ENDINGS.

The end of a paint job. Though, Laurie still has other rooms to finish.

The end of Mikey’s stuffed toy-soon. He loves them to death.

The end of work on the bronco and motor home. My bike reloaded on the back.

The end of our cool weather and pink sunsets. Jim read me the weather report.  From the sixties, the weather will turn cold;  40′s during the day, and 20′s and 30′s at night.
“I get out of here just in time,” declared Jim, the weather wimp. He misses the road. He is scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. Monday morning. The end of his stay as he heads south. First  Manteca, a stop in Bakersfield, then Palm Desert, which leads him to Yuma, snow bird country. I finished cleaning out the medicine cabinet and the spice drawer yesterday. We put sheets back on the bed. Doug will come up to install a shoe rack he built for the motor home. I will sort through books I want to take with me. I’ll load the new lightweight computer into the motor home, though, I’m having my doubts about carrying it back and forth, which was the objective. It was frustrating having stuff on one computer I couldn’t access from the other computer.  I fiddled with the new one  for hours last night and it takes two or three clicks to perform tasks in system 7, that take one click in Vista. I’ll load the computer and hope for the best;  forcing myself to use it on the road. Groan. It might have been smarter to carry a separate drive back and forth.

Jim doesn’t listen to popular radio with commercials but there is a song I like, “You’re going To Miss Me When I’m Gone.”  With us, the ending isn’t terribly long.  I’ll fly to meet him in January.

LAID BACK IN GALVESTON, TEXAS.

We drove up the coast headed for Galveston. We stopped at a BUC EES, I think that is how you spell it. I saw a  huge billboard advertising genuine Czech Kolaches. Well, as y’all know by now, I’m a foodie. If I haven’t tasted it I gotta try it. They had sausage and jalapena, sausage, sausage and cheese and ham and cheese. Well, guess what a kolache is just a Czech name for a sandwich. These were not even good sandwiches. White, pasty bread, the sausage itself was good, but the cheese was Velveeta or its cousin. People must love them, but I’ve never been a sandwich person and these were  mundane. (They are eaten heated.)


We drove past miles of beautiful beach. Jim commented how nice it is that Texas has many beach exits for people to enter the beach. They didn’t allow private builders to gobble it all up and prevent the public from enjoying the beach like in Florida and many places in California. But it is January and people were swimming out there? I guess I have to try it, because the weather is warm enough.


We waited downtown for about three hours to get permission to park in a very crowded American Legion. We waited happily catching up on our reading, but the trees wanted to scrape the top, the place was busy and narrow. In the end, we moved 15 miles to the mainland  and found this friendly VFW, post 8248.


We had a couple of drinks and had fun visiting with Kathleen and Denise.  Denise told me about a new food to try. The Spanish call it barcoda. I won’t tell you what it is until we find and taste it. Hey, gotta keep up my reputation for trying new foods. Denise is the Commander of an American Legion Post and a member of this VFW. Fun gals. Kathleen is hoping to hit the road some day.

Since this is a short blog, I thought I’d tell you about a Port Aransas wedding. Weddings can be very personal. I once saw a wedding invitation posted on a light pole in downtown Murphys. I’m paraphrasing a bit, but it read, Sandy Bristow has finally gotten Ricky Sanders out of the bars and off the streets of Murphys. Come join us for the event at Murphys Park, etc. etc. with a picture of Sanders  with a lasso around his  neck and his new bride in a cowboy hat and boots. (Not correct names.)

I read about the Port Aransas wedding in the Coastal Bend’s Community Magazine. Because it was Halloween, it was a two day wedding. The setting was a Port Aransas Beach Lodge described as  laid-back and casual, nestled in the sand dunes with a commanding, panoramic view of the Gulf with awesome sunrises.  The day before the wedding,  gaiety started as the sun began to set. Guests donned their Halloween costumes and went off in rented beach carts for a fab dinner at LaPlaya. Afterwards, in full costume, they set off for the Salty Dog where they drank and danced . The next day, they hired a boat and went on a two-hour cruise. Entertaining land locked guests with the beauty of sky, sea and sun with dolphins playfully posing and following the boat enraptured them.  Back at the lodge, the guests enjoyed a scavenger hunt, a white elephant party and a final ceremony at sunset on the wharf. The dinner was a crab boil with champagne.
Sound like fun?  Wow!

SNAKE HOLE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB?

Retirement communities in Arizona are as plentiful as sand, it seems. The one where we are staying, the Country RV Resort, has about 80 per cent more or less permanent residences that are modular or mobiles. People here come from cold winter climes and stay half the year, then return to Alberta, Vancouver, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Illinois...I can't begin to remember all of the license plates I've seen on our daily walks. The residences stay furnished and waiting for owners to return each year to this sunnier spot.

 Its a nice place with a green nine hole golf course down the road near here. But the Countryside golfers decided to build a 13 hole golf course of their own. It costs $20 to golf for the whole season. No grass, its true, but they enjoy their course built on vacant land right across from the resort. Its fun and challenging as well. The course covers about 10 acres. And, they don't lack for a sense of humor as you can see from the name.

Some pull their carts.

Others prefer to ride. They all have a good time.

In the complex itself, planned events like an ice cream social, an Elvis Impersonator, dances, pot lucks, card fests, birthday celebrations, crafts, book fairs and excursions to town are offered for everyone besides the built in amenities such  as the gym, billiards room, pool, hot tub and hall with a kitchen serving breakfasts on weekends and festive special events meals as well. 

Around the complex, individuals personalize their homes, often with a sense of humor and definitely with an nod to retirement life.

You see old license plates, or a sign in front "yard" space telling what place they came from. The yards are minuscule and retired lawnmowers and wheelbarrows indicate how happy they are to give up the responsibilities of caring for huge yards and enjoying instead playing away their golden years.

There are 560 units in this village, safety in numbers, instant friends, healthful lifestyles and fun.
Much to recommend.

Some of the yards accommodate about three barrel cactus. Some have a palm tree in front. Others like to set out little water fountains, souvenir sculptures, humorous themes like a road runner or Tweety bird or a few potted plants. Life here is easy. Friendly. People smile and say hello to everyone. They help each other.  

 Then every evening, you can enjoy a sunset like this.

Or this.

Or this.
I could give up my lawnmower.