Bay View RV Resort, Rockport, Texas - January 6-12, 2013

Winter has not yet left the Coastal Bend of Texas! Temperatures dropped to the low to mid-30s the first part of the week. The following photos were taken Tuesday morning, when we had "solid water" falling for a few minutes. The wind was blowing, too. Brrrr! We are so ready for warmer temperatures and sunshine! Thankfully it warm to the 50s by later in the day, but we could sure use consistently warm temps!

The clubhouse was stripped of all the Christmas decorations on Monday, and lunch was provided for those of us who participated. So many strands of lights! It looks so bare now. We also took the opportunity to clean out and organize the clubhouse activities office. Tuesday morning I attended the weekly session of "stitch and b..."; that afternoon we trekked to the clubhouse along with Bob and Sharon, Gary and Pam, and Steve and Marty to play yet another few games of Pegs and Jokers. (These were the final games for Gary and Pam, as they were leaving Rockport Wednesday morning, heading to Harlingen, Texas for a couple of days, and then on to Tucson.) Standings: women 16: men 6. Woot-woot! Afterwards we all headed to Panjo Pizza in Rockport for dinner. What fun, and what a fun group of people! We will certainly miss Gary and Pam, and hope to see them again down the road.

Dick spent quite a bit of time working on the resort software issues this week. He's making great progress, and more requests keep mounting up.

Pegs and Jokers seems to be the game of the moment. We played again with Bob and Sharon on Wednesday afternoon, this time adding friend Robin (from Ohio) to the mix. Since we were unevenly matched, we all played for ourselves. (Drum roll please...) I won! We stayed for happy hour and a great dinner of scalloped potatoes and ham followed by cherry crisp and ice cream. Yum-yum!

Thursday we woke to 63 degrees and fog. It stayed that way pretty much the entire day, but we did walk along Fulton Beach Road--so quiet and peaceful.

Blue heron and egret on one of the private piers.

Summer for us Winter Texans finally arrived on Friday, continuing through Saturday. Temperatures ranged from the mid-60s to the low 80s over both days, with sunshine and light breezes. Ahhhh... It's much more pleasant to walk along the water when it's warm with light wind.

We noticed this buzzard on one of our walks this week.

This egret wasn't too happy we interrupted
its fishing expedition in one of the lagoons!

Blue Heron in field near the
Fulton Beach Road where we walk.

One of our RV park friends, Carol (from Minnesota) takes advantage of the beautiful weather to kayak along the waterfront on Fulton Beach Road, while her husband Bob waits patiently at their truck for her return.

We took advantage of the weather on Saturday with, at long last, a motorcycle ride to Lamar Texas, just across the Copano Bay Bridge. We stopped at two old churches, dating back to the Civil War.

The first church is the Schoenstatt Chapel, located along Copano Bay. This small Catholic shrine is an exact replica of the original shrine in Schoenstatt, Germany, which is the center and "power station" of a Catholic religious movement of renewal. The shrine is located on a tree-shrouded hill overlooking the bay, and offers pilgrims a quiet spot in which to pray, meditate, and reflect. Schoenstatt, when translated from German, means beautiful place, and indeed it is.
*Taken in part from http://schoenstatt-texas.org/

The Schoenstatt Chapel,
exterior and interior. It's so small, only
6 pews on either side.

These 2 photos were taken on the grounds of
the Schoenstatt Chapel. Beautiful!

The second is also a Catholic church, the Stella Maris, or "Our Lady of the Sea." Now located next to the old Lamar Cemetery, it is the first recorded church in Aransas County, Texas, and is reported to be the oldest building still in existence here. The original building was located on the Schoenstatt property in Lamar, and moved to its present location in 1986. Seth Ballou, recognized as the earliest settler of Lamar, spearheaded the construction of the church with the help of his slave, Moses Ballou, and many Lamar settlers. It is interesting to note that the exterior of the chapel was made of shellcrete, a cement of burned shell ashes, sand, crushed shells and water. Twice during the Civil War the Union Navy shelled Stella Maris from Aransas Bay but the chapel received little damage. The Civil War, and the arrival of the railroad to Rockport in the 1870s, slowly sealed the fate of Lamar. By 1915 the post office had closed and then the hurricane of 1919 hit, severely damaging Stella Maris. Major repairs were made, and in 1931 the chapel was rebuilt. The stained glass windows were installed, and cedar shingles replaced the original zinc slate roof. An apartment was added to the back of the building, for the Diocese of Corpus Christi to use for recreation and as a retreat center. From the 1950s until it was moved in 1986, the Schoenstatt Sisters were the caretakers of the chapel. In 2005 the chapel became the property of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, and it is currently being used as a parish church for the Lamar community. Unfortunately the church was locked so we were unable to see inside. The grounds were beautifully kept.

