Last Days in Texas so........Photo Dump & Short blurbs!!

Well, I loaded the pictures in the wrong order, so you are just going to have to go back in time!  We are at the end of our journey in the Rio Grand Valley & we have met some awesome people and visited some awesome places. As it should be since we are on a life adventure to see all we can see before we are unable to roll.

Yesterday we ventured to Mexico again.  It is nice to have this inexpensive fun so close. We went to the dentist and came upon the so long winter Texan festivities.  Lots of entertainment and free food and tequila shots.  It was too early in the morning when we went so didn't drink a whole lot but had some fun for certain.

Street Corn Cart!!  YUM

Dick spent some hospital time here in TX.  Got his gallbladder out then a week later went in for 4 more days with an inflamed pancreas.  They ran so many tests and we are awaiting the results.  He will most likely live for a while but was in such pain and it would be nice to know what the heck is going on in that belly.

These biscuits could very well be the cause of his issues.  Google Butter Swim Biscuits and make these!!! Super easy mix and pour in and bake!! Super yum!

Harlingen has a street fest the 1st Saturday of every month and we went twice.  There are tons of vendors, entertainment and kid fun!  This is the fancy beer garden.  There is a pop-up tent with tubs of ice and bottled beer and $1 margaritas.  Defiantly not like any beer garden I have ever experienced!

This is where we will be next winter from mid-October to mid-April.  Dick will not be doing anything, and I will work 20 hours a week in the office for our spot.  Winter spots can be pretty pricy in all the winter destinations, so this work camping thing works our pretty well for us.

I did some house cleaning and we participated in the park yard sale and I sold everything.  Super excited for all the space to add more stuff for the next yard sale.

We get pretty fancy with our drinks here!

 

Shot and Pizza Bar!!  What a weird thing!!

We headed to South Padre Island another time but this time we had company.  Dicks cousin Glenn, his wife Cathy, his sister Barb and her son Johnathon.  Lots of fun in the sun and walking/driving on the beach.  Since I sold so much at the yard sale, I thought I would collect 10 pounds of shells.  You are just going to have to wait to see what I make with these.  Stay tuned and I know you will be back to the blog to see!!

It was nice to rent a condo so we could have lots of space and cook.  

Hazy day at the beach!

Horses on the beach. People romanticize about this, and I just don't get it, so I just won't do it.  I probably can't even swing my let over the saddle or get my leg in the stirrup!

Keep a slow pace or you may get stuck!!!

Crazy Barb in the Water

  

Dolphin watching boat tour was super cool.  We saw tons of dolphins and I didn't even puke!! 

Titanic Glenn

Sand sculptures are awesome.  Such talent!

Cousin Love!!

As long as I have know Glenn he has always picked up dead things.  I do not know the reason and I will not ask.  We were in Ireland and he went quite the distance down to a beach to pick up a big dead bird.  We love our travel buddies!!

Another Mexico trip to have lunch and margaritas!

YES this is common in Mexico!!

We took a trip to the liquor store and I think we spent over $300  We are not big or binge drinkers but we do enjoy the good stuff. Pretty pricy accept for that box of wine!!!

Took a trip to Wisconsin in January!  Never again in the winter.  That's all I have to say about that!!

We love a good museum!!  Especially if you can dress up and ride wooden horses.

The any population is REALLY big down here.  These ant hills are huge.  We went disc golfing and found these.  At another course just walking around minding my own business I was attacked at the ankles by fire ants and I almost died of the pain. They were everywhere and I have no idea where they came from.  I didn't step on any ant hill or bother any colony.  What did I ever do to deserve welts all over my ankles. 

Can't get enough of Mexico.  Anytime anyone visits we go.  Any time we feel like it, we go!!

This is me working at the activities desk.  This is the stupidest window ever.  People stand outside of it and order their tickets but the window bottom is right in the line of site.  I had to put my chair to the floor to see them properly and then I had to attempt to get out of this chair not looking like an old lady with bad knees.

That is the end of my backwards story!  We are leaving here on April 1st and going to adventure for 6 months to the unknown.  We kind of have a plan but we have no reservation until late September for a wedding in Wisconsin.  Lots of places to see and beauty to explore.  Watch for maybe more posts as we begin to travel again.  I just tend to be to lazy when we are planted in one place for awhile.  Then again, I may be just as lazy when we get rolling.  Time will tell.

More Texas Stuff

A new year is almost here so I thought I better get all the 2023 info on the books.  As you know I have been taking classes in beading at the resort.  As the projects progress, I get better and better and am inventing things all on my own!  Every class teaches you a new technique so I will continue to go until we leave here.  I am sure I will give away all this stuff so when I see you all just ask for some fabulous jewelery!!

