GRACIAS Y ADIOS

Sunday, February 26 – Marsha, Jane and Carole had there "Thank You and Good Bye" party on Thursday. Jane and Joe left early Saturday morning, and we are on our way on Thursday, March 1.

Jane and Marsha…Carole is a shy one.

Joe, Jane's husband, did his best to count all the people at the happy hour…last count was 53. Marsha never does anything small…haha!

A small sample of the cars and golf carts parked on the road by our site.

Our neighbors from across the street.

We had six table set up, and they were all packed with delicious food that everyone brought.  Jane supplied the sloppy joe and Marsha made her corn casserole and "Sex In A Pan" dessert.

Just a few of the people in line for some grub!

Paul and Joe got to take a short break from their hosting duties to grab a bite to eat.

We have no idea what Phyllis was talking about but it got Rick, Lynn and Mike's attention.

Not sure it Norm and Donna were showing Chuck how to do the hand jive or some sort of sign language.

A great time was had by all. Another wonderful winter in the Valley.

Friday night found us once again at Angie and Rick's. It was our last night all together. Amazing as it sounds, we didn't pig out! Everyone had drinks, and we had one bag of Fritos. UNBELEIVEABLE! We played two rousing games for Idiot's Bridge.

Front…Joe, Jane, Marsha   Back…Angie, Rick, Paul

We all had so much fun these past two months. Thanks for the memories!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

 

ESTERO LLANO GRANDE WORLD BIRDING CENTER

Friday, February 24 – Busy, busy, busy…no other word for how we feel when we stay down in the Rio Grande Valley area.

On Monday, we went to Mexico…yet again…with our friends, Jane and Joe. Marsha had to go for the third of four visits to the dentist, and Jane had a dentist appointment. Once that was all taken care of we headed to Estero Llano Grande World Birding Center. Estero Llano Grande is located in Weslaco and attracts a spectacular array of South Texas wildlife with its varied landscape of shallow lake, woodlands and thorn forest.  There are nine unique locations in the Rio Grande Valley. This particular one has the largest wetlands environment in the World Birding Center network.

Entrance

We didn't have much time to explore the entire Birding Center. We were only able to walk two of the many trails. We think, due to the overcast skies that many of the birds and alligators were in hiding. But we had a wonderful time watching the wildlife that was out and about.

Great Egret

White Ibis

One of the many water areas.

They have an alligator lake here in the park. We only saw two alligators.

These little guys were enjoying what ever sun would pop out ever so often.

On our way back to the car, this Northern Shoveler duck was sitting on the boardwalk.

This cute little Coot was swimming in the water next to the boardwalk.

The motley group.
 

Spring has sprung here in the 80+ weather.

Some of the beautiful flowers in the park.

Just thought we would throw a picture of us in so our kids remember what we look like.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

FOLKLORICO AND MARIACHI PERFORMANCE

Sunday, February 19 - We went with friends Jane and Joe to Juarez-Lincoln High School's presentation "Grupo Folkdorico "Sol Azteca" Mariachi and Conjunto "Sol"", dances that emphasize local folk culture. This high school is located in the La Joya Independent School District. This was an awesome show. The kids are 9-12th graders. The entire show lasted two and a half hours but flew by. The dancers, singers and musicians were all super!

Here is a little example of what these kids can do.

AZTECA (CONCHEROS) – Mexico
Mexican ritual dance that preserves many elements of pre-Columbian religious ritual.

These bells on the dancer's feet made the music for the dance. It was a real treat.

Spain
Flamenco music and dance of the Andlusian Gypsies.

In between each dance segment, the Mariachi "Sol" group played. What talented singers and players.

Panama
There is a great influence of African, native American and European backgrounds.

Veracruz- La Bailadora
Dance of the Quincenera.

Conjunto "Sol"
Another type of Mariachi band.

Costa Rica
Colorful costumes and cowboy yelps reign in this traditional folk music.

Baja California (Calabaceados)
”Cowboy Dance”

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

THANKS TO OUR READERS

Sunday, February 19 -

SUMMER TRAVEL PLANS
Thanks to everyone who left us a comment or email about our long-range plans. We even received several comments and emails from new visitors. Thanks everyone for the suggested additions to our Northwest trip this summer. One of the reasons we wanted to post our intended summer travel schedule was to inspire readers to suggest additional stops and places we should be sure “not to miss!”

One comment we received many times is…you need a couple of years to do Oregon and Washington alone. We TOTALLY agree. We can only do so much this time. We just hope we can hit some of the highlights and go back for more later. If you think of any "must see" places, please don't hesitate to write.

We sure hope to cross paths and meet many of our RV'er friends and Blog readers. If you are in the same area this summer, drop us a quick email.....hopefully we can get together!

