Bayview RV Resort, Rockport, Texas – December 2 – 8, 2013

Another week in paradise—albeit a very chilly paradise…and, a busy one, too

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The ladies in the park decided to take a shopping trip to Corpus Christi. So…10 of us piled into a 12-passenger rental van and 4 into a separate vehicle at about 9 a.m. Monday morning and headed on down the road to spend the day at the La Palmera Mall on South Padre Island Drive (known here as SPID). We hit every store in the mall (including  the big stores like Macy's, JC Penney, Dillard's, Bealls, and the smaller Bath and Body Works, Bourbon Street Candy, and Victoria's Secret, to name a few) , then headed to Olive Garden for a late lunch. (RJ is still wondering what Victoria's Secret really is…ha!)

L to R: Alice, Connie, Karen, Robin and (the other) Robin's hands.

L to R: Libby, Katherine, Marge and Bonnie

Bonnie took this photo; 4 of the gals chose to eat elsewhere,
so we don't have photos of them. (That's me at the end.)

Afterwards we hit Hobby Lobby where we cashed in on Christmas decorations at 50% off. Score! Our next shopping expedition will probably be in January. Come along!

I must say that while I was gone, my house husband vacuumed and washed the floors. Again, I say “score!” (Thanks, Honey.)

While the temps cooperated, I took advantage of the weather to make and hang a wreath from the front of our camper. Festive! 

Temperatures at the start of the week were in the low 60 to mid-70s…perfect for being outdoors. We definitely took advantage of the sunny weather, knowing that we'd be in for much colder temperatures at the end of the week. It's such a pleasure to walk along the water. We love it.

Blue Heron

Notice the Heron.

During our walk we saw the guys from Texas DNR launch
their craft, to go out to serve and protect. Go Guys!

Is it a bird? or a plane? Nope--it's a helicopter transporting
folks to and from the oil rigs in the Gulf. They take off
from the Aransas County Airport, just about 1 mile from us.

 Tuesday morning brought another session of "stitch and b…"—this time with an added feature:  knitting and crochet lessons. There were quite a few who wanted to learn; those of us who already knew how to do either helped those who didn't know how, or who wanted refresher help. It was a fun hour and a half, with a lot of new ladies. Hope they continue to come back.

Later that day neighbors Karen and Steve from Wisconsin came over for an impromptu happy hour. As we were outside chatting, friends Robin and Bruce from Ohio stopped by to show off their new golf cart. Pretty snazzy even without the windshield and rear view mirrors that are on order. Robin said it gets a bit "breezy" without a windshield...!" Ha!

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Dick's been working away on computer issues here in the park, both at the office and at others' campers, since he's known around here as the "computer doctor." Keeps him pretty busy, and he loves doing what he does.

Wednesday brought Bob and Sharon from St. Louis into the park, settling in directly across from us. What characters! We’ll be sharing more than a few laughs with them during their stay, which he said would either be one week, or until March, depending on how they get along with the neighbors. Ha! That evening we all headed to the clubhouse around 4 for yet another happy hour, followed by dinner. This week it was hamburgers with all the fixin's, coleslaw, and brownies for dessert. Yum!

By Thursday a cold front from the north threatened, dropping temperatures from the mid-70s to the high 40s in just a few short hours. Brrr! Plus, it was really windy, too, making it feel even colder. I spent about 3 hours at the clubhouse that morning, with some of the ladies in the park, decorating for Christmas. We hung lights and wreaths, put up and decorated the Christmas tree, freshened the centerpieces, etc.  All the while Christmas music was playing, making it a most festive time.

This tree, located in the park office, was
decorated by the kids in the park (many who live
here year-round) with ornaments they made.

By Friday morning the temperatures had dipped to the very low 40s, with the high for the day at 45. We decided to have breakfast at Whataburger (sausage, egg and cheese on a bun), then hit Family Dollar Store (a few Christmas decorations), and WalMart (groceries and candy canes). It was so cold and windy! We decided to call it a day and head home to the cozy warmth of our camper. We did head out for happy hour at 4 p.m.—just an opportunity to catch up with folks in the park. Due to the weather it was light on attendance, but fun none-the-less.

We awoke to 36 degrees at 7 a.m. Saturday morning.  Brr! Good day to stay indoors to watch football and knit! That evening I made Coq au Vin for dinner, which Dick reminded me that I hadn't made for a long time. (It's in the cookbook, ladies!) Good stuff, Maynard!

