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 

Bay View RV Resort, Rockport, Texas – December 16-22, 2013

Next week is Christmas—already! Where has the year gone?

We've certainly enjoyed our time away from the snow and cold currently hitting the North country (Minnesota specifically), although it has been quite cool during the night hours, getting down to the upper 30s and low 40s. The sun is very intense here, even though the temperatures may not reach higher than the mid-60s. Temperatures started in the high 30s Monday morning, but by Friday the morning temperature was in the mid-60s. Go figure!

A few weeks ago by chance we met a couple while having breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants here, Carolyn's Turtle Bay Café, and over the weeks since we've stayed in touch. Polly belongs to a  women's organization that provides over 300 Christmas gifts for underprivileged children in Aransas Pass, Texas, just 15 miles from us. So on Monday I spent a couple of hours wrapping gifts and meeting Polly's friends Nancy and Linda. Then, on Wednesday Dick and I were invited back to a cookie exchange at the same home, where all the gifts were being dropped off, and cookies were being packaged for the children. Any cookies left would be shared among the participants. (I did not participate in this cookie exchange, as we were having one in our park on Thursday.)

Tuesday brought a day of beautiful sunshine and temperatures in the mid-60s.  It was nice enough to sit outside and introduce friends Karen and Steve (from Wisconsin), and Bob and Sharon (from Missouri) to our favorite game—Pegs and Jokers! We spent a couple of hours outdoors at the picnic table, and by the end of the afternoon men and women were tied: 1:1. Such fun—and I know they want to play again!  Whoohoo!

As I mentioned earlier, Dick and I spent time at the cookie exchange in Aransas Pass on Wednesday morning, where we met and spent most of our time talking with Phil and Pam (from Rockport), and Paul and Betty (also RVers, but who own homes in Texas, and one on a lake outside Sacramento, California). What a fun time! The day was beautiful, with temperatures in the low 70s and plenty of sunshine. The home has a covered outdoor patio out back that opens up onto a waterway, so guests mingled inside and out. Mimosas were served out on the patio. I'm guesstimating that there were close to 75 people there. Four specialty cakes were raffled off, too, so there was quite a bit of action. This home is situated on a waterway in Aransas Pass, and I thought you'd enjoy seeing photos of the home, as well as the happenings there.

Back of home with covered patio.

Walkway from covered patio to waterway.

Fish and partridge hanging in the family room.

Sailfish hanging above the patio doors.

The "cookie table" -- not all the cookies had arrived yet!

The 4 raffled cakes.

Rose, in red shirt, won one of the cakes. Congratulations!

That afternoon I did laundry, but enough of that! It was happy hour at 4 p.m., followed by dinner at the clubhouse that evening, where we were served turkey pot pie with biscuits and mashed potatoes, cranberry jello salad, and fruit cake with a whiskey-butter sauce for dessert. Yum-Yum!

Bay View RV Park cookie exchange ladies.

Thursday afternoon was the cookie exchange here at Bay View so that morning I made "Kris Kringle" cookies, which are really nothing more than chocolate chip cookies but substituting the regular chocolate chips with white chocolate chips, chopped pecans and dried cranberries. (Thought I'd try to make them a bit healthy—ha!) About 14 women participated, so I came home with lots of different kinds.

Walks along Fulton Beach Road bring smiles to our faces, especially when we see egrets, blue herons and the occasional turkey vulture. Even the fog doesn't deter us.

Friday's walk was rather foggy, but we still were able to capture photos of these magnificent creatures. We also saw butterflies and turtles along one of the RV park ponds.

Dick was able to get within about 20' of this turkey vulture.
Quite exciting!

Saturday I decided to make chocolate covered cherries, in keeping with tradition here in our household during Christmas holidays. They were quite a hit with folks during our little neighborhood "happy hour" at Karen and Steve's. Also joining us were Larry and Terry (from Michigan), and Art (from Wisconsin). It was another beautiful afternoon, with sunshine and warm temperatures.

