OL' D'S SODA SHOP

The weather has decided to start acting like weather should act in south Texas in the winter time.  It has been in the upper 70s and lower 80s with sunshine lately.  I have been getting out and about trying to familiarize myself with the valley.  But, I haven't been doing anything that was blog worthy. However, one of the guys in the RV park told Mr. W about a place in "historic" downtown Harlingen that has a blues band every Friday night.  Last Friday night, we decided to check it out.

The name of the place is Ol' D's Soda Shop and it is on Jackson St. in downtown Harlingen.  Jackson St. looks like the street where everything in Harlingen that was anything was once located.  The buildings along the 3 blocks of "historic" Harlingen are old but it looks like businesses are moving in and trying to revitalize that area.

The blues show was suppose to start at 7:00 pm, so we decided to get there around 6:30 and have something to eat before the show.  There weren't very many people there and we had our pick of seats.  They serve hamburgers, sandwiches, French fries, and all the things that a 50s diner would serve.  There is also a old fashioned soda counter with stools and if you ordered a banana split, milk shake, or float, they went behind the counter to prepare those items.

The soda counter
(I didn't take my camera so all these pics are with my phone.)

Around 6:45, the "band" started showing up.  I say that loosely because it was more like anyone who showed up with an instrument got to play.  There was a stage and so many guys set up that the stage was full and they started setting up on the side of the stage, in front of the stage, anywhere they could find a spot. 

The first guys show up to start setting up. The section in front of the stage is the dance area.

The band getting ready to start

The main guy there was a black man, Johnny Harper, and he played the guitar just as you imagine a blues guitarist would play.  The rest of the guys considered themselves the Hardluck Band.  There was a mix of mostly old guys with some young guys who were all very talented musicians.  I'm not so sure it was what I consider the "blues".  To me, it was more old rock and roll songs that had a bluesy sound.  They did a ZZ Top song that I recognized.  Other than that, I didn't recognize anything. Let me say again that all of these could really play the guitar.

Johnny Harper with one of the young guys

The guy on the left was the guy who did most of the singing. The guy on the harmonica was good!

There was a guy who showed up really trying to look like the Blues Brothers. He did a little singing and he also played the harmonica.  He was definitely trying to live out his younger years. I'm all for staying young and having fun and even doing some silly, crazy things sometimes.  But, I struggle sometimes when older people try too hard to be too young again.  Maybe I shouldn't worry about that.  Maybe that's what keeps some people going.  Anyway, he had on his sunglasses, his trench coat, his hat, and he looked like Joe Cocker when he sang. He also kept grabbing our waitress and wanting to hug her (the young girl in the soda fountain pic above) which I found a little creepy. I guess it is what it is.

There was one section of the place that was sort of a tribute to Elvis area.  Ol' D's had a guy that was a regular there that was an Elvis impersonator and sadly he was killed in an accident the day before we went there.  The people who had told us about the place had seen him the Saturday night before and then he was gone on Thursday.  Just a reminder of how short life is and how suddenly it can be over. 

Ol' D's has a country/50's show on Saturday nights.  We ended up going back to see that and this time we ate before we went and tried out their ice cream as dessert.  It was good too.  They have a dance area in front of the stage.  Both nights people got up and danced.  There were more that danced on the country/50's night, but dancers both nights just the same.  They also have special musical artists that come during the week.  Unfortunately, they don't do a very good job of advertising so those are not usually attended very well.  But, I have heard that they have some great acts.  I will definitely go back and if you are ever in Harlingen, you should go too.

SENOR, IT IS ALMOST FREE

Today, I went to Progresso, Mexico.  Mr. W and I had not been to a border town since we were first married and that was almost 40 years ago.  Back then, we went to Matamoras, Mexico.  Now the drug cartels are very dangerous there and it is not safe for tourists.  Progresso has managed to keep their streets relatively safe for American tourists and their town is well visited.  Almost everyone you talk to that is a "Winter Texan" goes to Progresso for a lot of different things.  Our friends that are here have gone each time they have been down here and were kind of our guides today.

