FILE UNDER "HALLELUJAH, PRAISE THE LORD"
Irene and I went to see if the Trekker was fixed at about 1:30 PM Friday afternoon. Just as we got there we saw a tech coming out of the rig with the papers they put in your car/truck/RV so the floor doesn't get dirty. We asked him if it was close to done.
"Yep, I just finished with it." I asked when the parts came in. He said they were there at 8:15 in the morning. He would just have to do HIS paperwork then give it to Dan the Service Dept. Manager who would have to do HIS paperwork.
I went up and asked Dan and he said it would take about an hour to get it and then that he'd have to get the payment from Gary at Tiffin Motorhomes (via a Tiffin Company Credit Card) and then we could have it. I told him we'd be back about 3.
FILE UNDER "WE DON'T BELIEVE IN SERENDIPITY"
So, Irene and I went to eat lunch at Delia's Tamales in Weslaco (about 5 miles east of McAllen) on Friday just after noon. After placing our order for 1/2 dozen "Cream Chesse and Jalapeño pepper" tamales we saw a stack of pamphlets on the ordering counter that were written in Spanish. It said "The Church which Christ built." I'm not super-proficient in Spanish but I do dabble in translation some. The pamphlet talked about the original and the only church which Jesus built. Irene (who DOES know conversational Spanish well) started to translate it and we realized it was a brochure for an "Iglesia de Cristo" in McAllen - the "Church of Christ." I asked who had put the brochures there and was told that the owner is a member of the church. COOL. We supported a sister in Christ.
After we got done eating we headed over to pick up our rig. It was wonderful to see it on all 8 wheels again.
FILE UNDER "HOW SWEET IS THIS PLACE?!"
If you have followed this blog since its inception you know that Irene and I have been trying to find a location far enough south to call our residence and have our domicile in. We went to Florida and established our domicile there in January. While we were in Florida at the Florida RV dealers Supershow in Tampa we saw brochures for many of the RV Resorts down here. Subsequent to that we had people we know like the Blairs mention the Rio Grande Valley of Texas or "RGV" as its called here as a possible location. They put us in contact with the Nelsons, another Sojourner couple who own a Bungalow at "Retama Village" here in Mission, TX. They told us about "Discover Retama" a promotion put on by the developers. They will let you come and stay free of charge for 3 days if you will let them show you the development. We called and set this up way back in early February.
If you'd like to read up on Retama Village here is the link:
Since we were scheduled to be here from the 6th-8th and our rig was broken down, they let us stay in one of their 1 bedroom Casitas until Friday. Then they extended our stay until this coming Wednesday so we could stay for a while IN our RV.
The development is amazing. They have bungalows (or "Coach Houses" as they call them). Then they have 1 and 2 Bedroom "Port Homes" and 1 Bedroom Casitas. These 3 Types of homes are all specifically designed for those who own RVs. They also have one part of the development for those who only want a house. The whole community for "Active 55+ year olders."
Having said that, the BEST part - of many REALLY GOOD parts - Irene and I have seen at Retama Village are the owners themselves: Everyone is friendly; smiling; pleasant; helpful; outgoing and
L-O-V-E-S it here.
Other things we've noticed since coming here about a week ago now. The locals really appreciate "winter Texans" as we are called. That isn't necessarily the case in Florida. Many people there seem to view "Snowbirds" as an evil necessity to have to put up with and of course price GOUGE. Here in the valley the cost of living is about 20% LESS than what it was in Florida while we were there. PLUS, the local restaurants are better. PLUS, the traffic is MUCH less of a hassle. Even last night (Friday) and at what would normally be "rush hour" (4:30 in the afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday) there was NO rush hour and very little slow down on the 65 mph US Freeway 83 that runs East-West through the area. Plus, this is NOT "God's Waiting Room." The overall percentage of people, hmmm, how do I say this .... OUR AGE is MUCH LOWER. In Florida, everyone seems to be 60+, even the teenagers. It's like some mutant strain of the flu wiped out everyone under 50.
Friday we went to [[the World Birding Center]].
Yesterday Irene and I went to the [[National Butterfly Center]].
Then we headed over to [[South Padre Island]] on the Gulf Coast. That could have been a BIG problem since it was the first day of Spring Break for many schools and colleges and universities. Even there though the traffic wasn't that bad though it was little heavy. We went to a great restaurant - Dirty Al's. Its a seafood restaurant that is very casual. Kinda like a "Joe's Crab Shack" with MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better food.
We went to a great church today. It is the Church of Christ North in Pharr, TX. They emphasize Hispanic missions on BOTH sides of the border. They have a School of Preaching to train Spanish speakers not only to go back to Mexico to plant new churches but also plant Spanish speaking works on this side of the border. It was a really nice day. We met to other Sojourner couples that attend the church during the winter months.
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