Monday, January 20th, 2025

Time keeps on slippin into the future…… (Fly Like an Eagle by the Steve Miller Band), this song is what I woke up to in my head and I thought it appropriate considering time has slipped since the last time I posted. Time truly does slip away faster than you realise. When we first arrived here back in late October we had 5 months to look forward to, warm weather , sunshine, exploring the area, going to South Padre Island and heading into Mexico. Well, with a little over two months left, we have not accomplished much on our list. The fact that for the past couple of weeks the weather has not been great does factor into this, plus we had Christmas holidays added in there.

It’s not like we aren’t busy, in fact it would seem that we are too busy, at least I am. Since my last post, I helped prepare lunch for 50 people by making two types of pasta salads and baking 100 chocolate chip cookies, which I received many compliments for. Just last Friday night we had our second dance, which means that the tickets had to be designed, printed and sold. There are only two of us on the dance committee and the first committee member is away in California for over two weeks. This leaves me and with another dance coming up on January 31st, I am in charge again. I also call Bingo every Saturday and for the past two Saturdays the numbers have easily tripled from when we started. This actually makes me very happy to see so many people come out, although I am not sure if it’s because of my bingo calling skills or if it’s the size of the ever growing jackpot! 

The cold, damp weather has put a damper on things as well. It’s hard to go out exploring on our bikes when it’s drizzling and windy. It also keeps us from playing shuffleboard or swimming and has kept me from painting the mural I am working on. We have had only two warm days since around January 7th and we are now heading into some of the coldest weather yet. ………………. to be continued (I am off to help the rec director prepare for our chili cook off tomorrow night)

The chili cook off has 10 participants making their best chili with 50 people deciding on which one is the best. The top three will be awarded cash prizes and the 1st place winner will also receive a certificate! The park provided all competitors with two pounds of ground beef each and we have to provide the remaining ingredients. I decided to try a new recipe so on SundayI made a test batch to ensure it would be good enough to enter the competition and both Geoff and I thought it was good enough. Today after helping at the rec hall, I came home and cooked the batch for the competition. Wish me luck. 🍀 

Wednesday, January 8th, 2025

Well another busy week has come and gone and so has the nice weather. On Sunday it was hot and sunny, we were in shorts and sandals and even swimming in the pool. Today it will be lucky if it reaches 9 degrees and currently it feels like -1 with the wind chill. Of course this is still not as cold as the weather back home, -20 with a wind chill making it feel like-24. Today will likely be the coolest day we will have and then we will be back into double digits. 

As I mentioned earlier, this past week has been very busy. Thursday we went golfing again but only played 9 holes. The course was pretty flat and open and was not nearly as nice as the last one we played. I have attached a couple of pictures. The last one is of a miniature schnauzer named Penny who was enjoying a day out on the course with her owners. They just happened to be fellow Canadians as well.

After enjoying our morning of golf, Geoff and I prepared for our small dinner party we had planned for that evening. We had two couples over for dinner, and I made green curry pork tenderloin with Basmati rice. For dessert we had a lemon blueberry dump cake. I thought the main course was delicious but was not crazy about dessert. Our friends however enjoyed everything. This was the first time that we have had six people together in our coach and surprisingly enough we did not feel cramped at all. I am happy that I can still entertain like we did when we had our house!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday I managed to get some painting done on the mural. I can usually spend a couple of hours at a time working on it before my hands get too sore. Arthritis is not fun and neither is the carpal tunnel that bothers me in both of my wrists. They are a huge problem at night when trying to sleep as I wake up in pain constantly. Another good thing about being retired is if you don’t sleep good you at least can stay in bed as long as you want and not have to get up at the crack of dawn to head into work. 

Yesterday, for our friend Sue’s birthday, we went to a place called Top Golf. It is three levels high, and you book a private hitting booth that will accommodate up to six people. It comes equipped with clubs, or you can bring your own, a system that lets you pick what type of game you want to play and balls that keep track of your score. Each player hits 5 balls out into a large playing area that has targets set up at various distances. We were there for two hours and managed to play three separate games. There were five in our party including myself, Geoff, Sue, Al and Al’s sister Tracy. Thankfully the booths were heated as it was quite cool out yesterday and even with the heaters, long pants and sweaters we were still all a bit chilly. We agreed that we would like to come back again but not until the weather was better. After golf, we went out for Chinese food at PF Chang’s. It was a great dinner and day enjoyed by everyone. Happy Birthday Sue! 🎂😘🥳

Wednesday, January 1st, 2025

It is hard to believe that  2024 has already come to an end and what a year it has been. 2024 was full of major life changes for Geoff and I. It all started with a dream back in April, a little idea that I mentioned to Geoff and today we are Living that Dream. From selling our house, quitting our jobs (better known as retiring), selling almost all of our possessions, buying a motorhome and then hitting the road! We traveled west, as far as the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, spent a month in Medicine Hat, a city now near and dear to our hearts, then headed south. We enjoyed the majestic beauty of Montana, travelled through snow and miles and miles of farmland in Wyoming, spent some time in Colorado where we once again enjoyed the Rockies. From there we saw just a small part of New Mexico with endless ranches and found ourselves in the huge state of Texas! 

