Sunday March 30th

Katie and I were debating about going to Mexico today to see the kids, as Katie seems to be recovering but

I am not yet.

We decided after waiting awhile, that our symptoms, basically get worse at night. We were feeling ok, and Karelly was standing outside Juan's house, online, waiting for an answer. We decided to go.

The family picked us up at the Pharmacy at 1PM, and we headed back to their house.

We gave them the $100 from Al Brolly, and explained that he was a friend, and just wanted them to have it. As usual this family is so appreciative of any help they get. Erika went and got some colored paper to make a sign with the girls, to say thank you to Al for the gift.

I brought a range extender for wifi, which I hoped would enable Karelly to pick up Juan's internet, so that she didn't have to go and stand outside.

It didn't work, as it was not powerful enough, managed to see the connection and get 1 or 2 bars, but that is not good enough. It is important for us to be able to maintain communication when we are back in Canada. Karelly is smart enough to do what it takes, given the right opportunity.

Two options...one was for me to try and find a strong way to get Juan's signal, I have been researching that for a few days, but in order to set something up that is more elaborate, I would have to order the parts, and we don't have time for that.

Between Livario and Erika, we managed to go through a process, where we learned they can get internet through an internet stick, which can plug into the usb port of my old laptop that we gave them. The stick is $60 and they can get internet for $5/mth after that. I'm not so sure about that, but we gave them the money, because if that works, I don't have to try and find a long range booster solution, that may or may not work.
They were going to get that hooked up Monday, hope that works!

We asked about house hunting, and they said they had found something. We then went on a long ride a fair distance from where they are now, and ended up at a purple place, not occupied. We went inside and found out it was three rooms, the one in the back was ok, the middle one, had a huge trench in the concrete running through the middle of the room. It looked like someone was going to hookup indoor plumbing, but never finished, as there was an outhouse attached outside. The front room was barely ok, but the front door and windows leave something to be desired.

middle room

Ensuite

Back room

There are no building codes or inspections, so if you have a place with only a front door, then you are basically living in a fire trap situation. To me, that is what this place was. The lot was also not very big. The price? $2,600 US.

We looked at a couple of others right around there, and every time I pointed at some concrete building that was not finished, Livario would tell me "too expensive."

This whole area is too far away from where the girls are going to school, and from where Livario works on a daily basis. We found out later, that the only reason they were looking there, was to save us from having to spend too much money.

We came back to the house, and I asked Livario if he could get Juan so we could have a conversation with translation. He did, and Juan came over.

We started to learn things we did not know before, and that is only because if you do not have the time and a good translator, you only learn the answer to the direct question you are asking. The translator has to be able to understand what you are really asking, and what else you would like to know depending on the answer.

We learned that Erika and the family had been in this house once before. Erika had negotiated with someone, we're not sure who, for them to be able to stay there. After awhile, some guys arrived in a truck, and told them to get out. They had no choice so they got out, and had to find somewhere else. I asked Juan, who has a nice house there, what he would do if these same guys came to his house and told him to get out. He immediately said he would take his family and leave. He said first priority is to look after his family. I asked him what he would do after that, and he said he thought he would get the Mexican Marines to get him back in to his own house. Such is life in Mexico, with the drug cartels.

Sad part is, that if no one bought and used the drugs they are selling, there would be no drug cartels. What a pie in the sky thought that is!

So at anytime now, the same thing could happen to the family again, where those guys come back and say get out! or not! who knows? they may never come back, or could come back tomorrow.

In our minds, Katie's and mine, we need to help them find a place good enough to live in for the family, and safe for them and the girls, and we're really not prepared to stop until that happens. I don't think I will ever be laying on my deathbed, saying to myself  "I wish I had not done everything I could, to help the family find a decent place to live" What is the point in having money if you can't do something good with it...you certainly can't take it with you!

So the search will continue...such a shame they can't stay where they are...as that would be perfect...but so far, we just can't figure out how to make that happen, and we have a feeling our resources are a too limited to make that happen.

We had a great afternoon with the kids, and around 6, Livario took us to the bridge. There was a lineup and we discovered that is because they only had one agent on for pedestrians. Soon we were back in the US with no problems.

We just relaxed at night as we were tired.

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Saturday March 28th

Both of us had a better sleep last night for a change. Still not recovered yet by any means but feeling a bit better.

