February 5, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

As we grow older, it is good to know that we are still on the same page.

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February 2, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

Recent visitor, Jerry, raved about the stuffed peppers that he had eaten, some ten years ago, at the old Yacht Club and Hotel in Port Isabel, TX.  Port Isabel is located on the mainland, just across the bridge from South Padre Island and a couple of blocks north of Hwy 100.

So off we went to experience this epicurean delight.  As luck would have it, the restaurant doesn’t open until 5:00 PM.  Since it was noon, and we were getting hungry, we decided to forego dining at the Yacht Club until a later date.

But, while there, we decided to look around.  Easily recognizable by its red tile roof and dome, the Yacht Club, established in 1926, had fallen into a state of disrepair. In recent years, under new management, the facility has undergone progressive renovation, beginning with the guest rooms.  The new owner, John Hiller, is extremely nice and eager to answer our questions.

The unusual symmetry of the entry door, seen below, looks like one side or the other was an afterthought.  It seems like another door was added to allow something to be brought into the building.

Most of the furnishings are antique and fitting the design of the inn all the way down to the front desk.  Across from the desk is this fantastic ship model.  You can see some of the period lobby furnishings in the background.

The dining room is bright and cheery.  Too bad they didn’t open until 5:00 PM.

The lighting is assisted by the windows surrounding the room at ceiling level.

If you’re in the area, it is certainly worth a visit.  If you try the stuffed jalapeños, let us know how you like them.

Posted in Texas Coast, Texas | Print | 2 Comments »

January 24, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

My cardiologist said to me, “Do you remember what you did to build up the plaque in your system?”  Following my affirmative response, he added, “Well, stop it.”

So, the week following my procedure and with out of town guests here wanting to dine out, we visited many of the wonderful contributors to my heart issues.

In Mission, Texas, we stopped at Pepe’s on the River to watch our friend Ruthi perform.

Pepe’s has some outstanding nachos.  It takes at least two people to tackle a piling order of this dish. We enjoyed an afternoon of dancing.

My favorite restaurant south of the border is Angel’s in Progreso.  They have the best salsa I’ve ever had.  The place was teaming with senior citizens. Imagine that.

Then it was off to South Padre Island and lunch at our favorite restaurant on the island, Daddy’s.   The dish called the Cowboy Joe’s is absolutely wonderful. It is a ribeye with a shrimp, spinach and 3-cheese sauce.

We also visited two fine Mexican restaurants, Costa Messa Restaurant in McAllen.  I’m not crazy about chipolte anything, but their chipolte salsa is great.  The second restaurant is Casa Del Tacos in Weslaco.  It isn’t just a house of tacos.  You’ll find a wide menu that includes homemade soups and good steaks.

Finally, we went to Donna, TX to visit Gonzales Burgers.  This place doesn’t even have a sign except the one that says “OPEN”.  You need to get there early.  People start lining up at about 10:30 AM.  Even if you are first in line, you may wait about 30 minutes for your order.  The burgers are enormous.

You can see the huge patties.  The burgers fill the over sized buns.

If that won’t clog your arteries, nothing will.

Ok, my Nutrisystems food just arrived.  Now I can work toward better health.

Posted in Mexico - Nuevo Progreso, TX Rio Grande Valley, Texas Coast, Texas, Mexico | Print | 4 Comments »

January 14, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

We had to take a short time-out.  Rick went to the hospital yesterday and was the recipient of a coronary artery stent.  It turns out that he had a 99.5% blockage in an artery.

All went well and we’ve made it back home with only one night in the hospital.

We want to thank Dr. Hugo Blake and his staff as well as the good people at the Harlingen Medical Center.

Posted in TX Rio Grande Valley, Texas | Print | 2 Comments »

January 6, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

Here’s a little wrap-up data for our travels and blog for 2009.

The year found us on the road again.  Our goal was to work our way through the Midwest and over to New England.  Because of the rainy and relatively cool summer, we passed on the Dakotas and Minnesota.  Our 2009 Travel Map turned out to look like this.

We kicked ourselves for not getting to Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont since we were so close.  Chances are that we won’t have our rig that close again.  Anyway, our combined US and Mexico for our three years of “full-timing” look a little better with the new additions.

We want to thank those who stop by to read our blog and are happy that we are having so many visitors.  We were amazed to find over 200,000 visitors found us in 2009.  The three year growth has been astounding.

2007 - 41,157      2008 - 133,433      2009 - 200,126

For 2010, we’re looking forward to another fantastic year.  It may sound a little wimpy, since the temperature at this writing is in the 70’s, but, as chilly as it is here in South Texas, we may find ourselves back in Mexico next winter.

Posted in TX Rio Grande Valley, Texas | Print | 1 Comment »