Texas, boy do they know how to ring in the New Year! We heard so many fireworks last night. They started as soon as the sun went down. We were surrounded by them, going off in every direction, literally nonstop. Then at midnight they started going off in earnest, like they couldn’t get them fired off quickly enough. We had already gone to bed, I had the air conditioner running in the bedroom, as well as the sound of crickets playing from my Calm app and we could still hear them. Thankfully the girls were not bothered by the noise. They also had fireworks on Christmas Eve (and every night since), and they easily lasted until at least 2:00 in the morning. I am not sure how long they lasted after the midnight outburst as I fell asleep shortly after. Let’s hope they are done with them now for a while! 😳

Last night we enjoyed a fried chicken dinner at the rec hall with 90 other people. Our cook Janell spent many hours preparing this meal and did a great job! Geoff and I then came home , took the girls for a walk then enjoyed a long overdue video chat with my sister Louise and her husband Brian. It was so good to actually see them both and just talk. They leave on Sunday for a two month holiday to Thailand then Vietnam. They will be doing a lot of golfing and relaxing and it is well deserved! I wish them a wonderful holiday! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Speaking of golfing, we will be heading out again tomorrow, to a different course, but this time only playing 9 holes. We are having two other couples over for dinner as well, so we need time to prepare dinner and clean the coach. 

Below are a couple of pictures of our golf clubs and a picture of us and our friends enjoying a swim in our pool. The weather has been perfect here as of late with the coolest day being today at 21 degrees and overcast. 

Thank you everyone for following my blog. I hope you have been enjoying it and I look forward to sharing our adventures in 2025. Wishing you all a healthy, safe and Happy New Year!

Friday, December 27, 2024

Well Christmas has come and gone for another year. It really is different down here with no snow and temperatures in the mid to high twenties. Being so far away from your family and closest friends also has an impact on one’s sense of Christmas. I am not saying it’s a bad thing, it’s just different.

The morning of Christmas eve, I made monkey buns for ourselves and a few friends (Sue, Al, Janell and Steve) and enjoyed it with mimosas. It was a beautiful morning so we did get to enjoy it outside. 

Christmas Eve we had another parade around the park with golf carts and bikes decorated with lights, and other Christmas items. Everyone also had the opportunity to wear hats or antlers provided by our activities director, Karla. We had a really good turnout this time and everyone enjoyed themselves, including those who came out to watch us drive by their site. We spent the remainder of the evening playing Yahtzee with our friends Sue and Al and enjoying each other’s company. 

Christmas morning was very busy. Dinner was scheduled for 1:00 pm with 123 people. Besides having to prepare our own side dish, I also assisted Janell in the kitchen with making the gravy. Our side dish was mashed turnip and carrots with butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. Geoff said that no one would like it but by the time I got to serve myself dinner there was barely any left. Geoff and I had volunteered to help serve the meal which means the volunteers always eat last. Dinner was a huge success and there was lots of food. We had six turkeys and three hams, which were carved on Monday afternoon. There was 25 pounds of mashed potatoes, two large trays of stuffing and a very large pot of gravy. Everyone who attended dinner also brought a side dish, dinner rolls or a dessert. No one left the hall hungry! The rest of the day was spent trying not to fall asleep from eating so much. Then that evening we played cards and 18 people came out to play Hand and Foot.

Yesterday, December 26th, Boxing Day, we got to try out our new clubs at the Champion Lakes Golf Course. It is a par 72 championship course with 14 man-made lakes, spectacular views and has held some of the biggest tournaments in the area including LPGA’s Futures Tour. We enjoyed a wonderful day of golf, the weather was absolutely spectacular and so was the course. The wildlife was in abundance as well from herons and egrets to otters and various other birds including an osprey. Considering the course is a public course it was in beautiful shape and the price was very reasonable at $42 a person which included a cart. By the end of our round the sun was starting to set and I managed to capture a few pictures, one of which I will add to my collection of sunset pictures.

