Freddie Fender

Yesterday Brenda and I went to South Padre Island for the night.  Our friend, Carol, called and invited us down.  We were waiting for hotter weather, but she assured us the day was going to heat up so we went.  We stayed in a Super 8 hotel.  It was $42 a night with tax.  We walked along the beach for a bit.  It was pretty warm when the sun came out.  There were quite a few people out and about.

   School is out and there were families there for the break.  A week before our hotel room would have been $30/night, plus tax.  For supper we went to Coconuts.  At Coconuts you can have a hamburger for $1.  They supply the catsup, mayo and mustard.  You can bring your own trimmings, such as pickles, tomato, onion, etc., which is what Carol did.  You must stay and eat in.  At 5 pm they serve free bacon.  They bring a basket of bacon for two and when that is gone they bring you more bacon.  They will continue to bring bacon until you say that is enough.  So, who does not like bacon?  That is Coconuts in the photo below.



Coconuts

After eating with friends, we went to hear Leslie sing at Palm Street Pier.  Some friends from the  past joined us.  I first met Don and Donna on my last Texas trip.  Donna was my line dance teacher.  What a nice surprise to be able to visit with them again.   It was a fun evening filled with music, dancing and laughter. This one man danced with Brenda.  He was a real clown and I laughed through their entire dance.  Oh, oh....next it was my turn and then Carol's.  He was so funny.  He kept changing the steps (on purpose) and said that life is too short not to have fun.  He would stop and say, "Wait for it, wait for it" and then go on to a completely different dance mode.

The next morning Brenda wanted to luxuriate in the hotel room, so I went to visit Carol, Bob and Mark.  We decided we would go to the Freddy Fender Museum in San Benito.  I had tried to find the museum twice before, but no one knew where it was. Freddie Fender's picture is on the water tower and you can see it from the freeway.  I picked Brenda up, while Carol and Bob drove in their truck.  When Brenda and I arrived in San Benito we stopped and asked where the museum was.  No one we spoke with really knew for sure, but the store clerk I spoke with said there was a museum in town and drew me a map. It was there.

There were 3 museums in one.  One part told of the early settlers in that part of Texas.

One part of the museum told of the history of the type of music that became popular in that area.  San Benito at one time had a recording studio.  Many of the musicians played conjunto music.  This was an accordian style of music.  The halls were lined with photos of famous Tex-Mex musicians and some old accordians.  We had a guide who explained the history to us.  The third part of the museum was dedicated to Freddie Fender.  There were photos of a young Freddie, some of his guitars, his motorcycle, his cowboy boots, his suit, and his awards. 

A young Freddie and his brother, Jose.

We were extremely lucky that Freddie Fender's brother, who works there one day a month, was working when we arrived.  He had brought some of his personal video collection of his brother and we watched the videos while he spoke of his brother.  Freddie never forgot where he came from.  He was extremely poor while growing up. As an adult, Freddie was caught with two marijuana cigarettes and was sentenced to five years hard labour in prison.  He was released after 2 and a half years and made a comeback.

 His brother, Jose, was the last of the children to be born and was given to another couple to raise, so he did not grow up with Freddie.  But the family did stay  in contact as adults and resumed their relationship.  Freddie passed away in 2006. 

We were really glad that we had stopped to see the museum.  It was well worth it.  We tried to find his memorial in the graveyard, but again could not find it, so another day perhaps.

It is supposed to be chillier the next couple of days, so a good time to catch up on laundry, letters, etc.

We saw gasoline for $3.05/gal and Brenda said she saw it for less than $3/gal., so prices are falling.

Keep warm y'all.

Christmas Day

We spent our Christmas Day with the people of the Dolphin RV park.  Everyone signed to bring a certain dish or two and there was a ton of food. 

Poinsettias

 

Christmas Pot Luck

We took a fruit salad and a cheesecake. After our meal we played a couple of games and then the choir sang The Twelve Days of Christmas. They had their own rendition. It was well done and hilarious.

 The hall was lined with many poinsettias.  Poinsettias are indigenous to Mexico and are called Noche Buena, which means Christmas Eve.  When I was in Mexico there were many street merchants selling plastic poinsettias.   Quite a few of the locals here put a big red bow on the grill of their vehicles.  They were pretty.

It was very hot on Christmas Day.....31C.  A cold front moved in that night and temps. plummeted to 5C.  Actually I have been enjoying the cooler weather.  Yesterday we did sit outside without jackets.  It is now 19C and I did quite a few laps around the park on my bike. 

