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 nicely.  The Winter Texans are starting to pull out and head north--Jim and Kathy are leaving tomorrow and several other couples have already left.  I think just about everyone will be gone by the first week of April.  We are tentatively heading out April 3rd as I called today and got an appointment with pain management for the 7th of the month.  It doesn't seem possible the Tuesday night potluck dinners and Saturday breakfasts are coming to an end with only a couple left this season.  The winter has gone by very quickly.

Last Saturday was the second annual H.O.P.E. tournament and John and I teamed up with Jim H. and Gina F.  Much to our surprise, we were the winners of the second flight.  Our play wasn't too great until the last six holes where we made four birdies in a row which gave us a score of 5 under par.

The fort is extremely busy with roofing crews and glass installers running all over the place.  We had met with the insurance adjuster, signed a contract with a roofing contractor, and this Sunday our new metal roof was installed.  The contractor called Saturday night and told us he generally doesn't work on Sunday, but there are so many people needing a new roof, they are working seven days a week.  The crew that did our house was great--very professional and fast.  Our new roof was done in seven hours and John and I are extremely pleased with their work.  John is busy now painting our new shutters, scrubbing up the screens and the outside of the house.  He also needs to do some paint touch-up and re-stain the deck where the hail stones rubbed off the deck finish.

 Our nice new metal roof.  Notice satellite dish hanging down

side of house.  Without TV for a week until Direct TV

comes next Monday to set it back up on side of house.

Since the roof was being done on Sunday, after church and lunch at Burger and Shake, John and I took a golf cart ride with Gene, Jeanne, Chuck, Lois, and Marvin and Penny (Lois and Chuck's daughter and son-in-law visiting from Indiana).  We drove down to the red bridge and along the creek before coming back to our place for some visiting.

  Yesterday afternoon a group of us drove to Eagle Pass where we visited a pecan farm and learned quite a bit about growing pecans and enjoyed delicious pecan cake and ice cold tea.  The farm also raises goats for milking and to sell for meat.

 This morning John and I were up early for our walk and then headed off to play nine holes before the day got too hot.  The afternoon was spent doing laundry and continuing with repair work.  Instead of attending the potluck this evening, we were invited to supper with Chuck and Lois, Marvin and Penny, and Gene and Jeanne.  Chuck cooked chicken legs on the grill and Penny made a wonderful potato salad.  The meal was topped off with Jeanne's famous coconut cream dessert.  A little before 7 p.m. we headed over to the RV kitchen for cards.  John and I were both winners this evening. 

Insect Trouble and Fort Clark Days

Last week our weather turned quite warm so we decided it was time to get the air conditioner uncovered and ready to run.  After removing the cover, cleaning the filter, and plugging it in, John pushed the power button.  All we could hear was a slight hum--the fan wasn't able to rotate.  John looked through the back grill and found that an insect had built a mud nest on the fan.  After taking the front off the AC, scraping the fan, and re-assembling everything, we had cool air.

This weekend was the annual Fort Clark Days.  Following breakfast at the RV park, John and I headed off the explore the festival.  We enjoyed the many different historical displays and visiting with the exhibitors.  After walking around for an hour or so, we met up with a few friends for lunch.  

 Today was our usual Sunday routine of church, lunch at Burger and Shake, and then a round of golf.  This evening we met up with Chuck, Lois, Gene, and Jeanne to play a marble card game.  We are expecting to get our new roof on this week and hope it'll get done before we get any rain. 

 

Spring Is Here

February just flew by and now it's the first week of March.  It doesn't seem possible that in a little over five weeks we'll be heading home to Minnesota.   As I have posted before, our weeks have been filled with many activities and pretty much followed the same routine.  Since the weather has been so nice, John and I have been golfing just about everyday.  With the crash of our laptop and purchase of a new one, I have been busy learning the Windows 10 operating system and getting software reinstalled and operating.  I finally purchased new and updated photo software and can now place photos onto the blog.

