THE END OF OUR SECOND MONTH



Today marks the end on our second month in Texas. We made it here in time for Sharon's Boxing Day Party, (lots of fun) and the New Yeats Dance so things started off well.

Early January was a little cool and we both got sick,




but then things improved health wise and weather wise, and the rest of January and February turned out great, and very busy.








The hi-lites for me, of this year so far, over and above the Dances and Dinners were..................


 



              
    THE KITES OF SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

               AND SMOKIN ON THE RIO

                        

IT'S AMAZING HOW TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN. 

 

 

 

 



A SELF PORTRAIT

Nothing much is going on here.  Just a lazy day in the sun.  So, I thought I'd include a self portrait of me sitting, relaxing and enjoying my Patio and a nice cool drink.  


I wouldn't want to be in northern Texas the last 2 days,  but it's fine here. 


It was really windy yesterday, but today it has calmed right down so it will be hot and still, I think I will have to hit the pool later. 


BEING RETIRED IS GREAT!!

SMOKIN ON THE RIO

Today we went to "Smokin on the Rio", with our boating friends Sharon & Casey.  It was held at the rodeo grounds in Mercedes. 

 
This event is a Bar-B-Qing competition.  When we arrived there was so much smoke hanging in the air, that I thought I would choke.  But, thanks to the Texas breezes it soon cleared off, then we could breath and see. 

Now how this worked is, that teams come from all over with there Bar-B-Q equipment.  They set up and start Bar-B-Qing Chicken, Pork, Beef, types of Sausage etc.  When done they turn their finished product in to the judges for assessment.  Of course they do make extra that they offer to everyone that is wandering through, to sample.  There were other foods to sample as well.  We tried, beans, an onion blossom, beef brisket , chicken, ice cream and a Salsa dip that was so hot my mouth burned for an hour.  We also saw booths with smashed potatoes, macaroni, fajitas, etc. etc. etc.  There certainly was plenty to sample. 

Now these Bar-B-Qers not only bring their Bar-B-Qs which are very elaborate.  All built onto trailers for travelling from one compitition to another.  They also bring travel trailers to stay in and extensive staging to put up around their site.   This particular team on the right was called "Up in Smoke". 

Then this set up on the left and below, that we had lots of fun with,  was set up on the site of      "Da Smoke Boys". 

These guys sure put a lot of effort into their site.  It was neat. 

 

There was even a Manitoba Bar-B-Q team entered.  Flying a big Canadian flag. 

So, how do these teams win this competition?  Well, any time you want.  You can go into the judges pavilion, sit down and relax.  They will start handing you small samples of all of the food that the teams have turned in.  Of course all of these samples are only identified by numbers and you get to rate them and that's how the teams get their scores.  So it's the patrons that are the judges, and the judges keep changing throughout the day.  That's a great way to do it.  A real blind taste test. 




 

 So we carried on viewing and tasting as we went.  It was flavourful and interesting.  

 

The beans were flavourful.

And the Chicken was interesting. 

 And you really have to give a competitor credit for a sense of humour. 

SO, THAT WAS "SMOKIN ON THE RIO". 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR SOUTHERN SOJOURN IS HALF OVER

It's hard to believe, but our stay in Texas is more than half over already.  

We have been here  at Pardise Park http://paradiseparkinc.com/     over a month and a half. 


It's like they say, time flies when your having fun. 

I'm already starting to think about, the high-lite for me, of my stay down here.  "ST. PATRICK'S DAY".  I've dug out my decorations and supplies to see what I have left over and how much I have to add for this years party. 

 

 

IT'S LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY.  IT'S TIME TO START PLANNING!

 

 

 

 



LEARNING TO PLAY SHUFFLE BOARD

We have taken up a new form of entertainment.

Yea, we are learning to play Shuffle Board. 

We have found a group that don't take it all that seriously. 

So we are all having fun learning how. 

 

THAT'S THE KIND OF SPORTS I LIKE.  WHEN NOBODY CARES WHO WINS OR LOOSES. 

 

JUST HAVE FUN.

 

 

 

 

ANOTHER EVENING OF DANCING

Six of us from Paradise Park, went dancing last night at Trophy Gardens. 

 

 

 

It’s a very nice park with a good large Ballroom.  

 

 

 

The music was a little “Country” for my taste, but they played some other up - beat stuff as well, so it was very nice.



 And I learned 2 things last night.  

     We had the opportunity to witness a “Waterfall Dance”, which none of us had ever seen before.  In this dance all the single men lined up on the right side of the room, and all the single ladies, lined up on the left side of the room.  Their lines made their way up to the stage and across the front and met in the middle, and whatever lady a gentleman met up with, was who she danced with. 

The newly formed couples danced their way down the floor to the back of the Ballroom and parted ways there, to make their way back into line. This way, as long as there was an uneven number of men to women, you danced with someone new on each round. It's a kind of a neat way to get the singles to mingle.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2      The other thing I learned that I didn’t really need to know, is “Men should not wear Shorts with Cowboy Boots. “

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SO ENDS THE LESSONS FOR TODAY. 



 

VALENTINES DAY

What can I say about Valentines Day?  It was a lovely day here in the Valley, sunny and warm.  We went out shopping in the morning,

 

Sea-Enna got a new toy for Valentines Day, ( She is our Sweetheart ) and she was quite taken with it. It kept her entertained for hours. 

 

We relaxed the afternoon away, then Dan Bar-B-Qed Steak and Lobster for us for dinner.  It was great. 

 

 

 

 Then we went to the Valentines Day dance at the Rec Center.  It was a pretty good turn out and we had a great time. 

 

 

IT WAS A GOOD VALENTINES DAY FOR EVERYONE.!!

 

 

 

IT HAS GOTTEN QUITE HOT!

 

 

It has gotten quite hot of late. We have taken to cooking and eating outside as much as possible.

 

We Bar-B-Q when we can, or I cook something that I can create right after breakfast and re-heat come supper time. 

We have air conditioning in the trailer, but I fight against turning it on.  To live in air conditioning you have to end up closing all the windows and doors and staying inside.  If I wanted to stay indoors with the windows and doors closed up tight, I might as well have stayed up north in Manitoba. 

 

 

 

The other solutions for me is to go for an evening swim. That is one of my favorite things to do, even in the summer when we are living on the boat. We either take the boat out of the harbour for us and Sea-Enna to have a swim, off of the boat. Or, we go over to the beach area for an evening swim. Here, it's the pool, that we always have all to ourselves, as no one else seems to like an evening swim like I do.   I find it always cools you down and relaxes you before bed.

 

   IT WORKS FOR ME! 

 

 

PARADISE PARK ANNUAL LADIES LUNCHEON

 

Today was the Annual Ladies Luncheon, and this year the Comedian was Cindy and she was a self confessed Shoeaholic.  As you can see above the decor was completely shoe related.

 

  And every table had a gorgeous center piece of beautifully wrapped shoe boxes and miniature shoes. 

 

 

Even our Carrot Cake had an individual shoe decoration. 

 

 

 The Comedian, was the daughter of one of our residents and did a hilarious routine about her addiction and her collection of the many different shoes she has collected over the years. 

She seemed to have a comical story about every one of the shoes. 

 

 

It was definitely a fun afternoon.