Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, Texas – April 6-12, 2015

Our last full week at Bay View was very quiet. Many friends have departed for home, activities have dwindled to just a few, and weather for the most part was cloudy, rainy and humid. Dick continued to work, attempting to finish up projects at the office. I continue to work on orders for baby sweaters with 4 little owls on the front. I’m just finishing up the 2nd for daughter Hollee, and just received 2 more orders from gals here in the park. What a “hoot!” Ha! They’re so cute and work up quickly, but I’m looking forward to working on something else…

Monday we had happy hour with friends Bonnie and Jerry at their site. They’ve developed a lovely “green scape” around their motorhome with plants and trees, decorating their back fence with lovely blue bottles and other accessories. We were entertained by little geckos climbing on the fence and propane heater.



Tuesday’s “Stitch & B…” session has turned into a chat hour, although a couple of new gals (Myra and Bootsie) did work on cross stitch and quilting projects, and I worked on one of those owl sweaters a bit. There were about 8 of us there this week.

That afternoon was an impromptu happy hour at friend Robin’s. There were about 20 of us on her deck and patio, enjoying the afternoon sun and one another’s company. Many of us will be departing for home within the next couple of weeks.

Weather on Wednesday prohibited much outdoor activity. Rain showers dampened the day off and on, but at least the temperatures were in the 70s. But that means humidity…ugh.

We attended happy hour at the family clubhouse that afternoon, just before dinner. That evening Chef Betty prepared lasagna, a green bean salad, Texas toast, and for dessert—fresh strawberry pie. YUM! We’re so glad she’ll be back in the fall for another season of fabulous culinary delights!

Weather Thursday was beautiful, albeit partly cloudy, and it was a bit breezy. It was a perfect pool day, so off I went to join 6 of my gal friends. We certainly enjoy one another’s company, and had a good time sharing stories about friends and family.

That evening Dick and I played Pegs ‘n ‘Jokers with friends Bill and Carole, and new-comer Jacob. The odd number meant we played for ourselves rather than teams. Here’s the outcome: Carole won 1 game, Dick won 1, and I won 2. Woot-woot! 

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been working on baby owl sweaters, so that’s how I spent much of my day Friday. That evening we met with friend Don to see his photos of his life as a Hawaiian rancher and award-winning rodeo steer roper. Magnificent horses, beautiful scenery, and impressive shots of him roping those big ol’ steers! I was impressed. Don has also done beautiful leather work, and showed photos of his wares: bridles, breast plates (for horses), belts, chaps, cell phone cases, Bible covers—you name it, he’s probably done it. Don currently is in charge of maintenance and housekeeping here in the park.

Saturday morning we went to the clubhouse for cinnamon rolls and coffee. Yum! This would be the last time we would see many of these folks until next fall.

That afternoon Dick and I decided to take in a movie: The Longest Ride, starring Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, Alan Alda, Oona Chaplain and Lolita Davidovich. Based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks, it’s the story of country boy Luke (Scott), a champion bull rider, and college student Sophia (Britt), who is about to embark on her dream job in the art world of New York City. Their conflicting paths are further challenged when they have a chance meeting with Ira Levinson (Alan Alda) as they rescue him from a car accident. Memories of Ira’s decades-long romance with his beloved (but deceased) wife bring focus to the relationship between Luke and Sophia, helping them face head-on the rewards of an enduring love. Both Luke and Sophia must make decisions that will affect their futures, either alone or together. We laughed and became teary-eyed, and smiled throughout this movie. We highly recommend it.


Sunday morning we attended First Baptist Church of Rockport for the last time this season. Richard Clark, missionary to Romania, was the guest speaker. He first shared a bit of information about Bucharest, where they’re located. There are approximately 21,000 people per square mile living in Bucharest, with only 17 Baptist churches for every 3 million people. Romania is only .5% evangelical; there are approximately 10,000 towns without evangelical churches. Speaking from 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, Richard presented the challenge to be examples of Christ to everyone around us. As believers ours should be works of faith and labors of love (vs 3), as we “sound out” the word of the Lord, sharing it everywhere and all the time (vs 7-8).

Dick and I had breakfast at Alice Fay’s on the water in Fulton after church. We noshed on Western omelets, hash browns and rye toast—along with lots and lots of coffee. Yum!

That afternoon we attended the ice cream social, where our ice cream sundaes were free as they were trying to finish off the huge cartons of ice cream before we all left town. Then, we played Pegs ‘n’ Jokers with Bill and Carole, Lynda, and Alice (Lynda played on the guys’ team.) Unfortunately, the guys came out on top this time, 2:1. It was a fight to the finish on all 3 games.

Sadly, we leave our little pal Lucy. She quickly became one of the family as we cared for her in Ida and Joe's absence. They're not back yet, so we need to find someone to care for her until they do return. As you can see, she's settled in quite nicely, and is quite comfortable and feels secure with us. Hope to see her next fall when we return.



This little unit pulled in (along with a 5th wheel), into the site across from us. So...if I want to give up cooking and knitting, I guess I could open one of these jerky huts. Ha!


We begin packing up Monday and Tuesday, as we prepare for departure Wednesday morning. Our trip to Nacogdoches, Texas will take us about 370 miles up the road, where we’ll spend the first 7 days of our trek northward. Please pray with us for safety as we travel. Stay tuned for more adventures!

Hugs ‘n’ love,


RJ and Gail

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