We Found It!

We found the warm weather we've been seeking! But not as quickly as we'd hoped. We thought, “Surely it'll be warm down in Corpus Christi!” The only thing warm in Corpus Christi, was my heart when I saw my brother and sister-in-law for the first time in so many years!

It was such a blessing to see my big brother who stood by me through some rough times as I grew up. He was the one I drew strength from as we shared some of those times together and the one who stood by me as I struggled to face trials of my own as I grew older. He always seemed to call or come by at just the right time as if he knew I needed someone to cheer me up or just to keep me company. I'll never forget what you did for me brother! It was good to see you and I hope it won't be as long before I see you again. But if it is, at least I have a more current picture of you!


We left Corpus Christi early Saturday morning and although it took us two long days to reach our destination, we did enjoy views of mountains and prairies and got an interesting view of Mexico as we drove along the border.


We're currently in a town near Phoenix, Arizona, called Surprise. And Surprise! It's sunny and warm here! We've finally attained our goal of reaching warmth before winter's over.

This being a 55+ community, we are a little young to be staying here at Sunflower Resort, but thankfully, they agreed to let us in anyway.
We've become accustomed to wide open spaces, so it's a little claustrophobic near the motor home, but there's no lack of things to do here.


Just off the top of my head I can tell you there's a lap pool, social pool, a spa and a hot tub. There's a gym, bistro, library, billiard hall, wood shop and special events in the ballroom. There are rooms for silver jewelry making, pottery, sewing, leather tooling, stained glass art and woodcarving. There are courts for tennis, shuffle board, pickle ball, bocce ball, ladder golf, horseshoes, and a couple of driving cages where you can practice your swing (if you have one). On top of all of this, there are numerous activities going on all over the place.


If you want to come here, don't hesitate to give this place a call even if you're not 55+. Chances are they will let you in. The people are very friendly here (as most of them are from Minnesota), but they stop you all the time to ask you if you're here to visit your parents. A small price to pay for all these amenities!

As we take in the warmth and soak in the much coveted rays of sunshine, we'll be thinking of each one of you, because we miss you so much. We love you!

Love, Trevor and Roni

Where's The Heat?

It's a little colder than I expected it to be down here in the South! I'm not complaining, because I know some of you have had to shovel your car out of the snow at least once this week. I totally empathize with you. It's just that I've always been under the impression it was swimsuit weather all winter down here. My friend Dianna tried to warn me it was a little colder than that, but it was hard for that to compute after seeing the snowbirds arrive in Minnesota year after year with such awesome tans. I want to know how they do that. I can count on one hand the number of times it's been warm enough to wear a t-shirt in the two months we've been here.


Before leaving Destin, Florida, we had the great pleasure of seeing “the little people” who spent their winter break with their dad at Eglin Air Force Base. It was kind of sad they had to bring their winter jackets with them to visit us at our place on the beach, but we did manage to get them into sweaters and even swimsuits a few times before they had to head back to Minnesota.


On our way to Corpus Christi we spent a week in New Braunfels, TX, where Trevor was able to muse about his roots as we read the many historical markers telling the story of the German people who settled there. Our daughter Jennifer and our friend Bob have each spent time in the area so we were able to get a good heads up on what sights to see.


We saw the view from the Faust Street Bridge built in 1887. It's no longer in use for cars, but is lined with benches where you can relax and watch the Guadalupe River. We had dinner at the Gristmill Restaurant in nearby Gruene, built in a cotton gin from the 1870's, we took a look at Gruene Hall, built in 1878, it's the oldest continuous running dance hall in Texas, and we went to a beautiful nearby town called Canyon Lake. On the way into Canyon Lake, is where you really start to see the hills of Texas Hill Country. We liked the hills and Overlook Park where you get a great view of the town, the water, sailboats, fly fishers and birds.

There's a beautiful, relaxing view of the Guadalupe River from the deck of Bubba's Big Deck in New Braunfels. The Guadalupe floods pretty badly at times. You can see a high water mark in a tree off the deck at Bubba's. Bob told us the water was 6 inches higher than that during the June 9th flood there. The river looks like a great place to be in the summer if you like tubing on the river. The river's loaded with tube rental places. We've heard it gets pretty crazy around there.


We arrived in Corpus Christi on Sunday afternoon and words cannot express how happy I was to see my brother Bill and my sister-in-law Patti on Monday evening. It's been too long and I know when it's time, this departure's going to be a tough one. But I hear it's in the 60's and 70's in Arizona!!! Stay safe and stay warm!

Love, Trevor and Roni