Goliad Two

Our good friend Jim, from Upper Stamp at Allatoona Lake in Georgia where, we volunteered together, and from the famous team of ‘Jim and Glenda’ from Tennessee, asked, now that you’re outa’ here, what’s the plan man. Whew! Is that a ‘run on’ sentence or what? Seems I remember that term from 8^th grade English. But then I came really, really close to failing 8^th grade English. Anyway the whole thing made me tired so I need to take a break now. JUST KIDDING1111 But how would you know anyway. Unless I sent this in two installments. There’s a thought. But that’s even more work. OK enough!!! So for Jim and y’all.
We had really planned and committed to another 3 or 4 weeks in Mission. Kat had some medical and I was to have my cataracts done and stent replaced. But! I got a letter from the VA to report for examination in Houston to determine my rating. I checked with the DAV (Disabled Veterans) rep and asked if I could get the appointments moved or changed and it was a no! The short of it is that I can’t afford a denial of medical benefits from Agent Orange in Vietnam. So we are off to Houston with no rancor. I have two exams on the 1^st and 5^th respectively. Then we will go to San Antonio where I already have an April 27^th VA medical appointment to check me over. And we liked Audie Murphy, the VA hospital there. So we’ll have all our stuff transferred there. Maybe it’s better in the long run, for me especially. Audie Murphy can do it all. So we are committed to staying in San Antonio as long as it takes. We are looking at a couple of parks that seem nice and do long term. Probably not right in San Antonio. Maybe New Braunfels.
That’s the first part of the plan. Then when we are done with that and if(?) the cost of gasoline is not prohibitive, we will head north and west to Minnesota and Oregon respectively and return to Mission, Texas, via Las Vegas. If gas is so high that it would cost $3000 or $4000 or more then we will have to rethink the Northwest. We got stuck on the east coast the last time gas prices went nuts and it was painful. 6 or 6.5 miles to the gallon may be cost prohibitive. But we won’t be hurting. We can do some traveling in the MH and with the new car we can range far and wide from a central base. Weird!!! Jade just came back from the bedroom after turning on a Spanish speaking station on the clock radio. I thought we were going nuts. She must have missed being close to the border? Anyway, back to the car. We towed it 200 miles yesterday with no problem. A little different feeling at first because of the weight, I towed the little Escort for 14 years so I guess that was to be expected. But I got use to it quickly and it sure looks snazzy. We pull up and people look at our rig like somebody is coming. We throw out the cat on her string and water jug, get out and then they realize it just the Sines. Oh well!!

And we’re back in Goliad State Park. Last year at this time I smashed my finger with the hammer and got 7 stitches. The Rangers remembered me, had a good laugh, and then confiscated my hammer. I get it back on departure. Goliad Two.

And thinking back, I did fail the first semester of 8th grade English.  But I buckled down and got a D+ in the last semester and pulled out a D- for the year.  I guess I've learned a little since then.  Or not?

Fernando from Acapulco

I don’t have pictures so you’ll have to trust me on this. We’ve been to Mexico three, count’em, three times and still have our health and fortune. Actually we have more of both for our visits. We have drugs, of the legal kind, eyeglasses, and new dental work. All at discount prices. That plus a couple of meals and several Margaritas at the Happy Teeth Bar. As a matter of fact if you go to my posting of January 15^th 2010, you would see our dentists and the Happy Teeth Bar. So I do have pictures! Just older ones.

This trip Kat had most of the work done. So we had a few more Margaritas than last time. Neither Kat or I drink much but Kat really doesn’t like going to the dentist and needs medicinal fortification to make it bearable. And we had Greg and Jean along on one of our trips with time to kill, so the Happy Teeth seemed like a good idea. First we went to Garcia’s for lunch. I swear going to Garcia’s is like going to a set of ‘I Love Lucy’ at the Copa or wherever it was Ricky played on the show. It’s like going into a 1950’s Latin club. Sometimes they even have a small band or pianist. It’s white linen and waiters with cummerbunds and towels. All of this with us in shorts and T-shirts of course. Kind of spoils the atmosphere, but it still is very 50’s and neat. And for $7 or $8 you can get a Mexican plate or Filet-Mignon complete with a small dessert. Fun!

At the Happy Teeth, which is outside with tables and umbrellas, you are constantly confronted with all of the entrepreneurs of Nuevo Progresso. Wallets, baskets, bracelets, gum, shoe shines, bobble-head toys, artificial flowers etc. We were hardly immune. Kat came away with a couple of gold bracelets and we each got a hand-woven (don’t know a better term to describe it) name bracelet. Fernando was our guy, though there are several who do the same thing. These are woven onto a plastic strip with colored thread, all by hand. Takes about three minutes of twisting, turning, and massaging the thread into place. Very interesting and costs $3. One young entrepreneur claims 3 minutes or it’s free. Fernando may have been a little slower. But I was talking to him. He’s from Acapulco, has two kids, and comes to Progresso for the Winter Texan season every year by bus. He does 15-20 of these a day and it costs $80 bus fare. The season is about November thru March. His family stays home. And he does the same thing in the summer in Acapulco. Kat and I figure a cruise is in order to check this out. We wish !!!!! I paid $5. $2 for the kids at home. I’m a softie!

Then there was a family of five who’s husband/father shined shoes for a dollar or two while mom cared for the youngest, maybe 1 year old, and herded the two older girls, 3 and 5 around selling Chiclets. I bought a couple of bucks worth. It definitely tugs at your heartstrings. And it gives pause and thought to what we should do with the border situation. While I am in no way in favor of ‘open’ borders, it does change your perspective some. But it’s way above my pay grade. And we’ll continue to cross the border for pills and eyeglasses and drop a few coins in a hat or cup as we see fit.

Warning!!!!

Children should not read beyond this point!!!!

With just a little thought is becomes clear that begging is preferable to sitting at home on your fat ass eating Twinkies and watching Oprah and voting for some dirt bag politician to take money from the working folks and give it to the entitlement class. That’s called stealing. Or use to be !!!!

‘Nuff Said’ about that.

And here are some pictures migratory Red Wing Blackbirds at our feeder, along with a Great Tail Grackle and a Woodpecker.

Jade’s Texas Room and Oranges

I don’t suppose our Jade is any more spoiled than lots of family pets. Though it sure does seem like it at times. This being one of those times. Now she has her own Texas Room. For the uninitiated that is a screened in porch or room added to a trailer, fifth wheel, park model, or in some cases even a motorhome. Jade’s version is not attached but of course it is anchored. This is Texas and everything weighing less than 20 lbs or having a surface area over 2 sq feet has to be anchored. There have been unsubstantiated reports of smaller tag-along trailers disappearing overnight. Some would say that’s an exaggeration, but ‘I don’t know?’ Anyway Kat found this, ‘on clearance’, for Jade and of course, couldn’t resist. And who am I to argue?

So while Jade lounged in her Texas Room, Kat and I picked oranges. Our tree was loaded as you can see and it is that time of year. I doubt you can see them but the orange tree is just covered with blossoms for next years oranges. I don’t know much about orange tree propagation but we’re told we have to pick the oranges or it won’t produce next year. We’ve been watering too, and I think that will help some. The trees do look better than when we arrived. So maybe we’ll have some better fruit next year. Some fruit is better than others here in the park and it is probably due to differences in care. Ours fruit was just OK. Certainly ‘nothing to write home about’. But then I guess I just proved that wrong. Anyway I sit at the picnic table and sampled some oranges and grapefruit occasionally. That’s neat for a boy from Ohio but our fruit was not the best. And now I have to do the grapefruit tree. And in case you’re wondering? They went in the dumpster.