MAGNOLIA BEACH, TEXAS

November 9, 2018

Somehow in the wee hours of the morning, I manage to break the pull/push for the portable toilet.  The clouds are thick in the sky, there is a strong wind blowing outside the truck, it looks like the cloudy, rainy weather isn’t finished with us yet.  Today is a stay inside kind of day, where we embark on a crib marathon and somewhere along the way we lose count how many games won or lost.

Its early evening, the sky is still lite, the winds died down a little bit, we decide to take a walk to the other end into the town.  We get to the only convenience store in town and find that you can get bottled water $1.00 for 5 gallons, there is diesel and a little saloon at the rear.  On our way back, I fall I almost pulled a Tanis and somehow fell on the road, twisted my right ankle and injured my left knee.  All the way back to the truck I’m feeling the pain.   Back at the truck, my left knee is bleeding, no tear in my pants though, and I have a goose egg on my right ankle bone, looks like I will be off it for a day or two.

Chris takes the portable toilet down to the bathroom to empty it so he can have a look at it tomorrow.  I settle in to sleep, but around 1:30 am nature calls, outside I go limping all the way down to the bathroom which is about 300 hundred yards from where we are parked.  I’m on my way back when a SUV pulls over and a man in a Spanish voice says “Hey Lady”.  I keep on walking, then he backs up and says “Don’t you want to talk?”  I yell back at him I’m on my way back to my trailer, as I try to pick up the pace ready to walk over to the first camper if I have to.  Fortunate for me he doesn’t pursue and I make it back to the truck, quickly get in and lock the door.  I do have a little trouble falling back to sleep, but note to self-bring a knife or cell phone with me next time.

November 10, 2018

It’s still cloudy today, but the wind has lightened, and sometimes the sun peaks out from behind the clouds.  Still cold today, so as Chris works on getting the water pump fixed, we ended up changing out the pump because the other one had ceased, I now have my running water back to the sink.  He also fixed the portable toilet, so no more midnight jaunts down to the bathroom.  I take some time to sit in the sun when it is shining chatting with the people as they walk by.  One lady is from Warroad, Minnesota.  Another old guy from Port Lavaca stops by to chat, you know the type that likes to here himself, tells us it gets right busy here with lots of people coming down from Quebec.  He tells us about a nice restaurant in Indianola, the direction we first cycled in.

Chris finishes tinkering with the wiring, decides to go for a cycle, me I’m going to give my ankle another day before I try.  He heads out for about an hour in the Indianola direction, and comes back to say we are going to cycle tomorrow morning for all you can eat Pancakes.

Evening meal done, we prepare out blogs for when we have internet, and then settle in for the night.  Hopefully the low pressure has gone and the sunshine/warmth returns tomorrow.

November 11, 2018

It’s Remembrance Day, I think of my father and all the Canadians who lost their lives at Dieppe.  No perked coffee this morning, just the good old fashioned one cup drip so we can ride our bikes into Indianola for pancake breakfast.  It’s a half hour of cycling along the shoreline under grey skies and yes wind until we reach the restaurant in Indianola.  An old guy had stopped the day before and told us about it and Chris’s cycle last night had us wanting all you can eat pancakes for $4.99.

This place also does RV Parking, monthly is $250 with electric and water, but we are not staying that long, prefer to boon dock on the beach.  They have a large deck that faces the ocean and it’s where the bathrooms can be accessed.

Breakfast done, we head back to settle in to play some more crib.  The TV at the restaurant called for cooler weather tonight and tomorrow, so we head back out to the convenience store on our bikes to get gas for the generator. After the generator is started, and the inside of the truck is warm, we boil water and have a bath the old way, in the shower by dumping cupful’s of water over us.  He needs to go into town to get another pump for the shower.  Fresh and clean all we can do is stay inside and play some more crib as it’s too cold to sit outside.  The weather is supposed to break by Wednesday.

November 12, 2018

The wind is calmer so we think maybe we can cycle into Port Lavaca today, but by the time we finish breakfast, the wind has picked up and the temperature lowers.  This low pressure system is putting a damper on our beach side fun.  Nothing to do all day but stay inside and warm.  Tomorrow, we will take the truck in and check out the weather situation for Padre Island, San Antonio and El Paso in the McDonald's. 

