on it. He worked so quickly you can hardly see his fingers move and in less than five minutes he had made the bracelet complete with hearts. I also like to watch the painters who spray bottles or canvass with spray paint and using a small piece of cardboard do incredible paintings. The handwork is just beautiful.

And then there are the musicians, who sing in English, but don't speak English at all.

Tonight, being Tues. is once again potluck, but I decided to skip it this week. The lady across from me says that this isn't an RV park, it is a fat farm. And she is right. I have over-indulged myself at the two potlucks I took in, so decided to stay away from them. There seems to be many occasions to get together with food.

Tomorrow, being New Year's Eve we will be getting together for finger foods, having a band, and indulging in drinks and dancing. We are supposed to dance in the streets of our park, but apparently the forecast is for rain tomorrow, so we may end up inside the rec centre.

I hope you all have a SAFE and happy New Year.

A Hot One Today

Hi Y'all,

I hope you all had a good Christmas. As you can see there was tons of food at my Christmas dinner and, as usual, I ate far too much. There were enough left-overs for supper. What you see doesn't include the dessert table! But, that is part of what Christmas has always been about, isn't it?

Santa arrived and we had a gift exchange and I got the most beautiful hand made cushion for my MH....the nicest gift there!

It has been beautiful here weather-wise and I see that it has warmed up at your homes as well. After that deadly cold, it must seem not too bad there! Hope you are all keeping warm.

Christmas

The season is upon us. In a couple of days you will be sitting down with your family to enjoy Christmas. It will seem rather weird for me as this will be the first Christmas away from my family and it goes without saying that I will miss them. I will also miss my friends.

We in the RV park will be having a Christmas potluck in the recreation hall and I'm sure there will be tons of food and goodwill. The weather has smartened up and by Christmas Day we should be in the high 80's.

I would like to wish you all a safe and happy Christmas. I'm sending a big hug to you all.

Flea Market

Today I went to the flea market just down the street. They sold a bit of everything. There was live entertainment as well so I sat for awhile to listen. I was wearing the brown T-shirt that my daughter, Gabrielle, had bought for me.

A couple came and sat by me and she said, "I like your shirt" and told her husband to look at my shirt. He was an artist, and while his wife and I visited he sketched this picture for me. Cool!

Festival of Lights

Greetings All,

Today was another busy day. We women went to Mexico today to eat and shop. I didn't eat since I had a dental appt. and I am a poor shopper, but I wandered about looking at all the jewelry and clothing. There is tons of beautiful jewelry and clothing and the prices are pretty good as well.

This evening a group of us went to Hidalgo to view the Christmas Lights. We took the trolley around town and the lights were gorgeous. They had peacocks, butterflies, dragons, bears, etc. The house across the street from City Hall belongs to a famous singer from these parts and his house was extremely well lit.

All in all it was a great day!

Mexico

Hola,

Yesterday I was back in Mexico to get my dental work done. Nuevo Progreso seems to be your standard border town. As you cross on the bridge over the Rio Grande River, there are people under the bridge on the Mexican side. They have their caps out and are asking that you throw them a penny, a nickel, a dime.

The merchants seem to sell similar items: jewelry, leather goods, blankets, pottery and CDs. The prices are very reasonable. You can buy a Mexican blanket for $2. Much of the pottery is beautiful. The little children are on the street with their parents and attempt to sell you items. They give you the most pitiful look. There is also an abundance of pharmacies, dentists and beauty salons. Traffic is extremely congested.

It is difficult to pass by the beggars on the street and frequently I put money in their cup. I think that for some of them begging brings in their only income. Wouldn't it be nice to have the money to change their lives?

Today is a wet day. We are all supposed to go to Hidalgo for the Festival of Lights this evening, but I think it will be cancelled, unless there is a major weather change before then.

Nuevo Progreso

Hola mis amigos;

This morning my neighbours and I went into Mexico. We had breakfast at this comida, where we were treated to this trio's music. We wandered around a bit looking at the merchandize and then I went for a haircut. It was $5 for a cut, product and blow dry.

Tomorrow I hope to go back and have some dental work done. A filling is $15 as is a cleaning. Many Americans go there for dental work and medications. Can't beat those prices!

Today is windy but 26C, so can't complain. I do feel sorry for y'all in Alberta as I watch the weather network and I can say with all honesty that I'm glad I am here and not there.

Edinburg, Tx

Good morning y'all,
Yesterday 4 of us went to the South Texas Museum in Edinburg, Texas. It was a neat museum in that they had period costumes you could don. It was hilarious.

Last night was very chilly, in fact, there was frost warnings out. Today is to be back into the 70's and warmer from there. I used 3 comforters last night.

I went to a dance in Pharr, Tx. It was good except that most of what they played was quite slow and I don't really care for the slow ones.

