Bayview RV Resort, Rockport, Texas – December 2 – 8, 2013

Another week in paradise—albeit a very chilly paradise…and, a busy one, too

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The ladies in the park decided to take a shopping trip to Corpus Christi. So…10 of us piled into a 12-passenger rental van and 4 into a separate vehicle at about 9 a.m. Monday morning and headed on down the road to spend the day at the La Palmera Mall on South Padre Island Drive (known here as SPID). We hit every store in the mall (including  the big stores like Macy's, JC Penney, Dillard's, Bealls, and the smaller Bath and Body Works, Bourbon Street Candy, and Victoria's Secret, to name a few) , then headed to Olive Garden for a late lunch. (RJ is still wondering what Victoria's Secret really is…ha!)

L to R: Alice, Connie, Karen, Robin and (the other) Robin's hands.

L to R: Libby, Katherine, Marge and Bonnie

Bonnie took this photo; 4 of the gals chose to eat elsewhere,
so we don't have photos of them. (That's me at the end.)

Afterwards we hit Hobby Lobby where we cashed in on Christmas decorations at 50% off. Score! Our next shopping expedition will probably be in January. Come along!

I must say that while I was gone, my house husband vacuumed and washed the floors. Again, I say “score!” (Thanks, Honey.)

While the temps cooperated, I took advantage of the weather to make and hang a wreath from the front of our camper. Festive! 

Temperatures at the start of the week were in the low 60 to mid-70s…perfect for being outdoors. We definitely took advantage of the sunny weather, knowing that we'd be in for much colder temperatures at the end of the week. It's such a pleasure to walk along the water. We love it.

Blue Heron

Notice the Heron.

During our walk we saw the guys from Texas DNR launch
their craft, to go out to serve and protect. Go Guys!

Is it a bird? or a plane? Nope--it's a helicopter transporting
folks to and from the oil rigs in the Gulf. They take off
from the Aransas County Airport, just about 1 mile from us.

 Tuesday morning brought another session of "stitch and b…"—this time with an added feature:  knitting and crochet lessons. There were quite a few who wanted to learn; those of us who already knew how to do either helped those who didn't know how, or who wanted refresher help. It was a fun hour and a half, with a lot of new ladies. Hope they continue to come back.

Later that day neighbors Karen and Steve from Wisconsin came over for an impromptu happy hour. As we were outside chatting, friends Robin and Bruce from Ohio stopped by to show off their new golf cart. Pretty snazzy even without the windshield and rear view mirrors that are on order. Robin said it gets a bit "breezy" without a windshield...!" Ha!

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Dick's been working away on computer issues here in the park, both at the office and at others' campers, since he's known around here as the "computer doctor." Keeps him pretty busy, and he loves doing what he does.

Wednesday brought Bob and Sharon from St. Louis into the park, settling in directly across from us. What characters! We’ll be sharing more than a few laughs with them during their stay, which he said would either be one week, or until March, depending on how they get along with the neighbors. Ha! That evening we all headed to the clubhouse around 4 for yet another happy hour, followed by dinner. This week it was hamburgers with all the fixin's, coleslaw, and brownies for dessert. Yum!

By Thursday a cold front from the north threatened, dropping temperatures from the mid-70s to the high 40s in just a few short hours. Brrr! Plus, it was really windy, too, making it feel even colder. I spent about 3 hours at the clubhouse that morning, with some of the ladies in the park, decorating for Christmas. We hung lights and wreaths, put up and decorated the Christmas tree, freshened the centerpieces, etc.  All the while Christmas music was playing, making it a most festive time.

This tree, located in the park office, was
decorated by the kids in the park (many who live
here year-round) with ornaments they made.

By Friday morning the temperatures had dipped to the very low 40s, with the high for the day at 45. We decided to have breakfast at Whataburger (sausage, egg and cheese on a bun), then hit Family Dollar Store (a few Christmas decorations), and WalMart (groceries and candy canes). It was so cold and windy! We decided to call it a day and head home to the cozy warmth of our camper. We did head out for happy hour at 4 p.m.—just an opportunity to catch up with folks in the park. Due to the weather it was light on attendance, but fun none-the-less.

We awoke to 36 degrees at 7 a.m. Saturday morning.  Brr! Good day to stay indoors to watch football and knit! That evening I made Coq au Vin for dinner, which Dick reminded me that I hadn't made for a long time. (It's in the cookbook, ladies!) Good stuff, Maynard!

Sunday, with temperatures in the low 30s again, we attended church at First Baptist Church of Rockport. This day Pastor Scott spoke on the passage from Luke 3:1-18 on preparing our hearts for the coming of the Lord, based on John the Baptist's ministries. Excellent message! You can hear it here at: http://fbcrockport.net/online-sermons/

That afternoon we braved the cold and headed out to see "Hunger Games2: Catching Fire." See the trailer here at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1541646617. We highly recommend this film and are anxious for Hunger Games 3!

We returned home to sadly watch the Seattle Seahawk succumb to San Francisco Giants, and the Minnesota Vikings give in to the Baltimore Ravens. (Sigh…) Oh, and Dick reminded me that the Ohio Buckeyes lost to Michigan State. Not a good day for our football teams, but a good night for good ol' soup and sandwich, and staying in.

There's supposed to be a slight warming trend—for one day—on Monday, with temperatures in the low to mid-50s. Then another cold snap is due to hit us for a few days. We are tired of this cold weather, but thankful we're not getting hit with below freezing temperatures, snow and ice.

We send hugs and warmth to you. Let us know how you're coping with the winter weather in your area.

Love,

RJ and Gail