We went for a nice walk, and then decided to go hit some golf balls. Katie was pounding them out there like usual, I was pretty good, always have to make a few corrections though. The weather was good, not to hot with a nice breeze.

We came back and cleaned some of the outside windows on the trailer.

At night we streamed the movie "The Life of Pi". The Cinematography was outstanding. It was a very good movie, we enjoyed it.

After that we watched the first two periods of the Jets game, but we were tired, and so it was time for bed.

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Friday March 28th

Health wise...still not so great.

Our friends Al and Bonnie made it home safe and sound, and this is what they came back to in Sturgeon Falls, Ont. That's Al standing there.

Katie and I were hoping for a good sleep last night but instead, there were two power outages during the night, one about 1:30, the other about 3:30, and of course when devices come back online there is noise. Both of us tired this morning as a result.

Got on the phone with Time Warner and got the old modem back online. Next year when we come back I may or may not, try and do something again with a new Docsis 3 modem. We'll see.

I made an online appt. at the local Toyota Dealership for an oil and filter change, as well as new windshield wipers. Was able to get appt. for 2:15.

Katie and I went to Best Buy to take back her new Sansa Clip Zip Sport, as she found out it does not do voice recording like her old Clip Zip. Got one of their two remaining 4 gig models, with the ability to add more storage via mini sd card.The sport was 8 gig and was $49.95, the regular was $29.95, a bonus!

Then we went to Target to take back the Docsis 3 modem.

Time for a little lunch so we went to Pizza Hut, close to Frank Smith Toyota and had a personal pan pizza each. They were good.

On to Frank Smith, Got the car done, and they washed it before they gave it back, Nice! The cost doing it this way is not the cheapest one can find, but easy and nice comfortable waiting room.

While we were waiting and watching TV, big announcement that the Sheriff for Hidalgo County retired. He got elected last time with 80 percent of the votes. Why is he retiring?  Because he is under investigation. There is a lot of corruption connected with elected officials, so really basically the same all over.

"EDINBURG — Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino Jr. announced his resignation Friday, citing internal and external pressures since December 2012, when his son and several deputies were arrested in connection with a far-reaching drug conspiracy."

Thing is, here they make a really big deal of the elections in the first place, because they are all tied to Democrats vs Republicans, and then of course when something like this happens.

Elections of Police Chiefs a good idea? Not in my books its not! Just asking for a Sheriff who is tied to the political process and needs to lean one way or another when making decisions.

Back home to relax, and cough some more....

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Thursday March 27th

Both of us still sick...but on the news they said there was a warning from the Center for Disease Control. A different strain of a flu virus. The symptoms do not match what we have, but look at the map for the infected areas...All of Texas! They say they think it is caused by fruits and vegetables but don't know which ones, or from where. Great! Now what? If you get it, it is a trip to the hospital, and tell them to test for this, because they likely would not, and they can prescribe an antibiotic that works for this one.

We went to meet Sister Maureen at 2PM, so that we could give her some foodstuffs that Al and Bonnie gave us, because they were going home. We also gave her some gifts from my Brother and Sister in Law, to give to Michelle, the little girl they sponsor.

We also gave her the money to sponsor our first girl Vicky for the year, and also the money from my brother for Michelle.

Katie and I decided to go out for supper seeing as we are feeling not too great. We went to Cracker Barrel, it was good as usual. Funny, the woman behind us was complaining that they had changed the recipe for the corn bread and ruined it. We laughed because Cracker Barrel never changes anything. They already have a working formula for how to make money.

When we got home, I hooked up the new modem, got Time Warner to Activate it, then after a short bit, found out it was dropping the signal ever 5 minutes or so. Very annoying! So...now that Time Warner is not responsible for the modem, I phoned support for Motorola. The guy was good except he didn't really listen to me, and got me to do all the steps I had already done. Then he thought he was finished when I had internet access again. Oh no...said I! It drops the signal every 5 minutes I repeated.

He then got me to go to a page which exposes the settings for the modem. I read off a bunch of numbers to him, and long story short, phone Time Warner and get a technician out as the line is not performing well enough.

Nope...Katie and I said to each other. The new modem is going back, we don't have time to fool around with a technician right now, we'll put the old one back and pay the $6.99 for the months we're here. Later on, maybe next year we'll deal with this.