Last Monday evening our area experienced a severe hail storm with hail the size of golf balls and larger.  We were without power for about 10 hours and were glad when daylight arrived.  Most of our neighbors were outside bright and early to assess what damage had been done.  With hail that size, it was a foregone conclusion that every roof was totaled along with broken windows and damaged vehicles. The RV park took a major hit with every vehicle having broken windows and body damage along with damage to motor homes and campers.  We called our insurance company and was told a claims adjuster would be out this week.  Well, the adjuster came yesterday and declared our roof a total loss and made note of our broken shutters, dented grill, broken porch chair, and several other items.  We have already made contact with a roofer and our new one should be started next week.  We were very fortunate that our windows and vehicle escaped any damage.  

 Golf ball sized hail

 Example of some of the larger pieces of hail

 Hail driven right through cactus by deck

Wildflowers beginning to bloom on our lawn

Back Online Again

I have been offline lately due to the fact that our computer's hard drive crashed and after taking it to a repair service and learning that it would have to be replaced, decided to purchase a new laptop.  I'm sorry to say that nothing could be retrieved from the old one, so I've lost some important emails and photos.  I have been busy getting the new computer set up with our email accounts and downloading  and installing the programs we had on the old laptop.  I still have a few more left to install.

Our weather has been very typical for winter here in southwest Texas.  The overnight lows have been near freezing with the daytime highs in the low 60's.  The winds have been a little on the stiff side which makes it feel even colder. 

We have been playing golf just about every day and have won couples for the last two weeks.  This Thursday we were paired with Garth and Rosie (they are the best golfers on the fort) and ended up 12 under par.  John finished his relief carving and is now starting on a snowman project.  As soon as I get my photo programs back on the computer I'll post pictures of his latest work.

This Sunday we'll host our 5th Annual Super Bowl party.  Most of the folks will be rooting for the Broncos.

 

Catching Up Again

Last Friday morning John and I headed to Del Rio where we met up with Mark and Elaine Netland, friends of ours from home.  We ate breakfast at IHop and then returned to the fort where we gave them a guided tour and spent a couple of hours visiting before they left for Austin to spend time with their daughter's family.  Once they hit the road we went over to the RV park for washers and then hosted card night at our house.

Very strong winds were in the forecast for Saturday, so following breakfast at the RV park, John and I headed out for a round of golf.  We were about half way through when the winds began to blow.  In the afternoon John, Paul, and Dean went out to play, but gave up as the winds got even stronger.

We are now into the Texas winter with lows near freezing at night and day time highs ranging from high 50's to low 70's.  With mostly sunny days, it's very enjoyable spending time outside and our golf games are improving slowly but surely.  This week John is taking part in a three day carving seminar to learn about relief carving.  Before taking the course he did a relief carving of an apple.  He is also finishing up a leaf dish carving.  Today was couples' golf and since John was at the seminar, I played with Paul.  We were teamed up with Dean and Linda and ended up two over par.  The winds were over 20 mph which made it quite an adventure to be out on the course.

 

Slight Improvement In The Weather

Our weather has been improving over the past several days.  The sun has been shining and the highs are reaching more tolerable temperatures.  Morning lows are still quite chilly (mid 30's) so John and I need to bundle up for our walks around the golf course.  The last of our Winter Texan friends have returned to the fort for the season and things have pretty much settled into a predictable routine which keeps us active and very busy.

Saturday evening we had a delicious Chili supper with the Miners' and, following the meal, played cards.  The ladies beat the men quite handily.  Sunday morning was church followed by lunch at Burger and Shake with the Bevins and Endris.  Since it was still a little on the cool side, I opted out of golfing to watch football while John played a round with Paul.  In the evening, we headed back to church to watch the movie "War Room".

Monday morning John was back at carvers while I worked on getting a new password program installed on our laptop and taking care of the laundry that had somehow managed to pile up once again.  In the afternoon John played in a scramble at the golf course while I enjoyed some quiet reading time.  Our evening was spent watching the college football national championship game.

Even though Tuesday stated off quite chilly, the day turned out to be very nice.  I played golf in the morning with Kathy, Mary Ellen, and Linda.  We all started off bundled up with several layers of clothing, but by the third hole we were down to a single layer.  It was much more enjoyable playing in sunshine and warm temps compared to last week's cold.  John played a round of 18 holes with Paul, John B. and Dean.  They split into two teams and John and Dean were the winners by quite a few strokes.  Last night a good crowd showed up for the potluck supper and cards.  John and I were both losers once again. 

