Monday - pack day

• another breaking news report that I forgot to give y'all: Jim won his 2nd Bingo jackpot on Saturday night; yes, that's what I said; he won a jackpot on Friday night and then won another jackpot on Saturday night; so he' now the newly crowned king of Bingo; or as one elderly lady called him, "the rich bitch" (excuse my French - I'm merely quoting another person).
• warm, breezy, clear morning; temp 75; high to be 90 & high winds.
• today we have to get everything done and be ready to leave early tomorrow morning; won't be much shopping or site-seeing today.
• packed everything 'cept tomorrow's clothes.
• vacuumed & washed car
• shopping run to post office, CostCo, Lowes, Walmart, & Wendy's
• vacuumed my room (house)
• final inspection
• Dan & Candy had us over for supper this evening.
• Jim's playing cards this evening while Diane & I make final preparations & rest.
• tomorrow's it's all over.
• what a wonderful 10 weeks in warm, sunny South Texas while our friends froze up north.

Sunday - quiet weekend

• light breeze, warm, clear morning; temp 73; high to be 85.
• while J&D attended church service, I went for my daily bike ride.
• Dan & Candy joined us for a nice luncheon.
• after lunch, the 4 of them decided to go to Don Wes Flea Market; while I relaxed at home; been there enough this year.
• good movie this evening: Mighty Macs.

Saturday - last weekend on South Texas

• a major breaking news item this morning: after playing Bingo for years, Jim won his very first jackpot last evening; congrats, Jim.
• clear, humid, warm, light breeze; temp 71; high to be near 90 again.
• Saturday morning breakfast at the Hall was delicious.
• nice morning for a bike ride.
• this morning neighbors want us to take them to the stock yard sale up in Edinburg.
• upon our return we watched the St. Patricks Day Parade at our own park, complete with a fire truck & many golf cart floats.
• J&D went with C&D to Pharr South for supper and Bingo; I relaxed at home.

while the parade approaches watch that guy on the left picking up candy

must've found some

and our Fire Truck

cool, eh?

and the King & Queen 

a float

the Shufflers . . . whomever they are

end of the parade

Friday - home sick

• another warm, clear, breezy morning; temp 73; high to be near 90.
• we took Dan & his car to his garage (to replace the water pump) & got haircuts; barber is near the garage.
• picked up D&C's car & Dan got a haircut.
• did a "dry-pack" to make sure I could fit all into my 2 bags and didn't have to ship any extras; 'bout ready to leave; too bad it's not for 3 days yet.
• this evening J&D went with D&C to play Bingo at Paradise Park in McAllen.
• while I went for a evening bike ride.
• we're all homesick and need to see our kids & grandkids - you might say we're almost sick of it here.
• don't know how much longer I can keep this blog going; this may be the last entry.

Thursday - wearin' down

• warm, clear, breezy morning; temp 73; high to be near 90.
• Jim went bowling with Dan & Candy.
• then Diane & I joined them for lunch afterward.
• stopped by Target for a couple items on the way home.
• no entertainment tonight.

Wednesday - another trip to hell? nope, just the dentist.

• warm, muggy morning; temp 73; high to be near 90.
• good morning for a bike ride.
• mid morning Diane & Jim & I drove to Progreso Nuevo, Mexico for Diane to shop for purses and to visit her dentist in followup to her tooth extraction of last week; it went very well and we were home by early afternoon.
• upon return, Jim went to his last "Jam" of 2012 while Diane & I took Candy to pick up her car at the garage.
• nice afternoon for a nap
• Diane went for a swim; said the water was perfect.
• Candy & Dan joined us for supper.
• didn't get anything done on my travelogue, so no pictures tonight; sorry;  :-((

Tuesday - a hot day

• warm morning; temp 70; high to be 90.
• while J&D went mini-golfing at The Zone, I went on a consulting call to Richard & June Kohler and to Kathy Bailey's; got 'em all running.
• after lunch while I napped, J&D went swimming; it's very warm this afternoon, nearing 90.
• late afternoon, Irene picked us all up & took us out for steaks at the Texas Roadhouse; yum, yum.
• made another consulting run - to Irene's to set up her new TV remote control - successfully.
• windy, hot evening; gusts to 30 mph; temp still 86.
• J&D went to play Bingo this evening while I rested at home continuing my recuperation.

• while the video looks the same as last evening, I've added lots of pictures as well as picture explanations to several pictures; enjoy.

