Thursday, March 31, 2011

We were a little late getting out the door for our walk this morning, so we had to cut it short. Right after breakfast, we met Tootie and Rodger for our standing Thursday morning golf game. This was the last game of this winter as they are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning and starting the homeward journey to Michigan. As usual we had a lot of fun playing together and when we finished, decided to head to Burger and Shake for a farewell lunch. We exchanged email addresses as John and I plan to visit them along with several other Michigan friends this summer.

When we got back home John headed right over to Stan's to continue working on the porch. He thinks he'll have it all done sometime tomorrow. I spent my afternoon going through the rest of our food items, getting them ready for summer storage, and then making another shortcake so we can finish up the strawberries we brought down in the fall. John went to wood carvers after supper--this is the final one as most of the carvers are leaving and Wallace, the leader, will also be away.

While John was gone, I watched American Idol and CSI. We enjoyed the shortcake after he got home and then called it a day. Only eight more days until we hit the road for home.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

We had about a 15 minute rain storm last night--this was the first rainfall here since September. John and I have forgotten what a rainy day is like, but I'm sure we'll experience a few when we return home to Minnesota. The shower brought much cooler temps this morning which required us wearing our hooded sweatshirts for our morning walk.

John and Tim went off after breakfast for the men's nine hole golf game. There were 14 guys playing this morning--the biggest group yet. The teams played a best ball scramble with John's group ending with par. Following lunch, John spent a few hours over at Stan's working on the porch. My day was spent sorting through our canned goods deciding what would be left here for next fall and what we'd take home. I also sorted through more clothing and got quite a bit packed up.

The Stone's invited John and Natalie and us over for supper this evening. Nancy served a delicious meal of baked pork chops, potato salad, vegetables, and salad. Natty provided the dessert. We all ate plenty of good food and had a fun evening visiting. We just returned home when Tim and Mary Ellen stopped in to say good-bye. They are starting out for home tomorrow and will be doing some sightseeing and visiting with friends as they make their way back to Michigan. John and I made plans to visit them sometime this summer.

We spent what remained of the evening watching a little TV before heading off to bed.


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Things are really starting to slow down here on the fort. As we take our morning walk we notice more and more places closed up for the summer.

After breakfast, I headed down to the club house for the ladies' nine hole golf. There were only seven of us playing today as a couple of the women have already headed north for home. We had a slight mist this morning, so the course was a little muddy in spots--I need to give my shoes and golf clubs a good cleaning before playing again on Thursday. The ladies had lunch at the club house after the game--this was our final one until next fall.

John spent his day installing the screening on the Metcalf's porch. It really looks nice and has made a wonderful addition to their home. He's hoping to get the job done this week as he needs to start getting our house ready to leave for the summer. This afternoon I continued some packing and made a hotdish for the RV park potluck. Tim and Mary Ellen picked us up as usual. There were only about 24 people tonight, our final potluck, and only one table for cards. Ginny Johns won the first game and I won the second. We had such a fun evening with lots of laughs. We'll really miss our Tuesday night gatherings and being with our friends.






Monday, March 28, 2011

It was a few degrees cooler with a slight breeze this morning. It stayed cloudy most of the day with some sunshine peeking through every once in a while and that help keep the temps at a more comfortable level. I keep thinking about how much colder it's going to be up north and I try to soak up all the warmth that I can right now.

John and Tim left for wood carvers right after breakfast. I spent the morning changing bed linens and doing laundry. Actually, I spent most of my day doing laundry and packing more things for the trip home. One forgets all the odd little things you bring and then have to find space to pack them back up for the trip home. It fit in the car coming down, so it must fit in for the trip back.

After lunch John headed over to Jack's to cut all the strips for installing the screening. With that job done, he went back to Stan's and got all the cut pieces painted. Next step is to install the screening and put up the strips. The end of this job is in sight. Sam also called while John was gone to let him know that there is another leak in the solar tubing on the condo roof, so that's another little job to get done before we leave.

We took a little golf cart ride after supper. The humidity and temps were very pleasant so we turned the AC off for the night. Suppose to be nice and warm again tomorrow. Ended the evening with some reading and TV.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

It was cloudy and humid this morning with the temps in the upper 60's when we left the house for our walk. It was so warm, we were able to be in shorts and tee shirts--no long sleeves needed today.

Following breakfast, we got cleaned up and headed off to Sunday School and church. Next Sunday will be our final one at Frontier Baptist until next fall. When we finished lunch, John decided to hang the solar screens we picked up on F
riday morning. It didn't take him long to put them up and they really make a difference in keeping the sun and heat out of the house.


Since the weather was so warm this afternoon, we spent most of our time inside enjoying the AC and watching the rest of the NCAA tournament. I took a quick trip outside to take a couple of photos of our trees with their pretty spring green color.


