Day-to-Day Stuff...

I keep thinking nothing is happening so there is nothing to post,

but that's not quite true.

The pot holes are being patched...'bout time!

Concrete curbs are being installed in parking areas.

John P is selling his RV and had the dog scratched leather sofas and chairs refreshed...fabulous job!

If you are interested they will give you the name of the lady

 (on Seminary RD!)

 who did an excellent job!

Peeps are trickling away...

though there was a big turn out at the 

Memorial Day ceremony.

It's hot.

It's Africa hot.

It has been raining occasionally...

not much, but more than we are used to.

Jim is waiting for his hip replacement surgery date...

waiting...

waiting...

waiting.

If anyone out there...

you know who you are...

has anything interesting to share...

let me know!!!

A Very Moving Ceremony.

This morning we gathered at the memorial garden with it's bright flowers and lowered flags to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

 After a moving poetry reading, music and opening remarks...

 The names from the plaques surrounding the central flag pole 

were read, and the bell tolled.

 At the conclusion taps was played, 

tears flowed,

 and the fallen remembered.

Memorial Day Weekend Plans

Hot Dogs and summer weekends just seem to go together.

Here at Sandpipers we will be kicking off the long weekend 

with a special happy hour on Saturday, May 25,

 starting at 5:00 pm, in Flip Flopz.

 

 We will provide a hot dog plate 

(chips, watermelon and ice cream);

 you bring your beverage of choice and join the fun.

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 

Stan will be conducting a special memorial service

 at 10:00 am at the Court of Honor. 

 Everyone is invited to join us as we remember those who have,

 and those who are, fighting for our freedoms.

Warm!

The warm weather has arrived and the tropicals are blooming wildly. Angel Trumpet's are glorious..

 Daylilies are glowing....

My Adeniums are looking gorgeous...

But the Angel Trumpet's win!

Yup, that's one plant!  The white one beside it is getting ready to perform too.

Texas Trivia

I don't normally share this stuff but it's been mighty quiet lately (except for the fire truck roaming the grounds with lights flashing...crank call apparently)!

Thanks Annie, for sharing this Texas trivia!

***************

Only in Texas 

Love the sun?
Sun City, Texas 78628
Sunrise, Texas 76661
Sunset, Texas 76270
Sundown, Texas 79372
Sunray, Texas 79086
Sunny Side, Texas 77423

Want something to eat?
Bacon, Texas 76301
Noodle, Texas 79536
Oatmeal, Texas 78605
Turkey, Texas 79261
Trout, Texas 75789
Sugar Land, Texas 77479
Salty, Texas 76567
Rice, Texas 75155
Pearland, Texas 77581
Orange, Texas 77630
And top it off with:
Sweetwater, Texas 79556

Why travel to other cities? Texas has them all!
Detroit, Texas 75436
Cleveland, Texas 75436
Colorado City, Texas 79512
Denver City, Texas 79323
Klondike, Texas 75448
Pittsburg , Texas 75686
Newark , Texas 76071
Nevada, Texas 75173
Memphis, Texas 79245
Miami, Texas 79059
Boston, Texas 75570
Santa Fe, Texas 77517
Tennessee Colony, Texas 75861
Reno, Texas 75462
Pasadena, Texas 77506
Columbus, Texas 78934
Just Texas
Pep, Texas 79353
Smiley , Texas 78159
Paradise, Texas 76073
Rainbow, Texas 76077
Sweet Home, Texas 77987
Comfort , Texas 78013
Friendship, Texas 76530

Feel like traveling outside the country?
Athens , Texas 75751
Canadian, Texas 79014
China , Texas 77613
Dublin , Texas 76446
Egypt, Texas 77436
Ireland, Texas 76538
Italy, Texas 76538
Turkey, Texas 79261
London, Texas 76854
New London, Texas 75682
Paris, Texas 75460
Palestine, Texas 75801

