This was kind of a not much day. It got to 100 degrees today, so we didn't do too much. We went to Lowes to exchange an outside tap which I'm changing.
Later on we went for supper to Gatti's Pizza which is a Pizza, Spaghetti buffet. They had a deal on for seniors which we didn't know about $5. What a deal, eat as much as you like and includes your beverage. Katie had to pay the adult price which was $8.49.
We just relaxed the rest of the night.
and so ends another great day in the Valley...
more later...
Friday, April 1, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Day 35 Wednesday
Steve and Janet knocked on our door last night and asked if we wanted to golf in the morning as they had a tee time at 9:46.
We said sure, and this morning off we went. It was pretty overcast but no rain and the wind was blowing at about 22 MPH, but it was still good and we had a good time.
We went back to Steve and Janet's for a drink afterward and good conversation and some laughs.
Came home tired and hungry, so early supper time.
I bought a chip that is supposed to make our golf cart run faster. Present top speed is 12 MPH, which is factory governed. The chip in "freedom" mode is supposed to make top speed 19 MPH. Quite a difference!
I took off a panel, plugged the chip in which was easy, then you were supposed to move the switch from neutral position and back 5 times. After that it gives you a series of beeps to let you know what mode it is in. What I was looking for was 4 beeps which means it is in freedom mode. Katie and I did the procedure and voila..4 beeps...YES!
We got the gps out of the car and took the cart for a ride. Instead of 12 we got 16 great! Katie went by herself and got 17...happy with that, and all for the huge price of $7.50 with free shipping.
It is very hot and humid, so we are just going to chill inside and watch the Jets game.
and so ends another great day in the Valley...
more later...
We said sure, and this morning off we went. It was pretty overcast but no rain and the wind was blowing at about 22 MPH, but it was still good and we had a good time.
We went back to Steve and Janet's for a drink afterward and good conversation and some laughs.
Came home tired and hungry, so early supper time.
I bought a chip that is supposed to make our golf cart run faster. Present top speed is 12 MPH, which is factory governed. The chip in "freedom" mode is supposed to make top speed 19 MPH. Quite a difference!
I took off a panel, plugged the chip in which was easy, then you were supposed to move the switch from neutral position and back 5 times. After that it gives you a series of beeps to let you know what mode it is in. What I was looking for was 4 beeps which means it is in freedom mode. Katie and I did the procedure and voila..4 beeps...YES!
We got the gps out of the car and took the cart for a ride. Instead of 12 we got 16 great! Katie went by herself and got 17...happy with that, and all for the huge price of $7.50 with free shipping.
It is very hot and humid, so we are just going to chill inside and watch the Jets game.
and so ends another great day in the Valley...
more later...
Day 34 Tuesday
I have to replace an outside faucet, and as a result have to turn the water off at source. Easy to do it for inside the trailer. Somewhere at the back of the property there is a shutoff valve. I finally found it but had to dig down and get all the mud out of the way. The fire ants are also there and luckily only got a couple on me. They make the spot they get you immediately itchy. I got it shut off with some difficulty.
Once I get the new tap, I will have to dig a bit more to make it easier and try and cover it so that it is not so hard next time.
Katie and I went to meet Sister Maureen at her residence that is now a few weeks from completion. She got there about the same time as we did. Off we went to Mexico. First stop we went to see Michelle, who my brother Paul and sister-in-law Doreen, sponsor. She is 10 now but is very small for her age. We had a package for her from Paul and Doreen. The road is extremely bad where she lives, and there is a lot of water behind their place which is much higher than other times we have been there. It will not be good if it gets even higher. The place were they live is not much more than a shack. You can see in the picture Sister Maureen and the damage to the side of her truck, which was sideswiped in a parking lot.
Once I get the new tap, I will have to dig a bit more to make it easier and try and cover it so that it is not so hard next time.
Katie and I went to meet Sister Maureen at her residence that is now a few weeks from completion. She got there about the same time as we did. Off we went to Mexico. First stop we went to see Michelle, who my brother Paul and sister-in-law Doreen, sponsor. She is 10 now but is very small for her age. We had a package for her from Paul and Doreen. The road is extremely bad where she lives, and there is a lot of water behind their place which is much higher than other times we have been there. It will not be good if it gets even higher. The place were they live is not much more than a shack. You can see in the picture Sister Maureen and the damage to the side of her truck, which was sideswiped in a parking lot.
Then it was off to Dayla's place. Dayla is sponsored by Arlene a friend of ours in Winnipeg. Darla also lives in a schack. We had a package for her from Arlene.
