Temporary Move Back North

I am wondering if I made a mistake, driving north to visit my
brothers for golf season. I am losing my tan, I am cold, I have a
sore throat, I am cold, 31 degree drop in the temp in 24 hours,
I am cold...
I feel a garage sale is in the near future, hopefully by the
middle of June. Trying to decide what you have to unload from
the past is tough. The last garage sale was to dispense of my
mom's things. I am wondering if we need to move the vehicles
out of the garage and park them in the double driveway, then we
can clean the garage and set up tables and get going. It is a
problem when you are a pack rat, don't throw anything away, even
if it is broken, the last vacuum cleaner is the object.
Tomorrow, I need to dig out some long pants or long socks. I have
not worn long pants since last Sept in the mountains of Colorado.
Sunday I will pick up the convertible, hopefully it will start
up and I will be able to take the top down SOON..
Stay warm and enjoy the green grass, you won't have to mow for
a few weeks..tulips are in bloom, mom's tulip tree is opening,
(magnolia) and the winter onions look great.Peonies are up about
10 inches, they are almost 60 years old!

Carry on........I am cold.........

Honey, I'm Home

Wow, what a year on the beach. Some great times, some expensive times, but the
good always out weighs the bad. It was a high priced winter, hopefully next
year will be better. I will be working next winter, in Texas, to save some
money, which will cover the car payments. Yes, the new car, an Aviator. It is
a used vehicle, sweet, very comfortable and it runs on GAS not on diesel fuel.
Branson had diesel for $4.17....outrageous.....it is all a crime. Our leaders
better get something done about this problem.There weren't too many neighbors left
when I left the island on the 15th. I guess the summer months are just as
hectic for the workers as the winter. They fill up the park most of the year,
with April and October being the down months.I just wish they would use the
rental money to improve some of the park, the lots need cement or black top
and some are sinking......Next year my spot is all cement. Garage sale is
up coming. I hope we can do it by the first of June. No sale yet on the mobile
home, maybe that will come through soon also, home repairs are a necessity. Big bro is not good at upkeep indoors........Moving right along...........

Some Questions

Clayton thinks that women have had hundreds of years trying to make it right
and get into the White House. He thinks there are some problems and hopes it
can be worked out now or it might not ever happen.
I wonder why the TV networks can't give the women the same headlines that
they give the men? Why are there many bracket contests for the men's
NCAA event? Old school people love the women's game. No show off slam
dunks to get into the pro game. The women play defense and run plays.
Can we make a decision about border fences? Last week a coyote stole a
truck, filled it with 20 people wanting to come to the USA. The driver
drove across the median of an interstate highway to get to a short cut,
plowed into an SUV, three killed, the driver and several passengers
made a run for it......the driver made his escape. This is another
tragedy. We need to do something to avoid these accidents.
The people of Mexico and Central and South America
want a good way of life. How can we help them?
Carry on

Great Photo Opportunities?

So my first tomato plant this year is
NOT going to make it, the second batch of
a half dozen are INDOORS. a man and his
dog on the beach at 7 AM a few hours
before sunset. The neighborhood buns
gathered to watch the work to lift up
the 5th wheel knocked over by a bad foot
on the gas not the brake. Old man on the
beach in his speedo. The jail bait guys
wear baggies, the old men that think they
are HOT, wear the skimpy shorts.My
neighbors were fishing, the lighthouse at
Port Isabel in a great angle, more good
use for John Deere equipment under spring
break advertisements in the air. Anyone
need a ghost shrimp for fishing????
YES, my daily job, try to get up early
enough to go to the beach for sunrise. Have
to fix a pot of coffee first. The morning is
filled with chores getting ready to leave for
home on April 15. Lunch is back to the beach
for at least three hours. Back to the nearly
empty park for a shower, cocktail hour and
dinner..........then the fun begins.........
NCAA basketball........after tomorrow night
we will be down to eight teams. The men have
all of their #1 seeds advancing, two of the
ladies teams have been sent to the final 8.
AND.....MONDAY AFTERNOON I hope I can yell

"CUBS WIN"!!! That's right, baseball season
began tonight in the new DC field. Cubs start
at 1 PM on Monday......GO CUBS........that
means lunch at home tomorrow......go figure.....