This evening Lloyd, Ginny, Tim, and Mary Ellen came over for cards--we played a couple of games of Hand and Foot. I hate to brag, but the ladies BEAT THE GUYS INTO THE GROUND!! -- they never had a chance from the first hand. The evening ended with some strawberry shortcake and conversation. We'll have to wait until next fall to see if the men can redeem themselves. Right now the LADIES RULE!!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

We were up bright and early once again--not for our morning walk, but to have breakfast at the RV park. Every Saturday morning a breakfast of two eggs, sausage patties, and pancakes are served for the very reasonable cost of $3.50. Ten of us were heading off to Sabinal for the Wild Hog festival and decided to meet at the RV park for breakfast before heading out on our adventure.

This was the 20th anniversary of the Wild Hog Festival. We rode along with Ginny and Lloyd and arrived at the local park in plenty of time to sco
pe out some of the food and craft vendors before purchasing our tickets for the first round of hog wrestling. From what I understand, wild hogs are captured for this event each year and sorted into different size categories with the littlest hogs being used for the little kids to catch. It then goes up to light weight, middle weight, and then heavy weight, with guys and girls teamed up 2 to a team.



The events are held in a fenced in area with a large wooden cable spool holding a large sack. The contestants sit on the spool until a hog is released and a whistle blows signaling they can capture the hog, place it in the sack, and drag the sack over the while line on the grass. The hog must be completely inside the sack with the best times winning. It was fun watching the contestants chase the hogs around the pen--some where
very tentative while others just tackled the hogs. There were first, second, and third place winners with the prizes being very nice belt buckles. We went to the morning session, but there were to be more in the afternoon and again tomorrow. I was amazed at how many kids and adults signed up to compete. We were trying to get Lloyd and John to sign up, but they were too interested in getting in with the hogs.




When the morning's hog wrestling was over, we headed off in search of some lunch. There were many different foods to choose from and eventually everyone had settled on something to eat. The remainder of our time at the festival was spent checking out the different craft vendors and enjoying the entertainment. It was an extremely hot day, so we called it quits around 2 p.m. and headed back to the fort. Of course, we had to stop at Pico's for our ice cream fix before heading back to the house.


Friday, March 25, 2011

Today was an early and very busy one. John and I got up at 6 a.m. and were out the door to Del Rio by 7 a.m. We had to pick up more paint for the porch job and the solar screens that we had ordered earlier in the week. We needed to be back on the fort by 11 a.m. to catch the bus for the Laughlin Air Force Base tour. First stop was Sherwin Williams for the paint, and then Del Rio Glass and Mirror for the screens. We were making good time, so our final stop was I Hop for breakfast. We arrived back home a little over 2 1/2 hours after we left, and had plenty of time to get ready for the tour.

Forty six people gathered in the Service Club parkin
g lot to board the bus for the base. First on the agenda was lunch. We were served a very nice buffet style meal that everyone seemed to enjoy.


Following lunch, we walked a short distance t
o a building where pilots sit in a chamber to experience the affects of altitude and how to recognize the different signs that may indicate they are being adversely affected by it. The pilots come here to be tested every five years. We learned that pilot safety is a number one concern.


Our next stop was a bus tour of the flight line. We rode out and saw all the different training planes with some flight crews getting ready for training flights. There were a couple of hundred planes all lined up outside of a huge shelter. We were told that all the planes could be gotten under cover in an hour in case a hail storm were to occur.

Our final stop on the tour was a demonstration by the military dogs who provide security, bomb and drug detection, and much more. This dog did a great job even though he got a little distracted by the crowd. I, for one, would not like to be chased by him.

We were are a pretty tired bunch on the ride home. Of course, some of us had to make one last stop--you guessed it--Pico's. What's an adventure without a little ice cream to end a fun time.

This evening John went to visit with Jack Simpson to line up a time for using his table saw to finish getting the wood ready for the porch screening. I was tired, and decided to stay home and just relax. John finished his night watching some more NCAA Tournament. We are almost down to the final four. Tomorrow we'll be off to a pig festival or something like that. Never a dull moment here.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The sky was getting light when we left the house this morning for our walk. Just a few days ago, we would be half way through before it started getting light. It's amazing how quickly the amount of daylight changes--mornings are brighter and the evenings have a longer twilight.

After breakfast we were off to meet Rodger and Tootie for nine holes of golf. This has become a regular weekly event. We enjoy playing with them and we all have a good time. Not sure how much fun it was today--we all struggled with putting and direction of our different shots. Next Thursday will be our last day to play together as they are heading home to Michigan on April 1st. John and I will miss our weekly golf game with them--we'll have to start it up again next winter.

