DWIGHT HAS ARRIVED

Dwight pulled in here around 4:30 pm on Friday.  He left Thursday morning and made really good time from New Port Richey Florida to McAllen Texas 1350 miles with only one stop over in Baton Rouge. 

 He is slowly getting unpacked and moved in. 

We even hit Big Lots on Sunday and picked up Christmas lights.  Because tomorrow is December and we have to be decorated for Christmas.  

" It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."   Both, his trailer,  and ours.  

Dan is going to get him initiated into Hamburger night at the Club on Monday as well.  So, he is diving right in. 



 
THE THACKER COMPOUND IS UP AND RUNNING

IT'S A SECOND THANKSGIVING FOR US

Before we head south for the winter, we get together with family and friends around the time of our Canadian Thanksgiving, in mid to late October. This year I dumped it back on my Kids to entertain us. 

Then when we arrive here, we have our annual Thanksgiving Pot Luck Dinner in the hall to look forward to. 


  We pay a fee to join a table of friends, then some volunteers cook enough turkey, stuffing and gravy for the entire hall.  Each table group decides on what other potluck dishes we will bring for our table.  We bring our own table settings and decorations and our potluck dish.  It is tradition to arrive early for set up mingle and socialize and the first sitting is at 12:00 noon.  After over-indulging in that feast,we all stagger home and rest up for the second go at the left-overs later. 

Just like at home everyone leaves their contribution at the hall and  some volunteers put all the left-overs safely away, then at 6:00 pm they are set up buffet style on a long table.  Some bread is added to the menu and you can just have a turkey sandwich if you want or a whole second meal.  Plus you get to choose from leftovers from other tables that you didn't get to enjoy at the first sitting.

  

It is a great time to socialize and catch up with many you haven't seen since last spring and introduce yourself to new people that have just arrived in the park and generally make plans for the fun your going to have this season.  There are always tales of how the tryptophan induced nap over took some, after the first sitting, and they missed out on the second.  Only arriving in time for the clean up.

HOW DOES THE SAYING GO?  "IF YOU SNOOZE YOU LOSE."

THE PARADISE PARK PRESS IS FINALLY READY FOR THE PRINTERS

This has been the most troublesome and costly paper I have yet to produce.  

It all started as we headed south for our leisurely trailer camping trip down here.  That first night in the campground from hell in Grand Forks, North Dakota where there was no Internet.  (just ask me and I'll let you know which one to avoid)  We were going to be taking our time and might go, off the beaten path, so I decided that I would Top-up my Virgin Mobile stick to make sure I had Internet access all the way along.  $$  

That got me excellent Internet access, but there seemed to be something else going on with my computer.  At first it wouldn't let me onto Facebook.  "Oh,well, I can do without Facebook during this trip".  Next thing I knew I couldn't access my emails, then I was, not able to download my pictures and I had trouble doing my blog.  

By then it was November and we were here in McAllen and I tried everything I knew how to do, to reset and restore it.  It all helped a little, but nothing was functioning like it should, and I had a newspaper to do.  So I bit the bullet and took it into the shop.  $$  

I put all my pictures and documents on a flash drive, so when they suggested to clean it right out and install Windows 8 on it.   I knew I had a newspaper deadline and would have a big learning curve ahead, but I said, "Go ahead".  Two days later I picked it up. $$

Now the fun began.  I know that they have to upgrade and improve all products including software.  No company can sit on it's laurels and expect to keep their sales.  They have to add anything new that has come down the pike or be left behind.  And they have to keep ahead of the hackers and their competition.  But, why do they change things just for the sake of change.  

You try to do something you have done a thousand times before and here you are staring at your computer dumbfounded, not knowing what to do or where to look.  So you start poking around opening this, looking at that and after hours you have figured out how to do one simple thing like open a document. Everything you have used before is still there.  They have just changed the name of it and hidden it in a different place.  Then hours and hours later you have figured out how to do one more simple thing.  

Then there is the time you have wasted walking away from the computer and throwing up your hand and pouring a drink to keep from throwing the computer out the window.  It took me about three weeks to realize that it wasn't just me, but the new Windows 8 they installed had a lousy, very weak word processing and I was not going to be able to do the newspaper without biting the bullet and purchasing a new Microsoft Suite to go with this up grade. $$  

Well here I am nearing the end of November and I have finally finished my little newspaper.  I have a Souped-up little 2007 Acer laptop with only 4G, that I have spent too much money on.  Money that probably should have been put towards a new laptop that has a Gazillion Gig and they would have thrown in the new programs. As you can see there is more than one lesson here.  

DAMN, I HATE THE LEARNING CURVE.  

THE WEATHER HAS IMPROVED

The weather has improved a little and so has the forecast. The week ahead is forecasted to be in the 70s to 90sF or 22 to 33 C.  

Boy, in the last couple of weeks we have had a lot of cool weather.  That arctic blast that is burying the central and north east US is being felt all the way down here in Texas.  We have had days when the high only reached 55F or 13C.  and the overnight lows went down to just above freezing. 

Over the years we have had a short spell of this occur annually, but usually it does not happen until after the Winter Solstice, usually between Christmas and New Years. It is very unusual to have it this cool this early in November.  I hope this isn't a sign of things to come in this "Climate Change" we are all creating.  




I JUST HOPE WE ARE DONE WITH THE COLD FOR NOW

REPAIRS TO OUR TRAILER SKY LIGHT

The shower stall in our trailer has a sky light in it, which makes it very nice and bright in there when you are showering.  Last year we became aware of some leaking and knew it was something we were going to have to deal with this year.  So, once we got here and were settled in, we started tearing it open to see just what we were up against, and as usual it was the proverbial can of worms.    

