Our last week in Rockport, March 31 through April 6

Sunday, March 31 – Resurrection Sunday! Hallelujah! He Is Risen! Thank you, God, for giving us this precious gift. We no longer have to fear death and Hell, but we are able to look forward to eternity with you. You’ve given us direct access to you through Jesus. We are new creations in you. Thank you.

Mr. Cardinal sang almost all day, every day, and
sat for us in one of the trees outside our door.

This day began our last week in Rockport, TX. Many of the folks we’ve met and have come to call friends have left or are leaving. The park is so empty and quiet. The last potluck was held in the clubhouse today. Scalloped potatoes and baked ham were provided by RV park, with all sides and desserts brought by the rest of us. Yum! I brought sweet potatoes with butterscotch schnapps and home-made mustard. There were all sorts of salads, vegetable dishes and desserts. There were 60 people expected; we were not disappointed, and we did not go away hungry!

Temperatures all week were in the mid-to high 70s, the perfect weather for being outdoors, riding our bicycles around the park, and relaxing with friends. Morning temps were a bit cool, anywhere from the mid-50s to low-60s—totally tolerable.  Monday we invited Sue and Larry (from Colorado) for hors d’oeuvres; we sat outside most of the afternoon, finally giving in to dinner’s call at about 6 p.m. Larry and Dick discussed ways to either repair, or secure our awning for travel. (Last week I mentioned that the motor for our awning burned out, so it was inoperable.) Sue and I talked about everything else related to travel, food, restaurants and needlework. Totally enjoyable!

Larry came over Tuesday morning to continue the awning discussion. So, while Sue and I went to “Stich and …..” Dick and Larry climbed ladders, talked tools, and attempted to solve the problem. On the advice of our good friend Marvin from Illinois, we decided to roll up the awning and secure it with zip ties until we could get to his RV dealership in Illinois, in late April.

In Rockport there is a wonderful Chinese buffet, so Larry, Sue, Dick and I went for lunch and ate our fill--and then some-- all for about $6.90 per person. (It’s the same restaurant where the ladies from our park went for lunch the previous week.) The guys were impressed!

Defrosting the refrigerator and freezer should have been done a couple of weeks ago. I finally tackled it on Wednesday. Because the unit is so small it doesn’t take long; it’s just a nuisance. While it was defrosting, we rode out bikes around the park on a mission to select a different site for our return next year. We decided on site #514, over in “the Village,” where there should be much less dust and traffic. It’s still within Bayview RV Park, just a different location. We made reservations for November 1, 1013 through the end of April 2014. The site backs up on a large grassy area and a pond, with a cement pad for the trailer and an area for the truck.

That night was the last Wednesday night dinner at the clubhouse: spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, and marbled pound cake with ice cream. Instead of the usual 40-person crowd, there were only about 14 of us there. The last hoorah…sad… These are some of the folks that we've come to know while here at Bayview:

Lynn's husband, Mike.

Lynn from Illinois, the head chef for our wonderful
dinners. Hats off to you, Lynn!

Jim and Connie from Colorado

Bonnie and Jerry from Idaho

Ida and Joe, who live here full time.
Ida works in the office,

 

Marge from Illinois.

Steve and Marty from Michigan.

Thursday dawned sunny and bright, with temps in the mid-50s. By noon it was somewhat warmer so we went for our last ride on the motorcycle before we load it onto the trailer for travel. I wanted to go to the Old Town area of Rockport to do some shopping and before we left Texas I wanted some real Texas barbeque, so on the advice of friends, we headed to Hatfield’s. YUMM-MY!! We sat outside in the sunshine and ate our fill of pulled pork sandwiches, pickles and chips. We shared a table with “Jake,” a 20-something young man from London, now a U.S. citizen and plumbers apprentice. He’s been in the States for a little over 8 years, and has a bit of a Southern Texas accent along with his British. Funny. We revisited Rockport’s aquarium and to support the aquarium, picked up a couple of t-shirts. On the way home we picked up our last bag of Texas grapefruit. It’s so good, and we are so spoiled…did I say it’s so good…we'll miss it when it's gone.

Friday was laundry day and a day of riding our bikes around the park visiting folks and saying our goodbyes to people we had met and who had not yet left, or who live here year-‘round. Some will be continuing their journeys, having just left home, and some will be meandering home. Rebecca and Al from Cottage Grove, Minnesota had extended their stay a month, to Sunday April 7, because of the weather back home. They’ll be back in the fall, as will many others.

   

Caroline’s Turtle Bay Café welcomed us Saturday morning for our last breakfast there...for this year (I will sorely miss her corned beef hash! and Dick, her Texas-sized pancakes!) Sue and Larry, and another new couple to the park, Pat and Debbie from the Seattle area, joined us. A couple of hours later we were filled up and ready to take on the day. Dick washed the exterior of the trailer, and the mat, while I supervised! Ha!

We’ll miss this wonderful weather, even though Texas is experiencing a terrible drought. And, we’ll miss the people we’ve met, who have become like family. Sunday we’ll continue to pack up, and Monday we leave, headed for one night in Beaumont, Texas, then on to Port Gibson, Mississippi, to the Natchez Trace. Adventures await.

Hope this finds you well. To our friends from Bayview, safe travels to you; see you in the fall!  We’ll see you on down the road.

Hugs,

Dick and Gail