Last two weeks in Mission, TX

The last few weeks have been spent playing pickleball, swimming in the pools (outdoor and indoor), visiting the restaurants that friends have recommended, making some new friends, and saying goodbye to many who had to leave already.  We'll be leaving on April 5 and heading to the Texas hill country for a week before coming home. We've been watching the weather up north and decided that it's best to stay away a while longer so we don't have to winterize the RV when we get home!
We made one more trip to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico so Bill could get his dental work done. We park on the US side and walk over the Rio Grande River bridge. Painless process and much safer than driving over! We only have about 4 blocks of shops to visit on both sides of the main street. We've been told that this town is the only one that is safe to visit in the area.   They do have armed guards patrolling the streets and we feel safe during the day.

Rio Grande River from the Int'l Bridge

We went to lunch one day at Bill and Deb's favorite fish taco restaurant Mariscos de 7 Mares (Seafood of the 7 Seas).  No English spoken there (maybe just a little) but we got by and really enjoyed the food. For $7.99 we got four tacos, chips and salsas, soup, lettuce salad and rice.

We went on a Segway tour of the nearby Bentsen Rio Grande state park with four other couples from the park. It was a hot day but we made our own breeze and had a great time. This is a world birding park and even though it was afternoon we did see some green jays from one of the blinds.

On Deb's birthday we all went to 492 BBQ for the best BBQ around. This was our 102 degree day so it was a good day to eat out.  Everyone had the ribs except me, I had brisket and pulled pork.  Deb got a free piece of pecan pie and a Mexican serenade of Happy Birthday from the staff!

The park activities are pretty much done now- they hosted a free "last" dance with an old rock and roll band.  Good music and fun, lots of people attended and most danced! We sat with our new Canadian friends.

On Saturday we all went to the McAllen Chamber's BBQ Cookoff. They had 35 competitors! For $15 each we got way too much to eat along with free Buds and sodas. Most of the booths gave us chicken, pulled pork, brisket and ribs!  We stayed all afternoon and listened to the music, a Tejano band and a C/W band. Kirk was called on stage by Sergio, the lead singer in the one band who had been visiting with us earlier in the beer tent. He got a free autographed hat.  Apparently the band is big here- there were a ton of people watching them. We are wearing cloth bags we got for "bibs". Dorky but it worked!

On Sunday we finally got to The Riverside Club which is on the Rio Grande- a huge dance hall, outdoor and indoor dining, and a tour boat that wasn't running.  We had a great lunch outdoors and then went in to watch all the old people dancing.  It was quite entertaining to see the outfits they were wearing and the styles of Texas two step.  I guess this is THE place to be on Sunday afternoons!  Monday we will pack and Tuesday we leave Mission.  It's been a fun two months here and we can't wait to get home and play pickleball in Tomahawk (when my back gets better, that is!)  

Mission TX March 13-21

We've been trying to see some of the local sights and restaurants before we head north. On Sunday 3/13 the boys took us out to dinner at Hayashi Hibachi Japanese steakhouse.  It was a first for Joe and Nancy.   They had excellent pomegranate and cucumber martinis! We were all stuffed when we got done- after salads, rice, grilled veggies and meats.

We saw a great gospel show at the park, Faith's Journey.  Deana and Jonathon are staying in the park and we've met them at the pool several times. Starting in April they will be playing in Branson at the God and Country Theater with the rest of their group.  Wonderful performers!!  www.faithsjourneytrio.com

We took a trip west of Mission with Deb and Bill one day- we stopped in Rio Grande City, an old town with several sights including a huge grotto built in the 1920's by a German priest.

We also toured the LaBorde House, a mansion built in the 1880's and later restored into a hotel/restaurant.  It had a tunnel that went to the Rio Grande River, which was closed off in the 50's. May have been some illegal activities going on, especially during Prohibition. They are still renting out rooms, we got to see them all, and most had a clawfoot bathtub in the room.  Very interesting!

We had lunch at Case de Adobe, which was a restored house and I tried chicken fried steak for the first time. Don't have to have it again!  We drove west of town to Falcon Lake State Park, which is a huge reservoir on the Rio Grande.  We drove through the campground- there were quite a few people camped there since it was spring break week.  Lots of fishing going on!

That night after we got back we went to the rodeo in Mercedes, east of Mission.  There were tons of families there, it took a long time to get into the parking lot, stand in line for tickets (twice) and food.  The night we went they had PRCA Bull Riding and mutton busting (little kids trying to ride on the back of sheep).  We left at 9:30 to avoid the crowds getting out and besides, it was past our bedtime!

On St. Patrick's day they had a golf cart parade in the park- since we don't have carts we decorated our vehicles and campsites and set up chairs to watch when the parade came by. Kirk and Bill handed out shots of Jamison's whiskey to the people going by.  A few neighbors stopped by and stayed, so we ended up sharing Deb's corned beef and cabbage dinner with them.  Had a great time- Ken brought his banjo and guitar over so he and Nancy played for us again.