Today, Wednesday, was a busy one.  John headed out following breakfast for men's golf where 12 guys showed up to play a round of nine holes.  This afternoon we went to the RV park for the first annual RV Park Tournament.  Sixteen folks were divided into two member teams and then each team participated in chipping and putting, washers, and shuffle board.  Each team member accumulated individual points which were then added together to total team points.  I was teamed up with Jim Runger and due to our outstanding shuffle board play, were the first place team.  I also got fourth place in the individual scoring.  Everyone had a blast and are looking forward to having another RV Tournament next year.

This evening we played cards with Chuck and Lois--Chuck and I partnered up and were the winners.

Super Busy Friday

John and I skipped our morning walk in order to get an early start on our day.  We left the house before 8 a.m. and headed to Del Rio to take care of some shopping and a few errands.  Our first stop, of course, was McDonald's for some breakfast.  It seems like quite a few folks also wanted an early start to their day as we had to stand in line to order and there were only a few spaces open for seating. Following a leisurely meal, we headed to Wal Mart to restock the pantry and pick up a birthday card and a few other household items. Next stop was Stripes to top off the gas tank and then on to HEB to purchase some fresh fruit.

One zipper on the golf cart cover was missing some teeth which made it difficult to open and close.  Chuck gave us one of his extra zippers and told us the name of an upholstery shop right outside of Del Rio where we could get it repaired.  We took the new zipper and side cover with us and stopped at the shop on our way back out of town. Joe, the owner, said he could have it repaired in one hour, so back we went into Del Rio and spent an hour at the mall.  Unfortunately, we did not escape without spending some money.  In one hour Joe called and said the repair was done and we could pick up the side cover.  It's now back on the golf cart and operating good as new.  

Once back home, we unloaded the car, ate a quick lunch, and headed off to play a round of nine holes before going over to the RV park for washers.  John was one of the winners this afternoon.  This evening we met up with Chuck, Lois, Barb, and John for some cards.  Tonight the ladies were the winners for a change!!

Warmer Weather On The Way

Wednesday dawned cool and overcast with a fine mist.  John and I took our usual morning walk around the golf course even though we got a little damp.  Wednesday morning is men's golf, so following breakfast, John headed down to the clubhouse to see if anyone would show up to play.  Seven guys decided to brave the elements so they divided into two teams--John's won by one stroke.  Since we were housebound the rest of the day due to the weather, I decided to bake some bread and John worked on his latest wood carving project.

 Today started out cloudy, but by noon the skies cleared and the temps warmed up very nicely.  This afternoon we played couples' golf and were teamed up Dean and Linda.  We all struggled with our game and ended up one over par.  At least the weather was beautiful and we had a good time.  The forecast is calling for clear weather and warmer temps into next week. 
 

Cold Weather Continues

The cold, damp weather of the weekend has continued into this week so far.  John and I just bundled up for our morning walk and following breakfast, he headed off to wood carvers.  While he was gone I took care of changing the bed linens and doing some straightening up around the house.  We spent some time in the early afternoon reading and catching up on a few recorded TV shows and then he was off to the Monday afternoon scramble.  The evening was spent watching the Kansas/Oklahoma basketball game which went into three overtimes.  It was one of the most exciting college games we've seen.

Today, Tuesday, dawned chilly and gloomy once again.  Due to the lower temps, the ladies decided to wait until 1 p.m. to play some golf.  John, Dean, Paul, and John B. were much braver and played a round of 18 holes.  On their way to the number three fairway, John stopped in to add a hooded sweatshirt to his layers of clothing.  Even though I had earlier said if the sun didn't shine I wasn't going to play golf, I broke that rule this afternoon and joined Mary Ellen, Bonnie, Kathy, and Linda for nine holes.  It was suppose to warm up a little this afternoon, but somehow that forecast didn't materialize.  We played through 8 holes and called it quits.  We were all pretty tired and cold.

This evening we headed over to the RV park for the potluck supper and enjoyed a delicious meal and good fellowship.  Afterwards we had 18 folks stay for cards--both John and I came away losers tonight.  

