Winter 2012

February 2012 Update:

We are certainly enjoying the nice weather in Rockport, TX!  We spent a day at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, winter home to North America’s tallest birds, the Whooping Crane.  These birds migrate from Wood Buffalo National Park in northwestern Canada.  We enjoyed a 2-hour van tour, led by T.J. & Frankie Fox, which was very informative.  We saw six whooping cranes, as well as a couple of alligators, pelicans, various birds, and a gopher.  We also learned about the vegetation and saw a very large live oak tree. 

We recently biked to the Rockport Beach Park where we were able to bike along the beach.  There is a saltwater pool at the park, although it wasn’t warm enough to be in while we were there.  We biked onto a pier where we saw three dolphins frolicking in the water, but of course they are too quick for photos!  The park is also a nesting area for Black Skimmers although we didn’t see any while there.  We did see a couple of blue herons, pelicans and plenty of gulls.

Bob has enjoyed assisting with a couple of Scholastic Chess Tournaments in Corpus Christi, as well as playing chess on Friday evenings at a coffee shop also in Corpus.

We spent last weekend up in Houston with Bill and Deb. Saturday nite we went to  a sports bar and watched the IU - Purdue basketball game with the IU and Purdue Alumni clubs. We had a great time, esp since IU beat Purdue. Then on Sunday we went to another sports bar to watch the Super Bowl on the large TV. We had a great time watching Peyton's brother, Eli, win the MVP and the Super Bowl trophy.

January 2012 Update

We spent the month of November in Houston TX at the Traiders Village. We were able to spend a lot of time with our friends Bill and Deb and look forward to seeing them when they come down in March for spring break.

We spent the month of December in Indiana & Tennessee with family.  Son Eric returned from Iraq so we enjoyed spending time with him, son Mike & family, and our siblings.  The weather was decent and we had just a few snow flurries to feel like Christmas!

We arrived at Lagoons RV Resort, Rockport, TX on December 27, to a comfortable 67 degrees!  This is a 600-site facility with mostly “Winter Texans” and we are making new friends and enjoying the many amenities.  There are multiple on-going activities, including water aerobics, poker, card bingo, euchre, bridge and crafts.  We are able to bike to Wal-Mart, Rockport Beach Park, the library and pretty much anywhere in town.  We look forward to lots of sight-seeing, including nearby Goose Island State Park and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  This is winter grounds for the endangered Whooping Crane as well as many other water fowl.  We are about 30 miles north of Corpus Christi and 80 miles southeast of Victoria.  So far we have enjoyed warm days, cool nights and plenty of sunshine.  We recently spent an afternoon at the USS Lexington in the Corpus Christi Bay.  The USS Lexington, nicknamed the “Blue Ghost” by Tokyo Rose, is a World War II Essex Class aircraft carrier and is now a naval aviation museum opened in October, 1992.  It is amazing to walk on the flight deck and see the aircraft which provides a better perception of the ship’s size.  We enjoyed lunch on the outdoor patio of Pier 99, a local restaurant next to the Lexington.