Catch Up Post #1

Roger here...  Bear with me.  We just posted about our trip to South Padre Island that happened a few days ago.  It was our first trip in the motor home since December.  However, we have had some ups and downs and some new experiences since December that we do not want to forget.  This is the first post, beginning in January, from the "lost" time.

We will start with a sunset picture.  Dianne could tell you ad-nauseum how much I enjoy taking them.  

We continue to do our normal Mission Texas activities.  Dianne is our Retama Village community librarian.  I swim a mile 3-4 times a week before the sun gets too high in the sky (wearing sun-protective clothing).  Dianne walks pool laps at the same time.  We walk Cinderella Pet Rescue Dogs twice a week.  I play ping pong three times a week.  Of course, we walk our dogs twice every day.  There is plenty here to keep us busy and fulfilled.

One of the Ups...

We returned in the middle of winter --- perfect for several hikes with the dogs at Bentsen Rio Grande State Park.  

A Green Jay sighting (a common occurrence) at one of the bird blinds in the park.

Another Up...

Our dogs are our absolutely best companions.

Our neighbors' dog, Amigo --- on the left, stays with us when his parents are gone for the day.  He has been one of Tequila's best friends.

Amigo, our neighbor, LOVES to dig out all his water.  After all, he is a wire-haired Jack Russell Terrier. :-)

Bandido loves his neighbor, too, but sometimes he just wants to rest.

"Sometimes you just have to relax on dad's lounge chair."

A down....  

Our last original traveling companion, Charlie the cat, passed away in January.  He was 16 years old, and definitely slowing down, before he shut down.  We have had a few cats.  Charlie was the best.  The picture below shows Charlie's litter box that Dianne made from my old college trunk.  Sad times.  Dianne will be posting a picture of our dear  old boy at the end of this post.

Mid-post Sunset Picture

Another Up....

As a small-town boy from Indiana, my only experience with agriculture was visiting my grandparents.  However, I must have inherited their farming genes.  I love scratching around in the dirt and creating landscapes...  Our small backyard is perfect for my hobby, and also for watching colorful birds like this Altamira Oriole.

A hibiscus from the front yard.

Our friend, Nancy, bought us this fancy hibiscus during a visit.  It looks as if we found the ideal place to plant it.






When we visited Robyn and Atul in LA, we loved our visit to the Getty Mansion.  While enjoying one of the fountains, I began thinking about something I could create using some pottery that we already had.  We both love the sound of splashing water.

Another positive...

While walking dogs at Cinderella Pet Rescue one morning, Dianne was asked if she could bathe one of the new arrivals.  Dianne fell in love.  This tiny little girl stole her heart.  She brought her to our home during a rare chilly and wet spell so she could be indoors.  We could not keep her since our community only allows two dogs, but the story gets better.

Dianne posted her picture on facebook, asking if anyone was interested in a sweet little dog.

My cousin Beth made a mistake (not really).  She said that she would adopt her if Chattanooga was not so far away.  Beth forgot that we travel all the time.  Dianne responded by saying that Roger would be happy to drive the pup to her.  Beth is like a sister to me.  I get to see Beth, and the little dog that we both loved gets a great home.  Time to start packing the car.

My, what big ears you have, my dear!

So..................  Dianne and I went to Mexico to get pet meds and "outfits" for our little treasure....
and we imbibed a margarita and nachos from Panchos.

Don't worry, we bought something for the little dog, too.  I am not sure that she liked it, but it belongs to her.

Time to go.  All dressed up in her cold-weather garb.  I hear it is really cold in Tennessee.

Dianne booked hotels that had ESPN so that I could watch the Purdue basketball games.  The trip was uneventful, and the time with Beth was wonderful.  She named the dog Dinky.  I truly believe that Beth and Dinky are both lucky.  Good feelings.

I took a slight detour on the trip back to Texas to enjoy an easy drive on the Natchez Trace... low speed limit, no commercial vehicles, relaxing drive.

I spent a night in Natchez, a historic town, which is located on the Mississippi River.

Other than an unfortunate speeding ticket, one of the downs, on a rural Louisiana road, the rest of the trip was uneventful.

Time for a sunset picture...

Journey over --- time to watch some TV with my buddy.

The next post also has ups and downs.  One of the downs is still very painful.  For those of you who have known us from Indiana, you may be surprised by a few of our activities :-).

PET PICTURE OF THE DAY :-(

Charlie traveled for 10 years all over the U.S. with us in our RV.   He loved the big motorhome windows to look down on the wildlife, and to be outside in his harness as in this photo from 2015.  We miss him!