The towns here all run into each other. Pharr is the 3rd town east of Donna, but only takes about 15 min. to get there. I always take my trusty map with me in case I get disoriented. This one fellow is concerned that I will get really lost and offered for me to follow him and his partner back, but I figured if I could find my way from Alberta to here, then I could find my way 15 min. away. Donna is a good town to be in as it is rather central in the valley, making it easy to partake in activities in other towns. I have a Rio Grande Valley map that shows the location of the RV parks in the valley. That is a huge help.

Today the women in my park are off to Nuevo Progreso, a Mexican town, so we are off at 11 a.m.
I was told it is a good place to get a haircut and I need one. Looks like I have a mop on top of my head.

San Juan, Tx

Yesterday I went to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan which is a national shrine. I also wanted to see the Cezar Chevez Memorial, but couldn't find it and nobody seemed to know where it was.

Last evening I went to the dance. I asked the couple I was with if there was a singles club here and they said every dance had a couple of tables of singles. Sure enough I found a table with a sign saying singles so I sat there and danced all night. I'm really not a fan of singles clubs. I'll tell you why. I danced a couple of dances with a fellow from Maine called Ted. He then says that he has every afternoon free and would like to spend them with me. I told him, "I don't think so". Shortly after he has his hand on my knee and I had to brush him off, and ignore him for the remainder of the evening. I also danced with a farmer from Ontario named Keith. He kept saying, "drag your feet" and "I can feel it when you take your feet off the floor". And I'm thinking it is almost 2009, when do we women get to lead. But, all in all, it was fun as I love to dance and am going to the biggest single dance tonight.

Friends Brenda and I made at Falcon State Park (Marilynn and Butch), dropped by my site yesterday and invited me to jam at their park on Friday afternoon, so I plan to go see what that is all about. I will take my guitar, but don't know if I'm brave enough to play.

A cold front has moved in and it is cold this morning. It is 42F. Dropped 40 degrees since yesterday! At 11 am I am going to a museum with the neighbours. I will dress warm.

Sight seeing

Good Morning,

This is the patio here at the park. Isn't it pretty?

Today is 86F, but the temp is to drop tonight to the low 70's and rain for tomorrow.

Yesterday I went to the Tourist Info centre and she loaded me up with info and maps concerning what there is to see in this area. I will begin planning day trips tomorrow.

This evening I will be going to dance to the Texas Country Band. Don't know who'll I'll dance with as my dance partner is in Alberta, but even listening to the music will be enjoyable. I can always dance the mixers.

I've been following the Canadian news and weather on the internet. Keep warm y'all.

Sunday

This is the mercado we went to yesterday. It was a hot day, but as you can see everyone, other than me, was in long pants and jackets. Go figure.

After the mercado we went for lunch and then to the new mall. The mall was cool in that there were stores on both sides of an open air walkway. I had left my camera in the car, which was too bad as there was a band I would have liked to have taken a photo of. It was a high school mariachi band. There were 10 violins, three guitars, a big mariachi guitar and a harp. The students were clad in Mexican garb and each student took a turn singing, with hand movements, and dancing. They were extremely good. One young fellow even serenaded me.
I could have listened to them all day.

Hot Here

Good Morning

Still no photos from Donna, so sending a photo of Dirty Al's. We danced on the roof.

It has turned deliciously hot again. Yesterday one of the park women took me around Donna to show me where everything is. It is an old border town and many of the bldgs are ramshackle, although there is new development as well. People in the park are very friendly and a couple is taking me dancing on Tuesday. Each MH park has activities and people go from one park to the another to partake. Tues. is potluck at this camp.

Donna, Texas

Hi Everyone,

I am now in Donna, Texas. Arrived about 11 am. with no mishaps. Not much to report as just set up. It is pouring rain here; hope the sun comes out soon.

This photo was taken at Boomerang Billies on South Padre Island. I don't have a clue who that man is; he just happened to be sitting there when I took the photo. It was a beautiful setting to have a couple of beers and listen to live music.

Will write more after I have time to do some exploring.

Last Day here

Last night a group of us went to the Schlitterbahn Shrimp Haus for drinks and dancing. I guess there were about 10 of us. Part of the group is a set of twins. One twin is called "A" and the other is "B". "A" is the oldest and her husband's name is "JD". They are identical twins. We had fun line dancing and just visiting. Leslie was singing there; she does a wide variety of music.

The last couple of days have been extremely windy. Today is cool and I have jeans on...first time in a long time. I hope the wind settles by tomorrow as I hate driving on that long bridge when the wind is so strong. I'm afraid of getting blown off.

Tomorrow is the big moving day. I'm a bit nervous about driving again after having been in one spot for a month. Like Donna said, it will feel really strange after 3 months. I'm hoping it will be less windy in the valley. Yesterday I went for a long walk on the beach and the sand was moving like drifting snow . There weren't many people on the beach, just a lot of wind surfers. I stopped at the marine research centre and took photos. Today's photo is shark's teeth. Scary.

Elvis

Last evening a group of us went to Dirty Al's and Elvis was there. He was pretty good. After the show he was talking with Dirty Al and Dirty Al was saying how he used to take women's bras off with his teeth and had bras decorating the walls of his restaurant/bar. I had a good evening.

