Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, TX – January 18-24, 2015

Just another fun-filled week in Texas! No snow, lots of sunshine, albeit a bit chilly, and good times! What more could you want?

We woke to 48° at 7:00 a.m. Monday morning, but the sun soon warmed everything. We enjoyed 70° weather for most of the day. While I stretched and groaned at yoga and “Sweatin’ to the Oldies,” Dick walked along North Fulton Beach Road and around the park. He saw squirrels, turtles, egrets (both snowy and great), and herons. Later at 3:00 p.m., Dick played Texas Hold ‘em with friends at the clubhouse. I baked 2 batches of cookies—chocolate chip, and white chocolate chip with dried cranberries--for our trip to South Padre Island later in the week.

Tuesday was another sunny and beautiful day, starting out at 54° at 7:30 a.m. We had eye exams that morning at 9:30, so I didn’t get to Stitch & Bitch with the gals. Our exams lasted almost 2 hours; I have to say that neither of us had ever had such a thorough eye exam—ever! We highly recommend Dr. Wess here in Rockport! From there, with highly stylish sun shades, we went to Subway for lunch, then off to do a bit of laundry. It’s always interesting (and aggravating!) to find that some people at the laundromat are so unconscious that they let their laundry just sit in the dryers while others are waiting to use them. Aargh! (Appeared that a local hotel was doing their laundry there and was ignoring it. Dick was bold and removed dried towels from one of the dryers so we could use it.)

We returned to the park in time for Wii bowling at 2:00 p.m., even though our eyes were still a bit dilated. Interesting trying to focus on the lanes and pins…ha! Afterward, I returned home to take care of the laundry, and Dick walked the park and North Fulton Beach Road. He saw an egret, heron, a woodpecker, and lots of ducks on his walk. That evening we joined friends Pam and Gary, Bob and Sharon, Dave and Marihelen, Fran, and Arleen at Panjo’s Pizza for dinner. Always such fun times with good friends.

Wednesday morning we got up, packed, and headed towards South Padre Island for a few days, to visit with friends Bob and Nancy (who had come down from Tacoma). Before we got out of town, however, we stopped in at the Family Kitchen restaurant for breakfast. Good down home cooking at very reasonable prices.  

200 miles later we checked in to the Ramada Inn and Suites on South Padre Island. We were pleasantly surprised to find a Jacuzzi tub in our room, even though we didn’t use it.  

We connected with Bob and Nancy that afternoon; Bob was just returning from a day of deep sea fishing, where he caught his limit of Red Snapper. We had to wait ‘til Thursday night to eat his catch; dinner that night was with Bob and Nancy, at Burger-Fi, a local hamburger joint. (Good, but we think Whataburger is better. Just sayin’…) We presented them with our gift of homemade cookies—they love ‘em!

For those of you who have never been to South Padre Island, the island is a barrier island just off the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. The island is named after Padre Jose Nicholas Balli, who brought the first permanent settlers there, establishing a church and attempting to bring Christianity to the native Karankawa Indians. Before this, migratory birds and sea turtles had the island all to themselves. King Carlos III of Spain had originally granted this island to Padre Balli’s grandfather in 1759. The people Padre Balli ministered to affectionately referred to the island as La Isla Del Padre, even though it was officially called Isla de Santiago. The name La Isla Del Padre stuck, and it’s now known as South Padre Island. Padre Balli and his family were driven out by the Mexican-American War, and were unable to return because of the American Civil War. The Queen Isabella Causeway is the only road access to the mainland; it leads 2.5 miles across the waterway Laguna Madre to the city of Port Isabel.

Thursday morning, after breakfast at the hotel, Dick and I walked about 45 minutes on the beach which was just a block or so behind the hotel with easy access. At 10:00 a.m. Bob and Nancy picked us up for a 1-hour drive to Boca Chica State Park, located in the Boca Chica Subdelta of the Rio Grande near Brownsville.

The area that is now Boca Chica State Park, was granted by the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico on January 24, 1829.  The last battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Palmito Ranch, was fought here. In 1846 General Ulysses S. Grant crossed here returning from the fighting in Mexico. In 1847, Robert E. Lee crossed the area several times.

After a quick lunch from Chick-fil-A, and a stop to introduce Bob and Nancy to H.E.B. grocery store, we returned to their condo to rest and prepare dinner. Nancy and I walked a short distance to a little shop where we purchased t-shirts for the guys.