Sunday, with temperatures in the low 30s again, we attended church at First Baptist Church of Rockport. This day Pastor Scott spoke on the passage from Luke 3:1-18 on preparing our hearts for the coming of the Lord, based on John the Baptist's ministries. Excellent message! You can hear it here at: http://fbcrockport.net/online-sermons/

That afternoon we braved the cold and headed out to see "Hunger Games2: Catching Fire." See the trailer here at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1541646617. We highly recommend this film and are anxious for Hunger Games 3!

We returned home to sadly watch the Seattle Seahawk succumb to San Francisco Giants, and the Minnesota Vikings give in to the Baltimore Ravens. (Sigh…) Oh, and Dick reminded me that the Ohio Buckeyes lost to Michigan State. Not a good day for our football teams, but a good night for good ol' soup and sandwich, and staying in.

There's supposed to be a slight warming trend—for one day—on Monday, with temperatures in the low to mid-50s. Then another cold snap is due to hit us for a few days. We are tired of this cold weather, but thankful we're not getting hit with below freezing temperatures, snow and ice.

We send hugs and warmth to you. Let us know how you're coping with the winter weather in your area.

Love,

RJ and Gail

Bayview RV Resort, Rockport, Texas – November 25 – December 1, 2013

Monday's and Tuesday's weather was chilly, to say the least! We woke both days to temperatures in the very low 40s, and wind. Brrr! We’re so thankful for an efficient furnace that heats up our 500 square foot home quickly! By 7:45 a.m. Dick was dressed, had eaten breakfast (too early for me!) and was out the door for days 3 and 4 of working at Tech Time. 
While he spent the day diagnosing computer problems and handling several walk-in customers, I did whatever I wanted to do at home—reading, knitting, cleaning; the weather was too cold, windy and rainy to venture out “just for the fun of it…,” even for a walk. I did spend time with the park gals at Tuesday's “stitch and b…” session, though, which broke up the day.

By Wednesday I was more than ready to get out—Dick was done with work for the week, so we walked along Fulton Beach Road for 40 minutes. We saw egrets, blue herons, pelicans, sea gulls, and the ever present mourning doves and black birds. As we were walking, a blue heron lifted off from the inland waterway, flying very near to us. You don't realize how huge they are until they're close. They're anywhere from 45-54" tall, and have a wingspan of 66-79". Magnificent birds!

Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving--we braved the crowds and headed to Walmart for a few items and to the post office to mail Christmas gifts. Walmart was OK, but we had no idea the post office closed at noon on that day, meaning we would have to make another trip; we missed the post office by 10 minutes. Dang. Later in the day we attended happy hour at the clubhouse, along with about 24 friends from the park. Fun times.

Thanksgiving Day 2013! Can you believe it? One year ago we were in Ashdown, Arkansas—just the two of us celebrating the day. This year we had dinner with about 115 folks in the clubhouse here at Bayview. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy were provided; everyone else provided sides and desserts. Early that morning I joined others at the clubhouse to set up, making sure there were enough chairs, placing napkins at each place, preparing tables for the hot foods, salads and desserts. Some helped by peeling the 30 lbs. of potatoes to go along with the 100 lbs. of turkey already roasting. Then, I went home to prepare our dish: sweet potatoes with “Butter Shots” (butterscotch schnapps). Yum! The weather turned, so the temperatures warmed up to the mid-60s, with sunshine and a light breeze off the Gulf. By 2:00 p.m. the turkey was done, potatoes mashed, gravy prepared, and everyone was in the clubhouse to give thanks and chow down…and chow down we did! If anyone went away hungry, it was their own fault!

A visit to the post office was in the cards for Friday, as well as another visit to Walmart. Fearing the worst, we were surprised to find that there were no crowds at Walmart—guess they had already done their shopping on Thanksgiving Day. Later in the day we headed to the clubhouse for Happy Hour. That was a huge mistake that day! Apparently there is a group of folks in the park who love Karaoke. They had started to sing at noon—when we got there at 4 00 p.m. they were still singing (or attempting to do so), and continued to carry on for the entire time we were there and probably beyond… My ears still hurt—not only from the volume, but also due to the off-key noise they were making. They didn't get the hint when we requested "Silent Night" and I'm sure if we had asked them to do the "Sound of Silence" they wouldn't have gotten the hint! Next time, if they're there, we're heading home to our own happy hour…

What a beautiful day Saturday was! Temperatures hit the mid-70s, with sunshine, low humidity, and a light breeze off the Gulf. We love it here! We walked along the beach again in the afternoon, just enjoying the day.

