Activities continued as usual for Christmas
week, with Yoga, Wii bowling, Dick working, Stitch & Bitch, etc. In between
we ran errands, did laundry, etc. And, we retrieved the Sundance 5th
wheel from the RV dealer where we had left it over the weekend after switching
out our stuff from the old to the new camper. The old one is now set up at
another site here at Bay View until such time in January that Dick delivers it
to Denton, TX for the new owner. We’re almost all moved in with stuff put away
so photos of our new unit will be coming shortly.
Tuesday evening we had
dinner at the Oyster House, where raw oysters on the half shell are still under
$5.00 per dozen. Prepared with a squirt of lemon juice, a bit of horseradish mixed
in with the cocktail sauce and, just a drop of Tobasco sauce on each oyster—you
have a delicious morsel! Yum-yum! However, Dick and I decided to split one of
their wonderful burgers with fries instead of oysters. Still pretty good! There
were just 12 of us at the Oyster House that night, enjoying one another’s
company, stories, jokes, etc. Fun times!
Wednesday morning at 11:30
we left for San Antonio, with David and Marihelen, aboard the Rockport Tours
bus to see the Christmas lights along the famous Riverwalk. Here are some photos for you to enjoy.
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| 6 of us from Bay View took the bus to San Antonio; l to r: me, Marge, David, Sharon and Marihelen. |
We arrived at about 3:00,
and strolled up and down the river for about a couple of hours before meeting
up with friends Ron and Kathryn for dinner. We stopped at Rita’s on the River
for one of their famous margaritas and homemade tortilla chips—still warm! Two strolling musicians stopped by our table to serenade us.
Ron selected the Iron
Cactus Restaurant for a wonderful authentic Mexican meal. We were not
disappointed! Apparently the restaurant started over 18 years ago, drawing
inspiration for their menu from various regions in Mexico. They’re now in 4
locations throughout Texas; it’s one of the few award-winning Mexican
restaurants in San Antonio. The Iron Cactus is known for their unique tequila
infused creations and over 100 premium tequilas available for sipping, or for
mixing into your favorite beverage. And…the food was wonderful!
We secured a table outside
and started our meal with margaritas and a fabulous guacamole prepared and
served table-side, with warm freshly made chips. From there we moved to our main
course: Marihelen dined on Pescado del Mar (seared mahi mahi, jumbo shrimp, bay
scallops, in a citrus butter sauce with sautéed spinach and cilantro-lime
rice); Ron and David had Southwest Paella (jumbo shrimp, mussels, bay scallops,
roasted pobalanos, jalapeño Texas sausage, sauce, Mexican rice and charro beans);
Dick had the Baja Fish Tacos (blackened mahi mahi, slaw, lime crema, cotija
cheese, Mexican rice and charro beans); and, I ordered the Chile Relleno Rústic
(fajita-style chicken, sun-dried cranberries, pepitas, pepper jack and toasted
pecans stuffed inside a poblano chile over verde sauce, with Mexican rice and
black beans). Oh, my goodness! Our mouths were still watering at the end of the
meal!
And, for dessert, we
ordered and shared their luscious tres leches, a traditional Mexican cake,
served with three milks (condensed, evaporated and cream), strawberries and
whipped cream. Oh, my…wonderfully fabulous!
We had hoped to have enough
time to take a boat ride along the river, but we had enjoyed our meal so much
and lingered too long, so we had to put that off ‘til next year. The Riverwalk is so magical at night!
Thousands (or perhaps millions!) of lights are hung from the trees up and down
the San Antonio River under which gondolas and boats make their way laden with
passengers. Along the river are dozens of restaurants where patrons sit
outside, or inside, enjoying the holiday atmosphere. Mariachi bands and other
musicians stroll up and down the river as well, entertaining the folks with
Christmas music and popular songs. Beautiful!
We hopped on
the bus at 8 p.m. for our ride back to Rockport. It’s so good to leave the
driving to someone else! We arrived back home at 11:45 p.m.
In preparation for the park’s Christmas
festivities, I collected travel sides from some of the folks in the park: Keith
and Beth from Mankato, MN; Gary and Pam from Oregon; Bob and Sharon from Missouri;
Mitch and Cindy from Colorado; and Dick and me. There were close to 250 slides,
providing a glimpse into travels over this past summer. I spent all day Friday
and quite a bit of time Saturday preparing them for a looped slide show that
was shown Saturday evening during the Christmas Eve celebration and again on
Sunday during Christmas dinner.
Friday evening during happy hour
at the clubhouse, the Bay View Players performed, which included Tom (from
Minnesota), Steve and Marty (full time here in the park), Hap (from Texas) and
me. Tom, Steve and Hap played guitar and I was on the keyboard. We were all
vocalists. Dick insisted on videotaping our performance, so here ‘tis. We’re
not ready for prime time, but we had fun anyway.
Christmas Eve festivities started
with happy hour at the clubhouse at 5:00, followed by heavy hors d’eouvres,
games and a $10 gift exchange. (Dick
came home with a $10 gift card; I came home with a soft and cuddly sofa throw…score!)
I served my famous eggnog, too. Over 80 folks were there for the fun!
Christmas Day brought more fun
with park friends. Before dinner Dick played pickle ball with 3 friends, while
I finished up with preparations for our dinner contribution.
Later, about 100 folks showed up
for Christmas dinner at the clubhouse. The kitchen provided ham and scalloped
potatoes; everything else was potluck. I
can guarantee that no one went away hungry!
Another blessing on Christmas Day
was the return of Gary and Pam to the park. They had gone to Hawaii for 12 days
on vacation, and were meeting some family members there, too. Unfortunately,
Pam got sick and spent 5 days in the hospital (in Hawaii) with pneumonia, the
flu and upper respiratory problems. We
were really concerned for her health, but she’s slowly regaining strength and
stamina. It’s so good to have them back home.
Well, that’s it for this week. We
hope you had a joyous Merry Christmas with family and friends. Now, it’s on to
the New Year, so we wish for you all health and happiness in 2017.
Luv ‘n’ hugs,
RJ and Gail
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