Rain, Cold, And Fog

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We left McAllen Sunday (yesterday).  No rain when we left but it was 9C.  We stopped for a taco at the local Laredo Taco.  One Texas size taco is enough for me.  We headed on the back roads through Webb, Starr, and La Salle County.  The rain wasn't hard but it was steady.  We stopped for gas in Hebbronville, $2.49 a gallon.  An hour later in the middle of nowhere was a station for $2.39.  Either way, it's still less than half of what we pay in Mexico.  It turns out our gas mileage wasn't off it was just that we hadn't pulled the trailer for a year and I forgot how much more it uses.

The La Salle County rest stop on I-35 (we were on it for 11 miles), is a great place to stop but would be very noisy for an overnight.  They have good facilities and beautiful gardens.

We arrived to Uvalde and spent the night at the Walmart Supercenter.  Nice place, no other rvs and it was very quiet.  We looked for the manager and asked about overnighting and she said there was no problem just park out of the main flow of Walmart shoppers.

Juan fixed burgers on brioche for dinner with a great salad.  We started a Netflix movie but after 20 minutes it was putting us to sleep so we watched rv nomad videos.  The batteries are doing well and of course we put on the Heater Buddy.  It was nice and toasty all night, no need for the electric blanket.

This morning I wanted to use the generator to make a pot of coffee.  That didn't go well at all.  I gave the cord three pulls and half the cord ended up in my hand.  There is a Honda parts dealer 6 miles from the Walmart and a generator repair shop also nearby.  We're staying here another night to see the sights today so it's not an issue.  I'll give them a call in a few minutes, it's still before 8 a.m.

I found a county fairgrounds in Big Lake, Tx,, full hookups for $15 and also a city park in Stanton with 7 rv slots no charge.  Stanton is pretty far for us.  We'll see how tomorrow goes.  Not wanting to sit in the car every day we are going to take our time and stop whenever we want or see something of interest.

They Said, "Go West"

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Some things always amaze me. We had a two-day delay on this trip.  The weather, a clacking pulley, and bad tensioner belt.  All fixed.  The toilet water leak seems to be fixed but we haven't turned the water back on yet 😉  I repaired the wall in the bathroom after years of looking at it all torn up.  It turned out really well and I'm proud of the work.   The SUV drove beautifully only because after 20 years of ownership we had the rear end raised.  What a difference in everything.  Funny thing is, this is our last trip with Fufi.  

I cautiously drove south and then north to Cadereyta and on to the autopista to Reynosa.  Before getting on the toll road we stopped for a technical stop only to be followed after by a transito.  He took out after me but when he got close enough I guess he saw our Mexican plates and made a U-turn.  

The highway was just great. After the toll road, we hit three checkpoints in a row, all 1 km apart: FGR, military, and then Guardia Nacional.  On the outskirts of Reynosa, we took the exit to Hwy 2 to Anzalduas.  It was a thirty-minute wait, but we had no issues whatsoever.  Immigration was a breeze and then to the RV park.  We're staying at Casa Del Valle in Alamo.  We used it on several occasions and one time with Croft and Norma.  We hope Croft will fly down soon and spend some time in Mexico!!!

We'll be here for two nights and then on to Uvalde, Tx, Big Spring, Tx and then to Tucumcari to start Route 66.  We have no idea how far we will get or what we will see although we have a ton of recommendations and our own research.

It's happy hour here and then off to a well-deserved dinner at Olive Garden.  

As Juan always says, "La Vida Es Bella" and I always say, "I'm just happy that I'm here today".

Good Friends Come To Visit In Their New RV

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I need to catch up on this blog post.  We've been getting things ready for our trip next week to Quartzite.  The rv is looking good and I fixed a few items.  One was replacing the dump valve.  It was an easy fix and it worked great.  I had never replaced the wall panel in the bath after we found and repaired a leak several years ago.  We got that done and it turned out well.  That was really easy and not sure why I put it off for so long.  We have an irritating toilet leak from the toilet's water supply.  I took out the toilet and replaced the famous Thetford valve but that didn't fix it.  Next was trying a Shark Bite shut-off valve, no go on finding the parts here in Mexico.  We'll not use water the first night in McAllen until we fix the problem.  

Last week Kevin and Ruth arrived from Canada along with their friends from Belgium, Freya and Bjorn. We had a great time catching up and showing them around our part of Mexico.  We had great dinners together along with other meals, thanks to all who invited us out.  We had a wonderful conversation with happy hour every night as well.  

