Thanksgiving

Tomorrow we're having dinner with friends.

The resort does have a dinner they host with Turkey and gravy. For tables of eight, you sign up and bring a side for your table and you get dinner without having to cook a lot of food for two. We've never done dinner at the clubhouse because our friend Anne can't eat poultry. So tomorrow we'll have dinner at her house and along with Scotty our friends Amy and Dan will join us.

Now are you ready for the menu? Anne will be fixing a ham, bread and a pumpkin pie. Amy is fixing a turkey along with some squash and I think a dessert. Since I am not eating meat I'm bringing some dressing along with mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed broccoli and a cauliflower salad.

Yesterday I made the dressing and will only have to heat it up tomorrow. Today I prepared the veggies and made the gravy....and boy is the gravy good! It's a new recipe for me and I wanted to make sure it was worthy of the title. Awesome Mushroom Gravy ( http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=27548.0) lives up to it's name. It's totally vegan and easy to make.

I don't think any of us will go hungry!

Jim is tired...he gets up at 0700 and his work day starts at 0800 and ends at 2200. The job itself isn't hard but he's on duty until 1700 and makes a round and closes the pool at 2200. He helps park the rigs and takes care of minor problems around the resort. He also gets to meet and greet everyone. Everyone who know us will see that Jim isn't getting the amount of sleep he normally gets.

Today the rig was washed by Nick and his crew. I'm sure it needed it! While traveling Jim tries to keep the bugs off the front and does spot cleaning but the roof can get messy. The windows are clean again!

I hope your Thanksgiving is all that you want it to be. Sharing with family and friends or a quiet dinner for two. We all have a lot to be thankful for

'Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.' ~Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

Critters

It's 5o'clock on a Saturday, the temperature is in the mid 80's. Some like this warm weather and others can do without it. Oh the wind is blowing too, but that's normal for this area.

Around 0900 this morning Jim and I went for a ride on our trikes. It's been awhile since we did a long ride and we could feel it when we headed into the wind. I guess we need to get out more! We did almost 7 miles round trip and I was huffin and puffin at some points.

On the was back we came across this critter....it was the only picture I could snap off before he headed into the brush. I don't know what kind of snake he is, maybe two feet long.

This pretty critter came by yesterday and some say it's a hummingbird moth but it doesn't look like any of the pictures I've come across.
The above critters are pretty to look at and don't bother me. But the mosquitoes we have this year are about to drive me nuts! Even with the wind and breezes we have they drive you indoors most of the time. And there are some bugs down here that don't like me that raise a welt that itches for three or four days.

Everyone knows I don't like spiders so they HAVE to point them out to me! The other night at the dinner for work campers I had a tarantula shared with me....ewwwww

When we got back from our ride I headed out with Anne to pick up some groceries. Why do we shop on the weekends? Walmart was crowded but I have to admit they did have more than the normal amount of cashiers on hand. Anne still needed a couple items that Walmart didn't have so we stopped at HEB, but after searching for a spot to park she decided she could do without them for today.

Back home I popped a pizza in the oven and Jim and I had that for a late lunch. I should have passed on it. I am mostly meat and cheese free and this pizza didn't set well with me. Smelled good! After I did the dishes I laid down for a nap....before long Jim joined me....that ride just tuckered me out....

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish Blessing

Just a normal day

Not sure why I got up at 0530 but I couldn't go back to sleep. I suppose it would be acceptable if I could watch the sun come up, but that would mean I'd have to get dressed and walk or ride to the back of the resort. I'm not that motivated that early in the day!

Even Jim got up early. Around 0715! Usually I have to wake him. :-) The temperature was in the upper 50's and kept dropping for a couple hours. The sun did rise and was out for a bit then the wind picked up and a cold front came through.

I fixed scrambled eggs and fried potatoes for breakfast. I had some fresh pineapple with mine. On Tuesday a produce vendor comes by and he has reasonable prices. For three bucks you can get a pineapple and he cleans it for you.

After breakfast I got busy doing dishes and laundry. I also made a loaf of bread. I found a simple recipe and the dough is kept in the refrigerator. So far it's working great for fresh bread but if we start gaining weight I'll have to slow down my bread making...

These pictures were taken a few days ago, the palms in early afternoon.

The sunrises here aren't as colorful as Cedar Key but they'll do!

For lunch I wasn't very motivated so I fixed beans and rice. Not sure why something so simple can make such a big mess, but it did! While I was cleaning the kitchen and doing dishes Jim decided a nap was in order.

Spent I quiet afternoon with Jim. After his nap he putzed around with the solar lights and did some work on our screen door. We have plexiglass inserts so we can keep the door open when the ac is running. The upper one gives us problems in high wind. One time it popped right out! So he's trimmed it out with some painted dowels. He also put springs on it so it closes automatically and a bar handle. We had coffee outside but the breeze was a bit cool and we came inside.

Spent the evening watching TV and went to bed before 2200.

Winter Season

It's official, the work camping season has begun. It started on the 15th and will continue through to the end of March. Last night the owner Mike and his wife Laurie hosted a dinner for the work campers and put out a nice spread of barbecue, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob and salad. We also had our choice of beer, wine and teas to drink. The new managers Guy and Juanita gave everyone a welcome mat. That was unexpected and quite nice.

Jim hasn't started working yet, he'll be on a five days on ten days off schedule along with Al and Eric. Not sure when he starts, if he told me I forgot! :-)

We've had one or two cold fronts dip down here in south Texas and while it's annoying for some to have to wear shoes and socks along with long pants, I don't mind. The past couple of days have been in the upper 80's maybe even 90+ and with the humidity it's been to warm for me. I don't suppose there is a perfect weather spot that would suit both of us!

Our resort is still quite empty as a lot of the snow birds don't come down until after the holidays. That family time is important to them. A few of our friends have yet to arrive.

I guess a cold front is coming through because since I've gotten up the temperature has dropped! Oh well, at least we don't have snow!

Veterans Day 2011

the moon setting this morning

Today find a Veteran and thank them - Pick up the phone, walk across the street, stop by the USO or the Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW and let America's finest know how much YOU appreciate their service. Take a moment to teach a child how men and women throughout American history have sacrificed for all of us. Take this day and make it count!

I had both flags out early today to honor all Veterans, past and present but especially those who gave all
moon setting on this special day.....11 11 11

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.

~Author unknown, sometimes attributed to M. Grundler

all set up for the winter

Well, not much is going on here. After the flurry of arriving and greeting friends we've settled in for the winter. Jim has been doing some work around the resort but he doesn't officially start work camping until the 15th. Jim, Al and Eric will be the three working 5 day shifts. They'll assist with parking and making sure, day to day, that the resort is running smoothly. They'll take care of minor problems and alert the manager to problems they can't handle.

Our outside patio is set up but I'm still having a problem with noise when the wind blows (and that is almost 24/7). It wakes me up at night. The lights still need to be put up and I'm sure Jim will get to it soon.

I'm not sure why but we have a problem with mosquitoes! Everyone knows about the drought in Texas but apparently not this area. Sitting outside is impossible even with the breezes we have here.

I've been having trouble with my left eye and finally had them examined. There appears to be a problem with my retina and next Monday I'll see someone at the VA eye clinic. On the other hand, my prescription hasn't changed!

There you have it. When we come here it's like living in any neighborhood. We have happy hours, sometimes we party but mostly we hang around and do pretty much nothing