Finally, I have started painting the mural and the last picture attached is of the clown fish I have completed. At this rate I may not get this done before we have to leave 😳😉.

Sunday, December 22nd, 2024

There is nothing that wakes you up and gets you out of bed faster than the sound of a dog getting sick. Geoff and I were both fast asleep when we heard Whiskey. Geoff got up to clean up where she was sick but there was not much there. While on our walk yesterday she managed to grab something plastic off the road by the garbage bins, and as hard as I tried to get it out of her mouth, she wasn’t giving it up. I managed to grab a small piece of it from the outside of her teeth but when I tried to get more she locked her teeth together and there was no way I could pry her mouth open. So the plastic must still be in her stomach despite her best efforts this morning (and mine yesterday) to get rid of it. 

Our trip down the Rio Grande or the Rio Bravo (Del Norte) on Friday was very informative. The river is 1,896 miles or 3,051 km and is the 4th longest river in the US and North America. It originates in Colorado and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The average depth of the river is a mere 59’.

Our tour brought us to the Anzalduas damn, which is manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by two staff at all times. One is from Mexico and the other one is from the US. The picture below is of the damn.

All along the Mexican border there were private parks that people could rent for parties. Some of the places offered boat cruises on the river, while some had swimming pools with lounge chairs that overlooked the river. Most of them had large indoor facilities to hold banquets. Our tour guide made it very clear that none of the large properties that we passed belonged to the cartel. The pictures below are of a few of those properties.

The US side of the river for the most part consisted of undeveloped land or park land. The Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is one of these parks situated along the banks of the river. It is a 2,088 acre refuge and was established for the protection of migratory birds in 1943. Over 397 species of birds have been documented within the park as well as almost half of all the butterfly species in the US. One of our planned trips is to visit the wildlife refuge and tour its many bike trails. I am looking forward to doing that.

While a big part of the US side of the river that we toured was part of the refuge, the other part was an eyesore. An 18 foot high fence made of galvanised steel just a few feet away from the river’s edge. This was a privately funded project at a cost of $420 million dollars , is 3 miles in length and was at the centre of a bitter national debate over border security. This wall was also subject to several law suits. It is currently considered to be functionally useless and could possibly redirect the river in the event of flooding and cause the land it sits on to become part of Mexico, the very country it was designed to keep out. How would that be for a bit of irony? 🤔 

Another interesting part of our tour touched on the number of people trying to sneak into the US from across the river. For a fee the cartel will bring you across the river on a dingy, pick you up on the side of the road and bring you to a “safe” house with about 200 other illegal aliens all for about $15 grand on average. The guys sneaking you in are known as coyotes and if you can’t afford your passage then you are indebted to the cartel and could find yourself a coyote as well or worse. Below is a picture of just a few of the hundreds of dingys that were scattered along the edge of the river as well as the border patrol boats that are constantly patrolling up and down the river.

All in all we enjoyed a great afternoon with some of our new friends from the park. After our cruise we enjoyed a nice lunch outside along with a couple of cold beverages. The specialty at this restaurant is their pork cutlet sandwiches and the cutlet is easily twice the size of the bun. I, unfortunately, did not get a picture of it! But I did get a couple of pictures of the 9 of us together. 

Friday, December 20th, 2024

It’s 6:00 am on Friday morning and I can’t sleep. I have been awake since around 2:00 am. Wednesday night I slept great but last night sleep eluded me. The only good thing about this is that I don’t have to go to work in a couple of hours and if I need to have a nap this afternoon I can! 

On Wednesday evening at about 6:15, just as it was getting dark, a large group of us from here in the park got together on our bikes and gold carts and had a parade in the park. Everyone that participated had decorated their mode of transportation with Christmas lights and decorations. There were about 15 of us and we drove all through the park and most people that did not join the parade sat or stood outside of their homes and cheered us on. What a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit. We plan on having another one on Christmas Eve and yesterday while driving around the park I noticed a few other people decorating their bikes/ golf carts. Here is a picture of us gathered at the start of the parade. 

Thursday was my last day to ring the bells for the Salvation Army and it was quite busy. A lot of people were out doing Christmas shopping and we handed out quite a few candy canes. People were very generous and more into the Christmas spirit than they were last week. The produce guy was back again on Thursday as well and for $5 we bought more green onions, cilantro (2 bunches), bananas and a bag of limes with about 8 large limes in it. It is so nice having fresh produce right here in the park and a lot of people come out to support him. 

Today we are heading outside of the park to go on a river cruise and then have lunch. There will be 9 of us altogether and we are looking forward to it. The restaurant is called the Riverside Club and they offer a one or two hour cruise on the Rio Grande, which is the river that separates Texas and Mexico. I will post some pictures in the next couple of days. 

