This was our 12th week here in the Coastal Bend of Texas. And, yes, we’re still lovin’ this area, y’all! Every week we’re adding more activities to our schedules. This week was no exception.
Monday’s temperatures were in the low 60s when we greeted
the day. After breakfast I hit the mats in the Yoga class; there are about 13
of us stretching and groaning for an hour. Sure feels good when we’re done!
From there I “sweated with the oldies” for about 45 minutes. Whew! All the
while, Dick walked the park and Fulton Beach Road. Then, he took a motorcycle
ride around the area, including Lamar, across the Copano Bay Bridge. There was
a plethora of things for him to photograph, from aircraft to birds.
That afternoon while I worked on the blog, he played
Texas Hold ‘em.
Tuesday morning I attended Stitch and Bitch, with 8
of my lady friends. It was a chilly morning with temps in the high 50s, so a
heavier jacket sure felt good. Dick worked for a short time in the office; then
we both ran errands and even washed the big black truck. That afternoon was
another session of Wii bowling. Such fun!
Friends Marvin and Shirley arrived from Illinois,
along with other friends Randy and Jeri. So good to see them again! They’ll be
here ‘til the end of February.
That evening 17 of us went to Los Comales, a local
Mexican restaurant, for dinner. Everyone noshed on chips and salsa, chili
rellanos, fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, steak, shrimp…the list goes on. They
messed up my dinner, so I finally got
it when everyone else was done eating. Good grief! Think they should’ve at
least cut our bill in half for their mess-up, but that didn’t happen. But—the margaritas
were pretty good!
Wednesday the temps were even colder than Tuesday,
at only 47° when we got up. The morning was cold and breezy, but it turned a
bit milder later in the day with temps reaching the mid-60s. Once again, I
joined the “oldies” to “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” at 9:00 a.m., and Dick walked
the park and then Fulton Beach Road, seeing ducks and an egret. On the way home
he stopped off at a couple RV sites to do a bit of computer doctoring for
friends Paul and Gary.
Dick and I went to the movies that afternoon, to see
“The Big Short,” about the build-up
of the housing and credit bubble in 2008. The movie identifies several key
players in the creation of the credit default swap market who bet against the
collateralized debt obligation bubble, ultimately profiting from the financial
crisis. It also followed people who believed the bubble was going to burst, and
who predicted the demise of Citigroup and Bear Stearns. It also followed
founders of Cornwall Capital, who started a hedge fund in their garage with
just $110,000, building it to $120 Million when the market crashed. The story
also highlighted people involved in the biggest losses created by the market
crash, from $300 Million to $99 Billion.
We got back to the park just in time for a bit of happy hour
and dinner. That evening was another of Chef Betty’s wonderful dinners. This
time she served stuffed bell peppers or stuffed zucchini, mashed potatoes,
salad bar, rolls, and a frozen peanut butter pie for dessert. YUM-YUM! All for
just $7.00!
Dick returned to the clubhouse later for another
rousing session of Texas Hold ‘em. He won! $7.00!
As the week wore on, the morning temperatures dipped even further. Thursday’s morning temps were in the very low 40s. Brr! Dick walked the park and Fulton Beach Road again, while I worked out to a Pilates DVD at the clubhouse with 8 or 9 friends. Uff-da! Dick’s walk was a bit more exciting than my workout, as he saw egrets, herons and ducks.
At 11:00 we returned to the clubhouse for a First
Aid presentation, by friend Bob who has an EMT license and is certified with
CPR and various other licenses. It was very informative, and lasted almost 2
hours!
After a quick lunch we returned to the clubhouse
lawn area for horseshoes. I have never thrown a horseshoe before—it was pretty
entertaining, I’m sure! Some of the guys started yelling “fore!” when it was my
turn. I quickly decided this wasn’t my game. Ha!
That afternoon we walked over to David and Marihelen’s
for an impromptu happy hour. The day was so beautiful that we couldn’t stand
the thought of staying indoors. Even though the temps were chilly in the
morning, the afternoon brought warm sunshine and temps in the 70s. Lovely.
After dinner, we headed up to the clubhouse for an
evening of Pegs & Jokers (others in the park play Bingo or pool, so the
clubhouse is full of activity!). Bill and Carole, Randy and Jeri, Marvin and
Shirley, and Dick and I played. Outcome? Women: 2, men: 1. Woot-woot!
Friday morning’s temps were still cool, just 47° at
7:00 a.m. I attended the yoga class in the clubhouse; Dick walked the park and
Fulton Beach Road, where he saw an egret, ducks, and a Curlew. Afterward we ran
errands, returning in time for hamburgers at the clubhouse. Work is being done
at the park’s office so Dick had to go in to move computer equipment, making
sure nothing was broken or misplaced.
At 4:00 we walked up to the clubhouse for happy
hour, and a special guest. Jef Wilson and Deborah Dault entertained us with
music for almost 2 hours. There were snacks, beverages, music, dancing…fun
times!
From Jef's website: "Jef 'with one 'f'" Wilson is a native Texan from Port Arthur. In 40 years of entertaining in over half of America, Texas music has always played a major part in his show. Now residing in New Braunfels, Jef has found the heart of what he loves: Texas music and Texans.
Jeff as a solo, or with his band, the Rip Tones, can rock your world or take you down a country road. And, as a balladeer he has few rivals, filling dance floors with couples. It's what he does. After four decades, he's pretty good at it. Or so they say..."
Dick went to work
bright and early Saturday morning to oversee the demolition of the computer
room at the office, and its reconstruction. I prepared taco pie for the park’s
potluck dinner that evening.
Sunday morning we attended First Baptist Church for
the 8:30 service. Pastor Scott Jones is back in the pulpit, although he still
has just a bit of his dissertation left to write. It was good to have him back.
His message was taken from Genesis 15, on the “Journey of Hope and Faith.” A
few key points were:
- There are times when those who believe God’s promises and His hope must live with disappointment. An example was Moses, who even though he was faithful and led the Israelites to the Promised Land wouldn’t be allowed to enter it. Instead, his reward would be God Himself.
- Faith: receiving the goodness of God in spite of how the world appears now; our future is a reality that is not yet real.
- Hope: affirmation of trust in God, not because of what we know is ahead, but because God is trustworthy, good and true.
His final questions to us were: Is Jesus my desire, and am
I on a pilgrimage of faith? Good things to think about.
After returning home and having breakfast, Dick went
to work for a few hours to set up the office after construction from the day
before. Then, it was the ice cream social and Pegs & Jokers at 2:00 p.m.
There were 14 players that afternoon, so that meant 2 tables: 8 players at one,
and 6 at the other. Outcome: 3:0, men at the other table; 1:1 at ours. We have
such a good time, and it’s such a cut-throat game when women play against the
men.
Another week is gone. We’ll be here for another 3
months, but time is flying by. The weather folks say the temperatures will be near
normal this next week so that means sunshine and temps in the 70s.
Yippee-skippee!
That’s it for this week. Again, thanks following us
on our blog and keeping up with us on our journey. We appreciate y’all.
Love ‘n’ hugs,
RJ and Gail
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