December 31, 2012 "Happy New Year"

CC and I want to wish everyone a healthy and prosperous Happy New Year! The fireworks are booming in the background as I write this. Those Hispanics / Mexicans love their noisemakers. If we don’t make it to midnight, we’ll surely be awakened by their exuberance. We’re sitting outside watching the LSU vs Clemson game as it’s 72 right now. It is truly a blessed life we live.

I’m working on the 2012 Budget, so that will be forthcoming, but preliminary figures indicate we came in about $500 - $600 per month under budget. That’s enough for me to say Hooray!

Until next time, take care and stay well…………..

December 4 - 23, 2012 "Welcome Back Winter Texans"

The time since we arrived at Ranchero Village has flown by, even quicker than usual by meeting dozens of new people in the new park and getting acclimated to the way things are done here by the long-time Winter Texans who have flocked here for years. We have made some amazingly wonderful new friends and reunited with friends from past years here in Weslaco.

CC and I are both on a quest to shed a few pounds, so we have been eating more responsibly and preparing more meals versus going out to eat and not knowing exactly how the food is prepared. One thing is for certain here in the RGV, if the tortilla chips taste good, they have been fried in lard! It’s especially hard for CC to resist, considering chips and salsa are one of her primary food groups; but I must admit, she is doing quite well at resisting the temptation. Another helpful activity in our quest is Happy Hour; everyday at 4 pm. Helpful because here at this new park, food and snacks are omitted, unlike past years; eliminating that aspect HAS to help, right?

On December 7, the Welcome Back Winter Texan Appreciation Day was held in Nuevo Progreso, MX, a mere 6 miles south of us. When they advertised free food, drinks and gifts, we were “all in”. To begin the day, we met a group of friends from last year for breakfast at Rene’s Bakery in NP around 8 am, and from there it was on to El Disco for one of Tony’s famous margaritas. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right? From there, we ventured outside and strolled along the sidewalk and watched the parade, various street performers, and the beer girls. It’s a tough life.

Until next time, take care and stay well………………..

December 3, 2012 - "Back in the RGV"

It’s been a month since our last post, and suffices it to say, it has felt like longer. With that said, it reminds me of advice given to me by my parents, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”. So now on to the positives………….

We finally left McClains RV in OKC, not because everything was fixed, but the contrary. It seemed everything they fixed involved further, additional “mysteriously costly” repairs. So after three weeks of that, we moved to Childress, TX, to visit CC’s daughter, Letta, and her family.

CC had a great time hugging on her new great grandbaby, Haley. Luckily for CC, Mary stayed close by over the weekend, as that little girl is most definitely a mama’s girl. Pictured below are four generations, from left to right, CC, Haley and her mom, Mary, and Letta.

GGCC and Haley; see any resemblance?

We called MCD in McKinney, TX, to make an appointment to get the shades repaired, and the soonest they could get us in was Monday, Nov. 19. OK, we’ll just extend a week here and CC can get in a few more hugs because the next time she will she Haley, most likely after she begins walking. The week flew by, as it usually does when visiting family and friends, and had a fantastic time.

The following Monday morning we drove the 250 miles to McKinney, and arrived at MCD shortly after noon. They backed us in to one of their 12 RV sites, and told us they would get us in ASAP. Tuesday at 8 am, they knocked on the door, and proceeded to repair the damaged cab shade. While the two techs were in the rig, they checked ALL of the MCD shades and adjusted the tension and stops, so now they are all working like new. We departed MCD shortly after 11 am, only 23 hours after we arrived; now THAT is what I call customer service. We cannot say anything bad about MCD. If you are thinking about replacing your old pleated day/night shades, MCD is the best. Granted they are not cheap, but quality made in the USA; we like that!

Finally, all the needed repairs complete, and Murphy behind us, we move southward to the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), about 3 weeks behind our preliminary schedule. After overnight stops in Santos and San Antonio, we arrived at our winter home at Ranchero Village in Weslaco, TX shortly after noon on Thanksgiving. We located the manager and he opened the south gate and escorted us to our site; actual grass without sand burrs and large concrete pads, something unfamiliar to us in past winters here in the RGV.

Friday morning we did the usual WDYWTDT, and you guessed it, CC opted for going to Nuevo Progreso, MX for shopping, margaritas and lunch. It was like old home week, as we met up with old friends from past years at Pancho’s in El Disco I. Do we look like we’re having fun?

That’s it, that’s all for now. Until next time, take care and stay well………….