Message from our Vicky "Hola" and she misses us. Made our day!
from yesterday
We miss her too!
Message from afar
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Ken and Vickey went to Mexico yesterday to carry on the work of Sr. Maureen while she is recovering from her double knee surgery, they also look after their own sponsor's kids while they are there.
Message from our Vicky "Hola" and she misses us. Made our day!
from yesterday
We miss her too!
Message from our Vicky "Hola" and she misses us. Made our day!
from yesterday
We miss her too!
Now that we're home
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Still tired after the long drive, but I find it's normal to be tired for about three days or so after getting home.
Still some minor unpacking to do in terms of putting things away.
I will only be making a post once in a while whenever I manage to get info on how Sister Maureen's rehab from her knee surgery is going, and/or if I have any information on "Our little Vicky".
We will be sending a package for Vicky's birthday which is on September 7...she will be 5.
Thanks to all who encouraged me to keep writing the blog this year...hope you have enjoyed reading it, as much I have enjoyed writing it for you.
more later....
Still some minor unpacking to do in terms of putting things away.
I will only be making a post once in a while whenever I manage to get info on how Sister Maureen's rehab from her knee surgery is going, and/or if I have any information on "Our little Vicky".
We will be sending a package for Vicky's birthday which is on September 7...she will be 5.
Thanks to all who encouraged me to keep writing the blog this year...hope you have enjoyed reading it, as much I have enjoyed writing it for you.
more later....
Update on Sister Maureen
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Got an email from Vickey, who said that Sister Maureen's double knee replacement went very well.
[quote]She was back in her hospital room around 8:30 in the evening on Thursday. She had already had 4 and a half hours of exercise. Saturday she had 4 hours of therapy. Today she got to sit in the lounge chair and have the machines massage her feet. She is hoping to be moved to the re-hab facility tomorrow or Tuesday. We will let you know when she is moved and how she is doing. [/quote]
Vickey said they will be going to Mexico soon and will visit our Vicky and her family and tell her how much we miss her.
[quote]She was back in her hospital room around 8:30 in the evening on Thursday. She had already had 4 and a half hours of exercise. Saturday she had 4 hours of therapy. Today she got to sit in the lounge chair and have the machines massage her feet. She is hoping to be moved to the re-hab facility tomorrow or Tuesday. We will let you know when she is moved and how she is doing. [/quote]
Vickey said they will be going to Mexico soon and will visit our Vicky and her family and tell her how much we miss her.
Back home now
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Had breakfast then left Omaha at 8:30. Good driving conditions. We stopped for a break just south of Fargo at a Casino which is adjacent to the highway. Katie won $4 but I won $15...YES...finally...
We didn't stay long, and the rest of the 10 hour drive was uneventful...until...WE REACHED THE BORDER!!!!
We got to the border at approx 6PM. I didn't expect there would be much of a lineup on a Saturday night, and was one of the reasons we planned on getting there on Saturday or Sunday morning to avoid all the Winnipegers coming back from Grand Forks and Fargo. WRONG!!!!
There was a single lane lineup over a mile long and moving forward like a snail. After we had been in the lineup for 25 minutes and could still not see the building.
There are two lanes...one for trucks and one for cars. Now this alone gets me wondering...why do trucks get special treatment? We are in line for 25 minutes and they come shooting down the other lane and get to go right through.
Now a van comes down the truck lane, the driver having obviously not read the sign..trucks only...or simply didn't care. What happened to him? have no idea...the line was so long, impossible to see what happens at the front.
Later on an SUV with Alberta plates comes down the truck lane bypassing all of us waiting in line. By this time we had moved up slightly, so I could after awhile see the this car in a parking lot off to the side. But then, the driver and passenger came out of the parking lot, managed to convince someone to let them so through the bumper to bumper waiting line, and this SUV then went into the truck lane right at the kiosk. There was lots of discussion there with border guard, but they were allowed to proceed. This is ridiculous that someone can come down the truck lane and bypass everyone waiting in line for a long time.
Shortly after a girl driving a vehicle and another vehicle who obviously just followed what she was doing like a sheep, came down the truck lane. She then realized that this was not a good thing and she had messed up. She stopped a few cars behind us in the truck lane and had conversation with those in line behind us. She was actually blocking the truck lane. Then a truck came...we have now been in line for about 45 minutes, and he manages to get around her and the other car. She then managed to convince someone to let her into the line...by this time cutting in front of approximately over a mile of waiting vehicles. I am sure they were not happy!!!!
We were right behind a truck who had about 15 two by fours in the back, who must have thought he got a better deal at Menard's in Grand Forks. When we got to the no tax pick up area, he pulled out of the line, in front of the trailer, got his booze and/or cigarettes, pulled out of this semi circle, got in line again, and in this process skipped ahead of six vehicles in front of us.
This whole scenario needs to be seriously looked at and redesigned.
First they need a big overhead flashing sign like the US highway Amber Alert signs which indicate "Trucks ONLY...cars prohibited" or something similar...or...design 6 lanes so the single lane lineup does not extend miles back...trucks go in one of these lanes same as everyone else.
