Trippin with the Stumpster

What a fun day! On Saturday, our winter Texan friends, Jim, Marty, and Phyllis graciously offered to take us on a road trip and it sure was a great time! Good food, good people, good times! What more can you ask for, right? So after having a tasty lunch of red fish and flounder at an eclectic place called Red Willies, we road the ferry once again and ended up on a beautiful beach on the outskirts of Port Aransas.  At the far end of the beach, a granite jetty stretched out into the Gulf of Mexico.  It provided a rocky pathway for numerous fishermen and spectators who were either enjoying the anticipation of the catch, or soaking in the beautiful view of the puffy white clouds, the beautiful blue skies, and the sounds of the powerful crashing waves. It was nothing short of amazing! As the big waves crashed onto the beach, a multitude of seagulls flooded the sky.  My friend Phyllis had secretly brought along a bag of stale popcorn, which she humbly shared with me so we c...

Last week Jer and I traveled to downtown Corpus Christi and spent some time by the docks at the marina.  Somehow we had timed it perfectly as a couple of boats had just pulled in and were unloading their latest catch.  The nets were full as the crew reeled them in.  It was fascinating! When asked what type of fish they were fishing for, one of the fishermen explained that a red fish tournament would be happening soon, so they were actually fishing for bait.  This bait would in turn be sold to the tournament participants in hopes of catching the prize winning red fish. As the catch was sorted, a few blue crab fish were spotted and several of the spectators immediately purchased them for the price of $2.00 each.  That's quite reasonable considering the price you pay for crab in a restaurant! As the sorting of fish continued, a multitude of anxious pelicans lined the boat rails.  They grunted and squawked with excitement as they waited for the feed....

Last week Jer and I visited the WWII aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Lexington.  While it's just a couple of blocks from our condo, I'm not lying when I tell you that I would drive many miles to see this amazing piece of history.  All I can say is WOW! Launched in 1942, this naval ship saw extensive action thru the Pacific War.  Decommissioned in 1991, today she is docked at Corpus Christi, and now operates as a museum. My imagination took over as I toured the different levels of the ship.  I felt as if I was part of the naval crew as I went through the barracks, the mess hall, the chapel, the doctor's office, the dentist office, the hospital, and onto the flight deck.  It was so very interesting. Imagine my surprise, when one of the first exhibits we visited was in memory of Iowa's own, Nile Kinnick. Not only was Kinneck a famous Iowa football player, it turns out Mr. Kinnick was also the U.S.S. Lexington's first casualty.  While conducting training fli...

Well, you know what they say about birthdays - if you're lucky enough, you get to have one every year.  So, praise the Lord! We were lucky and once again,  Jer and I got to celebrate another one.  This time we celebrated right here in Corpus Christi.  And what a birthday it was!  Let's just say, these Texan snowbirds sure do know how to party! So, to start it off, we all hopped in our cars and met at "Black Beards" for some noon time lunch.  "Black Beards" is a "pirate" restaurant located just a short distance from our condo.  All buccaneers are welcomed there - even our large group of sixteen.  Yes!  SIXTEEN - who came from places as far away as as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Texas, Kansas, and Iowa. Wow!  What a blessing!  A short time ago, these people were strangers - we now call them friends!  And oh, let me tell you, they're pretty good singers too!  After lunch they all belted out a special rendition of "Happy B...

Wow!  What a game!  The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl over the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 31 to 20!  It was the first Chiefs' Super Bowl win in 50 years!  Yahoo!!!  Woohoo!  And go Chiefs! Talk about a game!  Once again it was a come from behind victory for the Chiefs.  Trailing by ten, they scored three (yes THREE!) touchdowns in the last SIX minutes!  Amazing!  I think we'll hear a lot more about quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the years to come.  Selected as MVP, Mahomes is the youngest quarterback ever to receive this honor. While I'm generally much more interested in college football, this year was different.  Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, Ben Niemann,  #56 has local ties to my hometown.  His parents, LouAnn and Jay, graduated from the same high school as I.  I actually ran track and played basketball and softball with both his mom and his Aunt Lisa.  (By the way - they were a hoot!)...

Have you ever noticed how your senses seem to be on high alert whenever you're staying away from home?  It's weird, but on vacation, I always seem to be jabbing Jer in the middle of the night, asking, "what's that?"  I don't know what you call it, but I've heard some people refer to those freaky noises as "things that go bump in the night". Well, the older I get, I've come to the realization that "things that go bump in the night", seem to be happening less and less. Those night bumps must be happening after 9 p.m..  I'm generally an early to bed person, so I'm more likely to hear things that go bump in the "day".  So bear with me as I share my latest "bump in the day" story. Shortly after Jer and I arrived here in Corpus, we started to notice this weird repetitive moan every morning.  It seemed to happen like clockwork - at the same time every single morning.  "Hmmmm---moan......Hmmmm---moan--...

