Saturday Fun

I decided to go to the Rec Center for the Saturday breakfast. Loyce didn't want any, so I went by myself. But you are never alone in Llano Grande, as I immediately sat with two other couples. They turned out to be from NW Iowa and Fargo, ND. I had much in common with them, as I did Audits up that way in a previous life. So we hit it off at once.

The line to pay and get your food.


Boy theres a bunch a folks here today.



Flea Market

The next town West of here is Weslaco and West of that is Donna. The road between the two towns is Victoria Rd. On Victoria road is the Don Wes flea market. A permanent bunch of buildings (shacks?) and trailer houses with many wares for sale. This was more like a county fair mixed in to a junk show.

From the road.


We were worried we would have to park a zillion blocks away, and then lucked into a car that was leaving right in the front row. It had Missouri plates, so we thought, 'there's your sign'.


Once in the door of the big building.


Camera focused on the doors overhead and not off into the distance but you get the feel of the place.
Wow! This place is really big in here and there are so many stores and booths you can't absorb it all. Everything is for sale all at once and folks are everywhere. The outside vendors go on and on. Redwood sign anyone? Sun screen for the front of your RV awning? RV parts and pieces. Chinese tools?

Booth with wall away rocker recliners. $199. Man in a clown suit with a pet alligator! Takes your picture with the alligator on your lap, with a polaroid, and then sells it to you. Alligator was obviously sedated.


Too much Flea Market, I'm hungry!

Fat Daddy's Bar B Que

This is six miles North of the Progresso Mexico Bridge.



Ya we're in Texas, aren't we?


Walls are loaded with the authentic stuff! Loyce is sitting, with the black coat, over by the door onto the porch.


Pulled Bar B Que pork dinner, ranch beans and slaw! $7.99 The beer is flowing in here!



After the meal we went looking for an orchard that our neighbors told Loyce about. After some driving around, we found the place. It was after 5PM and it was closed. But now we know where it is so we can come right back during the time it is open.

The sun never did come out but it was up to 58 by late afternoon. We really, only needed a light jacket or sweat shirt as it wasn't cold. Just kinda dreary.

Sunday is a new day with the hope of much nicer temperatures both here in the valley and in the Northern Central US. We hope it is a nice day for you where ever you may be.

Gloomy Cold

It started out at 44 and got up to 48. Overcast and rainy. But the rain quit by about noon. We just slept in. Oh I was up at 6:30 writing the blog for the day, but then crawled back into the hay! What a life! But it was cold in here. Or was it? Both heaters were running.

So we didn't do to much except all the normal live life in the RV stuff. The dog, brandy had to do her thing several times so we just couldn't sit inside all the time. As you know I have been suffering from bronchitis and the coughing attacks seem to never quit. So the out with the dog bit causes a new set of spasms each time.

I am optimistic that the Levaquin antibiotic and the steroidal inhaler will do the trick. If not, you will have to find another blog to fill in for this one as I was told that pneumonia generally comes after the bronchitis. Ok Ok I'll be a good boy. Honest Doc.

But not to be folks that can 'just hang ar0und a 29 ft RV' all day, we headed out to a new area of McAllen. They have built a convention center on hwy 83 to the West end of town. And as luck would have it, there is a new shopping strip mall center attached. Many of the stores are just getting started, and many more are planned, but remain bare dirt for this winter. One of the stores that is just finished is Barnes and Noble, and we like those. We spent the larger part of the afternoon just looking and reading the vast number texts in that store. We could buy many items there, but the old F150 truck is weight challenged as it is.

Loyce bought a small bag of goodies and I just left with a smile. An my money in tact of course. It is still in the low 40s as I write this at about 11:30. I usually start the blog late at night and then get up in the morning and review my thoughts. The review and corrections in the morning are more successful after some sleep. Even then I see errors after I publish the blog.

Oh and during the day we decided that we would bid Llano Grande a fond farewell at the end of the month. We just are not 'stay in one place too long' type of folks. So we made reservations at the Lagoons campground in Rockport, Tx. We reserved two weeks as Loyce will never want to stay out more than 6 weeks, no matter what the temperature is back home.

One of the blogs we follow is Ellie and Jim who have justravelin here on blogspot. They stayed in the Lagoons for a month last fall. Based on their pictures, there will be lots of activities in the area. This is the Port Aransas, and Mustang island area, of North Padre Island. If it should just happen to warm up a bit, the early spring on the ocean should be dynamite.

We are now in the mode of deciding what we need to do here before we leave. Loyce thinks another trip to Mexico will be in order as we are getting several requests to have a pickup load of Mexican Vanilla when we get home. No problem, but we have to buy it just before we cross the bridge, carry it thru customs and straight back to the truck. It does get heavy if you carry it around while you shop.

