Friday 12-30 Darryl Lipscomb Dance

Concentrating on what to do next

Friday December 30, 2016

We woke up to a very cool morning. It was cool enough that Larry got the heater out and turned it on. It was nice to have the cool weather but it's not suppose to stay around long.

Line dancing with Karen Tripp

This morning we went to an A dance at 10:00 with Darryl Lipscomb in Mission TX only a few miles away. The dance was run via computer, you had a poker chip that told you what couple number you were, when it was time to dance you looked on the wall and the computer told you which square you danced in. There were 32 couples so there was exactly 8 squares. This was the biggest dance we have attended so far this season in the valley. In between the square dancing tips Karen Tripp cued line dances. I danced every tip and all the line dances except one. Darryl is a very talented caller, he gets you in positions you're not used to being in. It was very challenging and fun. Karen is very energetic and graceful. The line dances were new to me so I had to concentrate on what Karen was cuing. We were going to sit out the last tip so I could take pictures but our friends Glenn and Char asked us to join them in a square. We were glad they did because we had a ball. So far we have danced with a lot of good dancers who are very helpful at getting me in the right place. We had an outstanding time dancing to Darryl.

On the way back to the RV Park we stopped by Target to check out what they had for baskets. We found a couple that were close to what we wanted but not exactly, so we left empty handed. When we got back to the Minnie Flo was very excited to see us. After saying hi to her I made lunch. Then I took her for a walk.

We hung around the house the rest of the day. About 3:00 Flo wanted to go outside and enjoy the cool weather so I went outside and worked out for a little while. We spent the evening with Flo and relaxed. 
    

Thursday 12-29 Square Dancing to Joe and Bronc

Bronc Wise

Thursday December 29, 2016

Wow, what a marvelous day. Did you notice that Marty and Laurie from here at the J5 RV park made a comment on my blog? I have no idea how they found the blog but is was so nice of them to comment and offer such wonderful information. The park has lots of activities going on, way too many to remember but fortunately they have a monthly calendar listing many of them, they also gave us a list of things that the park has to offer and if you go to the Wednesday/Saturday coffee and donuts you are sure to find out about special events. There is a New Years party and on New Years day there is a hamburger lunch that we have signed up for. Shirley would fit right in, they play bingo every Tuesday, have Red Hatters meetings, play dominos in the evenings and there is a crafts get together every week. All this and lots more without ever leaving the park.

Today started out humid and hot but by noon a cold front came in. There was a bit of drizzle, the temperature dropped and the wind blew. It's suppose to be cool for a day and then back to being warm. I think the humidity is getting to Flo, by the end of her walks she is panting heavy. 

We started the day by going about 10 miles to the Tropic Star RV Park in Pharr for an A level workshop with Joe Saltel at 10:00. He had exactly 12 couples so everyone had to dance the whole time. Joe uses cards to give everyone a chance to dance with everyone. It was suppose to be a doughnut dance but Joe forgot the doughnuts which was probably good, we didn't need a doughnut since we already had breakfast and I probably could not have resisted. Some of the dancers who were there we had danced with yesterday. The workshop was great,  Joe walked us through a few moves that people were having trouble with. We were grateful to him for taking the time. The more floor time we have the better. Last year when we were in the Valley we danced to Joe and always had a great time. .  

Having fun dancing to Bronc

Here we go!!!

In the afternoon we traveled a whole 3 miles to El Valle Del Sol RV Park in Mission to an A Dance called by Bronc Wise. The first time we danced to Bronc was a couple of months ago in Paris, TX. He has an outstanding voice and calls great. Bronc's wife Fia took the money at the door and put us in the computer. The dance was by computer instead of cards. The computer tells the dancers what square they are dancing in. There were five squares and a few extra people. We sat out one tip so I able to take a few pictures. We danced with some of the same dancers in morning so it was nice to see them again. We had a super time.

On the way home from the dance we stopped by Subway and had dinner, afterwards we stopped by Dollar Tree to look for a small basket that we can attach to the wall to hold small things like the cell phone, Kindle and chargers, at the moment we end up with them laying on the table, we didn't find what we are looking so we will look at Target. When we got home Flo was happy to see us. After saying hi I fed her dinner and then took her for a walk. After the second dance we were exhausted so we stayed home in the evening. We had a great day.   