They need to re-route lane jumpers back to the end of the line where they belong. I have seem them do this in the past, but they did not appear to do that this time. In the past they made runners come out from the no tax pickup so the vehicle remained in the long lineup. Don't do this anymore either, so those getting booze get an advantage.
At least they had six lanes open at the front, and we finally got there after an hour...then we got to talk to someone who looked like a 12 year old...lol...when he asked me how far I went in Texas...I said Pharr....he looked very puzzled and slightly annoyed...and finally asked if that was a place...I laughed and said yes. Next time I will say San Juan or McAllen...anything but Pharr.
I felt sorry for one guy...he was in line so long he had car trouble...so he had to pull out of the line...I would not want to be him...he would have to find someway to fix it or call a tow truck because he would not be able to wait another 45 minutes or so to get to the front.
Lesson learned...don't come back at 6PM on Saturday...when it would seem those who go to Grand Forks for the day are all coming back. Can't imagine what it is going to be like on Sunday.
Another issue is that Customs closed the Border Crossing at Noyes, which is just around the corner and could seriously reduce the lineups...but they obviously don't care about Canadians trying to get back into their own Country in a timely manner.
That's my rant for today...but it's all ok...why?...because we're home now safe and sound but very tired. Good thing is...Katie has three days before she has to go back to work.
more later....
We didn't stay long, and the rest of the 10 hour drive was uneventful...until...WE REACHED THE BORDER!!!!
We got to the border at approx 6PM. I didn't expect there would be much of a lineup on a Saturday night, and was one of the reasons we planned on getting there on Saturday or Sunday morning to avoid all the Winnipegers coming back from Grand Forks and Fargo. WRONG!!!!
There was a single lane lineup over a mile long and moving forward like a snail. After we had been in the lineup for 25 minutes and could still not see the building.
There are two lanes...one for trucks and one for cars. Now this alone gets me wondering...why do trucks get special treatment? We are in line for 25 minutes and they come shooting down the other lane and get to go right through.
Now a van comes down the truck lane, the driver having obviously not read the sign..trucks only...or simply didn't care. What happened to him? have no idea...the line was so long, impossible to see what happens at the front.
Later on an SUV with Alberta plates comes down the truck lane bypassing all of us waiting in line. By this time we had moved up slightly, so I could after awhile see the this car in a parking lot off to the side. But then, the driver and passenger came out of the parking lot, managed to convince someone to let them so through the bumper to bumper waiting line, and this SUV then went into the truck lane right at the kiosk. There was lots of discussion there with border guard, but they were allowed to proceed. This is ridiculous that someone can come down the truck lane and bypass everyone waiting in line for a long time.
Shortly after a girl driving a vehicle and another vehicle who obviously just followed what she was doing like a sheep, came down the truck lane. She then realized that this was not a good thing and she had messed up. She stopped a few cars behind us in the truck lane and had conversation with those in line behind us. She was actually blocking the truck lane. Then a truck came...we have now been in line for about 45 minutes, and he manages to get around her and the other car. She then managed to convince someone to let her into the line...by this time cutting in front of approximately over a mile of waiting vehicles. I am sure they were not happy!!!!
We were right behind a truck who had about 15 two by fours in the back, who must have thought he got a better deal at Menard's in Grand Forks. When we got to the no tax pick up area, he pulled out of the line, in front of the trailer, got his booze and/or cigarettes, pulled out of this semi circle, got in line again, and in this process skipped ahead of six vehicles in front of us.
This whole scenario needs to be seriously looked at and redesigned.
First they need a big overhead flashing sign like the US highway Amber Alert signs which indicate "Trucks ONLY...cars prohibited" or something similar...or...design 6 lanes so the single lane lineup does not extend miles back...trucks go in one of these lanes same as everyone else.
They need to re-route lane jumpers back to the end of the line where they belong. I have seem them do this in the past, but they did not appear to do that this time. In the past they made runners come out from the no tax pickup so the vehicle remained in the long lineup. Don't do this anymore either, so those getting booze get an advantage.
At least they had six lanes open at the front, and we finally got there after an hour...then we got to talk to someone who looked like a 12 year old...lol...when he asked me how far I went in Texas...I said Pharr....he looked very puzzled and slightly annoyed...and finally asked if that was a place...I laughed and said yes. Next time I will say San Juan or McAllen...anything but Pharr.
I felt sorry for one guy...he was in line so long he had car trouble...so he had to pull out of the line...I would not want to be him...he would have to find someway to fix it or call a tow truck because he would not be able to wait another 45 minutes or so to get to the front.
Lesson learned...don't come back at 6PM on Saturday...when it would seem those who go to Grand Forks for the day are all coming back. Can't imagine what it is going to be like on Sunday.
Another issue is that Customs closed the Border Crossing at Noyes, which is just around the corner and could seriously reduce the lineups...but they obviously don't care about Canadians trying to get back into their own Country in a timely manner.