This sky light has an inner and outer dome and the water had been seeping in and rotting the wood all out, from in between.  We could tell there had been a couple of earlier inept attempts at repairs, that had not fixed, but only covered up the problem.  So, this past week, Dan has been busy ripping it all apart and rebuilding the entire support structure under the roof, but above the ceiling.  And of course the weather has not been co-operative.  So now we have a couple of nice days this weekend, we were hoping to get the finishing all completed and all  back together again.  

It turned out great and I am very pleased.  All new structure and framing and a whole new ceiling in our shower.  Nice to have my shower back operational again.  





ANOTHER GOOD PROJECT, WELL DONE DAN

NEWSPAPER

Well, I am back at it, scouring up information to put in the Paradise Park Press.  

 

It's not much, but I have received the calendar of events, and checked out the bulletin board in the club, now all I have to do is type it up and put it in some semblance of order.  

We have been very busy with other things, since we arrived, but I am hoping to get a newsletter printed before Thanksgiving.  That gives me 11 more days to get it done. 

NOT MANY PEOPLE AROUND, SO NOT MUCH NEWS

MY NEW TRIKE

Here is my latest piece of exercise equipment. 

I have been talking about getting one of these ever since I gave up my 1950s CCM, that I loved and used to carry on the boat with us, when we went up north.  I had a close call with a tumble on that bike and developed a real fear of falling and never rode it again.  Ever since then, I have been thinking about one of these (much more stable) and now I have one. 

It's in excellent shape and was a real bargain, so I couldn't pass it up.  But just like any other piece of exercise equipment it really doesn't work unless you use it regularly. 

SO BRING ON THE SUNSHINE SO I CAN START RIDING

REMEMBERANCE DAY

REMEMBRANCE DAY

HONOUR THIS DAY AND THOSE MEN

FINALLY, MY FOUNTAIN IS ALL SET UP

Since I bought my fountain, I have been bothered by the fact that the water that is spilling from section to section, splashes a little onto the concrete on either side of the fountain, depending on the direction of the wind.  

Last year I tried putting a mat under it, but that didn't help.  

So this year I have put a couple of planters on either side, that can benefit from that over spray.  I think it looks nice and I'm hoping it will solve the problem of the occasional splashing.  



WE'LL SEE  

 

COOL AND RAINY

Well, we are getting settled back in, here in Texas.  A few Winter Texans are trickling into the park, here and there.  The weather this week is cool and rainy so we are not spending much time out on the patio.  Today's high is only going to be around 63 degrees, which is 16/17.  

Just keeping busy with some maintenance chores.   We have tidied up Dwight's trailer, after our trip down and we have removed all our personal belongings.  It's all ready for him when he arrives.  

I have got my patio pretty well all set up the way I like it.  The only thing I haven't set up is my fountain.  I want some plants on either side of it this year and haven't decided what to use to put some plantings in.  I'm still looking for the right containers.  

I'M SURE I'LL FIND SOMETHING NEXT WEEK

MY HOW TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN

It's hard for us to believe, that the first time we crossed the boarder and headed south with our brand new trailer in tow was December of 2008. 

That first year we went straight down to Texas, (the fastest way to get to the warmth from Manitoba), then we headed east, through New Orleans and on to Florida and the Keys, then meandered our way up the East coast, through Ohio then home. 

2009 it was straight down to Texas again, then we followed the Rio Grand out west and on to San Diego, we did the California coast, the Grand Canyon, then home. 

2010 was supposed to be down to Texas then further travels down east, but we sure were becoming rather partial to Texas.  So many Manitobans, everywhere you looked.  It kinda made you feel at home.  And Texas was so much cheaper than anywhere else we had travelled.  We ended up buying a permanent lot for our trailer, with the idea that we would still travel every winter, but Texas would be our home base. 

Well!!!  We have been "Doing" Texas ever since.  Even buying a bigger trailer in 2013 and permanently settling that, onto our lot. 

Now Dan's brother has bought our smaller trailer to settle it next to ours so that all of us and our kids and extended families can have a place where we can all meet up for a winter get away.  

Sort of a "Thacker Compound"  if you will.  

YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHERE YOUR  ADVENTURES ARE GOING TO LEAD YOU 

WHY DOES OUR TECHNOLOGY ALWAYS NEED UPGRADING?

I hate the learning curve.  Every time I get really comfortable with my computer system, and don't even have to think about it, to accomplish a job, my computer system gets updated.  GRRRR....

As we left Winnipeg I started to have a slight problem with my computer.  The first night in Grand Forks, I couldn't get onto facebook.  But, I wasn't worried about that.  I didn't really NEED facebook, I would deal with that when we arrived in Texas.  Well, things deteriorated from there.  The next thing to go was my email and by the time we got here, my computer would not do anything I tried.   

So into the shop it went.  Now I have a cleaned out computer with new software that I have never seen before.  As I muddle through, it is taking forever to do anything that would have taken me a couple of minutes last week.  I can understand them changing and upgrading the software, as I guess things have to improve and evolve, but why do they also have to change the terminology.  

I finally figure out how to do something that is kind of familiar, but they are calling it  something completely different now.  

So, I hope anyone that normally reads this blog, will be patient as I muddle along through this learning curve.  I don't even know how to retrieve my pictures with this software.  I'm sure it is similar, I just have to figure out what they now call it and where they have hidden it.  




WISH ME LUCK