Today I went to the shops about town. Things are 1/2 price everywhere, but I don't really need anything, so came home empty handed. The wind has been from the north so the last couple of days have only been in the 70's F. I wore my jacket to begin line dancing, but took it off part way through. Line dancing is harder than it looks. Some days I am a total cluts. Only a couple of more days here and then off to Donna.

They have an International Idiots Club here. It costs you $5 to become a certified idiot with a card. You can also buy T-shirts. Once you have the card you get 75 cents off every beer at Boomerang Billies. There are quite a few idiots here.

Busy

Hi Everyone,

The days just seem to be getting busier and busier. We went one evening to Laguna Vista to take a line dancing class from a Texan by the name of Lynn. He is a competitive line dancer and is very particular on how we do our steps. So we had danced for 1 and a half hours in the morning and another 2 hours in the evening.

Yesterday my neighbour, Carol, woke me up to do breakfast with her at a little restaurant on the bay. I had 2 eggs, 4 strips of bacon, two slices toast and coffee for $3.25. Then we went to the Mercado, an open air market here on the island. We stopped to watch the belly dancer for a bit. From there we went to Bommerang Billy's to watch an entertainer named Leslie. This pub is right next to the sea and is open air. A nice setting. She sang mostly songs from the '60's and could really belt it out. In the evening my neighbour, Donna and I went to Pelican West to hear the band there. I was pooped by 11 pm.

Much of the entertainment is in the early afternoon, so we can usually be in bed by 9 or 10 pm.
They have a law here, an actual law on the books, that men's ties are not allowed on Padre Island. If a man refuses to take off his tie you are allowed to take a pair of scissors and cut his tie off.The convention centre has a sign on the outside of the bldg. saying "No ties out".

The temps have been in the high 80's all week, but today the wind is from the north so it is cooler. They have been spraying for mosquitoes here. I hate to think of them spraying a pesticide, but the mosquitoes have been incredibly bad. My legs are all bitten...they were just descending in a cloud whenever outside. I did use a repellent, but any little bit of skin that was missed was eaten up.

American Thanksgiving

We began the day dancing on the top deck of Dirty Al's. It is a seafood restaurant and the owner is kind enough to allow us to dance on his deck. We have a view of both sides of the island from up there. Today this big tanker was going by so I grabbed my camera and took a couple of shots.

Today a group of us went for a free Thanksgiving dinner at The Coral Reef. It is a lounge here on the island. We had a dinner with all the trimmings and live entertainment. Everyone calls the owner, Ya Ya, because anything you ask him he responds with ya ya. After dinner he accompanied the piano player with his banjo. I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera.

Free food is common here. In some bars at happy hour they put out free appetizers. They all have $2 beer, but the beer here a lot weaker than Canadian beer.

We are having a mosquito problem after last week's rain. Most of us are holed up in our MHs as they attack as soon as your door is open. It's terrible.

Winter Ready

Yesterday Dan and Carol took me to Donna and I made arrangements to winter in an RV park there. It is $180 month; apparently the cheapest park around. It was nice and has computer access and a new hall for potlucks and the like. They have an activities coordinator and we will be car pooling for various activities such as going to Progreso, Mexico, the big flea markets, etc. They have karaoke once a week and live music once a week. I think it will be a lot of fun.

I will be the first to leave this park. The friends I have made will all be leaving about the 15th of December and all going to various places in the valley...not far from where I will be parked, so we can visit each other. I'm glad about that as I have met some really fine people here. I'm also glad about computer access. We all roam about this town trying to find a signal here and there. Places advertise wifi, but when you get there you find that it doesn'twork. The library is only open until 1 pm, so can't always get there in time. Oh yes, this life is very busy.

Christmas

Good morning,

It seems rather odd to see the town putting up Christmas decorations. It is difficult to get into the spirit of things when surrounded by palm trees. The weather is hot once again.

I had company in my MH last evening; the neighbours came over and we visited until almost 3 am, so I slept in and missed my dance lesson this morning. On Friday we are going to Laguna Vista for a dance lesson from a fellow named Lynn. It is $3 a lesson.

This photo was taken in Matamoros, Mexico. As you can see there is fresh fruit for sale. Brenda and I had bought some grapefruit from a fruit stand in Port Isabel. They are the biggest grapefruit I have ever seen and yet are sweet and juicy.

Rainy

Greetings,

Yesterday was quite chilly...in the high 50's and pouring rain. Today it is warmer, but still raining. I even wore my flannel p.j.'s last night.

We went to the dance in San Benito last evening. The dance floor was huge; I've never seen a dance floor that big before. The attendance was low due to the weather and because the winter Texans don't come up until after Thanksgiving. I did a lot of line dancing and it was fun. I lost my steps many times, but there were quite a few of us learners there, so it really didn't matter. The men stayed at home and just us women went. They only sold water and sodas there, but you are allowed to byob.

There isn't much to do in your MH in this weather, so yesterday I spent the day doing crosswords. Carol brought over some books for me so today Iwill have my nose buried in a book.

