We've Been Busy

The days are flying by.  Wayne and I have been very busy.  He is working on his shed.  Big plans to transform it from a 10 by 10 empty space to a very efficient and fun "Man Cave".  Plans include an air conditioner and flat screen TV.  So far he's built a work bench with a peg board for his tools, installed a loft to store our bulky bits and pieces, and storage for our bikes.

Wayne's Shed

Lots of Storage

Love the Work Bench

Wayne will be watching the sales for air conditioner, TV etc.  I may never see him again.

I've been busy too - participating in some of the activities offered in the park.  Needlecraft, quilting and water aerobics.  Lots of fun.  We have met some of our neighbours, joining them for Thanksgiving dinner etc.  I went on a lunch/shopping day to Harlingen with Sue who lives two doors down.  We had a great time.  Wayne (yes, yet another Wayne) and Sue enjoy going out for dinner, we have plans to dine together on Wednesday.

The house is beginning to look like Christmas.  Concentrating on the indoors this year.  Will do the outside next season.

Our first full size tree since we retired

My Mom made these many years ago

Matthew made this in Grade Two

I would like to thank Wendi and Carmen, once again, for saving my tree skirt, stockings and Santa.  They pulled them out of the rubble after the tornado wiped out our RV.  Means so much to me.

The weather turned cool and rainy last evening.  After we do a short shopping trip to Lowes (Wayne needs more tools?) and Walmart, I am going to do some Christmas baking.  Wonder if there will be any Christmas movies on this afternoon.

Enjoy the season.  Until next time.

Kim

Recap of Kathy's Visit

Kathy flew down for a 10 day visit.  The three of us have plenty of room to live together in our new winter home.  Whew, that's a relief.  Always good to find out that theoretical plans really work.

The weather started off gloomy on the weekend, but was beautiful during the week.

We shopped, ate and went to the beach.  What a gorgeous day!

We were kept entertained by sand crab antics.  They scurry all over the beach.  Very cute.

We all enjoyed a Mexican feast at Chili's.  Fajitas, burritos and enchiladas.  Yum.

Kathy and I even did some gardening. 

We were sad to say good bye to Kathy, but she will be back later in the season.  No doubt there will be puzzles to do and the pool to enjoy. 

Lastly, to all our American friends, Happy Thanksgiving!  We are looking forward to the communal dinner here at Ranchero Village.

Settling In

Good Morning One and All.

Well, it's about a week since we arrived here in Weslaco.  Feeling pretty settled at our new home in Ranchero Village.

We found an outdoor table and chairs at a reasonable price.  Spent a morning setting up the patio.  Still needs a rug.  The house is really comfy.  It is much larger than any of our recent homes.  In fact, I am racking up step counts on my Fitbit just by puttering around the house.  I also walked from the clubhouse.  It is not as far as we had thought.  Just takes a few minutes.  On the other hand, the garbage bins are pretty out of the way.  We try to incorporate ditching the garbage with any errands we need to do.

We have checked out local grocery stores, restaurants and hardware stores.  Costco, Harbor Freight and Sketchers are about 15 miles west.  Harlingen is about 20 miles east.  We haven't ventured that direction yet.

Kathy is arriving on Wednesday.  We are planning to head to McAllen early to check out the mall before her flight arrives.  Very convenient, as the mall is across the street from the airport.  I am sure we will do lots of exploring after Kathy's arrival.  I foresee a trip to the beach, shrimp basin etc.

We are awaiting the delivery of a barbecue, freezer and some quilting tools that need to be replaced because of the tornado.  Wayne is waiting for a tool bench for his shed to go on sale.  After Kathy and I buy some flower pots, flowers and poufy things to add personal touches, I think we will be truly settled in our new home.

Election day is almost here.  I noticed on our trip south there were very few campaign signs anywhere for the presidential race.  Here in south Texas, there are elections every year.  Lots of signs for local contests for judges, sheriffs etc.  Nothing different from any other year.  Lots of commentary on the national news reports.  It will be over soon.  Yeah!

Tomorrow, I plan on getting involved in some of the many activities offered for our amusement.  For example water exercise, needle arts, quilting, blanket knitting and charity quilting.  Busy, busy.  Lots of things for Wayne to get involved with as well - should he choose to do so.

We met the first of our neighbours - Wayne and Sue from Saskatchewan.  And yes they are card carrying Roughrider fans. lol

I'm going to close now.  Think I will get dressed and go for a bike ride around the park.  Til next time.

We Arrived on Friday - No Internet

Friday's drive from Victoria to Weslaco went well.  We did hit a bit of rain, thus upholding the tradition of the last 4 seasons.  Every time we return to Texas, it rains on the day we arrive.  Could be the middle of a drought, it will still rain. 