Following lunch, John went over to Stan's to fix a leak in their garbage disposal and then to do more painting. He got home around 4 p.m. and said he had run out of paint. So we will need to make another trip to Del Rio's Sherwin Williams store. We had also ordered some solar screens for our windows and received a call that they are ready to be picked up. Just have to find the time to get these errands done--maybe we'll take a very early trip to Del Rio in the morning so we can get back in time to leave for the air force base tour that is scheduled for tomorrow.

John and Tim went to wood carvers this evening and I spent a relaxing evening watching American Idol (Can't believe Casey received the lowest amount of votes. Glad they saved him.) When John got home, we were back to watching the NCAA Tournament.


Wednesday, March 23, 2011

It was a pretty quiet day for the Lavin household. John left at 7:30 a.m. with Ralph and the two of them spent the day in San Antonio. Ralph had a doctor's appointment and from there they went to lunch, ran some errands, did some shopping, and then headed back to the Fort. John got home just in time for supper.

I decided to head to Del Rio this morning before the day got hot--the temps reached 99 degrees this afternoon. I went to the mall and then made a stop for lunch at Wendy's. From there it was on to Wal Mart for a few groceries before heading back home. This afternoon was spent staying cool in the AC while cleaning up around the house and making a dessert for tonight.

We spent the evening watching Survivor (Yeah, Matt is still in the game) and American Idol--can't believe the talent this year. Will be fun to see who will win.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

It was another warm and windy morning for our walk. We are getting more accustomed to being out and about in the dark--actually it is now beginning to get light when we are about 1/4 of the way into our route so we are starting to walk a little more of the golf course.

After breakfast, I headed down to the club house for the ladies' nine hole golf. There were eight of us this morning, so we just divided up into two groups of four. I played with Mary Jane, Tootie, and Shirley. We all had a fun time even though the winds made for a more challenging game.

John spent most of his day working on Stan's porch. He got all the frame area and some of the siding painted. The first fairway of the course goes right by Stan's so John got a chance to watch us play and visit for a few minutes.

This afternoon, I did some more packing and made a macaroni salad for the RV potluck. We rode over to the park with Tim and Mary Ellen and enjoyed a good meal, conversation, and cards. John won the second game at his table and I got to the final of the second one at mine. Rodger beat me on the final hand by one point. Next week is the last potluck for the season--we're going to miss our Tuesday evening meal and cards.

We relaxed a little before bed with some TV and phone calls home to see how everyone is doing.


Monday, March 21, 2011

John and I were up and out a little later this morning--we were tired from yesterday and had a harder time getting up. It was very windy, but nice and warm for our walk. The temps are suppose to be in the low 90's all week.

Right after breakfast, John left for wood carvers where
he is currently working on an Indian bust. He is just getting started and hopes to work on it at home over the summer. There are a few more wood carving meetings left as Wallace will be leaving the first of April and will be away for quite a while.

I kept busy today changing bed linens, getting all the lau
ndry caught up, and continuing the packing for our trip home. After lunch, John went over to Stan's and made great progress on the screened porch. He hopes to start painting everything tomorrow.


Since it was such a nice evening, after supper we took a ride around the golf course. Spring has certainly arrived here at the fort--everything is nice and green and the leaves seemed to come out overnight. It's really looking pretty around here right now.



We spent the evening reading, working on the computer, and watching some TV. Tomorrow is ladies' golf.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

This morning we were up at 5:45 a.m. so we would be ready when Tim and Mary Ellen picked us up at 7 a.m. for our trip to the upper Seminole Canyon. The tour we were taking started at 8:30 a.m. so that was the reason for such an early start to the day.

There was a group of nine of us who took the hiking tour in
the upper canyon of Seminole Canyon. It was a two mile hike over some rough terrain and lasted approximately 3 1/2 to four hours. We viewed rock art sites, original 1882 railroad sites, and camping areas of the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts. The weather was cloudy with strong winds, but that made it fairly pleasant for a strenuous hike. After the hike, we loaded back in the cars and drove a short distance to where the Pecos and Rio Grand Rivers merge to eat the picnic lunches everyone brought. From there it was back to Brackettville where we ended the adventure with some ice cream at Pico's. Everyone seemed to have a good time and enjoyed the outing.




John and I rested up a little after we got home and then he took a little walk over to the golf course to look for some balls. There was a major golf tournament held this weekend, so it was a good time to look for some. He came back with 13 balls he found in the out of bounds area along the fairway.

Lloyd and Ginny stopped over this evening to show us a DVD they had of a movie that was made up at Alamo Village in which some Brackettville and Fort Clark folks played bit parts or were extras. We were trying to see if the DVD would play okay so we could have a movie night sometime next week. We could only see part one of the film, so Lloyd is going to see if he can get the original copy for us to view. We sat and visited for a while, but we were all pretty tired from the day's adventure and called it a night. This week looks to be another busy one, but that's okay as our time here is coming to an end for another winter.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

The temps were nice and warm again this morning--66 degrees when we left the house for our walk around 7 a.m. By the time it started getting light we had a very light mist falling, but it wasn't enough to get us wet.