Wednsday 12-28 First Day of Dancing

Ramp setup for Flo

Wednesday December 28, 2016

Do you remember the dog ramp we built for Flo, well it is working out super. At first she hesitated about going on the ramp but now she walks on it with no problem and it is strong enough that Larry and I can also use it so we never have to move it. As everything Larry does it also looks great.

We woke up to a very humid day. Larry fed Flo and then took her for a walk. While they were walking I got up. The RV Park has a get together every Wednesday and Saturday to let people know what had happened in the park and upcoming events, they had free doughnuts and coffee. At 7:45 we headed to the club house for the get together. There were a lot of people, everyone was trying to introduce themselves to us and welcome us to the park. One of the ladies went around and rubbed everyone's shoulders.  Everyone visited until 8:30 and then the meeting began. Each club president got up and talked about what's going on and they gave away some door prizes. We had fun getting to know everyone. By the time we got back to Flo it was time to get ready to go square dancing.

Nick Hartley

Having fun dancing to Nick

Socializing during the dance

Larry having a great time

We attended two A2 dances. The first one was at 9:30 with Randy Dougherty at Pharr South. There were enough people for three squares, one of the couples we already knew, they were angels for our A2 lessons.  Randy uses cards to tell you which square you are dancing in. I didn't get a chance to take pictures considering we danced every tip. Wednesday mornings are called Wacky Wednesday's where Randy calls all kinds of really strange moves. Everyone did an excellent job. We had a great time dancing and loved that his calling was very challenging. We didn't have any of the doughnuts at the dance because we already had one at the RV Park meeting.

The second dance was at 7:00pm with Nick Hartley in Lakewood which is 38 miles from where we are staying. There were just enough people to have two squares. One of the couples brought Klondike ice cream bars for everyone. The last tip Nick filled in for a gentleman to complete the second square. He danced and called at the same time. He did an excellent job and we had a fun time.

We had an outstanding day and night of dancing. By the time we got home it was late. I took Flo for a walk and then we called it a night.   

Tuesday 12-27 We're in the Valley

J5 RV Park

Tuesday December 27, 2016

When we arrived at Cabela's last night it was warm but as the night went on it cooled off. Cabela's has a large parking lot behind their store for RV and big truck parking and you are free to stay there overnight. There was a bit of traffic coming and going but once it cooled off and we went to sleep we slept very well.

We woke up at 6:00, Larry thought it was 7:00 because we didn't reset the clock he keeps next to the bed. He got up and fed Flo, she didn't eat right away considering she was still half asleep. Once she woke up she still didn't want to eat so Larry took her for a walk. While they were gone I crawled out of bed and got dressed. When they got back to the Minnie Flo decided to eat her breakfast. Larry and I had a glass of almond milk and then we got the Minnie ready to continue our adventure. 

When we got to San Marcos Larry found a doughnut shop and decided to stop. He bought a dozen doughnut holes and four doughnuts. The gentleman that helped him gave him a few extra doughnut holes. It didn't take long to get his order considering he was the only customer. We snacked on the doughnuts as we drove. Today's drive was about 300 miles, when we were 90 miles from our destination we stopped for lunch at a library in a small town. There was a very nice park where the library was. While I fixed sandwiches Larry took Flo for a walk. After lunch we continued down the road.

We arrived at J5 RV Park around 2:00. J5 RV Park is a small park located in Mission Texas. We stopped at the office and Larry asked if they had any openings. The lady said they did and then took Larry around in her golf cart to check out the available sites. He found one that was perfect. After paying for the site for a month Larry drove the Minnie to the site. Before parking on the site Larry took the car off the car dolly. As he was doing this a couple of gentlemen that work at the park stopped by to help. When the car was off the dolly Larry removed the dolly from the Minnie and the two gentlemen helped push the dolly to the back of our site. Then they directed Larry into the site with the Minnie. They made sure everything was working. Larry thanked them and then they left. So far everyone has been very nice and helpful. Once the Minnie was setup we relaxed until it was time for dinner. For dinner we had leftover enchiladas.

