Sick of being Sick!!!!

For over two weeks one or both of us has been sick with the "Texas Crud" or a bad cold. Tom insisted he had allergies, but when I got sick after four or five days of his "allergies", he finally admitted it must be a cold. We have been laying low which hasn't been too hard because most of the time the weather hasn't been great. Tom is pretty much okay now and I'm close to being there. I've even been out of the house some. So, there's no real big news from this part of the country. In the next couple of weeks, we have lots of fun things coming up so we'll have some good things to report. Hope you all are well.

FINALLY - WARM WEATHER!!!

Cadillac Escalade Golf Cart

Front End View

Cute Golf Cart in the Park

Another Cute Golf Cart

We have had the opportunity to get out and about and resume our outdoor activities so haven't taken the time to update the blog. We're doing water aerobics again, Donna has started clogging (what a blast) and Tom is continuing with his 3 times a week exercise class. Doesn't sound like much, does it? But, we're also having friends over, going on day trips, going to dances, and generally on the go. Paul and Cheryl, some of our Excel friends came over last week and we went to Ron and Nancy's Little Italy restaurant. It was delicious and we had a great time together. After we came home Paul and Tom went to play pool for a while a Cheryl and Donna had a fast game of cards. When the guys came back, we all played Uno and had so much fun. They are such a great couple to spend time with.
We've made two trios to South Padre Island to eat at Dirty Al's restaurant. They have the best shrimp and fish. It's a fun place to eat too. After lunch, we went down to the beach and watched the waves and the kite fliers. It was so relaxing.
Thursday night we went to "The Cruisers" dance. They play our kind of music - 60's and 70's; you know, the kind we know all the words to? We danced, twisted and generally acted like teenagers and by Friday morning we knew we had exercised muscles that we forgot we had! It was a good time.
Yesterday we finally made it to the Elks' Lodge for dinner. Tom has wanted to go but we just hadn't made it until then. They had fried chicken and all the trimmings. It was very good and I'm sure we'll go again. There were so many people there the line snaked all around the large dining room. It was worth the wait.
This week, Donna is participating in a clogging demonstration - no, not dancing, but taking money and registering people. It should be very entertaining.
Hope all our family and friends are enjoying the winter and looking forward to spring. Beth, our oldest daughter, and her family have purchased their first home. She called to tell Tom she's making a "to do" list for him when we get there in April. He won't have much time for shopping on this trip!!!!

Quick Trip to Mexico

Check out the rear haunches on this guy! I called him Thumper!

Texas sized Jack Rabbits in our site.

Look at the Crown...wished I had my matching Crown T-shirt on.

We went to Nuevo Progresso, MX today to finally celebrate a break in the weather! Our very good Canadian friends, Jack and Wilma, accompanied us and we did have fun! A bite to eat at the "Arizona" for Mexican food and of course some margs . Yum! Then its off to find the best deal on booze and drugs! Check out Tom in the pic at the liquor store, checking out the Crown Royal!!! What a great time we had. The other pic is some Texas size jack rabbits on our RV site. They better watch out....ol' Tom knows how to fix them on the grill! More later......stay warm and have fun!

The Day of "Avatar"

Today, our Canadian friends picked us up and we went to see "Avatar"! What a fantastic movie. We saw it in 3D and although it was a rather long movie, the time flew by. It's hard to believe that anyone has the imagination and that there is the technology out there to produce something like this. If you love having a good time, go see it. Check out the youtube trailer here Avatar . I wouldn't recommend it for small children as it is quite intense and there are some very scary looking animals in it - also some violence. It wasn't a movie that I would have chosen, but I'm very glad I went to see it. We always have a great time with Val, Brian, Wilma and Jack, our Ontario friends. We've known each other for 5 years now and what fun times we've had.

Life in Victoria Palms is picking up since the first of the year. The holidays are over and people are arriving every day ready to have a winter of fun and new adventures. Unfortunately, the weather has not been very cooperative since we arrived here. I'm sure it will get better as time goes on. At least we're not having any snow or ice, so having to wear a light jacket is no big deal.

We have managed to keep fairly busy between seeing friends (Ken and Lee, Paul and Cheryl) and meeting new friends (Pat and Howard). Water aerobics have been few and far between for us because of the cooler weather but that too will get better.

We had a quiet holiday time and look forward to the best year ever. We hope that all of our family and friends are well and have a great year also. We think of you often.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We wish you all the best holiday ever and the greatest new year yet. While many of our friends are cold and the snow is flying, we're enjoying the sun in south Texas. Yes, it's cruel to remind you of our luck, but it's just not possible to hide our joy in being here. It's been a bit rainy and chilly, but today is about as perfect as we could ask for. We hope you enjoy the time you spend with your families and friends and know that we will be thinking of all of you. We plan a quiet day at home with a nice juicy steak from the grill and all the trimmings. Yum! If it's warm enough, we may even eat outside. There we go again, rubbing it in!! No matter the weather, no matter where you are, may it all be a wonderful time for you. The Claphams

Donna, Texas

Victoria Palms RV Resort, Donna, TX

Vic Palms Dr.

We are finally in Donna, Texas, our winter destination. We were lucky to get a great site this year and although we haven't met all of our neighbors, the ones we have met seem nice. We've managed to connect with some of our old friends too. The weather has been a bit chilly since we've been here, so neither one of us has ventured to water aerobics, but will very soon. It won't be tomorrow though as the high is suppossed to be 45 degrees! Already, many of the residents have their Christmas decorations up and the park looks festive.

Now, we will settle in for lots of activities, (water aerobics, exercise class, parties, making hats for cancer patients, stained glass work, going to Mexico, etc.) and the winter will fly by way too fast. We love it though. It's like summer camp for adults. Tom is already frequenting the hot tub - one of his very favorite activities.

We're still getting used to the new rig. We both enjoy it and there are also some things that we are missing, i.e., the convenience of our computer set up in the old rig, the back door, are two of the biggest things. As time goes on I'm confident we'll find ways to make things more comfortable. Tom just gets frustrated because his "cheese has been moved". Most of the things I can remember where I put them, but some things are just not located. All that will get better with time though. We do love the hickory wood and all the windows in the living area. It makes for a panoramic view for us.

Our time in San Antonio was busy and fun. We were able to do a lot with Tom's sister, Toni and her friends. We even made it to the hill country one day and went to our favorite barbeque place, Saltlick in Driftwood. Yum!!! Funny how we always seem to find good food spots!

More later. . . . .

Happy Birthday, Tom, Nov. 19, 2009

Tom chowing down!

Homemade German Chocolate!

Onion Rings.....OMG

Fried Chicken cooked to order!

Sister Toni, Me, Donna and Friend Phyllis (Cheri taking pic)

Yes, it was Tom's birthday last Thursday. Tom's sister, two of her friends and I all celebrated with him by going to one of his favorite restaurants for lunch, Tiptop. He had onion rings and fried chicken to his heart's content. It was so much fun and a place that he and Toni have gone to since they were children. After lunch, we went to Toni's and played a couple of games of Phase 10 (cards) and had German chocolate birthday cake. Once again, the man was in heaven! I think he really enjoyed the day and we are all a little fatter for it.

Sunday we went to Sunday class and church with Toni then stayed for Thanksgiving lunch - it was great. Today we moved to Braunig Lake which is on the south east side of San Antonio. Since we're heading out to the valley next Monday, this gives us kind of a head start on our way. It's very pretty here and best of all, Tom has access to a hot tub. He's a happy camper for sure. Life is good for the Clapham's.

We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and safe travels if you'll be on the road. We think of all our family and friends so often and always look forward to seeing all of you.