The first day of March (also Texas Independence Day) dawned nice and sunny after some overnight rain showers. We managed to get our morning walk in before the strong winds arrived and lasted the entire day. After breakfast, John headed off to wood carvers where is he getting close to finishing up his cranes. We were having company for supper this evening, so I spent the morning cleaning up around the house and starting dinner preparations. I realized I was missing a couple of ingredients, so after lunch we made a quick trip into town to the grocery store.

Since it was so windy today, nothing much was happening out of doors. We spent the afternoon just doing things around the house and catching up on some reading. Gene and Jeannie Bevens arrived around 6 p.m. and we had an enjoyable evening sharing a meal and visiting. They taught us a new card game called "Golf". It was a fun game and John was the winner. They left for the RV Park around 9:30p.m. and we ended the evening with a little TV. There are definite signs of spring--our cactus plant next to the deck is starting to bud. There is hope for our friends and family in the north.

We were up bright and early for our walk around the golf course and back streets. The sun was shining but there was a stiff breeze. Unfortunately, it stayed windy all day and that made it a little chilly to be outside. After church a group of us went to Julie's just on the edge of Brackettville and enjoyed their Sunday buffet--the brisket was extremely tasty. Everyone had plenty to eat and left with full tummies.

John and I had just gotten home when Bruce Nelson called and we decided to get together and take them on a tour of the fort and surrounding area. John called Stan Metcalf and asked if we could borrow one of his golf carts for the week while we let Bruce and Marilyn use our cart to explore the many trails that run throughout the fort. John took our cart over to the RV Park while I followed in our car. We sat and visited for a while and then headed out to explore. After showing them the different roads and points of interest, we headed into town to Pico's for a much needed ice cream break. We all had Blackberry Cobbler and it was delicious. I took a photo of our treat--this is considered one scoop, but is actually three or four for just a $1.19. Best bargain in the state! As we left, we made plans to meet them on Tuesday evening for the RV potluck and cards.

John and I watched the Amazing Race and some basketball before calling it a night.

Today the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The morning started out a little chilly, but by afternoon the temps were in the 70's. We were up and out by 7:15 a.m. to meet the Nelson's at the RV park for the Saturday morning breakfast. We had a good visit and were able to introduce them to some of our friends here on the fort. On the way home from the breakfast, we stopped off at the recycling center to drop off our accumulation of newspapers and plastics.

Later this morning we headed off to the Historical Society meeting at the Palisado Building. Mrs. Edith Huddleston was the guest speaker. She told stories of her ancestors (she is a direct descendant of a defender of the Alamo) and the Turkey Creek Stage Station that used to operate in the town of Cline, TX. This old stage stop was located 20 east of Fort Clark and run by a gentleman named Bigfoot Wallace.

After the meeting, we headed off to the library to return some movies and then stopped in to visit the Sandwick's and return some of their books that we borrowed. We actually sat outside on their patio to visit. This was the first time the weather was warm enough for visiting outside. Lunch was a quick salad and then off we went to the Par 3 course for a round of golf. There were many people playing on this course as well as the 18 hole one. As if that wasn't enough exercise, we took a short walk later in the afternoon. The weather was so great that you just didn't want to be inside--we even sat out on our own deck! Check out the visitors in our yard. We ended the evening watching the American Four Man Bobsled team win the gold.

Today was another sunny but very breezy day. We walked the golf course this morning and after breakfast John gathered his tools and went over to Metcalf's to install some shelving in their laundry room and office. After finishing up the shelving, he returned home and made another shelf for their bedroom. He has to paint it and then it will be ready to hang. I spent the morning cleaning the house, doing a couple of loads of laundry, and finally finished up the jigsaw puzzle I have been working on for the past week.

After a quick lunch, John was off on his bike to visit our pastor who is recovering from knee surgery. When he got back from his visit we were just trying to decide what to do with the rest of the afternoon, when John looked out the door and we saw Bruce and Marilyn Nelson from Clearbrook out in front of our house. They had just arrived at Fort Clark and were out exploring the fort when they saw the sign in our front yard with our name. Our son, Matt, had called last week and told us the Nelson's thought they might be coming here and would look us up. What a great surprise to see someone from home. We had a nice visit and made plans to attend the RV breakfast in the morning. Tonight has just been a quiet evening at home watching the Olympics.