Beach

Everything will be O.K. in the end. If it's not O.K., it's not the end.

This photo of me on the beach was taken by Brenda. Yesterday my neighbour, Carol, and I went for a long walk on the beach. We both burned. I guess I will now be a shade or two darker. The water was lovely and warm.

Apparently cooler weather is moving in and it will drop to the low 70's F. by tomorrow.

I have been line dancing all week and tomorrow is the big dance. I will be traveling with another neighbour, Judy, and her husband. It is about a 40min. trip each way. I will probably sit out most of the line dances as I am not ready yet for public hoofing.

Last evening I went to a bar called the Brewing Co. and yes, they brew their own beer there. I went as they advertise a wifi connection, but the connection didn't work. I met two really friendly people from the island and we had a good visit. He wanted to know what Canadians think about them owning Alaska. I've never heard a Canadian mention it, so guess it is not really a concern for us. We discussed a lot of topics and it was an enjoyable evening. There is still a lot of talk about Hurricane Dolly that came through in August of this year. It hurt a lot of businesses due to damage. One of the big hotels closed down permanently.

A bill was passed in two states that allows parents to just drop off their children at Social Services if they don't want the kids anymore. The drop-off point is a hospital. Apparently they have had an abundance of parents dropping off their pre-teens and teens. You would think children would now be afraid if they needed a hospital stay. When I heard of this bill I was truly shocked. Still am.

Gorgeous Day

Today I met a woman, Bonnie, who is staying at the KOA campground. She is from BC and is traveling with a female companion. She was a social worker from Vancouver, but found her job was stressing her out and making her ill, so decided to call it quits and go traveling. They went through Canada first and then down to Texas. They plan to travel all the way to Belize. They have friends who just arrived in Belize with their camper van and didn't have any difficulty. They will be meeting with other travellers and going together as a group. I told her about the fellow we met in a state campground who met with the Mexican border police close to Belize.The police charged them $2000, and would only allow them to turn their motorhome around and head back into Mexico. She told me I was welcome to join them. It was tempting, but I think I will stick to my original plan. I don't have extra funds to pay off Mexican police, don't know what road conditions are like there, availability of service stations, etc. However, I gave her my email address and she will let me know how she fairs, hopefully.

There are birds everywhere here and one could spend days just watching them and listening to their interesting bird calls. I don't know what kind of birds they are, but certainly, not birds we have in Alberta.

Here it is only 5:48 pm and I am ready for bed. I probably walked a couple of miles today after an hour and a half of line dancing (that is me in the centre) and it is taking its toll. It will take a couple of days to get my strength back. But, what a beautiful day it was today. Hot sun, gentle breeze...what more can a person want?

More campers are arriving each day and this end of the park only has 3 spaces left. According to Marge, the librarian, there is another single woman parked close to me. Just have to find her. What is happening to women today? They are packing it in and taking off in record numbers. I could do a good psychological study on this topic.

Line Dancing

Hi Y'all
Today I took my first line dancing lesson. There were 5 of us this morning. It was the immersion method of teaching, but the teacher, Donna, is excellent and surprisingly I picked up a few steps. The lesson was an hour and a half long and having worn blue jeans I was getting fairly hot by the end. It felt good to be moving again. It was also nice to meet two new ladies.

I believe I am on the mend; last night being the first since Wedn. that I was not sick to my stomach and throwing up.

This photo was taken at the Port Isabel Museum. There was some interesting history in there.

I wanted to share with you a few things I have noticed about American youth that is different than Alberta youth. I haven't heard the F word since leaving Alberta. If an elderly person needs assistance a young person will step up and say, "Can I help you, sir/ma'am?" and help. Also, there was no grafetti in the state park bathrooms and I have seen very little of such anywhere. Those are a few of the things I have noticed so far.

Until tomorrow.....

Cooler

Hola,
The weather is a bit cooler. Funny, now that I have been traveling during really hot weather I find I am chilly when it is 70F. The sun is bright in a cloudless sky today, but the wind is from the north and I have a hoodie on. Part of the reason for this, I'm sure, is because I am still ill. The virus I picked up takes a long time to go on its way.

Brenda left on Saturday morning. I drove her to Port Isabel and she caught the airport shuttle to Brownsville. I haven't heard from her yet, so hope she made it home without a hitch. It was hard to see her go, we had a great time together.

South Padre Island is windy most of the time, but I signed up for a month so decided to stay put. I paid the monthly rate and should I decide to leave sooner, I will be charged a weekly rate and it will cost me more, so grin and bear the wind. There is lots to do here and am getting to know some of the RV women and finding out more info daily. The staff here at the park don't really tell you much of anything, so I have to find out details from the regular RVers who have been here more than once. I was invited to go to a dance with the couple next door, on Friday in San Benito, so I will take that in. Cost: $4.

Today I took The Wave into Port Isabel and went to WalMart and bought headphones for my computer, so now I can speak to those on msn. It will be nice to hear a familiar voice again. I also discovered that I can pick up wifi by the office here, so it saves me going to the library. Another tidbit I picked up from an old time RVer. By the time I finish my 10 month stint on the road I should actually know what I am doing, how to save a buck, etc.