Then, we headed to Goose Island State Park to get information on the park, its fees, and birding schedules. There are tons of birds native to this area, as well as birds that migrate here for the winter, such as the whooping cranes that travel thousands of miles every year from the wetlands of Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada to the Coastal Bend of Texas. At nearly 5 feet tall, whooping cranes are the tallest birds in North America. They have a wingspan of 7 1/2 feet. It's difficult to see in this photo, but the cranes are white with rust colored patches on the top and back of their heads. They have yellow eyes and long, black legs and bills. Although their primary wing feathers are black, they're only visible in flight. They're amazing!

Sunday morning we attended First Baptist Church, and were blessed by the ministry of the Nelons, a family and gospel singing group, who were in Rockport for the annual Gospel Fest. From the state of Florida, the Nelons have been together for over three decades, and have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Grammy. Pastor Jones then brought the message from John 3, where Jesus met with Nicodemus, a high ranking Jewish religious leader. Pastor reminded us that, like Nicodemus, just saying we believe doesn't mean we have a saving faith in Jesus. It's one thing to believe that Jesus will save you, but another thing to have your sin forgiven and be transformed and given a new life by the power of God. Good stuff. Here's the link to his sermon for this week:  http://www.sermon.net/fbcrockport

After church we decided to have breakfast at home rather than eat out as we usually do. So after eating we took a walk along Fulton Beach Road before we met friends at the clubhouse for ice cream and yes, another rousing afternoon of Pegs and Jokers. While walking, we noticed almost 40 boats in the bay, lined up. Don't know if there was a fishing contest or if the fish were just biting there!

Then, we introduced Bill and Carol (from Arkansas) to the game, and spent about 4 hours playing, with Bob and Sharon and Steve and Karen. The guys shook us to the roots, by beating the gals 2:0. Good thing we have many days of playing ahead of us, eh, gals! We won't go down without a fight!

Rather than me cooking at that late hour, we decided to get burgers at What-a-burger in downtown Rockport. Yum! Then, home to pack, as I'm heading out tomorrow morning, with about a dozen women from the RV park, to Coushatta, LA for three days at a resort and casino. Should be fun. I'll be bringing along my knitting and a good book in case luck isn't with me...ha! More on the trip next week.

Until then, stay well and strong. We'll be in touch!
Hugs,
RJ and Gail

(Here's one of our little pals that are constantly scurrying around our yard and on our rooftop!)

Bay View RV Resort, Rockport, TX - December 30-January 5, 2013

...The end of the old year, and the beginning of the new...time flies when you're: a) old; b) having fun; c) all of the above...ha!

Temperatures this week were ranging between the high 30s to low 50s in the mornings, to the mid 40s and high 60s during the afternoon. It's certainly different from last year when the temperatures were in the 80s by this time. (I'm losing my tan!) It appears that all across the U.S. folks are experiencing crazy weather patterns, so I guess we should expect nothing different. We all sure could use some warmer temperatures, though!

One of the only flowers we've found here
that is surviving this cold weather.

Tuesday, I attended the weekly "stitch and b..." session, where we welcomed Sheri who dazzled us with her quilting abilities. Although sunny, the temperature was only about 43 degrees.

Small group this week, but there was quilting, beading,
crocheting and knitting going on.

Sheri was working on this quilt, all in black, white and red;
it was large enough to fit a queen-sized bed, and all
quilted by hand. Beautiful!

Later that day, in the rain and drizzle, we helped welcome the new 5th wheel that neighbors Bob and Sharon (from Missouri) purchased a couple of weeks ago, after seeing the spaciousness of ours, and all the storage. They needed more room, too, since they have 2 dogs. They traded in their Toyota pickup and pull-behind trailer for a Palomino Columbus 38' 5th wheel and new Chevy diesel dually. It was quite entertaining to watch as the dealer delivered and parked the trailer. (It could be even more entertaining in the spring when Bob and Sharon load up to leave--Bob has yet to pull a 5th wheel...we're thinking of selling tickets...ha!)

The full-meal deal: new Chevy dually and 5th wheel.

Neighbor, Art (from Wisconsin), showed up in his golf cart to offer assistance.

