A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked

 

What a week! Don and Rhonda got in Sunday night and all week we went sight-seeing and ate good food and enjoyed each other’s company.

Monday we drove around the area. We went up to Rio Grande City but we couldn’t find the historical sites that we were looking for. Then we drove up to Falcon State Park but i had forgotten the passes so we didn’t actually go into the park. So we came home to enjoy a nice dinner outside.

As we are eating dinner we hear the haunting refrains of a bagpipe playing. I grabbed my camera and ran in the direction that the music was coming from. Sure enough Bill was walking around the pool area playing his pipes!

He was practicing for the Saint Paddy’s Day Parade that the Village was putting on the next day. The music was captivating and sent shivers down my spine.

Tuesday we went to Port Isabel and South Padre Island. It was spring break this week but we braved the influx of young people to show Don and Rhonda the sights.

First we went to the Port Isabel lighthouse and climbed to the top.

The view was well worth the knee killing climb!

Phil doing his perp walk for the camera!

Then we went to the  Port Isabel Historic Museum. Phil and I was amazed that they had a room dedicated to the Masons.

They also had some interesting exhibits of the history of Port Isabel and the largest collection of Mexican artifacts from the US-Mexican War.

We drove over to the Island after touring the Museum and drove on the beach and watched the spring breakers. It was like studying another culture. But they did seem like they were enjoying themselves.

Rhonda and I went and walked along the beach some.

We had wanted to wait until sunset to go to dinner but none of us could wait any longer so we headed to Amberjack’s and got us a table looking out over the bay.

Rhonda and I ordered the coconut shrimp which was huge!

Don got some crazy concoction of bacon wrapped shrimp stuffed with spinach.

Phil ordered a…….Hamburger.

Wednesday we got the fifth wheel packed up so Phil could take it with him to take his driver’s test. Yes, he has to drag our home with him in order to get a non-commercial CDL.

He made the appointment, rushed back here to hook up and the Kenworth was DEAD! We spent the rest of the day trying to get the truck to start and comforting the kitties who didn’t understand why they were in a kennel in the back yard.

Finally Phil gave up. The big ole beast was not going to turn over.

So the day wouldn’t be a total waste Phil did put on our new wheels and tires.

Old Wheels

New wheels……pretty!

I brought the cats in but I refused to drag everything else back into the coach since I knew eventually he would get the truck started and I’d have to take it all back out again. Instead I fixed dinner for Rhonda and Don and we tried to relax after a frustrating day.

Thursday we went to Pepe’s on the River.

This is a restaurant that a lot of the Winter Texans enjoy going to, they have live music and dancing and the view is nice, the food isn’t half bad either.

Don and I got the ribs and brisket  plate

and Rhonda order a taco salad and Phil ordered a……Hamburger.

  We could look out over the river and lo and behold we got to see an illegal crossing the river. One guy, the captain I assume, pushes the inner tube while the other one rides.

The Captain then returns back to the other bank to wait another “passenger”.

He best hurry because the Border Patrol is right up the river and here they come 30 minutes later…

Whew that was close!

We got back home in time for Happy Hour so the gang could meet Don and Rhonda.

After Happy Hour we went to the Livestock Show in Mercedes. Phil and I had been to a Rodeo in Co a few years ago and neither of us was impressed but this Rodeo/Livestock show was a blast!

First we walked through some of the exhibits and around the midway. Some of the food offerings were astonishing.

Then we went into the Rodeo. I always thought that 8 seconds didn’t seem that long but these cowboys, one of which was the World Champion, didn’t stay on even 5 seconds at a time!

The best part of the show though was the Mutton busters. They strap little kids on sheep and turn  them loose. The girls hung on better than the boys.

A lot of fun!

Friday we did some local sightseeing.

We went to the Hildago Pumphouse and stopped at a Ropa on the way back. A Ropa sells used clothes, usually 50 cents by the pound. I had never been inside one and neither had Rhonda so we decided to check it out.

Needless to say we didn’t go in any further!

After that bit of adventure we went on to Quinta Mazatlan. A 1930's adobe estate that has been turned over to the city of McAllen to be a part of the World Birding Center network. You can tour the house and grounds and they are both breath taking.

We saw this beautiful girl having her picture taken and I had to snap a few pictures of her also. She fits in so magnificently with the surroundings!

Next we went to the International Museum of Art and Science in McAllen. Now I’m not an art expert by any means and I know that art is suppose to be a personal experience but for the life of me I don’t understand a canvas filled with Wal-mart bags. We were disappointed in most of the exhibits. But I did fall in love with the stained glass window exhibit.

Aren’t they engaging ?

After the museum we went to Macaroni Grill for dinner. We had went to a Macaroni Grill in Tennessee and the portions were so tiny we hadn’t been back since. But people have told us that that had changed and I had a coupon for a free appetizer so off we went.

We ordered the crab stuffed mushrooms. I personally don’t eat fungus but I did eat the crab out of them.

I had the lasagna which was good and the portions were very nice.Phil hated his spaghetti so we won’t be going back.

Saturday we took Rhonda to the Prime Outlets so she could do a little shopping and then we went to Gonzales for lunch. Big, huge, greasy hamburgers that are so very tasty!

We came home after that and Rhonda and Don went and played a round of golf at the local golf course and Phil worked on the Kenworth and he got it started! Which means, hopefully, that Monday he can go get his license.

We celebrated by opening a bottle of wine and Phil took Don for a ride in the truck while I started dinner. We had shrimp cocktail, ribeyes and onion strings. Dinner was lovely except when I knocked my glass of wine in Don’s lap….sigh.

Don and Rhonda left today and I hope they had as good of a time as Phil and I. We truly enjoyed having them visit us!

Books this week: Reading something lite. The Cat series by Lilian Jackson Braun

No movies this week.