South Padre Island

It is a bright sunny morning here in South Texas ... Beckett and I walked down to the beach and watched the sunrise --- over the years we have noted they are a thing of beauty here.

In the past, our blogs always talked about FOOD. This is no exception ... yesterday Gene had a platter of Migas a la Mexicana, an egg dish of scrambled eggs containing strips of tortilla, onion, green pepper and jalapina pepper; served with refried beans and hot flour tortillas. You know it is good when your nose runs and your eyes water; it is REALLY good when you sweat after putting the accompanying hot sauce on it. Donna had an omelet with toast --- not too exciting. Last night we steamed some yummy Gulf shrimp (you can get it off the boat so you know it's the real thing), tomatoes, and  raw carrots and cauliflower with ranch dressing. Beckett had dry dog food which he gobbled down -- a usual!

We are awaiting the arrival of the crew that will refinish the cabinets --- black semi-gloss lacquer. The kitchen now looks like this:

  
That's all for now!

South Padre Island

We have been working for some time to upgrade our condo at Beachview on the island hoping to make it more attractive to renters. It is a two bedroom/two bath unit which is one of 42 in the complex which has a pool and hot tub in the atrium in the middle. Part of the package includes cable TV and WiFi. It is located on Gulf Blvd and across from a beach access point. Two years ago we installed new appliances (stove, microwave, washer/dryer and dishwasher) and now we are moving into the next stage - countertops, backsplash, sink w/spigot and a paint job on the outdated oak cabinets. Working with a kitchen planner at Lowe's in Harlingen, he set up the purchases of materials we identified at the Lowe's back in League City -- it really worked out well.

Wednesday morning we piled into a fully packed car with Beckett snuggled into a comforter on top of two side chairs in the back seat. It was a beautiful day for the eight hour drive through Victoria, Kingsville and Harlingen. After some scampering about yesterday - the sink needed to be changed and the cabinet refinisher couldn't be located - we are back on track with countertop installation scheduled for next Wednesday followed by the backsplash going in after that. Hopefully the cabinets, at least the frames, will be done by then. Perhaps we can relax a bit this weekend ... hit the beach or pool ... eat some shrimp. You know you are getting old when you see a cute bikini clad damsel on the beach and wonder what her grandmother looks like!

Sandfest Rally at Port Aransas, Texas

We left the storage area on Wednesday, April 18th heading south for Port Aransas. It was a beautiful day ... sunny with little wind. The drive  shadows the coast down Texas Route 35 and you pass through Alvin, Bay City and Palacious on the scenic route. Much of the southern part of the 200+ mile trip passes through coastal wetlands which are teeming with birds and small critters. The interesting portion of the trip includes a free ferry ride across the intercoastal waterway at Port Aransas. It is a fascinating experience watching the very capable crew that directs you onto and off the ferry. It is doubly awsome that they easily deal with a 41' motorhome towing a car which adds about twenty more feet! We joined our rally group of ten rigs at the Pioneer RV Resort, a very large and well equipped, destination on Mustang Island which is near Corpus Christi.

We spent Wednesday traveling and getting set up on the campground. Several other rigs came in early and we all went out to Kiko's for  a seafood dinner and returned for some games, TV, etc. Thursday was the arrival day for the rest of our group and some spent the day visiting the Sandfest site as they prepared for the construction of the sand sculpures that the fest is famous for. You can visit their web site at: http://www.texassandfest.com/. That evening, after a social hour,  we grilled our meat of choice and brought other "stuff" to share; fellowship and games followed.

Friday was the beginning of the "fest" ... the sculpurers began their tasks which are timed - they have two days to complete their project whether it is a solo or dual effort. Sadly, we had some storms that evening and much of their efforts were damaged by the wind and rain; but, they were back at it bright and early on Saturday. The pictures you see below were taken on Saturday afternoon and show some of the exhibits partially completed.They should post the 2012 winners on the web site at some future date. An estimated crowd of 100,000 folks attend the fest each year.

                                                                             
AND THEN ......... on Saturday night, after a very yummy shrimp boil (shrimp, potatoes, sausage and corn on the cob) prepared by our hosts, we had BIKINI CONTEST! Here are the very shapely and sexy contestants:

Under great pressure the judge, whose spouse was in the "lineup". was unable to select a winner and had to designate ALL of the contestants to be winners.

We drove home on Sunday after "Caring and Sharing" ... such a great weekend with some super fellowship and ,of course and as always, very good food.

Easter 2012

Backyard on Easter Day

We're Pregers!

