We have been trying to get used to the weather, which is hot, humid, and thankfully, windy. Everyone tells us that it's much hotter than normal. Lucky us. Our screen tent couldn't stand up to the wind. I'm sure that's partly because we couldn't get pegs into the rock hard ground and used screws.
Cleo likes to roll around on the grass which isn't a good thing because of the sand spurs in the grass. They stick to her fur and then we have to pull them off and they really hurt!
We received the transmission control module that we had ordered for our truck. Dave installed it and took the truck to the GM dealer to have it programmed. For less than half the price that GM wanted to fix it, we are back on the road! We went for a week without a truck. Some fellow campers took me to the grocery store with them one day and we had other offers of rides but we managed without.
As most of you know, Dave and I are not big fans of country music. We wondered if we would find any blues, but I did. We went to Harlingen one night to see a blues band. They were pretty good.
Dave and I spent some time talking to the harmonica player and his wife. They told us about other places to see live blues. They also told us about a dog park in Weslaco. Since we were in a soda shop, Dave had to try one.
The next day we took Cleo to the dog park. On the way, we passed a lot of fruit trees.
There were no dogs at the dog park, but at least Cleo got to run around off leash.
We were very excited to have our first day trip to Mexico. It is a short (10 minute) drive from our campground to the border. For $2.00 we parked our truck and headed for Mexico.
We paid our 25 cents each and walked across the bridge, over the Rio Grande River, into Mexico.
We thought that someone might want to look at our passports when we were barricaded from the sidewalk and forced to enter a building. We took three steps inside the building, then exited another door and were back outside on the sidewalk. It all seemed so official. Too funny.
The sidewalks in Mexico have vendors on both sides with barely enough room to walk down the middle. In amongst the many vendors are people asking if you need a farmacia or handing out business cards for dentistas.
We enjoyed walking through the crowds for a few blocks, then began discussing where to have lunch. On the recommendation of a couple in the street, we went to Arturo's. It was excellent, however, the margaritas left a lot to be desired. Since it was buy one, get one free, I did force the second one down.
What is with olives in margaritas? They do that in Texas too. Yuck!
After our delicious lunch, we paid our 4 pesos (30 cents) each to cross the bridge back to the US. The next time we go we will buy kahlua and tequila which are so much cheaper over there.
Before we left Manitoba I went to visit a friend and her two small children. I bought a doll for her little girl which Cleo just loved. Because of the guilt we feel about Cleo not being able to run up and down the beach every day, we bought her a doll.
On a Sunday, we drove to Boca Chica beach, which is just over an hour away. You drive to the end of the road and onto the beach.
Cleo could not have been happier.
The water was as warm as a bathtub.
We sat in our chairs and had a picnic while Cleo played and played.
When it was time to leave we had to drag Cleo off the beach. It kind of breaks my heart to see this face. I know just how she feels.
From the beach, we went to a patio in Brownsville to hear some blues. The band was excellent and so were the appetizers.
The three of us were having a great time until a very large duck showed up. Cleo just couldn't behave and no one could blame her.
The sky was pretty on our drive home. On Wednesday, October 26th we went back to Ol D's Soda Shop for a blues jam. Lots of fun. There are so many beautiful flowers. Last Friday we went to Edinburg, a half hour away, with another couple. We went for the Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of The Dead) festival. I probably discussed a bit about this tradition in last years blog but for those of you that don't know I will give you a bit of information. Day of the Dead (known as Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is celebrated in Mexico between October 31st and November 2nd. On this holiday, Mexicans remember and honor their deceased loved ones. It's not a gloomy or morbid occasion, rather it is a festive and colorful holiday celebrating the lives of those who have passed on. Mexicans visit cemeteries, decorate the graves and spend time there, in the presence of their deceased friends and family members. The belief behind Day of the Dead practices is that spirits return to the world of the living for one day of the year to be with their families. The spirits are greeted with offerings of special foods and things that they enjoyed when they were alive. In some communities, it is customary to spend the whole night in the cemetery, and people make a party of it, having a picnic supper, playing music, talking and drinking through the night.
I think it's a wonderful tradition to celebrate the lives of loved ones no longer with us, remembering, and sharing stories and food.
Dave and our friend, Richard.
All ages get into the spirit of the festival.
One day we will have to try out one of the drive through grocery stores. Some days there are huge lineups. We're not sure if it's because people are lazy or if it's because of the scantily clad female we saw working in there one day. We don't know if she was dressed that way because of Halloween or if that's an everyday occurrence.
We saw this bike in a shop. It looks like half of our old quadcycle and they were asking $895.00 for it!
We got a huge downpour today. That's the second one since we've been here. It's all over in less than ten minutes.
Back to the sizzling heat.
It's been a month since we left Manitoba and we are missing our family and friends. We hope you are missing us too. :o)
