The ripped open bag of goodies.

Once upon a time there were two little dogs, Mexi and Splash. One day their Mommy and Daddy decided to go to Mexico with their friends. Before they left mommy cleaned the whole trailer and put down lots of fresh water and food and of course before she left she gave each dog their favorite treat......a dried chicken strip. She said good bye and locked the door.

They had a wonderful time in Mexico and when it was time for dinner they headed back to their trailer to feed Mexi and Splash and take them for a walk. Mommy unlocked the door and saw two chicken strips sitting by the table and then realised that the dogs had gotten themselves locked in the bedroom. She thought that they had gone up there as soon as she left and did not have time to eat their treats. She let them out and put their leashes on and went for a walk while Daddy went to get the mail.

When mommy came back with Splash and Mexi the door was locked and Daddy was inviting everyone on the street to see what his little dogs had done. Upon going back into the trailer mommy discovered that there were chicken strips everywhere and the brand new unopened bag had been ripped open and was laying on the floor.

Mexi and Splash were very thirsty but said that they didn't know who possibly could have opened the new bag and spread the treats all around. Funny......Mexi and Splash were not too interested in having dinner.......I wonder why????

Entrance to the first area of lights.



This was the most impressive private home with the roof totally covered in lights.





Sunday was an action packed day. It started off with Golf at 1:00..... a little cool but a good game non the less. Next Bob and Carole and Colin and I headed into McAllen to the Sam's Club. They don't have a membership and we do so we took them along. When we were done that we headed to Furr's Buffet for dinner. It was very good!!

The last stop was the Festival of Lights in Hidalgo. Everyone has been telling us about it so we decided to check it out. It's a town near the Mexican border and they do an amazing job putting up a huge light display. There are private homes decorated as well as displays in park areas and at the Police and Fire Stations. Very well done.

After viewing all the different areas we headed back to the park. We were just in time to go have a hot and tub and swim.

Sobbing with the Happy News!

Smiling Happy Oma!

From Left to right....Larry and Fonda Jones, Bob and Carole Runciman, me and Colin.

Mexi and Splash enjoying their portion of Christmas dinner.....the bowls were licked clean!

Two days before Christmas I had to go into Mexico and get my permanent crown put on. It was not a pleasant event as they never did a root canal my tooth was just a tad sensitive! But it is on now and feels good. At least I will be able to enjoy my Christmas dinner.

Christmas morning we got an early call from Cort and Sherri-Lyn saying that they were in Financial need and could I please check my email to talk about it. Distressing news at the best of times but Christmas morning made me worry even more. By the time I got my computer fired up and my emails opened I was in quite a state. There was an email from Cort with an attached picture. It was a picture of a pregnancy test.....a positive one!! They have been trying for quite some time and they are finally expecting. I was so relieved and sooo happy for them both. How fun a little cousin for McKenna!

I felt bad for Colin as he had bought me a really nice new Ipod......unfortunately he could have bought me a new car and I still would have been more excited about the baby news.

We had tickets for the Christmas dinner up at the hall for 1:00. We met with Bob and Carole, Fonda and Larry and headed up. The meal was very good and the desserts were yummy.....I probably ate way too much! I will be spending the afternoon playing with my new Ipod and figuring out how it all works!

A Work in Progress!


The finished project.

This year on our way down here we bought a really great BBQ for cooking steaks. It heats up very hot and sears the outside which results in a very juicy steak. The only problem is, is that it really sucks for cooking things like chicken or fish.

We went out and bought a cheap propane BBQ ($19.95) just to do chicken and stuff. At that price it won't be a major deal if we have to leave it here. Very good price but it had to be completely assembled. And yes I am the BBQ Assembler. So that was today's job along with laundry, vacuuming and some cleaning.

We tested it out with some chicken for dinner and it worked just great.

