As we enter the week of Christmas we'd like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, with love!
This week was more of the same activities: Yoga, Wii
bowling, Texas Hold ‘em, Pegs & Jokers, etc. As more folks come into the
park, more folks join in. Such fun!
Dick worked almost every day, too, but does take
time out to be involved in some of the activities. Now that the pickle ball net
is up, several folks have been playing. We’ve not yet taken advantage of
that activity, but I know it’ll be on our agenda. (Perhaps when the weather
gets warmer we will. Temps dipped to freezing last night and will continue to
be cold through Tuesday… Brr!)
Last week I mentioned we decided to upgrade our
camper. We are now the proud owners of a 2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS.
LOVE IT! Dick now has a larger shower (with a seat!) and I have a kitchen with
counter space! We also have a fireplace and a really large closet. Yea!!
Although I’ve been working like a dog to get everything put away, there are
still boxes and bags around. So, I’m taking advantage of what the internet has
to offer with photos of our unit. This is exactly
what our unit will look like once everything finds a home—promise!
We're thrilled with the quality and workmanship of this unit: all hardwood cabinetry and woodwork, combination microwave/convection oven (and a real oven, too), large shower with a seat and triple glass door, working fireplace (nicely heats up the room in the mornings!), large island in kitchen with a country sink, automatic leveling system and, a huge king-sized closet with lots of shelving. There are motion detector lights in strategic areas, ample storage under the queen bed, a double refrigerator/freezer and, lots of storage space. Lovin' it!
Wednesday evening was spent at the clubhouse with about
40 friends, first for happy hour and then for another one of Lynda’s wonder dinners:
salad, hearty beef stew, homemade bread and, cheesecake with blueberries for
dessert. YUM! As I’ve mentioned before, we do not go hungry around here!
With the impending move to our new camper, I spent most
of Wednesday and Thursday packing to move into our new home. Dick has always lauded
my ability to find places for things, but I’m not so sure that’s a good thing!
My, oh my, we have a lot of stuff! However, that said, everything turned out
quite well.
We had dinner Thursday evening at Panjo’s with 16 of
our closest friends. Sure hit the spot! Panjo’s pizza is so yummy! Afterward
Dick and I played Pegs & Jokers with Bill and Carole: men: 2, women: 1. Boohoo…
Friday was moving day. We purchased our 5th
wheel from Camper Clinic here in Rockport; our salesperson Mike Franks was
phenomenal to work with, and helped make our transition so easy. We pulled our Sundance adjacent to our new Reflection on their lot; a ramp was placed between
the two campers and we were able to move items from one to the other without stairs, making the whole process easier. Friends David and Marihelen showed up to help. We are so
grateful to them for their friendship, love and of course, their help. We
completed the ordeal in less than 2 hours. While Dick and David continued to
move stuff, Marihelen and I made up our bed so at least that was ready for us
to fall into that night! Of course not everything was put away, but everything
was in one unit! Should’ve taking a picture…
Friday was also the debut of my friend Marty and me
singing with the Bay View Players, a small group of 2 guys and their guitars.
We sang 4 songs with them during happy hour, so it was a full day for me! We’re
not ready for “prime time” but we did have fun. Dick didn’t get videos of our
performance, but we’ll be doing it again this coming Friday so he’ll try again.
We then drove to Paradise Key just west of Rockport
for dinner. Joining us were David and Marihelen (to thank them for their help),
and Sharon (Bob was rehearsing with his band so wasn’t able to make it). We
enjoyed grilled salmon with a honey
glaze, grilled flounder with crawfish etouffee sauce, coconut shrimp, and
cheesy grits with shrimp. YUM-YUM!
Saturday Dick worked in the park’s office; I worked
in our new camper finding places for all our paraphernalia... Amazing how much I accomplished in such a short time. Our
camper moved from complete chaos to organized chaos! Ha!
That evening our park was the debut venue for
another band, Southern Wave Shakedown (friend Bob’s band). They played from
7-9:00 in the clubhouse, entertaining 80-100 friends. Their repertoire included
country, oldies, and rock ‘n’ roll. Everyone appeared to enjoy them. Dick was
asked to videotape their performance, so here are samples. I faded after about ½
hour so I went home and crashed.
Walkin' after Midnight and Bad Moon Rising
That evening temperatures dipped to the high 40s. Our
furnace kicked in for the first time about 3 a.m. It was also the first time
that the fire alarm went off, scaring us out of our wits. Apparently, the
furnace was burning off some residue so it set off the alarm. We turned on the
unit’s exhaust fan which cleared the smell our rather quickly. We found out the
furnace worked—thankfully!!
Sunday we went to church, where we celebrated the 4th
Sunday of Advent as well as the Lord’s supper. It was such a good service with
traditional Christmas music and responsive readings by Pastor Scott and the
congregation.
Breakfast followed at JJ’s Little Bay Café where we
noshed on a Denver omelette, bacon and eggs, hash browns and rye toast. And, lots of hot coffee. YUMMY!
We returned home where I continued to unpack; Dick
went to work. We met at the clubhouse at 2 p.m. for the ice cream social and an
afternoon of Pegs & Jokers. Men: 2, women: 1. Boo…
Well, that’s it for this week. We wish for you a very
happy Christmas, with family and loved ones. We’ll have another jam-packed weekend
here in the park, with celebration get-togethers on both Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day. Take a moment to remember that the real reason for Christmas is
more than the presents under the tree, glowing lights, stockings filled with
toys hanging from the mantle and, Santa Clause.
Jesus is the real reason; He is
our gift from God. “For God so loved the
world that He gave His only Son; that whoever believes in Him will not perish,
but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Much love to you,
RJ and Gail
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