December 1 - 11, 2010 - "Free Beer"

A group of 10 from the park toured the Aloe King Farm in Mercedes, TX. Upon arrival, we were led into their palapa and fed a roasted chicken lunch with all the trimmings, at the modest cost of $7 per person. The cost of the “tour” was $2 per person and lasted about 2 hours. We were each given a starter plant to take home and plant. I was skeptical (imagine that) about going, but it turned out to be very interesting.

Pictured below is a filet of Aloe Vera, and we were each given a slice of it to use as a moisturizer. There are many medicinal uses for the plant as well. Visit the website for more information. http://www.aloeking.com

Just across the road from Aloe King is an avocado orchard. Today workers were trimming the trees to make them stronger and to increase the yield. The actual “trimmer” has 5 spinning blades; each blade about 24” in diameter, and looked like circular saw blades. To say debris was flying would be an understatement, which is why the operator is enclosed in the protected cab. Notice the tree on the left which has not yet been trimmed. (Click on any picture to enlarge)

Another day, another trip SOTB to Progreso; It has become a weekly ritual.  Minimum cost for the trip includes $2 for parking on the US side, and $0.25 each per crossing to walk across the bridge; a total of $3.

That is, of course, before a stop at the Red Panty Bar for one of their great margaritas; $4 each but they are huge. Unfortunately for us, we were a day early for free beer. Oh well, guess we’ll just have to go back tomorrow to take advantage of that. Rule #3 in retirement is never, ever turn down a free beer.

CC needed some Clinique “something”(?), and the JC Penney here in Weslaco didn’t carry it, so it was off to Dillard’s in Harlingen, about 15 miles to the East. It truly amazes me that there are so few Bar-B-Que joints in the RGV (Rio Grande Valley). I mean, we are in Texas, aren’t we?  Now if you want Mexican food, the RGV is the place to be; more Mexican restaurants here than there are Mormon Churches in Salt Lake City. While in Harlingen we stopped at The Lone Star for lunch.

I had the brisket sandwich; it doesn’t get more Texas than that. The food was very good, and the price reasonable. $5.95 for the “special”, sandwich, fries and drink. CC had a burger. What’s up with that?

We are in Weslaco, located in the RGV midway between Harlingen and McAllen. One of the lady’s here at the park, suggested to CC, that a “must see/do” was the market in McAllen. It reminded me of the shopping district in Puerto Vallarta.  Pictured below CC models some Hoochie Mama jeans.

All the walking and shopping has really worked up our appetites, so it was off to find a place to eat lunch.  La Mordida (translates to Little Bite) Restaurant was just a short walk away. No English spoken here. The food was modest, but the place was clean and cozy.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree…………We ventured to the local Christmas Tree Farm, and purchased our first tree for the rig. No 9 footer here, like we had in the “stix & brix”; more like a 3 footer to set on the dash. CC added some lighted garland along the dash, and our Christmas decorations we set for the annual Parade of Lights scheduled here on December 14.

We have received a few e-mails commenting on our choice in cuisine, and wondered if we have gained any weight as a result of those choices. The short answer is pictured below; our dinner last night as we dined at Casa Sol Crucero. My compliments to the chef and sous chef.

After our commitment with the Customs and Border Patrol each day, we continue to frequent the pool and hot tub on a daily basis, and even manage a few miles each day on the bikes. CC continues her Chair and Zoomba classes each day they are offered. Other than that, life is boring……………..LOL Really LOL…………..Until next time, take care and stay well.

November 3 – 18, 2010 - "We be Winter Texans"

We arrived at our new “home” for the winter in Weslaco, TX, the Country Sunshine RV Park. http://www.rvonthego.com/Country-Sunshine.html Originally, we had planned to stay here until Dec. 15, and move to either a different park in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), OR, move to Arizona. The first week we were here, we drove around and looked at 20 – 25 different parks in the RGV, extending from Mission, TX on the west end to Port Isabel on the east end, a distance of about 60 miles. We also charted average daily high and low temperatures, not only in the RGV, but Arizona as well. After we discovered that the RV parks in Arizona are about 40% - 50% more than they are here, AND, the average temps in Arizona are 4 – 7 degrees cooler, we decided to extend our stay here until March 15. CC and I have made an appearance at the heated pool (85 degrees) and hot tub (104 degrees) every day since our arrival.