Dinner, thanks to Bob’s success at fishing, was Red Snapper (prepared by Bob), asparagus, red beans and rice, fresh fruit, green salad, ice cream and the cookies we brought. Nancy’s sister Sally and her husband Phil joined us. Yum-Yum! Bob is quite the accomplished cook when it comes to fish. We waddled the 8 blocks back to our hotel that evening!

Dick and Bob had planned to go bay fishing for Whiting on Friday morning. They had gotten up early in order to have breakfast at Whataburger and get to the boat by 8:00 a.m., but the temperatures were too cold at 55° and the wind too strong to go out. So, Dick returned to the hotel and we went to Plan B.

Bob and Nancy picked us up at 11:00 a.m. so we could go to the local Convention Center for Market Days. Vendors and booths were set up throughout the center, with wares ranging from clothing and jewelry, to grilling aids, lotions, spices, hats, belts, cruises and…junk. Nancy and I walked out with a couple of shirts, while Bob purchased a grill mat. Dick didn’t spend a dime.

After another stop at H.E.B., we returned to their condo for a quick lunch, and to spend time with their 2 dogs, Violet (a Maltese) and Bambi (a miniature Italian Greyhound). What cuties! And such fun! Violet is a little shy, but Bambi—oh, my! She has an attraction to all things electronic: TVs, iPads, phones, computers, etc. She’d sit and stare at anything on the screen by the hour if we’d let her. Funny!

That evening Sally and Phil came over for dinner again, but this time dinner was more Red Snapper, Pacific Ocean Salmon, broccoli, red potatoes, ice cream and cookies. Again, we waddled the 8 blocks back to our hotel. We needed that walk after feasting on all that fish! Good stuff!

We had said our goodbyes on Friday evening before we walked back to our hotel, so Saturday morning we had breakfast in the hotel, packed up and headed out for the 200 mile trip back to Bay View.

On our way out of town, after crossing the causeway, we stopped to take a few photos of the historic Point Isabel Lighthouse.

The Port Isabel Lighthouse is a dominant feature at the southern tip of the Texas Gulf Coast. For over 150 years the heavy brick walls have stood against the elements, and for most of that time its light has shown the way for hundreds of seafarers. Congress had authorized construction of the lighthouse in 1851, and 2 years later it was completed and topped by a stationary white light that could be seen for almost 16 miles.

During the American Civil War, the lighthouse was occupied by soldiers from both sides as a lookout post. The Civil War brought armed conflict once again; Confederate forces held this area in the early stages of the war but gave way in 1963 to Federal troops who had been sent to strengthen the blockade on Southern shipping. At nearby Palmetto Ranch, Union and Rebel soldiers clashed on May 13, 1865, more than a month after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. This “Battle of Palmito Ranch” has been acknowledged as the last battle of the war.

The lighthouse has been lit and extinguished numerous times since 1866. And, for a number of years negotiations took place over ownership of the site. It was ultimately purchased by a private party. The lighthouse was permanently abandoned and dark from 1905 until 1950 when it was donated to the state as an historic site, after which repair work and upgrades were done and completed in 1970. 

Today, the tower with its mercury-vapor light is marked on sea charts as an aid to navigation. Of the 16 lighthouses constructed along the Texas coast, Port Isabel Lighthouse is the only one now open to the public.

On the road again…back to Rockport and Bay View. We made a quick stop along the way at a fruit stand to pick up grapefruit and oranges.  We arrived home by 1:30 p.m., unpacked and rested a bit before going to the clubhouse for a little wine tasting get-together. We brought 14 Hands Merlot; there was a selection of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sweet Red, Pinot Grigio, and others to taste, as well as a selection of appetizers. We brought a cranberry-jalapeno pepper-cream cheese spread with crackers. It was a hit! There were cheeses, meats, pretzels, etc., which helped fill the void--enough so that we didn’t eat dinner that night!