Tomorrow morning, back on the phone with Time Warner to get them to activate the old one again.

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Wednesday March 26th

Wanted to show you a video from Erika's birthday party, but couldn't get blogger to take it, so here is another attempt, watch to the end for the cutest part...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xzcsebvoocxbl4e/2014-03-22%2016.50.02.mov

After the night of the horrible sleep for both of us...we sucked up our energy and went to Sam's Club and HEB to do a little shopping just to get out!

At least Katie and I can feel sorry for each other.

In the afternoon we decided to have what we call an "8 minuter". Ok get your heads out of the gutter! It's been said numerous times that a short nap is very refreshing and healthy, so Katie and I call that our 8 minuter, as it is not good to nap too long. Actually our 8 minuter is usually 20 minutes or longer so why we continue to call it an 8 minuter I have no idea.

We heard a knock on the door, and when we tried to get to the door we saw Steve and Janet who used to rent from us, but now own their own place walking away.

Katie and I decided we should go and tell them we were actually at home but having our 8 minuter. We walked to their place but they weren't home, so we thought they were probably still walking. We found them several streets later. Steve said he had been sick the night before, running a fever etc. etc, but said he felt better today. We had a nice conversation, and I invited them back for a drink, but Steve basically said he thought it best we not be confined to small places with him having been sick, and us still sick. We took a rain check on getting together.

Later at night, Karelly was on facebook, standing outside Juan the Dentist's place  so she could get internet, with her tablet, that we gave her, in the rain, all concerned about how Katie was feeling. What a kid...she is awesome!

A great thing happened yesterday, I got an email from a friend of mine, Al Brolly, who wanted to know our phone number here. I replied back and he got it right away. Shortly after the phone rang, and it was him. All he wanted was for Katie and I to give our family $100 for him, to use in whatever way they thought was best, and he would pay me back when we got home. Katie's response "IS THAT EVER NICE!", with a big smile on her face. Ditto from me! We will give them that, and I am positive they will really appreciate it! We have so much, and they have so little. Thanks so much Al!

I got my bill from Time Warner yesterday for the internet. They suddenly added a $6.99 charge for modem rental, which they never charged me for before. They have my $50 deposit already for that modem for several years. I phoned them, and the associate wrote it off, but I was informed that this is an across the board charge for everyone from now on.

So...off to the store Thursday, to buy my own modem approved by them, which will pay for itself, and more savings in time. This would be better if I was a full subscriber yearly, as far as saving money goes, but it just irks me that my bill has been steadily creeping up anyway, and now they want to get totally greedy!

and so ends another great day in the Valley....

more later...

Tuesday March 25th

Sorry folks, not much to say except Katie and I are both sick. We actually did a little work in the morning, but the rest of the day was pretty much a wash...

but...so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Sunday/Monday March 23/24

Not much to report as the weather has been mostly rainy, and Katie is battling a bad cough, which I think I may be getting as well. Our little Livy was coughing a bit at Erika's party, now she is sick and has a fever. Sure hope she gets over that asap.

Our friends Al and Bonnie came to say goodbye on Sunday, as they were going to leave Monday morning. Al has a Doctor's pre-op appointment to get his other knee replaced.

still ends two great days in the valley though, which is better than snow and cold at home...

more later...

Saturday March 22nd

At 2PM we went to a small going away party for our neighbors Al and Lucy, who sold their trailer, and are leaving after many years. It's time as Al is now in his 80's. The party was only 4 trailers down, and was a nice get together for Al and Lucy.

Katie and I had to leave at 4PM, as we had to travel to Mexico for Erika's birthday. We parked the car and walked over the bridge, not knowing how busy it was going to be. Friday and Saturday were two days of "Tourist Appreciation Days" in Nuevo Progreso. As it was 5PM when we got there, it was not too busy, and the lineup of cars on the bridge was not too bad.

We got to the Pharmacy and said hi to Yazmin,

the Pharmacist and Erika's friend. She said it was not very busy for her on Friday, but was quite busy today.

There were still the dregs of the celebration happening on the street.

Very soon after we arrived Erika's husband Livario, who our little Livy is named after, arrived along with Erika's Dad. We walked over to a side street, where he had to park the car because of the celebrations. There was some type of a car show, so there were quite a few Mustangs roaring around and a few motorcycles, but we made our way toward the kids house with no incidents.


