Things really start to look neat when you get into the Rio Grand Valley (RGV). Highways from Raymondville on are lined with palm trees and the areas are developed to farmland. This valley was famous for its citrus fruit farms from the early 1900's, having invented the Texas Ruby Red grapefruit.

Located along the Rio Grand river, the area covers the southernmost border between Texas and Mexico. Irrigation canals were constructed in the early 1900's and pumping stations were built along the Rio Grand river to keep them full, all of which irrigated the luscious orchards of the valley. This area went from ranching, to farming, to tourism. Today, it's more profitable to harvest "Gringos" than citrus fruits, and like so many things, the relaxed and serene countryside farming has become nearly non-existent along the valley. This section of the valley is home to over 500 mobile parks, and some, like the one we're in, have over 1,000 sites. Snowbirds are a sought after crop around these parts and southern Texans are glad to see our migration.

The park we're in is named Victoria Palms Resort.

We're here because friends of ours, Lisa & Jerry Heafey from St Catharines, tell us we must see this part of the world and find out why it is one of three major migratory destinations for the snowbird. Since here, they've kept us busy. This park and the surrounding area really caters to the "Winter Texans". The park is top notch, with daily activities every hour and sometimes two per hour! There are games rooms (pool, poker, cards, bingo, etc.), 2 swimming pools, 2 hot tubs, 2 laundry, computer room, a huge and "classic"dance hall like no other, activity, realty and travel centres, dance lessons of every type- every day; a million palm trees and too many other items to list here. It's like being on a cruise ship.
We also met 2 other couples, friends of the Heafey's from the Niagara Region... Tim with wife Sue, and Paul with wife Yvonne. Last Sunday we all went to Pepe's bar to shoot a few brewskies and to hit few golf balls into Mexico because...the bar is on the Rio Grande river! Where else can you do that eh!

F-O-R-E!

Here's Tim & Paul hitting them over the Rio with me and Jerry hitting' e'm back!  Just kidding. We all hit e'm into Mexico.

Below is Jerry putting the hustle on the entertainment over at Pepe's...(and she was a great C&W signer) with Lisa, our ever spirited  and tireless host it seems, keeping a close eye on h-i-s activities! A good time was had by all.

Lisa also took us out to a couple of local lunch spots, and the one Velma really enjoyed served up these H-U-G-E stuffed-with-all-sorts-of-something, baked potatoes, topped with cheese, and brisket meat... delicious...  There's just too much to do around here and Lisa's got to give us a day off....eh!

We're here till the end of December and I have an awful feeling, it's going to be a difficult place to leave.

December 8, 2008 - We visited the South Texas Museum in Edinburg, and it well represents the history of south Texas.
They had authentic 1600's horse saddles from the Spanish Conquistador and colonial days, including weapons from the period, authentic "vaqueros" (Mexican cowboys) dress, saddles and weapons, farm equipment from turn of century, history and displays of irrigation techniques, straight through to the war year displays, and finally ending in the old courthouse with the... you guess it... "hangin' room". They had only one hanging there though.
Here's Velma in a conquistador suit, then there's a 1600's horse saddle, an old and authentic chuck wagon, the hanging room is next and the old courthouse in the downtown square with the hanging room being in the visible tower.

 The Rio Grand Valley has had many wars over the actual location of the Mexican / Texan border. It was under rule by either Mexican or Texans for quite some time, then under Texan rule while Texas was a Republic, and back to brief Mexican rule during the civil war days, and finally the US rule when Texas joined the United States. Since many towns around here are predominantly of Mexican ancestry, in these towns the population is oftentimes over 80% Spanish. This made for bitter clashes when the Anglo Saxon started populating the area and establishing cattle operations, farms and business. Toss in the Tejanos, which are Mexicans who moved here in the early 1800's, wanting the then colonized Texas territory to separate from Mexico. Finally, top all of this with the complexity created by "governing" land rights of those whose ancestry was either Mexican, Tejanos or Anglo American, changing back and forth under various flags, and you can see how this all makes up for a very colourful past.... did you get all that?

December 21, 2009

We're still in Donna. This campground (resort) is way too busy. There's simply too much to do here. On my first week I went to play cards as they were advertising "500". Well, as it turns out it was another type of "500" play game. After a few rounds of practice and learning, a good time was being had by all until...these two seniors at my table "went at it", one saying the other reneged, and the other, a women, just about slugged this guy...Boy, sure gets lively at cards here.
Last week I played better and this week I was top score, but I think the regulars had a hard time swallowing that one :-).
 
Karaoke is always fun on Friday nights, especially watching Paul singing and getting attacked by one of the local "elves!"  Ah.... he loved every minute of it, but Yvonne was shaking her head in total resignation! Seems she's used to Paul getting this way every now and then. From Welland.. eh!

And talk about fresh fruits. Here's Velma picking "Texas Ruby Red's" right off the trees inside the park. There must be two hundred trees all over the place.
We even have our own right on our lot. Between Gerry's oranges and these grapefruits, I'm getting "squeezed-out".

Lisa's at it again... making sure we don't get bored. Her and Gerry took us all down to see the Hidalgo Festival of Lights... What a beautiful show, and it is much larger than the one in Niagara Falls. There are an estimated 160,000 evening visitors over the two week period. It's a drive-thru or the city has these open buses and sleight rides through the various parks holding hundreds of these displays. For $8.00 bucks, you get the 45 minute ride and a full roast beef and potatoes supper, all put out by the City.
 

These are only four of the hundreds of displays they had spread over four parks. Down here it seems that Xmas lights are the thing to do seeing as they don't get the snow.