A few more RV's moved into this park in the last couple of days.  I hear various stats around the valley.  Some say that the Winter Texan pop. has fallen by 40% this year.  Some of the regulars have died, some are having health problems and some are staying away because of the economy.  The businesses are doing their best to encourage Winter Texans.  I have Wendy's coupons that my neighbour gave me.  Today I had:  4 chicken nuggets, an order of fries, a smoothie and a coffee for $1.07.  You really can't beat that.  I can't cook at home for that price.

Gasoline has also fallen here.  I saw a sign that read $3.15/gal.  Of course, it seems like gas is always cheapest when I am not moving around.  Once spring arrives and we head for home I'm sure the price will have risen.  In the meantime it is cheap to fill up my car. 

I see it has been snowing almost every day in Red Deer since I left home.  Glad I do not have to shovel the sidewalk anymore.  My heart goes out to you who do.

Until next time.....

Christmas Eve

Tonight is Christmas Eve.  We had a great time in the rec. hall together as an RV park.  Everyone brought finger foods and the table was laden with all kinds of good things to eat.  We played some games.  One game was composed of pictures and we had to identify the carol the picture represented.  As an example:  a deck of cards in the middle of a room was "Deck the Halls".  Then we were given another sheet of paper that had just the hair of comic strip characters and we had to identify the character.  It was fun. 

Then we played team games or men against the women games.  With one game the person was given a Popsicle stick and had to balance three dice for the count of three.  The women won.

You go girl!

My favourite game was one where Brenda and George were each given an Oreo Cookie.  They had to put the cookie on their forehead and using only their face muscles they had to work the cookie to their mouth.  There were a lot of suggestions from the peanut gallery and lots of laughter. A good time was had by all.

After the games the candles were lit and the small choir sang a Christmas carol or two.






Come on, Brenda!

 

 

I am back in the old RV and can hear the firecrackers going off.  They will be popping most of the night.  Our Mexican/Texan neighbours like their firecrackers. There are firecracker shops all over this valley. 

 

Tomorrow is our RV park Christmas dinner.  Hope I am hungry by then.

 

A special Christmas greeting to my family.  I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!

Market Day

Today Brenda and I went to the market looking for a small bag of walnuts.  There is a lot to see so it took us quite some time.

There are quite a few stalls the sell fruits and vegetables, so deals are to be had.  They sell oranges in huge bags for a reasonable price.  We make our own squeezed orange juice.  The really ugly oranges are the juiciest. 

It was quiet at the market today.  It is football season here so many people are in their homes watching football.  It works for me.....I don't like to be crowded when I shop.

Brenda and I looked at some of the clothes.  They have really pretty clothes.  A lot of them seem to be made in India.  They are not expensive.  We are pretty cheap about buying ourselves things.  We need to change that.  Old habits are hard to break. 

We couldn't find walnuts at the market so went to H.E.B. which is about the only big grocery store here other than Walmart.  There are fruit and veggie stands, but not grocery stores.  H.E.B. is fairly generous with its customers.  They gave us coupons for like a dozen eggs FREE,  a  FREE package of bacon, etc.  Did you ever get that kind of a coupon?  A couple of weeks ago they supplied Christmas dinner to anyone who wanted to attend.  Brenda went. 

It is 29C right now and it is supposed to be 31C Christmas Day. We are thinking of going to the island between Christmas and New Years.

Hope you are done your Christmas shopping and have some time to relax. 

Later.......

Karaoke

Last evening Brenda and I were invited to our friend's RV for supper.  Rene is a wonderful cook.  He is always bringing over cookies he has baked and everything he has made has been delicioso. 

 He made us baked Parmesan fish and coleslaw.  He had also baked a thin cake-like bread that had jalapenos and red peppers in it.  Yummy!  I felt truly spoiled.  That is Rene in the photo.  You pronounce his name Reenee.  Can you believe he is turning 70?  I can't either. 

After supper we went to The End of The Trail Sports Bar to sing karaoke.  We met other friends from the park there.  We drove right by it the first time as the sign was so small.  

Brenda and Sally sang quite a few songs together

and harmonized quite well.  The D.J. had quite an astonishing collection of songs, in both English and Spanish.  He even had Leonard Cohen!  Rene sang in both English and Spanish.  There was a gentleman there who sang in Spanish and he was very, very good.  You are exposed to some real talent at karaoke.  I remember once this man sang and he sounded just like Frank Sinatra.  If you had closed your eyes you would have thought it was Frank himself. 

