#wintertexan

It was nice to be able to around family for Christmas.  Last year we didn’t know if we’d be able to be home for the holidays.  Most workamping situations probably won’t allow us to do that so this was a blessing.  We are back to work now though.  Last month we logged 31 ½ hours for the month per person.  That’s a bit shy of the 50 we are supposed to work but it was deemed “ok” because the other couples that work the week opposite of us, had about ½ of that!  They said not to worry, January and February’s hours will make us appreciate December’s. Our first week back was easy, but the next week looks a lot busier.  

To keep people who are curious about this lifestyle informed, I wanted to update you on what’s happening with our health insurance.  We are losing our ACA insurance through the state of Texas for 2020. Last year, we were able to have $0 premium due to our income.  This year, we aren’t making enough to keep that $0 premium.  We could keep the ACA, but the premium would be high.  So for this year, we will just have our emergency type insurance.  We will just hope and pray that we won’t need any insurance in 2020!  We will continue to pay for certain medical services out of pocket.  

I know I’ve mentioned how big this park is and how almost everyone has a golf cart.  The funniest thing we’ve seen so far is people who are exercising their dogs using their golf cart.  They will drive along the levee by the golf course and let their dogs run alongside.  Guess that’s the lazy way to let their dogs run off some energy.

We went to a park activity expo yesterday where they had representatives from all the park activities.  We spoke to the softball team rep and inquired about the team.  I’ve wanted to check it out for a while but had never made the call.  We went to watch a game today to see the level of play and whether we would fit in and I’d say we could do it if we wanted, but the thing I didn’t like was that is wasn’t a true co-ed league.  Our team had 2 women on it but we only saw 1 woman play for a bit. The opposing team had 1 woman and she didn’t play at all so it’s not really co-ed.  Everyone moved a bit slower, but they were serious about the game. They had some odd rules; I guess to keep older people from injury.  Like you couldn’t touch the bases; you had to run to the left or right of them. They also played with 11 people on the field.  My only worry about playing with them is how long it’s been since I last played in a league. I can’t really remember but it’s got to have been at least 5 years!  I’m definitely out of practice.  

We also talked to the pickleball rep and he talked us into going tomorrow to a free lesson for beginners. It’ll be good to hear the rules and get some practice time in with other people.  We haven’t decided if we want to join their “club” or not.  I really enjoy it but Steve’s not sure whether his knees can handle it or not.

We went across the border again for our dental appointment.  I wasn’t sure what I would think of it…whether it’d feel just like I was in the U.S. or if it’d be a lot different.  The equipment seemed older.  The hygienist did not.  They looked like they were right out of school and they seemed a little “green” to the job.  I spoke to my hygienist in Spanish and then thought that might not have been wise.  I’m not sure my dental terminology is good enough to get me by, but I couldn’t understand her anyway with her face mask on. I have no idea if she was speaking to me in English or Spanish.  Sign language was how I knew what she wanted me to do! She stood and used a water pik to clean my teeth while I sat in the chair.  It seemed a little awkward and I didn’t feel like she could get to my back teeth very well.  So overall, Steve and I felt like they didn’t spend as much time (maybe 20-5 minutes) on our cleaning nor were they as thorough.  I wouldn’t want that to be my regular dental clinic because I’d be afraid they would miss a problem or wouldn’t clean well enough and I’d end up with a mess in a few years.  BUT it did only cost $25.  Steve got his bite wing x-rays and paid $10 apiece for them.  (They weren’t able to email the x-rays to future dentists, so they just gave Steve the x-rays!)  Interesting experience!

Our first experience as true Snowbirds, we spent 21/2 months in Mercedes TX. Our home was the lovely Llano Grande Resort & Country Club. A large RV park with plenty of amenities and activities. If you get bored at this park it is your own fault.

So we settled in and enjoyed our days golfing, cycling, swimming and evenings of Cribbage & Texas Hold’em. We also enjoyed special events like the Canadians Banquet & Dance, Llano Grande Drama Club’s Dinner Theatre, the Canadians Picnic and a concert by the Winter Texan Orchestra. I also enjoyed afternoons with the Knitting & Crochet ladies where we made several afghans and blankets for the local women shelter. Barry did some enhancements to the interior of Our Casa taking advantage of the park’s fully equipped woodworking shop.

Also did some day-tripping, seeing sights in the Rio Grande Valley. Such as:

South Padre Kite Festival

King Ranch

Nuevo Progresso, Mexico

Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan de Valle

South Padre Island Beaches

Made many new friends. Snowbirds, both Canadian & American, are friendly and welcome. Most leave all their woes at home with the winter cold.  We’ve all come south to enjoy the weather, friendship and to relax.