Sunday morning at First Baptist Church of Rockport we were blessed by the ministry of Dr. Gene Wilkes, Professor of New Testament and Leadership at B.H. Carroll Theological Institute in Irving, Texas. (This is where Pastor Scott Jones, senior pastor at the church, is getting his doctorate.) Dr. Wilkes spoke from Matthew 6:24-34, “Don’t Be Anxious/Worry: why we’re anxious, the futility of worry, and how to combat worry.” We believe in God, but we don’t trust Him to provide, depending on ourselves instead. Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

We returned home for breakfast, then Dick went to work for a few hours (he has to work when he has access to the computers and systems he needs, when no one else is around). We met at the clubhouse at 2:00 for the ice cream social and a few games of Pegs & Jokers. What a hoot!! There were 2 tables of players with 6 at each. Again, we played men against the women, and the women won 2:1 at ours. (Poor Bob. He couldn’t keep his men in play at all during the game, ending with his men still in starting position. Waa-waa…ha!)
 

While playing, Chef Betty brought me my 2 t-shirts with the new Stitch & Bitch logo on them. So very cool! I partially designed the logo, had it colorized and digitized, and she embroidered the shirts. Thanks, Betty! Love ‘em!
  

Dick walked the park and Fulton Beach Road, while I started writing the blog. Figured I’d have enough exercise tomorrow to make up for what I didn’t do today!
  

Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed our adventures! Until next time,

Luv ‘n’ hugs,

RJ and Gail

Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, Texas – January 11-17, 2015

We really felt “winter” here in the Coastal Bend of Texas this week. Mornings started out cold (for here, anyway), and gradually warmed up to maybe the 60s during the day. Good thing we have sweatshirts and jackets with us!

Monday’s temp began at 44° at 7:00 a.m., but didn’t get much into the 60s at all. The skies were partly cloudy, and a cold breeze was winging its way through the park. Brr! I did get to our 10:00 a.m. yoga class in the clubhouse. There were 13 at yoga, including 1 guy, led by instructor Doreen who has a yoga studio in old town Rockport. This was followed by “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” with a Richard Simmons DVD. Whew! While I was sweatin’ off the pounds, Dick worked in the office, on the park’s internet. That afternoon he played Texas Hold ‘em with about a dozen others from the park.

There were just a handful of us at Tuesday morning’s Stitch & Bitch. (Some of our regulars are attending Doreen’s yoga sessions at her studio at about the same time.) Mostly we just chatted about “stuff” that morning. I haven’t started a new project since I totally “frogged” (it’s really rip-it, rip-it) the sweater I was making for Dick. The sweater wasn’t turning out as I had hoped it would, and I was pretty fed up with it. Now, I have 2 large balls of yarn; they will make into a sweater for him at some point in the future…

After our little chat session, I walked through the park with friend Pam and her dog Luci, for almost an hour. The day was beautiful, and in the 60s by the time we walked, so it had warmed up from the early morning temp of 49°. The sun was shining and a slight breeze made for a beautiful day. As we were walking through the back part of the park we saw egrets, both great white and snowy, and some ducks that were too far away to identify.

That evening we joined Terry and Bonnie (friends from church) for an early dinner at a favorite spot called Shempy’s, located half-way between Rockport and Aransas Pass. It’s just a little restaurant, but they have wonderful food. Usually, on a Tuesday night, there’s not a crowd—boy, were we surprised to walk in and find all but 1 table taken. Apparently, there was a single’s dinner that evening, so that meant 30 people filled most of the tables. Average age: 70, and all but 4 or 5 were women.  We grabbed that only available table, and placed our orders. Shempy’s is a BYOB restaurant, but next door, conveniently located is an “adult beverage” store. Dick and I had just water, while Terry and Bonnie imbibed in something a bit stronger. We noshed on a shrimp “po-boy,” catfish and fries, crab cakes, salad, and their wonderful lobster bisque. Yum-yum!

Wednesday was another cool start to the day at just 48°. At 9:00 a.m. I was again Sweatin’ to the Oldies, with Richard Simmons and 8 ladies from the park. (Hope all this sweatin’ is doing some good! Ha!) Dick walked through the park again, and then along Fulton Beach Road where he saw ducks, egrets, and an osprey). He did put in a few hours at work before we went to happy hour and dinner at the clubhouse. Dinner that evening was King Ranch casserole, salad, cornbread, and German chocolate cake.

And…that day I received anniversary lilies from my husband, to celebrate our 34^th anniversary. Hard to believe so many years have passed already. He’s definitely a keeper!!!

That evening Dick returned to the clubhouse to play Texas Hold ‘em again, winning $1! We’re flush!