We should have taken pictures of the temporary house that the family is able to stay in. The maximum is supposed to be two month. It looks pretty good from the outside, but there are still several broken windows, and there are doors to the kitchen cabinets missing, no door to the toilet which is downstairs off the living room. There is one window missing altogether on the 2nd floor.

There are only a few houses in this entire complex, but the ones that are occupied are well looked after and upscale. There is one other house that is unoccupied, with broken windows, the wiring has been stripped out of the walls, bullet holes in the windows, the toilet is not there, and is in much worse condition than the one our family is in. There are many vacant lots, and because the owner of the complex is supposed to be somewhere in the US unknown, this whole development might not ever be anything more than it is right now.

Now...ON TO THE PARTY!

We went into the outside garage area, and saw balloons hanging from the overhead door. Also a big Karaoke machine which one of Erika's friends had arranged. We also learned that her friends had supplied he food, and the family had to supply the drinks.

We got to meet Erika's mom who came by bus from Monterrey, and is staying for three days. Mom was doing some of the cooking, while Livario was doing all the barbecuing.

Our little Livy, looking cute and singing Karaoke...

What a beautiful Pinata

Livy, Eric, Mom and Dad in the background

Mom and Dad, happy with the Birthday

Later on, Juan the Dentist, came with his wife, two boys and older girl. It became much easier for Katie and I due to the fact he speaks such good english.

His kids go to school in Weslaco, the two boys to Montessori school, and the daughter to a private school. The kids will be bilingual after all is said and done. What a good thing. Erika told him in spanish that she wishes she could get the girls educated in the US so they could really learn english so they could talk directly to Katie and I.

Juan told us that Livario keeps telling him how grateful he is to Katie and I for everything that we do for them. That's so nice! We are doing it because they need it much more than us, and they are like our family now!

We had great fun, lots of laughs watching the kids and Erika's friends do Karaoke, it was just great period!

Katie never wants to head back home later, as she doesn't like to take unnecessary chances. I assured her the walk over the bridge would not be a problem as it is extremely well lit. We're usually going back no later than 7, but on this night, we didn't leave until 10:30.

Erika, along with Eric, and some of her friends drove us back to the bridge. There were lots of revelers from the tourist day celebrations, on the adjoining streets around the various bars. Erika parked the car, and Erika along with Eric, and one of her friends walked Katie and I to the bridge. We thought they were going to stop at the paid turnstyle, but instead they walked us almost to the US side. Hugs all around and we continued on.

There was one guy who obviously had too much celebration in front of us. He decided he wanted to give the border guard a hard time...didn't take long for 3 other guards and one with a dog to hover closely. After that he calmed down.

Katie got flagged again by the computer on a random basis. She has a knack for that...but the border guard said he would override it and he did.

We got home around 11PM.

and so ends another great day in the Valley....

more later... 

Friday March 21st

Katie and I went to Costco in the morning to get a couple of items we wanted. When we went to the checkout, I noticed an older couple in front of us, they were both wearing golf shirts which had a logo embroidered on them. I could not make out what it said. I would describe them as being well dressed.

The woman began to take the items out of her cart, on the side away from the cashier. She took everything out with the exception of a bottle of wine, which was at the back of the cart. There is no way she could have missed it! She proceeded to quickly push the cart past the cashier, and then turned it 90 degrees at the end so the cashier could not see the bottle of wine.

When she started this procedure, my "Spidey" senses went off, probably as a result of my previous profession. I said to Katie "She is going to try and steal that wine". I said it again a little louder, and there was no way I was going to let her get away with it. There was no doubt in my mind, this was not an accident on her part, missing the fact the bottle was still in the cart.

The cashier left her spot and went and retrieved the bottle of wine. After the couple paid and left, the cashier looked at me and said "thank you for that". She said she had not noticed the wine. When she retrieved the bottle she asked the lady if that was her wine, and the lady gave her a strange look, and appeared to be annoyed. She said these attempts happen all time.

When Katie and I went to load our items in our car, a car drove past me, and guess who was in the car? same couple. The logo on the side of the car said "United States Wildlife Dept." Guess they were preparing to have a party in the wild.

