Sunday, January 13, 2008

Day 13: And...these gorgeous days just keep coming!!!! (Late Post)

WOW……we are becoming very, very spoiled with this wonderful weather. And….you know what? I don’t mind being spoiled at all when we can have weather day after day just like we have been having around here. Once again…..it was in the mid-80’…….how would you like to have that?

There is a slight problem….and it definitely affects me……and you. This damned internet service is really the pits!!! We are not that far from the wifi tower, but yet it is almost impossible to pick it up…..and so, sometimes it takes up to 3-4 minutes before one page can be downloaded!! UGH!!!!! The office is closed on Sunday……so, Monday I will be up there “loaded for bear”!!

After taking a brief bike ride, I stopped by the Teton 5er to see our friends, Donna and Danny. I went inside and we began a conversation that went from topic to topic…..and time passed by. Suddenly there was a knock on their screen door…..and it was the 1st Lady….looking for this old sagging hulk. She came on in and we sat some more and discussed their beautiful 5er…….their travels with it…..and their family.

Danny suggested we all go out for lunch……and, when food is mentioned, of course we both agreed!!! HAHA!! A few minutes later, after a quick trip over to TheHowserHouse, they picked us up…and we were off and roaring down the highway towards McAllen. We decided to lunch at The Texas Roadhouse………..and what a great choice we made.

With peanuts on the table…..and shells on the floor…..and as we were seated, fresh hot rolls served to us……..we knew it was going to be great. We all four ordered “Road Kill”……..a wonderful chopped steak(glorified hamburger) cooked perfectly….and covered with mushrooms, onions, and melted cheese. This was preceded by a large salad for each of us…..and then the Road Kill which was accompanied by a HUGE sweet potato which can be served “loaded”, but I opted for just butter. Another great choice…..that sweet potato was sooooo damn good that my mouth is watering right now as I type…….wish I had another one!

With each bite, which each raucous burst of laughter that was heard coming from our table…..we became better acquainted and we found that we have so much in common. Not only do they live in the same town as the 1st Lady’s sister, but they also have eaten at two of our very favorite restaurants in Missouri: The Potted Steer in Osage Beach and The Pear Tree in Bevier. Both have the most delicious salads, the outstanding onion rings, and battered fried lobster…..quite a specialty!!! Their menus are loaded with unusal entrees and appetizers that are not normally served elsewhere.

Following a great little lunch……the word “little” is not accurate…..there was sooo much food that we had to waddle out of the door to the parking area. From there we went over to Sam’s Club…..and did a wee bit of shopping……and then the 14 mile trip back to Llano Grande Resort.

I fought the battle of trying to get online…..and then conceded to the powers of cyberspace….it was impossible. The 1st Lady and I then decided to get a bit of exercise and so we rode our bikes all over the resort, up and down the many streets, and enjoyed looking at all of the various RV’s that are here for 1-3 months.

Returning to TheHowserHouse, we took our tennis rackets and headed up the street a short way to the newest set of tennis courts…..there are three courts here at the resort. Not having had a racket in my hand for several years, with the exception of moving it around in the garage…and finally to the basement of TheHowserHouse last month…….it was quite a good feeling to once again “hit the courts” and play some tennis. Hmmmmm……I do believe that the verb “play” is a bit exaggerated……..it was more like serve a ball and then go chase it down after missing the return….if there was such a thing as a return….haha! Oh well…..after an hour, I felt a bit better about what I was doing and was doing somewhat better with my serves and returns to the 1st Lady.

However…..NOW, my shoulders are screaming and cursing at me!!!!!!! Hopefully, they shut up when I lay my body on the bed!! HOPEFULLY!!!!

This hurting, sagging old hulk of me then had to make a trip up the highway to Wal-Mart…….not the place to visit on Saturday evening here in the RGV. It was absolutely PACKED with shoppers…..which made this trip take longer than I hoped. Honestly….as I pushed the shopping cart up and through the aisles…..I felt like I was back in Cairo driving in that chaotic city…..running into other carts, people yelling(car horns), darting around the corners of the aisles(street corners), congestion in every aisle which made it impossible to get to the items I needed(traffic congestion in the streets)…….OMG, it brought back soooo many memories from two months ago!!! And….with my screaming shoulder muscles…I was not in the mood to fight all of this terrible traffic in the aisles of Wal-Mart!!!

Finally, I checked out, paid the bill and returned to TheHowserHouse. DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As I was putting the items away….I realized that the clerk did not check the lazy susan carefully and I had left a sack hanging there on the rack!!!! SHIT!!
Not wanting to fight this all over again, I call W-M, and finally got someone to assist me and told them I wasn’t coming back tonight, but return in the morning to either get a refund, or to pick the missing bag of groceries(non-refrigerated items). I can’t wait to go through those crowds again……..!!

But……..it was another fun and active day here in the RGV!!! Which proves to me that………

LIFE IS GREAT!!!!!…..And I hope it is for all of you, also!!

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