Because your car insurance company probably won't cover you in Mexico, it is best to park on the American side and walk across the International Bridge.  Not to mention the crazy drivers in Mexico!  Our friends told me that it is best to get there early and leave before it gets late.  We left at 7:30 am to drive to the bridge.  They needed to stop at the bank and traffic was busy so it took about 35 minutes to get to the bridge.  It costs $2.00 to park all day.  We headed across the bridge.  It costs 50 cents to walk across the bridge from the US to Mexico.  It costs 30 cents to walk across the bridge from Mexico to the US.  I have no idea why there is a difference in price, but you have to have correct change.  There is an ATM and a change machine on the US side of the bridge.  There is a booth occupied by a worker that will give you change on the Mexico side.

Getting ready to walk across the bridge



The Rio Grande river - it is the border between the 2 countries

As you enter Mexico from the bridge

The main entry street is lined for many blocks with shops and offices.  Outside of the shops on the sidewalk are vendor after vendor with maybe a table for their wares or maybe not a table.  There are also vendors walking up and down the street holding their wares trying to sell you something. Having been to Mexico several times, I was use to their sales pitch as I walked along.  One that I had not heard before was when Mr. W was looking at something and the guy asked him if he was interested in buying whatever it was.  Mr. W told him no that he was just looking.  The guy said, "But senor, it is almost free!"  Yeah, they always are.

We had a list in mind of things we wanted to shop for.  One of the things that most people go there to buy is medicine or to have dental work.  Along the main street where you first walk in is mainly shop after shop of either pharmacies or dentists.  It still blows my mind that countless Americans go there for dental work.  But, one of our friends has had a root canal, a crown, and a dental implant tooth put in where he had a tooth pulled.  The cost was a fraction of the cost in the US.  I am scared of having dental work as it is.  You would probably have to put me to sleep to have it done there.  As I walked down the street and looked into the dentists' offices, there were many people sitting there waiting to see the dentist.  American people. More power to them I guess.

Pharmacies are everywhere and medicines can range in price from pharmacy to pharmacy.  Of course that's how everything is in Mexico.  You go in a few of the pharmacies and ask prices.  You can haggle with them a little bit but not much.  I ended up getting some Z-packs and a 2-pack inhaler for one of my granddaughters.  I will go back and get a few more things.  Some of the prices are good and some aren't.  You have to be sure it's the right dosage too.

A sample of signs advertising medications

Coming out of one of the pharmacies where I made a purchase

Another thing I have been wanting to buy is a good pair of boots.  I have looked and looked and looked.  I wanted something a little different, fashionable, made of leather, fairly comfortable, and at the right price.  I have found several boots that I have liked but I did not want to pay the price.  I thought maybe I could get a good deal in Mexico.  Sure enough, I found a boot store.  I tried on several pairs of boots and found a pair I liked.  I thought the price was good to start with but I managed to get them for $20 less than what they were asking.  Just in time for the rodeo!

My new boots

Mr. W got a new hat and I bought some candy that tastes like the Werther's Originals.  But, after all of us had bought everything we planned to buy this trip, we walked back across the bridge.  We had to wait in line to go through customs.

The line to go through customs

It had really warmed up today.  It was 80 degrees and plenty of sunshine.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky.  When we got back to the 5W, Mr. W and I decided a trip to the swimming pool at the RV park was in order.  The pool is heated but just enough to be perfect temperature.  If you got out of the pool and the wind blew, you were a little chilly.  If you were in the water, it was great.  If you were out of the water in the sun with no wind blowing, it was great. It was a nice relaxing way to end the day. We figured we better take advantage of this weather.  It is suppose to get rainy and cold again on Thursday.

Mr. W in the hot tub at the pool

RESACA DE LA PALMA STATE PARK

Well, the rain decided to stop for a few days and I can say that the weather has been gorgeous.  This weekend I went to South Padre Island and visited their convention center.  They were having Market Days and had a lot of vendors.  When I had my business, there was always a vendor at the shows that sold soup mixes.  This company sells about 10 different varieties of soup mixes and I am a fan of about 4 of them.  I had 1 packet left and guess who was at Market Days on South Padre?  Not the same person, but the same company. This company did not carry as many varieties of their coups and dips and the other.  So, my purchase was 1 package of their soups.