After our day of golf on Monday and the lack of half decent clubs, Geoff has ordered us new golf clubs and they should be in shortly after Christmas. It would appear that we are going to spend a bit more time golfing now. Merry Christmas to us. 🎄

Another exciting bit of news is the paints for the mural I am doing arrived on Wednesday so I can actually get started on painting it! I am quite excited to get going on it! Of course there will be pictures to follow.

Have a great day everyone and chat soon. 😊☀️

Tuesday, December 17th, 2024

Wow, the days are flying by so fast. I can hardly believe it is just a week away from Christmas. 🎄 Last Thursday I left off by saying that we had a fresh fruit and vegetable truck selling produce here in the park. What a great way to buy produce. He had a fabulous selection and his prices were very reasonable. I purchased 2 avocados, a green apple, a bag of jalapeño peppers, the largest green onions I have ever seen, garlic and a mango, all for $8. Below are a few pictures. He will be coming every Thursday morning! 

After paying produce I had to rush home to shower as I then went to ring the bells at a local Walmart,  for the Salvation Army. I was there with another lady from the park and we volunteered for two hours, which actually ended up being longer because the next couple that were scheduled never showed up and didn’t advise anyone that they weren’t coming. I think that is very inconsiderate and selfish and I hope that they are not scheduled after me this Thursday.

Saturday morning, Geoff and I were up at the crack of dawn, 5:15 am to help Janell with the first of several park breakfasts held at the rec. hall. There was sausage, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, along with juice and coffee. Breakfast started at 7:30 so everything needed to be ready before the first customer arrived. The cost was $8 and everyone that came out said it was delicious. This is the first time that I ever had biscuits and gravy. It is sausage meat and a milk gravy base served over biscuits. We had about 40 people come out. 

Saturday afternoon I was busy with calling Bingo. We had our biggest turn out yet and everyone is really enjoying it. I hope to still get more players out but that likely won’t happen now until after the Christmas break as a lot of residents are heading home for the holidays. Saturday night we played cards, or should I say I played cards while Geoff stayed home to watch the hockey game.

Sunday was a blur, playing shuffleboard, I started drawing out the mural and ordered the paint, cooked dinner then cards. We also slept in after being up so early on Saturday.

Yesterday we went golfing down here for the first time! We went to a public course which was in pretty bad shape but for $33 each which included your cart, I guess you get what you pay for. We also had to rent clubs. We arrived at the first tee and Geoff pulled out his driver and realised that he was given a left handed set when we told the clerk that we needed two right handed sets. He had to go back to the clubhouse and came back empty handed as they didn’t have any other sets. He ended up using my rentals, which were a juniors pitch matched set, three 3 woods, three pitching wedges, a 6 iron and a putter. Geoff essentially used two clubs the whole round. I shared Sue’s clubs and we also shared the golf cart while the boys shared the other one. We did have fun but needless to say we will not go back to that course. We (mostly Geoff) are thinking about getting a couple of sets of clubs so that we can golf a bit more and not have to worry about renting them. Below are some pictures of the course and of Sue and I getting ready to swing. 

Thursday, December 12th, 2024

This morning the skies were clear and the air crisp after the coolest night that we have experienced so far, since arriving here in late October. December and January the weather down here is cooler, with averages between 68 and 71 (highs) and 47/48 (lows). The precipitation is minimal, with about 3 days of rain each month. I will take this over snow and ice any day. It is still warm enough to wear shorts and sandals, but not necessarily warm enough to swim. It’s actually great weather to go biking, golfing, playing pickle ball or shuffleboard. There is no shortage of activities to keep yourself active.

Earlier this week we went to pick up some groceries on our bikes and it was the first time that Sue joined us. We have gone previously with just Al so it was nice to have Sue too. This was the furthest she has been on her bike, and the first time leaving the park on it, and she did a great job. (You may be wondering why I said this. Riding an electric bike is totally different than riding a normal bicycle and it takes some getting used to working the throttle). We all needed to pick up our ingredients for the pot luck dinner that was held on Tuesday night. Sue and Al made baked beans while I made a date square. This was also the first time that we had a pack of stray dogs chase us on our bikes. Geoff was the leader and didn’t see the dogs at all but I watched as they went after Sue right in front of me and then chased Al down the road as he was following me. They didn’t touch any of us but sure tried. On our way back the same thing happened again but this time they ran across a very busy street to get at us. I really thought one or more of them were going to get hit by cars. Coming across a pack like that can be quite intimidating and I am happy that we weren’t walking. It also makes me happy that we are in a gated community that is completely fenced so the dogs can’t get into the park, especially when we walk the girls every night around 8:30 pm.