No need to travel to Washington DC
Whitehouse, Texas 75791

We even have a city named after our planet!
Earth , Texas 79031

We have a city named after our state:
Texas City , Texas 77590

Exhausted? 
Energy , Texas 76452

Cold? 
Blanket , Texas 76432
Winters, Texas 79567

Like to read about History? 
Santa Anna , Texas 76878
Goliad , Texas 77963
Alamo , Texas 78516
Robert Lee , Texas 76945

Need Office Supplies? 
Staples, Texas 78670

Want to go into outer space?
Venus , Texas 76084
Mars , Texas 79062

You guessed it. It's on the state line.
Texline , Texas 79087

For the kids... 
Kermit, Texas 79745
Elmo, Texas 75118
Nemo, Texas 76070
Tarzan, Texas 79783
Winnie, Texas 77665
Sylvester, Texas 79560

Other city names in Texas, to make you smile......
Frognot, Texas 75424
Bigfoot, Texas 78005
Hogeye, Texas 75423
Cactus, Texas 79013
Notrees, Texas 79759
Best, Texas 76932
Veribest, Texas 76886
Kickapoo, Texas 75763
Dime Box, Texas 77853
Old Dime Box, Texas 77853
Telephone, Texas 75488
Telegraph, Texas 76883
Whiteface, Texas 79379
Twitty, Texas 79079

The Anti-Al Gore City 
Kilgore, Texas 75662

And our favorites... 
Cut and Shoot, Texas 77303
Gun Barrel City , Texas 75147
Ding Dong, Texas
West, Texas (it's in Central Texas)
And , of course,
Mule Shoe , Texas 79347

Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about folks from Texas

If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Texas;

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Texas;

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Texas;

If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Texas;

If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Texas;

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Texas;

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Texas;

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Texas;

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph --you're going 80, and everybody's passing you, you may live in Houston, Texas;

If you find 60 degrees 'a little chilly,' you may live in Brownsville, Texas;

If you actually understand these jokes, and share them with all your Texas friends, you definitely have lived in Texas.

Here are some little known, very interesting facts about Texas :
1. Beaumont to El Paso : 742 miles

2. Beaumont to Chicago : 770 miles

3. El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas

4. World's first rodeo was in Pecos, Tx July 4, 1883.

5. The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water. Destroyed by Hurricane Ike - 2008!

6. The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach at Rice University in Houston , Texas .

7. Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America .

8. Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.

9. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.

10. The worst natural disaster in US history was in 1900, caused by a hurricane in which over 8,000 lives were lost on Galveston Island.

11. The first word spoken from the moon, July 20, 1969, was " Houston ," but the Space Center was actually in Clear Lake City at the time.

12. The King Ranch in South Texas is larger than Rhode Island .

13. Tropical Storm Claudette brought a US rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July of 1979.

14. Texas is the only state to enter the US by TREATY, (known as the Constitution of 1845 by the Republic of Texas to enter the Union )instead of by annexation.

This allows the Texas Flag to fly at the same height as the US Flag, and Texas may choose to divide into 5 states.

15. A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.

16. Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.

17. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period in Dr Pepper.

18. Texas has had six capital cities: Washington-on-the Brazos, Harrisburg , Galveston , Velasco, West Columbia and Austin .

19. The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the US which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington , DC (by 7 feet).

20. The San Jacinto Monument is the tallest free standing monument in the world and it is taller than the Washington Monument .

21. The name ' Texas ' comes from the Hasini Indian word 'tejas' meaning "friends". Tejas is NOT Spanish for Texas .

22. The State Mascot is the Armadillo. An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies.
They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females.

23. The first domed stadium in the US was the Astrodome in Houston.

24. The Beck family ranch land grant is one days ride by horse(25 miles) in each direction from the headquarters.

25. The name of the XIT ranch in Dalhart Texas stands for "ten in texas". That means 10 counties in Texas!

Cowboy Ten Commandments posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Farlie , Texas : 

(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to church meeting.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Did y'all git all that?