Stormy

Good Morning
Brenda and I went to the Turtle Rescue Centre to see the turtles there. Most have missing flippers from shark attacks or whatever. One little turtle was blind in one eye, having been attached by red ants. Some of the turtles were huge...over 2oo lbs. and will double that when fully grown.

I gave you some misinformation the other day. Hurricane Ike didn't reach here; it was Hurricane Dolly that did all the damage. Some businesses were closed for 3 months to repair the damage.

I have been down for two days, having caught what Brenda had. I didn't have it to the same degree as she did, but then after she went to the Dr. I knew what to do or not do.

We had a terrible rain yesterday, it just came down in sheets. I was in bed with my window open and woke up with wet sheets, etc. I have never experienced rain like that, that lasted for so long; at least 12 hours. Today is calm and bright.

South Padre Island II

Hola mi amigos,

I should tell you a bit about the island. The island is 34 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. Most of the businesses lie along Padre Blvd. There are beautiful homes on either side of the blvd. There are also many high-rise hotels. You can see that many of the hotels have sustained damage from Hurricane Ike and one is closed down completely. Most of the homes have outside shutters which are probably there to protect their windows in high winds.

Fishing seems to be a popular sport here. The phone book shows pictures of the various fish with a brief description and also has recipes on how to prepare the fish. Todays photo was taken just behind our MH park. There are various boat tours you can go on, but they are fairly costly for a poor girl like myself.

Yesterday Brenda and I took the free bus (The Wave) to town and back. The bus picks you up wherever you are standing on the curb and lets you off wherever you ask, as long as it is on the route. It runs every half hour from 7 am to 7 pm. It is a nice service to have. It covers the island and Port Isabel.

I met a nice woman, Judy, in our park and she invited me to go to free line dancing lessons, so tomorrow I will begin those.

South Padre Island

Brenda is feeling a lot better day. The lady at the library, Marge, said there is a flu going around the island. She had it a couple of days ago...same symptoms as Brenda had.

Today I went hunting for an RV garage as I would like an oil change. Not easy to find. I finally found a diesel garage and he said he would give me an oil change and check the air in my tires. I would also like to have my propane topped up. There is a mobile propane truck that comes around and that way you don't have to unhook. Sounds good to me.

They have a free paper here called The Bulletin. It lists all the entertainment on the island and elsewhere. There is live music here every night of the week. Also on Tuesdays there are tango lessons, so next week I will give that a try. Marge said next week there are RVer groups starting next to the library and there are a lot of activities to partake in. There are also groups starting here in the RV park tomorrow. They have a free transit bus here that goes up and down the island and also to Port Isabel, so that could be a savings for me. Beginning next week I will walk everywhere on the island. I need the exercise.

Still windy and Marge said it is always windy here except July and August, so guess I just have to live with it.

Today we are going to the turtle refuge and see what that is all about. There is also a marine research centre open to the public, so if Brenda is up to it, we will take that in as well.

Windy

Hi Everyone

This statue is on the beach here. Lots of people fishing on the beach everyday. It has been very windy the last couple of days and the librarian tells me it is always windy here, except July and August.

Brenda took ill last night. She had it coming out of both ends. We wondered if it was from eating in Mexico, but really she began having stomach cramps the day before that. We had the identical meal in Mexico and I am totally fine so far. The librarian said she was sick yesterday as well, so could be the flu. Anyway, I really feel for her and hope I don't get it.

What is the weather like there? It has been running about 82F the last couple of days and 72F at night. It is nice with the breeze.

Matamoros, Mexico

Hola,

Yesterday evening, Brenda and I went to Pelican West Bar. The band was of the same name. The female lead singer was great. They played requests from the song list they had on each table, plus their own numbers. It was fun to see so many people dancing. On Tues. they begin winter hours and will have live music beginning at 7 pm.

Today we went into Matamoros, Mexico and walked through the markets. It was fun. This fellow tried to sell us some jewelery and said they were authentic jewels. His first price was $7 per necklace, but he was down to 25 cents a necklace when Brenda began walking away. The hawkers were quite insistent with us, but we just ignored them. We got lost a couple of times, but finally found a restaurant where we could eat outdoors and had a great visit with the cook.

There were three bridges that you could cross over on. Brenda and I made a big mistake as we didn't know the name of the bridge we had crossed over on and had to walk about a mile to get to the bridge where the car was parked. All three bridges were reached by going through Brownsville. Brownsville is a pretty city of 167,493 population. We had to stop and ask for directions once, which isn't too bad. I plan to go back for a day and just see the city this time.
An interesting shop sign we saw was the Curl Up and Dye Hair Salon. Brenda is always cold and I am always hot, so it makes our days interesting. Today was just a beautiful day, for both of us.

Brenda whooped my ass at rummy last night. Just luck!!!!