After dinner I took Flo for a walk. It took us about a half hour considering she wanted to walk further than she really could, I wouldn't let her continue down the road but she refused to go back to the Minnie, I told her I could be as stubborn as she could be so we had a standoff until she gave in. By the time we got home it was time for Larry and me to go to a square dancing workshop that was scheduled for 6:00. When we got to the hall no one was there so we went back to the RV park. Upon double checking the web apparently the Tuesday evening A workshop dance has been cancelled, two websites showed it but the callers website indicates he will be starting a C1 class during that time after the first of the year.

A bit later we walked around the RV Park and looked at the Christmas decorations. It's amazing how warm it is in the Rio Grande Valley, we spent the evening relaxing under the air conditioner, hard to believe December is almost finished and it was 86 here today. We had a very good day.

Monday 12-26 We're excited!!!!

Why are we excited?

Monday December 26, 2016 

We woke up with overcast skies and a chance of morning thunder showers so we decided we weren't going to start on our trip until tomorrow. Larry had read in the newspaper that the Temple Culture Activities Center was having an art exhibit so we decided to check it out. We loaded Flo into the car and headed off, it was early and the car was filthy so we stopped by The Car Wash Barn and gave it a bath. After going through the car wash we were wiping it down when it started to sprinkle but we continued and by the time we were done vacuuming the rain had stopped, now the car looks a lot better. Onward to the CAC to look at the art exhibits. When we got there it was dark and there were no vehicles in the parking lot. Guess they decided to close down for the holidays. When we got back to house Larry worked on removing tar that we had found on the car. While Larry worked on removing the tar I made enchiladas for lunch.

Cabela's

It stayed muggy all day but it didn't rain, after lunch I finished loading up the Minnie. I also baked the rest of the salted caramel cookies. Larry checked out the weather on the internet and the chance of rain for the next few days were low so we decided we would get a head start on our trip. We decided to go ahead and leave and we would stop at Cabela's south of Austin for the night. We left the house at 5:30. Last night when we went to Louise's for Christmas we forgot to take her Christmas stocking so on the way to Cabela's we stopped by her house and gave her the stocking, we didn't stay to visit, the Minnie hauling the car would not fit on the curb in front of her house. For dinner we stopped at the Jack in the Box which is right by Cabela's. We had the 4 for $4.00 special, which was 2 tacos, Jr. hamburger deluxe, a regular fry and a medium drink. That was plenty for Larry and I to share. Afterwards we went to Cabela's for the night. That's why we're so excited, are trip has begun.

12-25 Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

We had a fabulous Christmas and I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

In the morning I did a couple small loads of clothes and then I finished loading up the Minnie. It looks like we will be leaving for our trip on Tuesday, the weather is suppose to be nicer then.

 

Louise and Alice all dressed up for Christmas

For our Christmas lunch we had leftovers from last night's dinner. We didn't want to eat too much considering Louise is expecting us at her house around 3:00 to celebrate Christmas. We usually open our gifts on Christmas eve but with Louise's schedule Christmas day worked better. She was surprised that we brought Flo with us. I mentioned awhile back that Louise got a new dog when Shirley visited us and she wasn't sure what to name her, well, she decided to named her Alice. Alice has adapted very nicely to her new home and Louise but she still isn't sure about Flo and us. When she saw Flo she ran under the coffee table or into her kennel. I think it's because she's not used to us and Flo is a big dog and she's very small. I know she will eventually warm up to us.

Louise serving our Christmas dinner

Louise enjoying opening her gifts

Wow, look I got a jig saw puzzle

Flo relaxing while we open our gifts

Alice playing it safe in her kennel

Larry having fun opening his gifts

Louise fixed a delicious dinner of chili, Fritos and baked bread. She put a relish tray together of cheese, sweet pickles, ham, pepperoni and deviled eggs. For dessert she had a pecan pie but after eating dinner Larry and I were full so we took some of the pie home with us. After dinner we opened our Christmas gifts, it took us a couple of hours. We all got a lot of super gifts. When we finished opening up the gifts we called Shirley to wish her a Merry Christmas. After talking to her we thanked Louise for a great Christmas meal and said our goodby. By the time we got home it was 9:00 so we just relaxed for the rest of the evening. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  

12-24 It's Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve

We had a muggy day with drizzle, the sun did try to come out a few times and it got to the high 70's.

