Wednesday, February 8th - Nice Day

It was windy during most of the night. Just about sunrise, it was to cloudy for an actual sunrise, we received a nice 15-20 minute shower. I was sitting in the front, people watching, as the rain started. I saw a lady in shorts and a tee shirt out walking her dog as the rain started. She looked like she probably had her hair done. No doubt she was seriously soaked by the time she got home. 

I also watched the campground workers heading out with their golf carts and trailers. Most of the carts have roofs but I doubt that they provide all that much protection. Most of the people wore some type of rain protection, but I bet most were wet during the first half hour of their day. Not a great way to start the day.

After breakfast we went to the 10:00 Cowboy Church Bible Study. It is in one of the rooms at the campground Activity Center. There were 15 people there, its sad that so few take advantage of such a great learning opportunity. On the other hand that is about the right number to allow for discussion. Chris, the Pastor of the Cowboy Church of the Valley, is doing a great job making us think about the Gifts of the Spirit. He welcomes comments and discussions, even though it seems that we sometimes don't make much forward progress during the hour.

I received a phone call/message, during the Bible Study, From a couple we haven't seen since we moved from Indiana in 2011. Chuck and I texted back and forth a couple of times. We need to get a call going on speakerphone tomorrow so his wife Rhonda and Kathy can also be involved in catching up. 

After the class Kathy and I hung around for a while so that we could access the WiFi and do some necessary phone/tablet updating. We had lunch at the restaurant there. Kathy's chicken tenders were edible. My Cuban sandwich was good. We also poked around in the library. There must be a sizeable contingent here from Quebec, the library has a decent size bookcase full of books in French.

After lunch we attended a function in the Ballroom. It was for couples who have been married a minimum of 50 years. There were over 30 couples in attendance. Two of the couples had been married 67 years. Kathy and I have been married 55 years. The campground served everyone cake and drinks. We shared a table with two couples from Minnesota. Both couples have been spending the winters down here for several years.

There were five couple who were celebrating there 50th during this year. The had them sit up front. One of the couples was from Columbia, Missouri, about 40 miles from our home base in Centertown.

In the afternoon we sat outside enjoying the mostly sunny day, with temperatures in the low 70's. With the sun, shorts and a tee shirt felt great. We both did manage a siesta.

In the evening Kathy saw the UPS truck. She chased it down. She finally got her tea. It was originally supposed to have been delivered February 1st.

We didn't hear anything about repairs to our AC unit today. Tomorrow I need to check in with the guy. I emailed Tiffin and found out the right part number to order one, but I wasn't able to get confirmation that they actually had one in stock. I did learn that you can't buy one directly from the manufacturer.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Tuesday, February 7th - Day 68 - Slow Day

 Late yesterday afternoon we gave in and turned on the AC. We could have dealt with the warm temperatures (overnight low was 70) but the humidity made it uncomfortable. The rear AC came on and sounded like normal, but it wasn't cooling. Thankfully the front AC was adequate to wring the humidity out of the air and cool it down.

This morning I walked to the Fitness Center and spent about 45 minutes there before walking back. Once I got back I called an RV repair place at 9AM and he said he would come around 4PM. Around 11:30AM he called me back and said he finished up a job early and was in Donna. He wondered if we were home and if it was okay to come over. After checking the unit he said it needs to be replaced.

The good news is that it should be covered under our Service Contract. The bad news is that once again the damage caused by the government shutting down our economy has come to light (the new normal of shortages). He said it takes weeks, and sometimes as long as 6 months, to get an RV replacement AC unit. I told him that we were supposed to be out of here the morning of the 25th. Hopefully we will find out about a delivery date tomorrow. PTL that the front AC can keep the entire coach cool when temps are only in the low 80's, like they were today. 2nd PTL that temps are forecast to be in the 60's & 70's until a week from tomorrow.

Today was WINDY. 20-25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. It is amazing to watch the tall skinny palm trees sway in the wind without breaking off.

I'm still "fighting" with UPS trying to get an Amazon order (Tetley English Breakfast tea for Kathy) delivered. We see UPS & Fed Exp trucks go by our site multiple times a day. I assumed that they would deliver directly to us. I could understand UPS missing the original delivery date due to the bad weather in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The day after the new delivery date passed I received an email saying they couldn't deliver to the address I gave them. I was to call them. I called and after a series of "punch the number" sessions I was connected to a human being. After a lengthy discussion I asked her to have it delivered to the front office and said I would pick it up. Yesterday I received a new email saying that they couldn't deliver to the address I gave them. The campground has big signs out front, it is on a main street in an urban area and there are over 1,000 sites in the campground. It is not something that is easy to miss.  

