LIFE IS NOW A SEMBLANCE OF NORMAL

Newsy portion; 24th February - Issue 8

Diary published weekly since 2001
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Hi Everyone: I love excitement as much of anyone but I am happy to report life for the McDonald’s has slowed down just a bit this week. We have still been busy – just not rushed like we were last week. Our departure is scheduled to leave Alamo Palms on the 7 March. We will take a week to reach the Good Sam Rally in Perry, Georgia where I am presenting my ‘RV Travel to Canada Seminar’ on the 13th, 16th &17th. If any Diary readers will be at that Rally please stop by to say ‘Hi’.
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LAST WEEK IN REVIEW…

On SUNDAY Alamo Palms held their Canada Day Picnic but since we were inside I guess calling it a Potluck is a better description. 118 park residents joined together for a decadent meal and great fellowship. Attendees ranged from almost all provinces from Alberta to the Maritimes. It was such fun to socialize with others from home – not to mention the meal was outstanding – some talented cooks up home.

FYI: A number of states have also hosted their park gatherings over the past month. Great attendance was the highlight of each event. As normal, each get-together was fun, exhilarating and an experience to remember. Even though most of us really enjoy our time away we all get a touch homesick for familiar customs and traditions.

MONDAY, we enjoyed lunch and a fond ‘farewell’ with good friends Doug and Bonnie at the JAGZ large Pizza/Pasta/ Salad buffet in Pharr – we wanted to check out the buffet/amenities/menu as a possible location for an EXPLORER RV CLUB LUNCHEON next year. Jagz does offer many video and interactive games for kids of all ages to play along with a light fun type menu, plus a private room for groups. Although this eatery offers many amenities for its patrons, it did not meet the atmosphere or menu we were looking for. We still have a few buffet style restaurants to visit before we decide on selections for the 2008/09 Season. NOTE: Our last Club Gathering for this season is 28 Feb at Harold’s Country Kitchen if any of you can join us?

Bonnie and Doug recently bought a 5th wheel in their park as their future Texas Valley home. However since these Fulltimers spend their summers close to us in Ontario, plus John and I plan to return to Alamo Palms next November, so it looks like we will continue to be able to spend more quality time with them. It’s always sad to see good friends depart, but having special acquaintances around the country is the nature of this outstanding lifestyle. With most friends it is only a matter of time till we again meet down the road. Thanks to cell phones and email these days, staying in touch is more convenient than ever no matter where we each travel.

TUESDAY was computer day for me and a billiard tournament for John at Pharr South RV Park. Last week and until we leave on the 7 March, he was asked to play with the ‘Park Pro’ team each Tuesday – he had a great day. Because there are only 8-members that represent the park each week, he feels honoured that ‘his teammates’ thought his pool expertise was of a high enough standard to join them. It looks now like he will be playing on both the Friday inter-park challenge as well as the elite Tuesday team. Congrats my love,

WEDNESDAY we celebrated our 26th Anniversary. Due to many reasons we changed plans to commemorate our special day at the classy Radisson on South Padre Island and thankfully we did – the day was exceptionally overcast and windy – not a great beach day. Last year we enjoyed our cruise – in contrast this year we dined on a decadent lunch at Chili’s in McAllen. Amy, our waitress treated us royally and our salads were some of the tastiest we have had in a very long time.

After lunch we treated ourselves to a movie – ‘THE BUCKET LIST’ with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. This was a real tearjerker as well as funny – we laughed like young kids. If you are looking for an enjoyable cinema, this one is a definite plus. Wednesday evening, Alamo Palms held their special annual ‘Cruise Ship Party’. The ‘SS Funship’ stopped at many ports along the way. Skits at each stop kept the party moving. An evening of complimentary food, skits, karaoke and lots of fellowship was a great way to end our special day – over 500 residents participated in this year's Alamo Palms Cruise. All in all our low-keyed day made for a memorable 26th.

THURSDAY I played catch-up on the computer reference my RV TRAVEL TO CANADA SEMINAR for the Good Sam Rally in Perry – thankfully it is almost finished (For some reason Gov’t websites plus travel rules and regulations continuously change and I do not know why they have to modify things for no other reason than ‘just because’).

By FRIDAY I finally found time to post a few more pictures on my Picassa Albums reference both the Dish painting we had done in N. Progresso, Mexico and the painting pictures of our elegant LUXOR. Take a look!!! The awesome results of both creative endeavors were so much higher than we anticipated. John played pool again – this time at Casa Del Valley (this is the park we stayed at in November) and he proudly won all 4 of his games – some because he made a few very notable shots. Congratulation my love,

Today SATURDAY I played hooky for a few hours so we could both spend the morning at my favourite haunt – the Don-Wes Flea Market. We wanted a few decals highlighting ‘Cdn Winter Texan’ and some with my website on them. The one we had on the back can no longer be used because it marked an area of the surface that has just been painted.

While at the shop we also ordered a small plaque to feature info about how to reach Tech Mobile Communications and Wireless - the supplier of my fantastic Dish. When we painted our Dish to match our mural, all promo was removed from the surface. ‘Tech Mobile, Communication and Wireless’ are such a fantastic company to deal with – we wanted to extend a ‘Special Thanks’ back to them. Contact Todd or Armand to discover the wonders of mounting either a stationary Dish on your home or being mobile with a Tri-pod as you travel the roads with a portable Hughes.net Dish – see full story

NOTE: I also want to send a special Thank you to Dick Scheit, the CATV/Computer Tech Workamper for Alamo Palms – more than once he came to my rescue after my Dish was blown over by the wind. This past week he also reprogrammed my router all at no cost – he just wanted to be nice. Thanks so much for caring.
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FINAL THOUGHTS

For many of us snowbirds, our winter getaways are winding down even though those in the north are still digging out in many areas. However the migration from south Texas has already begun. Florida and the western sun states do not vacate the state with the same rapidity at the end of February like the Rio Grande Valley does. By next week it will almost resemble an RV caravan is heading north from Texas. Not real sure what drags Winter Texans home but the end of February is the key exit day. Travel safe all and if you are in the north – hope you can stay warm. Take care P&J