If we make it through December, everything’s gonna be alright, I know; it’s the coldest time of winter and I shiver when I see the falling snow. – Merle Haggard

Hello again~Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas wishes from South Padre Island, Texas! May peace, love, and happiness be yours this Christmas, as well as warmth, uninterrupted electricity, water pipes that don’t freeze up, and safe journeys wherever you may go.

We remained in the Ozarks longer than anticipated and didn’t head south until earlier this month. Since our winter reservations didn’t start until January 1st, we had almost four weeks to meander. I use the All Stays app to plan our trips, and I found something that looked appealing 750 miles away in Edna, Texas (southwest of Houston): Brackenridge Recreation Complex. It was near a lake and had several bike trails. What a find, and a real blessing to secure a 2-week stay, considering reservations weren’t made until the week after Thanksgiving!

Our campsite was one of the most spacious ones here, both in length (at least 70′) and lots of grass on either side, which the pups loved. Most of the other sites were 45’ long. One of the bike trails ran right behind our site, and then Lake Texana was just beyond that. The campground is a wildlife preserve, and deer are everywhere. The campground is gated, and there is 24-hour security. Also there are 2-bedroom, lakeside cabins that may be rented, as well as The Main Event Center, where rodeos, festivals, fairs and auctions are held. The town of Edna is about 5 miles away, where there’s a nice, pedestrian-friendly town square and a few stores, including an older HEB. Victoria is about 30 miles away, and has everything, including Aldi (my most favorite grocery store) and lots of shops and restaurants.

From there we drove another 250 miles south to the Valley (Lower Rio Grande Valley) for a couple of days and visited some friends we’ve known since we first went to Bandera five years ago. Priscilla and I were walking buddies there, but I haven’t seen her for a couple of years. We’ve never explored that part of Texas, so we had no expectations and everything was new to us.

The first thing to catch my attention as we drove along the highway was palm trees, and lots of them.

Seeing that part of the country was very eye-opening. I have never seen that many RV and mobile home parks concentrated in a relatively small area, many with hundreds of sites. Obviously, many, many winter Texans flock to the Rio Grande Valley, and it gave us something to consider for next year.

While we were there, our friends took us to Mexico by way of the U.S. border crossing at Progresso, less than 10 miles way. We were that far south. I didn’t take any photos since I didn’t have time to research how to use my iPhone camera in Mexico without incurring any weird charges. Next time I’ll be prepared.

What an experience! After parking the car in an enormous parking lot, we walked across the international border, and each paid $1 to immediately face a barrage of vendors peddling everything from dental services, pharmacias and chiropractic care to shoes, leather goods, jewelry and lots more. It was overwhelming to say the least.

Shopping at the pharmacia was a pleasant experience, though, and I was able to pick up some over the counter drugs that I’ve heard are in short supplies in some places (Mucinex, etc.). Dave thought he might be able to pick up a bottled or two of his favorite liquor cheap, so we went hunting for that, but apparently tequila is the only thing there that’s really a bargain. And there’s a lot of that! Still, the experience was really fun! Actually, we weren’t hassled at all while we shopped inside the stores; it was when we were outside that we were hawked by both vendors and young children peddling trinkets and Chicklets.

Outside, stalls were lined up one after another, every vendor vying for attention. I really didn’t need a thing, which was good because I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed being pressured to buy, and I can’t haggle. It’s nice to be in a place in life where I’m satisfied with what I have. I have enough. Actually, after seeing what I saw today, I’m convinced I have more than enough.

After eating lunch at one of the restaurants there, already bustling with lots of business and tourists dancing to the live music at noon, we continued perusing a little while longer before heading back across the walkway. I was really grateful our friends took us there—since they’d been over several times and knew the drill—and for the experience itself. It’s been a highlight of our trip so far.

That brings us to yesterday, when we drove just 60 miles east to South Padre Island. Thank God. The wind was blowing steadily at 30 mph the entire time, including when we crossed the 2.5 mile long Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge–which was a terrifying experience for me, especially at the bridge’s highest point, where two lanes merged into one because of construction. The motorhome was just one, big sail and feeling the wind’s effects was nerve-wrecking. I was glad to get that part of the trip behind usl

This is another place we’ve never been, so we’re looking forward to the wind dying down and the temps warming up in a couple of days so that we can get out and explore. I’m sure there’s more to this month that’ll be worth writing about. Until then, we are hunkered down!