Katie and I stopped in at the Tmobile store, I am looking for options for internet for the kids, so that we can stay in touch, about the search for a house and everything else.

Back home, and a little while after the company that sprays our trailer for termites, showed up and did the job. They do a good job, and spray our place twice a year.

Katie and I went an hit golf balls after that...Katie always does well, and I was very pleased with how I was consistently hitting the ball.

Then it was a relaxing evening, but Katie is still coughing quite a bit, I feel so sorry for her.

and so ends another great day in the valley...

more later...

Thursday March 20th

Katie has an annoying cough for the past few days which refuses to leave. We got an email from both Vickey and Sister Maureen, who said the ladies that were going to see the kids they sponsor would be going back to the US side around 3:30 and that if we wanted to meet them at the bridge on the Mexico side we could hitch a ride.

We did that and hopped in the red truck around 4. Sister Maureen dropped us off at the mansion the kids occupy(yeah some mansion) bullet holes in most of the windows, from the Cartel occupation days.

The girls came home from school shortly after, and we received our customary big hugs. They look so good in their school uniforms.

We talked to mom with sign language and the help of the translator on the tablet. From what we learned, the vacant lot where the husband burned down the house has already been sold. That was disappointing, as we had hoped they could get that lot for a reasonable amount, and then build a cinder block house there.

Now Katie and I looked at each other sort of at a loss as to what we were going to do next. Erika and the kids and Katie and I went for a walk around the complex. I would say there are probably 5 nice homes, and the rest are all vacant lots. Erika's husband Livario was working on cleaning the car of one Dentist he works for who has an extremely nice house. Livario went across the street and got another Dentist named Juan who is fairly young and speaks pretty good English.

To make a long story shorter, it seems the only way to get a lot or a house for the family, would be to get some type of bill of sale from the current pseudo owner. It takes a long time apparently to get any documentation that you own the property from the proper authority. In fact, if you get a bill of sale and move in, then start paying the taxes and utilities, and apply for legal ownership....then....after some lengthy period of time the proper authority will get around to you, and decide because you have been paying the taxes it is now yours, and will issue papers saying so.

According to Juan, this is just the way it is. Some may have papers but most don't, so it is a bit of a gamble when you pay for something, that it will really be yours in the end, but it looks like once you move in an start paying, it is unlikely anyone else can get you out.

Juan was very friendly and helpful and spent quite a bit of time with us. He said we could phone him if we needed more help with anything.

Livario and Erika said they would keep looking, and Katie and I thought that even though they are supposedly only supposed to stay in the present temporary house for 2 months, that they could probably stay there indefinitely while they are looking, and there is really no one interested enough to kick them out. We sure hope that is the case anyway.

We had fun with the kids as usual, and Erika's father was playing his guitar and singing, and he is really quite good with a nice voice.

Livario has already cleaned up the yard and the courtyard out back so it looks a lot better. They still don't want to spend money on the house though, as it will not be theirs.

Sister Maureen came back around 7PM, and we got our big hugs from the girls, twice, and I always look at Livy who looks sad that we are going. This time though she knows we will be back on Saturday for Erika's birthday.

Sister Maureen dropped us off at our car on the US side, and Katie and I headed home.

Funny thing...both our friend Al and myself bought 2010 Toyota Rav 4's within weeks of each other in 2010. They came with Sirius Satellite radio and was supposed to be for three months. It has continued working for Al until last week, and mine quit yesterday on the way home from Mexico. Oh well, great while it lasted.

and so ends another great day in the valley....

more later....

Wednesday March 19th

Katie and I decided to go to Don-Wes Flea Market this morning. There is another flea market several miles from Don-Wes and when we approached it on Business 83 highway, there was a total gridlock of traffic. We could see that it was not going anywhere fast, so I turned around, went over to 83 express by the freeway and went that way. That other flea market is like a zoo.

We did our usual browsing around, Katie always likes to get crystal nail files there. I told her to ask the lady if she had any microwave potato bags. Katie has two at home and loves them for making baked potatoes.
Sure enough she pointed to another booth and we were able to get one. $2.50 more than at home but worth it. We got an American stick flag for the golf cart and a few other odds and ends.

We came around the corner and thought this was funny all these folks licking their cones

This is the same vegetable guy that comes to our park on Tuesdays

Later on we took Al and Bonnie out for supper. A small token to pay them back for looking after things at our trailer when our renters first arrive.