That's my rant for today...but it's all ok...why?...because we're home now safe and sound but very tired. Good thing is...Katie has three days before she has to go back to work.
more later....
The last 10 hours
Saturday, April 2, 2011
We went to the casinos across the river in Council Bluffs last night. The first one was Ameristar...the place was absolutely packed...very hard to move around and virtually every machine making them a lot of money.
We didn't like it much and moved on to the Horseshoe...much much better...lots of room to move...the only bad thing about all these casinos is the smoke...I know it's not true of course, but it seems like...every person who goes to these casinos...smokes! Will be glad to get back home to smokeless casinos.
I did my usual losing thing...but Katie did her usual winning thing and we ended up net $176.
10 hours to go now...so we're up and gathering our things. This hotel has a Perkins attached to it and they give you 10 percent off in lieu of continental breakfast at the hotel. So after getting our stuff ready we will head downstairs to Perkins for breakfast.
Then it's an easy drive home in terms of traffic etc.
It was a great trip and thoroughly enjoyable, but it was also be great to be home.
more later...
We didn't like it much and moved on to the Horseshoe...much much better...lots of room to move...the only bad thing about all these casinos is the smoke...I know it's not true of course, but it seems like...every person who goes to these casinos...smokes! Will be glad to get back home to smokeless casinos.
I did my usual losing thing...but Katie did her usual winning thing and we ended up net $176.
10 hours to go now...so we're up and gathering our things. This hotel has a Perkins attached to it and they give you 10 percent off in lieu of continental breakfast at the hotel. So after getting our stuff ready we will head downstairs to Perkins for breakfast.
Then it's an easy drive home in terms of traffic etc.
It was a great trip and thoroughly enjoyable, but it was also be great to be home.
more later...
On the road again....North
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Yesterday we did some packing and were invited to Larry and Shirley's...(we just met them this year and they are part of the Sunday morning golf group)...for happy hour. We met three new couples, and we had a great time. There were plenty of laughs and good conversation.
Shirley did a great job, and had delicious pork buns, salad, and either chocolate pie or coconut pie for dessert. Another inch added to the waist line...ouch.
Because we were having a good time we stayed longer than we intended...so when we got back home we didn't get all the packing finished.
Got up at 6 this morning...thought it might take an hour to finish packing and close up the trailer...Wrong! took 2 hours. Oh well..we said to heck with it, let's stop for breakfast anyway as we had no food.
Ken and Vickey dropped by yesterday as we had a card and a plant they said they would give to Sister Maureen, as she is getting both her knees replaced today. Sure hope everything goes well and she is not laid up too long. We learned that Ken and Vickey through their church look after 30 sponsors, while Sister Maureen looks after 300...good thing she has a mind like a steel trap...imagine trying to keep all that straight, but she does it...and does a fantastic job.
We gave Ken and Vickey a lot of our left over foodstuffs that we were not going to use, they took it gladly and will distribute it in Mexico. They had an appointment so could not stay, then it was time for hugs and goodbyes for us until next year. We promised to keep in touch by email.
So we went for breakfast, stopped to get gas at Sam's Club...$1.31, then off we went at exactly 8:30.
We decided to take a different route because it was Thursday and we usually try to travel on the weekend when there is less traffic. This route was vigorously promoted by the late Doug Summers who made the trip to the Valley for 25 years. He would be happy I finally tried it...God rest his soul.
Guess what?...we liked it, even though you have to slow down for some towns and parts of the route are two lane...you miss all the traffic at San Antonio and Austin...it comes out at Waco. The road was not too busy at all, and the highway is good. As promised by Doug, it is definitely more scenic than the other route which we normally take. It makes for a very relaxing and stress free trip.
We ran into a 15 minute delay after leaving Waco around Fort Worth but that was to be expected as we were there around 5PM. The Tomtom GPS live function warned us well in advance and kept us posted on the delay. It was very accurate. We just decided that delays or not, it just didn't matter.
We went to our favorite hotel in Denton, Tx, just on the other side of Fort Worth...ahhh...such luxury for such a reasonable price. This is a Best Western Premiere, their top of the line. Got here about 6:30, so not feeling so rushed as getting to somewhere further...later.
Tomorrow we booked the same hotel in Omaha that we had on the way down. The manager sent an email after I filled out a survey after our stay, and said because things were not up to snuff, she would be pleased to offer us 50% off our next stay. So now the price tomorrow is $44...unreal!
We will make it there after an approx 9 or 10 hour drive. Then we plan to hit the casinos in Council Bluffs across the river for awhile.
Then on Saturday it's a ten hour drive to Winnipeg. I like breaking up the drive into 9 or 10 hour segments...used to do 13 hours or so, but this is better.
So soon it will be off to sleep in this extremely comfortable bed...beautiful day here today.
more later....
Shirley did a great job, and had delicious pork buns, salad, and either chocolate pie or coconut pie for dessert. Another inch added to the waist line...ouch.
