Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, Texas – November 14-20, 2016

Wow! The middle of November already, which means we’ve been here almost a month and a half. Time flies… And Thanksgiving is here!

Temperatures were quite comfortable all week with lows in the high 50s to low 60s and highs in the mid-80s. That is until a cold front went through on Friday night that dropped temps quite a bit. It was 53 Saturday morning when we got up, and just 48 on Sunday morning. Brrr! I know that to many of you these temperatures are nothing—but here in south Texas, it’s cold!

Dick worked 5 days this week, putting in his time at the office. I kept busy with Yoga on Monday and Wednesday, Stitch & Bitch on Tuesday (this week there were 10 gals who got together to work on plastic mats for the homeless!), and Pilates on Thursday. (Friday was a day of rest.) 

Happy hour on Monday was at Gary and Pam’s—12 of us got together to chat, laugh, and really just to enjoy each others company. Later that evening we all got together there again around a campfire to enjoy the Super Moon. Beautiful!

 

Dick spent time doctoring on Tuesday, just getting checkups. He’s good! In between visits he worked. I managed to keep busy with Stitch & Bitch (A LOT of stitching was going on; crocheting with “plarn” is not easy! For those of you who don’t know what plarn is, it’s a medium made from plastic shopping bags, joined together and then crocheted into many different items). Later that day, I attended a Rockport Tours informational meeting getting details on what they offer. (We’ve decided to take advantage of a few of their day trips, but more on that in later blogs.) After that was an hour of Wii bowling, and then pizza at Panjo’s with 15 friends. Yummy stuff!

Dick and friend Gary went to nearby Lamar and Goose Island State Park to photograph birds and butterflies. They did see doves, a titmouse, cardinal, hummingbird, white pelicans, butterflies, and whooping cranes.

While at Goose Island State Park he videotaped the Queen butterflies doing a little dance. We haven't figured out what it means...

While they were gone I enjoyed our Yoga class with 15 of my friends. Uff-da!

Later that day, Dick rode his motorcycle about 50 miles around the area. The day was so beautiful he couldn’t stay home! He found more birds: spoonbills (the most he's ever seen in one place at one time!), sandpipers and ibises. 

That evening we had our weekly dinner at the clubhouse. This week was sausage and peppers, salad and lemon bars. Yum-Yum! Oh, and that night Dick won $8 playing Texas Hold ’em! Whoopee!

Thursday was another work day for Dick, and Pilates for me. Feelin’ good! Happy hour was at Gary and Pam’s again (they have a larger patio that is perfect for these get-togethers). We also cheered the return of friend Prescott, who had been in the hospital for almost 2 weeks. (He’s on his way to being healthy again.) That evening Dick and I learned a new game, Fastrack, taught us by new friends Tony and Erma. It took us all evening to play 1 game! Oh, the women beat the men! That same evening the clubhouse is full of folks playing Bingo, and quite a few guys playing pool. The photo shows just 4 guys playing, but there were 8-10.

After breakfast at Whataburger Friday morning, Dick and I did laundry and then washed the truck. So glad we did that—we had a deluge that afternoon! Dick was walking through the park to photograph birds in the back ponds when he was caught in the rain. Thunder, lightning, wind and lots of rain… He did see lots of birds and turtles.

 

We spent happy hour at the clubhouse and then went to dinner at Crab-N Seafood Restaurant on the way to Aransas Pass. Twenty of us enjoyed 10 lbs. of fresh fish (caught by David and Marihelen and their daughter Krista) prepared in a variety of ways and served with sides of our choice. What a wonderful evening! Friends, food, fellowship… 

Dick worked Saturday, returning home for dinner before we headed to the clubhouse for an evening of music and entertainment by Jef (with one “f”) Wilson and Deb—the Riptones. What a wonderful time! 2 hours of music and laughter.

   

We were entertained with almost all genres of music. Click here to listen to a sample the Riptones singing Amarillo by Morning

Sunday we attended First Baptist Church of Rockport; Pastor Scott began his Christmas message series, “God with Us: Light and Life”. (He said that if Walmart could display Christmas stuff before Halloween, he could start his Christmas series before Thanksgiving! Ha!) Pastor’s message was taken from John 1:1-14; this passage describes Jesus’ startling transition from being with God to taking on his human attributes. The key to a vital Christian life is the personal reality of Christ’s presence; do we really believe Jesus left the Father’s presence to find us? Here’s the link to his messages: fbcrockport.net/sermons

After church we went to breakfast at JJ’s Little Bay Cafe in downtown Rockport. Dick had sour dough French toast and sausage; I had the traditional 2-egg breakfast with bacon and cottage fries. Good stuff! Part way through breakfast friends Bonnie and Jerry walked in, so we had them join us. We chatted for almost an hour through both breakfasts; such good friends. And, good food!