Cold and Wet Weather Greets the New Year

New Year's Day dawned cold and cloudy.  John and I bundled up and took a walk around the golf course and since a holiday scramble was scheduled for the afternoon, we played nine holes in the morning.  The clubs felt like ice in my hands and I did manage to tough it out, but I told John if the sun isn't shining when it's colder, I'm not playing.  The remainder of the day we just hung out around the house.  

Saturday we had an all day rain, so following breakfast at the RV park, the day was spent watching recorded shows on the TV, reading, and just vegging out.  Today was cloudy and a little warmer, but not much.  Following church, a group of us went to the golf course grill for lunch and then went our separate ways home.  John called John B. and the guys played some golf.  As for me, no sun, no golf.  I spent the afternoon watching the NFL.  This evening Chuck and Lois came over to watch the Green Bay/Vikings game.  It was an exciting game and I'm glad to say the Vikings won!! 

New Year's Eve

Just a little recap of the past few days.  Our weather has definitely changed for the worse.  The warm sunny days have given way to cold cloudy ones with low temps in the 30's and highs in the 40's - 50's.  Last Saturday morning we went to the RV park breakfast and then pretty much hung out around the house as strong winds ruled the day.  That evening John came down with a stomach bug, so Sunday was another lay around day.

Monday morning John was feeling better, so off he went to wood carvers while I took care of some laundry.  Following lunch we decided to make a quick run to Del Rio for a few groceries.  Tuesday the winds finally died down, but the cold temps remained.  The ladies skipped golf, but John, Paul, Gene, and John B. managed to get in a round.  That evening was potluck and cards--I won one of two games at my table.  

Wednesday the weather was much improved, but still on the chilly side.  John played with the men's group in the morning and then talked me into playing with Paul and him in the afternoon.  It turned out to be a pretty nice afternoon with some sunshine peaking through the clouds which helped to warm it up. 

This morning John went to town to pick up the mail and run a few errands.  I got started taking down and packing away the inside Christmas decorations.  Since the forecast is for rain the next couple of days, we decided to play a short round of golf this afternoon.  This evening we met up with Chuck, Lois, Gene, and Jeanne for dinner in town and then went to Chuck's where we spent New Year's Eve playing games and eating plenty of snacks.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Merry Day After Christmas

John and I had a very enjoyable Christmas Day.  We slept in a little longer, ate a leisurely breakfast, and talked to family via Skype.  Around 12:30 p.m. we headed over to the RV park for Christmas dinner.  Everyone enjoyed a delicious meal of turkey, ham, and just about anything else you could think of to eat.  Following the meal, we had a crazy gift exchange that brought about many laughs.

 This morning we went over to the RV park for the Saturday morning pancake breakfast and then took a short walk around the golf course.  In afternoon John played in the end of the month scramble and his team took second place.  I just vegged out today, but did manage to get some bread baked.  

Our weather has been just about perfect since we came to Texas, but the forecast is calling for quite a change.  Tomorrow the highs will be 30 degrees colder than today with very strong winds.  Lower temps are in the forecast for the next week.  Winter has come to Fort Clark Springs.

Christmas Eve Partying

Today was pretty low-key for us.  We played a round of golf this morning and John spent some time this afternoon polishing the golf cart.  I kept busy making a dessert to take to tomorrow's Christmas dinner at the RV park.

Tonight John and Theresa B. hosted a Christmas Eve party for approximately 30 folks.  We all met up at 6 p.m. in the RV park dining area.  The tables were set with white tablecloths, flowers, and other Christmas decorations and colored lights were strung around the room--everything looked rather elegant.  After everyone was seated, John told us everything looked too fancy to remove all the decorations along with our plates and tablecloths.  It was then that dinner was served.  Spaghetti was strung out the length of the table and covered with sauce.  You then took your utensils and dragged your meal in front of yourself and dug in.  It was quite an experience eating right off the table, but everyone enjoyed the meal and a lot of laughs.  Following the easy cleanup, we played a game and then exchanged white elephant gifts.  It was quite a Christmas Eve party.  

 

Holiday Activities Keeping Us Busy

Monday was a busy day, especially for John.  After our morning walk and breakfast, he headed over to the RV park kitchen for wood carvers.  Only three carvers showed up since some had out of town guests and others had conflicting schedules.  As soon as John returned home we ate a quick lunch and went back to the RV park for Washers.  Once again the numbers were down, but we did manage to get in three games.  John was a big winner this time around.  Now it was rush back home, grab the golf cart, and head off for the Monday afternoon scramble.  While John was off golfing, I relaxed with my latest novel.