Because we were having a good time we stayed longer than we intended...so when we got back home we didn't get all the packing finished.
Got up at 6 this morning...thought it might take an hour to finish packing and close up the trailer...Wrong! took 2 hours. Oh well..we said to heck with it, let's stop for breakfast anyway as we had no food.
Ken and Vickey dropped by yesterday as we had a card and a plant they said they would give to Sister Maureen, as she is getting both her knees replaced today. Sure hope everything goes well and she is not laid up too long. We learned that Ken and Vickey through their church look after 30 sponsors, while Sister Maureen looks after 300...good thing she has a mind like a steel trap...imagine trying to keep all that straight, but she does it...and does a fantastic job.
We gave Ken and Vickey a lot of our left over foodstuffs that we were not going to use, they took it gladly and will distribute it in Mexico. They had an appointment so could not stay, then it was time for hugs and goodbyes for us until next year. We promised to keep in touch by email.
So we went for breakfast, stopped to get gas at Sam's Club...$1.31, then off we went at exactly 8:30.
We decided to take a different route because it was Thursday and we usually try to travel on the weekend when there is less traffic. This route was vigorously promoted by the late Doug Summers who made the trip to the Valley for 25 years. He would be happy I finally tried it...God rest his soul.
Guess what?...we liked it, even though you have to slow down for some towns and parts of the route are two lane...you miss all the traffic at San Antonio and Austin...it comes out at Waco. The road was not too busy at all, and the highway is good. As promised by Doug, it is definitely more scenic than the other route which we normally take. It makes for a very relaxing and stress free trip.
We ran into a 15 minute delay after leaving Waco around Fort Worth but that was to be expected as we were there around 5PM. The Tomtom GPS live function warned us well in advance and kept us posted on the delay. It was very accurate. We just decided that delays or not, it just didn't matter.
We went to our favorite hotel in Denton, Tx, just on the other side of Fort Worth...ahhh...such luxury for such a reasonable price. This is a Best Western Premiere, their top of the line. Got here about 6:30, so not feeling so rushed as getting to somewhere further...later.
Tomorrow we booked the same hotel in Omaha that we had on the way down. The manager sent an email after I filled out a survey after our stay, and said because things were not up to snuff, she would be pleased to offer us 50% off our next stay. So now the price tomorrow is $44...unreal!
We will make it there after an approx 9 or 10 hour drive. Then we plan to hit the casinos in Council Bluffs across the river for awhile.
Then on Saturday it's a ten hour drive to Winnipeg. I like breaking up the drive into 9 or 10 hour segments...used to do 13 hours or so, but this is better.
So soon it will be off to sleep in this extremely comfortable bed...beautiful day here today.
more later....
Brrrrrr....plus packing day
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
It was quite chilly this morning around 55 or 60...I know I know...most of you that I know still have snow.
We decided that we will leave tomorrow so that Katie has an extra day at home before she goes back to work.
Katie and I went to South Padre yesterday and had a good day...it was cooler than the 90 or so that it was here so was really nice. We went to Dirty Al's for lunch...we are going to have to do some serious diet changes when we get home.
This is lunch...hardly and calories or fat...Not!
Then on to the Beach....
Some advertise everyware...being pulled by a circling plane
Neighbor on the beach
On the way back this attracted our attention but once inside most items in this huge place were overpriced...
Beautiful coral in this store
Then it was time for supper, a visit with Bob and Judy who dropped by, then some washing, a trip over to see Remi and Dana who were leaving Wednesday and a promise to get together in Winnipeg.
And so ended another great day in the valley
We decided that we will leave tomorrow so that Katie has an extra day at home before she goes back to work.
Katie and I went to South Padre yesterday and had a good day...it was cooler than the 90 or so that it was here so was really nice. We went to Dirty Al's for lunch...we are going to have to do some serious diet changes when we get home.
This is lunch...hardly and calories or fat...Not!
Then on to the Beach....
Some advertise everyware...being pulled by a circling plane
Neighbor on the beach
On the way back this attracted our attention but once inside most items in this huge place were overpriced...
Beautiful coral in this store
Then it was time for supper, a visit with Bob and Judy who dropped by, then some washing, a trip over to see Remi and Dana who were leaving Wednesday and a promise to get together in Winnipeg.
And so ended another great day in the valley
Starting to wind down
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Yesterday we just took it easy...started to get things organized around the trailer...got the back of the car cleaned out. No golf...still a bit too hot to be enjoyable.
After supper went to a store we never went to before...Called Ross dress for less. What a mistake...lots of bargains...got a couple of more T shirts for the boys...then we saw this nice picture with a great unique frame for the Condo at home for $39. Now we have to find a place in the car to take it home.
Today we're thinking of going to South Padre Island..it's overcast today so not overly hot...walk around the beach for awhile and maybe even go to Dirty Al's. We'll see.