Today, Mr. W and I decided that we needed to do something outdoors because by Wednesday evening, the rain starts again. Ugh!  So, Mr. W decided that we needed to visit Resaca De La Palma State Park.  Now, for those that have known Mr. W for a long time, did you know that he is a bird watcher?  Well, neither did I!  When did this happen?  I live with the man and it wasn't until we were retired that he came out of the "nest" and announced that he wanted to go to bird centers to see certain birds.  He wants to do what?  For all of you bird watchers, lovers, feeders, etc., sorry, but birds are not my idea of an exciting time.  (She said as she yawns......)  Birds are not even my idea of a fun, a good, a pleasurable, even an OK time.  But, I have tried to be a team player and go along on bird looking trips a few times since retirement.

So, we load up the bicycles and head out for the park.  We arrive at the park and notice the sign. A state park AND a world birding center.  Great.......oh I mean, Great!

 

As you might know, Texas State Parks are terribly under funded and many things are happening because of that.  One of the things is that the parks' visitor centers are closed several days a week.  Such is the case here.  The visitor center is open Wednesday-Sunday but is closed Monday & Tuesday.  The park is open 7 days a week.  However, there is a tram that goes around the park to take visitors from trail to trail and it does not operate on the days that the visitor center is closed.  So, you can still visit the park but you would have to either walk through the whole park or ride a bicycle.  No automobiles are allowed to drive past the visitor center.

Mr. W unloading the bikes

The road that leads to the visitor center

We arrived and Mr. W took off the bikes and we went to the visitor center to see if there was a map or any information about the trails.  There was a lady working inside who was nice enough to let us in to use their bathroom and Mr. W got information from her.  He told her that he wanted to see a green-jay and an oriole.  She told him that right around the back of the center there were many to see.  They had set up bird feeders to help attract the birds.  There was a blind for people to stand behind to keep from scaring the birds away.  She was right.  There were many green-jays.  Even though I poke fun at Mr. W about liking to look at birds, I have to admit they are pretty birds.

Can you see all 4?

We had not ridden very far on the road when we saw this sign.

Don't worry. I will stay on the trails!

A couple of the many trails were too muddy to ride.  Most were in pretty good shape.  One that I rode on was not muddy but it was so bumpy, I thought I was going to bounce right off the bike! If you stayed on the main road (trolley road), the riding was good.  If you went off on the hike/bike trails, not so good.  Next time I'm going to have to insist that all bike paths are paved.

Mr. W on one of the first trails we took.  This one wasn't so bad in parts of it.  It wasn't muddy, but it was bumpy!

You have to watch out for all the cacti along the path.  This was one of the smaller ones.

Do you know what a Resaca is?  Well the definition is :  the dry channel or the former often marshy course of a stream.  So, here's the reason for the name of the park.

They had several look out points through out the park.

One of the look outs

They also had benches throughout the park.  They were on the hike/bike trails and also along the main road where the trolley picked up.

Remember the sign?  This is why you stay on the trail. Yikes!

This was a pretty butterfly that kept flying around us as we walked on one of the trails.  I'm not into butterflies either, but you have to do something to keep yourself busy while "someone" looks for birds. :)

It was a pretty cloudy day which kept the temperature nice for our hiking and biking.  On our way out, we stopped by the feeders again to see if we could get a pic of the oriole that Mr. W wanted to see.  As we were walking up, sure enough one of the orioles was on one of the feeders.  I tried to sneak up closer to get a pic as quietly as I could but it flew off.  Mr. W did get to see it but we didn't get a pic.  All in all a good day outdoors.

Several different kinds of birds sharing one of the bird feeders.

 

Me standing by another one of the cactus.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

I have been in Rio Hondo, TX for a week now and it has done almost nothing but rain.  South Texas, referred to as "The Valley", is usually very, very dry.  People here usually are praying for rain.  This area is known for its citrus orchards and the citrus industry is a huge part of their economy.  Water is a very scarce and precious commodity.  There is usually a lot of watering going on.  No water needed right now! Another reason the citrus industry does well here is because this part of Texas is usually warm during the winter.  Freezing weather would kill the citrus crops.  Well, guess what? It has also been cold.  Not freezing, but cold and with all the rain and no sunshine, it has been almost depressing.