It was good to have everyone here and Kevin and Bjorn helped put on the decals I bought a couple of months ago.   This reminds me of the time we were in Hacienda Contreras in Valle de Juarez.  Croft, Kevin, Jerry and Sal helped us install our solar.

I gave the trailer a good bath with a wax shampoo.  I was willing to pay big bucks for someone to wax and buff it out but the three people who gave estimates never seemed interested in coming out and doing the job.  Their loss.

We took everyone up to the waterfalls and then down to the lake as well.  It was a lazy week, could have done a lot more but it seemed like downtime for all of us.

We are looking forward to our trip.  The SUV is ready to go.  It was time to change a belt, a hose, and a pulley along with an oil change and a liquids check.  Wish us luck!

On The Way Home We Stopped To See Elvis

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It's a long time in between posts but we have had a lot going on.  We left Cincinnati and headed for Hudson, Oh to visit good friends of ours from Monterrey.  After, we started the journey back to Mexico.  It was a wonderful trip visiting family and friends.  Would we do it again?  Yes because it was so much fun and then no because of the Airbnb rates.  We used hotels as well and they were very nice.  We only had one that we would rate as sh---y.  That said, I'm just not a hotel person and it does vary differently from the Airbnb life.  Obviously, rving is still at the top of the list.

Off we went to Memphis not knowing what to expect.  The last time I remember being in Memphis was when I was about 12 years old.  We had taken a family trip (only four kids at home).  We were checking into a hotel and it was pouring rain.  Standing at the reception desk, a desperate man, soaking wet, came running in.  He had a rosary in his hand, tears running down his face and he needed help.   His mother was on her deathbed and he was lost.  My dad calmed him down and I assume prayed with him as he led him out to his car.  That was my first personal experience with desperation.  We'll never know the end of that story but I hope the man found peace.

I found a pretty cool hotel called Vitality.  It was previously a Hilton Suites.  It was a self-service hotel, our first ever.  Everything is done online similar to an Airbnb.  It's a huge hotel and the lobby is almost out a sci-fi film.  Not a soul in sight.  Before arrival you receive your key code via email or SMS message.  It's really that simple.  A luxurious room with all the amenities. 

 We drove over to Elvis' house but he wasn't home.  Kind of a sad sight to see.  It's a huge venue with several restaurants, a museum, gift shop, Elvis' two aircraft that are now 60 years old.  We wanted to see his house bur we didn't understand how it all worked.  The tour buses take you onto the grounds of his house and then you receive an indoor tour.  We weren't interested in that so we passed.  Not many people, may be less than 75 on both the grounds of the house and the venue.  Word is, they are going to shut it all down soon.  It's lost it's flavor and the neighborhood went downhill.

The graffitied wall in front of the mansion.

Tour bus leaving the mansion.  The grounds are very nice though and well-maintained.

After, we headed downtown to see the ducks at the Peabody Hotel.  A real thing that has gone on for more than 90 years.  The ducks live in a rooftop house made of glass and marble.  They come down the elevator in the morning and make their grand exit every evening at 5 p.m.  People come from all over just to see the event.  There is a ceremony with the duck master after which a red carpet is rolled out from the fountain in the lobby to the elevator.  The duck master has a staff that he sometimes uses to prod the ducks along. 

The Peabody Hotel built in 1869 

The fountain in the middle of the lounge and lobby.

Video of the duck walk to the elevator.

Day Three - Cincinnati and Some Family

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My dad's high school yearbook picture from 1927

It was quite a gathering at my oldest brother Bob's house.  Bob is a widower and has three very grown children, five grandchildren and now one great grandchild.  They all live close by and his only son lives two blocks up the street.  They are all very successful and of course he is very proud of them. 

We had a chance to spend a couple of days together but the dinner was true surprise.  We hadn't expected everyone to show up .  My oldest sister who was in Kansas City the week before also flew to Cincinnati to be with us.  Her oldest daughter lives there as well so it was a memorable time.

My nephew brought bratwurst along with saurkruat and all the fixings.  My nieces brought mac and cheese and oven roasted potatoes.  It was a real treat for us.  The kids were watching the Chiefs vs the Bengals and the oldsters were telling stories about growing up and putting together information about my dad's parents from when then came to the U.S. from Europe in 1907.  

My new great-great niece Charlie June!  My niece Ana is so proud to be a grandmother.

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Bob's daughter Ana, her daughter Kennedy and my niece in-law Jeanne!

Great nephew Marcus with his girlfriend.  He's in his third year at the university.

Yes, we're sitting down.  My nephew in-law Tyresse.  My sister wanted the picture to show her friends how short we are.  I'm actually the tallest in my family at 5'7".

