Visiting With Friends

At Llano Grande RV Resort, Mercedes, Texas...

The Rio Grande Valley is a common winter destination for several couples we have met over the years and with whom we have become friends; we spoke of some of them in the previous post.

On this day, we introduced new friends Jackie and Steve to Ed and Marilyn, with whom we became acquainted years ago in reading Ed's blog.

Ed and Marilyn have been wintering in the Valley for eight years now and, because they like it here so much, they've decided to purchase a lot with a coach house in Retama Village, near Mission, Texas. They were kind enough to invite us over to their new digs and served snacks and drinks while we visited in the warm breeze of their patio.

Sandy, Ed, Marilyn, Jackie and Steve at the new coach house.

There are a number of "coach houses" built on RV lots in this upscale community. Their dimensions are about 12x25, and they are designed to serve as additional space for the owners, who continue to live in their RVs. Many of them have a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and a sitting area. Some have pull-down beds or sofa beds. The adjoining patio area, like the one above, is very desirable for social gatherings that are a mainstay of these RV communities.

Marilyn and Ed inside their new coach house.

After a nice visit, we motored back to McAllen and had a nice seafood dinner at Dirty Al's, an offshoot of the more plebeian Dirty Al's in South Padre. The food was very good and, after picking up some hot Krispy Kreme donuts, we called it a night. What? You don't know about Krispy Kreme donuts? Google it and then get a bib to catch your drool. If you don't have a hot Krispy Kreme donut before you die, your life may not have had all the meaning you hoped it would.

By the way, some folks have had questions about the car we're currently towing behind Phannie. They are accustomed to seeing the little red HHR to which we refer as "Mae." Well, on this trip, we're pulling our other car, Beulah. No, Mae is not being put out to pasture; she's merely taking a rest after five years of looking at Phannie's rear end. My guess is that just might be getting a little old. We will continue to tow Mae when we're on extended point-to-point trips where we aren't likely to have an entourage. But in locations like this, where we're among friends, it is handier to have the larger car as a toad. So, if you see Phannie on the road without Mae in tow, it's still us. It's just that Beulah is giving her a break:

So, you might ask, where do you keep the other car when you're not towing it? Good question; it stays in the care of our kids at their home near Houston. We appreciate them a lot for all they do for us. But then, they should do a lot. After all, we fed them, burped them and changed their diapers when they were kids. It's about time they did the same for us. Uh, not that we need that done quite yet...

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; please forgive me if I don't appreciate it enough each day.