I am staying at an RV park named Twin Palms.  It is a relatively small RV park.  Most of the people here have been coming here for 20+ years.  Most of the people here are about 20+ years older than I am.  I am the new, young kid on the block.  Most everyone has been nice, but you can tell there is a routine and you better not mess with the routine no matter how small of a thing you think it is. I have friends that have been here for the past 3 years and they are the reason we came.  They had already warned me about "routines". I will say that I have been around people who are 20 years older than me and have had a great time with them.  They don't act their age and they seem a lot younger.  The people here, seem very much their age. 

The RVs are parked close together and with all the rain, there is lots of mud. Yuck!  I should have brought some rain boots.  Mr. W had to make a trip to Lowe's the other day to buy some concrete blocks so we could make a walkway to the vehicles and road.  Our neighbor has made jokes about all of us having waterfront property.  Believe me, this is the wrong kind of waterfront property.  This land is so flat that the water has no place to go.  There are also many potholes in the road which hold water which makes walking on the road difficult. It is just not good.

Rio Hondo is a very small town.  It has a pizza restaurant, a small supermarket, a post office, a western wear store, an adult day care center, and an awesome bakery.   The town is about 8 miles from Harlingen, TX.  Harlingen in a bigger town with a lot of shopping and restaurants.  I've made a couple of trips to Harlingen and to towns close to the area.  I hope to do some more driving around soon.  I need to figure out what town has the best grocery store, shopping, and things to do.  I'm just hoping the weather dries up and warms up soon so I will fell like getting out.  Rain, rain, go away!

Our neighbors sewer connection is submerged.

Water under and around my car. 

Our neighbor's bicycles sitting under their 5W.

Water filled ruts and water sitting under the truck.

ANOTHER BROKEN SPRING HANGER

I left to head to Rio Hondo, TX on Wednesday, January 7th.  We had decided to take my car on this trip.  It wasn't that far from where we were and Mr. W and I would each have a vehicle to be able to do things separately when we wanted.  The one thing that I struggle with time to time with this lifestyle is not having my own vehicle.  I think I've mentioned before that I'm the type of person that needs my "alone" time occasionally.  Sometimes I like to just get in my car and go to Walmart or Target or a mall and just walk around and look; at my own pace; not feeling rushed because someone else is bored; not having to carry on a conversation with anyone;.......you get the idea.

So, we're traveling down the road with me driving behind the 5W and Mr. W calls me.  He asks if the trailer looks like it is going down the road crooked.  I had noticed that it was a little but didn't think too much about it.  Of course he said that it wasn't suppose to be doing that even if it is "a little".

We are in Schulenburg, TX at this point and he pulls over on the side of the highway.  Sure enough, the spring hanger for the shackle on the driver side had broken off completely. This happened to us when we were in Virginia last May on the passenger side shackle. (You can read about that on Trailer Troubles ) When this happened back in May, we called the trailer manufacturer, who contacted Lippert (the company that makes the shackles/spring hangers), and Lippert shipped the new spring hanger and a mobile welder came out and repaired it.

So, Mr. W calls the trailer manufacturer.  The time is 12:10. They tell us that we are out of warranty so we need to contact Lippert directly.  We have a 2 yr. bumper to bumper and 5 yr. structural warranty.  Right? Well, yes we do but the shackle is not part of the structure. We are ONE month out of the 2 yr. bumper to bumper. Here's where the fun begins.

Mr. W called Lippert.  A young lady, Tara, tells him that she is going to find a mobile welder to come where we are and fix this on the side of the highway.  We wait.  She calls back and asks if we know a welder in the area.  We don't but Mr. W starts calling around. We wait.  She tells us to get a hotel room for the night because we are probably going to have to leave the 5W overnight.  Lippert will pay for the hotel room.  At 3:00, she calls back and says Lippert can't find anyone to fix it, they don't want us to drive it, and they want us to call whatever roadside assistance company we have and have them take care of it. 