There was a New Year's Eve party in the clubhouse that evening, complete with DJ.  Dick and I decided to stay in to celebrate by ourselves and get to bed at a reasonable hour, figuring that 2014 would come in with or without us partying. It did...and we slept real well!

New Year's Day welcomed us with 48 degrees and sunshine. About 2 p.m. we played Pegs and Jokers with Bob and Sharon until happy hour at 4 p.m., followed by a dinner of pulled pork sandwiches, black-eyed pea/green bean salad and cole slaw. Gary and Pam (from Oregon) came for dinner so we all decided to play another couple of games of Pegs and Jokers. Oh, the tally was 11:3 -- gals over the guys. Woot-woot!

By Friday the temperatures dropped to the mid-30s, which is unusually cold for here. We were experiencing cold north winds, too, which didn't help. Saturday promised to be warmer, with temperatures in the low 70s. Oh, how we'd love to have more of that!

I came down with a cold this week, so I didn't do my usual walking with Dick, along Fulton Beach Road. He did take some cool photos, though.

Dick calls this one, "Wrong-way Corrigan." Notice the
one seagull facing the "wrong" way.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Corrigan) 

Dick has become the Park's "go-to" guy for all things computer related, so he spent quite a bit of time working on computers for other campers, besides working on the Park's system in the office. He also diagnosed a problem with an "I-pod to camper sound system" for one of our fellow campers.  Don't think he realized what a big help he'd be when he started this gig!

Saturday I went on a little shopping expedition to downtown Rockport with friends Marty (from Michigan), Karen (from Wisconsin), and Pam (from Oregon). The three of them are quilters, so our first stop was at the "Golden Needle" quilt shop. They have beautiful quilts and quilted apparel for sale, along with fabric of every color and pattern, but the gals didn't find what they were looking for. (Quilting is something I never got into, rather spending my time knitting, crocheting and counted cross stitch.) We stopped in at a local consignment shop, a farm and feed nursery, and a  really cute little shop called "Oh, My," which features beautiful outdoor furniture and patio "paraphernalia." Of course lunch was called for, so we ate in Old Town Rockport at a little place called "Lorraine's Apple Dumpling Deli." They serve homemade soups, salads, homemade breads and muffin and desserts--including apple dumpings, and homemade ice cream! Mmmmmmmm, good! Marty had a curried chicken salad plate; Pam had homemade tomato/basil soup and grilled turkey Reuben sandwich; Karen had turkey on homemade sour dough bread; I had a curried chicken salad sandwich on homemade pumpernickle bread. Again I say, Mmmmmmmmm, good!!! Our day wasn't complete without a stop at the Paradise House, which features apparel, jewelry and decor items from the "islands," and a stop at a local tourist shop in Fulton that sells t-shirts, sandals, beaded jewelry, postcards, etc. Fun day!

That afternoon I received a call from a very dear friend, whom we met a year ago during our travels, and have gotten to know quite well. She shared with me some health issues that she's facing, with treatment taking place during the next couple of months. I ask that you pray for her and her husband, for wisdom for the doctors who will be treating her, and for complete healing. I'll share with you how she's doing as we move forward through the year. Thanks.

Sunday welcomed us with fog and partly sunny skies, destined to turn cold and windy by noon. Brrr! We attended First Baptist Church. Pastor Jones spoke on John 2:12-25, where Jesus rids the Temple of merchants and money-changers, to make room for people to worship. The bottom line is that we need to be concerned with what, in our hearts, keeps us from worshiping God. Here's the link to his sermon, which we again encourage you to listen to:  http://www.sermon.net/fbcrockport

That afternoon, after breakfast at Caroline's Turtle Bay Cafe and the 2 p.m. ice cream social, we played rousing games of Pegs and Jokers with Bob and Sharon, Gary and Pam. Women still rule!  15:5 Woot-woot!

We leave you this week, wishing you health and happiness in 2014 from the Lone Star State.

Stay warm and healthy!

RJ and Gail

Bay View RV Park, Rockport, Texas - December 23-29, 2013

Christmas week 2013– my, how time flies. The hustle and bustle of this holiday season was felt even here in this laid back RV park. The week's festivities included a Christmas Eve get-together with snacks, a gift exchange, and a good old-fashioned Christmas Carol sing, and a very successful Christmas dinner.