EXTENDED WARRANTY
Just an update on our extended warranty research. We signed on the dotted line with Jeff Shelton from Wholesale Warranties (800.939.2806). We obtained a 4-year, 48,000 mile warranty with $100 deductible, with Consequential Damage and Exclusive Benefits. It seems to cover just about everything, actually more than we wanted. Jeff is an independent underwriter and searches for the best policy to fit your needs. Our policy is with Assurant Solutions. If you are looking for an extended warranty, give Jeff a call and tell him we recommended Wholesale Warranties. Yep, we receive a small gift for anyone we send his way.... :-))

SHOUT OUT
We want to give a SHOUT OUT to Rick of Rick and Paulette's RV Travels. At one time on our blog, comments would automatically be posted without Marsha approving them. Well for some reason this changed. Now that we think of it, it changed when Marsha went to the new version of Blogger. Oh dear….new = better….not so fast my friend. For some reason, the approval for comments changed. Marsha fretted over this for a couple of hours and finally said, "I'll just ask Rick." She did, and of course Rick knew the answer. He told her to go back to the old version and she would be able to make the change. YEA!!! It works. So new  ≠  better…at least not all the time. Thanks again, Rick, for responding so quickly!

BELLA
We have no idea why Bella has "all of a sudden" decided this is her favorite place to sit when outside. One person in the park said it is because it is cool on the grill. WHAT COOL? It has rained here nearly everyday for the last two weeks, AND it sure isn't that hot! What is going on with this weather? We are in the southern most tip of Texas. They don't or at least aren't suppose to get rain like this here. Today it has taken a turn for the BETTER! It was beautiful…YEAAAAA!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

2012 TRAVEL PLANS

February, 17 2012 - We've been working on our plans to visit the Northwest part of the country for sometime. We'll leave here (Mission, TX) on March 1 and not arrive in Ohio (our former home) until late summer or fall. After traveling over 7,000 miles. This is our biggest travel year since beginning full-timing. We doubt we will return to Northwest area of the country in the foreseeable future, so we are trying to squeeze everything in and not miss anything. An impossible task that we will surely laugh about later.

This is a 'bare-bones” outline of our intended route that may change significantly as we travel. We've listed just a few of the things we want to see it the states we'll pass through. No dates or time limits on where we will be when. We'll take it one stop at a time. Hope fuel prices don't get outrageous.

2012 TRAVEL PLANS

1. Leave Mission March 1 arrive in Del Rio, TX

2. Fort Davis, TX – McDonald Observatory

3. New Mexico- Deming: City of Rocks

4. Tucson, AZ – Justin's Diamond-J RV Park, San Xavier, Mt. Lemmon, Saguaro NP, Pima Air Museum, Davis-Monthan AF Base, Tubac, Organ Pipe NM, Sonora Desert, Sabino Canyon, Kitt Peak, Gates Pass, Santa Catalina Mnts, Trader Joes

5. Goodyear, AZ – Baseball Spring Training - Cleveland Indians (west side Phoenix)

6. Usery Mountain or Silver Spur Ranch (east side Phoenix) – Superstition Skies, Camelback Mnt, Apache Trail, Tonto NF, visit with nephew Dave Jr. and family, Organ Stop Pizza, Skies Bar & Grill, Tortilla Flat

7. Nevada - Las Vegas/Hoover Dam/Pahrump, Bullhead City, Oatman (donkeys), Lake Mead

8. California - Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, Redwood NP, Ave. of Giants, San Francisco, Sacramento, Death Valley, Wine country

9. Oregon - Coastal Area, Crater Lake, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, Winchester Bay, Silver Salmon Restaurant, Mount Hood, Columbia River Gorge, Hells Canyon, Wallowa Mountains

10. Washington - Coastal Area, Seattle, Olympic NP, Boeing Factory tour,

11. Canada - Victoria, BC, Vancouver, Canadian Rockies, Banff NP, Lake Louise, Calgary, Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump

12. Montana - Glacier NP, Hiawatha Bike Trail, Fort Peak Dam, Little Big Horn, Louis & Clark Park

13. South Dakota - Little Big Horn, Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower, Crazy Horse, Needles, Deadwood, Corn Palace, Chapel in the Hills, Custer SP, Missile Silo, Rapid City, Beartooth Highway, Keystone, Needles, Sylvan Lake, Hill City, Spearfish Canyon,

14. Iowa – Des Moines, Iowa City

15. Illinois – AVOID driving MH in Chicago traffic (but maybe drive car to see the city)

16. Indiana – Amish Country, RV Hall of Fame,

17. Ohio – visit family & friends, see our doctors, and escape before the SNOW falls.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

SOME OF THIS…SOME OF THAT

Sunday, February 12 – One of the greatest things about being here in Mission during this time of year is FRESH oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes. Several people in the park give us these delicious fruits. We went out and bought a cheap juicer and have enjoyed fresh juice each day. One neighbor told us for every five oranges we use, add one grapefruit. YUMMMMY!

