Day 29 Thursday

Fun and Sun golf tournament today. Shotgun start. Computer picks the partners and team. Katie gets to play with Al, I get to play with Lois, and Rick who is the president of the Fun and Sun and his partner MaryAnn.

Katie and I went to hit a few balls first so she could get used to her new driver. I brought her cracked driver by mistake seeing as it is identical to mine. Had to back to the trailer to get mine.

Great day for the tournament lots of Sun...but very windy.

We started on 17, but unfortunately we couldn't putt well and boogied the first hole, not a great start.
The putting was a struggle all day so we only ended up 2 under par. Most teams were at 5 under, but that is just how it goes...sometimes hot, sometimes not!

We had a good time though and the ladies were good and nice.

We just had time to come home and get cleaned up, and be back at the golf club for happy hour at 5.
Got our 50/50 tickets that Al and Bonnie were selling. The whole tournament gets funds to support Police and Pal projects here in Pharr. Members of the police department, the City Manager, Director of Parks and Recreation were all present before we started.

The dinner was very good Chicken Cordon Bleu...and you could bring your own liquor but had to buy beer and wine from the club.

For the playing portion between Katie's team and ours we got $25. Then the drawing for prizes and the 50/50 began.

We didn't realize we had to throw our tickets in, but pal Al caught it and got them in. Funny part? Katie won a prize on the very next ticket drawn. Bottle of Chardonnay, and free appetizer at Texas Roadhouse along with a ball and tees.

I won $10 off at Cheddars...which is a great place and the ribs are awesome.

Then came the 50/50 and Katie won two wedges a 54 degree and 60 degree from Golf Headquarters which is only right as we spent $80 there on her replacement driver. Lots of people wanted those wedges.

We had a fun night, well organized and lots of hard working volunteers to make it happen, the whole tournament was great.

Came back home watched the rest of the Jets game, what the heck are they doing? they are supposed to be tanking. Oh well...

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Day 28 Wednesday

Forgot to mention the other day, our friend Lorraine came over with a bottle for me. I fixed a problem she was having with her computer...I told her that she shouldn't have...and she even tried to find the same one I had posted a few days ago but she couldn't. So she got me this instead which is great and we will take it home and enjoy it.

Thanks Lorraine you shouldn't have

Al came over this morning and helped me raise one side of the shed so the door wouldn't scrape on the concrete anymore. Then he caulked the bathroom vanity which Katie had got all ready for that job. He did a very good job...what a guy!

Katie and I went to hit golf balls as we are in the Fun n Sun Tournament tomorrow. She hit a few and kept saying that her driver sounded funny. We looked at the head and it was cracked right across the top.

We went to see one of the staff and he said it was an older club although expensive at the time, and couldn't be fixed and that Taylor Made wouldn't fix it.

He suggested that we go to Golf Headquarters in McAllen, and we did. Same story there. We found a couple of used drivers, and Katie got a chance to hit them on the simulator. She liked one more than the other, so she bought that one.

We stopped at Lowe's on the way home, as I had to replace a part in the toilet which was leaking. We fixed that.

Watched some TV tonight and went for a long walk...wind still up...but cooled off nicely.

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Day 27 Tuesday

Can't believe it...27 days already!

My buddy Al picked me up at 8:40 and off we went for the ex cops morning breakfast. Many have gone home already, so there were only 5 of us there.

Great breakfast buffet at this Mexican Restaurant...whatever you want and all for $5.

Lots of great conversation with the other guys and lots of laughs as usual. Just love these conversations where you can have a good belly laugh...makes for a great day! We hung around for quite a while, just talking, and having a good time.

Katie and I are off to Mexico today as the girls are off school for the next couple of weeks. Katie got in touch with our friend Sherlyn who will pass the info to Erika to drop the girls off at the pharmacy for 1PM. We're going to take them for their yearly visit to get their nails done, and I intend to get a Mexican haircut. You might ask what makes a Mexican haircut different than any other haircut? Well it costs $5 for one thing, and with that you get a massage.

Erika dropped off the girls and Eric at 1PM. We took them to Angie's Beauty Salon, I got a haircut, which Angie did herself. She did not use electric clippers at all, just scissors. She did a very good job. The girls got their nails done, and the two girls that did them, took a very long time making sure the details were good. Our friend Lenny had said something to Angie in Spanish and we think he told her to give us the family rate.

The nails and my haircut came to $29....but I did not get the massage...oh well!

We did some shopping, and took the kids for pizza. There was a foosball game at the back of the restaurant but no ball...so the kids got creative and asked the kitchen guy for a lime, and they played with that. Sherlyn picked us up, as she and her mom Marisol were waiting at the house for us.

The kids had some of those eggs that have confetti inside and which you crack over someone's head. Luckily this year they picked on Sherlyn instead of us.

Karelly gave Katie and I a letter each and inside the letter was

Katie got some good shots when we were shopping...getting hair cut...getting nails done

Sherlyn and her mom dropped us off at our car...easy at the border.

Rest and relaxation for the rest of the night.

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Day 26 Monday

We had a tee time to play golf with Al and Bonnie at 7:45. It was pretty chilly this morning 55 degrees F...sounds silly to say pretty chilly when we have just come here from Winter...but chilly is chilly no matter where you are.

Katie and I both had a bad sleep last night, and somehow we just felt rushed, so we didn't start off that great...but as the game wore on we settled in better...and finished not too badly. Katie was struggling and shot 97, I was somewhat better but not great at 91.

We had to pay for our trailer insurance...most of the Canadians here are downgrading their coverage as it is too expensive, especially with the Canadian Dollar. We were paying $765 US, and now it will be $474, with decent coverage, just not replacement value etc. Quite a saving!

Katie and I are in the doing things around the trailer mode, so that's what we did.

Rest and relaxation for the rest

Today was just a beautiful day weather wise.

and so ends another great day in the Valley!

more later...

Day 25 Sunday

Today was a maintenance day...we did work around the trailer...and in the afternoon we went and hit golf balls and hit Walmart.

It was funny, Walmart was selling their gas for $1.79.9 and right across the street Stripes was selling theirs for $155.9. Katie was the one who noticed it. I needed gas because my warning light just came on. There were still lots of people filling up at Walmart.

We just took it easy for the rest of the day.

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Day 24 Saturday

Big north wind and quite a bit cooler than yesterday. This was what the sky looked like last night, along with many lightning bolts.

Katie and I decided that this was a good day to do things around the mobile. When it was built, they stapled what was supposed to look like caulking around the back and sides of the bathroom vanity. Over the years due to the heat, it cracked and discolored and did not look good. Katie started to remove it, but it wasn't easy due to the staples on the back lip so that you couldn't even see them.

She had to work on this for at least two or three hours to get it all off, so that we could caulk. She did a great job!

I went over to Larry and Shirley's to help him set up the android box he ordered. That took awhile.

When I came back I took off one of the windows. In between the outside and inside glass, they have hardboard which has a vinyl coating glued to it. Problem is, it looks great when new, but after the sun and heat get at it, it starts to peel away from the hardwood. Trouble is it is glued on in the middle and is difficult to get off. A scraper is in order and patience to slowly pull it off the hardwood. 

I had in previous years done most of the windows, so I only have a couple left, but it is a time consuming process, getting it all off, then painting instead, which I wish they would have done in the first place.

We had supper and then watched a few episodes of "Bosch" An Amazon studio production which is now in its second season. Really like this show.

and so ends another great day in the Valley..

more later...