We also decided we're going to leave Thursday instead of Friday to give Katie another day of rest at home before she has to go back to work. Not too crazy about the thought of the traffic, we usually like to travel in Texas as much as possible on the weekends...but that's ok...you do what you must.
more later....
and another great day in the valley
After supper went to a store we never went to before...Called Ross dress for less. What a mistake...lots of bargains...got a couple of more T shirts for the boys...then we saw this nice picture with a great unique frame for the Condo at home for $39. Now we have to find a place in the car to take it home.
Today we're thinking of going to South Padre Island..it's overcast today so not overly hot...walk around the beach for awhile and maybe even go to Dirty Al's. We'll see.
We also decided we're going to leave Thursday instead of Friday to give Katie another day of rest at home before she has to go back to work. Not too crazy about the thought of the traffic, we usually like to travel in Texas as much as possible on the weekends...but that's ok...you do what you must.
more later....
and another great day in the valley
Hot Day today, 4 days left, and addition to 2nd Mexico Trip
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Forgot to mention an interesting fact about Neuvo Progresso. The town only charges people taxes on their properties when all the work is completed. As a result there are many one room houses where the so called plans are to add a second addition. What you see in many cases are steel reinforcing rods sticking out from the roof...supposedly for a 2nd floor which usually does not get built...
You can see the rods sticking out from the roof top.
Another thing I forgot to mention is at Vicky's house. You can see at the side a large pile of bricks, which they clean and sell for money...trouble is when Armada does the washing she has to walk on them to hang her clothes up...they also have to walk over them to get to their vegetable garden.
You can see in this picture inside Vicky's house that there are virtually no tables or cupboards to store anything, there is a dirt floor.
Yikes...only 4 days before we leave! Was not going all that quickly until now...but seems like things are speeding up. Supposed to be 99 degrees today and it is humid. It was hot yesterday and the air conditioner quit...luckily I watched Rex who fixes them in the park the last time and saw that it was a loose connection. I managed to fix it myself quickly...whew!d
Terry and Arlene's quit the day before they left, but they are going to leave it until next year. My neighbor also had his quit yesterday and got Rex to fix it for him.
We went golfing with Raymond and Lorraine on Friday...Naturally Katie beat me again...then we had drinks and munchies at their place and it was fun.
We were supposed to go golfing with the Canadian group this morning for 9 holes and then breakfast afterward, but Katie's back was sore(probably from beating me at golf), so we took a pass.
We are going to Bob and Judy's later for Supper, Raymond and Lorraine will be there...we both get a kick out of Lorraine, she is funny, and we like them both.
more later....
You can see the rods sticking out from the roof top.
Another thing I forgot to mention is at Vicky's house. You can see at the side a large pile of bricks, which they clean and sell for money...trouble is when Armada does the washing she has to walk on them to hang her clothes up...they also have to walk over them to get to their vegetable garden.
You can see in this picture inside Vicky's house that there are virtually no tables or cupboards to store anything, there is a dirt floor.
Yikes...only 4 days before we leave! Was not going all that quickly until now...but seems like things are speeding up. Supposed to be 99 degrees today and it is humid. It was hot yesterday and the air conditioner quit...luckily I watched Rex who fixes them in the park the last time and saw that it was a loose connection. I managed to fix it myself quickly...whew!d
Terry and Arlene's quit the day before they left, but they are going to leave it until next year. My neighbor also had his quit yesterday and got Rex to fix it for him.
We went golfing with Raymond and Lorraine on Friday...Naturally Katie beat me again...then we had drinks and munchies at their place and it was fun.
We were supposed to go golfing with the Canadian group this morning for 9 holes and then breakfast afterward, but Katie's back was sore(probably from beating me at golf), so we took a pass.
We are going to Bob and Judy's later for Supper, Raymond and Lorraine will be there...we both get a kick out of Lorraine, she is funny, and we like them both.
more later....
2nd trip to Mexico...Progresso and Canalas
Saturday, March 26, 2011
We had asked Sister Maureen if we could go to Neuvo Progresso to see Vicky, while at the same time not being a bother. Sister Maureen responded she would be happy to take us again...same time...same station.
So at 12:15 Katie and I were standing on the Progresso side of the International Bridge, standing in front of of one of a multitude of Pharmacies. We saw the familiar red truck, driven by Sister Maureen, with Ken and "the other Vickey" in the front seat.
Katie and I had our bag of goodies, which is like a gym bag on wheels...into the back of the truck it went and Katie and I got into the crew cab portion of the truck.
Soon, we stopped at Vicky's place. Out came our little Vicky to melt our hearts again....
Nothing like Vicky's hugs!
We distributed the goodies we had brought...this time for the whole family. Something for everyone, as we did not want any of the kids to feel left out...that Vicky was getting everything. We also had some cash for mom to help her with whatever she might need most. We just put it in a card with spanish translation we did on the net.
One of the greatest hits turned out to be one of the smallest and least expensive...note to self...don't go overboard...were packages of gum for each child. This was the type that is in a roll and you can peel out as much as you wish from the container.
