Week 13 for us here in Rockport; time is flying by. In less
than 3 months we’ll be packing up and heading out for journey to the
southeastern part of the U.S. Until then we’ll continue to enjoy this beautiful
part of the country, and the people we’ve come to know and love.
Monday, February 1 was another beautiful day; temps started
out in the mid-60s that morning, rising through the day to the low 70s. The sun
was shining, but there was a strong breeze keeping us cool. Perfect.
I attended the Monday morning Yoga session at the clubhouse,
along with 12 friends from the park. This was followed by “Sweatin’ to the
Oldies,” with Richard Simmons and 5 ladies. Uff-da! As the ladies were sweatin’
in the clubhouse Dick was sweatin’ to his own beat while walkin’ through the
park and along Fulton Beach Road. His walk produced photos of egrets, herons, a
kingfisher and buzzards. Later that day he played Texas Hold ‘em in the
clubhouse. Then we joined friends Dave and Marihelen, Gary and Pam, and Bob and
Sharon for an impromptu happy hour at Dave and Marihelen’s.
Even though Dave and Marihelen live in Texas, they own a
store north of Santa Fe (which their daughter runs). Marihelen had some stuff
shipped to her (wild-printed yoga pants and croc sandals) for us gals to try
on. We did, we bought. Fun stuff! Now we’ll all be struttin’ and sweatin’ while
wearing these cool duds!
Tuesday morning’s temps were in the mid-60s at 7:30. I
donned my new Stitch and Bitch logoed
t-shirt and headed off to Stitch and Bitch at 9 a.m. There were 8 ladies there
that day, some crocheting, some doing needlepoint, some knitting, and some just
chatting. Dick walked through the park and along Fulton Beach Road, seeing
egrets and a woodpecker.
After Dick’s walk he worked with friend Dave to install his
new printer. At 2 p.m. Dick and I went to the clubhouse for another fun hour of
Wii bowling. Not to pat myself on the back, but my team won 2 out of 3 games
for the second week in a row! Coolio!
That evening we walked up to the clubhouse for Pegs &
Jokers with Marv and Shirley, Randy and Jeri, Bill and Carole, Arlene, and
Alice (Alice played on the men’s team—we affectionately call her “Big Al” even
though she barely reaches 5’ tall.) The guys took the day, winning 2:1 over the
gals.
I opted out of “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” on Wednesday
morning, choosing instead to go into Corpus Christi with 8 lady friends for the
“Quilters Shop Hop” (visiting 2 quilt shops—the 3rd shop was back
here in Rockport). We also had lunch at On The Border Mexican restaurant,
visited Joanne’s and Hobby Lobby. All-in-all it was a very productive day!
(More yarn for me and more quilting supplies for the others—I don’t quilt.)
While I was shopping, Dick was walking through the park and
along Fulton Beach Road, seeing egrets, an osprey with a fish in its talons,
and the woodpecker he saw last week (continuing to work on its nest). Then he
worked for a few hours before joining friend Gary to see the movie “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.”
When asked if they enjoyed the movie, Dick and Gary replied
only that it was intense but well done, and that those responsible for this
reprehensible act should be strung up. Based on a true story, the film follows
six members of a security team who fight to defend the American diplomatic
compound in Benghazi,
Libya
after waves of terrorist attacks on September 11, 2012. The following excerpts were taken
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13_Hours:_The_Secret_Soldiers_of_Benghazi:
”In
2012, Benghazi, Libya was named one of the most dangerous places in the world;
countries have pulled their embassies out of the country in fear of an attack
by militants. The U.S., however, keeps a Special Mission (Embassy) open in the
city. Less than a mile away is a not-so-secret CIA outpost called “The Annex”,
which is protected by a team of Private Military Contractors made up of former
special operations personnel. (They are given) strict reminders to never engage
the citizens to avoid conflict with possible militants in the area.
The U.S. Ambassador to
Libya…arrives in Benghazi to maintain diplomatic connections amidst the
political and social chaos…On the morning and the 11th anniversary
of the September 11 attacks, (the Ambassador) notices suspicious men taking
pictures of the compound and notifies his security detail…That night a group of
Islamic militants assaults the compound. Unwilling to die…the local…guards
quickly surrender their posts, allowing the attackers easy access to the
Special Missions compound...Knowing an attack by the militants is imminent, the
staff of the CIA Annex make several desperate calls for help…After repulsing
the largest attack wave (by the militants), the Annex receives word that help is
en route, but before it can arrive, the militants launch a mortar attack that
wounds (one of the diplomatic security agents, and kills two members of the global
response team members). With the global response security team compromised, and
the Annex now vulnerable, the remaining (operators) watch as a convoy of
vehicles rolls toward the Annex. Fearing the worst, the operators prepare to
make a final stand, until it is revealed that the convoy is an element of the
Libyan army escorting the global response reinforcements. They also find out
that (the Ambassador) was found behind the compound, but was pronounced dead at
the hospital from smoke inhalation. As the remainder of the team wait at the
airstrip with the bodies of (the diplomatic security agent, the members of the
global response team, and the Ambassador), they reflect on the events that
happened and how they will most likely receive no recognition for defending the
Annex as they were “off the books.”