Buddy and Charlie kept their hats on for hours!

On Saturday we went to a "Redneck Party" at Larry and Marilyn's house.  Everyone was dressed up and they had fun games. It was a great time!

On Sunday after church we went to Edinburg (north of here) to visit the Museum of South Texas History. The displays were very well done and included sound effects. We spent a couple of hours there and would definitely recommend it.

Mission TX Feb 29 to March 12

On 2/29 we went to South Padre Island with Bill and Deb. Although it was nice when we left Mission, by the time we got there it was 69 and raining.  We paid $10 to park at the beach but did not stay due to the wind and rain. A few brave souls were walking the beach. We drove to the north end where the road ends. The sand dunes were blowing over the road and they were pushing the sand back.  We went to lunch at Blackbeard's and enjoyed the fresh fish, bought a few souvenirs and went back to Mission.  We'll have to go back after the spring breaks are over to walk the beach.
Checking out restaurants-we had lunch at Rudy's, a BBQ place that has very good ribs, smoked turkey, ribs, brisket, etc. in a picnic atmosphere. Lots of locals there which is a very good sign. We also went for pancakes at Cracker Barrel one morning to support the USO.
Kirk celebrated his 65th birthday on March 5. We had Tres Leches cake that a local at Wal-Mart recommended- very moist cake with fresh fruit on top.

It's been pretty hot here, 80's and 90's and even some days in the 100's.  There is usually a breeze.  The citrus trees are blooming now- the orange blossoms smell wonderful! We had two days of rain, the first since we arrived!  The cacti should be blooming soon too. We've been cooking outside a lot.  On 3/6 we went to our street's block party, which was well attended.  We invited a neighbor to play his guitar/keyboard and that was a hit, as was our LP campfire. On Friday 3/11 we had a fish fry, and several neighbors stopped by to check it out and try Kirk's Old Fashions.

We went to Progreso, Mexico one day- three blocks full of dentists, pharmacies, and souvenir shops.  Kirk, Deb and Bill had their teeth cleaned for $20.  

We've all been playing pickleball and using the pool almost daily.  There are fewer people in the park, lots have left for home already.  We plan to leave on April 5 and head to Texas hill country for a week before returning home.  Having a great time!

Mission TX Weeks 2 & 3

Got a bad cold on 2/14 which is still hanging on a bit- I shared it with Kirk too!  Activities continue at the park- everyone is enjoying themselves.  We were at the park meeting on 2/17 when Kirk's sister Karen called to tell us his dad was not doing well after he fell and broke some ribs.  We made flight arrangements for Thursday- and drove 4 hours to San Antonio to get our flight.  Fortunately Deb and Bill offered to watch Ole while we went home.  By the time we got to SA Wednesday evening Binder had passed away, very unexpectedly.  We were both quite shook up.  Flew home on Thursday, Kevin flew home on Friday from Florida. Kelly and family got there Friday as well.  The visitation was held Sunday evening- all of the family was there.  Monday was the funeral- it was very well attended which was not a surprise since Binder was well loved in the community.  We stayed until Friday 2/26 and flew back to Texas, arriving at the park on Saturday.  We were glad to be home to see everyone and help Dorothy but it is nice being back in warm weather.  Bill and Deb made dinner for us.  On Sunday we got back to church, then we all played table tennis and pickleball (my first time). Neck is feeling better after a couple of PT appointments back home but I will continue getting massages and taking it easy.  We had lunch at the cafe, walked around the other side of the park looking at all the flowering trees/plants, looked at the craft items at the show, and then went to the pool/hot tub.

Kirk and Bill picked the grapefruits from our tree- they got a huge plastic bin full.  We hope to bring some home but aren't sure if they will last that long.  Weather has been hot, but was 80 and cloudy yesterday and today.  It should be getting hot again, in the 90's this week. Ole was enjoying the sunshine while we were gone!

Mission Texas Week 1

It took us about 4 hours to get to Mission, TX from Port Lavaca.  Roads were better and since it was a Saturday the traffic was not bad. The office at Bentsen Grove RV Resort was closed but Mike came and showed the guys open sites on his golf cart.  I think the whole park came by while we girls waited by the campers.  Not too many people coming in at this time of year so we were warmly greeted.  We got set up on the west side of the road, sites are large and grassy with orange and grapefruit trees.  After Joe grilled brats for dinner we sat around our LP firepit- first chance to do that!