Today I will be ringing the bells at a local Walmart for the Salvation Army for two hours. It is a perfect day for that, not too hot or too cool. Also today for the first time we will have a man coming into the park who sells fresh produce. He will first drive around the park honking his horn to let everyone know he is here and then will set up a table outside our games room. I look forward to seeing what he will have available. 

Glenda, the woman that I am painting the mural for has approved the final draft that I did so today I will order the paints and then likely start drawing my design on her shed later today or tomorrow. I am actually quite excited about starting this project. It will be the largest painting that I have done so far. She will be leaving soon and will not be back until January 7th so it would be nice to have the mural done before she gets back. I have attached a picture of the draft. The three large blue fish represent the metal fish that she has hanging on the side of her shed, and everything else is what I will be adding. 

The park is really starting to fill in now with new arrivals coming in almost daily. We have been told that every spot is booked so there are still a few to come. Not everyone will be here for Christmas as some are waiting until after the holidays. Speaking of Christmas, people have been decorating their homes more and more. I will take some pics and post them soon!

Monday, December 9th, 2024

Well, I didn’t think it would be possible, but it happened! Since Wednesday of last week I have been quite sick. I either caught something at Walmart when we went shopping for Christmas lights and a wreath, or at Thanksgiving dinner. I think it was a very bad cold but it could have been COVID again. Beware folks as it hit me really hard and was totally unexpected. It started with a sore throat, stuffed nose, body aches, then progressed to a fever, chills, and total congestion. For two nights I sat in the living room in my chair because I was afraid that I would suffocate. I finally remembered around 4:00 in the morning on the second night, that I had brought an inhaler with me. It worked long enough for me to sleep about 3 or so hours. Even today I have a headache and am still congested but definitely through the worst of it. Thankfully one of our newest friends here in the park, Kim, provided me with a Z-pak (a 6 pack of antibiotics), you take two the first day and then one per day for the next four days. I have two more to take and then I am done. The Z-pak blocks any new bacteria from growing allowing your immune system to fight better. She said that everyone keeps a couple of these on hand as they are an inexpensive alternative to antibiotics. They generally go to Progreso, Mexico to purchase them. We have yet to go there but definitely plan to go soon. I should at least buy another pak to replace Kim’s and get a couple for ourselves. Yesterday was my first day out since getting sick and it felt wonderful. I was truly starting to go stir crazy! 

Since I was up for it we played a couple of games of shuffleboard and they were great matches. The women (Sue and I) beat the men (Geoff and Al). We played couples first, and the Mowatts beat the Burkes as well, but the matches were very close. After that we came back to our site to enjoy a drink by the fire, some pulled pork sandwiches and salad, along with a few Christmas treats curtesy of Sue and Al. We all then headed out to play cards. I checked with our group of friends to ensure that they were okay if I stayed to play and they were fine with it. Although I should have stayed home as our team had zero luck and lost by quite a bit. Oh well, there is always the next game to look forward to. 

I have finally managed to take a few pictures of our decorations here outside. These include our bikes as well as Sue and Al’s, along with their decorations. Perhaps tonight I will take a few of some in the park as it is really starting to look like Christmas (minus the cold and snow). 😉

Wednesday, December 4th, 2024

The weather has turned rainy and cool here and will be this way until next week. Even though it’s not sunny I still prefer this to the weather back home. 

On December 1st Geoff pulled out the decorations I brought with us and I decorated the coach. There are my wooden, hand carved decorations that my father made for Geoff and I, the glass snowmen and women that my sister bought for me, and my white ceramic Christmas tree that I made over 30 years ago. Every piece is near and dear to my heart. There is also a tiny decorated tree that is just outside the door beside the motor home. Geoff thought it might be a nice idea to put a wreath on the front of the coach so we went shopping to pick one up and at the same time, I purchased a few sets of coloured lights to complete the overall look. I will take pictures tonight and add them to the blog. Including pictures of our bikes that we decorated with lights and other ornaments. We are getting into the Christmas spirit even though it feels like summer down here!

Last Saturday I called Bingo again, with the attendance increasing a bit more. I hope to get even more people out in the upcoming weeks. Sue has been helping me and doing a great job, and both Geoff and Al have been coming out to support me and play as well. I don’t feel as nervous seeing them there in front of me. 