Mom immediately went and got some metal chairs from inside the one room. Katie started to take lots of pictures of the kids with their loot and playing with their gum. Pancho Villa(Jose)was his usual self...smiling and posing, showing the dimples on his cheeks...what a ham!
During a conversation between Sister Maureen and Mom(Armada)we learned that she was having problems with the tin roof leaking. This is not such a big issue when it is not raining or the humidity is not causing water dripping, but when it rains it rains....I did not do anything with this info at the moment due to other things going on, but later, as we were making our rounds, I saw a couple of men who were doing carpentry work at the home of the obviously wealthy dentist from Progresso whose large home we had seen on the previous visit. That spurred an idea for me...so I asked Sister Maureen how much she thought it would cost for someone to fix Armada's roof. Sister Maureen said she thought it would cost $40...and she would likely have one of the men doing the carpentry to do it as he lives very close to Vicky's place. Katie and I looked at each other and she dug $40 out of her purse and gave it to Sister Maureen.
Still at Vicky's...another woman came by, and had some conversation with Sister Maureen. We learned that she had just found out that at school the next day, her son would be unable to participate in one of the activities, because it required 59 pesos or roughly 5 American dollars. Katie immediately went to her purse and gave the woman the 5 dollars she needed. She was so grateful!
Katie was then seated on a chair in the sun and that same woman insisted she move to another chair in the shade, indicating by hand signal that sitting in the sun is not so good for you. How thoughtful!.
Armada brought out a small photo album while we were sitting, with pictures of all the kids when they were small. I got her to hold up the album with a picture of her husband Jose Maria as we had not had the opportunity to meet him.
We continued with our visit, then, it was time to leave and go on to Sister Maureen's agenda for the day. Sister Maureen asked if we wanted to go with her on her journey with Ken and Vickey and we said definitely yes! Very sad saying goodbye to the family, and especially our little Vicky, knowing that we would not see them and her for another year...hard to describe the strong feelings that developed in such a short period of time with just a couple of visits.
On the topic of visits...some of the feedback Katie and I have received is that some folks might think they cannot adopt to send a child on Sister Maureen's list to school because they are not here and cannot visit. It is not necessary to be here, it is only a bonus. Sponsors get letters and information on how the child is doing at school...and the really important thing is that unlike some other sponsorship programs where you don't necessarily know where your money is going...you do in this case, because Katie and I have seen it first hand.
So off we went in the red truck, stopping at several homes that we had not been to before in Neuvo Progresso. At one home Sister Maureen spoke to a woman, and we learned that she was going to come with us when we went to "Canalas" Mexico to see her father. Sister Maureen speaks English with a Boston Accent, but makes herself well understood in the Spanish she has learned. This woman who cannot read or write, crochets constantly, and works without a pattern...her work is amazing....
Once we were finished in Progresso we started off on the highway to Canalas, several miles away but we were not going near any cities or small towns as it is too dangerous. On the highway, we came to several spots where the pavement stopped and an area was filled in with gravel. This is where they had a flood and cut holes in the road to let the water through. There was so much water, that the fields on both sides of the road were filled and Mexicans were actually fishing there. We came to a spot where the road was so bad, they built a small detour around and back onto the highway.
Wasn't long before we headed off the highway onto a dirt trail and through some fields...off roading at it's best. We came to a house in the middle of nowhere, nothing but fields all around with a new growing crop of corn, but Sister Maureen informed us that with no rain, at least half the crop would be dead by July.
This house is where the woman who was with us was going to see her Dad. Several people were living here with no running water or electricity. Her Dad is 92 years old and refuses to let anyone do anything for him in terms of making him more comfortable in his small one room area.
There was a husband and wife here, and the husband works in the fields with an old fashioned hoe...he told us he worked for 9 hours and his arms and hands were very sore...and for the whole day he made $12.
His wife was very proud of their "renovated" kitchen...and I use the term loosely....
You can see in the upper right corner a grate with ordinary kindling wood underneath and a pot...the smoke goes up and out...no chimney.
Kitchen table
another room with three beds
A stone bowl that they eat out of
The people here are so hospitable and welcome you with open arms.
We continued on to some other homes all clustered together and Sister Maureen allowed each child to pick one toy out of a large bag. One little boy had something that looked like a mouse but wasn't and couldn't find anything to plug it into. Finally he decided on a fanny pack. It was empty...so Katie put a quarter in it...and got a huge smile in return.
Waiting for their toy...you can see in the rear "The other Vickey" with the Sunglasses giving a chocolate to each child.
We continued on with Sister Maureen talking and helping other women at other homes, then we went back to pick up the "Crochet Lady", and her son Miguel(not Palmer and Jenner's child), who rode in the back of the truck which is covered with a cap on the way to and the way back to Progresso.
On the way back...same detour...same going slowly over the filled in spots on the road.
We dropped "Crochet Woman" and Miguel off a few doors away from Vicky's house...Hooray!!!!...a request to Sister Maureen...and one last quick hug from Vicky....Yes!!!!!!!! What a way to end many hours of watching poor unfortunate people, living in awful conditions, but who always seem to have a smile on their face, and ready to shake hands and greet you warmly...even the most shy of the children...would never happen on the other side of the border!.