At the end of our first year of full timing, we ordered our blog in book form. We used Blog2Print. So, with another year under our belt, we decided to get our second year in book form. We have so many pictures on our blog, that we needed to order the blog in two books. They arrived the other day and look super. We know that these will help us relive so many wonderful memories.

One night while we were having happy hour (which is suppose to be from sometime around 4 to about 5:30, but this night it was well past 7:00), it became a bit chilly out.  Paul, not listening to Marsha again, didn't bring a jacket. After Paul was acting like it was going to snow any minute, Susie went in and got him a blanket. We couldn't figure out what it is about a red blanket, but it made Paul smile the rest of the night.

Jane where is your hand suppose to be?

Where was Marsha all this time?

On Friday night, Angie and Rick had Jane, Joe and us over for dinner. Boy were we in for a treat! Before we ate, Marsha needed pictures. She said everyone get with someone…she meant spouses. As she was setting up the camera and turned around she was very surprised. Not wanting to make a scene she ran to the only open spot left for her.

After taking the picture above, she rephrased her request…Everyone get with YOUR spouse, please.

Now for dinner. Angie HAD to have worked all day to make all the delicious dishes we enjoyed. There were tamales, fideo (Mexican spaghetti), Queso (Mexican cheese),

Turkey or pork in Mole sauce,

and Chayote. One reader wanted to know how Angie made this Mexican squash. She cut them in half and drizzled flavored oil with seasoning over a couple, made one plain and one with paprika. She then baked them in the over at 350* for about fifteen minutes. They were delicious.

Jane got in the action by heating the tortillas.

Marsha brought delicious cookie cake for dessert. Anther wonderful evening with great food and awesome friends! Thanks again Angie and Rick…it was wonderful!

We haven't posted a picture of Bella for awhile. Marsha opened her closet door to get some of her pine needle paraphernalia. When she went back to close the door, look who found a new hiding place.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

 

 

BARGAINS AT THE FLEA MARKET

Friday, February 3 – Marsha broke a tooth the other day, so it was off to Progreso, Mexico, today to see the dentist. On her last visit the dentist warned her about two teeth that appeared in poor condition and might need crowns. Well, that warning resulted in a broken tooth and a needed crown. (THERE'S A BLOG TITLE IN THERE SOMEWHERE)

Marsha emailed the dentist and made an appointment for today at 2:00 p.m. We arrived early to walk around town for an hour before her appointment. She needed a root canal as preparation for the crown. While the dentist ground away on her tooth, Paul walked around Progreso and enjoyed people watching and having a margarita at a near-by Mercado. There are plenty of opportunities for both in this small Mexican town!

After a couple hours with Marsha's first of several dentist visits completed, we headed home with a return visit planned for next week. We have a total of three visits required to complete the process, so we'll be back to Progreso several times before leaving the Rio Grande Valley.

Tuesday, February 7 – We have had five days of rain and overcast skies. YUCK! Between the rain drops, we decided it was time to check out the PULGA!!!

This is our second winter here at Hidden/Leisure Valley Ranch, and we've always wanted to check out the Pulga, just across Expressway 83, and have never had to opportunity to visit. The Pulga is a flea market. A pretty big on too!

Paul, Angie, Jane

There are several flea markets here in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). Last year we went to the biggest called Don West, and we intend to visit it again before leaving the RVG, but today we wanted to check-out this ever-growing Pulga across the expressway.

It is not as nice as Don West. A little lower on the economic “totem pole” as far as flea markets go. There is an outside and an inside area.

Marsha and Jane deciding if they "need" any of these.

There are plenty of sellers displaying there wares. Quite a few people selling fresh fruit and vegetables.

Cactus is a huge sale in this area. This lady is cleaning them.

Angie buying some chayotes [chah-YOH-teh]. The chayote is native Mexican plant and is a member of the squash family. They were 2 for a $1. Angie said they cost at least $.89 each in the grocery store. We will get to taste it on Friday night as she and Rick are having us over for dinner.

We even picked up a bunch of tiny bananas. Our friend Angie, she's Hispanic, says they are called platanitos (little bananas). They are the  smallest of all bananas, maximum size about 4 inches. They have a thin skin and golden color, and sweet to eat. All for only $1.00.

This is a first for us….a funeral director advertising at the Pulga. WHAT?

As we were leaving, we saw this truck. Guess what it was selling.

Chickens…and we watch a man buy two of them. Poor things.

Another big seller was geese. YES, we said geese. We never know what we will see next.

Marsha found a top she couldn't live without...$4.00. Jane got a deal on a crock pot ($7.00) and grabbed an egg plant on the way to the car. Paul didn't make an economic contribution this time. Maybe next time. It was a fun couple hours enjoyed with friends.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!