Thursday’s temperatures were a bit warmer, at 58° at 8:00 a.m. I attended our new Pilates class (done to a DVD) at 9:00 a.m., and Dick worked a bit. On his way home he stopped at the clubhouse to play horseshoes, but apparently his team lost, even though everyone put a lot of effort into winning.

That afternoon I delivered a vest I had knitted for friend Pat, and was invited to a happy hour at their site later that afternoon. Dick and I did go for a while; the day had warmed up so it was very pleasant to sit outside and commiserate with folks. There were about 20 folks there.

After dinner Dick and I went to the clubhouse to play Pegs & Jokers with friends Bill and Carole, Gary and Pam, and John and Sara. Sadly, the women are continuing a downhill trend, losing to the guys 3:0. (sob…)

Friday was a stellar day, with temps rising into the low 70s; no clouds, a slight breeze, and bright sunshine. (It’s interesting how warm the sun is, even when the thermometer reads just 60°.) Yes, Dick walked while I again sweated to the oldies. He saw tri-colored herons and a green heron that day. At noon we met at the clubhouse for hamburgers, then he went to work for a few hours before happy hour.

Happy hour was at the clubhouse with music brought to us by Steve and Tom of the Jam Session Guys (they’re working to come up with a new name…). I brought fresh pineapple boats with fresh pineapple drizzled with crème de menthe. Others brought crackers, cheese, summer sausage, chips, pretzels and dips. Fun times!

Saturday, January 16 – Happy Anniversary to us! I fixed a nice breakfast for us before Dick trudged off to work again. (The park’s owner is in town for a few days, so Dick is quite busy when he’s here.) At about 10:00 friends Sharon, Karen, and Marty and I headed to downtown Rockport to what’s called the Rockport Market. Vendors come to town from as far away as San Antonio to sell their wares, although this day it was quite sparse, most likely due to the weather: cold, rainy, thunder, lightning, etc. We didn’t find anything that we couldn’t live without, so we drove into old town Rockport to “All Things Texas.” It’s a little shop with embroidered and embellished shirts, t-shirts, towels, and salsas, jams, jellies, etc.—really, all things Texas. It’s a fun little place and all but Karen came away with a purchase. 

From there we headed back to the park with a stop at Moondogs restaurant in Fulton to make reservations for our anniversary dinner that evening. They were able to accommodate 12 of us at 5:30 for a no-host dinner, so we could all celebrate anniversaries together.  Marty and Steve, Bob and Sharon, Karen and Steve, Dave and Marihelen, and Pam and Gary joined us for dinner. Fun times, good food, and wonderful friends. Our appetites were sated with smoked brisket nachos and tacos, fried shrimp, fish tacos, and other seafoods. Another wonderful evening with very special friends.

Sunday was again cool, but sunny. A cool wind was blowing, reminding us of the Polar Vortex that is pounding the US. Temps were in the low 40s…a bit chilly! Executive Pastor Jeff Lanningham brought the message this day, taken from the parable of the four soils found in Matthew 13, entitled, “Good Soil, Healthy Disciple.”  Good soil is developed through: worship, both personal and corporate (Psalm 95:6); connecting with other believers united in the Spirit (1 Cor. 1:10); growing in Christ-likeness through study of God’s Word (Luke 2:52); serving both God and others (Matt. 20:25-28); and reaching out to others for Christ (Acts 1:8).

We returned home to breakfast before Dick went to the office to work for a few hours before the ice cream social and Pegs & Jokers at 2:00 p.m. I took a detour to Chef Betty’s to review the logo for our Stitch and Bitch t-shirts. A few color changes were all that was required. We’re good to go!  I should have mine by Tuesday next week. Yeah!! 

Back to Pegs & Jokers: score: men=2, women=1. Dang…we just can’t seem to get it together to beat those guys! While we were playing, we watched the Seattle Seahawks lose to the Carolina Panthers in the NFL Division Round, 31:24. Seattle tried to come back in the 2nd half, but were a little late to the party. There's always next year. We're still proud of our Seahawks!