(Note: these are not real...ha!)

Thought we'd share something with you, that you might want to be involved in also. We place quite a few orders through Amazon Prime, and through it we support a shelter ministry in Guatemala called El Refugio, that works with battered, abused, and trafficked women and children. This ministry, started and  run by our friends Mark and Kim Agrellas and their family who live in Guatemal. It is part of the "Amazon Associates" program to which Amazon donates 4-5% of our amazon.com  purchases to El Refugio. Through this program your Amazon shopping experience can automatically help the women and children half a world away at no additional cost to you. To participate in this program and support this worthy effort simply go to http://www.weavinghopeministry.org/ and click the Amazon link in the bottom left corner of the page; you will be taken directly to amazon.com. Your purchases will help very needy women and children in Guatemala, so we hope you’ll seriously consider joining us in this effort.  How cool is that! Thank you.

We were't disappointed in the weather on Sunday either! Beautiful sunshine. 70 degrees, and a light breeze. Perfect. We attended church in the morning, followed by breakfast at Caroline's Turtle Bay Café, where I had my usual corned beef hash; Dick enjoyed her ham and cheese omelet. Yum! Later, neighbors Karen (from Wisconsin) and Art (also from Wisconsin) came over and visited awhile that afternoon while I was sitting outside; Dick had work to do at the RV office—I knitted.

Although we're not doing a lot of exciting site-seeing, or constantly on the go, we are thankful for you and your continued interest in our lives and what we're doing.  (We're really Winter Texans now--we're on the 2nd bag of fresh Texas grapefruit! We hang it from the pin box at the front of our 5th wheel.)

Until next week when we once again venture into your lives, stay well. We send you hugs 'n' love,

Dick and Gail

Rockport, Texas - November 18-24, 2013

Even though our blog covers the week preceding Thanksgiving week, we wanted to wish you a very happy and ful-"filling" Thanksgiving.

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What a muggy start to our week in Rockport! Monday's temperatures were in the low- to mid-70s, with humidity in the upper 80s to low 90s. Ugh...the air was so thick, it was hard to breathe outdoors. Finally had to run our air conditioner!

By Tuesday the humidity had dropped somewhat, so we were able to spend more time outdoors. We always feel better when we can walk along the water, which we did Tuesday morning.

Blue Dayflowers

Pelicans: they were "fishing" so it was
difficult to get them captured. 

The pink flowers are Agalinis; notice the
white egret hidden in the background.

Even though these flowers are yellow, they're
called Texas Greeneyes.

Dick has been working with the owner of our RV park on some software issues, so that's what he did after our walk. He figures that about 40 hours will take care of their immediate needs. Also, Dick just can't be still, so he decided to pursue a part-time job at a local computer repair place, Tech Time, here in Rockport. After an interview on Wednesday they hired him to work 2 days per week, starting Thursday. He continues to work on the park software, too, so he's a busy guy!

Temperatures continued to hover in the low 70s, which was just the prelude to more wintry weather expected by the weekend. Wednesday we had our weekly dinner at the clubhouse: burgundy meatballs over noodles, green beans and salad, with pecan pie and vanilla ice cream. Yum! All for $6 per person.

Thursday morning Dick went to go to his first day of work at Tech Time. (I'm packing a lunch for him, too!) He works 8 a.m. to almost 6 p.m., which is a long day--for both of us. It was weird having him gone so long, although I did manage to fill my day with reading, knitting and riding my bike.

Friday was our last morning of warm weather; the temps were in the mid-70s when Dick left for work at 7:45 a.m., with the threat of rain throughout the day. By 9:30 a.m. the temps had dropped by 20 degrees, and continued to drop throughout the day and night. The wind started, and then the rain. Brr!

By Saturday morning the temperatures hit a new low: 40 degrees. Good thing the furnace in our trailer works so well! We needed it! (and continue to need it!) It was a perfect day to run errands and have a quick breakfast out, so we stopped at a local McDonalds on our way to the Dollar Store and WalMart. Afterwards, Dick spent part of the day at the RV office working on their software issues, while I finished up some Christmas gifts.

Sunday morning's temperatures were in the high 40s--after Friday and Saturday it felt like a heat wave! Jordan Mims, the youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Rockport, brought the message that morning. He spoke on the importance of leading your family spiritually; his scripture references, although found in the Old Testament, are still relevant today: Deuteronomy 6:1-12, Joshua 24:14-18, and Judges 2:6-12. With so many broken homes today, this is more important than ever.