November 13, 2108

It is a cold night and I don’t get much sleep, to wake up to yes the same strong wind, grey skies and cold weather.  We pack up everything and head for Walmart in Port Lavaca for food supplies then on to the McDonald’s for free Wi-Fi.  Chris puts up his blog, I chat with my daughter on Facebook messenger for a while.  There is a tractor supply company, and we make a quick stop and find a replacement pump.  We decide to head back to Magnolia Beach since the weather is no better anywhere else.  There is supposed to be sunshine tomorrow with the weather increasing to 58 F and into the 60’s.

It’s afternoon and the wind has died down somewhat, no whitecaps on the ocean.  Chris starts the generator and we sit inside the warm it’s creating inside the RV another marathon of crib, have dinner and because of lack of sleep on my part and early night.

November 14, 2018

What is that yellow ball in the sky, omg it’s the sun and it’s warmed up.  Chris is up perking the coffee his job, I sit on the end of truck feeling the warmth from the sun.  There are more people about today walking their dogs.  There is two fish that the sea threw up on the shore and the wind is lighter than it has been for a few days that low pressure system has finally moved on.

We decide to ride the bikes to Alamo Beach into the light wind and back to the camel sign and then truck, which is a good 16.1 miles.  I slowed down when we had to turn back into the wind for the camel sign which is closer to Indianola.  Hopefully the weather will stay better for me to get into better shape.

We spend the afternoon sitting in the sun, chatting with the people as they go by.  An old guy from Ontario is chatting Chris up when I come back from the washrooms.  He retired 26 years ago and has been coming down to Magnolia Beach for many years.  He tells us they had problems with a pipe collapsing, thus the reason the showers were not open.  He also told us that you use to be able to get water from the volunteer fire department and down your grey water for $5.00, but some as he said RV’s from Quebec ruined that for non-payment.  He is the chatty type for sure and it’s soon time for dinner.  Chris works on his blog and I cuddle up under the blankets and call it another night.

November 15, 2018

Up at the usual 6:30 am and the sun is just peeking above the horizon, it’s going to be warmer today about 68 F and there is just a light wind. We decide to have breakfast outside in the sun, an omelet and apple juice suffices for today’s breakfast.

Today we decide to cycle up Indianola way and take a road to the right before arriving at the marina.  This road takes us up to the Indianola cemetery.  The cemetery was constructed in 1852 and the first person buried was a boy of 10 who succumbed to cholera and yellow fever epidemic that went through the area in 1852.  As we walked through the cemetery, there were more graves of children as young as 2 weeks of age to 16, and some adults.  There seemed to be something that happened in 1867 but it wasn’t posted on the plague commemorating the cemetery.  There were maybe a handful of graves in the little graveyard with all dates back in the 1800’s.  After a short interlude we head back to sit by the camel sign and enjoy some of the sun shining on the ocean.

Back at the RV, I set about working on my tan.  A woman and her two female dogs decide to say hello, one the dogs reminds me of my old dog lady, and she looked a bit sheltie.  The woman thought so to, but was told otherwise.  I guess I did make an impression with the little one though.

Chris decides it’s time to clean the windows of the truck and shine the chrome, so I help him out for a bit and then settle back into my chair in the sun.  A day can go by so fast in the winter, darkness sets in so early.  We both take time to get our blogs ready as we are heading into Port Lavaca to shop, do laundry and get on the internet and another early night.

November 16, 2018

The sunrise is beautiful this morning, so after a quick coffee it's into Port Lavaca to do the laundry, shopping, breakfast at McDonalds and free Wi-Fi.  First stop is the laundromat, where Chris leaves me and he goes to Walmart to get the shopping in.

While I am waiting, I talk to this guy who is originally from the area but leaving in the UK and married to an English teacher.  He works heavey equipment cranes, has worked in Fort McMurry, the middle East and now came over with the largest crane in the world from Holland which was set up down the road.