By the time we were through playing the time was 3:45 p.m. The sun was still shining brightly, although the day was still cool. We didn’t let the cool weather deter us from getting together at our place for an impromptu happy hour. Pam and Gary, Dave and Marihelen, Bill and Carole, Art, and Chef Betty came to enjoy the outdoors before it got just too cool. By 5:00 it was time to close ‘er down and go inside. That cool breeze was still a’blowin’…

That evening we were blessed to have dinner out with friends Ned and Joanne, who live just around the pond from our site. Paradise Key was the restaurant of choice, located just west of downtown Rockport, along the water. I think we were the last ones out of the restaurant as they were closing at 9:00 p.m. Our dinner was crab cakes, grouper, sautéed green beans, rice pilaf and mashed potatoes. All this was preceded by their crabmeat and artichoke dip. YUM-YUM! Another wonderful evening with friends.

Well, that’s it for this week. Wednesday we head to South Padre Island to meet up with Tacoma friends Bob and Nancy. We’ll be there for 3 days, with a stop in Mexico first. Should be a fun time; stay tuned for a report on that trip in next week’s blog.

Until then, love ‘n’ hugs,

RJ and Gail

Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, Texas – January 4-10, 2016

Time is going so quickly. We’ve been here in Rockport for 2 months already, and it feels like we just arrived. It’s January 2016. Wow!

We were rather surprised on Monday morning to find the temperatures only 44° at 8 a.m., and happy it got to 55° for a high. I attended my first real yoga session at the clubhouse that morning, with an instructor, followed by “Sweatin’ to the Oldies.”  Me thinks the sessions should be the other way around… While I was sweatin’ with my friends, Dick walked around park and Fulton Beach Road where he saw herons, egrets, ducks and a hawk. That afternoon he played Texas Hold ‘em for a couple of hours.

Temps were still a bit chilly on Tuesday morning, with temps starting out at 47° at 7:30 a.m. Brrr! I attended the weekly Stitch and Bitch session; Dick walked Fulton Beach Road, seeing lots of ducks, a heron, egret, and brown and white pelicans. (So glad we got the new camera for close-ups of birds!) That afternoon we did Wii bowling for about an hour. Had a blast! That evening was dinner our at Panjo’s Pizza with friends Dick and Fran, Arlene and Bill, Pam and Gary, and Bob and Sharon.

Slowly the temps are climbing; Wednesday morning the thermometer read 54° at 7 a.m. Sure could use some sunshine and warmer weather!  That morning was another Sweatin’ with the Oldies, and Dick walked through the RV park and along Fulton Beach Road seeing ducks and egrets. Dick worked on Bay View office projects, then headed off to see “Star Wars, the Force Awakens” with friends Steve and Bob.

Three decades after the defeat of Return of the Jedi, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of swashbuckling heroes and shadowy villains can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher return to make sure the Resistance receives the intelligence concerning the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker, the last of Jedi Knights. 

Since the guys were at the movies, Sharon and I headed to the clubhouse together for happy hour and another of Chef Betty’s delicious Wednesday night dinners. That night it was pot roast with all the veggies, salad, Baguettes, and rustic apple pastry for dessert. Yum-Yum! By the time we were finishing dinner the guys showed up to eat. (We were going to bring them dinners to go, but no need for that.) 

That evening Dick returned to the clubhouse for another rousing game of Texas Hold ‘em. I stayed home to knit.

Thursday we woke up to 62° at 7 a.m. We had breakfast from Whataburger, then off to do laundry, followed by a stop at Walmart for groceries.  Dick spent some time working on Bay View stuff, then he played horseshoes. He hadn’t played for quite a few years, but his team wins! He then walked around park seeing spoonbillls, egrets, ducks, and a caracara in the ponds to the rear of the park.

While he was gone I sat outside reading, enjoying the sunshine. Friends and neighbors Dave and Marihelen came over to chat so when Dick returned we had an impromptu happy hour on our patio. After dinner we played Pegs & Jokers at the clubhouse with friends John and Sara, Gary and Pam, Bill and Carole. Sadly, the women didn’t do too well, losing to them men, 2:1.

Friday morning, the temps were again in the high 50s. (Where’s the sun and warm weather??) After breakfast I headed up to another yoga session at the clubhouse, while Dick again worked on more stuff for Bay View. At noon we met at the clubhouse for Friday hamburgers. We were happy to see friends from last year, Larry and Pat, Mike and Marty, and Margaret come in to eat (Margaret’s husband Dale was fishing). They’re at a different park this year, but said they missed us so much they had to come see us (personally, I think they missed the hamburgers…ha!) Later we attended happy hour at the clubhouse. I brought crackers and a cranberry-jalapeno jelly-cream cheese spread. What a hit! Others also brought stuff to munch on while we listened to Steve and Tom from the park’s Jam Session Guys entertain us.