Doctor and Wal Mart Pharmacy

Yes I have insurance. I know you have never heard of Select First PPO because thats in Iowa. But they are also part of PHCS which you are apart of. Here call this number. And so it went at the Doctor's office. It took over and hour, just to convince them that I could pay them. If you just walk in and want to pay cash, they still will not see you. You must have insurance. And in this day of PPO's, your not just automatically covered, in a different State or community. All of this on a day you feel like cr-pp!

I then had to wait in the exam room for about an hour before the Doctor could get free enough to come see me. But she was great! Quite nice and knowledgeable. Gave me a prescription for a strong antibiotic and an inhaler. Just not good to be sick when you are supposed to be having a carefree time in a warm climate.

If you have read the blogs since we arrived here, you will remember that I really liked the service at the local Wal-Mart. Remember, they shut the window just as I arrived, after standing in line for about an hour. So I had to go deal with all of that again. Armed with my prescriptions and all day for time, I returned to Wal Mart. I was able to turn in the script almost at once and was told to wait an hour. So I hung out. Ate a McDonalds Burger.

Read a new book that the cash register would not let me purchase. Wasn't supposed to be for sale until tomorrow. So I just read it standing in the aisle. New John Grissom tale "The Appeal" The first chapter sets up the case. I will be purchasing this book when they let me. They made me give it back.

After an hour, I went back and they still didn't have it ready. I sat right in front of the window and after only 30 minutes more it was ready. Remember, you have no where to be, and no schedule to keep so everything is an adventure. Grrrrr! Now don't be like that, it doesn't matter one bit. What are you going to do? Go home and sit in your easy chair and surf the internet.

We are so programed to our expectations. I have to constantly remind myself to let it go. The world will not change, and neither will your tomorrow. Still Wal Mart is a victim of its own success. Their management is slow to make any changes that would improve themselves.

On the skype party line that occurs most evenings, we learned that it is a very cool ZERO degrees back in the Iowa area. KC had about 12 overnight. We had 44 in rain. The rain makes it much colder in a travel trailer. It seems to leach out the heat that is running inside. You just would not be able to live in the trailer, at the zero degrees of the Iowa winter. Our walls are only an inch and a quarter thick. While made from styrofoam, they also have aluminum box channel to create the rigid frame.

Aluminum anything is just not a heat retaining material. We have a portable electric heater and the propane fired forced air furnace. Which should we run? We are paying for the electric on a meter and have to flag down a propane truck as it goes thru the park, and 30 pounds, about 7 gallons, was $18. No matter which heater you run, it will cost money. We ran the electric yesterday thru the day. And set both the electric and the propane to run as we went to bed,

Both heaters are running this morning. Together! Cold rain is soaking the warm right out of the trailer. I turned off the electric heater just to see what would happen next. The propane heat is running longer and comes back on quicker. The electric is more convenient. Doesn't have to be refilled. The gas is warmer and since it is forced air, tends to warm all the rig more uniformly. So we run some of each. The cost will average out. And after you get over paying the bill, it will not matter tomorrow.

Get yourself under control, see the post above about not having problems. Let it go, things will not change. Even if you do not use the very cheapest method.

Oh the ramblings of a man at 6:30 AM, when his family is still sleeping. Thats how this gets so long, when I really had nothing to talk about. So lets hope it warms up quickly, no matter where you are as you read this. Spring will come, it always does.

Stay at Home Day

As the title implies, we just hung tight here all day. We did the TV and internet thing. It wasn't hot but it wasn't cold either. We just ran the electric heater for the cooler hours of the morning. The fog that was at the ocean yesterday, seemed to be everywhere by morning.

I think we were just recovering from the big two days we had just finished. First going to Mexico and then the big day at the ocean yesterday. We didn't really see or learn anything new hanging out. By 4:00 PM we finally decided that we had to go to Wal Mart just to get away from a 300 square foot box.

We had supper at the Taco Cabana, which is Mexican fast food. It is not overly fast, if you wait in the drive thru and they didn't bother to give us any napkins or silverware. Or should I say plasticware. So I parked and went inside to get some pico de gallo and the other stuff. When we got inside there was a singer with a guitar and a accompaniment machine. Wow live entertainment. Never seen that in a McDonalds or any other form of fast food store before!

I had beef enchalada's which came with rice and beans and a couple of fresh tortellas. Loyce had chicken quesedilla, that came in a pizza style box. We were both stuffed. And I think it is quite good also. Loyce said her meal was way too big and a I look at the menu again, they did have a personal size and a regular. When ordering that again the personal will do quite nicely thank you.

I have been battling the cold and the resulting bronchitus. Last night it became more than I can bear. So this morning I am researching the health insurance PPO thing to see what coverages and which providers are good to go here in the Valley. Thats about the last thing I wanted to do while down here in the so called paradise. Not if you remain sick the entire time you are here.

Its in the high 40's and raining so this day will be mostly a stay at home kind of a day anyway so why not go to the Doctor?