The park had its first general meeting of the season and quite a few people attended. They covered what was happening in the park for the month of December, brought in a tour promoter to speak about a 9 day bus strip to Nashville in March and discussed the feral cat issue that seems to be a bit of a contentious topic for some. I guess a few people have been feeding the cats again, and this is causing a ruckus, which was addressed by the owner of the park who advised that it is against the state’s regulations, and not just a park policy. He handled it very well and was very diplomatic. The other presenter was from the local blood drive to discuss the need for people to donate their blood due to shortages in the month of December. The park will be having a donor clinic here on December 10th. 

With the weather not being the greatest I have done a few more sketches for the mural that I will be painting. I have done at least three now and think I am finally satisfied with how it looks. Today, I will show it to Glenda, the woman in the park for whom I am doing the mural for and confirm if she is happy with it. The next step will be to order the paint, draw it out on the wall then start painting. I will take a picture of my latest sketch, once she approves it, and post it for you to see.

With this rainy weather I will now have time to work on the park registry and hopefully have it ready by the end of the week. I also have to get the calendar completed for January, as well as make a few signs for some upcoming dinners that are planned including one for Christmas dinner. I really am quite busy, maybe too busy, as I have also volunteered to ring the bells for the Salvation Army’s Christmas campaign. It’s only for two hours at a time, for three weeks, and it’s for a good cause so I really don’t mind. 🎄

Saturday, November 30th, 2024

Today is our anniversary. We were married 23 years ago in the Dominican Republic. We will be going out for dinner tonight with our friends Sue and Al, likely to a steakhouse but we haven’t quite decided yet. There is no shortage of restaurants here in Mission and its surrounding communities. 

Thanksgiving dinner (which was held at 1:00 pm) on Thursday was a great success. There were close to a hundred people in attendance. The woman in charge of the kitchen (Janell) did a wonderful job cooking 6 turkeys, 4 hams, 3 large trays of stuffing and gravy. The rest of the meal was prepared by those of us that attended. There was a sign up sheet set up for a couple of weeks in the rec hall and you could sign up to bring a baked side dish, salad, mashed potatoes, buns, or dessert. There was also a sign up sheet for volunteers to help with serving the food, as well as cleaning up after the dinner.

The turkeys and hams were cooked the day before and Geoff did most of the carving while some of us separated the rest of the meat from the bones. There was one very large tray of white meat, one for the dark meat, as well as one for the ham. Janell then started warming the meat up early on Thursday morning.

Since I spent the better part of the morning assisting Janell, Geoff was in charge of making mashed potatoes. There was an amazing assortment of food and more than enough to satisfy everyone’s appetite. There were a lot of volunteers to help with decorating, setting the tables, tear down, as well as washing and drying dishes. Everything ran smoothly and there were a lot of compliments for Janell and her volunteers. I actually really enjoyed helping out and will sign up for the Christmas dinner too! 

There is a real sense of community here and we have met so many wonderful people. We have been made to feel welcome since the day we arrived and every day that feeling continues to grow. It’s very different than anything I have ever experienced before. Growing up in a neighbourhood you maybe meet a couple of your neighbours but here you get to know so many more. When we go out for walks everyone says hello or waves, or they stop to pet the girls. Geoff and I have chosen to be active members of this community and are happy. The choice was totally up to us on how much we wanted to be involved. 

So we now have a mouse problem. First it was ants, now mice! So far Geoff has trapped 4 of them. He went out yesterday and purchased some steel wool to stuff in any location that he thinks a mouse might be able to squeeze in. Hopefully this will keep them out. Apparently last year they had a feral cat problem but no mice. By the end of last season they trapped all the cats and removed them because people started feeding them. I would prefer cats over mice any day. Cats are not as destructive as mice. I guess one cannot have their cake and eat it too 😳.🐱🐭

People have already started decorating for Christmas. With the weather down here it’s hard to believe it’s going to be Christmas in 4 weeks. The only decorating I have done so far is purchasing a poinsettia and Geoff and I have decorated our bikes. I will be sure to post pictures of them in a day or two. Tomorrow I will decorate inside the coach as well as outside. Below is a picture of the poinsettia I purchased. Talk soon!

Tuesday, November 26th, 2024

I never thought being retired could be this fulfilling or rewarding. Every day brings something different. Today the weather has cooled significantly. Yesterday it was 33 and currently today it is only 16 with an expected high of 23. However, Geoff checked the weather back home and it is cold and snowy and highway 11 is closed due to weather. I will take our weather here any time. 