Weather was rather chilly for the Christmas celebrations: temps started out in the low 40s Monday and Tuesday, warming to the mid-50s by mid-afternoon. However, the sun was shining, putting everyone in the spirit of the holiday. Karen (from Wisconsin) and I rearranged tables Tuesday morning during the "stitch and b..." session to accommodate the 90 or so people we were expecting for dinner on Christmas Day, seating 8 to a table.

The Christmas Eve get-together started at 7 p.m., with most folks arriving around 6:30. (Seldom is anyone late for meals and parties around here!) Potluck snacks included cheese and meat platters, shrimp cocktail, crackers, chicken wings, a relish tray, and of course, my baked brie with caramelized onions and candied walnuts (recipe available if desired…). I also made a batch of eggnog that was a big hit. (It's quite rich, but oh, so good…maybe the Southern Comfort had something to do with it….hmm…). This was followed by a white elephant (of sorts) gift exchange—with about 60 people attending, this took a while! Then, with Larry and Hap on guitars and me at the piano, we had a good old fashioned Carol sing.  Even though the piano was terribly out of tune, no one seemed to notice or mind. A good time was had by everyone!

Gift  table for the gift exchange

Snack table

Karen and Steve from Wisconsin

Front: Pam and Gary from Oregon, RJ and me, Bob and Sharon from Missouri

Christmas morning, friends Robin (from Ohio) and Sharon (from Missouri) sliced the 8 spiral-cut hams in preparation for Christmas dinner (that's a lot of ham, and boy, was it good!), while I cleaned up the tables from the night before, and did a bit of rearranging. The hams were donated by the Parish family (thank you!) and the remainder of the meal was provided by campers in the park. There was everything from shoe peg corn salad and baked beans to asparagus salad, gelatin salads, green salad, scalloped corn, green bean casseroles, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and rolls. I'm sure I left out something… I made home-made mustard for our table, and that, too, was a big hit.  Oh, then there were the desserts…YUM! Everything was on the dessert table from cakes and pies, to cookies and fresh fruit. (I did chocolate decadence with Kahlua…Mmmmm, good!) There was plenty of food for everyone, and lots of ham left over. (I see scalloped potatoes and ham in our Wednesday night dinner future! Or, maybe bean and ham soup, or maybe…) Dinner was scheduled for 2 p.m., and by 3:30 p.m. everyone had had their fill, and was gone. We made short order of putting the clubhouse back to rights, and by 4 p.m. we were done.

Getting ready for Christmas dinner

Then—we were ready to play Pegs and Jokers! Pam and Gary, Bob and Sharon, and RJ and I played a couple of games before heading home to recuperate from all the festivities. The stats as of that day: women 3 vs. men 1.

We spent the remainder of the week relaxing for the most part, with errands thrown in for good measure, and RJ working on Bay View projects in the office and at home. I started yet another knitting project. We did a bit of walking along Fulton Beach Road, never tiring of seeing egrets, blue herons, pelicans, and everything or anything else. It’s so beautiful…

In Texas, Santa doesn't use reindeer--he uses Longhorns!

One thing we've been anxiously waiting for is the arrival of Bob's and Sharon's new 5^th wheel. They decided to trade in their 4-month old pull-behind and Toyota pickup for a new Palomino-brand 5^th wheel and Chevy dually 1-ton. The issue was how to transfer "stuff" from one to the other, and handle their 2 dogs Shane (yellow lab) and Ferbie (toy poodle) in the meanwhile. It's supposed to be here in the park today…it's now raining and 44 degrees…we'll see how this goes…

Pastor Jones' messages on Sunday mornings are always so insightful and meaningful, always with a bit of humor thrown in. He continued his messages from the book of John in the New Testament; today's was on John 1:1-18—"Who is Jesus," and "Why did Jesus come?" The main theme is that Jesus is "the heart" of the gospel. The pastor also reminded us that what we believe is defined by the life we live and the choices we make. Here's the link to his message; we encourage you to have a listen.  http://www.sermon.net/fbcrockport

Sunday afternoon we decided to attend the ice cream social in the clubhouse, where we met with Bob and Sharon, Pam and Gary, and Karen and Steve. Although Karen and Steve decided to head home to watch Green Bay Packers football, the rest of us spent a couple of hours playing Pegs and Jokers. I say: "Women Rule!" After these 3 games, it's now 5:2 in favor of the women. (Shirl, you'd be so proud of us! Marvin…probably not so much…)

We hope you had a blessed Christmas filled with wonderful memories. We look forward to what 2014 brings, and wish for you a year of health and happiness.

Blessings from these Winter Texans,

RJ and Gail