We are still exploring disc golf courses and they are super boring here for me.  Wide open spaces with some unusual vegetation and lots of red ants!!  Sometimes I go but only if I feel the need to get my ankles bit up and itch for days!! 

I think this is a desert Christmas tree that someone forgot to water!!  Looks like a slight fire hazard!!

This here was where I walked at the disc golf course.  Nice, shaded path around the wide-open field where Dick played in the sun and dam near sweat to death.

We headed to South Padre Island for a couple of days and stayed in a cheesy hotel right on the beach.  Had a blast watching the rocket launch!  The ground shook and the noise was super loud. Super awesome.  We had fun waling the beach everyday people watching. We plan on going back in February when our friend come to visit for a week.  We rented a whole house so no cheesy hotel next time.  I love cheese and cheesy is always fun.  

Sunsets were awesome!

Beerfest on the island was fun but the southern people just do not know good beer!  Some was decent but for the most part.....blah.

Back to reality at the resort and Thanksgiving was packed.  Tons of people and tons of food.  I don't know if I ever want to make that kind of meal again.  It would maybe kill me.  Life has sure become super simplified in the kitchen, and I love it.  Now this certainly doesn't mean we are getting skinny.  Hell no!!  The opposite.  I have no idea what is going on maybe it old age spread but we are more active than ever but gaining and not losing. Oh well, feel great, having fun and doc says we are healthy.  What more could we ask for.

Decorated for Christmas.  Took all of 5 minutes!  Love it!

Funky free and tiny flowers. 

A children's group came to the resort and preformed You're a good man Charley Brown!  It was so adorable and fun.  These kids had some real talent, and we had a great time. They perform all over the valley for free spreading the word of God along with the Charley Brown story!! 

 

My Christmas bracelet!!

We went to a drive through light show on a choo choo train after we went to the Chocolate factory in Heldago, TX.  So amazing for a tiny town.  It was HUGE.  Best light show I have every driven through.  We went with a bunch of folks from the resort and visited a large bee too.  The chocolate factory was all hand made. Ground the beans and molded.  They have quite the tourist business.  All dark chocolate and we all got to make our own bars.  Mine had coconut, almonds and Tejin in it.  Spicy delishousness.  Dick labeled his bar DIRT because he thinks dark chocolate tastes like dirt.  Lucky for me.  I love it and more for me!!

Love that we can swim year-round.  We go often.  Our house is planted right behind this building behind us, so it is super close to swim and hot tub.

I have started to fold paper.  Like I need another hobby!!!  I had a sign-up sheet at the activities center and about 12 people came to my class and learned a few things.  I failed as a teacher, but we had a bunch of laughs and some pretty weird looking things come out of this class.  I will try again with but this time the class will be called Fun with Tape!  Yes...there is something wrong with me!! 

Packer Bracelet! It is double sided and is all green and gold on the other side!

We went to the Legion bar up the road for dinner because someone said it was good and we came upon the town parade.  I love parades almost as much as I love zoos!!  It was a great parade for such a tiny town and we loved watching the little kids getting excited for all the floats and Santa!  The mayor even handed out bags of candy and we are not just talking little bags.  Maybe that is where my spare tire came from!!  The bags had lemons in them to.  

We have found some pretty amazing places to eat down here as well.  This was the New York Deli and the sandwiches were as big as the ones you get in New York and just as delicious!!

We attended an ugly sweater murder mystery party and walked home with all these trophies!   Last trophy I won was for bowling when I was pregnant with Charley.  Anyhow we won for my 

ugliest sweater. Dick won for the best acting for the murder victim, and I also won for my acting abilities by getting most people to vote for me as the murderer!!  I didn't do it!!  Fun was had!!

We went to the zoo in Brownville Tx, and it was amazing as is every zoo.  Again, we saw so many things that we never saw at other zoos and had fun watching the very active animals.  The snakes were moving and the monkeys were making all kinds of noises we have never heard before.  We will hit up a zoo wherever we go and will never be disappointed.  There was an awesome park across the street that had a bunch of tiny houses.  A village of cuteness.  Each house had scenes inside and were amazing.

2023 has come to an end for this blog and it was an amazing year.  We met all kinds of cool people and saw all kinds of cool things.  I almost died a bunch of times, but I backed off posting those because I thought you may be fearing for my life along with me and I don't want to stress my friends and family. 

Relaxing by my tree as I write to you all and reflecting on our amazing lives and hope yours are as amazing as ours and you all have a happy new year.  I look forward to more adventures and writing them for you all to read about.