I just can't say enough about the Texas State Aquarium!  It is absolutely amazing and it's my absolute favorite place to visit here so far!  So yesterday, Jer and I had to make yet another trip to check out all the things we missed the first time around.  What an experience!  Now, I can totally understand why our friend, Phyllis, has volunteered here for over 25 years.  She must be just like me.  She can't get enough of this place either! So one of the highlights of yesterday's adventure was the dolphin show.  Unbelievable!  Those dolphins could jump, spin in mid-air, play catch, and even wave to the crowd!  They were quite the entertainers and it was so much fun!  After the dolphins, I ventured into an exhibit where this large fish tank filled the room from top to bottom.  At the top, the tank curved over the top of you so you could walk right under it. It was absolutely breath-taking!  Have you ever had a shark swim r...

The last time I had ridden on a ferry, was many, many moons ago, so when I heard there was a ferry at Port Aransas, another road trip was in order. Port Aransas is nestled between Mustang Island and Corpus Christi, and is widely known as the fishing capital of Texas.  No wonder there were so many boats in the sea!  I've also heard Port Aransas has a 1000 acre nature preserve. How cool is that?  Jer and I will definitely put that on our "to do" list before we go home! So anyway, we  pull up on to the ferry, and I'm just as excited as a kid jumping onto a carnival ride for the first time.  Wow!  Immediately I am impressed at how many cars are stacked on there.  You know - kind of like a can of sardines!  And being the tourist enthusiast I am, I couldn't help it.  I just had to open my window and snap a few pictures.  Im sure the Texan drivers and the many seagulls that hitched a ride, probably thought, "Oh boy!  That's go...

Can anyone tell me what day is it?

You know how they say everything is bigger in Texas?  Well, I'm not one to disagree, especially after our road trip the other day to find the biggest taco in Texas. Shortly after our arrival in Corpus Christi, a friend from back home sent us a text, encouraging us to to check out Recio's Smokehouse Restaurant and Catering in Corpus Christi.  Turns out, Recio's claims to have bragging rights on serving the largest taco in Texas.  Weighing in just short of five pounds, (yes - I said FIVE POUNDS) this monstrous taco is an amazing homemade tortilla stuffed with refried beans, potatoes, breakfast sausage, chizo, eggs, brisket, and cheese.  And it's a real bargain, priced at a mere $12.99!  Better yet, if you happen to have a big appetite, it's free if you can eat the entire thing in under thirteen minutes! So of course we had to check this bad boy out. Jer and I hopped in the car and the road trip was on!  We were off to see THE TACO!  The largest taco ...

If you ever would happen to glance at my personal calendar, one of the first things you might notice is that the last Tuesday of every month is blocked out.  Well, there's a very special reason for this.  The last Tuesday of every month I have a very  important lunch date with all my retired SCSB friends.  We all meet at the Pizza Ranch at noon so we can chit, chat, and of course eat. We've been doing this for the past three years and it's always guaranteed to be a good time. So as I sit here today, this last Tuesday of January, in Corpus Christi, Texas, I'm thinking about my retired bank friends back in Iowa.  Did they remember the day?  (Usually, I send an e-mail to remind them.)  Did Denise and Mary join them?  This would be their first official "Old Timer Tuesday" as retirees.  Did they all celebrate with an extra piece of dessert pizza?  And was everyone able to attend or did the nasty Iowa weather keep anyone away? Well as you ...

You know you’re officially old when you’re on vacation and you’re most visited tourist spot is not really a tourist spot at all.  Oh no, it's much better than that.  It’s our local H-E-B! So what's H-E-B, you Iowans ask?  Well I wish I could say it’s the Health, Exercise, and Balance gym but think again. Heavens!  You know you wouldn’t find me there!   H-E-B is to Texans, what HyVee and Fareway is to Iowans.  You see,  H-E-B is a premier grocery store and oh my, what a sight it is!  Imagine our Avoca Flower Shop, Avoca Foodland, Carley Drug, Casey’s,and Dollar General all in one. That’s H-E-B! And let me tell ya, you better know what you want when you go in there, or you’re going to come out with twice as much as you need! I know!  How does that happen!?!  lol! Anyway, as you can imagine, our trips to H-E-B have become quite frequent and with each visit I  find something new. If you ever go to H-E-B, let me give you some ad...

What a fun, interesting day!   Our new friend, Phyllis, so graciously took us to the Texas State Aquarium during the first week of our stay.  Just a short distance from our condo, the aquarium is where Phyllis has been volunteering for over the last 25 years.  Wow!  Are they lucky to have her!  That little lady holds so much information about every species in the place!  You name it, turtles, sharks, fish, birds, etc. - she's a book of knowledge! Upon entering the aquarium, we took an immediate left where we started our tour viewing a multitude of fish. How fascinating!  There were fish of all sizes and all colors.  I personally was attracted to the seahorses, as I had never ever seen one in real life.  It was interesting to watch the little guys swim around their tank,  just like a child on a stick horse, bouncing up and down.  And when they needed to rest, they just wrapped their tails around the stalks of weeds that blan...

