When It’s Cold, It’s Really Really Cold

A week of extremes, weather wise that is.  We have run the air conditioner, and the heater, both at full blast in same week.  But makes us appreciate the great weather when it returns.  Glad we only had a few days of winter, feel for all who endure months of it. 

Wednesday we met up with Mark & Dortha, and Roger & Barb for a charity show that was being put on by Bernie & Red.  They are a couple that have been coming to the valley for quite some years, and have a fabulous singing, comedy act. Red came out in this outrageous red outfit, and out of six of us we had all forgotten to bring a camera.  Tried to have a photographer e-mail me a picture, but none have arrived.  Guess I should have slipped him a picture of Ben Franklin, might have had better luck.  We left there and had dinner at Rudy’s, it was so good getting together. 

The cold weather caused the electric use to become so great that they were doing rolling black outs, unfortunately we had one hit us, but when they went to turn it back on, everything went south fast.  The electric company was out here most of the day replacing transformers.  We had heat cause the heater fan ran off the battery, and we got power back before it went dead.  We used to have rolling blackouts in California but they were in the summer when air conditioner use was high.  The cold sure hits the cactus hard, all the flowers that were getting ready to bloom are no more.  They are saying most of the oranges and grapefruit have been picked.  Although there are a lot left on the trees, but that is because the powers that be (aka government) will only allow them to meet certain quotas and rest goes to waste.

Saturday the weather was back to normal, we had been holding off doing the laundry, so took off to get that taken care of.  Later in the day was talking to Barb and we decided to give the kite festival a try, on Sunday, and we couldn’t had better weather.

Pictures of a Christmas sand sculpture in the visitor center at South Padre Island.

We took our little portable picnic table and a lunch and had a marvelous time watching kites and eating. And yes, we did have cameras.

Some were huge.

This week we have another road trip to San Antonio for Chuck to get fitted for his hearing aids.  Hope that the next visit can be worked in around the time we are leaving the valley.  Not a drive that we look forward to, okay if you are on to new adventures.