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| Recent cheese basket treat from my daughter's family--eatable mail! |
One of the plus things about being in the Rio Grande Valley is the assortment of adventures one can do when the weather is not conducive to being outside. In January, we took in semi-pro basketball and this month it was ice hockey. Yes, here in southern Texas, we have an indoor ice rink and a national junior hockey league team. They are called the "Killer Bees."
We gathered a group of 20 of us, held a pregame feast in our clubhouse, and attended a game. (We had planned on tailgating at the sports arena but it was too darn cold and wet for us old folks to be happy with that option, so off to the clubhouse we went. Remember, we are retired not stupid.)
I have decided that Ms. Daisy is truly the family sports nut. She knew all about this game. Its rules, strategies, and nuances are beyond me at times. She would patiently smile and explain the fast paced actions often for her hubby. As I observe her behavior, I do believe she also has a blood lust fever for putting people into the boards. She gets very excited.
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| NAHL Killer Bees has a hockey franchise in the Valley. |
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| A Daisy attracts Killer Bee mascot. |
Meanwhile, back at the park...
In the evenings there are a number of activities that you can participate in from Wii bowling, card games, billiards, board games, crafts, darts, heated water sport pools, and weekly dance classes. Daisy and I were the instructors for East Coast Swing lessons for three weeks. My favorite activity is the twice a month karaoke. I do solos from the blues, standards, soul, and jazz. But what is more fun are the duets on which I team with our friend Julia. She calls herself a little Texas country girl. She is feisty, likes her beef well done, and carries. She also likes old country music and with her honest country twang can carry a tune with the best of them. I am learning to sing more country and she more bluesy songs as we team up for the duets. It is fun.
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| This is Julia and Mike. See her portrait work below. |
Julia is also a portrait photographer and has a studio in her home.
It's Valentines' Day...
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| Would you believe we found this on Feb. 14! |
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| 2014 Valentine Dance portrait, by Julia |
Time for a short TC trip...
We told our Arkansas friends that we met in Padre Island that we would come meet them in San Antonio before they returned home. It is only 4.5 hours from our winter home to the city.
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| We got a site near our friends and across from the bathhouse. |
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| RV Park in San Antonio |
That first night we went to the San Antonio Riverwalk with Rick and Darlene and Skip and Mary. We all have homes within several miles of each other near Eureka Springs, AR. We took a bus from the campground 5 miles into the city center and the Riverwalk. It was a 2 block walk to steps down to the water's edge. We stopped at one outdoor plaza for a margarita with chips and dip. We then made reservations at an upscale steak restaurant which had a 45 minute wait. We were where we wanted to be..watching people and snacking. Somebody has to do it.
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| Cocktails on the famous Riverwalk with Arkansas friends |
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| Saltgrass restaurant overlooking the Riverwalk |
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| Lightly fried asparagus with salmon fillets covered in a crab sauce |
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| Grilled bay shrimp and slow roasted baby back ribs |
The next night we all snuggled into a crew-cab pickup and went back downtown for a view of the city from the Tower of the Americas. The tower is a 750 observation platform with a revolving restaurant and a lounge at the top. It was the theme structure for the 1968 World's Fair.
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| Tower of the Americas in the day... |
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| ...and at night. |
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| Mary, Chip, Daisy, Darlene, Rick, Skip |
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| Day view from the lounge at the top |
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| As the sun sets |
Its intriguing that the restaurant revolves but the lounge, which is one level above the eatery, does not. We did not have reservations and chose to eat in the lounge. They have a great variety of good looking appetizers that Daisy and I shared.
They were just as tasty as they looked.
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| Daisy and I opted for fish taco appetizers with... |
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| beef brisket sliders and tempura shrimp for dinner. |
Rick, Skip, Mary, and I played 18 holes the next day. Daisy and Darlene went for a long walk along the walking and biking pathway that connects the downtown area to the historical mission area.
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| The campground is about 5 miles from downtown. |
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| Darlene on a walk with Daisy |
But that night our friends abandoned us. They had to go to a private golf banquet. So, we were left on our own to suffer our grief quietly. We found this quaint Tex-Mex mom and pop eatery across the street from the campground.
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| Shrimp, beef, and chicken fajitas with pinto bean soup eased our sorrow. |
We spent three nights there and headed back to southern Texas while they all packed for a return trip to Arkansas within the next week (weather dependent). One reason we headed back was to be in a talent show. I was to sing a cappella a fun parody on golf and Daisy was to be my percussion accompaniment using a golfball hitting a clubface for timing.
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| Daisy with ball and club keeps the tempo |
18 Holes by
John Denver (unpublished)
When you see me tee up, you'd better
step aside.
A lot of men didn't, a lotta men died.
I hook it to the left, I shank it to the right.
I'll be looking for my ball until the dark of the night.
A lot of men didn't, a lotta men died.
I hook it to the left, I shank it to the right.
I'll be looking for my ball until the dark of the night.
You play eighteen holes, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Andrew don't you call me, 'cause I can't go,
I owe my soul to the country club pro.
If I could keep it in the fairway, I'd be a happy man,
I'm usually in the water, the rough, or the sand,
I pitch it to the green, thinking now I'm gonna score,
But everybody ducks when my caddie yells, "Fore!"
You play eighteen holes, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Saint Andrew don't you call me, 'cause I can't go,
I owe my soul to the country club pro.
It was a hit. I also did a duet (You Don't Know Me) with Julia (who you met earlier) and a solo (The Impossible Dream). But the golf parody, with Daisy keeping the beat and shouting "fore" at the appropriate time, tickled many a funny bone.
Other people I want you to know:
Now I want to introduce you to two of our special friends that I knew even before I came to southern Texas, Jay and Lee. We held a Toga and Feathers costume party in the clubhouse. These two friends of ours were selected as the best costumed couple for the theme. They made their outfits.
They not only are fun to be with but individually are skilled artisans. They handcraft jewelry out of copper, silver, gold, and stone and participate across the country in craft fairs. They design and craft wire work and lapidary bracelets, rings, pendants, necklaces, earrings, neck rings, and ear cuffs. They even do custom cut-up beachwear T-shirts. It's no wonder they won the toga design.
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| Lee at her work bench. |
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| Grinding wheel |
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| Jay in his screened outdoor workshop. |
Display Stands
Their web site is Zstudiobylee.com
Their prices and quality of craftsmanship can be attested to by the number of items my Daisy has in her safekeeping. As a matter of fact I own several as well! Check out their website.
Our time here is getting short. We will be departing for our Arkansas base around the beginning of April. We will first meet my brother Mark and his wife Denise for a weekend in San Antonio and attend a truck camper rally in the Hill Country of Texas before we go.
So Y'all take care and thanks for following us. See you on the road.