Monday - recovering . . . slowly

• calm, very foggy, soggy feeling, cool morning; temp 60; high to be 88.
• cough is better; sore throat nearly gone; still abit of a headache; so maybe my cold is on the mend.
• trying bike ride before daily heat or wind; 2 mile trip went file, although I did tire easily.
• just a week left; starting to plan the wind down process.
• late this morning, Willard Amundson & his wife, Mary, stopped by to say hello; they winter near the Don Wes Flea Market in Weslaco; both live near Blue Earth in the summer; Willard went to Frost school when Jim & I were there.
• ant pest controller sprayed this afternoon.
• swimming late afternoon.
• as part of planning our departure, I've started a travelogue to share with my Minnetonka friends; and of course, I'll include y'all also; but as a result, you may see some pictures repeated.
• as Jim had to go to play cards early, Diane & I went to Jason's Deli for supper . . . delicious soups; and discovered that there is a Jason's Deli in Eden Prairie.
• below is my first draft of my travelogue report; enjoy!

Sunday - last? sick day

• warming up slowly; early morning shower; temp 54; high to be 77.
• spent all day in my room, except for a couple of meals - thanks, Diane.
• by evening I feel my cold has broken a little - I'm coughing less & throat is less sore; hopefully I'll have a better blog entry tomorrow.

Saturday - MN warmer than TX - Ugh

• cloudy, light breeze, cool morning; temp 48; high to be only 65.
• still coughing with sore throat; ugh.
• got a couple of pictures of grandkids from Diane, playing outdoors in Minnesota where the temp was warmer that down here - over 60; enjoy the pix; thanks, Diane.

it's just like down at Grandma's

'cept I didn't have my scooter down there - yippee!

Candy playing Bingo and cold brr...

Friday - wet & windy

• cloudy, windy, gusty, light mist, cool morning; temp 52; high to be only 54 - and today is our Luau pool party - hope they move it inside the Hall.
• I was sick all day with a sore throat & terrible cough; but Diane was kind enough to send me pictures of the Luau party which did move inside - thanks, Diane.

3 Amigo (from Tuesday's mini-golf game)

Dan & Candy Saase

Diane & Jim

Who could this be?

2 good lookin' couples

lots of very pretty decorations

Thursday - Happy Birthday, Jim

• yes, today is Jim's birthday; 68 years ago, as a 5 year old child, I stayed with my Grandma while my mother went to the little white hospital in Blue Earth to get a new baby; she came home in a couple days with this beautiful little baby brother, they named James Dennis; yippee! but he was so little; I couldn't even play with him.
• windy, gusty, cloudy, warm morning; temp 71; high to be 89 (high tomorrow only 59); wind gusts today to 60 mph; may not take a bike ride today; ugh.
• Jim & Dan & I attended the Men's breakfast at Taco Fiesta; as lots of guys have left for home, attendance was down.
• so that everyone knows about paragraph 1, I'll post this now and update it throughout the day rather than posting the whole thing this evening; and I will have some pictures from this afternoon's festivities.
• Jim joined Candy & Dan for bowling right after lunch; while Diane & I are picking up the (birthday) cake and meeting them at Martha's Taqueria del Sol in Donna.
• 23 guests joined Diane & me for the bowling dinner & birthday party for Jim; took lots of pictures.
• Jim got 1 gift that I'll have to have the giftor give me an explanation for.
• was so exhausted when I got home that I didn't any more added to this blog till Friday morning; sorry.

nice cake; thanks, Diane

"Jim's" table

23 guests attended

too bad he couldn't take his cap off  ;-(

yes, he's complaining that his teeth are getting dry

cutting the cake

what's this? might it be called John Deere underwear . . . I'll have to get more information . . .

Oops, I goofed. They're not called J.D. Underwear, they're called Seat Covers and they come with instructions. So here's some quotes from the instructions.

• Exit - the word Exit printed at the locality of the point of most wear & tear - eliminates wasting precious moments in hunting around - especially appreciated when traveling, driving a tractor, at a ballgame or fishing.
• Zipper - ... time saver & enables user to have one hand free at all times.
• Black Pocket - found to the left of the zipper, is an emergency kit
• Town & Country - town: tissue, country: lightweight corn cob (be sure to remove cob from plastic bag)
• Whistle - explain to someone in the house they should rush to your aid when this alarm is given

