We’ve had a windy storm…

No flood, but this…

Consort and I, and all three grandsons, are just fine.  D.O.G. and Fulton are fine.  We were all shaken up.  We were inside the trailer waiting out the storm when the tree fell.  The roof held, the trailer did not tip over.  The impact of the tree did knock an overhead ceiling vent out of its frame in the bathroom.

We don't know for sure what damage we'll find once the tree is cleared.  In the meantime, Consort has placed a tarp over the roof.

Camping, it's ALWAYS an adventure!!

Fulton gets a new hat

 

Road Trip

We left Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday, April 3rd.  Our plan was to leave at 9a, but that immediately changed when Fulton decided to make a break for it.  We spent half an hour just chasing after him.  

The 4 Seasons manager met us at our trailer so he could open the back gate for us to get out.  Saved a lot of effort by just being able to pull forward and out.  He voiced the opinion that our trailer tires were a little low and suggested we check the air one more time.  Hats off to his quote of the day:  Better safe than sorry.  Thanks, D!  

Our dear friend S made a point of stopping while she was out walking her dog Penny.  She hugged us goodbye and let us know she'd be praying for our safe travels.  Thanks, S, you have no idea how much that means to us.  There's nothing better than to know you're being covered in prayers.

Our first day on the road passed without incident -- well, the dead javelina and wild goat herd were a little out of the ordinary.  We drove 540 miles; 9.5 hours from Brownsville to Iraan, Texas, a small town off I-10W.

We first heard about Iraan last year on the Park4Night app.  Iraan has a population of only 1,281, but it has a beautiful city park.  It is the perfect place to dry dock:  secluded, dark, and very quiet.  Funnily enough, just like last year, neither consort nor I slept well.

Here's an interesting little fact.  Iraan is an amalgamation of Ira and Ann Yates, the owners of the ranchland upon which the town was built. ~Wikipedia

We were up early on day two of our three-day trip after an unsuccessful good night's rest.  We left Iraan before 9a headed toward El Paso with a final destination of Deming, New Mexico. 

Let me just say here that if you're wanting to go on a scenic drive, you will not find it anywhere between San Antonio and El Paso, Texas.  I would say there is nothing to look at, but that's not entirely true.  There are beautiful hills, mountains, plateaus, and plains.  Consort and I both find the geography of west Texas quite beautiful.  We passed the time practicing karaoke.

We drove 405 miles on day two, 7.5 hours, ending the day at Deming, New Mexico.  Deming is kind of out in the middle of nowhere, 100 miles northwest of El Paso and 200 miles east of Tucson.  Deming is home to West New Mexico University and a Walmart parking lot that is a beehive of activity.  18-wheelers and RV's begin to fill the parking lot between four and five in the afternoon.  The 18-wheelers come and go, and never shut down.  No matter how many motorhomes, fifth wheels, trailers, campers, and Tow Boys you count before you call it a night, there will be half a dozen more in the morning.  It is busy and noisy.  And again like last year, we left the windows open and slept like babies!

Fulton snuggled up with his travel buddy, Lamb Chop

Fulton absolutely HATES going for these long rides in the truck.  He wears a harness which is attached to a leash which is attached to the seatbelt.  His movement in the truck is limited.  We learned, after our first ride in the truck with the kitty, how necessary it is to limit the cat's movements.  The driver especially appreciates this.  As soon as Fulton is loaded in the truck, he slides down between the seat and the door in an incredibly small spot.  He seldom comes out from this hidey hole until we stop. 

On day two, Fulton again delayed our start time.  We were ready to load the animals and could not find Fulton anywhere.  We had been in and out of the trailer numerous times getting things ready.  Fulton is a wiley cat and has been known to zip out of the trailer without being seen.  I searched the trailer looking carefully in all the cabinets.  Consort walked the perimeter of the trailer.  Nothing.  We checked under the slides in the living room, we checked behind the slides, and once more through all the cabinets.  About the moment I was starting to panic, consort found the mangy moggy hiding under an ottoman.  I'm sure he was laughing as he watched us search the trailer.  But we found him.  Humans: 2; Feline: 0.

On day three, we drove from Deming, New Mexico, to Tucson, Arizonia, and then on to Apache Junction.  We take this route to avoid any mountain driving -- but that's another story for another day.  The trip from Deming to Apache Junction took six hours, 290 miles.  We arrived at our destination, Sunhaven RV Park in the early afternoon.

