Today dawned bright and chilly again. The temperature was 33 degrees when we left the house around 7:15 a.m. Needless to say, we once again bundled up in several layers of clothing. At least there was no wind and a brisk pace soon warmed us up. When we returned home, we ate breakfast, got cleaned up, and headed off to Sunday School and Church at Frontier Baptist.

Since it was sunny today and the week's forecast is for cloudy days with a chance of rain, we debated whether or not we wanted to head down to the Par 3 course for a round of golf. After checking the temps again (46 degrees) we decided to scrap the golf idea and head to Home Depot where John picked up some electrical parts to complete his job of wiring the shed. He hopes to get that job out of the way this week. We also made a quick stop at Wal Mart where we found some nice red seedless grapes. Nothing like eating fresh fruit!

Back in December John came up with an idea for a sign that he wanted to make. He found a piece of wood he thought was just right and began carving the states and letters he wanted. The sign is now done and hanging on the side of the house. The little white dots show were our homes in Texas and Minnesota are located.

The evening was spent watching the final movie we borrowed from the Brackettville library.

Today was a rather chilly one. When we got up this morning the outdoor temp was 30 degrees with a clear, blue sky. We bundled up in several layers of clothing and started our walk. Most days we walk around the entire golf course. We go early before the course opens--the only things we run into are deer and wild turkeys. I have posted some photos from our walk this morning.

After breakfast, John tended his tomato plant and started working on the electrical for the shed. He got the trench dug to lay the wire that will run from the pole to the shed. However, he was short a couple of parts to finish the job, so it was put on hold for now. Sam Lark stopped by and grabbed John for a quick job. He had found a mirror someone was giving away and asked John to help him haul it to his house and hang it up. Sounds like they were successful--so far the mirror is still on the wall. I spent some time today sorting through photos on the computer and trying to weed out the ones I don't want. I didn't realized how many pictures I had taken since being down here this winter. Tonight is movie night. Please feel free to leave comments. We love hearing for you. HAPPY 98TH BIRTHDAY POP!!!

After a night of thunderstorms, heavy rains, and hail, the day dawned bright and sunny. The only problem was the temp of 40 degrees and winds of 30 MPH. Those winds really made it feel quite chilly. After breakfast, John went over to the Condos to finish painting the wagon wheel and then headed to the post office to pick up the mail. By that time the paint had dried and with the help of Sam Lark, John hung the wheel back up. As you can see from the photo, he did a great job.

I spent a rather lazy day hanging around the house, catching up on my reading, and doing nothing of any great importance. The wire cage John put around his prize tomato plant has kept the deer from destroying it. Tonight it will get covered to protect it from the cold. I just remembered, I did do something today. If you look toward the bottom of the blog page, you will see that I added a counter and the Brackettville weather. The day was not an entire waste!

John woke up a little early, peeked his head out the front door, and made the announcement "It's raining". With that said, he came back to bed and we both slept in--no morning walk today. After breakfast the big question was what to do on a rainy day. We came up with a game plan and started off. First we stopped by Sandwick's to drop off the jigsaw puzzle I just finished. We spent some time visiting and talking about the latest Bagley news. It was then a short hop to the post office to check on mail and head off to Del Rio.

The first big decision upon reaching Del Rio was where to go for lunch. Since it was my turn to choose, I picked Sonic. I know, not a real healthy choice, but what can I say. I love their burgers. I also enjoy the nice view while eating. Not too colorful with all the bare trees, but I still like it.

After Sonic it was off to the Home Depot to purchase some wire fencing to put around the tomato plant to protect it from the hungry deer. Before the fence was around it, John would put it in the shed each night. From Home Depot we headed to HEB for a few groceries. By the time we started home the sun was starting to peek out. After supper John headed off the wood carvers and I curled up with a good book.

Today dawned cloudy and cool with showers forecast for later in the day, so we got up and out nice and early for our walk. Lois Carlson and I headed off to Del Rio for our Weight Watchers meeting and also did some quick shopping at Wal Mart. While I was gone, John headed over to the condo's to do some more work on an old wagon wheel mounted in the condo yard. The post holding the wheel was cracked, so John repaired that and today he got everything sanded and ready for a new coat of paint.

