The Ray Adventures: February 2016

January 27 - February 27

Sorry about the long delay since my last blog. Our computer died, Tech Time here in Rockport tried to revive it but the hard drive was toast. It took almost a month before we got our new one with all the files transferred.

We've been doing all the usual activities, Gary volunteers on the Lexington two or three times a week, Yoga, quilting, walks on Fulton Beach Road, our Wednesday night dinners and happy hours both at the clubhouse and at friends places in the park. Quite often on Tuesdays a large group of us go to Panjo's Pizza, yum yum yum! Have you ever tried Yoga with a bit of a hangover? It's not so fun!

We had a Super Bowl party here in the family clubhouse. The appetizer pot luck was delish, I don't think anyone went hungry. I took Cowboy Beans, a staple at Super Bowl Parties at our house in Salem. I got the usual rave reviews. I really didn't care who won the game, no dogs in the fight this year, much less stress. We have a lot of Denver fans here in the park, to keep from getting stoned rooting for the Panthers I "sort of" rooted for the Broncos, they were the Seahawks nemesis when we were in the AFC.

Nine of us girls went into Corpus Christi for the annual shop hop, taking two cars. Mine will hold 5 "sort of". We had a great day hitting the shops picking up lots of fabric along the way. We had lunch at Beyond the Border before stopping at Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann's to finish up the day. We were gone from 9 to 5 barely getting back for our Wednesday night dinner. Gary and RJ went to see the movie 13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, a true story. A guy flick they enjoyed immensely.

Valentines weekend was pretty busy, we missed La Mardis Gras in LaMar, their annual celebration. We were looking to going this year, the past two years we left Rockport in early January. The same night was the Stage Door Canteen, a major fundraiser for the USS Lexington. It was one of those nights where the stars were aligned. We followed a glorious sunset as we drove to Corpus Christi. We joined Lynn and Bob, Bob volunteered that night so we kept Lynn company. The music was by the Lexington Big Band Orchestra with several local soloists. We had a great time "swinging" to the music of Glen Miller and Tommy Dorsey. Several people were dressed in vintage 30's and 40's clothing. Some people wore their finest, we did too but our finest wasn't real fancy. It didn't matter, we had a wonderful night. The program closed with colors, the National Anthem, God Bless America followed by pyrotechnics. It was one of those times that really made you proud to be an American.
Saturday afternoon Gail, Lynn, Sharon and I went to the Winter Market at Aransas Pass convention center. I finally succumbed to peer pressure and bought a sparkly shirt. After we enjoyed lobster bisque at a small cafe close to Rockport. Pretty tasty. That night at the FCH we had a Valentines Day dinner/dance. Our choices for dinner were prime rib or lobster cakes, We had prime rib, Chef Betty did a superb job, it was cooked perfectly. Music by the Baysiders, the group of men here at the park, they do a good job of providing a nice mix of types of music.

Dan and Charlene from Bend came down to visit us the week of the 18th. We had a good time showing them around the area we love so much. Saturday we hosted a happy hour at our coach, inviting RJ and Gail, Steve and Karen, Bob and Sharon and David and Marihelen, later D & C told us they enjoyed our friends very much. We took them to see the 1,000 year old live oak tree in LaMar, saw whooping cranes, spoonbills and sand hill cranes nearby. The four of us spent last Sunday on the Lexington, Gary gave us a private tour. Charlene and I visited some of the local gift shops while Gary and Dan took a tour of the boiler room. We lunched at BJ's in C.C., a brew pub chain, we've enjoyed BJ's in other cities on our trek. We weren't disappointed. The weather was beautiful all week except Tuesday when we got a little rain, the first since early January.. We took a drive to Goliad, a little over an hour from here, to see the historical sites. We had lunch at the Empresario Restaurant in courthouse square. The owner greeted us at the door, an elderly gentleman with the Texas twinkle in his eye, he recently purchased the building remodeling it from a hardware store built in the 1800's. He kept the flavor of the original structure, the copper stamped ceiling and ornate woodwork. The food was good, the menu had some "different" entrees, Next time you're in Golid be sure to stop there for lunch. One afternoon Gary and Dan toured Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, seeing several alligators including some babies and many birds. Meanwhile Charlene and I visited the local boutiques and lunch at Whattaburger. MMMMMMM They got to enjoy Wednesday night dinner by Chef Betty, that night she made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggies and for dessert peaches and cream pie. Their last night here we enjoyed a seafood dinner at Paradise Key overlooking the waterways and marsh land with the intercoastal waterway in the distance.

Friday night happy hour, Bo Rivers a singer, entertained us with a variety of styles of music, wonderful dancing music. We'll miss him, he is coming back in March, makes us want to stay. Afterward a group us us went to the Oyster House to celebrate Bob's 63'rd birthday. He's the baby of our crowd. After dinner some of us went into the bar to dance to some fun 60's music.

Saturday I helped Gary wash the coach, took a bike ride followed by a nap. We had happy hour at 4 followed by a potluck. Big day!

We leave on Tuesday for our 6 week trek back to Oregon, visiting family and friends along the way. Gary's Uncle Byron passed away a few weeks ago but we will stop to see Aunt Ruth in Yuma. She has taken very good care of him for several years, he was blinded by macular degeneration several years ago. We hate to leave our friends down here and the beautiful warm weather. It has been a glorious 4 months, I'm sure I'll shed a few tears.

Well that's the condensed version of the last month here. Enjoy the pic's.

TTFN

Gary and Pam