Saturday was Bay View’s craft sale at the clubhouse—where the kitchen team also served cinnamon rolls and coffee. The sale ran from 9:00 a.m. ‘til noon, although most of the crafters and tables had closed down by 11:30. As last year, I played my keyboard as background music during the sale. I plan to do this for the next couple of craft sales, as well.

Dick walked around the park and along Fulton Beach Road during the craft sale, where he saw spoonbills, tri-colored herons, egrets and ducks.

After the craft sale, I grabbed friends Marty, Karen, Pam and Fran to head to Aransas Pass to check out Texas Market Days at the convention center. Vendors from as far away as San Antonio and New Braunfels, Texas bring their wares to the show, which ran Saturday and Sunday. Most of us made a purchase or two: silver embellished shirts, coffee, and spices. We were back in the park by 3:30, so that some of us could head to Port Aransas for dinner. While we were gone, Dick took a ride across the Copano Bay Bridge, to Lamar, on his motorcycle to check out the whooping and sand hill cranes.

Dave and Marihelen were our chauffeurs for the evening. We crossed the waterway between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas on the Texas ferry, heading to Virginia’s on the Bay for dinner. There would be 11 of us that evening: Dave and Marihelen, Steve and Marty, Mary, Bob and Sharon, Sue and Larry, and Dick and me. What a fun time! Seafood (oysters, shrimp, mahi mahi) was the meal of choice for most of us, but a few had steaks. The appetizer of choice was a blooming onion—they were HUGE! Dick and I each had a wedge salad, and then shared a plate of shrimp fixed in a variety of ways: fried, en brochette, sautéed, coconut. Of course we had to finish it off with their key lime pie. I guarantee NO ONE went away hungry!!!

From 6:00 to 9:00 we were entertained by Bo Rivers, who is a tribute artist for Roy Orbison and Willie Nelson. His performance also included hits from the 50s and 60s, plus country and a few originals. Now, he's a one-man band, but has appeared with Willie Nelson, Debby Reynolds (Las Vegas), Eddie Raven, Jewel Atkins, and the Coasters, to name a few. We’re hoping to get him to come to Bay View for an evening of music. We really enjoyed his performance!

Sunday morning we attended First Baptist Church of Rockport. This weekend was the annual Gospelfest here in Rockport, so there was no message, only music. This year worship was led by The Crimson River Quartet. The entire service was theirs, bringing wonderful gospel music to us. The group, from San Juan Capistrano, California, is celebrating their 23^rd anniversary of being together as a group. We were blessed!

After a quick stop at Walmart to pick up few munchies, we headed home to tune into the Seattle Seahawks/Minnesota Vikings football game. Pam came over to watch the game with us (her husband Gary volunteers on the U.S.S. Lexington in Corpus Christi, so was gone for part of the afternoon). It was an interesting game for me, being from Minnesota, so I can officially say that one of my teams won that game. Actually, the Seahawks won 10:9. The season continues!

At 2:00, even with the football game still going on, we walked up to the clubhouse to play Pegs & Jokers with friends Pam and Gary, Arlene, Joe, Bob and Sharon. Again, the gals struggled to win 1 of the 3 game against the guys. The year isn’t over, and I do believe we’ll break out of this funk…

Well, that’s it for this week. Thanks for sticking with us. We love and appreciate y’all.

Hugs,

RJ and Gail

Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, Texas – December 28, 2015 – January 3, 2016

Wow! 2015 has been here and is gone, and we’re moving on into 2016. Crazy!

Sunday night, December 27, we were hit with heavy winds with gusts up to 35 mph. We were rockin’ and rollin’ most of the night! And cold temperatures, too. By the time Monday rolled around it was just 43° at 7:00 a.m. 

Monday morning I joined friends for another session of “Sweatin’ to the Oldies,” brought to us by none other than Richard Simmons. Good grief! While I did that, Dick walked around the RV park and Fulton Beach Road, seeing Roseate Spoonbills (finally!), ducks, herons and egrets. These photos were taken in the RV park, at one of the ponds.