Once here, you have to go visit Mexico, and that's always a treat as the shopping is good and the food is, of course... good and Mexican. This is what downtown New-Progresso looks like. It's located just south of Progresso.

In between the cool windy days, there's always the 80 degree ones, and they're best spent down by the pool. It's a great pool area with two hot tub.
This area of Texas gets very windy. Some days, it blows enough to rock the trailer while it's on all four 4 legs.
Today is cool, about 50 and tomorrow they're calling for low 40's. But, wait a day or so, and it goes from the 50's to the 80's just like that.
Just this morning, Velma and I were at the park's Sunday service. When we walked in it was warm, muggy and in the 70's. When we walked out it was in the 50's, cold and windy. Bang, just like that.

Yesterday, our tour guide... guess who that is...took Velma and the others to a locally sponsored Xmas lunch event, put on by the Town of  Weslaco, just east of here. Called the Weslaco "Feast of Sharing", it's a free Xmas meal offered to all and anyone who wishes to come. Keeping with the spirit of the Season, our volunteers (below) and many others served about 2,000 meals. The towns and the folks around here really are very friendly.

Three cheers for the volunteers who helped make the day a success.

December 27, 2008

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and to everyone we know, a very Merry Christmas and we wish you a good New Year.

 This year, for Christmas day, by introduction of "you know who", we did something very different. There is a local organization, made up of various local RV parks called "Amigos de Los Ninos de Mexico - Friends of the Children of Mexico". What we do is go across the border to a school in Nuevo Progresso, Mexico, on Xmas day and hand out 2 bags of Xmas cheer to about 3,000 children. We're all dressed with red T-Shirts and Amigo name tags. This way, we're easily recognized by the Mexican authorities in case we should get into trouble or get lost or something.

So this year, we went, along with six park friends, and another hundred or so folks, to pack, guide, cajole and offer some Xmas cheer to all these children. Here we are just before crossing the border.

What a humbling experience. To make happy and put a smile, to so many, and of whom so many of these live in poverty. To be able to do this with nothing more than a chocolate bar, a few fruits, a bag of rice, one of beans, a small stuffed toy and few other items. It's not something you get to experience in Canada, yet, for these kids, it's a way of life.
Here's one side of the line-up. It went all around the school block and on down the street. Many of these kids started lining up at 4:00 AM, and this is Christmas Day!

As they make their way into the school yard, they are given an empty bag and these are filled with various items as they walk along the tables. Farther on, the children are assigned a "guide" to walk them through to the rice and bean station where they are given a bag of each. Here's Velma as she tags onto another happy camper with Gerry not far behind. This is at about 11:00 AM, and we've been guiding these kids since 10:00 AM and as you can see, the line-up behind the fence is still strong. This went on steady for three hours, one every 5 seconds.

At the end of the day, this is what it's all about. Here's a group with Santa Claus as every child is personally greeted by Mr & Mrs Claus.  The hats we buy and wear, we end up giving to the children. Velma was very fortunate to have found a Shrek hat in a flee market, and this happy girl was the lucky recipient. The smile says it all!

The school we used, by the way, is just off the busy main street of downtown Nuevo Progresso. It's a very busy business area, filled with tourist, everyday. The property has three buildings lined around the outer perimeter, like the one in the middle of the lower picture, which houses classrooms, and all classrooms are like the first picture below... very basic and plain. In the centre of the property, there is a covered play area with a concrete floor and that is "the" recreation area for the whole school. The rest of the property has hard-packed-dried mud and gravel and there is a concrete block with iron fence around the whole property. That's it! I wonder how long Canadian kids would last under these conditions.

Basilica of our Lady of San Juan del Valle

South Texas, along the Rio Grand is populated with mostly Mexican migrants, and the great majority of them, so it seems, are mostly devout Catholics. So much so that just west of here, in the town of San Juan, is located the Catholic diocese offices and the Basilica of our Lady of San Juan del Valle... a National shrine.
The shrine has on the grounds a 3/4 mile-fourteen station "way of the cross" It's Italian imported bronze statues are life-like, as seen above for the station where Jesus is helped with the cross. To the right is the Basilica and the tower attached was dedicated to the Oblate priests from France, which ministered the area during the mid 1800's and early 1900. These priests were known as the "Cavalry of Christ" and were well recognized as they moved about on their horses. Their fame was immortalized by a picture of seven priests mounted on their horses and photographed at a dedication of a church in Mission, Texas, in 1911.
 

The story of the shrine is...
A statue was first placed in a 1623 Spanish mission, in San Juan de Los Lagos, in Mexico. It is believed to have brought back to life, a young girl. Since the devout Mexican Christians not only brought along their religion, but also their belief in the sacred statue, the statue was replicated here in San Juan, Texas, in the late 40's. A shrine was built especially for it in the 50's but; in 1970, a airplane crashed into the shrine and destroyed it...but the statue itself was saved and survived the destruction, seen here in the centre of the picture above. Christians from around the world have been coming to San Juan Texas, to visit the statue, now located in a modern shrine, and it is part of a beautifully designed and sculptured backdrop for the altar itself. This shrine is actually an 1,800 seat church which has been designated a Basilica.

Soon, we will be "on the road again" and we have started to get ready for it. It's a state of mind which must be cultured, especially after having enjoyed the  fabulous amenities offered by this resort and of course the friendly folks we've made friends with... BUT, adventure is a strong motivator... so, on January 1, 2009... we'll be saddling-up and headin' to Apache Junction, AZ by way along the Rio on through Laredo and El-Paso Texas, along with my "pad'ner".

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