Temperatures continued to hover in the 40s throughout the day, and the report is that they will continue like this through the first part of the week. By Thanksgiving Day they'll reach the mid-60s, with bright sunshine. SO looking forward to that!

We hope you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving, with family and good friends surrounding you, filling your lives and homes with love, laughter, and lots of good eating.

Blessings,
Dick and Gail

Bayview RV Resort – November 11-17, 2013

Another day, umm, week in paradise!

This week brought beautiful sunny days with temperatures ranging from the low 40s on Wednesday, to the mid-80s on Saturday and Sunday. Quite a contrast! Every day was pretty much the same: sunshine, cloudless skies, temperatures warming to the mid-70s, a slight breeze off the Gulf.  Wednesday brought a cold front from the north, giving us morning temperatures in the mid-40s; quite cold for this time of year, and for this area. The sun was shining, though, and by the afternoon temperatures had reached the mid-60s.  

 Every day we walked somewhere: either through the park, or down Fulton Beach Road to see the water. If we didn’t walk we rode our bikes.

Tuesday we took a break from our normal pattern and went to see “Last Vegas,” starring Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline. It’s a weekend recount of three sixty-something friends taking a break from their day-to-day lives to throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas for their last remaining single pal. Cute. (Oh, and the popcorn was good too!)

Wednesday afternoon we attended happy hour at the clubhouse, which proceeded the weekly dinner. This week was pork chops, sweet potatoes with apples, coleslaw, and carrot cake for dessert. Not bad for $6 per person! There were about 40 people attending. That evening we met the owner of the RV Park. Apparently he needs help with park management software, so Dick’s the man!

By Friday, Dick needed to throw his leg over the motorcycle and cruise. I decided to stay home to knit and read; he decided to head to Port Aransas. There was a 20-minute wait for the ferry at Aransas Pass to get to Port Aransas. He didn’t mind, knowing what was on the other side—the Gulf. (Because it was a Friday afternoon, it took almost an hour to get on the ferry to come back.)

The ferry line to Port Aransas

Ferries

Ferry going across to Port Aransas

Barge

Camping on the beach (not us).

 

Dun buggy on the beach, owned by a Mercedes dealer.

Hoping to catch a big one (notice oil platform in distance).

Caught the big one!

Park at Port Aransas

Restaurant on the beach at Port Aransas

Unseasonably warm weather hit us Saturday and Sunday, with highs in the mid-80s, and humidity to match, or higher.  We ran the air conditioner more this week than we have all year. We are thankful, though, that we haven’t had the terrific storms that the Midwest has had, or the unseasonable cold that hit the upper plains, including Minnesota.

Saturday we woke to a cloudy, drizzly morning, with temperatures already in the 70s. The humidity was high, too, so the air felt thick. Ugh… Regardless, we took a walk along Fulton Beach Road. There was a breeze coming off the water from the east, so although the breeze was warm, the air was moving. We stopped in the park office afterwards to check on mail, then took a “shortcut” through the grass to our place. Here’s what I collected: about a hundred burs! Dick collected some too, so we took turns removing them with pliers—those suckers hurt if you get them stuck on your skin.

Afterwards, while Dick met with the owner of the RV Park for a couple of hours to determine the scope of work and requirements for the management software, I prepared taco pie for the potluck dinner that evening at the clubhouse. About 40 people showed up for that dinner, as well. Lots of good eatin’—and some new things to try, too, like corn chip cookies (thanks, Bonnie!)

Sunday we attended First Baptist Church of Rockport. Pastor Scott Jones is preaching a series from the book of John in the New Testament based on John 30:21, “So You May Believe and Have Life.” This day he spoke on the scripture from John 11:1-46, “so you might have life,” the story of Jesus raising Lazarus. Wonderful message; you can listen to this message and others from this series at  http://fbcrockport.net/online-sermons/

After church we hit Caroline’s Turtle Bay Café again for breakfast. Just can’t get away from her corned beef hash or pancakes! The only table available was one for 6, so we sat at one end. An older couple came in after us, and asked if they could share the table with us—that’s how we met Nick and Polly from Aransas Pass. We spent a wonderful hour with them, listening to their stories and just chatting. We exchanged contact information, and they said they’d like us to come for coffee some afternoon—we’ll wait to hear from them.

The rest of the day was spent indoors watching football, and staying out of the 80+ degree temperatures and the 90%+ humidity. No breeze this day!

Hope this finds you well. Send us an email—we’d love to hear from you!

Until next week, we send hugs your way,

Dick and Gail