Spring weather stayed around again today. It was nice and sunny this morning with a little breeze as we took our walk. We walked part way around the golf course where we saw a couple of deer. Then we got off the course and walked through the back streets of the fort. I have posted pics of the deer we saw and also of one of the streets we usually walk.

Yesterday John got a list of jobs that Jan Metcalf would like to have done. He needed some shelving, brackets, and other items to get the jobs done. Since we went to Del Rio yesterday, we decided to go to Lowe's in Eagle Pass today. We also needed to do some birthday shopping for our youngest grandson--Noah. He will turn four in March, so we wanted to get his gifts and get them ready for mailing so they wouldn't be late in arriving for his big day. We visited the mall, Wal Mart, and several other stores and were able to find just the right gifts as well as some other treasures for our home.

After we got home, we saw a bulldozer across the road from us clearing off brush and trees. Looks like someone will be building a house. We'll have to talk to the other folks around here and try and find out who will be moving into our neighborhood. It's always nice to have more people moving onto the fort. This evening John headed off to wood carvers and shortly after he left, Jan M. stopped over and asked if I would go with her to the fort theater and take some pictures of the cast that is preparing a play for next weekend's festival. We got some nice photos--she wanted them for her little newspaper to advertise the show. I had to tape Survivor while I was gone, so John and I ended the evening watching the latest episode.

Spring returned today. After yesterday's winter weather, this morning dawned cool, bright, and sunny with afternoon temps reaching the upper 50's. We skipped our morning walk as we had to leave bright early for a tour of the new Port of Entry Building in Del Rio. Our group arrived a little early, so we stopped first at MacDonald's for coffee before heading off on the tour.

Since Del Rio is a border town, it is considered a port of entry into the United States. There is a bridge over the Rio Grande River that vehicles and pedestrians use to travel back and forth between the US and Mexico. Each car has to stop and people entering the country have to show passports or visas to the custom officers. Some cars are told to pull over into an inspection area where officers thoroughly search the vehicle and any bags, etc. they find. They also have dogs that sniff all around the vehicles searching for drugs or people hidden somewhere inside. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the laws and all areas covered by the US Customs Agency. She told us that the Del Rio Port of Entry handles over 1.3 million vehicles a year. It was amazing the see the work that is done at this one border city. A few weeks ago three million dollars with of heroin on its way to California was intercepted here in Del Rio.

Following the tour, we all headed off to the Sirloin Stockade for lunch. There we found some other folks from Fort Clark enjoying a nice meal. After eating, the group broke up as many had some errands to do in Del Rio. John and I headed off to Home Depot and then to HEB for our weekly grocery run. This afternoon we stopped in to visit some of our church friends who had been under the weather. We were glad to see they were both on the mend and feeling better. John then made a quick trip over to Metcalf's to see what jobs Jan needed to have done around her house. We ended the eveing watching some Olympics and American Idol.

Today Winter returned to Fort Clark. When we got up this morning, the temperature was 39 degrees with cloudy skies and the threat of more rain. Our usual walk was canceled. I spent the morning working on my jigsaw puzzle and making a salad to take to the potluck at the RV park. In between rain showers John went over to the driving range and looked for golf balls--he found 24. Just before lunch, Stan Metcalf stopped in to drop off a copy the Kinney County Post, the little newspaper he and his wife, Jan, publish.

By the early afternoon it was sleeting and snowing with strong northwest winds. We decided to get out of the house and went to the post office and then the library to return books and pick out some others. The afternoon was spent watching a movie we got at the library. Tonight was the potluck dinner at the RV park. There was a good crowd with plenty of delicious food. As usual, we played 31 after the meal--John and I did not make it to the winning hands. The card games lasted longer than usual and it was a little later when we arrived home. Ended the evening watching the news and some college basketball. John's most favorite time of year, March Madness, will be starting soon.