With that decision behind us, it was time to do some exploring, so it was off to Nuevo Progreso, south of the border, in Mexico. From our new “home” it’s a 5 mile drive to the parking lot, where $2 allows for all day parking. Walk up to the bridge, pay your $0.25 each and walk across. That’s it; no inspections, no customs, no immigration – nada. It didn’t take long to realize we were in Mexico, as the street vendors were aggressively “hawking” their wares as we strolled down the sidewalk. It reminded us of landing in Puerto Vallarta and being bombarded by the time share sales people at the airport. We just smiled, replied, “no gracias”, and kept walking. By the time we had covered 3 blocks, we were both in need of some refreshment, so we stopped at one of the many sidewalk bars, the Red Panty Bar. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ob-1/3323032415/

On to lunch, at The Arizona, where for $9.95 USD, two can dine with margaritas included. We chose the beef fajitas, and they were very good. The presentation is not exactly what we expected, but good, none the less, and the portions were sized perfectly for our appetites.

(CC blogs) I had the opportunity to go to a “Ropa” (Ropa vieja, which is Spanish for "Old Clothes"). Ropas are located in large buildings where the old clothes donated from Goodwill, Salvation Army and the like are piled up on the floor 10 or 12 feet high at times. Those interested shoppers can climb up on the piles and dig through, pulling and tugging for special treasures; the cost of these purchases is 20 to 30 cents a pound.

A Winter Texas couple here at County Sunshine had married earlier this year so the park residents decided to put on a mock wedding for them. Part of the wedding festivities was to find the wedding parties attire at the ropa. The ladies of the park invited me on this wonderful adventure. We had a lot of fun climbing, laughing, giggling, crawling, tugging and pulling clothes at three different ropa locations. At the end of the day the exhausted group found a bridal gown and numerous bridesmaids dresses in need of some alterations. (Pictured below, in the foreground is Gayle, the blushing bride) And finally, what better way to end a wonderful shopping trip, but with a dip in the pool.

Since South Padre Island (SPI) is less than 60 miles, we decided to make a day trip, and check out things just southeast of our “home”. It was wonderfully warm, around 83, when we arrived. I captured this flock of fledgling sandpipers as they scampered in the shallow waters looking for lunch, with watchful Mom nearby and out of the picture.

After a stroll along the beach, and some “shelling”, we decided it was time to silence our growling tummies. Daddy’s was recommended as THE place for seafood and Cajun on SPI. Starting with calamari, and culminating with the main entrée of blackened red snapper, topped with shrimp and crayfish, the food was fantastic.

The following day it was back to the grindstone, and our winter job with The Border Patrol of apprehending illegal immigrants.  In the picture below, CC and her partner, zoom by on their way up river to make an apprehension. No doubt the culprit was young, as CC the cougar, was wide-eyed as she flew by.

Neighbors here at the park, have told us about a “burger joint”, in nearby Donna, TX, Gonzales Burgers, with instructions to get there early, as they open at 10:30, and close when they are out of meat. It's difficult to see in the picture below, but there is NO signage at all; NONE. The place was very crowded, and we waited about 30 minutes after we placed our order, to get our meal. This place is truly amazing, no signs, no advertisement, only word of mouth that drives their business; the quintessential "American Dream Success Story". The burgers are HUGE, probably ¾ pound each. CC and I both ate only half, and were stuffed, so we took the remaining half home for dinner.

That pretty much sums up what we’ve been up to the last couple of weeks, not to mention a couple of pot luck and buffet dinners offered here at the park. These Winter Texans love to eat. If we have a meeting scheduled, be on time; but if there is food involved, get there at least 15 minutes early. As they say, “The early bird gets the worm”.

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