After lunch John headed over to the driving range to pursue one of his favorite things to do--look for golf balls. About a half an hour later he returned with about 14 balls which he scrubbed up and added to his five gallon bucket of balls. We then headed into town to the post office, library, and for me to get a hair cut.

This evening we had a group of Axis deer come into our yard to snack on the corn John puts out each day. Tonight a big buck came--it is unusual to see the big Axis bucks come while it is still light. It was quite a thrill to watch him.

Today was another beautiful southwest Texas winter day. Even though the winds continued to blow it was just about perfect weather to be outside. We took our usual morning walk and after breakfast, John headed over to Tim and Mary Ellen's to help install some carpet on their deck. I stayed home and tried to finish up the chores that did not get completed yesterday. I also had the pleasure seeing money fly out of the checking account as bills were paid. When John got home he said that Tim and Mary Ellen wanted to play some golf so, after a quick lunch, we headed off to the Par 3 course. It was a fun time with no one keeping score and just enjoying the good shots along with many poor ones.

Tuesday nights are potluck and card playing at the RV park. After golfing I made a casserole to take to the potluck. There was quite a crowd there this evening--more people are arriving for the winter and many are just stopping for a few days while on their travels to somewhere else. After the meal some folks stay to play a card game called 31. I was the big winner of the first game--first time I have ever won the pot. At least now I'll have enough quarters to play for the next couple of weeks.

Though it was rather chilly this morning when we went for our walk around the golf course, the weather was absolutely beautiful today. After breakfast, John went off to wood carvers with Tim Miner and I got started on my usual Monday morning chores--laundry and straightening up around the house. Also, finally finished the jigsaw puzzle I was working on. We'll enjoy the picture for a couple of days and then I'll take it apart and give it to Dave and Valada to assemble.

We decided since it was so nice outside that we would head down to the Par 3 golf course and play some golf. It has been over two weeks since we have played because the weather was so cool and rainy. Before hitting the course, we hopped into town to mail our January birthday cards--Hanna, Zach, and Pop--your cards are on their way. John and I didn't golf especially well, but we had fun anyway. I am at least hitting the ball a little straighter. It would be wonderful if every part of the game came together at the same time. Today I was better off the tee, but my putting was horrible. I don't keep score--just have fun.

After we got home, John and Lois Carlson dropped in and we had a nice visit talking about the Fort. Ralph had a fire and John went over to visit with him, Jeff, Molly, and the Sandwicks. I stayed home to get cleaned up after supper and try to get a little more laundry done. All in all, it was a pretty nice day.

After our big hike of yesterday, we were both pleased to see that we could get out of bed without any sore muscles or bum knees. We debated whether we wanted to walk this morning or sleep in, but decided to take a walk and get everything moving again. Though it was sunny all day, the winds were very strong and kept the temps in the high 60's.

We headed off to church and afterwards a group went to Julie's for Sunday lunch. Julie's serves a buffet on Sunday's and it is very good. We ate with Stan and Jan Metcalf and Sam Lark, and then headed home to settle in and watch football. We rooted for the Colts and were glad they won. However, the Viking's game was a big disappointment. I am rooting for the Colts in the Super Bowl.

Today we took a trip with 11 other folks to the White Shamon Park which is located about 75 miles west of Brackettville. Our plan was to meet at the RV park, get loaded up, and get to our first stop of Seminole Canyon for a picnic lunch. Everyone bought something to share and we had a delicious meal. It was rather cool and windy during our lunch break, but still everyone managed to eat their fill of the good food.

After lunch we headed across the road to meet our tour guides. The tour is offered every Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Other people besides us arrived for the tour. There were two guides--one in the front of the group and one bringing up the rear. We had to drive a mile into the park to reach the area where we would get started on our hike to see the ancient drawings. This is the area where the Rio Grande and Pecos Rivers join. The rock cliffs were beautiful. It was quite a steep hike down to the river and up again to get to the cliff dwelling to see the art. Needless to say it was quite an experience for both of us as we have never hiked under such rocky conditions before.

The ancient art in the cliff dwellings were quite interesting. Our guide told us these drawings are only now in a new study and they have learned more about the people who lived here many years ago. We spent about an hour in the dwelling area and then started the long climb up out of the canyon. It was much easier going up than down.