Lord, keep Your arm around my shoulder
and Your hand over my mouth.

Summer Book Club

A great round-up of discussed books from Thursday night....thanks Mary (#5)!

The summer book club met at Flip Flopz, Thursday, May 9. Here is a listing of the books that were reviewed. Good company, good stimulating discussion was enjoyed by all who attended. Reviewed by name in (_).

• Hotel At the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. A tale of love lost and love found. (Pam P)
  
  
• The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. A story of 3 sisters who come home to help their mother who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. A must read if you have sisters or not. ( Mary #5)
  
  
• Hunger's Brides by Paul Anderson. A fictional biography of Ser Juana de la Cruz. Ser Juana lived a cloistered life in Mexico and had housed some 4,000 books, this 1323 page book does contain some profound poetry. (Louise)
  
  
• Half Moon Street by Anne Perry. An enjoyable read about Victorian England and amateur and professional photography. (Gloria)
  
  
• The Story Teller by Jodi Picoult. She meets an old man who was at Auschwitz. (Gloria)
  
  
• A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman. Set in the 14th century, and how life was lived day to day, age of chivalry, the plague, and it is set in France. (Sue Z)
  
  
• Barbara Tuchman also authored March of Folly and Guns of August.
  
  
• Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Written by a 14 year old boy. A fun read if you are into fantasy, sorcery, dragons etc. (Nancy)
  
  
• The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Has 2 narrators and is on the fall book club list. (Patsy)
  
  
• Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. This follows the story of The Snow Flower and The Secret Fan. A light read. (Pam)
  
  
• The Ice Princess, The Preacher by Camilla Lackbey. A similar read as the Girls with the Golden Tatoo. (Pam)
  
  
• Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje he also wrote the English Patient. (Pam)

 

 

THE NEXT BOOK CLUB WILL MEET AT GLORIA'S THE 2ND. THURSDAY IN JUNE.

Palm Tree Promised Pics

As promised, pics of the new neon palm trees.

They light up at night and are pretty spectacular! 

The new volleyball pool is up and running.

New sod will be laid tomorrow.

New basketball court...

There is yellow...

there is blue...

how about purple?

Afternoon Excitement!

The whole house shook from the endless circling this police helicopter made over our end of the park.

I know very little...

a bunch of police cars parked outside the front gate...

Plain clothes cops beating the brush...

The copter circled for what seemed like forever...

Jay on guard duty atop Bob & Bernie's observation tower...

reports of at least one illegal apprehended...

Maybe we'll read about it in the newspaper, maybe not!

Will let you know...
OK, Just saw the news.
Turns out there were a dozen illegals being processed who escaped into the area behind Sandpipers.  All is well.  They all got caught.

also pictures of the neon metal palm trees are in the near future.

What, you ask?

Yes, and the new basketball court, too.

Summer Book Club

Book club is continuing!

Flip Flopz, 

Thursday, May 9th,

 7pm

open discussion, 

bring your own drink,  

dessert or snack will be provided.

  

thanks,

 

nancy (212)

Happy Hour News

Normally I depend on my stringer for Happy Hour News...

But lately Happy Hours have been few and far between...

Sooo....

Palm tree fronds are being cut and piles of garden waste are accumulating at many driveways thru-out the park.

The burn pile in the field is no more... development in the future?

It's been cool...very, very cool...the last several nights.

 Kind of unheard of in May!

My tomatoes are still going gangbusters but I see an end coming.

Mr. SueZ and I are awaiting the direct TV guys to update our equipment to hi-def tomorrow (oh my gosh, Sunday).

We even dusted all the places they would work.

Selfless, I know...wouldn't want them to cough.

My stringer (John P) is recovering nicely from knee surgery. 

After some tweaking of his meds he is well on the way, was even up on a ladder cutting palm fronds this morning.

Very quiet here...more quiet to come.