The good looking woman on the left is me.  I sang "Vincent" which is one of my very favourite songs.  I also sang "Johnny Angel" with Sally.  As you can see they don't always put a lot of money into decor in S. Texas.  In fact, most places look like the one in the photo.  I don't know if it has to do with property taxes or what, but the standards are lower than in Alberta.  There were very few people there last night, so everyone who wanted to sing sang as many songs as they wanted to.

Our friend, George was also there.  He was with his new girlfriend.  Yes, even at 70 people have new relationships. 

George

This evening we are going to the Christmas Parade in Weslaco. After the parade there is a jazz festival and art show. It is really windy here today, so hope the wind dies down before the festivities begin.

For those of you wondering about my fridge....an update.  Wes had said to put a fan in the compartment and I did that.  George said the cylinder needed to be burped and I needed to take the fridge out and roll it as the cylinder contents had settled.  The RV repairman was at my neighbours the other day and came to look at my fridge.  He said if I turned the fridge off for 2-3 hrs. and hit the cylinder with my fist every half hour, then the contents of the cylinder would be shaken up and it may work better.  Have tried all those things so waiting to see if it will work.  It is below 30C so fridge is working like a charm.  Our fridge is under discussion by the men of the park.  They wonder how "The Girls" are dealing with it. 

Thinking of you all in the cold....looks like Alberta has had a tough winter so far. Keep warm until next time....

Origami

Today was a fun day for me and the other women of the park.  Wednesday morning is Chat and Craft time.  The ladies wanted to learn how to do money origami, so today I taught an origami class.  I cut strips of paper from a magazine so they could practice their folds before folding their dollar bill. The strips were about double the size of an American dollar bill.  Today I taught just two figures....a shirt and a heart.  I give these as tips in restaurants and people seem to like them. 



The women learned how to make these very quickly.  They want to give some to their grandchildren and also leave some as tips.  I advised them that from now on they should save the best dollar bills every time they get change.  Of course they can fold bills of any denomination. 

Before Canada made the new $50 bill, I would fold the old $50s into hearts, put them in cards and give them as a wedding gift. They were a pretty orange colour. The new $50 are plastic and unfoldable.  The Canadian $5 is a pretty blue and makes a nice heart and the $20, being green, makes a nice elephant. 

 I went to a Mexican birthday party last time I made this trip to Texas.  They pinned money on the birthday girl and these folded bills gave it a personal touch.

Teaching in Rec Hall

There was much laughing and joking around the craft table today.  These ladies know how to have fun!

Way too much fun ladies!

 We have been invited to a fellow RVers for supper and then off to karaoke.  Busy, busy!

Keep warm y'all.

Hildago Festival of Lights

Today Brenda and I went to the Festival of Lights in Hildago, Texas.  We arrived in the early afternoon and walked about the town seeing Hildago Viejo (Old Hildago) where we saw the old court house and the old jailhouse.
From there we went to the Pumphouse Museum.  It really was a pumphouse at one time.  It pumped 

Old Jailhouse

water from the Rio Grande into the trenches that flooded the farming fields.

 Outside of the pumphouse was a butterfly garden.  There were a ton of butterflies flitting about.  The grounds were spectacular.  This area is a world birding centre.  For those of you who enjoy birding (like my Armstrong friends, Dorothy and Bob), you should come to Southern Texas.  You would love it.  The birds are just waiting for you!

We did come down especially to see the lights.  I have seen this display once before, but I was still awestruck.  There are more than 3 million lights and 900 displays.  The locals begin setting up in November.   You can take a trolley ride or you can take a horse and carriage ride around to see the displays.  Brenda and I decided we would walk.  It was a beautiful evening.  When we began our walk it had just turned dusk.  We were saying how it was too bad that hardly anyone was out.  In a very short time the streets were crowded with cars, trams and horse draw carriages.  We were both glad to see that.

 

These were just a few of my favourites.  It was truly remarkable.  I am so glad we went.  Many of the residents of Hildago got into the Christmas spirit and decorated their homes and yards. 

 

We walked several miles this fine evening.  Thank you Hildago, Texas!

