Beach bums...our first trip to South Padre Island
this year was on February 5th...we were too busy to relax!
Believe it or not, Dirty Al's is a good place to eat!
Bob and Nancy were the first ones in the door.
On the 7th, we went to "The Day the Music Died"
concert in a neighboring park. "The Big Bopper,
Buddy Holly, and Richie Valens" put on a great show.
concert in a neighboring park. "The Big Bopper,
Buddy Holly, and Richie Valens" put on a great show.
February 8th was the annual Chili Cook-Off
in our park. This was my first attempt at chili
since I taught in Germany. I had a "little help
from my friends"...:-)
The judges were some of the local firemen.
They even brought their truck (in case the chili
was too hot?) The half-bowl was all that was
left of my batch. The prizes: some edible and
some practical.
This machine is grinding up the beans...we tasted cacao
beans from four countries. Each had a different flavor
which gave the final products a unique taste.
We each had the opportunity to taste the chocolate
(with little plastic spoons) right from the vat.
(No double-dipping). Yummy!
Some of the fancier creations....yes, we bought sugar-free
protein bars with orange and peanuts, with coconut
and pecans, and with sapodilla and almonds, and
hot chocolate mix with cinnamon. They gave me a
chocolate heart on a stick for my birthday!
We stopped at a great BBQ place afterwards, and the gang
came to our place for pie and chocolates that evening.
One of "the girls"brought Wisconsin chocolate
made from cheddar cheese, and the others gave
me a new apron purchased in Mexico.
these are the developments on the Mexican side...
a lot of resort areas
blurry because I took the pics
with my phone.
This was the extent of development on the U.S. side
Afterwards we went to the La Lomita Chapel
which is on the National Register of
Historic places, but they want to destroy
it to build a wall.
Outdoor oven at the chapel site
Our Lady of Guadalupe
On Valentine's Day, our "gang" toured
the Mozma Chocolate Factory in Hidalgo, TX.
We learned about the process from the trees to the table!
This machine is grinding up the beans...we tasted cacao
beans from four countries. Each had a different flavor
which gave the final products a unique taste.
The newest machine does everything...grinds, crushes,
softens (it was 84 degrees in the room), and makes
the chocolaty syrup.
We each had the opportunity to taste the chocolate
(with little plastic spoons) right from the vat.
(No double-dipping). Yummy!
protein bars with orange and peanuts, with coconut
and pecans, and with sapodilla and almonds, and
hot chocolate mix with cinnamon. They gave me a
chocolate heart on a stick for my birthday!
came to our place for pie and chocolates that evening.
One of "the girls"brought Wisconsin chocolate
made from cheddar cheese, and the others gave
me a new apron purchased in Mexico.
We took a trip down the Rio Grande on the 22nd.
Historic places, but they want to destroy
it to build a wall.
The next day, Bob, his brother Jerry, and I
went to a German sauerkraut fest
and enjoyed the oompah band, too.
On the 27th, we played in the round-robin pickleball
tournament in Harlingen. We won a few and lost a few. :-)