After breakfast we checked out a couple garage sales, but didn't find anything that we absolutely had to have. When we got back to the house, we got cleaned up and headed off to the Par 3 course where we met up with Ginny and Lloyd for a round of golf. It was noon by the time we finished, so we went into town and ate lunch at The Crazy Chicken. I think the name says it all--let me just say the hamburger was delicious but the facility was an adventure in dining out.

Ginny told us that Dave and Diane were heading home to Alaska this next week and were hosting a farewell gathering at their house around 5 p.m. Everyone brought their lawn chairs and a dish to share. Over 30 folks came and enjoyed a very pleasant evening of good food and conversation. As dusk started to fall, the party broke up and all headed off home. This evening we continued to follow the NCAA Tournament.


Friday, March 18, 2011

I think we are getting used to walking in the dark--at first it was a little unsettling for me, but now I actually enjoy it. It was 66 degrees and humid when we left the house. The clouds hung around until noon when the skies cleared off and the temps started to rise--our high today was 96 degrees. The AC has been running all day and the house is nice and comfy.

After breakfast, John and I went to Del Rio to pick up the rest of the building supplies he needed for the porch project. First stop was Sutherland's, a lumber/hardware store, for more screws. Second stop was Wal Mart to gas up the Honda ($3.39 per gallon) and then to Home Depot to get the screening. By then it was lunch time and that meant a stop at Wendy's to fill our empty stomachs. Once that was taken care of, we hit the road back to Fort Clark.

We watched a little NCAA basketball and then decided to head down to the Par 3 to play just a couple of holes. Both of us needed to try and get our swings figured out after the bad play of yesterday. I think I have found my problem--I did much better this afternoon and actually pared one of the longer holes. John is still working on his swing--not sure he has it corrected yet.

Right before we left for golf, Mary Ellen stopped over with the information about Sunday's trip to Seminole Canyon. We will have to get everything ready tomorrow as we are leaving very early Sunday morning.

Since the NCAA basketball tournament is still going on, John has been watching wall to wall basketball games. His favorite, Duke, is still in it. The teams a couple of our grandsons picked to win the championship have already been eliminated. There have been some great games with last second winning shots. Both of us really enjoy watching this event every Spring.




Thursday, March 17, 2011

It was dark, cloudy, and pretty humid when left the house for our walk. The weatherman was calling for high's in the 90's by this afternoon, so we were glad to be taking our walk while it was still somewhat cooler.

After breakfast, we headed to the big course where we met up with Rodger and Tootie to play nine holes. I played one of the worse games ever--I couldn't even get a tee shot off. Don't know what the problem was, but sure hope my golfing improves soon. John and I are scheduled to play the Par 3 with Lloyd and Ginny on Saturday morning. We were just finishing up the 8th hole when Randy called and asked if everyone would like to get together for lunch, so after finishing golf we all met up at Burger and Shake. Ralph Ramsey was also there and joined our little group to eat.

Before heading back to the fort, John and I stopped at the post office and then the hardware store where he looked for more screws for the porch project. They didn't have the type of screws he needed, so we will take a quick run to Del Rio tomorrow morning to pick up screening and more nails and screws.

Since the afternoon was so hot, we spent that time inside just relaxing and watching some of the NCAA games. This evening John and Tim went to wood carvers while I remained at home reading a new mystery and watching American Idol. Once John gets home we'll be back to watching more of the tournament. A little note for our kids in Minnesota--we turned the AC on in the house this evening--the outside temp was 95 degrees while inside it was 86--we needed to cool down the house.




Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Today we came up with a game plan for the best route for walking in the dark. We decided to walk the route in reverse--walking the darkest time along the streets with the lights. By the time we reach the darker part of the route, it is beginning to get light and we can see everything just fine. We'll see how it works out tomorrow when we try this route again.

After breakfast, John picked up Tim and they headed off for the men's nine hole golf game. John said they had 13 players this morning--their group is really growing. John used Ralph's hybrid three iron to see if he liked it--he needs to use it a little more before making up his mind about it. His team shot one under par and came in third. The winning team was three under par.

While John was golfing, I went to Del Rio to do a little shopping and picked up another plastic crate to use for packing for the homeward trip. We have decided we will head for home sometime in the second week of April, depending on the weather. John wants to be home by the 16th of April for the Pacesetters tournament and that will also get us home for Easter. We haven't been home for that holiday in several years.

John spent his afternoon working over at Stan's and I started sorting through some things to decide what can stay here and what we want to take with us. We still have a lot of activities that we want to do before we leave, so if I do a little sorting every day I should be ready to pack without a lot of last minute hassle.