After a stop at Walmart to pick up items needed for Thanksgiving dinner, we headed home. Dick worked for a few hours, and I spent a bit of time with David and Marihelen, and Pam. At 2:00 Dick and I went to the clubhouse for the ice cream social, and to play Pegs & Jokers with friends Bill and Carole, Bob and Sharon, Alice and Patty. Unfortunately, the guys took both games. Never fear, ladies, the gals will rebound!

At 4:00 we all headed to Bonnie and Jerry’s for happy hour with 18 of our friends. Again—good friends, good times. We’re so happy to be here!

That’s it for this week. We continue to find things to fill our days and sometimes our evenings. The perfect place for us!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

RJ and Gail

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

Well, we’re into November and preparing for holiday dinners, parties, etc. Already, Thanksgiving is next week, although temperatures certainly aren’t putting us in the mood for fall activities! Temps, in the mornings, range from 63° to 75° and get up to the low- to mid-80s during the day. Actually, it’s really nice as long as the humidity stays relatively low, too. We could use some rain, though; the ponds are diminishing…it did rain quite heavily Monday morning for about 15 minutes, but that’s about all we’ve had of any significance recently.

Speaking of activities, they’re in full swing here in the park! Thought I’d give you an idea what is available every week. You can choose to participate, or not.

We’re enjoying yoga on Mondays and Wednesdays, as well as Card Bingo on Mondays; Stitch and Bitch and Wii bowling on Tuesdays; Texas Hold ‘em on Wednesdays; Pilates (not necessarily “for Dummies”), Bingo, and Pegs & Jokers on Thursdays; Pass the Aces on Fridays; Pegs & Jokers again on Sundays; and Guys Pool (billiards) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Along with these scheduled activities, there are impromptu get togethers like the jam sessions on Thursday night at the Adult Clubhouse for any and all musicians and vocalists. Dick and I aren’t participating in all those things, but we are doing a lot of them: Yoga, Wii bowling, Pegs & Jokers and Texas Hold ‘em. We’re not letting any grass grow under our feet, that’s for sure!

We're crocheting plastic mats for the homeless, out of plastic shopping bags. We have to cut them, tie them together, and then crochet them into 2 1/2'  x 6' mats.

Last weekend we had our first craft and bake sale of the season the clubhouse. There was a light turnout, but those who came did buy, which was a good thing. There were photographs, jewelry, knitted and crocheted items, quilted items, sandals and "happy pants" and, whirligigs for sale. I had a few items for sale, too (5 baby/kid sweaters); I sold 3 of them. And, I played the keyboard for a bit of background music. The bakers in the park provided brownies and bars cookies, cakes and breads. Folks love their sweets!

Along with these activities we have an ice cream social on Sunday afternoons ($.50 per scoop), Happy Hours at various sites during the week and at the clubhouse on Wednesdays and Fridays, the Wednesday night dinner at the clubhouse ($7.00 per person), hamburgers at the clubhouse on Fridays at noon ($5.00) and, hot out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls and coffee on Saturday mornings ($1 each). 

 

A few of us have also continued our tradition of getting together on Tuesday nights for pizza at a local pizzaria in Rockport.  Our group is continuing to grow as the weeks go by!

 

We also have special groups coming into the park to entertain us, but more on that next week. Fun times!

Dick continues to work in the office about 5 days a week, keeping the computer systems up and running. And, I’m enjoying doing my thing, with knitting, reading, crocheting, and playing the keyboard. And, shopping with friends!

Wednesday, Dick went with David to Port Aransas, thinking they’d do some fishing. Fishing turned out to be not so great, so they spent time walking around, visiting with folks. These are some photos Dick took while there. 

Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie's Pasture. The pasture itself dates back to the late 1800s.

Last week I shared with you our trip to Mexico for dental work. Dick went back on Thursday this week, along with 3 others from the park, to have his crowns inserted (I stayed home). The four of them left at 6:30 a.m. for the 3-hour drive to Nuevo Progreso, arriving for 10:00 appointments. They arrived back in the park around 5 pm. One of the travelers, Ed, was having all his teeth pulled for a full set of dentures. He goes back the Friday after Thanksgiving for the final set. (He was sent home with a full set of temporaries, so at least he could eat after his gums healed.)

Here are a few shots of downtown Nuevo Progreso. Notice the large dog atop the entrance to the Veterinary Clinic! The grave marker is that of General Zachary Taylor, which is located at a rest stop about halfway between Corpus Christi and Nuevo Progresso

While he was gone, friends Marihelen and Pam and I went out for a bit of shopping and for lunch. We managed to do a bit of damage at Academy Sports and Bealls! Then, we had happy hour at Pam and Gary’s where we met new neighbors Larry and Lorraine from Colorado. We also met David and Marihelen’s daughter Krista, who had arrived from New Mexico along with her Great Dane Piper for a week’s visit. Fun times!