Not much happened today. Early in the morning we went to town to do a little grocery shopping to restock items I put in the Minnie. While in town we swung by the UPS Store to pick up our mail for what should be the last time before our trip. Then we returned to the house.

Cleaning the House

Grocery Shopping

While we were hanging around the house Larry put information together for our trip to the valley. There is a lot of square dancing in the valley this time of year so Larry decided to put a list together. It consist of level of dancing, who is calling, where the dance is and what time and day. I did laundry and cleaned the house. After we finished with our projects around the house Larry and I took the truck for a spin. We don't use the truck much and Larry has been trying to take it for a spin at least once a month. When we got back to the house I worked out for a half hour with Gold's Gym and a half hour with Just Dance.

Salted Caramel Cookies

Christmas Eve Dinner

Our Christmas Eve dinner consisted of HEB Bacon Sausage Jalapeno Poppers and Stove Top Stuffing. For dessert I baked a new type of cookie (Betty Crocker Salted Caramel). The cookies were really good. Larry saw on Google Play where he can rent a movie for $.99. and he discovered that on Amazon he could buy a movie for $5.00. He went through the list of movies to rent for $.99 from Google Play and chose the action movie Suicide Squad. He then looked at movies on Amazon and decided on buying The Danish Girl, a few months ago this was available to watch for free via Amazon Prime but by the time we decided to watch it it had been removed from Prime and you had to purchase it for $14.99, we didn't want to see it that bad. We haven't watched it yet. We had a very nice Christmas Eve.     

12-23 Getting Ready

LIFE IS GOOD!!!

The weather was nasty with drizzle on and off for the entire day and in the afternoon there was even a little fog. We still had a good day.

The finished box

Busy Day

I spent most of the day getting the Minnie ready to go on our trip to the Rio Grande Valley. While I was doing this Larry finished up the box for the ramp by putting three coats of polyurethane on it. Flo kept me company by laying by the Minnie or on the front porch. The only thing I have left to do on the R.V. is load up the refrigerator and odds and ends. We won't do this until the day before we leave on the trip.

Watching television

In the evening we watched YouTube videos and Iron Man 2. The rest of the evening we relaxed.   

12-22 What a wonderful day!!

A cold front came in around midnight with wind out of the north, it was suppose to be a cloudy cool day but we had another day of sunshine with temperatures in the 60's.

This morning when Larry took me to the gym I wore shorts and a tee shirt, Larry asked me if I thought it was warm outside, I told him I would be ok I only had to walk from the car to the gym which wasn't far. Before going to the gym we stopped by the post office to put our mail on hold for a couple of months, we're really not sure how long we will be gone. Since it was going to be more than 30 days Larry had to talk to the post master and he really didn't want to hold it that long. Larry told him that the only mail we get through the post office was junk mail or items that slipped through the cracks. Our mailing address is for the UPS Store so all of our mail is suppose to go there, sometimes someone will send something to the house. He finally gave in and told Larry they would hold our mail. The next step was the gym where I did the treadmill for a half hour and another half hour on the weight machines. After my workout we walked next door to Ace Hardware to buy a few things to finish up Flo's ramp. The final stop was the UPS Store to get our mail. While there he told them that we were going out of town next week and we needed our mail held. They said no problem.

When we got home it was time for lunch. We let Flo out of the car and then had lunch. After lunch we were going to work on staining the support box for Flo's ramp. While Larry was setting up to begin I went across the street to let our neighbors (Karen and Bobby) know we were getting ready to go out of town. I was visiting with Karen when Flo decided to come over to say hi, Karen gave her some attention and then we said our good-byes. Flo decided she didn't want to go home instead she wanted to go for a walk. I tried to get her to go home but she was stubborn and continued down the street. She went over to our other neighbors house and introduced herself to a miniature Schnauzer who was visiting. Then she got tried so she laid down. Debbie came out of the house and paid attention to her considering they just lost their Great Dane. When her husband came home he paid attention to her. Afterwards we said our good-byes. I continued trying to get her to go home. But she continued down the road. She finally gave out by her friends (Velcro) house. I asked his master if he would keep an eye on Flo so I could go get the car. By the time I got her home she was done for the day.

