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.