Our evening was spent watching Survivor--I'm rooting for Matt to stay in the game--and a few other favorite TV shows.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

We walked in the dark again this morning still keeping to the streets so we could see our way. By the time we are half way through, it begins to get light--we are hoping in another week or so it will be light when we start out.

John had made arrangements with Becky to get together this morning for another painting session. He had finished carving the elf faces and wanted to get them painted before heading home next month. It took him the entire morning and he didn't get home until early afternoon.
Here is a pic of the finished work. I think he did an awesome job for someone just learning how to do the painting.


While John was off painting, I played ladies' nine hole golf. We had 10 ladies out this morning and were divided into three teams. I actually had a pretty good game this morning even though the wind was blowing pretty hard and the temps were on the chilly side. The winds died down just as we finished the last hole. The game was followed by lunch at the club house and a brief meeting of the "Wee Walkers".

John spent the rest of his afternoon working over at Stan's getting more of the screened porch framing completed. I made a chicken hot dish for tonight's potluck at the RV park. The crowd keeps getting smaller each week as more Winter Texans head home. There will only be two more potlucks this winter season. Following supper, some folks stayed and played "31"--I was the winner of the first game at our table. We had to say good-bye to Jim and Kathy Runger as they will be pulling out tomorrow morning and traveling further west before returning home to Minnesota. John and I made plans to visit with them sometime this summer as they live about an hour and a half from us.

We ended the evening catching up on emails and watching a little TV.


Monday, March 14, 2011

We took our walk in the dark this morning keeping to the streets where the street lights illuminated our way. Walking the golf course was out of the question as there were no lights, the sprinkler system was running, and we couldn't see our way to avoid the water.

Following breakfast, John headed off for the Monday morning wood carving session. I spent the day doing laundry, catching up on the finances, working on the computer, and starting a new mystery on my Kindle. John spent his afternoon over at Stan's getting started on the screened in porch. He got one section laid out before calling it a day.

This evening at least 20 folks gathered at Rodger's place in Unit 37 to celebrate Nancy's and Tim's birthdays. We had ice cream and a very delicious chocolate cake made by Tootie. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening just sitting and visiting. Our day ended with a little TV before bedtime.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

We overslept this morning so it was too late to take our walk if we wanted to get to church on time. John made us a very nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and orange juice. We should sleep in more often. While John was getting cleaned up, I finished up the jello salad for the potluck after church. I had started it last night as it had to be refrigerated overnight.

Between the time change and all the golf yesterday, John and I were pretty tired, so we spent the afternoon just relaxing (that means napping), watching the NCAA basketball games, and some golf. John wanted to try out the new club that h
e got from Ralph, so we went over to the driving range to hit some golf balls. John really likes this new club--he will have to work out a deal with Ralph about taking ownership if he is willing to part with it.



When we were through on the driving range, we took a little ride in the golf cart. Spring has arrived at the fort--the Mountain Laurel is in full bloom and the cactus are starting to bud.


On our ride, we ran into Sam Lark and asked if we could come over to his place and take a picture of the mirror John made. We thought it looked perfect with his furniture and decor. John did a super job!


John and I got back home in time to watch The Amazing Race and then spent the rest of the evening watching some more TV, reading and working on the computer. Tomorrow starts another fun filled week--we need to enjoy evening moment as the time for our stay in winding down.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

This morning dawned cloudy with the temps in the high 50's. After we took our usual walk, we ate breakfast and got ready for the day. John had finished the frame for Sam's mirror, so he took it over and with some help from Sam and Leta, got it assembled and hung on the wall. They were very pleased with how it turned out and John said it looks very nice and matches their other furniture. While John was there, Jerry Smith came and told John there was another leak in the solar panel pipes on the roof. He and Sam went up to check it out and now John has another little job to do--fixing the leak and installing some new pipe.

Since it was such a beautiful afternoon, we headed down to the Par 3 for some golf. We just finished the 7th hole when Rodger called and asked if we wanted to play nine holes on the big course. Tootie and the Bevins were also planning to play (actually, Jeanne just watched). We said "yes" and met them at the club house to play the front nine. We all played well until the 7th and 8th holes--then everyone just couldn't hit the ball or putt. However, we seemed to recover for the nineth and final hole.

By the end of the game, everyone was hot, tired, and hungry, so we ate supper at the club house before calling it a night and heading home. Ralph had called right before we ate and asked us to come over to Dave and Valada's--they were sitting out on their patio enjoying the pleasant evening. Ralph had a golf club that John wanted to try the next time he played. We took the golf cart home and drove the Honda over to Unit 37. Valada also had a left-handed 5 iron that she didn't want, so I took that off her hands as I needed one. We visited for about half an hour and then came home. After so much golf, we were both pretty tired tonight. We watched some more of the NCAA basketball conference championships before calling it a night.