We went to "Chedders" mainly good reviews with a few not so good thrown in. Nice restaurant with a comfortable feel. Funny, we all elected to have the same thing which was 1/2 rack of ribs. They were delicious and falling off the bone, very tender. Lots of laughs, we had a very good time with our good friends. Unbelievable Al and Bonnie have been together every minute basically since they were first introduced, 2 years ago.

Then it was back home to our place for a drink.

Katie and I watched the rest of the Jets game and watched them win in ovetime...yes!

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Monday March 17th

Washed the golf cart this morning...looking good!

Katie and I got ready and left for Mexico at Noon. Parking lot on the US side pretty full so it looks like it's going to be busy on the Mexico side. Long lineup on the bridge of vehicles waiting to cross the border back into the USA, with 4 lanes open.

Katie and I made our way along the narrow sidewalk to the Pharmacy where we were going to meet Erika and the girls. Sure enough at the appointed meeting time of 1PM Erika walked in with the girls. We agreed we would be back at 4, and off we went Katie and I, and the two girls.

The girls wanted pizza again for lunch, and they did well with a small pepperoni pizza each, while Katie and I shared a Supreme. It was good!

After we left the restaurant, it was time to get the girls nails refreshed again, and for Katie to get a Pedicure.

Then it was time to get back to the Pharmacy to meet Mom. We got the Pharmacist (Jovita) to translate some questions we had, and arrange for Erika to take us so that we could show her the vacant lot for sale and a blue house for sale.

Off we went then, and showed Erika the vacant lot where a husband had burned down his house because he was mad at his wife. There was a sign with a cell #, so Erika said she would call later on at night. We think the lot might be $900 but are not sure about that. If they got the lot, we found out that Erika's husband Livario would be able to build it himself, which would mean it would only cost for the materials. That is a good thing for sure!

We also showed her the blue house, which consists of a one room shack on its own, and a two room shack. The cost is kind of a mystery as we keep getting different information, but I think in the end it amounts to $2,000 US. In our opinion it is not worth even that, and certainly not suitable for Erika and the family. We just thought we should show it to her anyway, but when I did a thumbs down, Erika laughed and indicated she agreed.

Erika took us back to the Pharmacy so we could do some more translation with Jovita. We may see Erika again Thursday afternoon if we go to Mexico with Sister Maureen, otherwise we are meeting her Saturday at 5PM at the Pharmacy for Erika's birthday. It should be very busy that day as Friday and Saturday are Tourist appreciation days, with bands etc.

The girls wanted to walk us to the Bridge, so off we went Erika and the two girls and us. The girls always hold hands with us when we are walking. Several blocks later, we were at the Bridge and we had our hugs and our goodbyes.

Katie and I noticed there were only two lanes open for cars and virtually no lineup, this was just about 6PM. Also very small lineup for those walking. No trouble at the border and we were on our way home.

We watched the Jets game, they played a good game but lost.

and so ends another great day in the Valley....

more later...

Saturday and Sunday March 15th and 16th

Saturday morning Katie and I were supposed to go golfing with Bonnie and her friends Richard and Pauline, but we both had a terrible sleep for some reason, so we begged off.

Had a nap later on in the morning, and then in the afternoon we went and had the car detailed at one of the many Mexican car washes. There were three fellows working at this one and they did an excellent job! They were busy so we had to wait awhile but it was worth it. The charge was $15 but we gave them $20.

There was a dance at the Rec Hall at night, Bonnie and Al said they were really tired so almost didn't go, but off we all went. The band was really good and didn't take too many breaks. The tables are pre-assigned so it makes it good when friends can sit together no matter when you arrive. We got some dancing in and it was fun!

One of the men at our table Rick Moss managed to win the 50-50 draw, half of it going to "helping hands" charity, and Rick got $212. His birthday was a couple of days earlier so it was a nice belated birthday present.

Back home then and so ends another great day in the Valley...

SUNDAY

Sunday morning it was raining off and on and very windy. Stopped raining in the afternoon, and Katie and I went and did grocery shopping at HEB. When we got back we went to the driving range to hit balls and the wind was right in our face. We both hit some very good shots into the wind, and I was relieved that I was much better than when we hit balls the other day.