We have a mailbox at the campground post office. This afternoon I walked back to the campground post office and talked to the kids that run the place. They confirmed that all delivery services except the US mail are to deliver directly to the campsites. I called UPS again and told them I can't understand why they can't make a delivery. We discussed addresses again. Hopefully we will get a delivery tomorrow.

While I was out walking I walked on down to the office to find out if the WiFi ever got fixed. (You need a cable modem to access the WiFi. When I went to get one the 2nd day we were here I was told that the system was down and they didn't know when it would be back up. So they didn't bother giving me a modem.) Today I was told the WiFi had been back up for days. I asked for a cable modem and was told that they didn't have any. The lady took my name and phone number and said she would call me when someone turned one back in. AARGH!!! Our phones have a good signal and we have 85GB/month of streaming/hot spot data available. We already have learned that we can burn through that is as little as 3 weeks, if we get carried away streaming something on TV. All my blog posts are done by connecting my laptop to the Internet using my phone as a WiFi hotspot.

This evening we knew better than to stress our old hearts listening to the drivel that would be spouted on all the major networks; so we did stream a movie and burned some data. We recommend "The Shack", its free with Amazon Prime. Don't confuse it with the many "Cabin" movies. This one stars Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer & Tim McGraw.

The good news is that with all the walking back and forth I walked 3.13 miles today. That was on top of the time I spent at the Fitness Center. If I could average half that per day I might  get in decent shape 😀.

Also, we can't help but pass this Valentines Day decoration on a yard down the street. We think it is somewhat grotesque, but someone spent some time making it and setting it up. Even with all the wind today it was still intact when I walked by it around 2PM. It seems more fitting for New Orleans Mardi Gras.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Monday, February 6th - South Padre Island

 We had a great day today. Weather was great, although a little windy during the day and very windy (20 mph winds with gusts up to 30 mph) in the evening. Temperatures couldn't have been better. An overnight low of 60 and a mostly sunny high of 80 during the day. I sat outside for an hour or so in the late afternoon. The 80 degree temperature was very comfortable because of the wind. 

Heading over the bridge and causeway to South Padre Island.

At the Visitor's Center.

Heading toward north on the island. Lots of sand on the road.

After about 11 miles the road just ends.

Headed to the beach.

Wading in the Gulf.

Kathy thought the water was a little cold.

It was a beautiful day at the beach.

Looking north.

Looking south. There were a few people out, but none of them were in the water.

Looking for shells.

It was interesting watching this guy turn his 5th wheel unit around on the 2 lane road with sand on both sides.

We didn't see any restaurants on the island that struck our fancy. We drove back across the bridge/causeway, to Port Isabel and had lunch at Pirates Landing.

Lunch was good.

We were parked next to the historic Port Isabel lighthouse. I walked over and read some of the history, but we didn't climb to the top.

On the way over we stuck to the Interstates.

But on the way back we drove US281, which runs along the border.

We saw the border wall in many places. It runs across these peoples back yard.

Enlarged photo

It appears that the "wall" is not that close to the border. It appears that it is often at least a mile from the border. It seems to start and stop at random locations. There are open gates through it at regular intervals. There is a lot of tilled land in the area. I wonder if the feds couldn't get easements from some of the landowners.

You do see some strange "lawn ornaments", like an airplane fuselage..

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Sunday, February 5th - Church Day

It was a beautiful morning, and a beautiful day, here today. The overnight low was 48 and today's high was a mostly sunny 81. There was enough of a breeze that we didn't have to turn the AC on, of course we sat outside a lot. At 7:30 it is still 72 outside and 78 in the coach. With the windows open, and the nice breeze blowing through the coach, it is only a little to warm.

We went to Cowboy Church here at the Resort this morning. The Pastor delivered another good sermon, from James 1:19-27. We are looking forward to Wednesday evening's Bible Study when he continues teaching on the Gifts of the Spirit. 

This morning his main points were:

19-20 - Anger is not necessarily a sin, but we should be listen, intently, first.

21 - Get into the Word and implant it in our hearts, just having head knowledge doesn't do anyone much good. Satan and the demons know Scripture far better than most Christians. They know it well enough to twist it and cause us to trip.

22 - We can't just hear and speak the Word, we have to be willing to get out and be doers of the Word.

23-25 - Study the Word, implant it in our hearts, with the understanding that being doers of the perfect Word is the key to a satisfying life. Matthew 6:33

26 - Keeping our tongue bridled is usually a good thing.

