Going, Going, Gone!!

Hi all, Dianne here.  What's wrong with this picture?

We're the only ones left from our nightly happy hour group!  Much of Retama Village is emptying out as snow birds head north.  Our friends Jim and Sue are still here, but our East Mallard Drive group has already left.  It all began just a couple of days ago when Tim and Bonnie headed out for their summer in Colorado.  I missed getting their photo as they left, but yesterday Bob and Linda were next...

Pulling Out...

Hooking Up...

Hope we remember all the steps when we leave April 11...haven't had to do it since September!

Off to start their summer adventures!

Finally, this morning Jeff and Val headed north to their home in Manitoba, Canada:

If you look closely, you can spot Val and their cute dog Maggie in the Passenger Seat

Roger and I have been working hard to get ourselves ready to hit the road April 11.  We've had the motorhome carpet cleaned, cabinets cleaned out and rearranged, but there's still more work to do before we're ready to leave.  We have a wash and wax scheduled for the motor home next Friday, and we're still moving things back and forth trying to decide what to take and what to leave behind for six months.

On March 21-26  I took a short spring break to join high school girlfriends at a condo near Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  We all went to school together in Frankfort, Indiana, but flew in from Chicago, Indiana, Michigan and me from Texas. Penny was our guide, since she lives there on Pompano Beach.  Some of my high school buds read our blog, so here are photos of the highlights of my trip for them:

 My friend Karen brought matching cover-ups for all of us so we could be "quintuplets" on our girls weekend.  Trouble is, we wore them so much and forgot we had them on -- you should have seen the looks we got from people who didn't know why five 62-year-old grandmothers (except Margy, she's just 62, not a grandma so far) would be acting so silly and dressed alike!  Let's just say those huge bubba mugs in the photo didn't contain water....

Then there was the happy hour at the Tiki Bar...

Matching eyewear courtesy of Nancy...

More strange looks, and more silliness...

Two of the guys from our Indiana high school, one a '68 classmate and another from the class of '65 joined us for a barbecue at the beach.  We can all proudly call ourselves Frankfort Hot Dogs (that really is the mascot name!)  Actually, Nancy (in the middle) wasn't from our school, but she might as well have been, and we consider her an honorary Frankfort Hot Dog.

Larry, Me, Karen, Nancy, Margy, Chuck, and Penny

On our final evening together we took a dinner cruise through the intracoastal waterway:

 As you can see in the photo, we came well-equipped (Penny and Margy discreetly hid their bottle).  We all had a wonderful time and it was great to see them and revert back to our high school silliness for a while.  It was kinda like the slumber parties we used to have, although we didn't stay up nearly as late as we did back in the day.

Back in Texas, one of the things Roger and I wanted to do before we hit the road was to make a quick day trip across the border to Progreso, Mexico for some cheap prescription drugs and shopping.  We managed to get over and back in under two hours, mainly because our favorite outdoor margarita bar wasn't open the day we were there.  I stocked up on Mexican vanilla and found some very heavy, colorful drinking glasses and a salsa decanter:

I think the glasses will go well with my Fiesta dishes.  I'll be leaving the Fiesta and glassware behind when we hit the road, for it will be paper and plastic for us for the next six months.

My wildlife cam took some exciting night-life photos behind our fence this month.  Here's just a sampling:

Big Ole' Coyote

Big Ole' Skunk

Since the local sugar cane fields have been harvested (good hiding places), there has been a lot of Border Patrol activity right here near our neighborhood lately.  If any of you have watched  Border Wars on the National Geographic Channel, much of the activity when they film in Texas takes place right here in the Mission/McAllen area.  We don't need to watch TV to catch the action.  Here are some shots of the Border Patrol agents searching the trench behind our place for illegals trying to pass through.  Most of us have the phone numbers for Border Patrol programmed into our cell phones to phone in any activity we might see. Believe it or not, we slept right through this activity which took place right behind our bedroom in the motor home.  Bandido didn't even wake up!

A little blurry, but you get the idea.  They must have been moving fast!

I'm sure the question in your mind is "Are you afraid to be there?"  My answer is no, not at all.  We feel only compassion for the poor souls who try to cross the river to find a better life.  Most have paid large sums of money to crooks who have taken terrible advantage of them.  The Border Patrol here is very responsive and constantly on the alert, and the illegals are routinely rounded up and sent back over the border.

Back here, the view through our back pergola shows empty patios where once was snacking and laughter and friends gathered around fire pits.  We know that we'll pick up next fall right where we left off, but today it sure is lonely on East Mallard Drive!

The pet photo of the day shows Bandido and Tequila as Jeff and Val drove past on their way north.  They seem to be saying "Where is everybody??!! 

Bye, Maggie!  See you next year!

Catching Up - Fun Times in South Texas!

Hi all, Dianne here.  Well, our winter here in South Texas is coming to a close.  It's already springtime down here, the weather is beautiful, but we're all starting to get "hitch-itch" -- that phenomenon where the traveling spirit in RV'ers takes hold and we're ready to hit the road.  Once that happens, we'll update our blog regularly.  For now, though, here's what we've been up to the past month or so:

My friend Sue devised a fun pirate scavenger hunt for her two small grandchildren during their recent visit.  Since we all had costumes from last year's pirate party, the hunt ended at our place with the treasure being guarded by "four-legged pirates."  None of my photos were as good as this one our friend Jim took, so I'm "pirating" it!