Carry on......Cyndy......sand in my toes........

More fun in the Neighborhood

what's going on????

Time is advancing

I can't believe that it has been two weeks since my last entry. OH MY!
Echoes from Osakis.....OH MY!
Buyers still stalling, but it seems like the commitment
is valid and maybe we will close soon, or April 12.
Photo opportunities have been great lately. I am not
adapting to daylight savings time. sunrise is about 737 am.
Wow, that's the time I was born! anyway, this morning was
inspiring. Up too early to get in the groove, but caught
sunrise and a wonderful photo with one of the beach
birds in part of the sun. Did my regular afternoon activity,
lunch on the beach. Probably a few hundred folks in the
water and three jet skis. Where is Blanton Meyercord when you
need him? No dolphins spotted in the bay this entire week.
I still need to walk to the end of the jetty one day, if it
isn't too surfy......as in water over the jetty. Will try again
to post the video......carry on spring is here, it will
warm up in the upper midwest and melt the snow..........
the video didn't take, so you have to see good sights on
the beach, a new lilly and an accident, foot missed the
brake, a neighbor from Michigan..........carry on........

Last Rent Paid Today

WOW, where has the winter gone?
You folks up north are saying YEA! I can't
believe it is time to start packing to go home.
I was hoping to head out earlier but with the
buyers of the mobile home STALLING.....it looks
like we will NOT close on March 26. With some
strong words, I might have to put up the For Sale
sign again. The neighbor came home this
afternoon and backed into their spot. Her foot
slipped off of the brake, BAM! she hit their
5th wheel, knocked it off the hitch, broke all
four stabilizers, punctured the water tank,
dented up fenders on the truck and 5th wheel.
She was distraught and he was home, tossed out
of his chair, but OK. Great way to have a party
in the neighborhood and meet new people!
My new neighbors are a lot of fun, they are
socialable, drink, have cocktails, sit outside
and help me.

a sad note.......BIG RED IS DEAD.............

Twice as nice

Double dose of the long legged
birds that hang out on the beach.
Great landing!

Out For A Walk

The other night I went for a walk, rather
a bike ride around sunset.I was a little
early, had to wait almost an hour before
the sun went down. Now with daylight
savings time, when will the sun set? Enjoy.

It Is March and Spring Breakers are Here

I have tried to post news and photos in Feb to no luck. I have
four bars, but no luck. Feb was full of an abundance of trips to
Alamo city offices, Hidalgo county offices, Mercedes to visit
friends, a couple runs to Mexico, brother Greg was here for a
week and we golfed and went on a boat ride. All of this kept me
busy and when I tried to load photos, no luck...........March 2,
2008 and the start of Spring Break. Yesterday was Saturday.
I went to Wally world for stuff and saw about a hundred college
kids shopping......they each had a case of beer and a bag of ice
under their arms. Today as I drove to the convention center for
the car show, the kids were walking along the boulevard......
a foursome, two had food, one had ice and one carried the beer.
When I was in college, I went home for the spring break. First
year at JFK, we were in Gallup, New Mexico, playing BB in the
national tournament. finshed #7......long before the NCAA we
know today.......I had to move over the week end. someone had
reserved my original spot for March and April. 2nd day in this
spot and NO ONE has moved into my old spot. Oh well, I have
been able to meet the new men in the neighborhood. Don't know
where the women are at, they don't come out to visit.......
Hopefully at the end of March we will have a closing on the
mobile home and in the middle of April I will be heading
north.....to Alaska.......NO.....north to the Ozarks and maybe
a stop in Vinita, Ok., to fight with the dealership that sold
me the "truck from hell".........New family members since last
posting...Liam is making his home in the Indianaplis area instead
of in the womb. Big sister Kallie loves little pickle......
Drew is walking now and just told us that he will have a brother
or sister come next September. We will never see Gramma Marla
in Iowa again. Oh, same as me, no living in Iowa November
thru April during snow season. I love to brag about the home
state Hawkeye Women's BB team. They won out and tied for first
place in the Big Ten. They will go into the tournament as the
#2 seed. Should they win their first two games, they will probably
meet up with Ohio State in the finals and we all know that the
third time is the charm......Hawkeyes will win that game #3.....