Here are the weary hikers taking a much needed rest climbing up the hill. After we all arrived safely back up top, we got into our cars and headed off to an old fashioned ice cream parlor in Old Town Del Rio where we celebrated the birthday of one of the hikers. Must say I think we all will sleep well tonight.

Today dawned cloudy and cool, but by afternoon the skies were sunny and the temps in the mid 70's. A very beautiful afternoon and evening. We spent a lazy day around the house. John planted the new bushes he bought yesterday and also got his tomato plant situated in a pot on the deck. He has to put that in the shed at night so the deer won't eat it. I spent the day baking cookies and working on a jigsaw puzzle I have been trying to finish. Around 4 p.m. we went to the first Condo Party of the winter. This is a gathering of folks who have previously stayed in the Condos and those who are currently renting or living there full time. We all bring snacks, drinks, and lawn chairs and sit in the car port and visit for a couple of hours. The group keeps getting bigger and bigger as each year different people live in the Condos. It is like a family reunion. We meet every other Friday afternoon. Tomorrow is going to be a big day as of group of us are heading out to Seminole Canyon for a picnic and tour. That's all for now--bedtime.

We were up and out bright and early this morning, along with many other Fort Clark residents, to attend Del Rio's Winter Texan event. A free buffet breakfast was put on by the Chamber of Commerce to show their appreciation for all the folks who winter in the area and spend their money with the local merchants. Approximately 300 people attended the breakfast. There were sign up sheets for different tours available during February, so we signed up for a tour of the border patrol facility, the new port of entry building, and Laughlin Air Force base. Should be very educational visiting these places and learning more about how the Border Patrol operates. When we go to Uvalde, a town 40 miles to the east, we have to go through a border check point. They always ask us about the weather in Minnesota and also if we are US citizens.

After the breakfast, we went and washed the car. There are self-car wash places all over down here. It seems really strange to be washing the car outside in January. Whenever it rains down here, the cars just get very dirty. Must be all the dust in the air. Notice that John is finally wearing shorts. This is only the second time he has worn them since we got down here in November. By now you can probably guess that today was sunny and warm--high temp was in upper 70's.

After getting the car clean, we headed off to Home Depot where we purchased a hanging basket of flowers for outside and a tomato plant. John is determined to have tomatoes to eat before we head home in the spring. We finished up our time in Del Rio with a trip to Wal Mart and HEB (HEB is the local grocery chain). This evening John went to wood carvers and Mary Ellen and I attended a line dancing class. All in all a pretty busy day.

These past couple of days have been pretty busy. Yesterday a friend of ours, Sam Lark, called and asked if we wanted to go to the Fort Clark Gun Club Shooting Range and practice firing several of his pistols. Sam is very knowledgeable about pistols and gun safety. We decided to take him up on his offer to go to the range as his guests. John took his own pistol to practice with. I shot a 22 pistol of Sam's. It was the first time I had ever fired a hand gun. I actually hit the center of the target. It sure was a fun time and a great new experience. Today started out misty and cloudy, but by noon it was sunny and warm. John started a little job for the condo association while I went to Del Rio. Tonight we went to Tim and Mary Ellen's for supper and a couple of games of Hand and Foot.

Mondays are usually a busy day for us. After our walk and breakfast, John headed off to wood carvers. He really enjoys carving and has made some nice pieces. I posted a photo John took this morning of the group. While John was gone I spent the morning doing laundry and getting the house in order. The place seems to get messy over the weekends. A fellow on the fort called John last week about installing a garage door opener, so he went and worked on that job for a couple of hours this afternoon. He plans to finish up tomorrow morning. This evening we attended a surprise 80th birthday party for one of John's carving buddies. There was quite a crowd and all had a great time. Just a note about the photo, the fellow on the left in the tan shirt is Wallace Inge who heads up the carving club. He is a retired fireman.

This morning dawned bright and sunny. The temps today were in the upper 60's. This is the first time in over three weeks that the temps have gotten that high. Must say it felt good. After our morning walk and breakfast we headed off to Sunday School and church. Being from Minnesota, we took quite a bit of ribbing from the Cowboy fans. Must say most of them were pretty cocky; however, there was plenty of support from the Minnesota and Wisconsin Winter Texans. Hurried home to watch the game and cheered as the Vikes put it to the Cowboys. Great revenge for the Eagles!! It's fun to watch the sports and listen to all the Cowboys woes.