The Happy Crowd

The Beautiful Table

We had a wonderful day ... after all, Easter is a wonderful ... wondrous ... day. Our daughter, Jean and hubby Jim hosted an all day soiree beginning with a breakfast of all of the makins for breakfast tacos .... very yummy! Their daughter, Courtney and her husband, Keith, came over from San Antonio for the weekend and stayed with them. Excitedly, they are expecting their first child in a few months ... much boy/girl speculation ... should know on the 13th of this month. We all went to church and regrouped at their home to celebrate with a scrumptious ham dinner and all of the trimmings. Their son, Trip, and his special squeeze, Casey, plus Courtney's college chum, Catherine and her fiance, Ryan, joined us.

KLS-S Rally - Columbus, TX

We are back home again ... the rally in Columbus was really great with twelve rigs in attendance. Thursday night we cooked our favorite meat on the grill and shared whatever each couple brought to the meal -- no one goes hungry at a rally! On Friday we enjoyed a green eggs and ham breakfast prepared by our gracious hosts, spent the rest of the day on our own then got together for a social hour that afternoon. Several former members who are not RVing any longer but live within easy driving distance, stopped by to socialize and join us for dinner that night at Nancy's Seafood Grill. It was great to see Frank Parma, Chick and Arlene Richardson and Glenn and Murial Ostberg. We all missed Laura Parma who now resides in an Alzhiemer's facility. Gene picked up some kind of stomach thingy so he slept a lot during the weekend; but, it gave him an excuse to watch wall-to-wall basketball. Saturday night our hosts outdid themselves with corned beef and cabbage to go with all of the green salads and desserts brought by the rest of us. The meal was topped by a "Last Man Standing" contest about St Patrick's Day facts. Lots of misconceptions about the guy, I can tell you! After Caring and Sharing on Sunday morning we headed for home.




Next month we head for Port Aransas on the Gulf and it is the weekend of the Texas Sand Fest where folks come from all over the world to build fabulous sandscapes. We will take some pics and I have till then to figure out how to get them in this blog.

KLS-S Rally - Columbus, TX

This is our first rally since Maxie passed and our first one in 2012 ... not certain how Beckett will react. He has been so attentive since she went to live in doggie heaven ... you sometimes think he is picking up the slack of her absence; but, that's probably in my imagination. We leave in the morning!

Columbus is only about an hour and a half west of Houston, off the I-10 interstate. It is not a large town ... the campground, Columbus RV Park, is close in and, according to their web site, has a rustic, but urban setting. The theme is Saint Patrick's Day, which has always proven to be a fun time. Some of our former members, who have since stopped RV'ing, plan to attend and join us for dinner on Friday night. It will be great to renew those old friendships.

More when we get there!

Just a Little Dog

Maxine von Schmidt, Maxi, , a little doxie,came into our lives on October 30th, 2001 in Laguna Hills, California. On our first meeting this little black and tan 13 pounder of five years jumped into Gene's lap and was not about to leave it or give it up. His heart melted and she was on her way to Texas. Just getting there proved to be an adventure. Taking off from John Wayne Airport, we lost one of our two engines necessitating a "precautionary" landing at LAX. Hours later we were airborne again and heading for Dallas. Being really late in the evening, the American Airlines terminal was closed; but, they put us up in a nearby hotel without our baggage (her food and leash were in it). God love her ... she had gone all day without a potty break! Gene's belt served as a leash and room service provided the food (Donna had never had room service although we shared the bun and fries while Maxie ate the hot dog). The next day, after several false starts, we flew to Hobby Airport and her home for the next ten years.

What a love she has been! She took to our trips in the motor home like a champ ... start the engine and she is in her chair and ready to GO. In December of 2005 we adopted Beckett, the Love Bug, a 15 pound red doxie, and survivor of Hurricane Katrine. They both bonded well and he quickly adapted to our lifestyle. Actually, they were like two peas in a pod; but, in reality she had him completely buffeloed .... I mean one glance from her and he backed off. He too travelled well.

Last May we noted she was having problems ... slower gait ... sight was failing ... sleeping a lot ... the diagnoses was conjestive heart failure. With the help of meds and extra care she appeared to be getting through the days. However,on the 13th of January she developed a cough that would not be calmed with medicine. As Gene picked her up to take her outside, she collapsed in the grass. An hour later while curled up in Gene's arms she breathed her last and with a sigh passed out of our lives but not out of our hearts. Her cremated remains rest on our mantle in a lovely rose box as a gentle reminder of her presence and love.

We recently read the little commentary repeated below that sums it all up ...

What Dogs Do For Us

Get us outside on beautiful days

Warm up out beds on cold nights

Make our hearts more vigorous

Make us smile

Help us live a little longer

Treat us like celebreties when we come home

Teach us the meaning of unconditional love

We know that she is curled up on Gene's mother's lap in the great beyond and both are grinning from ear to ear. We will see them one day; but, till then we'll have to muddle through. She was just a little dog, but oh my goodness, what a blessing!