Plumber Day

Today I tried to fix my leaking kitchen tap.  It is leaking round the base of the tap.  I replaced the washers on both sides.  I had one O-ring and replaced that.  I went to an RV place to get another O-ring and he wanted to sell me a new tap.  When I said "no" he said then I could buy the part that holds the O-ring.  I said I just wanted an O-ring and he said they did not sell those.  So, off I went to the hardware store and bought what I needed.  Yes, it is still leaking.  According to Utube it could be that the seal around the base of the tap is broken and I just need a sealer.  Tomorrow I will try that.  This is the first time I have attempted to repair a tap, but hey, I have nothing but time and will try the simplest solutions first.



Basket Man

Every time I go to Nuevo Progeso I see this man.  He carries these baskets around all day long, hoping to make a sale or two and perhaps he does.  The baskets are beautiful.  If I had room and money I would definitely buy one or two.  They would be so handy for storage.  I imagine that his wife is at home weaving the baskets while he tries to sell them.  I could be wrong.  I did see two women making macrame bags and they were working so quickly you could hardly see their hands move.  I have also seen men weaving baskets and doing other craftwork. 

On customer appreciation day in Nuevo Progreso I saw this man.  He was working for a dentist and wore this costume all day long.  It was a very, very hot day and I can only imagine how uncomfortable this costume was.  He is holding a giant toothbrush.

Anyone want to trade jobs with these people?  Me neither.



Change in Weather

14C at 10:30 am. 

We are experiencing a couple of days of colder weather.  Today is only supposed to reach a high of 22C.  We have our long pants and long sleeved shirts on. 

Hibiscus

It is all relative.  We see winter coats and boots in the stores and wonder who is going to buy those.  But, when a cold front moves in and we go shopping we see people bundled up.  Our park has sort of adopted a family for Christmas.  They have 7 children.  There is a list in the rec. centre and we will sign up to purchase something for one of the children.  The sizes are listed as well as toys they may like.  They like warm clothes.  This family lives just over the fence from our RV park so that is kind of nice.  At first I thought that house was abandoned, but then I saw clothes hanging on the line and realized it was occupied.  It looks like it should be condemned. 

We have been having problems with our fridge.  On really hot days it ceases to work....especially when the humidity is high.  One of our friends is going to come and look at it.  (The park maintenance man just walked by with the lawn mower and has a parka on). 

Brenda and I just returned from our Spanish lesson.  One of the kind fellows in the park has agreed to teach us.  I have studied Spanish before, but then didn't have reason or opportunity to use it and forgot what I have learned.  In fact, I took one term of Spanish when in university, but that was 10 years ago.  Now my son speaks Spanish, my daughter-in-law is from Colombia and my grandson understands Spanish (not talking yet).  Eventually I will learn!

Did you ever see such a pretty hibiscus?  I did not know that they came in such variegated colours.  This particular one was on South Padre Island.

Until next time......

Progreso Winter Texan Day

Today I crossed into Mexico with my neighbours, Bob and Sally.  It was an appreciation day in Progeso, Mexico.  Twice during the season they have these days to thank the tourists for spending time and money in their little border town.  There were marching bands and cowboys.

Lots of pottery

 I saw cowboys with these strange boots on.  They were not really boots per se, but rather leather on the leg below the knees.  Sally suggested they were to protect from snakes and she is probably correct. I later discovered that they were also made to protect your cowboy boots from thorns since most shrubs here have thorns.

The people are very poor in Nuevo Progreso.  There are families on the sidewalks selling their wares and often the little children are on the walk with them.  The children will often try to sell you things and put a very sad look on their face.  I think they are trained to do that.  But, you cannot buy from everyone.  A big problem appears to be that they have such large families.  I never know if the older women with babies are the grandmothers or the mothers.  They appear to be very religious.  Many of the shops sell crucifixes, photos of the pope, etc.  You can purchase clothes for your babies that are copies of the pope's garb. 

Elementary School

 As you can see in the photo of the school they have the bare basics.  The ground is just dirt and there is no playground equipment.   And yet, on Winter Texan Appreciation Day they give away food and drinks to express their thankfulness for our business. 

I was expecting to see a lot more tourists there today.  The economy has prevented some from coming down to S. Texas at all this year.  Our park is not full and in speaking to others they say some of the parks are quite empty.  However, some people arrive after Christmas, so we will see.

I know it is very cold in Alberta right now.  Wish I could say that I wish I was there, but no....the heat is wonderful.  Dress warm and keep safe.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

23C at 6:18 pm.

Today Brenda and I went to the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge.  It was very reasonable in regards to entrance fees.

