Free Spirit: March 2012

Ok, the last post was a little bit winded, but it had been a while since we had posted something, and we had a lot to say. We need to shorten them up and just post a little more often. And, Lulu has promised to add to the blog also. She too is adding to her journal, so we should be reading something from her real soon.

If you’ve been on face book, then you have already seen some pictures from some of our experiences here in Los Indios, Tx. We are at he very bottom of Texas, only about 2 miles from the Mexico border, and about 20 minutes from Brownsville. I should have gotten a photo, but I felt like I was in Israel when I drove down 281. The U.S. has erected a huge iron fence that runs for miles along the Rio Grande River. it is evident that they are still working on it due to the construction sites scattered along the highway. The Border Patrol units are very visible driving along this route, and there are constantly reports of huge drug seizures coming over the borders. Some of them in the $100,000 values. It makes me wonder if these seizures are just a sacrificial lamb that the cartel uses in order to get the much larger shipments across. There are just so many that there must be much bigger and many more getting across. With all that activity, we always feel safe, and everyone here feels the same way. They have never had any problems here or around our park. And I don’t anticipate that that will change while we are here.

Some Rvers have already left for the season and many should be leaving by the end of this month. They tell us that by May, most of this area will be quiet as many of their “Summer Texas” (Florida’s equivalent to “Snowbirds”), head back North and then return again in October.

Lulu did a great performance last week at the park clubhouse in Angler’s Nest. It was a small group, but they had a great time. We were told that this group was not the dancing type, but if you’ve seen the video, that changed on that day. Lulu will be doing another performance on Monday, March 19th.

Neighborhood woodpecker.

We hit it right when we picked this park. It is small and a little tight, but comfortable. Fortunately, they put us in a very roomy site, right next to the clubhouse and laundry room. They have clean and roomy showers, so we have been able to take a regular shower in a regular bathroom. The shower and bathroom in our rig is half the size, so using the park’s shower is a treat. The residents here are so very friendly and kind. And of course once they get to know Lulu, forget it, they made a friend for life!

Molly's bike ride

Molly's new bike basket

Clubhouse and neighbor.

clubhouse kitchen.

They have had some activities that we came to enjoy. We had the pancake breakfast the other day and we have come to watch their jam sessions twice. A group of musicians get together and entertain the residents for a couple of hours. We were also invited to a fish fry at a local American Legion hall, where Lulu got a near standing ovation for singing at a karaoke session. Something she hardly does, but they twisted her arm. We also got to go to Gonzalez Burgers where they serve the huge Texas style burgers. They always have a line out the door and they always sell out all their burgers on a daily basis.

Huge 1 pound burgers. 56 Orders were taken for just about 100 people.

Patiently waiting for their burgers.

Out the door....at Gonzalez Burger

We went by ourselves to the Borderfest 2012 where we got to see some Mexican bands, a Beetles tribute band and got to try out some Mexican food. And, most importantly, got to take a photo with the Kool Aid guy, and got to see the original Oscar Myer wiener mobile. . We have ventured out in to local Harlingen and San Benito where we have found a couple of nice Christian Churches, as well as a good chiropractor as my back has been acting up. We will also be flying out of Harlingen Airport in April to go to my parents 50th anniversary in April. The RV will stay here until we return 10 days later.

This area has a huge Mexican population, and we find it amusing that we sometimes feel like we are back up North in New Bedford and Fall River , MA. The Mexican community remind us so much of the Portuguese community that we grew up with. They dress similar, speak loud and use their hands to communicate. And, most are very fun and friendly people. Some of their music is similar, but not the foods. We do miss our Portuguese food. Even though the languages have some similarities, there are some important differences and I am trying to brush up on my Spanish as we will be using it when we RV in Mexico this summer. By the way, unless you have been in Mexico and have personally witnessed a beheading, please keep your advice to yourself. We have spoken to many fellow Rv’ers who live in Mexico and they report that all is fine. They have their crime and violence just like we have ours here in the U.S., and they have their areas that some people do not belong in. If you don’t believe me, just follow my face book page and you can speak to them yourself. We are not afraid and we plan on leaving sometime around May.

Some time this week we plan on heading out to Progresso, Mexico, which is just up the road about 30 or 40 minutes, where you can cross over on foot and get souvenirs, manicures, see doctors, dentists and buy medicine at their pharmacies. I will be checking out some prices for inhalers as I still have to pay a $25 co-pay and I think I should be able to get a better deal down there.

We will also be taking a ride out to San Padre Island, but we are waiting for the college kids to get out, since they have invaded for spring break. There are also some nature trails that we will be checking out, and a few other local attractions.

