Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, Texas – March 7-13, 2016

Our weeks here at Bay View are winding down. Just 8 short weeks left before we pack up and leave our Texas “home” for new sights and sounds. Friends will be leaving here, too, in the next couple of weeks, with plans to return in the Fall.

Spring is “springing” all through the area; temperatures are warming up, birds are building their nests—all the while chirping away—and young people are beginning to arrive to the area for Spring Break (which goes on all through the month of March). 

Monday’s early morning temps were already in the low 70s by 7 a.m.  I took a day off from Yoga, going into Corpus Christi with friends Lynda and Karen. Lynda was on a mission to find burlap, lace and a few other items in order to make 150 or so burlap and lace roses for her daughter’s wedding in June. Karen and I did a bit of shopping, too. Joann’s and Hobby Lobby were at the top of the stop-and-shop list, and we did stop at Dress Barn so Lynda could look over the dresses, hoping to find something suitable for the wedding. She did! Within 15 minutes we were in the store, she found a dress and tried it on, bought it, and we were back on the road! Whew!

While we were shopping, Dick was walking the park and Fulton Beach Road where he saw Egrets, an Ibis, ducks, and a Cardinal. Afterward, he spent some time working on park business. The wind was pretty brisk, even though it was warm, so that kept us inside for a good part of the day. Dick did venture out to play Texas Hold ‘em for a few hours in the afternoon, while I worked on last week’s blog.

Temps Tuesday morning were again in the low 70s. I headed up to Stitch and Bitch with friend Karen. There were 8 of us there that morning. Friend Bonnie had gone to a gem show in Robstown, Texas the previous weekend, so she was anxious to show off her purchases. Wow! Beautiful stones that she’d soon be making into jewelry. She has quite the eye for jewelry design; I’ve purchased a few items from her myself. These are just a few of the hundreds of pieces and designs she has. Bonnie teaches classes here in the park on wire wrapping. Beautiful!

While I was doing my thing, that morning Dick got our taxes done. Thank goodness that’s done for another year!

Friends Todd and Candy from Minnesota, whom we met in Grand Portage the first summer we were on the road, came to Rockport for the month of March so we met them for lunch that afternoon at Moondog's. They’re staying nearby in a little cabin at a place called Pelican Bay. Oh, and they brought along their Cavalier Spaniel, Charlie, whom we just love. He’s so cool! We noshed on beef brisket nachos, a grouper sandwich, club sandwich and crab cakes. All so good! We hope to see them while they’re here.

That afternoon we again did Wii bowling at the clubhouse. Quite a fun time, if you’ve never tried it.

Dick had to work that evening so I went along to pizza, along with Sharon (Bob wasn’t feeling well), David and Marihelen, Dick and Fran, and Bill and Arleen. Always a fun time with friends.

By Wednesday morning, the rains had begun to fall—actually, it was a deluge! It rained heavy all day. The total rainfall received in less than 20 hours was over 5½”. Sometimes the rain was so heavy you could barely hear the person next to you talking—especially, if you were in the RV. My Yoga buddies and I did manage to make it to the clubhouse, during one of the deluges, to take our Yoga class with Doreen. We were soaked!!

By happy hour and dinner the rain had pretty much abated, but we did drive up to the clubhouse—just in case… Dinner that evening was spaghetti with meatballs in a wonderfully seasoned tomato sauce, dressed salad, freshly baked French bread, and lemon bars for dessert. YUM-YUM! That evening after dinner, Dick went back up to the clubhouse to play Texas Hold ‘em for a couple hours.

Temps had cooled off just a bit, due to the rain. It was just 65° when we checked Thursday morning at 8:30. I went to our weekly Pilates session and Dick walked the park and Fulton Beach Road where he saw another Osprey (or was it the same one he always sees?) and another Cardinal. The roads were still sloppy and the ground was saturated, making for a mess. Yuk! Dick worked for a couple hours at the office, then stopped to play horseshoes, even though the ground was still a bit soggy.

The sun had come out that day, making for a beautiful afternoon, with mild temperatures and a slight breeze—perfect for a happy hour at our camper. Joining us were Steve and Karen, Bob and Sharon, Dick and Fran, Steve and Marty, and David (Marihelen wasn’t feeling well). Such fun! As our days together grow ever shorter, we tend to want to get together as often as possible. 

That evening we went to the clubhouse for more Pegs & Jokers, with Bill and Carole, Jamie and Annie, and John and Sara. The men won 2:1 over us gals. Dang.

Friday morning the temps were still a bit cooler, at 62° at 7 a.m. Friends and I did our Yoga to a DVD at the clubhouse, while Dick walked the park and Fulton Beach Road. After the rains the birds were out in full force; he saw Egrets, an Ibis, and lots of Spoonbills. We ran to Walmart to pick up a few items I needed to make bars for the park’s craft and bake sale to be held Saturday morning. Later, while I baked, Dick rode the motorcycle for about 2 hours, covering 65 miles. On the ride he saw Egrets, deer and an Osprey. Because he was on the motorcycle he didn't have an opportunity to photo the deer.

Later, we headed to the clubhouse for happy hour with friends. We’ve made such good friends here, and most plan to be back again in the Fall.

Saturday morning’s temps were lower still, reaching only about 60° at 7:30 a.m. But the sun was shining, and it promised to be another beautiful day. At 8 a.m. I headed to the clubhouse, weighed down with my bars for the bake sale, the lighthouse afghan I had been trying to sell for 8 years or so, and my knitting (which I planned to do while sitting). Dick worked in the office for most of the day.

That evening singer Bo Rivers returned to Bay View. Bo is quite the entertainer, singing Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, lots of other country, oldies, pop and rock. What a fabulous time! 80 to 90 people showed up for over 2 hours of fun. People were dancing and laughing the entire time. Here’s a sample of the evening’s entertainment.  And one more. So sorry some folks missed it.

Then…we had to turn the clock forward loosing an hour. Ho-Hum! We always take care of that business before we go to bed, but by 3:30 a.m. I was still awake. After finally getting to sleep, I didn’t wake up ‘til after 8:00 Sunday morning, and Dick didn’t awaken ‘til close to 9! That meant we missed church for the first time since we arrived here in November. To partially compensate, I made a hearty breakfast of sausage and eggs, raw fried potatoes and toast. Then, Dick went to work.

At 2 p.m. I met him at the clubhouse for the ice cream social and a few games of Pegs & Jokers. There were 12 of us playing, meaning 2 tables with 3 couples at each. Our table hosted Bill and Carole, Alice, Arleen (who played for the guys), Dick and me. The gals won 2:1 at our table. Table 2 hosted Sharon (Bob wasn’t feeling well), Lynda (who played for the guys), Jamie and Annie, and John and Sara. The guys won 3:1 over the gals. That evening Dick returned to the clubhouse to play dealer’s choice poker. (He won a whole 45 cents!)

That’s it for this week. Maybe y’all need to think about coming on down to Bay View, too!

Love ‘n’ hugs,

RJ and Gail