While I was chasing Flo down Larry stained the support ramp and was starting to put the yoga mat on the ramp. I helped Larry on the yoga mat project. He attached the mat with large washers and screws but the ends were curling up so he decided to glue them down. The ramp looks great. After helping Larry I mowed the front yard and weedeated. I blew off the driveway while Larry was finishing up staining the box, we still have to apply the polyurethane. After cleaning up from the projects Larry blew out the garage, all the stuff he blew out of the garage went on the driveway that I had already blown off, he said now you know why he blows out the garage first.

In the evening we watched YouTube videos. We had a wonderful day. 

 

12-21 First Day of WInter

Officially Winter started today

We started winter out with a gorgeous sunshiny 66 degree day. Last night I went to bed early so this morning I woke up at 7:15. After breakfast Larry took me to the gym where I worked out in the circuit area for 45 minutes. Next we swung by Walmart, if you remember yesterday I mentioned that when Flo was using the ramp she was having a problem getting a grip, we went to Walmart, to pick up a yoga mat. While there we picked up pillows to replace the pillows in the Minnie. After getting what we needed we went home.

Building the box for the ramp

The finished box

Larry filing down the corners of the support bar

After lunch we went back to working on Flo's ramp. The first thing we worked on was building a support box for the step to help keep the ramp level with the door. After we built the box we tested it out. As we were walking up the ramp it was flexing a lot so Larry decided to replace the support bar with another bar. The bar we replaced the bar with was an angle aluminum bar that was longer than the original bar. We tried it out and it was a lot more stable. It works perfect.

We put the yoga mat on the ramp and got Flo to try it out. At first she didn't want to go up it at all but when she finally tried she had no problem getting in and out of the Minnie. Now the next step is stain the support box and screw the yoga mat to the ramp. 

In the evening we watched our YouTube videos and the first Iron Man. I went to bed early last night and I didn't play my daily challenge solitaire games so I played them. We had a very productive day.   

12-20 Odds and Ends

What are we doing, mom?

We started out the day doing errands. We loaded Flo into the car and headed to town. We hadn't checked our mail for awhile so the first stop was The UPS Store. Next was Belton Feed to get Flo some food, she isn't out but we're planning to go on a month long trip and we didn't have enough to last that long. On the way back to the house we swung by the storage unit to pick up the Minnie and the tow dolly. By the time we got home it was time for lunch.

The dolly on blocks

Removing the tire

Getting ready to check the alignment

Putting the tire back on

After lunch we did a couple of small projects. First was check the alignment on the dolly. The owners manual explains how to check it and Larry wanted to ensure it was correct. He jacked up one side of the dolly and removed the tire. Then he put blocks under the dolly to hold up on that side. He went to the other side and jacked it up and removed that tire. Once the tires were removed he checked the alignment with a measuring tape according to directions. The alignment was perfect. He put the tires back on and checked the air, they were a little low so he added air. The dolly is all ready for the trip. Next he added air to the air bags on the Minnie. 

The second project was Flo's ramp. Larry put the ramp on the Minnie's step and we worked with Flo to get her to walk up the ramp. She hesitated at first and then she walked up. She walked very slow, she seemed to be having a problem getting a grip and she just doesn't have a lot of strength. When she started to walk down the ramp she slipped and slid down the ramp. Larry and I were surprised that she couldn't get a grip on the carpeting that was on the ramp. Larry suggested maybe a yoga mat. I have a yoga mat but it's thick and he thought maybe it was too thick. I told him we could try it out just to see if it would work. We tried it and Flo walked up the ramp without slipping. I guess we will be making a trip to Walmart to get a yoga mat that is thinner. 

When we were finished with our projects I took a nap and Larry did some reading. In the evening we watched our YouTube videos and Sherlock Holmes, A Game Of Shadows. We had a relaxing evening.     

12-19 What did Larry find?

What is this?