Chris makes it back as I am folding the laundry and we head over to McDonalds for breakfast and Wi-Fi,  For some reason Chris can't bring the blog site up so he heads over to the Tractor Supply Store and I chat with my daughter for a bit before heading over to.  With pump parts and outside/inside therometer purchases we head back to Magnolia Beach.

It's T-shirt and sandals weather today, our spot is still waiting for us.  While Chris fiddles with the pump I walk down the beach to chat here a there.  There are three fishermen that took a spot beside us and I ask if they have caught anything, one tells me no.  I continue on to the couple from Georgia, they have all the bells and whistles, semi truck pulling a trailer with pop outs and a smart car on the back.  They also have two Cam Am Spiders on the back of the semi, satellite and a drone.  They are just stopping on their way to Quartzite.  It will be their first time there as well.  It was interesting to know that prescriptions medicine can be filled in Mexico without a prescription,  Good for me as I do have thyroid and antibotics for my arm in case of infection.

I walk a little farther down the beach to visit Penny and old woman who lives in her 2004 station wagon with 4 small dogs, two cats and has solar power.  She has been doing it for years, living on an $800 a month social security pension.  She will be staying about 5 months as she wants to buy a van next.  She is quite happy travelling and staying in the parks all over the states.

I then stop to say hi to the texas lady and her English beau before heading back to the RV.  I can see the guy from Ontario is there chatting up Chris as he works.  So to help Chris I start chatting with him asking him about his wife.  He had been coming down here for a number of years, the last time with his wife was 5 years ago, as his wife developed dementia and is now in a nursing home.  I respect when someone looks after their loved one for as long as they can.

Shower pump together we have lunch and then cycle into Indianola and back for dinner.  Darkness has set in, you can see the stars out, it's just enough time for some Crib and then turn in.

November 17, 2018

We awake to sunshine but not for long, the day is overcast but warm.  Since tomorrow is supposed to bring some rain, we clean the windows in the RV.  It's amazing how much dirt can get in between them.  Another project on Chris's agenda is to old all the hinges and fix the garbage bin door as it seems to be catching on some metal somewhere.  Chris is very handy and likes to be busy, soon the door is as good as new.

Now all the work has been done we take a cycle to Alamo Beach once again.  We are cycling with a wind behind us and make good time to the beach.  Travelling along the streets a dog decides he wants to walk with us as we cycle.  We come upon a skunk, that dog squares off with him, but decides to fight anohter day.  He must have been in a fight with one before.  With the dog running along with us Chris decides to take a ride off into a grass covered road where it comes to end in a puddle.  Turning back, the dog stops to chat with a few others that had come running out to the road and we continue on without him.

Back at the RV, having a snooze in the chair, a woman who used to live in Canada stops by.  She lived in Ontario when the nursing situation was not so good and got a job down in the US.  They are both retired now and RV is there mode of relaxation.

I head to the bathroom for a last visit and stop to chat with a woman from Quebec, Lise has been coming down for years also in their slide in camper on the truck, Bigfoot. It's another night of playing crib and calling an early night.

November 18, 2018

It's cloudy with some misty rain falling, but warm around 20 Celcius, my morning walk down to the bathroom and back has me chatting with an old guy who's crab trap is empty.  He said he hasn't caught anything in a week, due to the colder temperatures.  He is retired after have four heart attacks.

Further on down the beach the two trailers from Quebec are hooking up, the one guy says rain is in the forcast for the next few days, so they are heading over to Mission which is on Mustang Island.

The sun comes out and hides the behind the clouds, just a teaser it is, another few hours and it's back out again.  Chris is rewiring the poarch lights to a switch at the back of the RV.  Two women in a Transit Van pull up where the people from Quebec vacated hours earlier.

The wind has changed suddenly, coming from the North and with it whitecaps once again on the gulf. With the clouds coming in we retreat inside to another evening of crib. Tomorrow my ipad goes on cellular for the day.

November 19, 2019

We wake to the whistling wind and no sunshine with another low pressure system moved in.  Looks like another day of sitting in the RV and playing crib,  The ipad confirms it, but it's warmer than the last pressure system.  Tomorrow we leave for San Antobio, so there is nothing more for today than the same old no sitting in the sun enjoying the ocean breezes.