Thursday of this week is Thanksgiving and we are participating in the lunch scheduled for 1:00 pm. There will be close to 100 people enjoying a meal prepared by some of the residents here. The park is supplying 6 turkeys, a couple of hams as well as the stuffing and the gravy. Everyone else attending will be supplying a dish towards the meal. Geoff and I are contributing 5 pounds of mashed potatoes. I will be helping to decorate the hall on Wednesday morning and with setting things up on Thursday morning, while Geoff will be carving the turkeys later today once they are cooked. I will be sure to take pictures of the hall once everything has been set up. It should be a wonderful day! 

On another note, I have been asked by one of the residents here to paint an outdoor mural for her. She wants an aquatic theme to go with three hand crafted fish she has on the side of her garden shed. I have completed a small painting for her but I am not completely satisfied with it so I will be working on it today. I have attached a few pictures below. One is of her fish and the other is the first draft. I will provide further pictures once I actually start the mural. 

Last Thursday Geoff spent 12 hours smoking two, 8 pound pork shoulders, for a dinner party we had planned for Friday night. We invited a few of our new friends from here in the park and our friend Al’s sister also joined us. She happens to live about 15 minutes from the park. Her name is Tracy (spelled differently than mine), and we both have the same birthday! She is however a few years younger than me. We enjoyed pulled pork, coleslaw, a few cocktails and a “dump” cake for dessert. It was a very enjoyable evening ending with cards in the rec hall. 

Geoff and I, and our friends Sue and Al, have become hooked on shuffleboard. They have three courts here in the park and they are available for us to use whenever we want. There is also a pickle ball court, but we have only played once due to it being either too hot or too windy. We generally play at least two games a day then finish off with a swim in the pool, then happy hour back at our sites. Since we live beside each other, getting together is easy! 

Between all of this we still have our daily chores to do including taking care of our own sites ensuring that the grass is cut and the site is cleared of fallen palm fronds and fallen oranges, cleaning the coach, vacuuming and laundry, taking out the garbage and getting drinking water. We purchase water for 50 cents a gallon (filtered) and refill jugs. I have never drank as much water as I do now and it is the best water I have ever drank. Clear, and crisp and refreshing and it also makes crystal clear ice cubes. 

Well, that is all for today as it is already 9:30 and the girls need to have their walk and I need to start another draft for the mural. I will update you again after Thanksgiving!

Below are pictures of the park pool, shuffleboard courts and pickle ball court.

The next pictures are regarding the mural I will be painting. The here fish and my first draft.

Friday, November 15, 2024

The days seem to be flying by and it’s hard to believe it is already the middle of November. I was awake early this morning, sometime before 5:00 am and decided to get up and read my book. From my vantage point in our living room I was fortunate enough to be able to watch the sun come up as the sky changed from dusky black to a beautiful, almost fluorescent orange. We have been blessed with absolutely perfect weather since we arrived. There are a multitude of birds that welcome the rising sun with their chirps, twills, and songs. To say that I am happy is an understatement. The peacefulness and lack of stress gives one a very different outlook on life and I don’t think I have ever been this happy on a daily basis ever before. Mom and Dad, thank you for encouraging us to step out and supporting us with our decision. I truly understand now why you enjoyed this lifestyle for so long. I cannot thank you enough.

So a few things have happened this week that bear noting. The other morning Geoff and I awoke to a parade of ants on our countertop. Even though we are in a coach, they managed to sniff out the butter we left in the counter, even though it was wrapped in Saran wrap. How they managed to find it is beyond me, but find it they did and by the 100s. After spending the day trying to eradicate them and ensuring that we left nothing else out to attract them, we woke up the next morning only to find them crawling over the counter again. Geoff, this time, managed to find where they were coming in from and put down some ant powder which seems to have solved the problem. We also had our lot sprayed this week, at a cost of $30 with a guarantee that the spray will work for 6 months. Fingers crossed 🤞 that this will keep us free of all crawling insects!

Our other noteworthy news happened while we were playing cards. We play cards in our rec hall, which is where we also have our community dinners. The air conditioner on the roof has been causing a drip in the ceiling in the kitchen for a couple of weeks and on Wednesday night it finally gave out. The ceiling crashed to the floor in the kitchen spewing drywall (or Sheetrock as it is called down here) and wet insulation. It came down with quite a bang and luckily no one was in the kitchen when it happened. It will take some time to repair the damage.

Last night I managed to take a couple of pictures of our park. One is of the pond, a sunset, and our coach with our outside lights and our new outdoor rug. Have a wonderful day everyone! 😘

Thursday, November 14th

Geoff and I have settled into our winter home here quite nicely. We have met so many nice people and it is truly feeling like home. 

We are participating in several activities, especially cards which we play just about every night. On Tuesday night of this week we enjoyed a pot luck dinner in our rec hall and had a great turnout. I made a crockpot full of chilli and received many compliments on it. There was nothing left to bring home, so I guess everyone did enjoy it.