This is Dayla's mom and her sister
After that we went to Lupe's store where Sister Maureen takes many of the articles that she gets donated. There was quite a lot in the back of her truck. This little guy Carlos, who we remember from previous years as being a baby, jumped in the back of the truck so he could push and carry things to the point where we could get things out. He was like a blur, and all this with a bad hip. He needs some kind of brace, but still runs albeit with a bit of a limp.
We sat with Lupe, her mom, and several of the local ladies, until our first sponsored girl Vicky appeared. We had a gift for her as well. Katie also had candy for the kids as usual and this was given to us by our friend Anne who lives in the same Condo Building as us, back in Winnipeg.
Vickey is growing up but still very small
Katie took some more pictures of the kids et al
She wasn't happy with Katie's camera
Sister Maureen had to be somewere so after a bit of a wait on the bridge we got home around 5. Kate and I went to Logan's for supper as Texas Roadhouse was too busy.
relaxation for the rest of the evening.
and so ends another great day in the Valley!...
more later...
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Day 33 Monday
Had to take the Rav4 for an oil change today. Mistake! Although it was not yet at the mileage when we left home, I should have had it done there anyway. Made an appt for 11AM online, and through their chat at Toyota of Pharr Frank Smith Toyota.
When we got there on time..no record of our appt. It wasn't busy but the service adviser says "we guarantee the car will be returned in less than an hour an a half." Oh great I say to my inner voice...an oil and filter change which should take no more than 20 minutes and they guarantee an hour and a half?
I won't even mention the price...should have turned around an left...but I needed the oil change and didn't want to get it done at one of the ten minute places.
We had the car back after an hour, an the adviser was all proud that it was before the limit. Yeah right! Was the car washed in all that time...heck no...would that have been done back home? hell yes!
Last time I ever go to that place!!! My mistake!
Katie and I did some shopping, then home. We have a pretty good crack running across our driveway, which wasn't there last year. Probably because the water table was too high, or it was just to dry.
We talked to a couple of guys working on putting a new roof on a trailer, and they agreed to come over and take a look after they finished for the day.
They came over as they said they would, both really nice guys who live in the park. One of them used to have his own high end house building company with ten employees. They are both retired now but like to keep busy. Wally the house builder is going to lend Dick his concrete saw so that Dick can do a better job than just patching, as it would have been very hard to get it level.
Katie and I were going to do it ourselves, but because it is very uneven, we decided in the end not to tackle it.
Dick will do the job when he gets time, even if we have gone home.
Watched a couple of periods of the Jets game and some other TV, went for a walk and then to bed.
and so ends another great day in the Valley...
more later...
When we got there on time..no record of our appt. It wasn't busy but the service adviser says "we guarantee the car will be returned in less than an hour an a half." Oh great I say to my inner voice...an oil and filter change which should take no more than 20 minutes and they guarantee an hour and a half?
I won't even mention the price...should have turned around an left...but I needed the oil change and didn't want to get it done at one of the ten minute places.
We had the car back after an hour, an the adviser was all proud that it was before the limit. Yeah right! Was the car washed in all that time...heck no...would that have been done back home? hell yes!
Last time I ever go to that place!!! My mistake!
Katie and I did some shopping, then home. We have a pretty good crack running across our driveway, which wasn't there last year. Probably because the water table was too high, or it was just to dry.
We talked to a couple of guys working on putting a new roof on a trailer, and they agreed to come over and take a look after they finished for the day.
They came over as they said they would, both really nice guys who live in the park. One of them used to have his own high end house building company with ten employees. They are both retired now but like to keep busy. Wally the house builder is going to lend Dick his concrete saw so that Dick can do a better job than just patching, as it would have been very hard to get it level.
Katie and I were going to do it ourselves, but because it is very uneven, we decided in the end not to tackle it.
Dick will do the job when he gets time, even if we have gone home.
Watched a couple of periods of the Jets game and some other TV, went for a walk and then to bed.
and so ends another great day in the Valley...
more later...
Monday, March 28, 2016
Day 32 Sunday
Seeing as we didn't get home until 11:30 last night, and then needing some time to unwind, we were tired so Katie and I did pretty much nothing today.
and so ends another great day in the Valley...
more later...
and so ends another great day in the Valley...
more later...
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Day 31 Saturday
Today is Erika's birthday!