Friday, March 11, 2011

We were up nice and early once again for our walk. There's just something special about taking a walk as the sun comes up. When we start out, it feels a little chilly and one appreciates wearing a nice warm hooded sweatshirt. As our walk progresses and the sun peeks over the horizon, we begin to feel a cozy warmth on our backs and are nice and comfortable for the rest of our walk.

Right after breakfast, John headed over to Stan's to unload the building materials he bought at Home Depot yesterday. He sorted through everything and stored the lumber in Stan's garage where it will stay until he is ready to start the project. The wind was suppose to come up around noon, so we decided to play some golf while it was still calm. We both played a good game--John has figured out what he was doing wrong when he played the other day. We finished play just as the winds started to get pretty gusty.

John still needed to pick up some paint for the porch project, so this afternoon we headed back over to Del Rio and the Sherwin Williams store. From there we stopped at Sutherland's Lumber Yard for some screws and weather stripping. Hopefully, John now has everything he needs to get started on the porch.

There were a couple of events late this afternoon--a condo carport party and a fish fry at the Catholic Church. We went to the condo party for an hour and then went to the church we were picked up our meals and brought them back to the house to eat. This fish fry in an annual event and they serve a delicious meal of fish, potatoes, cole slaw, and beverage. We spent the evening watching a DVD and some college basketball before calling it a day.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Today was a day of changing plans. We were up nice and early for our walk as we planned to leave the fort nice and early and head to Home Depot in Del Rio so John could pick up all the building materials for Jan's screened porch.

We were just getting ready to head out the door when Rodger called and asked if we wanted to play golf this morning. John told him we had to go to Del Rio, but could play this afternoon around 2:30. After he hung up and we thought things over for a bit, we decided we could go to Del Rio tomorrow. John tried calling Rodger back, but got no answer. So, we were back to the plan of going to Del Rio first. On our way out of the fort, we pass the road to Rodger's place--John said let's just stop in and see if he's home and if we can play this morning. Rodger and Tootie were home, just didn't hear the phone, and agreed to meet us at the club house at 11:30 a.m. Now, it was back home to get ready for golf.

Rodger had talked to the club house person and was told that we could play from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. then couple's golf would be starting. We managed to play 7 holes, when we noticed all these foursomes out on the course. Play was getting backed up, so we decided it was best if we quit and let the other groups play through. The course owes us two holes of golf--someone in the club house must have forgotten we were out on the course and had the couples start where we were playing. Oh well, we had a great time while it lasted. We decided we will try to get together and play again next week.

Since we were done with golf much earlier than we anticipated, John decided to go to Del Rio after all and that way we would have tomorrow completely free to do whatever we wanted. So, off we went to Home Depot where we spent a couple of hours sorting through lumber and picking up all the materials he will need for this job. Before heading back to the fort, we stopped at Wendy's for some supper and then hit the road home. We were sitting out on the deck enjoying the sunshine when Mary Ellen stopped in for a visit. She told us about a new adventure scheduled for next Friday--a picnic and scavenger hunt. Sounds like a lot of fun. John went over to pick up Tim for the Thursday night carving and I spent the evening watching American Idol and working on the computer. We have nothing planned for tomorrow, so we won't have to worry about make any changes--at least I hope so.




Wednesday, March 9, 2011

We had a beautiful morning for our walk--cool breezes and low humidity, just about perfect. Since the weather was so nice, we took our 3.5 mile route and managed to keep up a pretty quick pace and get some good exercise.

Wednesday means nine hole golf for John and Weight Watchers for me. John played best ball with Lloyd, John C. and Rodger--they shot par. After playing some pretty good golf, John's game was way off today--he couldn't hit anything. I guess my poor play of the other day was contagious. After the game, the guys ate lunch at the new club house restaurant. John had stir fry vegetables with chicken and said it was very good. Next on John's agenda for the day was a haircut and then he went to the driving range this afternoon. He was able to drive the ball just fine--can't figure out what his problem was this morning.

I headed over to Del Rio right after John left for golf. My first stop was the meeting and then on to Wal Mart for a few non-grocery items and to gas up the Honda ($3.39 per gallon). Next was Wendy's for some lunch and then the mall to check out some special JC Penny sales the ladies were discussing at the meeting. Last stop was HEB for fresh fruit and produce along with some other groceries. Finally, it was time to hit the road back to the fort.

John has finished the mirror frame for Sam, so this evening he took it over to see how the mirrors would fit. He needs to make just a few little adjustments and it should be ready to assemble and hang.

We spent our evening watching Survivor (Russell is gone!!) and American Idol. Tomorrow we head to Del Rio to pick up building materials for John's next job.




Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Today was a very beautiful but hot day--temps this afternoon reached the mid 90's. John took his morning walk alone. I had to be down at the club house by 9 a.m. for the second round of the ladies' tournament. This morning I played with Ginny, Nancy, and Leslie--we were teamed up because of yesterdays' scores. I was very glad we played in the morning before it got too hot. We had a good time playing together with Ginny scoring better today than yesterday. The rest of us were either the same or a little worse.

While I was off playing golf, John went over to Rodger's and helped him put wire screening in the peaks of his RV canopy. You need to put this screening up in order to keep the birds from nesting and generally making a mess on your RV and patio.

Since it was so warm outside, we spent the afternoon inside reading, working on the computer, and making a dish to take to this evening's potluck. As usual, Tim and Mary Ellen picked us up and we headed over to the RV park. The number of people attending is beginning to get smaller as folks start heading out for home or continuing their travels. We had three tables of 31 with John winning the first game at his table. I didn't do very well tonight--the cards just didn't fall my way. We ended our evening with a little TV before heading off to bed.


Monday, March 7, 2011

This morning we took our walk around the golf course. I didn't want to walk the longer distance because I would be playing on the big course this afternoon and would get plenty of walking done.

After breakfast, John headed off to wood carvers. W
hile he was gone, I worked on making birthday cards for all of our March birthdays and getting some of them ready to be mailed. John got home around 11:30 a.m. just as I was eating lunch and getting ready to head off to the club house.

Our walking group was divided into two teams of four. I played with Leslie, Ginny, and Shirley--I don't know who I'll play with tomorrow, it depe
nds on today's scores. This was my first tournament and there were many rules you had to follow--not sure I really like tournament play--but at least I got to try it. After playing today, I'll be more prepared for tomorrow as to what to expect. At least I didn't have the worst score in our group.

When I arrived home, Darlene and Everett were just leaving after visiting with John. John said he had company all afternoon--our neighbor Richard and Stan also stopped by. John was also busy going over to Jack Simpson's to use his table saw, clamps, and other tools he needs to build a mirror frame for Sam Lark. He's getting ready to sand it and put braces on the frame as the mirrors are very heavy. It should be finished sometime this week.

While we were eating supper, Better Wright called and asked to come over. She made John a storage pouch for his carving tools. He has been wanting one for a long time and Betty finally took pity on him and made one.


Our evening was pretty quiet and relaxing. John watch some National Geographic programs while I continued reading my Kindle mystery. Tomorrow I have to be up early for the second round of the tournament, so bedtime will be a little earlier tonight.





Sunday, March 6, 2011

Today was a pretty quiet one for us. We took our usual Sunday morning walk around the golf course. This is a shorter route that we take so we can get back in time to get ready for Sunday School and church.

Our morning service was done a little early, so we were back home right at noon. After lunch we had some visitors--Rodger, Tootie, and their friends Jerry and Linda. We had met Jerry and Linda three years ago when they rented a condo for about a month. That was the year we were building our house and they would often stop by and visit while we were working. They are only here for the weekend, and wanted to see how our house turned out. John was outside when they went by and invited them inside to see the finished product. We had a nice visit before they had to continue their golf cart travels.

This afternoon John went over to Jack Simpson's--he needed to use Jack's table saw to cut some boards for a mirror frame for Sam. Jack is selling some of his tools and John wanted to see if there was anything he wanted and could have Jack set aside for him. While John was gone, I did a quick load of laundry as we were out of clean shorts and socks. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful--we watched some college basketball and a few favorite TV shows including the Amazing Race. Tomorrow is the Ladies' Golf Tournament--we will play in the afternoon. Hope the weather won't be too hot.


Saturday, March 5, 2011

We didn't take our walk this morning as John had to get up early and help set up the wood carvers display for Fort Clark Days. After he got home, we ate breakfast, got cleaned up, and headed off to enjoy the day's festivities.

Our first stop was see the wood carvers display. E
veryone shows different pieces of their work and takes turns staying in the area to answer any questions people might have about the carvings. John displayed his Santa and elf faces and Wallace showed some of the figures he had done.



From the wood carvers, we walked through the living
history area where Sam Lark was dressed as a Confederate Cavalryman and told stories about the Civil War and explained the different guns he had on display. We then watched the Sahawe Indian Dancers from Uvalde. This group of young people travel all over the state showing many different Indian dances.



John and I spent some time with the carvers and finished
the afternoon listening to some music groups and taking in some more of the living history area.



By 4 p.m. we decided to call it a day since we had been at the festival since 9 a.m. We were getting tired and headed on home where we spent the evening watching some college basketball and just relaxing. So far next week looks to be pretty quiet--not much on the activity schedule.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Today nothing was planned--we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. We stuck to our normal routine of a morning walk and took our time over breakfast and getting ready for the day.