We spent an afternoon with Ana and Tyresse.  Ana was babysitting for her daughter Savannah.  We all had a chance to hold the baby and play with her.  She's a real delight! 

With Bob's two girls; Lisa and Ana.  I can't believe I held them when they were born.  Time flies.

My oldest sister Dorothy with her daughter Christina and husband Ron.  They are a great couple and they want to visit us in San Miguel.   She said to me, "I don't know if you can handle all these visitors".  "Why is that?"  "Well, you've offered the key to everyone"  I said, "they'll never come".  😎

This evening, November 7, we are spending the night in Matehuala.  A great Airbnb for only 550 pesos.  This is our second time here.  We are on our way home from San Miguel.  We wanted to do some things to the house and go to the Dia de Muertos parade.  It was great!  

Day Two Of Relaxing In Cincinnati

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A note to Nancy.  I'd love to buy a bigger car but it would have to be a motorhome.  If we do you guys are welcome to come along!

I don't like to blow my family off by any means, but they are all adults and have children and grandchildren.  (Mask falls with a thud).  They all have their activities to do and we are not only on a mission to visit everyone but also to enjoy our time on the road seeing new things.

Day two took us to the Cincinnati Art Gallery.  When I hear the name Cincinnati I just don't see it as a huge art and history center.  In 2021, USA Today rated it in the top ten of art museums in the country.  Art and history for me are tops and you just can never go wrong.  In 2014 we visited a small museum located in a house in the small town of Harmony, WI.  We spent two hours there.  So much to learn and see.

This day we had actually gone back to finish what we had seen day one.  It was well worth it.  As we walked in we saw the gift shop.  Always good to see what they have and how we can donate to the museum.  That moment was a bit disheartening when an old bad behind the counter said hello and welcome followed by, "maybe we should check your partners pockets".  What?  Racism and prejudice will always be as long as there are human beings on the planet.

A very nice second story lobby shot to start this off.  The art museum was built in 1887 and a wing was added in 19 philanthropist Jacob G. Schmidlapp in memory of his daughter who, along with his wife, had died in a train crash in February 1900.  Since then five wings have been added and that is why it is a two-day visit.

Anne Seymour Dammer was an 18th century sculpture, again a woman who found it difficult to compete in the world of art.   She was also a actor, writer and director.  This is what we have from anytime prior to 1839 and the advent of photography.  We have to rely on the artist's viewpoint be it painting, sculpture or literature.  It is interesting to see how people may have actually lived in the past.  We found that very true with the giant daily life paintings in the El Prado in Spain dating back to 1500.  

Like any good art museum, you need to have a lot of wood and creaking floors.  The European art gallery is one that is hard to match.  The painting descriptions are somewhat in depth and give you enough information to do further investigation.  Most artists, sculptures and their subjects.  Fascinating to read about a person's life centuries later.  Looking at some of the portraits you can discover who the person was and how they lived.

Saint Jeronimo painted by Phillipe de Champaigne in the early 17th century.  I chose Saint Jerome for my confirmation name.  Saint Jerome lived in the 4th century and was the first to translate the bible into Latin.  He also hung around the catacombs.  In his writing he said, "horror ubique animos, simui ipsa slentia terrent" or "fear is everywhere but the silence is deafening".  I remember looking through books of the saints and chose him based on the painting.  

I remember going to a high school spelling bee when I was 15.  A couple of students from my high school and three nuns in a van.  We had to pray to St. Patrick so that we would have green lights all the way.  There is a saint for everything.  Too funny.

Catrina Van Hemessan was from the Netherlands.  Women painters were almost unheard of in the 16th century.  Her father created minatures for the queen of Hungary.  He had a workshop and Catrina would go there daily and work on her technique.  This was an altar piece that hung in Monestary of Saint Jerome in Santa Ana depicting the old and new testament.

Antonio del Ceraiolo was an Italian painter.  His last name, ceraiolo, was a nickname taken from his father's profession as a candlemaker (cera/wax).  The painting depicts Madonna and child with St. John the Baptist sitting next to them.

A ghar derasar is a personal Asian shrine in the home, also called a Jain house, after the god Jani. Jainism teaches that the path to enlightenment is through nonviolence and reducing harm to living things including plans and animals.