So, I am rambling, but since I can't post photos...........I even
tried to post a video, no luck........

Take good care ya'll........from the beach...........sand in my toes!

A View From the South

A few shots from the bay area where
the surfers learn. Also a wayward
long legged bird that is not afraid
of the beach traffic. Finally, what
do you do while watching the Iowa
Hawkeyes on TV? Well, take pictures.
I will try to download the pics of
the dolphins........

90 Today

No photos tonight. Even with 4 bars, they won't download. Sorry. I have
some great photos to share.
Sunday was a beautiful day after a week of overcast days, rain, wind and
temps in the 40's at night. I went to the beach, rode the bike, back to
the Breeze in time to watch the Hawkeye Women win a big game over
Michigan, back to the beach, cocktail hour to celebrate a victory......
I felt like I was in Carver Hawkeye Arena, since I have the Big Ten
Network. I took game photos. They came out just beautiful. I wonder if
its the camera or the big screen TV?
Today was a work day, golf day, oil change day. I finally picked up two
pounds of that wonderful garlic shrimp at the HEB Super Store in Pharr.
I mix the shrimp with onion, lemon, lime juice and some spices and hot
sauce, put it all in a plastic bag and let the shrimp soak up the flavors
for a couple days before enjoying....
Mexican security is in an uproar the past month. Today they disarmed all
of the police in the big cities along the border. This was done by the
Mexican military. Not sure about another booze run any time soon. The
police will pick up tons of pot and cocaine daily, but it is only 1/10th
of what gets over the border. I guess the fence that homeland security
wants to build might help with this problem. the local mayors want them
to dig out the Rio Grande River and widen it and make it deeper to
eliminate the walkers and bad swimmers. The Feds want to do something
different and are taking the land owners to court to get access to the
property to make assessments on how to build. We need some cooperation
here in the Valley. Fog advisery tonight and down to 65. Weds it
will be 72......sure beats home, big wind today along with a big temp
drop from 56 yesterday to below zero today along with wind. I don't miss
that weather.Will try again to post some photos tonight, great surf shots!

Bumming Around

two little spectators on the causeway walk
some beaching time, waves, the Port Isabel
Lighthouse, Big Red went for a ride.......
this is the life of a retiree..........enjoy

TIME ON MY HANDS

The Year is 2008

I have just been living like a retiree this month. As I just posted,
the 5 K walk. the rest of the time, three trips to Alamo. We gave
the neighbor a price on the mobile home, no reply yet. I hope they
say YES. I cleaned the entire inside and started to gather all of
the stuff to take home. Jeff arrived on the 4th, cleaned the outside
of the mobile and painted the roof. I cleaned out the shed and
was kept on my toes by a little wiggly animal, small cameleon, I am
sure that isn't spelled right. Mom had four sale signs in the shed,
for garage sales. I was throwing out stuff, into the garbage can
and a scrounger came along. I ended up giving him a load of old
things, including a rusty gas grill and yard shears that we couldn't
open. also a power scrubber that Jeff didn't want, since it doesn't
work! We pack the trailer tomorrow and Jeff heads home on Weds.
greg is coming down the week after the Super Bowl. Has to wait, there
probably aren't any flights available to Dallas or Houston...

As for my beach. The last three days awesome. blue skies and only one
day of high wind. That keeps me off of the beach, the sand in my
toes is OK, but not in my eyes. So you try to find a spot by one of
the buildings to block the wind, but usually, no spots open unless
you get there before noon....

golfed this week finally. Had a nice front nine, even a birdie, along
with three or four pars. Back nine didn't go as well, had a couple
pars, but kept hitting the ball into the water for some reason! Felt
great to get back on the golf course, first time since November.

Take good care and have fun in the snow!