Last year when parked here at Sunhaven, we had a lovely pull-through site directly across from a small park and gazebo.  Unfortunately, even though we called in February, this year the site was already booked and we ended up in a much smaller spot at the opposite end of the park.  

Consort and I have been in some very tight spots before (both with and without the fifth wheel), but this site takes it to a whole new level.  In the picture above, you can see the black cap for the septic system.  Notice the tire tracks right next to it in the gravel.  Those are the tracks consort made edging the trailer into place.

We are wedged between a permanent shed with an attached awning on one side of the trailer, and the electric meter, water connections, and septic on the other.  There is a neighbor just on the other side of our utilities.  Above are two pictures.  On the left you'll see the living room slide open.  The awning over the slide is flat against the inside edge of the permanent structure.  The picture on the right shows the view looking down the side of the trailer.  We pulled back just far enough to have room for the bedroom slide to open.

But not quite enough room for this bin to open.  Consort has to kneel down and look up under the door of the bin to find what he needs.  There are mere inches on either side of us.  At one point, the maintenance man and his helper were advising consort on backing in.  All of a sudden, the helper is shouting for us to stop.  She ran around to the passenger window and started apologizing.  She said she just ripped our roof off.

We thought she was kidding.

She directed consort a little too close to the permanent structure.  It caught the edge of the fifth wheel roof and just kind of peeled the metal back in a couple of places.  It's nothing major and management here will take care of all costs.  

Consort pulled forward without doing any further damage.  We fired up the walkie-talkies.  I got out and directed consort into the slot.  He backed in without any problems at all.  The man's skills and our ability to work as a team never cease to amaze me.

Yes, it's a tight spot, but it does have a covered patio!

We're parked here through May 5th.  Our friends from Flagstaff have just arrived.  After a year of short trips in their RV, they decided to sell their house and belongings and become full-time RV'ers.  I think champagne is on the menu for the afternoon.  Next week, when they take off to begin their new adventure, we'll have three weeks to spend with my brother and SIL.  We're really happy to be here.  We LOVE Arizonia!

We have a gorgeous backyard.  All gravel and ten-foot-high Oleanders in white, pink, and red.  A perfect place for the kitty to play.  (I'll upload a picture of the backyard and roof damage another time.  I cannot currently get ANYTHING to upload!!!!!)

In one corner of the Oleanders, there's a back gate.  The maintenance guy, George, gave us the code to go in and out.  George tells us if you head out the back gate, just a hundred feet or so across the way is the Dog Run Saloon.  They're supposed to have great food and adult beverages with little umbrellas in them.  I'll let you know.  

There is no cable.  No problem, we seldom watch anything on cable.  

There is no WiFi.  No worries.  We've got it under control. 

Bad cell phone reception.  What??  Intolerable!! 

In the blink of an eye

 

And just like that, five months have flown by and it's time, 

once again, to pull up stakes and leave our winter home.

Of course, at the moment we're ready to load the animals, 

Fulton decides it's time to escape.

Big thanks to R&A for helping to snag the mangy moggy!

We've had a wonderful time this year with friends and family.

Great outings and delicious food.

Two weeks before we took off, our daughter and grandsons came to spend their spring break with us.  We moved all the furniture to one side of the living room and placed a blow-up mattress for daughter to sleep on in one of the slides.  Big thanks to S&R for the loan of the mattress!  It was wall-to-wall family and animals!

While they were in town, we took a tour of SpaceX,

spent a day shopping and lunching in Mexico,

(We're not claiming the little guy in the blue shirt.  

There's one in every crowd, isn't there?)

We went for an excursion on the Black Dragon pirate ship,

and visited the Gladys Porter Zoo.  

Check out the eyelashes on the red-and-black bird (can't remember what it's called).

We had a wonderful week and our best winter yet.

We're already looking forward to next season!

We're currently headed to Arizona to catch up with friends and family, and should arrive in Apache Junction sometime tomorrow afternoon.  The above pic was taken at Van Horn, Texas.  This is about all there is to see between San Antonio and El Paso.  Although yesterday I did spy a dead javelina on the side of the road and eight live goats waiting on traffic before crossing I-10. 

Plumb Happy

 

A few days ago I mentioned to consort that the kitchen faucet was leaking again and asked whether he might tighten things up.  Consort suggested the faucet was unable to be further tightened and it was finally time to replace the entire fixture.  Deferring to his knowledge and expertise (as I always do), I happily agreed.