Sad.
We gals returned to the park by 4:30, in time to participate
in the last ½ hour of Happy Hour preceding the Wednesday night’s dinner. Dinner
that night was a roasted chicken and rice casserole, broccoli casserole, rolls,
jello salad and coconut cream pie. Yum-Yum! At 7 p.m. Dick returned to the
clubhouse for an evening of Texas Hold ‘em; I stayed home to knit. (I have
orders for 4 baby sweaters I need to fill!)
A cold north wind started blowing during that night, bringing
Thursday’s temps down to the low 40s. Brr! attended the “Pilates for Dummies”
class that morning, and we all agreed that at least we got the “dummies” part
down pat! Ha! Afterward, Dick and I headed into town to have breakfast at
Whataburger and run errands (laundry, groceries, post office, washed black
truck). Dick went back to work for a few hours, and I went to friend Carole’s
for a haircut. Yea! Apparently the wind was too brisk for most folks to be out
for horseshoes, as only 4 showed up; Dick wasn’t needed so he ;worked for a bit.
Friday morning, amid temps in the very low 50s, I went to
the clubhouse for Yoga. Then I .spent a couple hours baking brownies for the
bake sale/garage sale in the clubhouse Saturday morning and for the Super Bowl
party on Sunday. While I slaved in
the kitchen, Dick walked through the park and along Fulton Beach Road, seeing
egrets, a kingfisher and pelicans. It was another very windy and chilly day—appears
we’re not done with winter yet, as temps barely reached 60°. Dick worked for a
while, joining me for burgers in the clubhouse at noon. It was friend Prescott’s
83rd birthday, so his wife Pat brought a cake for us all to share,
and we sang a rousing version of Happy Birthday to him.
That afternoon Dick rode his motorcycle about 50 miles
through the area. He saw a number of Roseate Spoonbills at an area called Cape
Velero. We attended happy hour at the clubhouse at 4 p.m.; 2 of the Baysider
Guys (formerly the Jam Session Guys) entertained us.
Saturday morning was the annual Bay View RV Resort garage
sale and bake sale. Scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon, there were lots of
interesting items available for sale. The bake sale resulted in almost $100 in
sales, with proceeds going to Activities for new equipment. There were cookies,
cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and (my brownies) for sale. Dick worked during the
sale.
We woke Sunday to temps in the mid-40s, but it promised to
be another glorious day with temps rising to the low to mid-70s. We attended
church at First Baptist Church of Rockport; Pastor Jones continued his sermon
series from Exodus on The Journey of Hope
and Faith—Captivity. The main points of his message were:
- Even though the reality of captivity can be harsh and ruthless, just as the Israelites experienced at the hands of the Pharaohs, God’s blessings can be known. We cannot live without a “master” of some kind, and without God we are helpless and cannot be released from the captivity sin has on us.
- We can “choose” to be held captive by sin, or to be set free from its power through Jesus Christ.
- God’s grace liberates us from sin and binds us to Jesus Christ, becoming free as the Holy Spirit works to shape our character through reading God’s Word.
- Much of our lives are beyond our control, but there is one instance where we are in charge: we can choose our captor. To whom or what are we captive?
Pieces were judged on creativity (originality, true to life
if applicable, proportions, anatomy and perspective); workmanship (carving
techniques, difficulty of carving, assembly perfection if applicable, variety
of techniques used such as burning, detailing and painting); detail (feathers,
hair, folds in clothing, skin wrinkles, etc.); and quality of finish (sanding,
polishing, painting, etc.); and final representation (impact of carving,
selection of base, habitat if any, decorative value, and harmony of the carving
as a whole). It was hard to select “just a few” to
show you the workmanship, so we hope you’ll enjoy these.
We returned home for a few hours before heading to the
clubhouse for the ice cream social and another afternoon of Pegs &
Jokers. We played a table of 10 again,
with Marv and Shirley, Bill and Carole, Randy and Jeri, John, Alice, and Dick
and me. This time the guys took the gals 2:1. Dang.
At 5 p.m. we went to the clubhouse for the Super Bowl party.
The 2 TVs were tuned in to the game; while some watched with rapt attention,
some played pool while watching, and some of us did some needlework while somewhat
paying attention. There were over 50 people attending. Food ranged from watermelon and oranges, to chips and queso, deviled
eggs, cheese and meat platters, calico beans, sloppy joes and brownies. No one
went away hungry! Everyone brought their own beverages of choice.
This next week brings “LaMardi Gras” in Lamar, Texas, and
Valentine’s Day dinner and dance here in the park. Hope this finds you well.
Thanks for sticking with us on our journey!
Love ‘n’ hugs,
RJ and Gail
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