Every Wednesday morning there is a small group of people that go to Border Missions, which is a facility that helps people in need on both sides of the border, Texas and Mexico. I wanted to go and help and went with a very nice couple, Loretta and Bill. The mission receives food donations from local farmers, mostly vegetables, and the volunteers pack grocery bags to be distributed to those in need. There were hundreds of pallets of peppers, hot peppers, limes, varieties of different fruit that I have not seen before as well as hundreds of boxes of bananas. A short prayer was said prior to starting, in Spanish, as most of the volunteers are Hispanic. A good deal of this produce was not in the best of shape. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen as much mould as what I saw on the limes I helped pack or the hot peppers that Bill was handing out. No one is wearing masks and there is no doubt in my mind that some of this mould was being breathed in. We worked for a couple of hours and then everyone stopped to have a break. Coffee and day old donuts were provided. After the break everyone continued packing for about another hour and a half. Unfortunately I will not be going back as the Hispanic women were extremely rude and pushy. I left there with a huge bruise on my arm, as well as a cut from one of the crates, which I was worried would end up being infected from all the mould. You would think they would be grateful for the help but instead they made me feel like I was an intruder instead of a volunteer. When we got back to the park everyone asked how it went and they were not the least bit surprised by my response. I guess they have all volunteered once themselves. I thought it would feel rewarding to help out but I only feel disappointed.

I have volunteered here in the park to keep me busy and am actually looking forward to starting Bingo on Saturday. I have helped with updating the calendar for December and it is pretty full with activities. This park offers so much that I think it’s going to be difficult to decide what to do. You really can do as much as you want or you don’t have to participate in anything. The choice is totally up to you. I wanted to jump in with both feet and I now have a very busy plate! Once I finish this blog I am off to another meeting for the dance committee. 

As such, I have not had a lot of time to take pictures but have attached a few for you. One is the view from our dining table, another is of the plants I purchased while shopping with our friends Sue and Al, and the last one is the sign I made for our upcoming Taco night! 

We have now been here in Southern Texas, at our winter home since October 26th, 2024 and I can honestly say it has been wonderful! The days seem to fly by and I can’t believe we have been here for over two weeks already. It didn’t take us long to settle in. Everyone here in the park are very welcoming and there is a definite sense of community. 

The weather has been exceptional, if not a little warm, but after spending my entire life thus far in Northern Ontario, I for one am not complaining. I now completely understand why my parents enjoyed doing this every year for 10 years, until they could no longer handle the drive. I would recommend this to anyone. The sound of the birds, especially in the mornings, the warmth of the sun on your face, the palms trees swaying in the breeze, and the ability to go out and pick fresh grapefruits are just a few of the things that make being here so special. 

The park itself is not large, and is comprised of both park model homes and RVs. There are residents that live here all year and the rest are known as winter Texans (which we are happy to be a part of). There is a pool, pickle ball court, shuffle boards, pool table, poker table, craft room, workshop, a pond with fish and a boat, a dog run, and a rec hall. There are endless activities available for everyone or you can just do your own thing. 

Geoff and I have started playing cards with some of the other residents, we have enjoyed a burger night, gone out for breakfast with a large group from the park, spent time at the pool and a bit of exploring outside the park on our bikes. I have volunteered my services at the park office to assist with the monthly calendar, park registry, making signs and posters for the various events, assisting with bingo, and signed up to be on the dance committee. Being involved in the park was something I wanted to do but it wasn’t mandatory. That is one of the great things about the parks, you can be as involved as you want or you can do your own thing, the choice is totally up to you.

About a week into our arriving, our friends Sue and Al arrived. Until yesterday, they were several rows away from us on a rather small site, especially for the size of their fifth-wheel, but yesterday they moved next door, onto a much larger site. This makes for a much shorter commute for our daily happy hour! 😁 We have been able to go shopping with them, play cards, hang out at the pool and share a few dinners. They have also joined the nightly game of hand and foot (card game) at the rec hall. Our largest turn out so far has been 14 players. Since it was Geoff’s birthday yesterday, Sue and Al bought him a cake which we shared with our fellow card players, although Geoff bailed on cards to watch hockey, which he does far too often! Just sayin’ 😉

With all of the volunteering that I am doing, as well as the daily activities, the day to day jobs like laundry, cleaning, walking the girls, grocery shopping etc, I have not had a lot of opportunity to blog or to take pictures so I shall endeavour to make sure that I do so more often. The one picture I do have is of the grapefruit available here in the park that we enjoy on a regular basis.