We went and did some putting after that, and then it was home for an evening of relaxation and watching the Jets game. Wow what a game, all sorts of action in the first period and the Jets ended up winning 7-2. They needed that badly to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

and so ends another great day in the Valley...

Off to Mexico again tomorrow to see our girls...

more later....

Friday March 14th

Today was the Canada Picnic in the Rec Hall. It was very well attended and the meal and wine were very good. Each table had to provide answers to 20 canadian trivia questions and the winning table got wine for everyone. We did pretty well at our table getting 17 out of 20, but the winners got 18 out of 20. There was some karaoke and dancing at the end.

A friend in the Park Brian Connelly was MC and did a great job!

 Al and Bonnie on the left

Another Manitoba couple...she is funny

Relaxation at night, and so ends another great day in the Valley...

more later...

Thursday March 13th

Today we went to Mexico with Sister Maureen. We met her at the nuns residence in Progreso, Tx. across the Rio Grande River from Neuvo Progreso Mexico. It takes us about 20 minutes to get there by car.

We met Sr. Maureen at 2PM and found that she already had the back of her truck loaded! She had food, huge bags of beans, clothing, diapers, etc. etc. Ken and Vickey were not there, as Vickey had an appt.

Off we went, no problem entering into Mexico, sometimes the border guards on the Mexican side look into the back of the truck and ask a few questions.

We decided, Katie and I would go with her to Canales which is another settlement about 20 minutes down the highway, but first we picked up an extra grandmother, mom, and kids close to where our Vicky lives. Off we went and one of the kids, Carlos, was like a little chatterbox, he virtually

didn't stop talking in Spanish for the whole trip. Sr. Maureen said that was how she learned to speak Spanish, as the kids don't complicate it.

We dropped off half our load in Canalas at this place which was built by church members from where? you guessed it...

A lady in Canalas will later distribute all the goods to families who need it.

We then left Canalas, and drove back to Neuvo Progresso to drop off the rest of the goods.

This was actually a nice clean hall, everything neat and clean. You can see Sr. Maureen's red truck above...

After arriving back in Neuvo Progresso we dropped off the rest of the goods....
to be continued...

This is the regular drop off spot for Sister Maureen, it is a store of sorts where some ladies distribute to those who need certain things.

After we totally unloaded the truck, with the help of local kids, we were going to visit our first, Vicky, as we had a couple of things for her. They were across the street in her grandmothers house which her son had built for her.

Vicky was glad to see us and really liked the Novi monster doll we got her. We got a tour of the house, one big room in the front with a tile floor. The walls and ceiling are straight as well as the floor, but really nothing fancy. It is certainly an upgrade though on Vicky's house across the lane, pictures of which I posted another day, with the kids basically trying to keep warm. From what we could get from the conversation though, it looks like they might build a room for Vicky's family at the back.

After we left Vicky's, and on our way to see Karelly and Livy, we were going to stop at Dayla's who is sponsored by Terry and Arlene. They had sent a goodie box for Dayla as well as school supplies for lots of kids. Then we saw Dayla and her mom on the way home from school. That was fortunate and we gave her "the stuff".

to be continued...

Now it was time to go and see "the girls" Karelly and Livy. We then found that they were definitely out of their previous shack, as the owner was there, and we found they were in the new house on the other side of the road, and the other side of the fence.

As usual as soon as the girls saw us, we got the biggest hugs! We found out they were basically living on the 2nd floor, except for mom cooking on the main floor in the kitchen.

I was surprised at the inside somewhat, it is not in good shape as one of the windows is still broken on the mail floor, but dad has fixed the front door and some other windows. There is one window on the 2nd floor that is totally missing. Not quite sure how they are getting power, as there is no meter on main floor outside, but they are getting power on the 2nd floor at least. That makes us feel better somewhat. We are not exactly sure if they are getting water. As usual we had a great visit with the girls despite the language barrier, but Sister Maureen has enough Spanish that it helps a lot.

to be continued...

Some pictures from the kids temporary new house...

to be continued...

We headed back home then, we had about a 15 minute wait on the bridge at the US border, but no trouble when we provided our passports.

Sr. Maureen dropped us off at our car, and we pointed in the direction of home. On the highway we saw the beautiful sunset and katie snapped some pictures through the windshield

and so ends another great day in the valley.....