Port Isabel

Hi Everyone,

Brenda and I drove across this long, long bridge to get to South Padre Island. I rented a RV space for a month. It will be nice to sit still for awhile and there is a lot to see here.

This part of Padre Island is more developed than the north part by Mustang Island. We are here off season, so everything seems so cheap. We passed a lot of stores that are selling T-shirts for 99 cents, so we will have to check that out. Also, we passed many fruit stands selling grapefruit and oranges so will pick up some for tomorrow's breakfast.

This lighthouse first opened in 1855 and we went to the top and took some photos. It is very windy today and we felt like we would blow off the top of the lighthouse. We had some rain, but it seems to be clearing.

I have the address now for an internet cafe on the island, so will try to keep my blog updated.

Hope you are all well and happy.

Rio Grande City, Texas

Today we left Roma, Texas and are now in Rio Grande City. They have an old fort here and many old historical buildings. The trick is to find them. We went to the chamber of commerce and they gave us a pamphlet listing the historic buildings, but there were no addresses. We just drove around until we found them. The population here is 13,651. We found the Robert E. Lee house and that is it in the photo. We could only see the outside.

We went to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church and the grotto. The grotto is a replica of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. After a bit of sight-seeing we went for lunch at a little Mexican restaurant called Tehas Cafe and had steak. It was very good.

We always like to drive around the residential areas and see how the locals live. As with anywhere, there are the wealthy and the poor. Almost all buildings in Texas are either brick or adobe. Many of the buildings are over 100 years old and deserted.

These are all border towns that we are passing through. We are presently parked at WalMart and plan to spend the night here, thus saving a bit of money.

It is a bit cooler today...about 72F, but after a week of extreme heat we have our jackets on.

Another Day here

We decided to stay at this park another day. We love the butterfly garden. It was begun 3 yrs ago by the camp hostess, who used to be an English teacher. It now has 514 types of butterflies; 5 rare species and 2 rare species of moths. The black butterflies are huge. They also have a butterfly that is about 6 inches across. It is nocturnal, but you find them in the tree branches during the day.

The folks at the restaurant are so friendly, and today they made us biscuits and gravy for breakfast. It was delicious, but the servings are big enough to feed three people.

Yesterday we came into Roma to use the computers, but the library was closed due to the election. It is not easy to find an internet connection in these south Texan towns. Most citizens in Roma are Mexican and the signs on the stores are in Spanish only. There is a border crossing here and all along the highway you see border crossing guards checking for illegals attempting to cross over.

There are no more state parks from here to Brownsville, but apparently 500 RV parks. It seems to be a popular stretch to winter in. Guess that is where I will find myself shortly. Brenda has another 10 days here...I will sure miss her when she leaves.

Falcon State Park, Tx

Brenda and I returned from WalMart to find those small biting ants all over the kitchen. They were in the sink, on the floor, in the stove and in the cupboards. We were horrified to say the least. Fortunately, I have a small vacuum and I vacuumed up most of them. Brenda wiped them up with a damp rag. I then put a juice can and some banana outside and they seem to be leaving us alone for now. I also put some tea tree oil around the door and they don't seem to like it.

We are now in Falcon State Park. They have a butterfly garden here that is beautiful, with hundreds of butterflies on the various plants. Here is Brenda coming out of a little camouflage hut where, if you are very quiet, you can watch the birds.

This is the first state park with a restaurant so today while doing laundry we treated ourselves to breakfast. Last evening Brenda heard a live guitar, so checked it out. We spent a couple of hours playing guitar with this gentleman and his wife. It was great. They gave me some good ideas on where to winter. It is still very hot. I expect it will stay this way.

Laredo Nuevo, Mexico

Buenas tardes amigos,

Today Brenda and I went to Mexico, just walked across the bridge that crosses the Rio Grande River. I was looking for a small backpack, but they wanted more for them then I would pay in Canada. I finally found a place that had a small leather one for $8, so purchased that one. We ate lunch in a nice restaurant and it was cheap. I had a chicken salad and Brenda had French fries. We both had a bottle of water and the total came to

$4. Gas is now $1.68/gal.

It was very, very hot there and crowded. Basically it was the same as this side of the border. This side is pretty much all Mexican people. We are going to attempt to find a place that plays live music tonight and just relax with a corona or two. We sure seem to do a lot of relaxing. Our days are busy though. What usually takes the longest on the first day is finding a place to use my laptop. I can use it here at the library, but have to use their computers to check my email.

I sure appreciate having Brenda here to navigate around these larger centers. The problem is I am getting fat as she does the cooking and made a cheesecake the other day which is absolutely delicious.

Laredo

Hi Everyone,
We just arrived in Laredo, so haven't had time for photos yet. After we leave the library we will go to to the old downtown district, which is always my favorite in any city. It is very hot here, we are about 150 miles south of our last campsite. We are surrounded by cactus and, yes, the same little ants are around my rig. They are the smallest ants I have ever seen, but when they bite it is like having an ice pick through the skin. Then, the bites get itchy and when you rub them they burn and welt up. It makes sleeping uncomfortable.