The back of Sister Maureen's truck was bare now...all her cargo having been dropped off at one place or another...so we decided to go for coffee, and returned to the bakery on Main Street where we had been on the first trip. The coffee here is very good!
Lots of good conversation, with stories and insights from Sister Maureen and "The other Vickey". It was very enjoyable and a great way to end an educational and emotional day. Sister Maureen asked us to say a prayer for her next Thursday, as she is getting both knees replaced...she said she finally made up her mind to do it and has had the problems almost 30 years. We quickly said we would.
Sister Maureen said she would drive us back across the International Bridge, but Katie wanted to pick up her last small bottle of pure vanilla and a couple of odds and ends, so we said we would walk. Hugs for Sister Maureen and Vickey and a handshake for Ken, with thanks going both ways.
We met Sister Maureen at 12:15 and it was about 5:00PM when we finally got back from all her rounds. Sister Maureen is definitely one of the most dedicated, helpful, and kind people we have ever met. She is truly one of a kind!
Looks like she will have to curtail her activities a bit while she recovers from her knee replacement surgery, but knowing her...she will find a way to do what needs to be done, with much help from Ken and Vickey we're sure.
Good news!!!!! Terry and Arlene took some foodstuffs and odds and ends from the Palmers and themselves to Sister Maureen at the Basillica in San Juan, and learned that the last little boy in the family to be sponsored...had in fact been sponsored in the last 24 hours. Apparently it was because of the blog or Katie's facebook page. We do not know who the sponsor is, but are very glad he is now sponsored.
Don't know his exact name but know it starts with an "O". He is very cute and friendly and changed his T shirt three times while we were there. His Sister, who is already sponsored, obviously cares about him a great deal, as she was looking after him and hugging him often. So great!
After leaving Mexico...Katie and I went to the Blue Onion Restaurant in Weslaco...It was very good and just what we needed after a long day.
more later....and another great day in the valley
So at 12:15 Katie and I were standing on the Progresso side of the International Bridge, standing in front of of one of a multitude of Pharmacies. We saw the familiar red truck, driven by Sister Maureen, with Ken and "the other Vickey" in the front seat.
Katie and I had our bag of goodies, which is like a gym bag on wheels...into the back of the truck it went and Katie and I got into the crew cab portion of the truck.
Soon, we stopped at Vicky's place. Out came our little Vicky to melt our hearts again....
Nothing like Vicky's hugs!
We distributed the goodies we had brought...this time for the whole family. Something for everyone, as we did not want any of the kids to feel left out...that Vicky was getting everything. We also had some cash for mom to help her with whatever she might need most. We just put it in a card with spanish translation we did on the net.
One of the greatest hits turned out to be one of the smallest and least expensive...note to self...don't go overboard...were packages of gum for each child. This was the type that is in a roll and you can peel out as much as you wish from the container.
Mom immediately went and got some metal chairs from inside the one room. Katie started to take lots of pictures of the kids with their loot and playing with their gum. Pancho Villa(Jose)was his usual self...smiling and posing, showing the dimples on his cheeks...what a ham!
During a conversation between Sister Maureen and Mom(Armada)we learned that she was having problems with the tin roof leaking. This is not such a big issue when it is not raining or the humidity is not causing water dripping, but when it rains it rains....I did not do anything with this info at the moment due to other things going on, but later, as we were making our rounds, I saw a couple of men who were doing carpentry work at the home of the obviously wealthy dentist from Progresso whose large home we had seen on the previous visit. That spurred an idea for me...so I asked Sister Maureen how much she thought it would cost for someone to fix Armada's roof. Sister Maureen said she thought it would cost $40...and she would likely have one of the men doing the carpentry to do it as he lives very close to Vicky's place. Katie and I looked at each other and she dug $40 out of her purse and gave it to Sister Maureen.
Still at Vicky's...another woman came by, and had some conversation with Sister Maureen. We learned that she had just found out that at school the next day, her son would be unable to participate in one of the activities, because it required 59 pesos or roughly 5 American dollars. Katie immediately went to her purse and gave the woman the 5 dollars she needed. She was so grateful!
Katie was then seated on a chair in the sun and that same woman insisted she move to another chair in the shade, indicating by hand signal that sitting in the sun is not so good for you. How thoughtful!.
Armada brought out a small photo album while we were sitting, with pictures of all the kids when they were small. I got her to hold up the album with a picture of her husband Jose Maria as we had not had the opportunity to meet him.
We continued with our visit, then, it was time to leave and go on to Sister Maureen's agenda for the day. Sister Maureen asked if we wanted to go with her on her journey with Ken and Vickey and we said definitely yes! Very sad saying goodbye to the family, and especially our little Vicky, knowing that we would not see them and her for another year...hard to describe the strong feelings that developed in such a short period of time with just a couple of visits.
