Last week, I mentioned that the dynamics of the park are
changing with the Winter Texans heading home (or to other destinations), and
the summer campers coming in. Many of the summer campers come for the weekends
only, leaving their rigs in the park. With them come their own decking and
stairs, storage units, picnic tables, as well as boats. Because they’re usually
here only on weekends, the days in between are very quiet.
This week we bid farewell to Ed and Angie, who are
traveling back to Wisconsin and, due to health issues, may not be back in the fall. More friends will be leaving during
the coming weeks, as well. And, as a result of Winter Texans leaving, most scheduled
activities have been suspended. Weekly dinners will continue through mid-month,
as will Friday hamburgers. However, there is no ice cream social on Sundays,
much to the disappointment of those of us still here.
Morning temperatures ranged from the high 50s to low 70s
this week. The sun warmed up the days to the mid-70s to low 80s quite quickly,
and there was always a breeze. We rarely have had to run the AC, other than to
cut down on the humidity.
Since there is no scheduled Yoga in the park, I walked with
Dick on Monday through the park and along Fulton Beach Road. The park offered
much more in the way of bird sightings. We saw Spoonbills, Egrets, Herons, and a Black-bellied Whistling Duck. Our own backyard provided photo ops of a Painted Turtle
laying her eggs, as well as our resident Red Squirrel.
Thought you’d enjoy this video of the birds in our backpond. Love how they mingle together!
In the afternoon Dick decided to ride his motorcycle about
40 miles around the area, to Lamar, Cape Valero, and other areas.
He returned in time to head to the clubhouse to play Texas Hold
‘em for a few hours—not as long as he had hoped, as he quickly lost.
We had dinner at Moondogs that evening, with David and
Marihelen, and Bill and Arleen. David and Marihelen planned to leave Tuesday morning,
so this was our last outing with them ‘til the fall. After, we drove into
downtown Rockport to see if we could still see the nesting Blue Herons and
Egrets atop the live oak trees, but it was a bit too late in the evening to see
many. Dick and I went to say farewell to David and Marihelen at their camper.
They've become such good friends so quickly. Sad to see them go, but if all goes well we’ll see them again in just a few short
months.
Tuesday morning we rose bright and early, to get ready to
go to Mexico with friends Jerry and Bonnie, and Bill and Arleen. We left at 7
a.m. for the 3+ hour drive to Progreso, Mexico, with a stop at Wataburger in
Kingsville for a quick breakfast. We made it to Progreso in time for Bonnie’s
dental appointment at 11 a.m. Many Winter Texans have their dental work done
there—it’s much cheaper there than in
the States. The dentists are well trained; most are trained in the U.S. In
addition, many medications can be purchased for a lot less than in the States, and eyewear is less expensive, too. We've scouted out the dentists and plan to have work done there in the fall.
Dentists
and pharmacies line the streets in Progreso, so it’s easy to find one that fits
your needs.
While Bonnie was at the dentist, the rest of us shopped.
Dick and I purchased silver jewelry (for us and as gifts), and other
miscellaneous items, before heading to Arturo’s for lunch with the gang. Arturo’s
is one of the most popular restaurants in the town for Winter Texans, and we’re
never disappointed. By the time we had finished eating, we all decided it was
time to head home, arriving home by 6 p.m. What a fun day!
Wednesday morning, while Dick walked the park and Fulton
Beach Road, I did a Yoga session in our camper, to a DVD. Whew! Here are a few photos of his walk along the beach.
Dick then went
to work for a few hours, meeting me at the clubhouse at happy hour time.
However, because Chef Betty’s usual helpers had left the park, Dick and I
filled in, helping to prepare dinner. We donned aprons and set about our chores. Chef
Betty had already prepared the lasagna, so it was salad prep, slicing bread,
preparing individual butter portions, and serving the luscious lemon parfait pie.
Guess we did OK, because Chef Betty said she’d love to have us help again!
That evening Dick returned to the clubhouse for Texas Hold ‘em.
He came home a winner! $14! Whohoo!
Thursday morning, I again did Yoga at home while Dick
walked. This day he saw Turkey Vultures
and a Caracara, which is rare in settled areas (usually they’re out in the
fields and open ranges). I spent the day working on sweater #6 while Dick
worked at the office. That evening was Pegs & Jokers with Bill and Carole
(our numbers have dwindled), where the gals took the guys 5:0. Yahoo!!! (It was
also the last night for Bingo in the park, ‘til the fall.)