Tomorrow we will cross the border into Mexico...there are 3 bridges you can cross over on. We plan to sit in a little cantina and enjoy some cervazas and do some shopping, or at least, some browsing. Neither Brenda nor I like to spend our money on souvenirs, which is good, as we are both poor. I figure I already have everything I need.

Hope this finds you all well and happy.

Lake Corpus Christi State Park

Today we moved to Corpus Christi Lake State Park. It is a beautiful park and our spot is right close to the lake so we have a great view. Lots of wildlife here. We saw an armadillo, many small deer and a family of javelinas(the wild pigs in the picture). The javelinas came within several yards of our motorhome and as you can see they let us get near enough for a picture. We drove into Mathis today to do some shopping and look around. Groceries are very cheap here, about half the price of home. Many of the houses are on blocks or stilts due to the severe floods that come after the heavy rains. Anna and I went for a walk around the park and while kneeling down to take a picture I got bitten by the same kind of tiny ants that attacked Anna a couple nights ago. They have a very ferocious bite for something so small. We were planning to go canoeing tomorrow but the state park ranger informed us that they only rent them out in the summer. No worries, we will find something adventurous to do.

Lake Corpus Christie State Park

Hi Everyone,
Brenda was to be guest blogger today, but we couldn't find a wifi signal, so couldn't use the laptop, so no picture today either.

We are at another beautiful state park and this one has wild pigs called javelinas. We took photos yesterday and will pass them on when able. We will be here two more days and then hopefully have a signal. You may not hear again until we move.

Corpus Christi

Brenda made it safely and her plane was right on time. Today we went to Corpus Christi and walked through old downtown and along the beach. We saw the USS Lexington, which is a huge aircraft carrier. We wanted to see the museum, but closed Mondays. Yes, we got lost, but did find our way home. Filled up my car gas tank at $1.99/gal....cost $14 to fill.

Today the morning was extremely windy and we were a bit afraid that the top of the MH would blow off as could hear it making strange noises. We took turns climbing to the roof and saw that air was getting in under the top and making the metal billow a bit, but I think it sounded worse than it was. Nothing I could do about it anyway.

We did a walk along the beach and Brenda was really surprised at how fine the sand is here. However, with the wind, it wasn't as warm as it hadbeen before her arrival.
This evening we are going to the Pelican Lounge to do my blog and check emails. Brenda will be guest blogger tomorrow.

Company Today

Sorry, I cut off her head!

Had a few problems lately. First, my MH door gave me locking problems. For a couple of days I had to enter/exit through the cab door. Then this couple from Calgary parked next to me and I asked for assistance. It was easily rectified, when you know how.

Secondly, I noticed my rear car tire was low when preparing to go do laundry. It was even lower when laundry was finished, so I went to the service station and pumped it up. Then I went to WalMart and had them check it. Sure enough it needed repair. No sense in taking a chance on the road.

Since things seem to happen in threes, I re-hooked my kaddie so no one will walk off with it.

Brenda is arriving at 6:32 pm tonight, so I will give myself lots of time to get to the airport. It is on the far side of Corpus Christi, so I will need lost time.

Had a good time at the Pelican on Friday night. The female singer was fantastic and when I left the place was packed.

Moved

Today I moved off the beach and into an RV space. I had to unhook my kaddie and it wasn't so hard after all. It is the re-hook that I am concerned about for safety sake. I decided to move as last night I was the only one spending the night on the beach and it was a bit spooky. I will sleep better tonight. Also, I don't like to leave my rig all alone to come into town.

I am now closer to the showers and have electricity for the fridge. It doesn't always work with the propane....keeps going off and has to be reset. I am still walking distance from the beach. The water temperature this time of year is 76.6F (average). Just perfect!

This is the Pelican Lounge where I come most days for the internet. I will come back tonight being Friday night. I didn't come the other night because of the storm.

Have a good weekend y'all.

Storm

Hi

It was a dark and stormy night.....yes, it was. Last night the wind shook my MH and it was rather scary. Nothing fell out of the cupboards so I figured I would survive. Sleep came late.
This morning I went to use the showers and was talking to a woman there. Her and her husband had slept in a tent on the beach. She said there was sand everywhere and they didn't sleep at all. I can't imagine being in a tent on the beach last night. They are renting a condo for tonight. She said after last night they deserve some spoiling.

This morning I thought I should move my MH as there were dunes around it from the wind. I got stuck. Just then the rangers came by and with a chain they pulled me out. As they were doing so a fellow in his truck stopped and said to the rangers, "Look familiar?" They had pulled him out yesterday.

I stopped at the ranger station to get a weather forecast. The wind is supposed to die down but today will be a little cooler than it has been. That doesn't hurt my feelings at all.

My girlfriend from Vancouver is coming on Sunday to spend some time with me. I am so excited! We will follow the coast down to Brownsville.

Until tomorrow.....

Padre Island

Hi Guys and Gals,

This is a photo of a store here on the island. It is really cool.