So far, we have enjoyed the area. There is plenty to do and see, and the weather has been very pleasant. I think the cold is gone. We expect this week to be in the 80’s and sunny. The wind is another thing,. It is always windy, but it is nice to cool things off. We have yet to use out air conditioner. The open windows let in a nice breeze that cools things down. We have finally been able to comfortably and safely ride our bikes around, and even Molly has a new basket that I mounted on my bike. Speaking of who, she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure after the vet heard a heart murmur back in Alabama a few weeks ago. They also found her heart to be enlarged. This was when we brought her in to check her out because she seemed to be acting a little sluggish. She was put on medication and she seems to be much better. She is a little more herself again. She is 12 years old, so we have to be careful with her.

So, for now, we will enjoy the weather. As usual, I have to finish up some of the “nothings” that I started doing the other day. It seems that these “nothings” never get done.

Be safe and may God Bless you all!!!

There are lots of photos in this post, so be sure to follow to the end.

It’s hard to believe that a few months have already gone by and that we have crossed three states and are at our new location. It is again the familiar bitter-sweet feelings of leaving new friends behind, but moving on to seeing and living in new places. In the short time that we were in Alabama, we met some fascinating people that opened up their homes and hearts to us, making us feel right at home. We heard some great stories of life experiences, travels and accomplishments. Some folks told us about their battles with diseases, sicknesses and family tragedies. They all seem to agree with what we are doing. Do it now, because you never know when your situation can change and you may never have the opportunity again. So we go forward with all this advice under our belt. We know that we are welcome back should we take this road again.

Along with the great times and fond memories, we also leave with sad memories. One of them being the sudden death of a 15 month old boy that we came to know at one of the campgrounds who lived there in a very small and modest trailer. The news came to us on Valentine day. His young mother and the residents at another location could not revive the little boy after he choked on a piece of an apple. The news struck us like a thorn in our heart. The father was in the military nearby and the mother spent all of her time with the boy and his older sister. Lulu spent countless hours with the three when they all met at the swing set at Lazy Acres RV Park.

We knew that the family did not have much and that they would be faced with the unfortunate, unimaginative and costly task burying their child. Lulu decided to donate all the proceeds from her Valentine’s Day performance at Magnolia Springs RV Park to the family. It may not be much, but it will help a little with their expenses. We pray that this family find some comfort during their sad moment, and that they can find comfort in knowing that their baby was taken back home to a safer and better place with his lord and creator, for reasons that we cannot comprehend. May God bless them, give them strength and guide them.

We have met many incredible people along the way. I cannot name all of them and I don’t mean to say that one is more important than the other. But, I must name a few folks that have crossed our paths. Vickie worked at the office at Lazy Acres and was the person who called us while we were in Virginia and had yet to decide on a place to come to in Alabama. She was the deciding factor in selecting Lazy Acres. Without getting in to her personal life, we found out later that Vickie was an extraordinary person who has taken life by the horns and doesn’t let life’s challenges get in her way.

Mr. Bob introduced himself to us at Lazy Acres, and we learned that he had once performed with Dr. Hook back in his musician days. Bob had recently lost his wife to cancer and was cleaning out his RV, selling off some belongings as well as a second RV that he had next door. Mr. Bob was a fairly new full-time resident of Lazy Acres and he had such a positive and cheerful personality. You could tell that Bob sincerely enjoyed meeting new people and went out of his way to make people feel at home. Mr. Bob was a great inspiration to us.

I personally enjoyed socializing with my neighbors next door, Gerald and Harley. They had their Rvs parked back to back in the site next to ours, just as they have been doing for the past several years when they return here for the winter months. These two care-free men have some great history to them. I spent many hours sitting with them and listening to their stories and learning from their vast experiences.

Everyone at Lazy Acres had their own special trait. I just don’t have the room to name all of them. But we had the pleasure of meeting Joel and Julie and our friend Marie. We couldn’t leave Alabama without returning to Lazy Acres and saying good bye to these folks who we came to know and love in two short months.

We also met Ms. Dee from Ms. Dee’s flea market which is located up the street from Lazy Acres. It’s not really a flea market, but an old barn that is filled to the brim with hundreds of used items of all sorts. Some every day household appliances and some very hard to find hardware. Nothing has price tags, and in fact, Ms. Dee will tell you how much the item will cost when you bring it to the register. I have found and purchased a propane regulator, some PVC pipe, an electric burner and a few other odd items and I have never spent more than $5.00 at any shopping spree. Ms. Dee herself was a full-time traveling Rver up until recently when her husband fell ill and she had to settle down. Ms Dee’s is definitely worth the visit. Tell her that Lulu sent you.

Magnolia Springs RV Hideaway is about a 15 minute drive West of Lazy Acres and we stayed there after returning from Florida in January. What a wonderful time here. Everyone here was super. Here too were some wonderful people who made a lasting impression on us. We will never forget Hoot, who used an electric scooter to get around. Lulu had a great time riding on Hoot’s scooter as they danced to one of her songs at one her three shows there.