Friday was a beautiful day, and after another Yoga session,
I spent most of the day outside working on the sweater (I’m almost done!). Dick
spent quite a bit of time working in the office, then returned home
mid-afternoon to enjoy the outdoors with me, on our patio.
Saturday morning we woke to wind and rain in the morning.
Later the day turned beautiful so I sat outside for a while. Dick worked most
of the day again.
First Baptist Church of Rockport was our destination Sunday
morning. Pastor Scott Jones began a new sermon series, taken from 1 Corinthians.
This message was based on Chapter 1:4-9, on God’s grace and thankfulness.
Because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we can be thankful for God’s grace.
Because of His grace, we don’t get what we deserve (eternity without Christ) and do get what we don’t
deserve (eternity with Christ). And,
as believers, we are able to extend grace to others, thus counteracting
self-centeredness which is so prevalent in our culture today. Here’s a link to his message.
We returned home to breakfast, and then Dick worked for a
few hours before Pegs & Jokers at 2 p.m.
Bill and Carole, Alice and Sue played. This time the guys won 2:1 over
the gals (Sue played for the guys), but they were really close games.
Before we close for this week, I wanted to share with you an
invitation from my brother, who is actively involved in Minnesota's Teen Challenge. Here’s his letter.
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MN Teen Challenge
MN nonprofit #2254401
March 28, 2016
Dear friends,
I
am writing you because Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge needs your help.
Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge (MNATC) is one of the largest residential
drug and alcohol treatment and recovery program in the state of Minnesota. They
offer both short term treatment and long term recovery options in eight
strategic locations around the state including the Northland Campus here in
Duluth. The 13–15 month faith based recovery program is designed to assist both
teens and adults in breaking free from chemical and alcohol addiction. At Teen
Challenge, they recognize that chemical dependency impacts all areas of a
person’s life. Therefore, it is their unwavering focus to foster spiritual,
emotional and relational health in the lives of their residents, providing them
with the power to break the cycle of addiction and truly begin again. MNATC has
a 75 percent success rate among their graduates, which is off the charts
compared to other recovery programs.
Duluth’s
Northland Campus is a 60 bed residential men’s program, and has also started an
outpatient program for women and teens. Between 50 and 60 percent of their
residents and outpatient clients come from Carlton and St. Louis counties. The
majority of their expenses come from charitable donations like yours.
Minnesota
Teen Challenge is holding its 8th annual ‘Fishing Challenge’ which will be held
on June 4, 2016 on Gull Lake, near Brainerd MN. and hosted by professional
angler Al Lindner. My fishing partner Stuart Nelson and I are entering this
tournament (www.mntc.org/fishingchallenge) as team number 51,
to raise funds for Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge. We have been the top
fund raising team for the last two years. With your help this year, Stuart and
I have the opportunity of reaching over $250,000 in donations in the last five
years, with 100% going to Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. We trust you will
see the need of this local organization, and help support it by sponsoring us
with your 100-percent tax deductible donation. We are asking for your help to
make a difference for the men, women, and teens of northern Minnesota and
Wisconsin, who are getting help from Minnesota and Adult Teen Challenge. This
could be an opportunity for you to help make a difference. We have an anonymous donor who will match funds that we raise, up to
the amount of $30,000.00 so whatever you can do would be appreciated.
Most sponsors donate between $300 to $1,000. This would put your company name
on our tournament jerseys. Raffle tickets are also available for $20 each. We
would appreciate you sharing this information with your associates and friends,
and help us support Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. All donations will help.
You truly can make a difference.
Thank you,
Rich
Brummer and Stuart Nelson
contact: Team 51
Rich Brummer or Stuart Nelson
1571 Brummer Drive 909
Lyndhurst Bay Checks payable to:
Cloquet, MN 55720 Cloquet, MN 55720 MN Teen Challenge
218-879-2922 218-879-8042
Send to: Rich Brummer
218-590-1708
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Well, that’s it for this week. Hope
this finds you well, and looking forward to summer months with friends and
family.RJ and Gail
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