That evening the gals knocked the guys for a loop, winning at Pegs & Jokers 3:0! Yahoo! We played with Bill and Carole, Tony and Erma and, Dane and Tammy. Gals rock!

Friday evening 8 of us went to see Rockport Little Theatre’s rendition of “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” following by a stop at Dairy Queen. Parts of the play were funny, but the language was pretty rough throughout. We all thought the play could’ve accomplished the same results without it.

Sunday we attended church, at First Baptist Church of Rockport. Pastor Scott wrapped up his series from 1 Corinthians (verses 13-24), on “Being Transformed People in an Unbelieving Culture.” He left us pondering this question: “What are we (as believers) doing to make a difference in our world?” Here’s a link to his sermons:  fbcrockport.net/sermons  It’s worth listening to, and thinking about.

From there Dick and I headed to Arandas, a local Mexican restaurant, for breakfast. YUM-YUM! We had a typical American-type breakfast (Denver omelet, potatoes and toast for me; pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage for Dick), with a bit of a Mexican twist: refried beans and salsa. We’ll definitely go back for breakfast! (We had dinner there a couple of weeks ago, which was just as good!)

That afternoon after the ice cream social, we once again played Pegs & Jokers, gals winning 2:1 over the guys. Gals rock! Then, it was on to happy hour at Bonnie and Jerry’s for more laughing and chatting with friends. Their backyard is a paradise of plants and trees. Lovely!

I believe that’s it for this week. Stay tuned for more next week! We leave you with this stunning photo of a sunset from our patio, over the trees.

Hugs,

RJ and Gail

Bay View RV Resort – Rockport, Texas – October 31-November 6, 2016

This week welcomes in November and the beginning of the holiday season. In that light, activities continue to ramp up here at Bay View. However, with temperatures like they are, it’s a little difficult to get in the holiday spirit. We’ve had temps ranging from the low 70s in the mornings to the high 80s by mid-afternoon. And, we’ve had very little rain—that it until Saturday night when the heavens opened and it poured for about ½ hour, giving us 6/10” of rain. Then again, Sunday night there was a repeat, with another ½” or so in just a short period of time.

Dick continued to work all week (I had other commitments), but took time to walk the park in the early morning to capture these fabulous photos of birds (spoonbills, egrets, herons, godwits, great kiskadee). I have a difficult time selecting my favorites, but as I mentioned in an earlier blog, the spoonbills are my favs. 

Clockwise: Great Kiskadees (rare for this part of Texas), Ibises, Little Egret, Tricolored Heron, Great Blue Heron, Great White Egret

Clockwise: American Black Ducks, American Coots and Ruddy Ducks; Least Grebe, Black-tailed Godwit

Spoonbills!

Here's a video of the spoonbills, we hope you'll enjoy. And, a video of the "bird convention" in the back pond here in the park. They're so cool!

These 2 photos were taken along Fulton Beach Road:

Left: Royat Terns. Right: Ruddy Turnstone

The Halloween happy hour and potluck dinner on Monday evening started off our holidays, which included a game, karaoke, and dancing to our in-park DJ, Bob. About 40 people showed up for dinner—only a couple in costume but many heralding the Halloween colors of orange and black.

Halloween dinner; Sharon and Alice were sportin' their Halloween shirts.

Friends Gary and Pam arrived Tuesday afternoon, and have the site directly across from us. So good to have them back again! More friends will be arriving this week!

That morning I attended Stitch and Bitch with 5 other gals, and began our year’s project of crocheting plastic mats for the homeless. Our first job was to collect clean and dry plastic shopping bags, then cut them up and connect them all. It’s not a difficult job, and could be tedious without friends joining in. All the while we laughed, talked and got caught up on our past few months away from one another. I’ll have photos next week to share.

That evening, and continuing our tradition for Tuesday nights, was pizza at Panjo’s—Gary and Pam’s first of the season. Eleven of us showed up to chow down! L to r: Lynda, Marihelen, David, Gary, Steve, Marty, me, Pam, Sharon and Bob. Dick was taking the photo.

Laundry was the first order of the day on Wednesday, following our take-out breakfast from Whataburger: sausage, egg and cheese on a bun with 2 senior coffees. Pretty good stuff! On our way home after laundry we stopped at the bank to get cash for our trip to Mexico Thursday, and H.E.B. and Walmart for a few grocery items. Then, Dick worked until happy hour and the Wednesday night dinner in the clubhouse.

Dinner that night was cabbage rolls (the huge cabbage was provided by friend Art, from Wisconsin and prepared by Lynda, our camp cook, and her helper Marty), corn, salad, rolls and butter, followed by apple crisp and ice cream for dessert. Good stuff! We never go hungry around here! Thanks, Lynda, for another wonderful meal! About 40 people showed up for dinner. Marihelen and I helped with serving, and Gary and David did the dishes. A good time was had by all!