Dick took a motorcycle ride one day this week, and saw this geodesic home. Cool, huh! It wasn't quite completed when we were here last spring.

Pastor Scott Jones asked a question during his message at church on Sunday: "Has Christmas become ordinary?" Have we become so complacent and focused on the materialism of Christmas that we forget what the holiday is really all about? Why did the Almighty Creator of the universe allow himself to be humiliated and experience life as one of us?  It comes down to "grace"—God's serious expression of "love." I know you would enjoy listening to his message, which includes a bit of humor, so please take a few minutes to do so.  http://fbcrockport.net/online-sermons/ 

That afternoon we spent time at the clubhouse for the ice cream social, followed by a rousing game of Pegs and Jokers with Bob and Sharon (whom we mentioned earlier), Marty and Steve (from Michigan), and Gary and Pam (from Oregon). The gals against the guys…sorry to say the gals didn't come out on top this time. There's always another day to play!

Wanted to share my Christmas gift with you: "Drew" walking shoes! Now, you're always walking with me, Joe and Michelle!

As we head into Christmas week, we encourage you to remember the real reason for this season—the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who provides eternal salvation to all who trust in Him.

Have a warm, wonderful, blessed Christmas. Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Love,

RJ and Gail

Bay View RV Resort, Rockport, TX – December 9-15, 2013

December is quickly passing, and Christmas is just around the corner. Where has the time gone? We've been here in Texas for a month and a half already!

Winter is still with us, with temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s in the mornings. Most days it reached the low to mid 60s, with the exception of Tuesday when temperatures didn’t get out of the 40s. Brrr! Although chilly, the sun did manage to shine most days, and we didn't have snow!

I received this photo from my brother Rich, who lives in Cloquet, MN, just outside of Duluth. Their first snowfall of the season last week netted them almost 30" of snow. The high temperatures there for the past few days have hovered around zero degrees. They're expecting another 3" today. It's really early for this type of precipitation and low temperatures—they still have another 4 months of snow and cold weather ahead!

One of the big stories this week was about "cold stunned" sea turtles that have been washing ashore these past few weeks in Port Aransas, Texas due to the very cold weather that moved through this area. Dozens of green sea turtles were spotted on the beaches and are recovering at the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (A.R.K.) Rehabilitation Center at the Marine Science Institute.  Drastic drops in temperatures and severe cold causes sea turtles to become immobile. The stunned turtles wash up on shore and will die unless slowly warmed up and returned to the water once the danger has passed. Since the first major cold front on November 25, almost 300 cold-stunned turtles have been documented in Texas. Of those, 244 are now living in the rehabilitation facility where they will stay until spring. 

"The best treatment is to actually warm them gradually," said Dr. Donna Shaver, a turtle expert at the Padre Island National Seashore. Turtles are brought into the National Seashore's facilities, where temperatures are kept in the 60s. After the turtles start moving again, they are transported to the rehabilitation center at the A.R.K. in Port Aransas, Texas for further warming.

Dick has been at the Bay View RV park office, working hard on some of their software programs. He works about 20 hours a week, giving me some free time to do some stuff on my own.

Tuesday I attended the weekly session of "stitch and b…" during which one of the gals in the park did a presentation on essential oils for health. Very interesting. The company is dŏTERRA; more information can be found on their website:  http://www.doterra.com/us/  Essential oils have been used throughout history in many cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. They can be used a single oil at a time or in complex blends depending on user experience and the desired benefit. Essential oils are usually administered by one of three methods: diffused aromatically, applied topically, or taken internally as dietary supplements. They have been shown to be therapeutic in treatment of headaches, muscle aches and pains. They also claim to have calming effects in hyperactivity, and epilepsy. Check out their website for more information, if you're interested.

That afternoon I sat outside and created this centerpiece, made from a pickle jar, candy canes and silk poinsettias, all with the help of a glue gun. Cute, huh… It's setting outside on our picnic table.