On Sunday we all walked over to the church service at the clubhouse.  Lots of people there-we ended up in the front row and got introduced as newcomers. Rev. Jesse had a great message. We enjoyed sitting around in the sunshine after making a grocery run.  We went to the clubhouse for their superbowl party, they served hotdogs and fries.  At halftime we came home and watched the rest of the game at Bill and Deb's. We were glad that the Broncos beat Carolina Panthers!

The week has been spent trying out the different activities- including bingo on Mondays, pickleball just about anytime, woodcarving, exercise classes, homemade donuts and biscuits and gravy at the cafe, and entertainment which included a cloggers performance, The Cross Strungs (a fiddling family), and Greg Jones (a gospel singer).  On Wednesday we went to the local flea market, where we bought some fresh pineapple and watermelon.  On Friday they had a Valentine's dance (also called Senior Prom).  We girls dressed up and the guys bought us corsages.  Live band The Classics played 60s through 80's tunes. Lots of people there and the dance floor was often packed.  The weather has been sunny and 80's, much nicer than Florida panhandle, although it is windy most days.  We are booked here for a month and may stay longer. Everyone seems to like it.  This week we plan to go to South Padre Island during the week.

New Iberia Louisiana and Port Lavaca TX

We've been so busy I haven't had time to update y'all on our travels.  We left Emerald Beach, Navarre FL on Jan. 31 after saying goodbye to Kevin and the friends we made there.  Looking forward to warmer weather in Texas.  The roads in Louisiana were absolutely horrid- many bumps!! We got to New Iberia, LA later in the afternoon and got set up at KOC Campground.  A big field with many "resident" campers.  It will do for two nights.  At least they have a big field to let Ole run around in.  We went to dinner at K & M's Boiling Point, after a goose chase trying to find it on the frontage roads.  It was crowded for a Sunday night, lots of people eating huge platters of boiled crawfish.  I took the Yelp suggestion and had the onion rings with my grilled shrimp po'boy, both were excellent! We shared an order of "gator balls" which were spicy deep fried- like meatballs.  When we got back to the campers it was still 68 degrees, and we didn't need to turn our heat on  for a change!

On Monday we went to the Tabasco factory at Avery Island, just down the road from our campground.  Very interesting self-guided tour, and we had an excellent southern lunch at the cafe on the property before going to see the "Jungle Gardens" which the founding family started to showcase plants and animals.  We did get pretty close to some sleepy alligators, the guys were happy! Deb almost stepped on a snake- she moved faster than it did and we all had a good laugh over that.

Tabasco is aged for three years in oak barrels

There are 7 flavors of Tabasco

Trying to get chased by a gator

They had 300 year old live oaks!

Back in New Iberia we toured the Shadows on the Teche mansion built in the 1830's.  Not very big but interesting family history- it was occupied by the same family through 1958 when it was donated to the city. When we returned to the campground the guys tried fishing in the pond on the grounds- no bites but it was fun watching the mullet jump right out of the water!
On Tuesday we left to go to Port Lavaca, TX which is north of Corpus Christi. The Texas Lakeside RV Resort was very highly rated, a fairly new park, but most of the people were residing there to work at the refineries nearby.  They had a nice pool (outdoor, not heated, and a whirlpool) but no activities. We decided not to stay here and left again on Saturday. Luckily the owner let us out of our one month contract and gave us a refund.  They were adding on 80 sites and there was constant noise and dust from the construction.

Last week in Navarre FL

For those of you wondering, we're pretty sure that I have a pinched  nerve in my neck- painful but so glad it isn't something worse. Seems I have some arthritis in my spine that is causing this to happen. Taking prednisone and icing and waiting for it to subside. Thanks for your prayers!
We had rain again on Wed. so we went back to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola to see stuff we missed last week.  We took the trolley out back to see all the planes waiting restoration and saw the flight line where the Blue Angels practice.  We just had to do the Blue Angels 4D experience again- so cool!  Before leaving Pensacola we stopped at Joe Patti's fish market, picked up some swordfish to grill- yum!

On Friday we went to Blackwater River State Park to hike with Deb and Bill and the dogs.  We've had so much rain that the trail was flooded so couldn't go very far. Pretty little park with fast moving water, nice sand beaches, and boardwalks. They have a nice small campground as well. Probably a popular spot in the summer, tubing and canoeing are common on the river.

On Saturday we made some chicken and sausage gumbo and put it in the crock pot.  Everyone came over before we went to the Mardi Gras parade in Navarre Beach to eat a King Cake (MG tradition). The person who gets the plastic baby in their piece is due to have good luck - Deb got it!

 It was a beautiful sunny day, mid-70's. Parade was at 1:00 so we went early to get a spot and took a walk on the long pier to watch fishermen.  One of the guys from our park caught a 10 foot dusky shark after we left him. It was 450 pounds- they tag them and let them go.  The parade was fun, we all got lots of beads. Most of the floats were water-based themes, it was a family friendly parade with thousands in attendance.