We left for Mexico around noon. With a knapsack full of reading material and drinking water we headed to the dentist office.........you can sometimes wait for a good part of the day to get in. I walked in and there was no one in the waiting area.......good sign! The only delay in getting in was them finding my file, once that turned up they took me in right away. I did'nt even have time to crack open my book! He had a look and said that once he got the old filling out I may need a root canal!!!! I crossed my fingers and hoped, as I have not had good experiences with them. Good News! I didn't need one, but they will have to put a crown on. I shudder to think what this would have cost me at home but here for everything ....the prep work, a temprary crown and putting the perminent one on next week..........Wait for it...........$220.00 WOW! I have a feeling there would be another zero involved if I were back in Canada. Aside from the fact that I had a very sore mouth and jaw from sitting there for 2 hours it all went very smoothly. We were on our way home by 5:00.

Today being Thursday, our normal go to Mexico day we gathered in the street to see who would drive. We had 6 in our truck and Jerry and Carol had 4. When we got down there it was a bit mucky as they had rain the day before. First order of business was some haircuts so off to Lily's we went. She was very busy as she had to be at the doctors office with her baby in the morning. Poor little guy had a fever and was not feeling great. Carol went first and she did a great job on her hair. I have watched haircuts here but have never had my own hair done there. I was a little nervous!! I had two pictures with me of what I wanted and she stayed true to form and made it look identical.......she is very good!

I started accumulating my summer supply of Migraine Medicine and then we went to Poncho's for Margaritas. Now the rule goes.......you should never try to drink $6.00 worth of Margaritas.........ya.......Colin broke the rule. Needless to say, I drove home.

After we got home we decided to go out for dinner. While eating my salad I thought I had a piece of the plate in my mouth..........actually it was the whole side of my tooth that had broken off. It didn't hurt but definitely will require some attention..........I guess it is back to Mexico to see the dentist tomorrow.

Today was an interesting day. Colin and I both did things we have not done in a long time.

My friend Carole is out of commission with a cold and her husband needed a partner for Pool ......okay so I have not played pool ever seriously and only tried it when my parents had a pool table in the recreation room at their house. Since it arrived after I left home I never really spent any time playing. I don't think I ever played a whole game. So off I went to play pool! It was actually quite fun and I think I might join the group.

When Colin was younger he played Bridge with his bother and Mom and Dad.......apparently it caused such an uproar in the household that they were not allowed to play anymore. Last year Colin was going to play but never got to it. This year he made it over to the hall to check out the play. Poor guy came home with a headache. But he did say that he will go back next week.

Mr. Phod.....behaving himself quit nicely.

Although it was a bit windy it was not too bad to sit outside for while.

Let the chowing down begin!

It's been a while since we have had company at the trailer but Sunday we had Ed and Frances come over from Mission for dinner. They just arrived down in the Valley last week.

They came over at about 3:00. I was a little behind getting stuff ready so when they arrived Ed and Colin putzed around outside with Zaphod and Frances and I stayed in the trailer while I prepared stuff in the kitchen. At about 4:00 while waiting for the potatoes to bake we all went for a little walk around the east end of the park.

We had steak, shrimp, twice backed potatoes, green beans and Greek vegetable salad. there was not alot left on anyone's plates so it must have been good. Frances brought a very tasty peach cake with a tangy lemon sauce, it was also very good. All in all a successful dinner!

Zaphod was a very good dog, sitting outside and when we went for dinner he went and slept in the truck. After it got dark Frances and I took all the dogs for another walk....we were hoping to see the Christmas lights but I think we waited too long......everyone had gone to bed.

It was an enjoyable visit!

This is the results of my labors today.

I never thought that I would be the type of person that would enjoy quilting, even though I enjoy sewing immensely. My neighbor Lorretta took up quilting last year and talked me into joining her for a day of quilting at a shop in Harlingen. It's called a "Mystery Quilt" as you don't know what the final quilt will look like. She gave me the list of materials I would need so off I went shopping for the fabric and necessary supplies. The next day she helped me cut out all the pieces in preparation for the following day.

Today we haeaded out at 8:45 with our sewing machines and all our supplies in tow. When we arrived we set up our machines, iron and board, and got all our fabric peices out and lined up.

Our instructor was a very nice lady and was very helpful with everyone's questions. There were ten steps in all and you get one at a time. Each clue holds instructions for how to put your pieces together. You end up with 4 different types of squares and then you put those together in rows and then put the rows together and the next thing you know you have a quilt top. There were two rows of border to put on as well.

The final step will be to add the quilt batting and backing and then the whole thing is quilted together.