Through the years in our sticks-and-bricks home, consort and I did a lot of remodeling.  We gutted rooms, pulled up carpets, sanded floors, hung sheet rock, including the mandatory mud and tape; pulled out load-bearing walls and replaced them with headers.  The list is endless.  There were two categories, however, for which we lacked the necessary skills:  electrical and plumbing.  We still never work with electricity, but we have tried our hand a few times at plumbing issues with mixed results.  So when consort volunteered to replace the faucet himself, I was skeptical of his optimism, but impressed with his willingness.  We do, after all, live by our life-long mantra of, How bad can it be?

We spent around a half hour or so at the local Home Depot yesterday picking out a faucet and discussing with the well-informed store clerk what parts we might need to adapt the faucet to a fifth-wheel.  The guy knew his business and it wasn't long before we were on our way.

This morning we cleared all the storage from under the sink, so that consort could get to work.  The area, although a great repository for bulky items, is really quite small.  About half of the area is inaccessible due to plumbing pipes.  As you can see from the pictures above, it was an extraordinary act of contortion to just get in and out of the cramped spot.

D.O.G. was allowed to roam about the trailer while we were working.  (And, yes, I am using the royal we.  In actuality, I really did nothing more than take pictures and offer helpful advice, like, If you want to crawl back out from under there, I'll put a little fan under there for you; you look awful hot.)  D.O.G. has been around long enough to endure the remodeling at the sticks-and-bricks.  He knows it's in his best interests to stay out of the way.  

Fulton, on the other hand, is a curious cat.  And let me just stop here for a moment and say that there really is a reason for the old adage, Curiosity killed the cat.  The saying is founded in reality.  You can trust me on this.

That being the case, Fulton was consigned to an inferior position closed up in the bedroom.  When Fulton first arrived, he was able to easily slip from room to room under the doors.  Now, as a fully mature two-year-old, he's much too fat large and becomes wedged somewhere in the middle between here and there.

After a mere 90 minutes, most of which was spent removing the old hardware, consort had a new working faucet installed.  We are thrilled with the detachable sprayer.  Isn't it funny how such little things can bring such great joy?  Unfortunately, I'm afraid the joy will be short-lived, at least for consort, as I am already eyeballing the faucet in the bathroom.  It makes me think of  Harry Nilsson singing Think about your Troubles.

Charro Days

 a celebration of the dashing Mexican gentlemen cowboys

For two weeks each February, Texas's Rio Grande Valley lights up in celebration of Mexican-American unity and culture.  The historic Charro Days Fiesta, which began in 1938, honors the friendship between Brownsville, a town at the southernmost point of the Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Matamoros, its sister city in Mexico.  The historic festival marks the continued cooperation between the twin Rio Grande cities which, although separated by national borders, are bound by shared traditions and culture.

The Charro Days Fiesta was originally born to "lift community spirits" during the difficult times of the Great Depression.  Inspired by Brownsville's unique location on the border with Mexico, the residents came together to plan a fiesta unlike anything else in the country.  "Horse-drawn, hand-made floats processed through downtown Brownsville in those early years, with marching bands from Mexico, soldiers from old Fort Brown, and children from area schools dressed as charros and chinas," writes the Charro Days committee. 

Over 80 years later, many of these traditions remain intact at the storied Charro Days Fiesta, which still begins with a Mexican grito, a joyous cry to mark the start of the celebration.  In years past, revelers could move across the Gateway International Bridge, which links Brownsville and Matamoros.  Today, the celebration still begins with a friendship ceremony called, "Hands Across the Bridge," in which the mayors of Brownsville and Matamoros both speak, exchange gifts, and affirm their long-standing friendship.

This year, the fiesta, which runs from February 22 to March 8, celebrates its 83rd anniversary and it has only grown since that first parade.  Now, the lineup of festivities draws thousands.  Costume balls, parades, carnivals, street dances, and fireworks are staples of the modern fiesta.

The celebration is named after the charro, a traditional Mexican horseman, and channels the jovial spirit of these original cowboys.  Many revelers still dress in the fashion of the festival's namesake charros, who wore ruffled shirts and silver accents.  Women will don the China Poblana, a colorful Mexican frock complete with elaborate embroidery and voluminous skirts.  ~Southern Living

The Charro Days Fiesta usually has about 50,000 attendees each year and includes the Sombrero Festival, as well as an illuminated parade and an international parade that goes down Elizabeth Street through Historic Downtown Brownsville across the border bridge and into Mexico.