We put a sign on our old golf cart and stuck it out on the front lawn on Sunday.  Tuesday morning two guys showed up who were interested and by 3 p.m. the cart was sold and gone.  John and I played a round of golf in the morning and then took care of some household chores in the afternoon.  A little before 6 p.m. we drove the golf cart to the RV park where we met up with about 30 other folks for an evening golf cart ride.  Most of the carts were decorated with a little Christmas cheer.  We stopped in the picnic area by The Red Bridge for some wonderful hot soup, bread, and Christmas treats.  We sat around a blazing fire enjoying the meal, visiting, and listening to Christmas music.  A full moon made the evening even more special.  

This morning John played with the weekly men's group while I did a little laundry and more reading about Windows 10.  We've been taking Christmas cookies to the different activities and ran low, so this afternoon we quick made another batch.  

Since it was such a beautiful afternoon John and I played a round of golf and then headed into town to pick up a few grocery items and subs for supper.  This evening it was back to the RV park for Caroling around a bonfire, hot chocolate, and more Christmas treats.

Beginning Holiday Events

Friday morning we were up and out the door bright and early to head off to Del Rio for our weekly grocery buy.  Since we left the house before breakfast, our first stop was McDonald's for something to eat--it was then on to Wal Mart.  We like shopping early in the morning before the stores get busy.  Since Del Rio is a border town, it can get pretty crowed in town by the afternoon.

When we returned home and after the groceries got unloaded and put away, John headed off to the golf course where he met up with Paul E. for their first round together.  I spent my afternoon downloading Windows 10 onto my laptop.  The process took over four hours and now I have to learn how to use it.  Friday evening our church sponsored a progressive dinner.  About 25 folks attended and enjoyed a delicious meal and good fellowship.

Saturday's weather was a little on the chilly side, so after the RV breakfast, I opted out of golfing and spent the day learning more about Windows 10 and catching up on my reading.  Unit 37 hosted a Meet and Greet in the afternoon and over 70 folks showed up to enjoy hot dogs, finger foods, hot chocolate, and a bonfire.

 Today was the usual Sunday morning routine of a walk around the golf course followed by breakfast and church.  The service was very well attended today with the college kids home on break and visitors in town for the holidays.  John and John B. played a round of nine holes this afternoon and then we baked some Christmas cookies.  This evening is RV park movie night.  More special activities are on the calendar for this week. 

Routine But Busy Days

John and I have been back here in Texas for a little over a month and enjoying the beautiful fall weather--no snow or real cold temps.  Most of our Winter Texan friends have returned--Paul and Melinda E. got in yesterday.  John has been waiting for Paul to get here so they can get back out on the golf course together.  We are still waiting for the Bevins, Miners, and Knowles to return and that should take place right after Christmas. 

With all the folks returning, the fort has become a busy place.  There are more golfers out playing and all activities have resumed.  Our schedule stays pretty much the same every week, thus the "routine" in the title.  

As I mentioned in an earlier posting, our golf cart problem has been resolved.  Chuck E. had two golf carts and was only using one of them, so we purchased his white one.  It's in mint condition with headlights, turn signals, and a cover with clear windows and zippered doors so you can keep warm and dry in foul weather.  We are planning to put our old one out on the front lawn with a "For Sale" sign and hope someone will take it off our hands.  I must say, I enjoy running around in this zippy little cart.

Thursday afternoon means couples golf, so following lunch John and I headed down to the clubhouse where fellow golfers were getting registered and paired up to play.  Today we played with George and Kathy and ended up in a tie for third place.  Due to the holidays, there will be no couples' golf for the next two weeks.  That is probably a good thing since right now our golfing leaves much to be desired.

  Heading off to play the back side of the course

As the holidays approach there seems to be plenty of events to attend.  Right now we have a progressive dinner on Friday evening and a "Greet and Meet" in unit 37 on Saturday.  Several parties are on the calendar for next week.  Should be a fun time!