Had a hard time sleeping last night because of the sound of the surf. It sounded like a stormy night, which it wasn't. The humidity is so high it was like trying to sleep in a tub of water. Forget about curling your hair. My MH will be full of sand for awhile.

There are free beaches to stay on here on the island, but they have no rangers. I spoke with a ranger on the beach today and told him I was traveling alone. He said the rangers would keep an eye on me for safety sake. They patrol the beach until 5 pm and then a policeman cruises all night. He advised me to stay away from the free beaches as there is some riff-raff there and no rules. In the state parks there is no public consumption or display of alcohol. Also, they have showers and dumpsites. This park even has a place to do vehicle maintenance.

The sun was beautiful shining off the waves this morning. I went for a long walk on the beach. The sand is lovely, hardly any shells or debris. I love the ocean; I think I was meant to live by the sea. Tonight a cold front is moving in with winds of 40 mph. The ranger said I would be OK as I am parked behind the dunes.

Tomorrow I will go into Corpus Christie and get lost. It is 227,000 pop. wise, but with my little car I'll be OK.

Mustang Island

Hey Everyone,

I MADE IT! Here I am on Mustang Island, Gulf of Mexico! I am parked right on the beach. It is $8/night to park on the beach and $16/night to park with hook-ups. The hook-up sites are almost on top of each other, but on the beach there is mega-space.

The park ranger tried to discourage me from parking on the beach as people have gotten stuck there in the past. She asked me if I had ever driven in snow, because she said it is like that. I don't think she has ever driven in snow, because sand is not like snow. There are other trailers parked on the beach. I said I would give it two days and then if satisfied, will stay for another 12 days. I believe you are only allowed 2 wks. If my Echo is washed out to sea, then I'll wish I had listened to the ranger. Does AMA rescue vehicles washed out to sea? High tide is around 1 a.m. There are sharks here as well.

Tomorrow I will explore the island and take some photos. I am so excited to be here.

I had a bit of a time finding an internet signal, but I am at the Pelican Lounge, in the corner and it works fine.

Choke Canyon

Hi Y'all

Met some ladies from Ohio today who are traveling together. They told me they had just seen wild pigs here...I haven't seen any. I did see 14 egrets on the lake. I also some some black birds that have a really strange cry. There are quite a few bird watchers here. One fellow has a tripod and camera and I see him in various places taking photos of the birds.

I think there are fireflys here..not sure, but I see these lights go off and on in the darkness. It wouldn't be fire sparks as there is a fire ban on here due to the excessive dryness.

I seem to have a resident cricket in my MH, but I can't find him/her anywhere. He is really quite annoying. He is over the bathroom 'cause everytime I slam the bathroom door he stops for a few seconds.

Yesterday I was in the laundry room of the BassInn, close to the modem, to get a signal for my computer. The manager said most people get a bettersignal in the laundry room. Even so, it would weaken and strengthen, and so I was with/without a signal. He said I could come back today. He asked me if I would check the schedule for the Redskins, so I wrote down all the info until the end of November. They are just a young couple; his name is Gabriel. I told him I had a daughter named Gabrielle, and he said they just named their third child Gabriella Rose. That's pretty, huh?

The weather has been fantastic. I stay in the shade during the day or wear a big hat...like my hat? One of these days I will get a thermometer and actually know what the temp. is. I know it is over 80F everyday. The nights aren't as cool as they were in N.M., but still cool enough to sleep most nights.

I'm not far from Corpus Christie; should be there in a week or so I would think. I'm not sure what camping will be like there as some of the devastation from the last hurricane has not been totally cleaned up yet. I guess it is wait-and-see.

Choke Canyon SP

Howdy,

I am at Choke Canyon State Park (Calliham), 11 miles from Three Rivers. I will be here for three days. This park is on a lake. Once again, no pull-throughs, so I just asked the first gentleman who walked by and he backed my unit up for me. I give these guys lots of praise and they say if I need anything else,just ask. The foliage just gets lusher with palm trees added. There are butterflies everywhere; of all colours. Since being in Texas the crickets and cicadas are extremely loud at night. They seem to stop their song just before dawn and the quiet wakes me.

As you can see I have a bigger hat to ward off the sun. I drove into town shortly after arriving and made it back just before sunset. I haven't driven at night since leaving home. I have presbyopia (old eye). There are so many deer and elk on the road, plus smaller animals like raccoon and armadillo. There is an abundance of roadkill. The stores cater to hunters and even the grocery stores sell hunting supplies.

The towns around here are small and groceries are expensive compared to the larger centres. I hardly ever eat in restaurants, I prefer to buy and prepare for myself. I don't do much cooking, just eat raw food. I get tired of restaurant food really fast.

The hwy I took to get out of Kerrville was very narrow, with lots of twists and hairpin turns. There were a lot of motorcycles on the road and I had to keep pulling over to let them pass. There were double solid lines for about 20 miles. I was sure glad to get off that hwy.

Finding an internet signal is difficult and I am at a lodge about 5 miles from camp. This campsite is rather far from any town...11 miles either way and not much in town either. It is farther than I like to be.