The Sombrero Festival is a three-day street party in Washington Park that began in 1986 to enhance the spirit of Charro Days, and to expand the activities available to the general public.  It includes a jalapeno eating contest, a one-mile run/walk, a 5K run/walk, music, dancers, carnival rides, numerous food stands, and cooking contests.  Several rock stars, corrido singers, and Tejano music entertainers perform in this annual event.  The event not only provides families with entertainment, but it also gives away money to charitable organizations and to fund public facilities in Brownsville.  ~Wikipedia

SpaceX participated in the parade with a unique float that featured one of Starship's methane-fueled Raptor engines.  SpaceX employees appeared at the parade playing maracas on the float with giant STARBASE letters, similar to the sign in front of the rocket-ship factory at Boca Chica just outside of Brownsville.  The Raptor caught spectators curiosity and attention well before it was seen because it was releasing "smoke."  The float featured a screen that played a video of Starship flights as it cruised down Elizabeth Street. ~Tesmanian

I personally took a picture of the STARBASE float, but mine wasn't nearly as good as the picture above.  I also felt the information on Charro Days that I was reading on the 'net was far better than any information I could put together, so I simply did a cut-and-paste giving credit to the sources I used.  One thing not mentioned above, Elon Musk provided free carnival rides one day at Sombrero Days to all the children in attendance.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about Charro Days as much as we enjoyed being there!

Do You See What I See?

 

View from Lobo del Mar on South Padre Island

It feels like summer here today.  The sun is shining and the weather is warm.  Consort decided to take advantage of the good weather and begin stage one of two in sealing our fifth wheel's roof.  Me, I decided it was time to catch up on the blog and share some of the pictures I've been holding onto.

On the left:  The seafood sampler from Lobo del Mar.  Pairs great with a cucumber refresher!

On the right:  Each evening at sunset, pipers from the restaurant sound their bagpipes

in a salute to God and country.  It is really quite moving. 

Consort and I love bagpipes!

I honestly can't tell you what it is I do each day that takes up all of my time, but the days they do fly by and it seems we are constantly busy.

On the top:  I finally finished the French knot tree in red.  The embroidery was done on a dish towel, but I'm pretty sure it will not be put into service.  The bottom right:  The new project I'm working on, a cabin in the woods surrounded by a flower garden.

Some days are used up with mundane tasks like housecleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping.  We spent an enormous some time packing and then moving mom and D into their new house on the resaca.  

January was consumed by sickness and recovery. 

Each week Consort faithfully plays shuffleboard and has gotten quite good at it.  After last week's matchup, he now has bragging rights to beating my mother who has been the reigning champion around here for years.

There are always multiple events going on weekly in the park, and various outings in Brownsville and South Padre.

An evening of karaoke.  That's my mom in the big hat.

The kite festival held at South Padre Island.  

Met some folks who drove 14 hours from Oklahoma to attend, and others who flew in from Oregon.

Opening night of Charro Days at the Brownsville Historical Society.  

Watch the videos to get a small taste of the culture we are enjoying.

The participants in Charro Days take great pride in their heritage

and in Brownsville, their hometown.

The Beard Posse is featured in the bottom video performing an impromptu hat dance.

This is the historic Rabb house at Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Brownsville.  Built in 1892, it is the only Queen Anne style house in this region.  It is currently being used as the visitor's center for the sanctuary.

Bottom right:  Interior of the Rabb house visitor's center.

The Sabal Palms Sanctuary shelters one of the rarest ecosystems in the United States while providing safe haven for critically endangered plants and animals.  It is one of the last locations in the Rio Grande Valley with a profuse grove of sabal palms.  The 557-acre sanctuary abuts the Rio Grande River and has around three miles of hiking trails.  It is the southern most point in the state of Texas accessible to the public.

There are always birds to watch, 

sandcastles to be admired, and neverending animal antics to revel in.

Fulton has discovered the palms here really are trees and, yes, they can be climbed!

D.O.G. received a Valentine full of delicious treats from the puppy across the street.

Fulton got a new toy, D.O.G. got a chew stick --

-- momma got some new boots -- 

-- and they all lived happily ever after.

Live life to the fullest.  

You have to color outside the lines once in a while if you want to make your life a masterpiece.

Laugh some every day.

Keep growing, keep dreaming, keep following your heart.

The important thing is to never stop questioning.

~Albert Einstein