Golf Cart Delima Solved

We didn't take our usual walk Saturday morning and instead went to the RV park for the first breakfast of the season.  There was a good crowd considering some folks are gone for the holidays and others won't be down until after Christmas.  We spent some time visiting while eating a delicious breakfast--for $4 you got two eggs, two pancakes, two sausage, and coffee or juice.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, we are having golf cart troubles.  John is trying to decide whether to get another cart or put new batteries and tires on our old one.   We have spent the last several days looking at carts and talking to a dealer in Uvalde.  Our friend Chuck has two golf carts and said he would sell us one of his, so after breakfast we headed over to his place to see it.  We ended up bringing it home and doing some test driving.  Looks like we have a new golf cart.  Will post some photos soon.

Last night was rather stormy with rain and very strong winds.  This morning the weather began to clear, so we were able to take a walk--we saw these early risers on the 13th fairway.

  
We were scheduled to play a round of golf with Wes and Shirley C. after church, but the strong winds were still hanging around so the afternoon golfing was put on hold.  John decided to play by himself and said it was a real challenge keeping the ball in the fairways.   The rest of the day was spent watching football and a movie at the RV park.  Today was the start of another busy week.

Plenty of Golf

The weather has been just beautiful here in Texas with sunny skies and the temps in the mid to upper 70's--perfect for playing golf and that's what we have been doing over the last several days.  John played men's golf on Wednesday morning with five other guys.  John's team ended up one under par.  Thursday was couples' golf in the afternoon.  Since we won last week, we had to run it along with Jim and Gina.  We were teamed up with Pat and Bob B. and ended up with par at the end of 18 holes.  None of us had a very good day so we missed being in the top three.

With so much going on during the week, we decided to head to Del Rio bright and early this morning for some grocery shopping and for me to get a hair cut.  Our first stop was McDonald's for some breakfast and then on to the salon for a trim.  From there it was on to Wal Mart for some groceries and then a final stop at HEB to pick up some fresh fruit.  Once we were back home and everything was unloaded and put away, John and I played a round of golf.  The weather forecast is calling for much cooler temps to come in over the weekend, so we're trying to get outside and enjoy the nice weather as much as possible.  Tonight was card night with Chuck, Lois, Barb, and John.  Once again the guys were the victors.  Maybe the ladies will win next week.

Pretty Busy Week So Far

It's amazing how much warmer the sun feels down here in Texas.  The mornings are pretty chilly when we leave the house for our walk, but by the afternoon, the temps are in the upper 60's.  This week the weather forecast calls for highs in the 70's and 80's.  We'll be back in shorts again.

Monday morning was wood carving for John.  He is working on something new for him--relief carving.  He's doing an apple and as soon as he gets the project further along, I'll post a photo.  Right after lunch we headed over to the RV park for the first Washers games of the year.  I was teamed with Jim Runger and we took first place.  

John and several of the guys left right from there and headed off to the golf course to play in a scramble.  I couldn't believe it when he came home a winner once again.  

Even though our temps are warm and the calendar says Winter is fast approaching, fall seems to be just arriving here at the fort.  As we've driven around we've noticed the trees beginning to take on their fall colors.

Tuesday morning means Ladies' Golf, so Kathy, Bonnie, and I ventured out on the course for nine holes.  Bonnie used her golf cart as she has bad knees, but Kathy and I walked the nine holes.  John met up with John B. and Larry M. for 18 holes.  The morning was just about perfect for golfing. 

I was pretty tired when I returned home from golf, so I spent some time just relaxing and resting up.  This evening was the first potluck so I made a macaroni salad as my contribution to the meal.  There was a very good turn out considering many of the Winter Texans won't arrive until after the holidays.  As usual we played "31" after the meal and I was the winner of the first game at our table.  John went to the end in his first game, but didn't walk away a winner tonight.   

Busy Sunday

We started our Sunday with a walk around the golf course, breakfast and church.  Following the service, Chuck, Lois, John, and I headed to Burger & Shake for lunch.  It was such a beautiful afternoon we decided to play a round of golf rather than stay inside watching football.  This week marks the return of just about all the activities here on the fort now that many of the Winter Texans have returned.  Tonight we headed over to the RV park for the first Sunday movie night.  We have something going on just about every day in addition to playing golf.  Should be a fun winter!