That afternoon Dick played Texas Hold ‘em at the clubhouse, and actually won!

Tuesday morning’s temperatures weren’t much warmer—just a degree or so. Brr! After Stitch ‘n’ Bitch at 9:00 a.m. I made apple crisp from Granny Smith apples given to us by friends from Michigan. I had enough to make a 9”x13” pan of apple crisp, so it was shared with neighboring friends. Yum-yum! 

While I was busy peeling apples, Dick walked for about 90 minutes, on Fulton Beach Road and through the park, seeing a kingfisher, ducks, egrets and a little hawk. Then, it was on to Wii bowling, followed by our evening out at Panjo’s Pizza with friends Bob and Sharon. Other commitments and the cold weather kept other friends from joining us, but we were not to be denied our weekly pizza!

We woke up to heavy drizzle and chilly temps on Wednesday morning. But—I still went to sweat with the oldies. No, wait—it’s “Sweatin’ to the Oldies.” Ha! It is fun, and quite entertaining…

That evening was happy hour followed by our weekly dinner. Chef Betty served sauerkraut balls as appetizers that were really good. This week’s fare was roast pork, sweet potato soufflé, salad and rolls, followed by cookies and ice cream for dessert Yum! Dick returned to the clubhouse for another round of Texas Hold ‘em that evening, but came out even instead of losing (or winning…).

Thursday was New Year’s Eve. Holidays do not preclude certain chores that need doing. While Dick walked along Fulton Beach Road I defrosted the refrigerator and freezer. (Should we ever buy another RV, a self-defrosting refrigerator is on my want list!) Although it only takes about 45 minutes, I’d still rather be doing something else!

We attended the New Year’s Eve party at the clubhouse at 7:00 that evening. Such fun. Everyone in attendance brought appetizers and beverage of choice. To celebrate the New Year champagne was provided at midnight. The park’s Jam Session Guys provided the music, and friend Bob was DJ during their breaks. There were about 65 of us partying and dancing; some didn’t stay ‘til midnight, most did. We were among those who did not, leaving at 10:00 p.m. We welcomed in the new year with New York (11:00 our time), then fell asleep. We figured the year would start without us anyway, and we did need our rest!

New Year’s Day 2016. Wow… 

Chef Betty served brunch in the clubhouse at10:30 a.m., so I didn’t need to fix breakfast. Betty served a brunch egg casserole, biscuits and sausage gravy, black-eyed pea salad, warm pecan rolls, blueberry coffee cake, amaretto coffee cake, lots of fresh fruit, orange juice and coffee. Wonderful stuff! No one went away hungry!

We returned home to watch The Ohio State University football team play in the Fiesta Bowl, winning over Notre Dame 44:28. Dick was a happy camper! Then, on to happy hour at the clubhouse where just 2 of the Jam Session Guys provided background music for us.

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. That’s what we woke up to Saturday morning, and temps in the low 40s. Brr! Not a day to be outdoors! After breakfast Dick hustled up to the office to work. I took off with some gal friends for lunch and to see the movie “Joy,” starring Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games). Some of the gals had never been to Panjo’s Pizza, so that’s where we headed first. Then, on to DQ for a bit of dessert, as we had plenty of time before the movie started.

“Joy” is based on the true story of Joy Mangano who, in the early 1990s, invented the Miracle Mop and through overcoming personal and professional obstacles, became an overnight success, subsequently creating her own business empire. Throughout the movie allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies as Joy learns to overcome negativity of those closest to her.

We really enjoyed the movie, and most of us admitted that we probably wouldn’t have the fortitude that Joy did to do what she did to become a success.

Sunday we attended First Baptist Church of Rockport, where guest speaker Rafael Murillo brought the message. (Pastor Scott Jones is on study leave during the month of January, preparing his dissertation for his PhD in Pastoral Leadership.) The message was taken from Luke 8:22-25. In this passage Jesus promises us His faithful friendship, guidance and protection. Oh, if only we’d go to Him first rather than exhausting ourselves with other assurances before we ultimately turn to Jesus.

Well, that’s it for this week. 2016 is already well on its way, but we look forward with eager anticipation to what the year will bring. We wish you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous year!

Hugs ‘n’ love,

RJ and Gail