We Arrive Home to Quite a Mess

 On Sunday we got home around noon on March first..  We could get into our driveway but not the garage.  There is still about 1-1/2 feet of refrozen snow up here so we had to walk on top of it to unload the truck.

While Karen started to put items away in the house, Bill worked on making a path down from the driveway past the garage to the house.

After about three hours of trying to work through the refrozen snow he was exhausted.  Our snowblower would not work through the hard heavy crusty snow so Bill had to give up on that plan.

In the last week there had been rain, then below zero temperatures.  That caused the hardest shoveling we could remember.  So we called in reinforcements just to get the truck into the garage and Karen's car out.  (so she could go shopping for needed supplies)

Our friend and neighbor, Francis, came down to save the day.  It took him about an hour to clear off the heavy refrozen snow with his front bucket and rear rake.

After Bill took Francis to lunch he walked down through the garage to make a path to the house.  This path took Bill at least 2-1/2 hours or breaking up ice and shoveling.  This is the most difficult snow clearing we can remember.  

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Maple syrup activity comes next after Bill's last years sojourn in the hospital with heart surgery

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We Leave the Valley, the Trailer, and Texas

• On Thursday, February 26, 2026  we empty the travel trailer and load the truck.  We leave before noon as the temperature is climbing to 100 degrees.  (A lot different than Michigan as you will see in another post)
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• We drove north and arrived home on Sunday March 1.  We spent our third night in a motel near South Haven, Michigan because snow and freezing pavement forced us off the highway!
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• Our friends, Nancy and Phil,  sent us this picture taken Saturday evening showing our empty lot as our Cougar trailer is gone!  Miss Kitty, as Karen affectionately called her, is now in the hands of her new owner. 
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• The weather situation that we found at home in northern Michigan is much different with new challenges......

Across the Valley

We sold our travel trailer today and will be leaving the Rio Grand Valley tomorrow on February 26, 2026 for the last time.

Below are three pictures of here and there and this and that.

When the contractors need fill dirt for their current building projects they don't mess around.  These three trucks plus two more kept this crane operator busy all day as he dug into the bank below him to fill them up.

This old Thunderbird up on blocks could be worth some real money if restored properly in the future.  It has probably never seen snow or road salt.

We have written about this before in this blog but the fad has increased.  Old folks in our RV park are buying and riding electric bikes.  Here is the swimming pool parking area recently on a hot afternoon.  Ten electric bikes and none of the peddle kind.

Tomorrow we head north even though it is still very cold in northern Michigan.  Forecast for Mission tomorrow is 99  -  high tomorrow in Frederic is 29.

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A Farewell Trip to the Zoo

 On Monday we picked up the Smokers early in Mission and headed east to Brownsville.

The weather was bright and comfortable. This tiger was enjoying the sunshine.

Phil and Nancy had not visited the Gladys Porter Zoo before.  Karen and Bill were happy to drive and celebrate Nancy's birthday with them.

Brownsville has an excellent zoo as we have blogged before a few years back.  By the looks of this sign at the zoo aquarium - we assume the zoo management had not received the memo from the White House or were just too busy to change their sign.  (Hint: Gulf of America?!)

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Windy and Hot Southern Texas

 The wind blows often and can be strong here in southern Texas.  It can make Pickle ball difficult to play outside.

These recently planted Palm Trees along a road into a nearby subdivision need support from the wind.

Question:  Do you notice the difference in the name on this vehicle compared to what you see in Michigan?

Answer:  In Michigan you normally see such types of trucks that say Heating and Cooling - not vice  versa.  Here the heat is usually the big problem - not the cold.

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Metallic and Silver

 These vehicles seem to have one thing in common.

Owners who like the metallic look and have money to spend.

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A Night At The Opera - (well kind of)

 Wednesday evening,  February 18, 2026, we attended the musical comedy "Mrs Doubtfire"  at the McAllen Performing Arts Center with the Smokers.

The play was a Musical Comedy based on the movie version that started the late Robin Williams.

We had excellent balcony seats.  It was a one-night performance with a live orchestra pit and professional actors.  Here are Nancy and Phil before the full audience arrived and the lights dimmed.

We enjoyed the show in a beautiful auditorium.  

We all made it home safe.

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