27 - Keep an eye out for those in need.

I managed to get in 2.3 mile walk around the campground after lunch, but no siesta today.

We did get out in the late afternoon to try out a Whataburger. California's In-N-Out burgers are so much better. The fries at both places are excellent.

Hey Lydia, are you still reading these? I love you. Gpa Bert

Friday & Saturday, February 3rd & 4th - Farmer's Market & Phone Problems

 Friday - My Friday breakfast. One of the grapefruits from last week and a Texas size English Muffin with two eggs, 3 Smokey Links & cheese. Awesome!

On Fridays some folks come in with a pickup pulling a wagon. Both the pickup and truck are loaded with fruit and vegetables. They arrive at 10:30 and leave at noon. I took several of these photos through one of our coach windows. The crowd was already forming when they arrived at 10:30. 

Three people run the show. Two of them are busy taking money almost the entire time they are here. The 3rd one works hard keeping everything stocked.

Halfway through their 90 minute stay there was still a crowd.

By this time we were outside enjoying the nice day.

We went over and bought 3 grapefruit, a couple of bunches of green onions and a head of cauliflower. The bill was $6.50, I gave the lady $7. She didn't have change and gave me an big orange for change.  Last week we bought 6 grapefruit, two bunches of green onions, and some other things.

At noon there was still a few customers around as the folks packed up and left.

Kathy finished the afghan she had been working on and started on a puzzle.

Completed puzzle

In the evening we went to the "Ballroom" at the Activity Center for the Friday night all you can eat fish. There were five types of fish; red sauce, white sauce, blackened and 2 types of deep fried. There was also mac & cheese, cole slaw, salads, hush puppies and some other misc items. The blackened was good but one of the deep fried was very good. Kathy liked both the fish in white sauce and the deep fried that I liked. Food is served buffet style on tables at the back of the photo. About half the Ballroom is included in the photo. It where we have church.

As I was getting into bed I tried to plug the charging cable into my phone, it wouldn't lock in and connect. One of the shortcomings of the campground is that the WiFi has been down the entire time we have been here, and may not get back up while we are here. We have to use our phones as hot spots for Internet service. Kathy's ancient iPhone has been acting up, its really slow even with a good 4G LTE signal. (A WiFi hotspot is available at the Activity Center.) I turned my phone off to conserve the battery. There was nothing else I could do with it so I went to bed/sleep.

Saturday - After breakfast, only a bowl of oatmeal and half a grapefruit this morning, I walked the half mile to the Activity Center (got in some exercise) to access the hot spot with my tablet. My Google Pixel 5a is only 16 months old and I was sure hoping that I  wouldn't end up having to buy a new one. Still I did some phone shopping and decided that if I had to buy one I'd buy a $420 Pixel 6. Then I  checked to see if there were Best Buy stores around here, with Geek Squads. There are 3 of them within a half hour drive. I online "chatted" with a Best Buy rep and was told that they could replace the charging port on my Pixel 5a while I waited. Not that I don't trust online info people but...I called the closest store. After going through a sequence of punching the numbers I got to talk to a lady with an Indian/Asian(?) accent. Almost immediately it was clear that she didn't have a clue. She was just there to type my comments into a commuter and regurgitate whatever the computer spit back. I told her I wanted to talk to someone with the Geek Squad at the store. Surprisingly she gave me an extension to key in once I connected at the store. After contacting the store I was told that they didn't work on Google phones.

Back to online research. Using a pared down toothpick to clean the port was recommended on a site. I tried that and got some dirt out but nothing that seemed significant. It didn't help.

Next I checked Google Maps for phone repair. I found one about 2 miles from us. I called the guy and he told me to bring it in and he would look at it. I walked back home, got the car and drove to the address from Google Maps. Then the adventure began.

The place was supposed to be at an intersection on business 83, a main drag about a mile south of the campground. Below are screenshots from Google. This is the corner where the phone repair place was supposed to be located. I parked on the side street and walked over to make sure I wasn't missing something.

I walked on by to the car lot next door. I asked a guy who was washing a car if he knew the location of the phone repair place. He told me it might be on the other side of the church next door.

I walked by the church to a little strip center.

I found the address listed by Google, but it was some type of attorney's office and was closed. Next door was a cell phone plan store. I checked with the guy in there and he knew nothing about the store I was trying to find.

Back at the car I called the place and asked for the address. The address he gave me was another mile west. I put it in Google and asked for directions. I was directed a block off the main highway and was then directed down this alley. I thought, "You have got to be kidding.", but I  drove down the alley.