Wednesday evening was another dinner at the clubhouse: pasta with meatballs and sauce, salad and garlic bread. Dessert was a rich spice cake with whipped cream. Can't go hungry around here!

Thursday morning my gal friends Marty and Karen, and I, hit the streets of Rockport for some shopping – really for just some girl time. The weather was mild and the sun was shining, although there was a chilly East wind. After hitting a half a dozen stores we had an enjoyable and yummy lunch at "Crazy Rusty’s" in old town Rockport. A wonderful chicken salad sandwich on lightly toasted wheat bread, a cup of beef vegetable soup, a side of chips and fresh fruit was my idea of lunch! The other gals had BLTs, potato salad, chips and fresh fruit. Yummy!

Another top story this week was the Texas-sized gingerbread house, that you may have seen on national news. The world's largest gingerbread house has been erected on Texas A&M Traditions Club grounds, in Bryan, Texas. The 39,201.8 cubic-foot house set a Guinness World Record this year, and is helping raise funds for a local trauma center. It measures 60 feet by 42 feet and its tallest point rises 20.11 feet. Ninety percent of all the raw materials were donated—from lumber and electrical supplies to ingredients—and lots of people volunteered too, including club members, bakers and local folks. They made the exterior of the house entirely with gingerbread and icing, using 1,800 pounds of butter, 7,200 eggs, over 7,200 pounds of flour, 3,000 pounds of brown sugar, 1,080 ounces of ground ginger and a few other ingredients, and 22,304 pieces of candy. The house has everything except indoor plumbing.

Apparently there were challenges building this house outdoors, including high humidity and warm temperatures causing the builders to reduce the amount of butter used in order to make it harden up. To create the record, the club had to make sure they broke the previous record – a 36,600 cubic feet gingerbread structure built inside the Mall of America in Minnesota. They also had to make sure the house was edible. It didn’t have to be eaten to prove it’s real, though as the bees swarming around it were proof enough. (The club had to call in a beekeeper, who spotted a cluster of about 2,000 bees). Oh, and in case you're curious, the total caloric content of the house is a mere 35,823,400.

A gradual warming trend started Saturday, with temps in the mid-50s when we woke up, heading to the mid-60s by afternoon. Lovely day for a walk along Fulton Beach Road, followed by lunch with friends Marty and Steve at Stevie Lew's BBQ, directly across the road from our park. Steve had sausages, Dick had pulled pork, Marty had brisket and I had ribs. YUMMY! Open Thursday through Saturday, it's a family owned enterprise; they feature real Texas pit BBQ. Here's a link to their menu to get your mouths watering. http://www.stevielewsbbq.com/menu.html

That afternoon we watched the annual "Golf Cart Christmas Parade," as they rode through the park. Cute.

Saturday evening we attended the annual Christmas cantata at First Baptist Church of Rockport, with friends Bonnie and Jerry from Sandpoint, Idaho. This year's presentation was "The Jesus Gift," arranged by Tom Fettke. We videotaped portions of it, and thought you'd enjoy hearing this selection, sung by Eric Scott, the praise and worship ministries pastor, entitled "Pretty Little Baby Child."  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsLWu437bd4&feature=youtube

Stained glass in the church

Sunday's church services were the cantata again, so we decided to stay around home and enjoyed the day. The day was sunny, but cool—reaching just 56 degrees and sunny. The sun in Texas is intense, so even if the thermometer doesn’t register warm temperatures, the sun is hot. Great day to be outdoors! We walked along Fulton Beach Road, watching birds and enjoying the sound of the water lapping against the shore. I'm sure I've said it before—we love it here! Here are some photos taken this week. Enjoy!

Blue Herons

Dinner time!

Ducks in our pond

Beautiful egrets

Pelican

Pin oaks along our walk, growing "with" the wind.

Sea eagle, with a wingspan of over 5 1/2 feet.

Thanks for continuing to stick with us. Although we may be far away from you, you're close to us in our hearts.

Hugs,

RJ and Gail