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 34th 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.
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’…
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’…
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
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