It got in the low 20's again last night and never got over 40 degrees. Larry woke up this morning and when he opened the blinds he noticed some white stuff on the ground around the perimeter of our lot, from the window it looked like white paper or plastic, he thought something must have gotten in the trash. When he went out to get the paper he walked into the back yard and checked it out. When I woke up he asked me to look out the back window at this white stuff, I told him that it looked like snow, he said it wasn't snow, it was a very fine ice on the plants. It looked like the plants had some moisture on it and when the temperature got below freezing it formed the ice. I got my camera and went outside to check it out. This was so cool considering it was only on certain weeds around the edges of the yard. Winter is here.

Vacuuming the house

Doing laundry

It was cold all day so we stayed around the house. Larry continued working on his music project. I did some Sudoku puzzles, dozed off and worked out. Before working out I did laundry and house work. While vacuuming the house my vacuum wasn't working correctly, I figured that the hose was plugged and as I was taking a metal clothes hanger apart to shove down the hose Larry said I was going to puncture the hose with the hanger, he used a pair of pliers and bent a loop in the end of the wire, using a combination of the hanger wire and his shop vac he was able to unclogged the hose.

I worked out on my Wii Fit for a half hour, Golds Gym for a half hour and Just Dance for a half hour. I haven't been going to the gym because it was so cold but have made sure that I still worked out. This may sound kind of crazy but I have had my Garmin Vivo Fit2 for almost three months and I try to make my step goal everyday, sometimes I walk around the house just to get my goal. My daily goal as of today is 10,660 steps. If I don't make my goal the Vivo Fit2 will adjust accordingly, for example on December 7th I only did 6375 steps which was 65% of my goal of 9748 steps so my goal was dropped to 9579. I really like this device because it motivates me to get up and workout.

In the evening we watched our YouTube videos and a few KLUR Q shows, which were Death in Paradise, Escape Artist and White Chapel. Then I did my daily challenge solitaire computer games. We had another relaxing day at the house.      

 

12-18 It's Freezing

Brr, It's freezing!!!!

We woke up to 24 degrees this morning and the high for the day was 33. Along with the low temperature we had a strong wind out of the north, it was very cold. Tomorrow is not suppose to be much better.

I woke up earlier than usual, about 7:15. After having pancakes for breakfast we loaded Flo into the car and went to the storage center to check on the RV. A couple of weeks ago Larry setup a small electric heater hooked to a thermostat and since it was so cold he wanted to ensure everything was working correctly. He had the thermostat set to 45 degrees and the actual temperature was holding about 40, warm enough so that the plumbing will not freeze. Next we headed to the grocery, it was early so it wasn't busy. The rest of the day we stayed in the house and kept warm.

We watched a bit of football which we almost never do and we watched our weekly tech show GizWiz and YouTube videos. For dinner I barbecued pork ribs. It was cold so while they were cooking on one side I went inside. Then when it was time to turn them over I went outside and flipped them. After dinner we watched an hour of  a Ryan Bingham Concert on Amazon. He was a good country singer and writer but the songs all sounded alike. Then we watched one of our Sherlock Holmes dvd. After the movie we watched a few more YouTube videos and I played computer games until it was time to go to bed.

12-17 Finishing Touches

We woke up to a damp morning. The temperature got up to 74 degrees but by 10:00pm it dropped to 38 degrees with gale force wind out of the north, suppose to be in the 20's tonight.

Yesterday, we bought a carpeted runner at The Home Depot and this morning Larry installed it on the ramp. First thing he did was cut the carpeting to fit each half of the ramp. Then he drilled holes in the carpeting and ramp. Next step he screwed the carpeting to the board. By doing this we can remove the carpeting if we need to. The next thing he did was put feet on one end to keep the ramp from slipping off. Larry assembled the ramp and tweaked it where needed. It weighs 18lbs which is a couple of pounds less than the ramp he was thinking about buying. The ramp came out super.

Flo's ramp unfolded

Ramp folded

Screwing on feet

What the feet looked like once they were installed

Installing carpet

My Wii Fit program I worked out with

In the afternoon I worked out on my Wii Fit for an hour. Larry worked on his music project. After dinner we watched an Amazon movie called Ways to Live Forever. This movie was about a twelve year old boy fighting leukemia and things he wanted to do in his life, it was a very good movie. Then we watched a couple episodes of Star Trek The Next Generation and our YouTube videos. Then I played computer games until it was time to go to bed. LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!!