As I said before, the swimming pool is the happening place here at Villa Del Sol.  If the sun's out, and you've got a swimming suit, that's where you go to hang out. The pool's heated to a luxious 90 degrees and it's a great place to meet people.  Need I say more?  I'm in! But I must admit, I was a bit timid about making my first trip to the pool.  I knew no one.  And then, the thought of meeting everyone for the first time in a swimming suit!?!  I know!  I doesn't get much scarier than that! But some how I gathered up the courage, and within a day or two, Jer and I ventured down the two flights to check it out for the first time.  The pool gate was a little bit tricky.  Wouldn't you know, my nervous fidgeting caused the noisy gate bar to clumsily introduce us with a few "cling" and "clangs"!  Sure!  Just what I wanted - more attention!  And why is it that everything is made for right handers?  (Well at least that's wh...

You know how it's always so good to see familiar people when your miles away from home?  Well just two days after we checked in, we had Iowa guests - and they're family!  My cousin Carolyn and her husband John stopped by late morning to check out our condo and compare road trips.  Since they were on their way to South Padre, we knew they would be stopping, and with the help of cell phones, it was easy to direct them to our location.  We were so excited to see them and show them our cute little condo! John and Carolyn had actually left one day before us, but here they were arriving two days after us, due to different travel plans. They had stopped in Arkansas for a couple of days to visit John's sister. Luckily for them, they didn't experience any ice or snow like we did.  Instead they were hit with a few tornado warnings!  Thank goodness they missed them! So being the lovely hostess I am (cough! cough!) I had the coffee pot on and even a plate of donuts...

Monday, January 13, 2020 It was a short trip from Victoria to Corpus Christi so we were totally excited when we reached our destination around noon.  We were greeted with blue skies, beautiful beach waves, and a humid 67 degree temperature. So much more pleasant than the windy, snowy and icy 27 degree weather reported back home! We checked into the office, knowing we were around four hours early, but thankfully a quick call to our condo owner allowed us early entry.  We’re at the gated community known as Villa Del Soul condos- condo #1209- first bldg., second floor, 9th condo.  As we travel to the second floor, we notice a crystal clear pool on the ground level (which we later learn is heated to a luxurious 90 degrees).  Little did we know that here is where the action is.  Everyone who is anyone goes here to meet and great, and plan and party.  It’s the “hub” of the community. Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of this place! So we carry our luggage to...

Sunday, January 12, 2020 Well, we’re getting closer!  Knowing that we can’t check in until tomorrow at 4:00, we decided to take our time and savor our travels. So we got up late, had breakfast, and headed down highway 77, arriving at Victoria, Texas in early afternoon. In Victoria, we stopped and had an awesome lunch at a little place called, “The Dockside”.  I think it was obvious we were out of towners, but the staff was great and made us feel welcome.  We both played it safe and ordered something we’d generally order in Iowa. I ordered the chicken strip platter and Jer ordered a shrimp platter.  Both platters were delish but when the party of 15 next to us got their orders of crab legs, lobster and shrimp ordered by the pound, we second guessed our order. Wow!  Did that look good! Maybe we can come again on our way home. So it was around 2p.m. When we checked into a Baymont Hotel. Very clean and very nice! So first things first - we turn on the televisi...

Saturday January 11, 2020 We were slow to rise this morning.  Last night’s news warned of snow and ice, so we hibernated like a couple of old grizzly bears until mid morning. And of course, old man weather delivered! Jer spent a half an hour scraping ice and warming up the engine before we were ready to depart, but not before we ate a lucious breakfast served by the hotel. So around 10:30 we again headed south, and believe me, we never once doubted our decision to delay our start.  Ice frosted the highways and several cars lined the roadways due to accidents.  We experienced ice all the way to Dallas/Fort Worth.  It was reported that this was the first snow Dallas/Fort Worth had received in the last three years.  No wonder people didn't know how to drive!  However, I remained calm and never questioned the skill of my ice trucker Jerry.  We just took our time and avoided as many ice spots as possible. So around 3:30 we arrived in Waco, Texas, the...

January 10, 2020 Well, were off!  It's 8 a.m. and were getting the heck out of dodge!  There's a snow storm brewing and we don't want any part of it!  So we're headed south in our trusty 2014 Chevy Equinox and head for warmer climates.  Shades?  Check!  Swimsuit?  Check!  Suntan lotion?  Check!  Were' all set.  Let's get the heck outta here! So it doesn't take long and our ride turns a bit interesting.  We hit ice and drizzle already near Nebraska City.  Aw - what's a little ice?  And Kansas!  Where in the heck does all that wind come from?  No wonder Dorothy's house landed a million miles away!  I'm just surprised she was able to hang on to her little dog Toto!  Heck I could hardly hang on to my hot dog as we exited the truck stop on the Kansas turnpike!  Holy frankfurters! Well, neither ice, nor snow, nor wind, nor rain is going to stop us hell ben...