In the morning, I removed, cleaned, and applied Di-Electric grease to all the terminals on the golf cart. I was going to replace the 6 gauge wires that come with most golf carts, with 4 gauge wires as they conduct electricity from the batteries much better. I discovered though, that this cart already has 4 gauge wires and they were in good shape, so simply cleaning and applying the grease was all that was needed.
We left for Mexico in the afternoon for the birthday party. This is a big deal for Mexican families, and in Erika's case she has a lot of friends who are more than willing to organize and supply various things that go to making the party a success. This year it was a Leopard theme, don't ask me why, Katie and I had tried to find something Leopard to wear but couldn't find anything.
Katie and I thought it was going to start at 4 but that must be Mexican time. We helped set up decorations and cleaning tables and chairs that were set up outside.
Somewhere between 6 and 7 a truck pulled up, two guys got out and started setting up large speakers and a metal stand that was capable of having a small light show. Once set up they started the music which kept us entertained while many of Erika's friends started to arrive. We had four large tables full of friends.
In the morning, I removed, cleaned, and applied Di-Electric grease to all the terminals on the golf cart. I was going to replace the 6 gauge wires that come with most golf carts, with 4 gauge wires as they conduct electricity from the batteries much better. I discovered though, that this cart already has 4 gauge wires and they were in good shape, so simply cleaning and applying the grease was all that was needed.
We left for Mexico in the afternoon for the birthday party. This is a big deal for Mexican families, and in Erika's case she has a lot of friends who are more than willing to organize and supply various things that go to making the party a success. This year it was a Leopard theme, don't ask me why, Katie and I had tried to find something Leopard to wear but couldn't find anything.
Katie and I thought it was going to start at 4 but that must be Mexican time. We helped set up decorations and cleaning tables and chairs that were set up outside.
Somewhere between 6 and 7 a truck pulled up, two guys got out and started setting up large speakers and a metal stand that was capable of having a small light show. Once set up they started the music which kept us entertained while many of Erika's friends started to arrive. We had four large tables full of friends.
All set for the party
One of Erika's names is Ivone but we always call her Erika
It's really incredible how these families help each other. One of Erika's friends Joanna has a couple of brothers who show up and start the cooking process cutting up onions, preparing the meat and the tacos on the barbeque. Joanna's husband Danny comes with some of his family and they start getting supplies like beer and drinks and ice...making more than one trip. They are all hard working and do all of this with a smile.
Erika, Karelly, Livy, and some of her other friends all had dresses or outfits with Leopard prints. They all looked great. Erika told us that there would also be a bit of carnival atmosphere later on, which as it turned out involved masks for the women and fun phony ties for the men.
Just before it got dark, another vehicle arrived and a Mexican Band with a singer who looked like he was 12, a tuba player, a couple of drum sets, two guys playing trumpets, a clarinet player, showed up and in no time set up and were playing. They were all in their band clothing, all the players in red pants with a couple of stripes on one leg, except for the singer who had white pants with the stripes. He was also wearing a black cowboy hat.
I am not going to post all the pictures Katie took as they are numerous and there are also videos...instead I will post the pictures as a slideshow if you have a mind to watch through them.
The band played a long time without a break, and there was quite a bit of dancing including Katie and I.
Once the band finished, it was time to eat. Erika's mom who comes from Monterrey, makes this delicious soup, and it is eaten out of Styrofoam coffee cup with a spoon. Then it was time for the meal which was three tacos with meat, fried onions, and cilantro. They were very good, so Jim had to have another plate as we had not had lunch, and we didn't eat until around 10PM. Joanne's brothers did a great job.
Then there was more dancing to the music man, and it was 11:30 before we decided we had better get going. We got a ride to the bridge, walked over the bridge, and at US customs there was no one there except us and the customs guys. The one that looked after us was very nice, and off we went with no problem. We went to our car in the parking lot, and our car was the only one there.
After a 20 minute drive home, we got a chance to unwind and then to bed.
and so ends another great day in the Valley...
more later...
Day 30 Friday
Not that much happening today...
Katie and I worked on some projects we wanted to get done around the trailer.
In the afternoon we had our trailer sprayed for termites, this is a yearly process, some people do it twice a year but we usually have it done once, and have had no problems.
rest of the day...uneventful...
and so ends another great day in the Valley!
more later...
Katie and I worked on some projects we wanted to get done around the trailer.
In the afternoon we had our trailer sprayed for termites, this is a yearly process, some people do it twice a year but we usually have it done once, and have had no problems.
rest of the day...uneventful...
and so ends another great day in the Valley!
more later...
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