My, how this year has
flown by! Already we’re creeping up on the end of February. It won’t be long ‘til
many of our winter Texan friends will be heading home or to other destinations.
We’re still planning our summer, so will get you up to date when plans
finalize.
In the meantime, we’re
still involved in the usual activities: poker, pegs & jokers, stitch &
bitch, poker, pickleball, dance lessons, happy hours at various locations,
pizza at Panjo’s, dinners at the clubhouse and, church. It’s been a fun few
months, especially when you’re spending time with friends.
And, we wanted to share
the highlights of the past two weeks with you. Since we are planning to spend
more time here in Rockport, we decided to buy another vehicle. Dick did much
research, and found a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport (in San Antonio) with just over
35,000 miles and 8 years left on the warranties. It’s perfect for our needs.
So, Friday February 10 we drove to San Antonio, purchased the car and drove
back to Rockport.
We got home around 4:00
that afternoon, in time to rest a bit before heading to nearby Lamar, Texas for
their annual LaMardi Gras celebration. It’s actually a 3-day fund raiser for
the Lamar Volunteer Fire Department,
with vendors, food, beverages, live music and silent auction. Our friend Bob
plays in a band, Southern Wave Shakedown, whose first public performance was Friday
night at LaMardi Gras. (I mentioned in our December 12-18 blog that they played
in our park in preparation for the “big stage.”) It was another fun evening
with friends!
 |
| Clockwise: Southern Wave Shakedown (Bob is on far left); the cutest couple at LaMardi Gras, Mike and Margaret in their new hats; a shot of the food area; and, David noshing on something good! |
The next day, Saturday,
3 gal friends and I went to Aransas Pass to the Winter Texas Market, held at
the Civic Center. About 60 vendors were there selling their wares: everything
from homemade jams and jellies, soups and dips to jewelry, clothing, gadgets,
leather goods, paintings and woodenware. We did our part to boost the economy,
and then had lunch at nearby Shempy’s where we noshed on popcorn shrimp,
grilled shrimp, and their famous BLT. YUM!
That evening we were
invited to friends Randy’s and Jeri’s for a BBQ. Randy prepares ribs and pulled
pork and everyone else provides the remainder of the dinner. I brought dessert:
chocolate roll with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. It was a very fun
evening and a very “full-filling” and yummy dinner!
Tuesday, friend Marty
and I drove to nearby Sinton, Texas to pick up my engagement ring that I had
resized. Marty needed a diamond reset in a ring. The jeweler there, Tim Rogers,
is fabulous and the best in the entire area. We’ll need to go back in about a week
to pick up Marty’s ring.
That evening was the
annual Valentine’s Day dinner and dance at the clubhouse. Chef Lynda prepared
prime rib, chicken cordon bleu, twice baked potatoes, pastry and bacon wrapped
baked asparagus spears, salad, rolls, and a luscious and decadent chocolate
desert. (Thanks, Lynda! It was oh, so good!) About 30 folks were there for
dinner and about a dozen more showed up for the dance. Music was provided by
Three-Way Street, a local band. A fun time was had by all!
I’ve mentioned that I’ve
been participating in a Yoga class here in the park twice a week. Since I
agreed to take dance lessons with Dick, he agreed to participate in a “couple’s
Yoga” class on Wednesday morning. Three other husbands participated, too: Steve
(Marty’s husband), David (Marihelen’s husband) and, Bob (Sharon’s husband), as
well as other gals who normally attend. The guys put aside their inhibitions
for this class and did very well. It was a fun time! Dick said he found parts he forgot
he had! Ha! But—he did say he would come again. Yea! (Sorry, no photos…)
Weather has been quite
lovely here, so Dick took advantage of it and road his motorcycle for about an
hour on Saturday the 19th. I enjoyed the outdoor area of our new
site, reading and knitting in the sun. That evening Dick and I drove to
Rockport’s “Little Bay” in the downtown area to take in the nesting sites of
the great blue herons and great white egrets. Quite a sight as the birds were
preening and carrying material in their beaks to build their nests among the live oak trees. As spring approaches
there will be more. These photos show the birds high atop the trees.
After a quick dinner at
Whataburger we headed back to the clubhouse and spent an evening listening and
dancing to the music of “Janelle,” a local singer/entertainer. Janelle sings everything
from country and pop to rock, oldies, and big band tune. As with all her gigs,
she ends her evenings with a patriotic theme: the national anthem and “Proud to be an American.”
Wonderful!
I
wanted to share a
photo of a “friendship quilt” that was made by friends Fran and Marty,
showing
photos of gals who participated in the creation of “plarn” mats for the
homeless.
This was the project we adopted for last year. I do have to say that
this project
was very time intensive and rather boring, but we did manage to use
up a
whole lot of plastic grocery bags! Each gal who participated also wrote
something on the quilt, about friendship. Pretty cool. Thanks, ladies!
As we have every Sunday
morning, we attended First Baptist Church of Rockport and the 8:30 contemporary
service. We were blessed again, as Pastor Scott Jones shared a message from
Colossians 1:1-8 on giving thanks for the evidence of Christian maturity in the
church. This maturity is what we’ve found in the faith, love and hope we have in
Jesus Christ. Here's a link to his messages.
These were the
highlights of the last 2 weeks. Hope it gives you a good idea of our lives here
in Rockport. We’ve lovin’ it here!
‘Til next time…hugs ‘n’
love,
RJ and Gail