We were provided with lunch, coffee and some sweets.

Even though I totally enjoyed the whole day I was really quite tired by the time we got home at 6:15.

Oh .........the preparation......such detail!

Getting everything just right!


The back of the cart.

The front of the cart.

My day started at 7:30, since I could no longer sleep and had lots to do I decided that it was time to get up. I did the ironing and baked 2 dozen cookies to take to the parade after party tonight.

After some breakfast we walked over to our friends and brought their Golf Cart over to our trailer. The first order of business was to wash and clean the cart.

Putting on the decorations took longer than I thought it would but it was done in plenty of time before the parade. We had to take the battery out of the truck to run our Christmas lights. Next it was time to bath the dogs and get them dressed in their Christmas stuff for the parade. Finally Colin and I got ready and by 5:30 we were in line for the show to begin. There were about 12 carts in total and some were very good. The route ran through the whole park and then back to the Recreation Hall for the prizes to be awarded and drinks and cookies. Our street really cleaned up. We took first prize for the Best Golf Cart and our neighbors took first prize for best decorated trailer. Not too Shabby! It was a fun day.

Today I hauled out all the Christmas stuff and started to decorate. Lights outside and decorations on the trailer. It took me most of the day to get everything sorted out.

We had quite a lot of wind over the past two days so today I went around our site and cleaned up all the bits of palm fronds and stuff that had blown around. By the time I was done it was getting on so I put a pot of Chili on for dinner and then baked a crumb cake to take over to happy hour.

We took the dogs for a walk and sat at the happy hour on our street till after dark. After dinner we went for a hot tub and so ended another day in the Valley.

Carole and Karen riding the chickens at the entrance to Mexico.

Larry getting cozy with the Rooster!


We have been here for almost a week so it was high time to make a trip into Mexico. We always carpool so everyone has a designated driver. When we all go there we split up into different groups so everyone could get their jobs done before dinner. Carol and I headed off to get a pedicure. Carol didn't get her toes done but stayed with me while I had mine done. It felt sooooo good! Such a good deal too, only $9.00. I must say they do an excellent job.

We all got together again at Poncho's bar for the mandatory Margaritas and then off to the Red Snapper for dinner. There had to be at least 50 people there from our park......popular place. The food was very good too. By the time we left the Restaurant it was dark. We usually try to leave before dark but it wasn't too scary after dark. I think as far as Mexican Border towns go, Progreso is probably one of the safer ones.

I think this is one of the first times I have been there that I didn't actually buy anything. We had a good time and were back in the park by 8:00.

My sparkling clean trailer!

This morning started with some tidying up inside and then we moved all the stuff such as the BBQ and the storage box away from the trailer so that when they arrive to clean it they can just go right to it.

A crew of 4 arrived at about 1:15 and started right into the scrubbing. It was weird being inside as it was shaking alot from them climbing around on the roof. By about 2:30 I handed them the cheque and it was all done! Wow, I can see through my windows and the outside is just glowing!
Worth every penny! After spending the summer cleaning up after so many nasty tenants it was a treat to have someone clean up for me.

After they left we drove into Mercedes to get a few groceries and on the way home we got overwhelmed by the urge for ice cream......might have had something to do with driving right past the Dairy Queen.

Colin through the vent, installing the new lid.

Last summer's activities left little time to do alot of real good cleaning in the trailer so now that we are settled in here, it's time to start the all over cleaning.

I have vacuumed out all the window tracks, washed the screens and cleaned the windows. Wow what a difference. The woodwork needs washing and oiling and all the mirrors in the cupboard doors need cleaning. I have about 1/3 of them done.

We lost the lid to the ceiling fan in the bedroom before we left and Colin has replaced it and installed a new motor that puts it up and down.

I played my first game of Golf this winter ......Not great but not too bad either. I also started my aerobics class this morning. Wow it sure does not take very long to get out of shape!

Tomorrow they are coming to wash and wax the trailer.....I decided that it was well worth the $120.00 US to have them come and do it. They scrub the roof, wash the trailer, windows, wheels and tires as well as the awning. Then they apply tire dressing, polish the windows outside and hand wax the whole thing. Sounds like a deal to me.
Stay tuned for photos of the results.