The other end of the alley is back on the main business route, and this was the phone repair shop. I caused this problem. I punched in 500 Hooks drive, not 509 Hooks drive. I guess the alley is Hooks drive.

I parked, went in and told the guy about my problem. He asked me to give him 5 minutes and he would know whether the fix was a $35 refurb (cleaning) or a $70 charging port replacement. In a couple of minutes he told me the refurb was all that was required and that it  would be another 5 minutes.  In a few minutes he came out of the back and the port worked as it should. He said there was a small piece of paper lodged in the port. The paper kept the end of the charging cable from snapping in place. I paid him, thanked him and wished him a blessed day. He asked if I was a Christian. I said yes and he said he was also. We chatted awhile and I left. I've been having problems with the space bar on my laptop (it often jumps 2 spaces when I hit it), I think I might take to him and see if a cleaning would  help it.

I was back home for a late lunch and a siesta, actually we both took naps. I did manage to get the coach windshield washed during the afternoon. The morning sun comes through it and it was really streaked from the rain washing dirt off the roof of the coach.

Weather today was great. The overnight low was 43 but it warmed up  quickly. It was in the 60's shortly after noon and is still 62 at 9PM. When I walked to the Activity  Center this morning I was wearing jeans, a tee shirt, a flannel shirt and a hoody. When I walked back a couple of hours later I carried the hoody. By mid afternoon I was sitting outside in shorts and a tee. Tonight's low is forecast to be 55.

We are both looking forward to attending Cowboy Church in the morning.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Thursday, February 2nd - No Rain, Hooray

The overnight low was 40 and today's high was a cloudy 53, but no rain. Warmer weather is on its way. PTL!

This morning was trash pickup morning. Twice a week we can put trash on the curb and it is picked up. We see golf carts pulling trailers make dozens of trips by us. Remember, there are over a thousand sites here.

Mid-morning we went to HEB and bought groceries, then we went to a pizza place for lunch. The crust was awesome. The rest of the pizza was okay once the guacamole and lime was picked off (Kathy ate hers intact, and liked it.)

Then it was back home for the rest of the day. We both managed to get some walking in during the afternoon.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Wednesday, February 1st - Day 62 - Another Cool Rainy Day

 Another cool, rainy day here in Donna. The rain isn't heavy, nor constant. When driving even having the intermittent wipers on the slowest speed causes the to wipe to frequently. It was 37 degrees when I got up this morning. Today's high was 41, at 9PM it is 40. We are sure looking forward to the warmer weather than is coming.

I drove the half mile to the Fitness Center this morning, it was to rainy to walk. After a shower when I got home Kathy and I went back to the Activity Center, same building complex, for the 10AM Cowboy Church Bible Study. Chris O'Loughlin, the Pastor and a local rancher, led the study. He is doing a series on the Gifts of the Spirit. It was interesting morning. When making small talk prior to the study he received a phone call. It was from a ranch worker who was concerned about a horse that was down. They are concerned that the horse has colic and Chris is the only one who can give it an intravenous shot of antibiotics. He told them to keep it on its feet and walking until he got back to the ranch. For most of us something like that would have weighed on us, we would have wanted to race back to the ranch to minimize the chance of the horse dying. We may be talking about a horse worth thousands of dollars. Even though it probably was in the back of his mind both of us thought he did a great job teaching. There were 7 others at the Study. Its so sad that there are so few who take advantage of such great teaching.

Then it was back to the coach for lunch and not much else, other than a few housekeeping chores done by both of us (Kathy sweeping & laundry, me dumping & flushing tanks). Hopefully tomorrows weather will make us want to get out more.

Thoughts as I was reading in Isaiah this morning. I was thinking about how our nation continues our slide into mass sinfulness, just like Israel did time after time. Then the thought struck me about my "holier than thou" attitude. My initial response was not one of love for the misguided in our nation, and yet it should be; and that type of attitude makes me part of the problem, not part of the solution.  Romans 1:20 tells us that God makes himself known to all of us. He is there for us to see, if only we will make the effort. What is my responsibility? God's light shines for all to see but.... When I think of my walk toward the Lord I wonder if I would have completed the journey with only the direct light from Him. His light shining through others was instrumental in leading me to Him. How bright does His light shine through me, for others to see? I still need to change, or be changed a lot, to be more like Jesus, I will never make it, but I can be better. The more I walk with Him the more I learn that I can't change myself. The more I keep my eyes, my focus, on Him the more He will make those changes in me. Thank you Lord!

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.