Lulu found her bingo buddies, Mary Anne and Nellie. They would get together once a week and off they would go to the nearest bingo games. Sometimes they would win, and sometimes they would not. But that was not important. It was the camaraderie and the good times that was counted. Their husbands, Jim and Joe, were hard working men, that worked in the campground. They were always hard at work, and always ready to help out. In fact, Jim and another resident, Kurt, was a big help to me when it was time to get out washer and dryer out of our rig when I sold it on Craig’s List. The 120 pound lady that showed up by herself would not have been much help to get the 300 pound machine out of a closet and in to her pick up if it was just me and her.

Lulu did her last performance on a special day of friendship and love, Valentine’s Day . We were humbled and honored to have been asked to do one last show before leaving. Lulu was able to pay tribute to Whiney Houston, who passed away around the same time. Lulu does a few great renditions of Whitney’s hits.

We continue to reminisce about our great times back in Florida. A year never went by that we didn’t celebrate Valentine’s and Mardi Gras, either at a private function, or at Lulu’s many public venues. You can still see photos of some our very first Valentine’s parties from 5 or 6 years ago on Lulu’s web site. So, we never forget about the many great time we always had with our Florida friends.

We left Alabama on January 20 and started our journey toward Texas, making stops along the way. We stayed at the Fountainbleau State Park on the North side of Lake Pontchartrain, right across from New Orleans, during Mardi Gras. We decided not to participate in the frenzi and just hung out at the state park for a few days. It was a very nice park, with a clean beach, large RV sites and a terrific bike path. We did get to watch the continuous Mardi Gras celebrations on live TV, some of which started as early as 8am. I did learn that there are several parades, spread out throughout the city over the course of several days. Not just one parade, as I thought was the case.

After a pleasant 3-day stay, we drove about 6 hours to Sea Rim State Park in Sabine Pass, Texas. Located right over the Louisiana border, just across the river. This secluded park was on the outskirts of a small town which still showed the damage from hurricane Rita from about 6 years ago. Although the weather man stated it was going to be a nice couple of days, our primitive camping experience was actually quite nerve racking. We were originally supposed to have been set up right on the sand of beach, and use our own electric, water and sewer, since they had no hook ups. Our “Free Spirit” can dry-dock for about 7 days without having to empty out or fill up, so 2 or 3 days would have been no problem.

The first indication of something not right, was the sign at the entrance to the park that said that there was no beach camping due to the road being washed out. No problem, we decided to use the parking lot. We had the place to ourselves, and we figured we could walk down to the beach the next day. Needless to say, the weather man was wrong. The conditions turned for the worse over night, with the temperatures dropping to the 50’s and the winds gusting up to 40 mph. After a brief walk, very brief, because it was so cold and windy, we closed it up and moved our rig 10 miles in to town, where we stayed another night, in the middle of Sabine Pass. I didn’t feel comfortable driving with all the wind.

Sabine Pass felt as though it was a ghost town, with many abandoned homes, and very few people out and about. You could tell that this probably was once an active island, which had been ravished by storms and the homeowners had given up hope, leaving their skeletal homes behind. A few had decided to be brave and reconstruct, and it looks like the process is continuing. The only thing we saw that was active was the many off-shore drilling platforms that were spread out around the islands outskirts. You could see and hear the constant activity that must keep hundreds of out of town workers busy. Once the wind calm down, we drove off, another 6 hours and we arrived at a Wal Mart outside of Corpus Cristi, where we dry-docked on their parking lot for one night.

We arrived in Los Indios, Texas on Sunday, February 26. And in only a few days, we have had a barrage of neighbors introducing themselves and offering their assistance in any way possible. Linda, the park owner, Ace, the park manager, and a few other helping hands have already shown how friendly this place will be. We are in the process of working something out with their entertainment committee for Lulu to do a show here. We enjoyed watching some of the park members do a jam session at the rec hall, and we joined a few on a local trek to Gonzalez Burgers in nearby Donna, home of the one pound hamburger. Lulu and I split the double cheeseburger. The things was so big, you couldn’t bite in to it. No dinner that night.

We are learning as we travel. This area, the Rio Grande Valley, is loaded with RV parks that provide all kinds of entertainment. Of which , there are literally hundreds of entertainers spread across the area. All of whom have been booked at these parks since last year, and have been doing this for the past several years. So, needless to say, my marketing effort has not proved to be very successful. We may end up with very little work while we are here. But, oh well. We didn’t do this for the work, we did it for the experience. But, it doesn’t hurt to make a few extra bucks along the way.

So, the weather has finally turned to the better. We are hitting the high 70’s and 80’s this week and it does not look like we will be going back to the cold temps any time soon. We start another adventure in Texas. We plan to stay here until May. And then, who knows where. Stay tuned.

God bless you all, and stay safe and healthy.