It cost $3 a carload.  We had found it on the Rio Grande Map where it listed things to do and see.  Birding is a popular sport here in the valley, due to the bird migration paths.  I felt really lost without binoculars, but in the end was happy that I did not have a pair as we saw almost no birds at all.  We took the hour and a half tour.  You are probably wondering why we did not just walk the trails on

Tour Vehicle

such a fine day.  Well, it was very hot on the paved trails for one thing.  Secondly, the mosquito's would have eaten me up alive.  It is strange that not one other person on the tour had a mosquito problem while they hung around me in clouds and I had multiple bites on every part of my body.  Thank goodness that at least part of the time we were moving.  I really need to find a natural repellent.  If anyone out there has any ideas, please let me know.

 

We did see a multitude of very interesting trees and some of them had Spanish moss hanging on them.   The trees with the moss were called ebony trees.  They are planted first on refuge property and are labeled "pioneer trees".  They grow quickly, provide shade for smaller trees, and provide other advantages as well.  The tour guide explained that most Texas shrubs have thorns on them (which would explain why I required first aide after brushing against one on the street). The ebony tree does not.

 



There is an old cemetery (cemetario viejo) on the property.  Rich land owners had been buried there.  At one time their graves had been robbed and bones were found throughout the property.  They were quickly reburied with their owners.

 

 

 Across the hwy from the refuge were fields of various crops:  onion, cabbage, Swiss chard, etc.

They planted long rows of a plant similar to sugar cane and this plant acted as a wind row for the smaller plants.  Also the equipment trenched each row to preserve and conserve water.  The palm trees you see are not native to Texas, but grow 2 feet a year and have become very popular in the Rio Grande Valley.  I like palm trees and usually where ever you see many of them together, you can suspect there is an RV park there.

In this case they were planted alongside the highway and look very nice. Each day we marvel at the weather and the beauty that surrounds us here.  Each day we learn something new about the Rio Grande Valley. 

 By the way, I was just kidding about the first aide, but it did take a while for the bleeding to stop! Keep warm and safe this holiday season and remember not to drink and drive!

 

 

Shoes

3I C
Today is another really hot day.  I can't decide where it is cooler...outside or in the mh.  I can always go into the rec centre if I overheat.  I could also turn the air conditioner on in my mh.  I hear the other a/c units on when I go outside. 

I mailed a Christmas box to my grandson, Sebastian, today.  I wasn't going to do that as postage is so expensive, but he needs to know that Grandma is thinking of him at Christmas time.  I could have mailed money, but it is not the same as hand picked gifts.  I miss him so, so much.  I am depending on my girls to spoil him rotten while I am in Texas.

So, I had a request to see my shoes.  Here they are:

Clarks

Sketchers

 When I put either pair on they felt like they were made for my feet, so I bought them.  I tried on the Sketchers and didn't bother with any other runner. They came with two pair of laces; white and blue. They are extremely light weight.

 I tried a variety of Clarks on, but these were the ones that were made for my feet.  I won't be wearing either pair until leaving Texas.  It is just sandal weather here. 

Last night the air was so humid.  I had the window open over my bed and could feel the moisture hitting my face.  It felt so good!

Keep warm Canadian friends and family and stay cool fellow Southern Texans.

Boat Parade

31C.........

Last evening we went to the boat parade on S. Padre Island.  There were 18 boats registered in the decorating contest.  They were all beautiful, especially with the lights reflected in the water.  I had a difficult time adjusting my camera for night shots.  Part of the problem, I realized today, is that the batteries were low in my camera.  The weather was its usual beautiful.

Today we went to the Mercedes Outlet Mall.  It is a beautiful mall  with open air covered walkways and many, many stores.  Brenda and I both needed shoes....her more so then myself.  She wears a size 10 and a half shoe and has foot and leg problems so has a difficult time finding what she needs.  I wear an 8 shoe, but wide.  I bought 2 pair today.  I was not desperate for shoes, but you can find a greater variety of widths here and in pretty styles.  I found in Alberta that I if I did find my size they were very expensive and ugly.  I also saw some cute clothes for my grandson and with Christmas coming I could not help myself.  I just had to purchase!

Live fish at the Mall

 The weather has been increasingly hotter and so all I can say to my Alberta friends is 

Bird of Paradise at the Mall

 

I really do feel for you!  You all can feel for me tomorrow as it is back to the dentist I go!

By the way, no more word verification to leave a comment on my blog.