Wednesday - a bad day at the dentist

• windy, warm morning with light mist; temp 66; high to be 85.
• late morning we're taking Jim to Progreso to get a filling refilled.
• with temp & wind due to rise, took my bike ride right after breakfast.
• picked up Saase's at 10:30 & headed for Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.
• little did we realize that it was going to be a day of major dental problems; so let me start at the beginning.
• Jim had an 11:30 AM appointment to refill a filling that had fallen out; he completed that and was out in less than a half hour at a cost of $35.
• Sandy had been having some pain with a permanent bridge; so she told the dental people about it and they scheduled her in to see the dentist; they found a major problem with a piece of jaw bone poking through the gum making the bridge loose; about an hour later that was fixed.
• then we decided to go to Arturo's for lunch; while Diane was eating a chip, a tooth (which we speculated as a crown - but later learned that we were wrong) came out; so she immediately went back to the dental office and was scheduled in; well, it turns out, the tooth was abscessed and the top of the tooth just broke off; so the dentist gave her lots of Novocaine & cut her gum & pulled the remnants of the tooth; 3 hours later she emerged a bit groggy, but glad it was all over (but only $65 poorer).
• I then continued my chauffeur role and brought everyone home; got home just before 5.
• and there is no entertainment at the Hall this evening, so we may just all stay home & take care of Grandma.
• throughout all of that I did get some pictures as I had brought along my camera since we can't turn our phones (mine is also my camera) on in Mexico; enjoy!

huge truck coming into Mexico beside our walkway

Rio Grande looking up river

International border

Mexican customs upon entering Nuevo Progreso, Mexico

Mexico welcome monument

looking down main street of Nuevo Progreso

looking back at the Mexican customs & bridge over Rio Grande

leaving Mexico with sick Grandma (she's getting better)

Tuesday - 2 weeks left

• light breeze, clear, cool morning; temp 59; high to be 81.
• just 2 weeks from today, we fly home to the cold country; doesn't seem possible that our 9 week sojourn is almost over.
• went out on bike ride before wind comes up.
• J&D played mini-golf at The Zone while I rested at home.
• afternoon was extremely windy with gusts to 40 mph.
• pot luck at the Hall for supper; mmm . . . good!
• in the evening while J&D played Bingo at the Hall,
• I attended a McAllen Community Concert of Mass Ensemble; listen here; I went with Kathy Bailey, Bobby Timms, & Ruth Casey. The concert was very interesting featuring an instrument called an Earth Harp where the auditorium was the body of the instrument with the wires stretching from the bridge on the stage to the back anchors; try to find a musical number on the linked sites and listen to the Earth Harp.

Monday - an excursion: Los Ebanos, TX hand ferry

• clear, calm, cool morning; temp 50; high to be 81.
• went for early morning bike ride; beautiful morning.
• we shared lunch with Candy & Dan & Dan's sister, Diane & her husband, Rocky at (where else?) Taco Fiesta.
• while Rocky & Diane left for home, we drove over to the only remaining hand operated ferry across the Rio Grande at Los Ebanos, TX, a very poor village on the river about 30 miles west of Pharr. Click this link for lots of pictures of the ferry.
• after our exciting excursion, we returned to swimming & napping.
• Jim played cards at the Hall in the evening.
• enjoy both the pictures below and the pictures on the above links.

rain/sun shade for customs in the background

carries 3 cars & 12 passengers

up river

down river

Sunday -

• calm, clear, very cool; temp 45; high to be only mid 70s.
• have a very pleasant report about last night; after I posted last night's blog, both Diane & Dan won Bingo jackpots over at Pharr South; yippee!!!
• church service at 10.
• drove over to Don-Wes Flea Market for Jim to fix bike light he bough ther; had lunch.
• went to Las Palmas Nursing Facility for a birthday party of Bob Shaffer who turned 80; Bob has multiple sclerosis.
• while I napped, J&D went swimming.
• had hot dogs at the Hall for supper followed by a very enjoyable movie: Tower Heist; if you like action flicks, go see it.
• as the yard sale is over, I have no additional pictures today  ;-(( maybe tomorrow.

Saturday - quiet day

• warm, breezy morning; temp 74; high to be only 79.
• by mid morning temp was down to low 60s; brrr... cold.
• Saturday breakfast at the hall; had to get back home quickly as yard sale started at 8 AM.
• sold most of our yard sale items between 8 AM & 10 AM.
• ran errands to Walmart, Best Buy, Red Lobster, & Wendy's.
• biking was very difficult today because of the wind gusts to 50 mph.
• this evening I stayed home to rest while J&D went to play Bingo at Pharr South.
• Enjoy the pictures.

who, in the world, would want this junk

guess those people on that porch wanted it (at one time)

okay let's negotiate!

everything's gone except these few items which we can haul to the junk; yippee!