Since it was a little cooler and cloudy this morning, John decided to head over to Leta's and finish up the gutter job before the day got hot. While he was gone, I did some dusting and straightening up around the house. By lunch time, the sun was shining, so we decided to go down to the Par 3 course and play some golf. We had the whole course to ourselves and the both of us played a pretty good game. I managed to get to the greens in two shots--that's a big improvement for me.

This Friday and Saturday is Fort Clark Days, so after we got done with golf we decided to head down to the front of the fort where the festival is being held and check out what was happening. On the way we ran into Gene and Rodger--they were on their way to Pico's for some ice cream. John never turns down ice cream, so we followed them into town where we enjoyed a big bowl of Banana Split. That flavor seems to be everyone's favorite. The entire Endris clan was also there filling up on their favorite flavors.

After eating our fill of ice cream, we headed back onto the fort and spent an hour or so walking around the festival. We visited with Sam Lark at his living history camp where he shared some Civil War history with us. Things were starting to wind down for the day, so we headed back home with plans to spend tomorrow at the festival seeing the rest of the exhibits and enjoying the food and entertainment.


Thursday, March 3, 2011

We were back to cloudy skies for our walk this morning, but the temps were cool enough that we could keep a good pace without getting overheated.

John and I were able to take our time over breakfast and getting ready for the day since Tim and Mary Ellen weren't picking us up until 10:30. Today our adventure was a tour of the SAS (San Antonio Shoes) plant in Del Rio. Before the tour, everyone met up at the Sirloin Stockade where we enjoyed a nice lunch and an hour or so of visiting.

After arriving at SAS, our tour guides divided us into two smaller groups. The tour started with employees showing us a cow hide that had been prepared at another location and was ready to be made into shoes. From there we saw each step in building a shoe--cutting the leather into many different parts, sewing those parts together, making soles, final assembly, quality control checks, and packaging. Following the tour, we met up in the SAS outlet store where several folks purchased new walking shoes and sandals. The adventure was over and we all headed back home to the fort.

This evening John and Tim went to wood carvers. This weekend is Fort Clark Days and the guys are getting their carvings ready for display at the festival. While John was gone I watched the American Idol top ten selection and worked some on the computer.




Wednesday, March 2, 2011

It was another beautiful morning for a walk. John and I took the longer route (3.5 miles) since we both had plenty of time before we had to leave the house for our different day's activities.

After breakfast John went to pick up Tim for their nine hole golf game. There were three teams of three players each playing best ball. John's te
am was the winner with par. When he was done with golf, he took a walk over to the driving range and found 30 more golf balls. I really don't understand his need for so many golf balls.

Last week when John helped Ralph clean out his storage
shed, he gave John a golf cart cover. This afternoon John put it on the cart in order to clean it. Since the weather is so warm now, we don't really need to have the cover on the cart to protect us from the cold when using it, so John just stored it in the shed.




While John was off golfing, I headed over to Del Rio for my Weight Watchers meeting. Following that, I went for lunch and then headed to the mall for a little shopping where I found some great sales. The final stop before heading back to the fort was Wal Mart for a few groceries and fresh produce.

The evening was spent watching Survivor and American Idol. Tomorrow we tour the SAS shoe factory.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The weather continues to be just about perfect. We started our walk around the golf course just as the sun was starting to rise--a wonderful time of day.

After breakfast, John left for Leta's place to start the gutter job. He took a break for lunch and then headed back out again. He was short a couple of parts, but Sam will pick them up this afternoon and the job will be completed sometime tomorrow.

I left the house right after John and headed over to the club house for nine holes of Ladies Golf. I played with Nancy and Natalie this morning--we all had some good shots and some not so good. However, one thing we did have was fun. Last week Natalie had called for a meeting of the "Wee Walkers" after this morning's play. That means we all stay and eat lunch at the club house. The restaurant has just reopened and I found the food and service pretty good and very reasonably priced. Over lunch, the ladies talked Ginny and me into playing in a two day tournament next week. We're both a little nervous about that, but they assure us we'll be just fine.

When I finally got home from lunch, I made a macaroni salad for the tonight's potluck at the RV park. With today being the first of March, the number of weeks left for potlucks and other outings is growing smaller. We're now on the downward side of our stay in Texas.

The numbers were down at the potluck, but our regular group showed up to play cards. I made it to the final of the second game, but lost to Jim. John didn't do very well tonight but that gave others a chance to win for a change--John had been on quite a winning streak.

After we got home we spent a little time unwinding and watching some TV. The busy week continues tomorrow.

Roofing Being Done Everywhere!!

John and I have been keeping pretty busy over these last several weeks.  Our weather has turned quite warm, but the nights cool down very ni...