Mr. W calls Coach-net.  The tech at Coach-net tells us that he is going to find someone to come take off the wheel and chain up the axle and wants us to "limp" the 5W 45 miles to Sealy, TX to the nearest RV dealership on 3 wheels.  Mr. W is not crazy about this idea.  They think they have found someone to do this but when Coach-net contacts Mr. W, with this person on the line, the guy says that he is not going to do that because it will be too much weight on the side with 1 wheel and if we blow the tire, we will be sitting flat on the ground on I-10. Makes sense to us.

The tech at Coach-net was very put out but he then says that they will have to find a wrecker service with a low-boy flatbed to come get us.  They find a guy in a neighboring town to do this.  Coach-net calls back with this guy on the line and Mr. W talks to both of them.  This guy mentions that he knows a welder in his town that will come out and fix it where we are but it will be the next morning.  The guy tells Mr. W that 2 blocks down the road is a parking lot that we will fit in.  We will be off the highway and it will give the guy plenty of room to repair it.  Mr. W asks Coach-net if they agree with this arrangement for repair and the Coach-net rep says yes they do.

Mr. W takes my car 2 blocks down the road to check out the parking lot.  It will work, so he very carefully drives the 5W the 2 blocks and pulls in the parking lot.  We then drive my car to the hotel and check in at 7:00. Thank goodness we had my car.

Did I mention that an arctic cold front was blowing in?  It was going to be 25 degrees that night.  Mr. W had pulled all the plugs to drain all the water but we wanted to try to find some RV anti-freeze to put in the pipes.  So, we drove 20 miles to the nearest Walmart which did not have any anti-freeze for the RV.  We are hoping for the best.

Next morning, we meet the welder at the 5W.  He starts the repair.  Mr. W gets on the phone to Coach-net to find out how we are suppose to handle paying this guy.  After waiting almost 30 minutes on hold, Coach-net then says that he is not an authorized welder so we need to stop him and they are going to arrange for a heavy-duty wrecker to come pick up the 5W.  Are you kidding me?  Mr. W tells them that the welder is too far along to stop.  He also asks them if they realize how much they would pay to get a tractor/trailer wrecker and possibly permits (because of the height with the 5W on the wrecker) versus the cost of the welder? They don't care.  Mr. W speaks with a supervisor and reminds them that they had agreed to this fix last night.  They don't care about that either.  Finally, after more conversation, they will pay part of the cost, maybe.  We will have to submit the invoice and see what happens.  Great.

Mr. W then calls Lippert.  We need to know who we need to send the invoice for the hotel to.  Their reply is that we are out of warranty so they won't pay for anything until they receive the part back and determine that it is a manufacture defect.  If it is, they will reimburse us, if not, they won't.  Do what? Have all these people had a memory loss since the day before? Again, we are ONE month out of warranty and we had the same problem previously.

The welder finishes his repair.  We travel to the nearest RV dealership and have them look at the repair.  Their repair guy says the guy did an outstanding job, better than the manufacturer.  The service manager calls Lippert and tells them that we had brought it in, it has been checked, and we are good to go.  We just wanted all of our bases covered that we had done what we were suppose to do.  We decide to head for Rio Hondo.  I've mailed the part back to Lippert and have submitted the invoice.  We are still trying to find out where to send the other invoice to Coach-net. I'll let you know what happens.

Before I close this lengthy blog, I have to comment about the town of Schulenburg.  When we were on the side of the highway, we were next to a day care center. The lady who owned the daycare came out and checked on us several times.  She offered us blankets and something warm to drink.  When she got ready to leave that evening, she offered for us to stay at her house overnight.  She left 1 building open that had heat and a bathroom in case we needed it.  We were concerned about the safety of leaving our 5W in a parking lot.  She called the chief of police and had him send some deputies over to talk to us and reassure us that they would drive by several times during the night to check on our 5W.  We also had a guy drive up to see if he could do anything to help because he had heard about us from the guys at the gas station in town.  We evidently were the talk of the town.  He couldn't help us, but he tried.  When the welder was through with the repairs, he gave Mr. W some of his venison jerky.  You've gotta love small towns.

I was really hoping 2015 would be the year of no problems with the 5W, but maybe we've gotten it over with for the year now.  We really were blessed that it all happened the way it did and the tires never rubbed or the axle didn't fall off.  Mr. W does think it is a design flaw with Redwood.  He has looked at the shackles on other 5Ws and they all have an extra bracket that ours does not have.  When it is all said and done, he is hoping to have all of the spring hangers either re-welded or have an extra bracket put on.  Thankfully, we did arrive safe and sound in Rio Hondo on Thursday evening.