The treasure chest was hidden beneath our beer cooler.

Here come the little pirates!  Will they find the treasure?

Where can it be??

We found it!

Little children sure are fun.  So are seniors when they congregate in the south for the winter.  I've heard it described as "senior spring break," except that it lasts all winter long.

To illustrate how silly and fun it can be, this week our village hosted a "Not-So-Newlywed Game," complete with some hilariously clever "commercial breaks."  Roger and I had a bit part, so my good friend and neighbor, Linda, agreed to use our camera to take some shots of the fun for us.

After a wonderful spaghetti dinner, the fun began.  As an example, one of the questions asked of the husbands was:  "What secret does your wife have that she doesn't think you know about?"   Needless to say, the guys were smart enough not to touch that one with a ten-foot pole!  Lots of laughs all evening long.

The bit part Roger and I played was in the final commercial for "Depends."  First, Barb modeled the Texas Bling version for that special night out on the town...

.

Then Greg modeled the male version for special holidays...

Finally, Roger and I modeled the "Special Day" Depends.  Roger's even had pinstripes!

Thanks again to our friend Linda for agreeing to some camera duty that evening.  We were seated behind all the activity so that we could quickly change into our costumes.  

The very next evening was another special occasion, complete with homemade maple ice cream and made-from-scratch birthday cake for a certain husband of mine who has been working very hard lately in his duties as chairman of the village advisory board.

Our good friends and neighbors gathered 'round and we all kicked back and enjoyed a beautiful evening together!   It was so pleasant we lingered after dark and lit a campfire.  Life is good!

The lure of new places and travels does call to us, but I can tell you we will miss these nightly happy hours and the camaraderie of friends.  At least we know next fall we can pick up just where we leave off this spring.

The pet pictures of the day are two close-ups of Bandido and Tequila in their spiffy pirate costumes:
                       A pirate...

                          ...and his wench!

What Happened to Sam Disney?

What did happen to Sam Disney?  More on that later.

Roger here....  There is never a lack of activity here at our winter home at Retama Village.  For the past few weeks, I have been getting up at 6:00 a.m. every morning to go on a brisk, four mile walk with a couple of my friends.  I always take one of the dogs.  I finish the daily hike at the dog park, where Dianne meets me with the other dog.  Exercise done before breakfast!  Tired dogs.  Time to enjoy the rest of the day.

There is a men's breakfast every Friday morning at a local restaurant.  Dianne does water aerobics and yoga, and still volunteers twice a week walking dogs at Cinderella Pet Rescue.  My community chairperson responsibilities keep me constantly challenged (usually in a good way) and busy.  Thursday afternoons we have a "lumbermen's" meeting at the Rhodes Palapa on the Rio Grande River.  (Guys discussing lumber and hardware, or so we tell our wives --- did I mention the adult beverages?).  On Tuesday we attended a Mardi Gras-themed social at the clubhouse.  

Most nights, we gather around a campfire with our neighbors to enjoy happy hour before dinner.  At one of our recent happy hours, Bob and Linda served "white sangria."  Pretty tasty!

Here is a great picture of our hostess, Linda.

Dianne here:  In the photo, Linda is showing us the surprising hint she discovered to help her plantar fasciitis.  

A recent highlight was the annual community mystery dinner --- What ever happened to Sam Disney?  120+ residents attended the event.  The plot is far too convoluted to attempt an explanation.  However, you might enjoy photos of our own Retama Village Not Ready for Prime Time Players:

Get a load of Mary's portrayal of Flora Fauna, the homeless bag lady who hangs out at the park.

Bob and Marilyn were great as Cain Able, the has-been Hollywood director, and Francis Noodle, his doting assistant.

I played Horace Tabbeyville, Retama City's inept and buffoonish mayor. 

Dianne again:  As you can see in the above photo, Roger really got into his character!

Horace's opponent in the upcoming election is arrogant rich guy Biff Stifflebeam, played by John.  Biff and Horace don't care much for each other.

Sharon portrayed Detective Mattie Jiggs.  I thought she was kinda cute and might be a fine mayor's wife.  A little flirting ensued.

Lorraine was amazing as Mami Eve, a goth psychic who was constantly receiving messages from her dearly-departed Aunt Clara.  Mamie's new boyfriend was the very unstable Rebel McGreggor, played by Dave.

Unfortunately, our director, Dale, had to leave and did not see the final production; however, Carol (behind the podium) stepped in and did a great job.  The other lady in the photo is our friend Sue, who went on a scavenger hunt to try to find clues to the kidnapping of Sam Disney.

A local Texas Ranger, Paul, helped the cast cart off the guilty party.  I wonder how he got his badge to stay up in the air like that?

Uh-oh.  It's Thursday afternoon.  Time to go to the lumbermen's meeting.  I hear the price of pvc pipe is going up.  There will be a lot of discussion about that.