I really enjoyed this painting, The Midnight Mass.  I was raised in a very strict Catholic home.  We said the rosary after dinner every night, never ate meat on Fridays regardless of Lent or not.  I went to Catholic schools through the fourth semester in university.  It was a lot of praying.  We would always attend midnight mass.  We lived close by the church and after mass we would go to my Aunt Ann's house.  She lived two blocks from us.  She had been married for a year before divorcing her abusive husband.  She had my grandparents move in with her and she took care of them until they died some 25 years later.  She was a wonderful person and would always invite me to her house as an escape from the chaos at home.  She'd make tuna casserole and tapioca.  She had the idea that I loved tapioca.  I hated it but ate it with a smile anyway.  So after midnight mass, she would give us all a small glass of sherry along with fruit cake, Christmas cookies and homemade fudge along with aachener printer (gingerbread).   Good times, and always with snow.  

Another view of the lobby from the second floor.

We could have easily spent another day at the gallery.  The grounds are well-groomed and there is also modern sculpture outside.  

Across from the gallery is Eden Park.  It has a huge tower that is called a stand pipe.  All new to me.   Built in 1894 it stands 52 meters tall.  It provided water pressure to the city but was obsolete after only 20 years when new ways were found to pump water throughout the city.

The park is filled with geese and I know how some Canadians feel about them.  They are mean little shits and wouldn't let me cross the sidewalk.  I tried to reason with them but to no avail.

Well, I'll keep working on the blog.  I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to post. We're looking forward to some special travelers in a few weeks and after that we should be on our way to Quartzsite.  

A Stop Along The Way To Cincinnati

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As always, we could stay longer just about anywhere we go.  Exploring the history of a place just takes you from one day to another.  Hannibal was fun and it brought back a lot of childhood memories.  We had a nice breakfast at the hotel before we left.  In fact, it was the best one on this trip.  Too bad we couldn't find a similarly priced Airbnb.

Our next stop was in Justice, IL.  Our friends used to live in Chicago.  They were from Monterrey and raised their kids in Chicago.  We were there in 2010 and parked behind their apartment building.  They had gone to the U.S. with hopes of becoming citizens but it never happened until last year.  The old neighborhood in Chicago was gang ridden with shootingd and gunfire on weekends.  Now, in Justice, becoming citizens (they had to wait until their kids turned 18), they were able to buy a beautiful home on a huge corner lot.  Imagine, all those years in the U.S. and they could never come home when their parents passed away as they wouldn't be able to return to their home in Illinois.  

We spent the night at their house, never really slept as we had so much catching up to do.  So much happends in ones lifetime that it is hard to tell the whole story.

The boys are twins. One is a reporter and was out on a job so he didn't make it to dinner!

The drive from Justice to Cincinnati was over six hours, not usual for us but we didn't want to make another stop before getting there.  We didn't find anything in between that was of enough interest to do that.

Cincinnati has a population of 331,000 but the metro area encompassed part of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.  A bit confusing as you wind in and out of them all.  

Our Airbnb was great.  Finally one that was very affordable and had no cleaning fees.  We booked for a week and it was well located between my oldest niece and my oldest brother.  It was nice to get up to our own coffeemaker (can't travel without it) and a homemade breakfast.

Once we arrived and settled, we headed to my nieces house.  My sister, her mother was there.  She had flown from Kansas City (she lives in Reno) so that we could all be together.  My niece Christina's husband was off the next day on a work trip but we had never met except for Face time and I wanted to meet him in person.  What a great guy.  Also, seeing my sister again just a week later was a real treat. 

We decided to have a cookout two days later at my brother's house.  It was convenient for all the nieces, nephews and grandkids who live in Cincinnati.  That way we could have a couple of days to do our own thing.  Believe it or not, the city offers quite a bit.  Our first stop was the botanical gardens.  What a great place to walk around, take pictures and just relax after all the driving.  

I am happy that almost three years later, Juan has not had any issues since his syncope accident in McAllen.  Like I always say, I'm just happy to be here today!

If you remember, we had gone to the city market in Kansas City.  In Cincinnati there is the Findlay Farmers' Market.  Well, it's not really a farmers' market anymore.  I think it is more of a high-class hangout with very expensive food and drink.  I never saw a farmer there 😅  It was fun to walk around and see an area that previously was depressed and brought back to life.  Unfortunately, in most cities where they is a renaissance the upper-middle class moves in and prices go up.  That's good, I like people with money but it seems those that lived there before are pushed out.

Cincinnati is the home of the Reds and they are very proud of their team.

Another new trolley system that transport no one.  Empty every time it passed by.  What a waste of taxpayer money.

This market was in some ways similar to the Mercado San Miguel in Madrid.  The products are definitely good quality and the foods looked and smelled delicious but the prices now match the market.  I'm sure that rent is high and of course they are products the average person wouldn't or couldn't afford to buy.

Funny signs!

More to come.  Stay tuned!