No snow here, but you can tell it's December

This is the way Molly and Annie spend most of their time. They really know how to be retired!

Saturday, December 5 was the annual boat parade in Port Aransas. We went on the Wharf Cat about 6 pm, and rode around the harbor for about an hour. After the boat ride the City provided free tamales and hot chocolate. We look to be all bundled up, but it really wasn't very cold. We feared it might be as there was a north wind blowing. It's 'different' to see boats and palm trees decorated and lighted for Christmas.

Here's the Wharf Cat showing some of the lighted decorations.

The weather continues to be rather rainy and cool, but we still have more degrees (about double) than Saint Paul. We expect some sunshine and about 70 deg for tomorrow. We're hoping.

Texas Catch-Up

We've been in Port Aransas, Texas on Mustang Island for about two weeks now, and have settled into a routine. This post is a catch-up on some of the events getting here and more recent.

We've been told that a 14' alligator lives along the trail we walk for birdwatching. Have yet to see the critter, but we don't doubt that he exists.

Some of the scenery we saw at Benbrook Lake (near Fort Worth) on the way down. This is a sunrise.

The ferry from Port Aransas only takes about five minutes, but sometimes the traffic is heavy and there can be a wait. Large ships pass through the canal between Corpus Christi and The Gulf.

This little dove showed up in our yard in Port A. It was abnormally friendly.

Thanksgiving dinner at our RV resort was a cooperative effort. The resort owners provided and prepared the turkey and ham. Other guests provided the other fixings.

Pat with a couple of our neighbors.

There was NO shortage of food, and someone did remember Cranberry sauce this year. No green jell-o, but there was jell-o of other flavors (or colors, if you prefer).

Tomorrow, Friday, is another day off. Oh, I guess all of them are days off for us. We're taking the guided beach walk to see if we can learn a thing or three about what we're finding washed up on the beach.

Dallas/Fort Worth

We've been enjoying the solitude of Holiday Campground at Benbrook Lake, Texas for five days. It's an Army Corps of Engineers park, and while not flush with facilities it is nonetheless comfortable and adequate. The sites are large, the wildlife plentiful, and the lakeshore vista very scenic. Plenty of birds to watch here.

Pat & Dave at Grandbury, Texas.

We spent some time with Jerry and Joan Martin, who live in Benbrook and spend part of the winter in Port Aransas which is where we met them. Last Sunday we all drove to Grandbury, Texas just to wander the shops and play tourist.

Joan & Jerry Martin

The Courthouse in Grandbury, Texas.

Pat & Joan "shopping".

Wednesday, Veterans' day, we will be leaving this area for San Antonio. After a brief visit there, it's onward to Port Aransas on Mustang Island for the winter.

Enroute to Texas

This post comes to you from Oklahoma City OK. We're staying at the Twin Fountains RV Park, a new park just a short distance from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. We had hoped to see the Cowboy Museum last spring, but our route didn't allow for it in the time we had. We made sure we had time for it this fall, and can report that it's a world-class facility that is well worth the time for a visit.

Outside the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

At the Twin Fountains RV Park. It's new, it's nice, and it's reasonable.

Through Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma we touched parts of the original Route 66 from time to time.

This is the original "End of the Trail" sculpture (restored), and you can see it at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City.

Pat with an old friend.

Hey, we were there, he was there, it just seemed like a good idea.

How early Americans decimated the American Bison in just a few years. The Museum has many excellent dioramas to help interpret the history of the west.

Over 13,000 samples of barbed wire are on display.

Yes, it's Ronald Reagan.

Another excellent diorama, this one showing the western chuck wagon.

Summer's over; job at KOA Hixton is done.

Time has been just aflyin' and our faithful blog-followers have been looking at old news for over a month. It's been a busy time for us. The summer in Wisconsin didn't happen when it should have. We had a couple of weeks of nice weather in September, and lots of fall color, but the seasons just didn't seem to be 'traditional' this year. After leaving Wisconsin, we stopped for a couple of days in Roscoe IL to visit daughter Angel. After that, it was on to Scott Air Force Base at Mascoutah IL to see son Steve. Our trip from Scott AFB to Port Aransas TX will take close to 2 weeks as we have some stops to make along the way. You can read about the rest of the trip here on our blog.

One of the many, lovely maple trees at KOA Hixton.

Brothers and Sisters Get-Together in Rochester

On Tuesday, 9/29, all five Winkler siblings got together in Rochester MN for a mini-reunion. Rochester is pretty much the hometown for all of us although most of us haven't lived there for a long time. Brother Ted still does. Now, because we live quite far apart, we seldom get together all at the same time so this was a special treat.

L to R: Shirley, Silver Bay MN; Kate, Champaign IL; Ted, Rochester MN; Dave, homeless vagabond, as you all know - lives in an RV, currently in Wisconsin; and Gretchen, Wheeling IL.

Just want you to know we're all a bunch of fuddie-duddies with not a whole lot of sense of humor between us. Ya, right.

Olivia Love, and Renaissance Festival, continued.

Dave chowing down on a fruit and cream pastry at the MN Renaissance Festival.

Pat and our girls have been staying with Melanie and her girls, and this is the type of thing that happens to Molly and Annie. Molly was shut in here for about four hours and we thought she had run away and would never be seen again. Not true. She was sleeping in the play oven.

This is Isabel, 4, with Annie and Molly. Isabel has a thing for doing things with (to?) our dogs.

Pat with Olivia Love.

Olivia, about 5 days old.

Melanie with Olivia. Annie has bonded with Olivia and wants to be with her all the time.

Grandpa Dave with Olivia.

Olivia.

Melanie and Olivia, still at hospital.

Mel with all her girls.

Melanie, Jason, Meghan, Isabel, Bailey, and Olivia, the whole family.

Minnesota Renaissance Festival

While this has been mostly a summer of work, we have still found time for a little fun and relaxation. Pat has been recently helping Melanie, our youngest, by helping take care of her kids while the new arrival, Olivia, adjusts to life outside the womb and her new family.

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is the largest of its kind in the U.S. We have watched it grow over the years, and while it is much the same each year it is still different enough to keep people coming back year after year. We've attended, on and off, for over 25 years.

This is only part of the parking area. If you have Google Earth it might be interesting to take a look from orbit. Oct 2 is the last day of this year's festival.

You can see what the dress style is, at least for the performers, from this photo.

In addition to "why", a more pointed question might be "how?"

As he balanced this ice sculpture he is spouting poetry. Mostly rather ribald verse.

This photo is included mostly for our friend Shirley in Washington.

The musicians and dancers add a lot of flavor to the festival and help set the mood for the day.

We have watched this performer do the same act for as long as we've been attending. He said this is his 29th year at the MRF. And he still looks about the same as he did when he was 18!

This trio is really into the festival. Not performers, they are attendees.

Some of the costumes are (more than) a little strange.

The landscaping and village scenery is worth the visit. And yes, jackets are needed. This is Minnesota at the end of September, you know.

The quality and large choice of food types is a large attraction.

Musicians are everywhere and playing constantly.

One activity that we can't get away from wherever we go.

Are you starting to feel the theme and atmosphere yet?
We'll be adding more to the blog real soon with more MRF photos and photos of our new grandbaby, Olivia.