Decided since it was such a beautiful day, we would take a short walk and get back to watch the Jets. Our short walk turned into a couple of hours as we ran into people also out and about. Walked over to Unit 37 to visit the Sandwicks and then walked around the corner and got invited to sit and visit with several couples. By the time we walked home, the Jets game was in the last quarter. Glad the Jets won.

The rest of our day has been uneventful--just relaxing at home.

After several days of cool, rainy weather, today dawned bright and clear. What a pleasure to take our morning walk and see the sunrise and hear the birds singing. After a quick breakfast, John headed off to the semi-monthly board meeting. He likes attending just to keep abreast of what is happening here at Fort Clark Springs. While he was gone, I did a little housekeeping and then finished up on our blog. There were so many different templates, colors, and choices of design that I nearly drove myself crazy trying all the many different options to see what I thought was the best (Joanne, I know you understand what I'm talking about). John has been doing small work projects for different people here on the fort, and after lunch he went over to our neighbor's to finish up one he started last week, but couldn't get done because of the wet weather. While he was gone, a couple dropped in for a visit--we met them when we first came here. They are originally from northern Minnesota, but he was career military, served at Laughlin Air Force Base (located 25 west of Fort Clark) and retired here. It was good to catch up. Right now we are just spending a quiet evening watching the Colts beat up the Ravens. GO VIKINGS!!!!!!

Rain, rain, and more rain. As you can probably guess, yesterday was a very rainy day; however, we did manage to get our morning walk in before the heavens opened. After breakfast I worked for several hours getting our new blog site set up while John continued his reading of Sarah Palin's book. By noon we were tired of being cooped up in the house and decided to take a road trip. We headed off to Eagle Pass which is a border town about 45 miles southeast of Brackettville. This was our very first visit to this town and we were pleasantly surprised--Eagle Pass has quite a bit to offer. We stopped for a quick lunch and then spent an hour or two walking in the mall where John managed to find some great sales on winter clothes. The sales racks attract him like a magnet. We also spent some time in Wal Mart where we picked up a few groceries and then found a great Lowe's. John could spend hours looking at all the different tools. We headed home in the pouring rain and spent a quiet evening eating pop corn, reading, and TV watching.

We entitled our blog "The Lavin's North Country News", but as you will see, right now our news is originating from Fort Clark Springs, Texas. We thought we should give a little background as to how we arrived at having, what we feel, is the best of two worlds.

After spending more than 25 years shoveling snow and enduring bitterly cold Minnesota winters, we decided we had had enough and started looking for a warmer place to spend some time during the winter months. Where was that perfect warm spot? Did such a place even exist? A few years ago we took our first winter vacation in the hopes of answering that question for ourselves. We had heard a lot of nice things about south Texas and decided to check it out. We went all the way down to the southern most part of the state, and discovered that it was infested with people--and more people, and even more people. That just wasn't for us.

How about Florida? The next winter we took about a month and traveled to Florida and did all the touristy things--Disneyland and Sea World. Weather was wonderful, but again, there were just too many people. Not only that, it is a very expensive place to live. Crossed Florida off the list of "perfect places".

We were getting discouraged about finding that special spot to get away from the cold weather. That spring we ran into friends of ours who told us about a little piece of heaven in southwest Texas--Fort Clark Springs. They were excited about this place and talked us into giving it a try. Winter 2007 we rented a condo for two months and began falling in love with the area. We spent most of our time looking at housing and land, discussing the pros and cons of owning property or renting, how long could we really spend down here in the winter, and especially, if we would want to spend the entire winter in the south. The decision was made--we became Winter Texans.

The next winter we built a small one room home which we call our Texas cabin. This is our second full winter in the house and we are having a great time. Seems like we are always busy doing something--the time sure does fly. We stay in Minnesota until mid-November and then head south. By the end of April we start packing up to head north again and usually reach home sometime during the first week of May . There is nothing better than summers in northern Minnesota and then enjoying the warmer weather of a Texas winter--the best of both worlds!