We don't have internet service yet.  Won't be for a couple more days.  I'm using the clubhouse wifi.

Our house is great.  Will post pictures later.  We are almost unpacked and organized.  A few issues.  The fridge doesn't work.  A repair person is supposed to arrive today.  The park manager arranged for a loaner fridge to be put in our shed.  A little inconvenient but it is workable. 

The dryer wasn't working either.  Wayne checked and realized that the vent hose was capped shut.  Therefore no moisture was being vented outside.  It is supposed to be fixed today.

Last issue is a leaking walk in shower.  Letting it dry out and then Wayne will recaulk.  (Kathy we have to use your shower)

All in all not too bad.  Nothing to lose sleep over.

The weather is very hot and humid.  I think a trip to the pool is in order. 

Will post a more comprehensive entry when the internet is hooked up.

Almost There - Victoria, Texas - Day 4

Full tummies, jammies on - check.  One more sleep and we will be done travelling.

Today was the longest day of all.  Definitely our max limit.  Eight hours of driving.  We were on the road by 6:30 am.  It was pitch black and anyone who knows us, knows we don't like to drive in the dark.  However we were on Interstate 30 for the first hour, there were so many transports on the road that the lines and signs were very visible.  The rest of the day we were travelling through small town central Texas.  Settled in now at a Comfort Inn.  Lovely new motel.  The room is much small than our other ones.  Still very nice though.

Tomorrow is only a half day of driving.  Then we need to check the house, unload the van and start unpacking.  Yeah!

Supper this evening was at the Olive Garden.  One of our favourite restaurant chains.

One dulcine left.  It's a race to get it.  Not really - we shared.  The dessert was even more delicious because we had a phone coupon and it was free.  Hooray for customer loyalty programs.

We haven't indulged in some of our other US favourites such as What A Burger or Chick Fil A.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Texarkana, Arkansas - Day Three

Another long travel day.  The weather is warm and sunny. But no humidity, so even though it is in the high 80's F, it is comfortable.

Supper tonight was at Copelands of New Orleans.  Yummy.  Wayne found a new Texas stout and I enjoyed a peach bellini.

Steak and mashed sweet potatoes for Wayne, fried jumbo shrimp, onion strings and hush puppies for me.  Oh and a piece of chocolate cheesecake.  I forgot to take pictures again.  Trust me - delicious.

We crossed the Mississippi River today.  Always a thrill.

Tomorrow we head south to Victoria.  Getting closer all the time.

Marion, Illinois - Day Two

Short and sweet tonight.  The drive seemed fairly long from Middlebury to Marion.  I think it was because we had a time change today.  We lost an hour switching to Central time.  When the GPS said we would arrive by 2 pm., it didn't mention the extra hour we needed to drive.  Oh well we arrived safe and sound.

Supper tonight was at Cracker Barrel.  Again we just needed to walk across the parking lot.  Kind of nice getting a bit of exercise after sitting in the van for so long.

Did remember to take food pics tonight. We also shared a piece of carrot cake.  One of the best meals I've had at a Cracker Barrel.  Love having supper and then browsing the gift shop.  Bought a little something for the new house.

The weather here in Marion is very mild.  Tomorrow we are ditching the long pants. 

Time to relax. ttfn

The Leaves Are Falling and There's A Chill In The Air - Time To Head South

Crossing the Blue Water Bridge to Port Huron.  It is such a pretty town as seen from the bridge.  Once through customs it was smooth sailing.  We made great time and arrived at our destination with lots of time to shop.  Hehe!

We are staying at Das Essenhaus  Inn in Middlebury, Indiana.  The inn has extensive grounds with 5 or 6 shops, a huge restaurant and a bakery.  It is very beautiful and peaceful.  We wandered the grounds and checked out the shops before supper.

There are many cozy seating areas sprinkled throughout the motel.  Of course quilts are prominently featured as we are in the heart of Amish country.  The carpet was custom designed.  You can see a bit of it in front of the wing back chairs.  The design is a double wedding ring.  It is a classic quilt design.  Very effective.

I love this little framed quilt  The sunflowers are gorgeous.

Wayne relaxing in our very large but cozy room.  Why is he so happy and relaxed, you ask?

Why because he is back in the land of MeTV.  His favourite oldie channel.  Memorable TV even.

I'm also happy.  Why?  I nabbed some new quilting stash.

A pack of 6 fat quarters, a kit to make little felt mitten Christmas decorations and 2 stencils to use on my Lone star quilt.  Whoooee! Love it!