Later that evening Dick returned to the clubhouse for another rousing time of Texas Hold ‘em—he left with $6 in addition to his $5 stake in his pocket!

Thursday Dick and I joined Lynda, Ed, Bob and Sharon for a trip to Mexico—everyone’s main reason was to visit dentists. We left at 6:00 a.m. (YAWN!), stopped at Whataburger in Robstown for breakfast, and made it to Progreso, Mexico by 9:40. We did our share of laughing along the way! And, we did see a 9 or 10-point buck alongside the road, back by a fence, as we were going by. What a magnificent animal!

We arrived, parking on the main street in Progreso, and walked across the street to our dentists of choice. Dick and I had our teeth cleaned, Dick had 2 crown preps done, and I had 3 very minute cavities filled (no novocaine, and pretty good for not seeing a dentist in about 4 years!). I was in and out within 45 minutes; Dick was in the chair about 1½ hours, but he’s returning to Progreso this coming Thursday to have the permanent crowns inserted. Lynda will also have her crown inserted Thursday. Ed had impressions taken in preparation for having all his teeth pulled for a full set of dentures. (He said that he’d have to get used to not talking for about a week—as if that were possible! Ha!) 

We all had lunch at the Red Snapper in Progreso, before we did any shopping. Good food! We noshed on shrimp tacos, enchiladas, coconut shrimp, and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. A 2-piece “band” entertained us with singing, keyboard and bass guitar. They were very good.

Clockwise: storm clouds over Progreso, looking north toward the U.S; the entrance to our dentists' office; sign for the Red Snapper restaurant; one of the dental assistants outside trying to drum up business; Bob and Sharon; and, Ed.

We returned to Rockport by about 5:00 after a quick stop in Robstown to pick up a bag of Texas grapefruit and a bag of pineapple oranges. We had time to rest before heading to the clubhouse for Pegs & Jokers with Bill and Carole that evening.  Women rock: 3:2 over the men! 

Friday’s lunch was burgers at the clubhouse at noon, happy hour at 4:00, again at the clubhouse, and dinner at the Oyster House that evening to celebrate Pam’s birthday. There were 13 of us at dinner; we chowed down on raw oysters--lots of them! (Pam and I loved them; I hadn’t eaten any since the early ‘70s!), shrimp, oysters Rockefeller, catfish, steak, gumbo, salad—well, you get the picture. Oh, so good, and oh, such a good time!

The Oyster House is right down on Aransas Bay; Pam with Gary being silly; the band (never did get their name); and, our gang: L to R: Tom, Joy, Marty, Pam, Gary, Lynda, Marihelen, David, me, Steve, and Sharon (don't know what happened to Bob, and Dick was taking the photo)

Saturday was our granddaughter’s 3^rd birthday, so we celebrated long distance since she’s in Incline Village, NV. We did talk to her on the phone, however. She’s growing up much too fast! This photo of Anastasia was taken in late October before she went to pre-school.

 

Dick worked most of the day, returning to the camper just before 5:30. Knowing Pam and Gary were outside, we joined them for an impromptu happy hour before heading home for dinner. It’s so relaxing to be with friends, and enjoying each others company.

Sunday morning we attended the 8:30 a.m. service at First Baptist Church of Rockport; David and Marihelen joined us. Pastor Jones’ message was taken from 1 Corinthians 16:1-12: “The Glocal Church.” The “glocal” church is a local church that should also be part of God’s global church, aware of and ministering to the needs of people globally as they are led by the Holy Spirit. Here’s the link to his sermons: http://fbcrockport.net/sermons/

After church we headed to Aransas Pass for breakfast, at The Bakery. Yum-yum! We sure ate our fill! Biscuits and gravy was enjoyed by David, while Marihelen, Dick and I had DJ’s Western Omelet.  Marihelen also had a biscuit and grits, while Dick had hash browns and a pancake; I had hash browns and rye toast toasted dark. Oh, my…

Dick decided to spend a few hours working in the office again, since he’ll be gone at least 1 day this week, so off he went after we returned home. I started working on the photos for this week’s blog. We met at the clubhouse for ice cream at 2:00 and a few games of Pegs & Jokers with Bill, Carole, Sharon and Patty (Sharon became Chad for the games). Women stomped the guys 3:0! YIPPEE-SKIPPEE!

That afternoon we went to Jerry and Bonnie’s for happy hour, and to help them celebrate their 39^th wedding anniversary. There were about 15 of us there, enjoying the weather and each others company. Again, good times, good friends…you can hardly ask for more.

That’s it for this week, folks. Again, we hope you enjoyed our blog. We leave you with a photo of a sunset taken from our site on Sunday evening.

Hugs,

RJ and Gail