HAPPY 2015

Happy New Year everyone!  I've had a rather low key end to 2014 and start to 2015.  Low key is never a bad thing.

Before I forget, I want to tell you a little about the RV place where we stayed at Christmas.  I am a member of Coast to Coast (C2C).  So, I stayed at a C2C park named Bishop's Landing in Willis, TX.  Willis is just north of Conroe, which is just north of the Woodlands, which is just north of Spring, which is a north suburb of H-town.  I waited too late to try to get reservations at 1 place for a month while in H-town, so I was moving around.

One good thing, it only cost me the minimum C2C charge of $10 per night.  When you make reservations on the C2C website, they say that they charge extra for 50 amp service and extra for 2 vehicles.  You pay the minimum $10 online to make the reservation and then expect to pay the extra charges once you check in.  They did not charge me the extra charges.  The lady who checked me in was very nice.  She also took Mr. W and I around in her golf cart to pick out the site so we weren't having to drive through the park with the whole rig looking.

There is 1 paved road.  It is the main road that comes into the park and goes down to the boat ramp and cabins.  If you own a membership in this park, you can use one of the paved sites on the water (Lake Conroe)  or one of the sites across the street from the water.  It depends on your level of membership.  You do not have to have a membership to stay there but you can not be close to the water if you aren't a member.  There are actually many people who are living there and are permanent.  None of the roads are paved and all are bumpy and rutted.  There are a few paved sites but, all of them that are long enough for my rig, are taken by the permanent people.  There are about half that are pretty level and about half that aren't.  All of the sites have 50 amp.  There is no electrical box at the site to turn breakers on and off as you hook up to your rig.  You just plug in.  Those that are living there permanently pay for their electricity.  Those staying less than a month or C2C do not.

I don't take showers in shower houses, but Mr. W likes to.  I take showers in my own shower in my 5th wheel thank you very much.  This shower house was probably a 5 out of 10.  I know his major complaint was that the water did not drain well in the shower and there was no separation between the shower and dressing area.  So, the couple of times that he did use the shower house, he had problems keeping his clothing and shower bag dry.  I know there was a lady that posted that she cleaned it everyday, but I don't think it was as clean as he would have liked it.

They do have a nice pool with 2 tube slides.  I'm sure kids, as well as adults, would love it when the weather gets warmer.  There is a club house.  There are some fairly new cabins that are nice. 

Willis is growing and building like crazy and there is a big Kroger Marketplace right down the feeder street.  There are many fast food places and a couple of good restaurants.  You are only about 4 miles from I-45.  I wish I would have taken some pics, but I didn't.  So, it wasn't a horrible place to stay but it is certainly not on my places to come back to.  For $10 per night, I can't complain.

Next Wednesday, I am traveling  south to Rio Hondo, TX.  Rio Hondo is a little blip in the road from what I understand but Harlingen is about 10 miles away and Padre Island is about 20 miles away.  We have friends that have been to this park for a couple of years and like it.  So, we are trying it out.  I will let you now.

We spent New Year's Eve at Marina Village (our membership park right outside of Trinity, TX).  The weather all around H-town sucks right now.  It is cold and rainy and dreary and has been for several days.  I know, all of you still in the north are not feeling sorry for me right now.  But, I don't like it for days on end and am ready for it stop.  I need a little sunshine.

We had a good time here.  A group of ladies got together to learn how to make no-sew blankets.  There was a bonfire on New Year's Eve and people were gathering on and off and getting to know each other.  Son and DIL and grandkids have a membership also and they were here which made it even more special for me.

Of course, living in the south, I had ham, black-eyed peas, cabbage, and cornbread for New Year's dinner.  I read the history of why us southerners have that for New Year's and it was very interesting.  I've always been told that it is for health, wealth, and luck, which basically it is.  But, there is more to the story and I learned something new.

So, here's to a healthy, wealthy, and lucky 2015 for all my family and friends! Blessings to all of you throughout this year and keep reading!