The new year is still very young, and already some very auspicious things are happening in my world. My kids’ crowd-funding campaign exceeded its goal by nearly $5,000 (and it was our community’s first-ever successful Kickstarter program!), so their dream of establishing the premier microbrewery in Hopkinsville is coming to fruition. Over the holidays and for nearly three weeks I got to be a “winter Texan,” which stoked both my passion for travel and my dream to be a snowbird every winter. And my resolve to call at least one person a day is snowballing in ways I could not have imagined. So, if the first three weeks of the year are any indication of what is to come, I’m in for a wild ride!

Our reservations at the RV resort in Rockport, Texas began on December 20th so we left home on the 17th, well before holiday travel started in earnest. The timing could not have been better. The kids’ nerve-wracking 30-day Kickstarter campaign began immediately after Thanksgiving dinner (they had just purchased the building the day before) and ended around four o’clock in the afternoon on Christmas Day. Imagine the holiday season at their house! Suffice it to say that I empathized with my grandkids, who had to live with two adults who were on a daily roller coaster ride of emotions, one day certain that everything was going great, and the next day certain that things were going to hell in a hand-basket.

Removing ourselves from their immediate world (five houses separate us) left us feeling a tiny (very tiny) bit guilty, but it all worked out. Sometimes the kids stayed by themselves (they’re 9 and 7, so it’s time they learned to do that) and sometimes either Kate or Steve had to tend to business matters without the other. The bottom line is that all of them worked together as a team, missed us greatly, and seem to appreciate us a little more than they did previously, which already was quite a lot.

Seeing them doing what they’re doing makes me very proud. The community has embraced them, and they’ve even received several ‘thank you’ messages from people they don’t know who are grateful for what they’re bringing to Hopkinsville, a city that’s been in need of reasons to make people want to live and raise their families here–especially those who’ve gone away to school and experienced trendy college towns. It certainly seems like a win-win situation, and those are always the best. Watch them grow! http://hopkinsvillebrewingcompany.com

Our home-away-from-home was Rockport, Texas, with which we were slightly acquainted. We had lived in a marina in nearby Port Aransas when Dave worked at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. But that was in 1994, and a lot can change in 20+ years. It sure did in Port A, where we visited one day. Actually, we didn’t visit; save for poking around in a couple of shops in search of postcards, we drove through. It had been built up so much, the waterfront especially, though not opulently like Destin or Perdido Key. It still borders on quaint. Surprisingly, the A&P was still the only grocery store on the island. Driving past it triggered a flashback of a woman I had seen there so long ago, slowly pushing her shopping cart, lit cigarette dangling out of her mouth. I had not seen anything quite like that before, or since, thank God.

We circled back to Rockport by way of Mustang Island, South Padre Island, and Corpus Christi and didn’t leave Rockport again until it was time to head back north. The population is less than 9,000, and very laid back. Both the residents and the business owners were really friendly and seemed genuinely appreciative of the winter Texans, probably because of the uptick in the local economy that followed them. It was a welcome relief from some winter havens that would prefer that the snowbirds never come. I never could understand that attitude, especially as a waitress in Key West in 1980. Tourists were my bread and butter!

We took in as much of Rockport as we could in the time we were there, using the “51 Things To Do In Rockport” guide we’d gotten at the Visitor Information Center. Many of the attractions in Rockport are natural and therefore free: hiking trails, fishing, birding, and of course, the beach. But one day we splurged and went on a three-hour bird watching tour by boat ($80/per person) where we got up close to the winter breeding grounds of one of the rarest animal species in North America: whooping cranes.

Roseate spoonbills, cormorants, herons, egrets, pelicans and other coastal birds mingled and perched wherever they could: in marshes, on sandbars, in trees, on islands, on wooden pilings. The boat captain was competent at boat handling in the shallow water as well as birding, and that made the trip a good one.

Most days were filled exploring, and we even made progress on the never-ending RV to-do list. All in all, it was a very informative reconnaissance trip. We’ve been dreaming of heading south EVERY winter, and we think we might have found the ideal destination.

Something I get a kick out of is how PASSIONATE Texans are about Texas! It’s really kind of cool to see the clever ways in which the state’s shape is weaved into daily sights.

When it came time to go home, we didn’t want to. That’s always the sign of a good trip. We took our time, ate as much Cajun food for as long as we could, and even took a little side trip on the way home, New Orleans. We’ve been to the French Quarter a few times, but never on a Saturday when streets are blocked off and street performers of every sort hawk their talents in the hopes of earning money or even better, being discovered!

My experiment of calling at least one person every day (which I blogged about previously) is getting easier and easier and is yielding some very unexpected bonuses! I’m getting over the fear of making small talk, strengthening old relationships, discovering commonalities with acquaintances, and learning so much about my friends! I have even received a few “Hey, how you doing?” calls myself, and it’s a great feeling to know someone cared enough about me to call and inquire.

As irritating as it is to see people glued to their cell phones, I have faith in humanity and trust that we aren’t destined to become a world of techno-jerks ridiculously tethered to electronic devices. I am inclined to think that my experiment in communication is going to evolve into much more than just idle chitchat. It’s going to be beneficial somehow…and to think that it all started with the casual comment, “People just don’t talk anymore.” Whatever direction this journey takes will be interesting, and I’m open to however it unfolds since I’ve placed myself smack dab in the middle of it all. Yup…it’s going to be quite a ride!