Walk Across the Causeway

Marian is about 83, Jeff, Michelle and me, the baby, all walked
across the causeway on Saturday. Beautiful weather,
not a cloud in the sky. The event was a 10K run and
5 K walk or 3.5 miles. We continued on after getting
to the walkers finish line and it came to a total of
4.6 miles to Louie's Backyard Restaurant. fun day,
we were pooped afterwards, I usually get in about 2.5
miles a day when i go pick up the mail in the after
noons......don't need to train anymore, back to the
bicycle.......

Happy New Year

I hope ya'll rang in the new year in a
great way. I did, as usual, hooked up
two TVs so I could watch lots of football.
I love the Rose Bowl Parade and completely
forgot to attend the Polar Bear Dip on the
Island, at noon. Didn't know if I would go
all the way into the water, or just a short,
or just take pictures..........anyway,
i forgot! the wind was blowing seriously.
Maybe 30 MPH. I went for a walk before the
Rose Bowl Game and found a lot of people
down by the jetties. Lots of body surfers
and people fishing. Watching the waves
crash on the rocks was wonderful. I
continued on down to the beach, where I
ran head on into the wind and sand in my
face. Only a few vehicles of gawkers, so I
headed back to the Breeze for my cameras.
Of course, this time I was smarter, I drove
Big Red. shot some video and took some still
shots, but forgot to check the camera settings
and only found a couple shots good to print.
didn't make it through the Hawaii game, neither
did the newspaper, who won?

I'm Sorry I Vented

That's right, I am sorry about laying it out
on the line about my truck problems. It is only
money, compared to what I found out today....

It all started in High School. Bryce and Dale
were 2 and 3 years ahead of me, but Ankeny was
a small town then and we all knew everyone.

In 1989 my mom had her stroke, Oct 20. At
Thanksgiving time, I moved her from Mercy to
Younkers rehab Center. At the same time, Bryce
had his son Matt in the same facility. He had
suffered a neck injury in AHS football.

Mom came home for four years, Matt went on to
live in a care facility in Waterlo. Due to the
stress, Bryce died of a heart attack about 5
years ago. At the first of December, Matt died, he
was 33. That left his mom and two brothers.

Yesterday, about 24 hours ago.......brother Al
died. He ran out of gas while driving on the
interstate around Hickman Road. A busy stretch
of road. He called his mom for help and she
came with Dale, probably with some gas to get
him home.

Why these things happen, we will never know or
understand.

Al ran across the interstate to his mom's vehicle.
9 PM....its dark....lots of traffic as is usual.....he
misjudged the truck's speed. No reaction time
available for the pick up truck driver, he
clipped Al with his right side mirror, then a
vehicle following the pick up also hit Al, he
died at the scene, even though a car load of
nurses were on the scene and tried to save him.

Mom and uncle saw the whole accident...........

What a horrible end of the year.......

Screw my truck problems and financial set backs....

The Hanke family needs my prayers.........

Carry on my friends and say a little prayer for
long time friends..........

Hauoli Maki Hiki Hou..............

A Day In History

I don't have a photo to post....today is the anniversary of
my Mom's death. I didn't think about it until I signed a form
and dated it. Then I was watching Private Practice and they
dealt with the death of the wife of one of the Doctors...........

We made sure we took mom to Texas, after she
had her stroke, for about 6 weeks,Dec thru
Jan. Jeff had vacation and work shut down, then Greg would go
for two weeks and I would go for two weeks and bring her home.

1994 was not the year to go south. It still breaks me up. The
worst day of my life. Two funerals, one in Texas, fly back home
and have another service and burial the day after Christmas.

This is the reason I don't get too excited about Christmas.
We have to keep up the spirit for Greg, he is still a youngster.
He still needs the surprises even though he has to work all
day long, race home, clean up, open presents about 4 PM and
then have a great dinner.

I have shed a few tears today. Tomorrow I will make a trip to the
Port Isabel grave yard and find someone who does not have any
flowers.......since I can't be home to do this. Put up the wreath
adorned with poinsettia flowers..........

Moving right along...........take good care and smile......