Supper was a great buffet.  Broccoli or chicken noodle soup, homemade rolls, yummy selections on the salad bar and chicken, beef or ham with mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, noodles and many vegetable choices.  I didn't have everything, but what I did try was delicious.  We topped it all off with a piece of pie.  (I forgot to take a picture)

Before heading home, we made a pit stop in the bakery.  But we were so full that nothing needed to come with us.

So all in all it has been a great first travel day.  Tomorrow we head to Illinois.

What a Whirlwind!

At just before midnight on the 31st of May, 2016, a major storm struck Chimney Park RV Resort in Mission, Texas.  The storm has been labeled a tornado, a micro burst or straight line winds.  Take your pick - the result is the same.  Destruction and devastation of a large part of the park.

Our trailer was destroyed.  It moved about 60 feet, flipped onto its side landing on a power pole and a cement retaining wall at the park entrance,

When the RV was pulled off the pole it fell apart.  Total write off.  Our shed was also flipped over and moved a short distance.

We had our insurance with Progressive.  The insurance company was wonderful.  Especially Jessica our claims person and Beto the adjuster.  All the administration was done in a professional and timely matter.  Thank you.

It was a difficult matter to remove the remains.  The first two companies sent to deal with the carcass were not able to handle the job.  They wanted to tow it out.  Not happening.  Lloyd (our park manager) found someone who could handle the job.

Lloyd and Wendi have been amazing.  They have been working non stop since the tragedy.  They have spearheaded the clean up, kept everyone up to date on what's happening.  They have also gone above and beyond any reasonable expectations to help those of us who have lost our homes.  Wendi tried to shield Wayne, Kathy and I from the graphic photos.  We needed to see them so that we could wrap our heads around the whole situation.  Thank you both for all you have done.

Kathy, Wayne and I flew to Texas on the 23rd of June to survey the damage and to find a new winter home.  Because we were spooked by the RV flipping over, we decided to look for a manufactured home that would be firmly pinned to the ground.  Also, since the three of us have shared the RV for several years, we had a better idea of what would suit us to share when all off us are fully retired.  We need more room including space for Jack (Kathy's youngest cat).  This meant that any unit we bought needed to have 2 bedrooms and 2 baths and would be too large to be moved into Chimney Park.

We are sad to leave our Chimney Park family but excited to start a new chapter in our lives.  Our friends and family can visit us.  Since we were starting fresh, we decided we wanted to be closer to the beach.  After much online research, we focused on the Weslaco area.  It is in the mid valley about a half hour closer to South Padre Island than Mission.

We found the perfect unit for us at Ranchero Village, Weslaco.

Carport is about 50 feet long

Wayne will get a shed very similar to this

The living room door is on the left side of the unit.  I think we will mostly use the door under the carport.  It goes into the utility room.

Now a few shots of the interior:

My tub

Wayne's shower

Our bedroom

Living room

Kathy's bedroom

Kathy's bathroom

Ranchero Village has wonderful facilities including a pool and hot tub with both sunny and shaded lounging areas.

There are two halls, a quilting room, carving room, ceramics room, pool tables, pickle ball and shuffleboard courts.  The park covers 55 acres and once around the perimeter is a mile.  We will get good use from our bikes.

So it has been a wild and woolly time.  Lots of ups and downs. Including plane rides.  Yesterday we were flying back from Texas to Kitchener but we ended up in Toronto instead.  Our van was still in Kitchener.  But that's a story for another day. lol

We're Home

Finally home.  Yeah!  Actually we are about 2 days ahead of schedule.  Didn't think we would be moved in until Monday.

However we were able to have our utilities turned on this afternoon.  We unloaded all the buckets from the van and will unpack them at our leisure.  It is supposed to rain and snow this weekend.  Good unpacking weather.

Dad surprised us with some new carvings.  It's always an adventure coming home.

He also made a family of deer.  Thanks Dad.

One last memory from this past winter season.  Not every day is fun and games.  Sometimes life is a little scary and unpleasant.

Fort Wayne, Indiana - March 31, 2016

Almost home!  I'm getting really sick of being in the car.  Also and I know this will shock everyone, I am tired of restaurant food.  Feel bloated and sluggish from too much salt and sugar.  Looking forward to cooking in my own kitchen.

We have been very lucky dodging the bad weather that has been swirling around.  It rained most of last night in Illinois and it poured here in Fort Wayne while we were eating supper.  Not sure what it is doing out now.  We are relaxing in our suite.  Room is huge with an L shaped couch, ottoman and lots of space.  Very comfy.

Saw the first daffodils today at a rest stop in Illinois.

No daffodils in Texas

Tonight's memory

Boat tour of Brownsville Harbour including the shrimp basin.