On the topic of visits...some of the feedback Katie and I have received is that some folks might think they cannot adopt to send a child on Sister Maureen's list to school because they are not here and cannot visit. It is not necessary to be here, it is only a bonus. Sponsors get letters and information on how the child is doing at school...and the really important thing is that unlike some other sponsorship programs where you don't necessarily know where your money is going...you do in this case, because Katie and I have seen it first hand.
So off we went in the red truck, stopping at several homes that we had not been to before in Neuvo Progresso. At one home Sister Maureen spoke to a woman, and we learned that she was going to come with us when we went to "Canalas" Mexico to see her father. Sister Maureen speaks English with a Boston Accent, but makes herself well understood in the Spanish she has learned. This woman who cannot read or write, crochets constantly, and works without a pattern...her work is amazing....
Once we were finished in Progresso we started off on the highway to Canalas, several miles away but we were not going near any cities or small towns as it is too dangerous. On the highway, we came to several spots where the pavement stopped and an area was filled in with gravel. This is where they had a flood and cut holes in the road to let the water through. There was so much water, that the fields on both sides of the road were filled and Mexicans were actually fishing there. We came to a spot where the road was so bad, they built a small detour around and back onto the highway.
Wasn't long before we headed off the highway onto a dirt trail and through some fields...off roading at it's best. We came to a house in the middle of nowhere, nothing but fields all around with a new growing crop of corn, but Sister Maureen informed us that with no rain, at least half the crop would be dead by July.
This house is where the woman who was with us was going to see her Dad. Several people were living here with no running water or electricity. Her Dad is 92 years old and refuses to let anyone do anything for him in terms of making him more comfortable in his small one room area.
There was a husband and wife here, and the husband works in the fields with an old fashioned hoe...he told us he worked for 9 hours and his arms and hands were very sore...and for the whole day he made $12.
His wife was very proud of their "renovated" kitchen...and I use the term loosely....
The people here are so hospitable and welcome you with open arms.
We continued on to some other homes all clustered together and Sister Maureen allowed each child to pick one toy out of a large bag. One little boy had something that looked like a mouse but wasn't and couldn't find anything to plug it into. Finally he decided on a fanny pack. It was empty...so Katie put a quarter in it...and got a huge smile in return.
Waiting for their toy...you can see in the rear "The other Vickey" with the Sunglasses giving a chocolate to each child.
We continued on with Sister Maureen talking and helping other women at other homes, then we went back to pick up the "Crochet Lady", and her son Miguel(not Palmer and Jenner's child), who rode in the back of the truck which is covered with a cap on the way to and the way back to Progresso.
On the way back...same detour...same going slowly over the filled in spots on the road.
We dropped "Crochet Woman" and Miguel off a few doors away from Vicky's house...Hooray!!!!...a request to Sister Maureen...and one last quick hug from Vicky....Yes!!!!!!!! What a way to end many hours of watching poor unfortunate people, living in awful conditions, but who always seem to have a smile on their face, and ready to shake hands and greet you warmly...even the most shy of the children...would never happen on the other side of the border!.
The back of Sister Maureen's truck was bare now...all her cargo having been dropped off at one place or another...so we decided to go for coffee, and returned to the bakery on Main Street where we had been on the first trip. The coffee here is very good!
Lots of good conversation, with stories and insights from Sister Maureen and "The other Vickey". It was very enjoyable and a great way to end an educational and emotional day. Sister Maureen asked us to say a prayer for her next Thursday, as she is getting both knees replaced...she said she finally made up her mind to do it and has had the problems almost 30 years. We quickly said we would.
Sister Maureen said she would drive us back across the International Bridge, but Katie wanted to pick up her last small bottle of pure vanilla and a couple of odds and ends, so we said we would walk. Hugs for Sister Maureen and Vickey and a handshake for Ken, with thanks going both ways.
We met Sister Maureen at 12:15 and it was about 5:00PM when we finally got back from all her rounds. Sister Maureen is definitely one of the most dedicated, helpful, and kind people we have ever met. She is truly one of a kind!
Looks like she will have to curtail her activities a bit while she recovers from her knee replacement surgery, but knowing her...she will find a way to do what needs to be done, with much help from Ken and Vickey we're sure.
Good news!!!!! Terry and Arlene took some foodstuffs and odds and ends from the Palmers and themselves to Sister Maureen at the Basillica in San Juan, and learned that the last little boy in the family to be sponsored...had in fact been sponsored in the last 24 hours. Apparently it was because of the blog or Katie's facebook page. We do not know who the sponsor is, but are very glad he is now sponsored.
Don't know his exact name but know it starts with an "O". He is very cute and friendly and changed his T shirt three times while we were there. His Sister, who is already sponsored, obviously cares about him a great deal, as she was looking after him and hugging him often. So great!
After leaving Mexico...Katie and I went to the Blue Onion Restaurant in Weslaco...It was very good and just what we needed after a long day.
more later....and another great day in the valley
Another great day in Mexico yesterday and Ropa Pics
Friday, March 25, 2011
Got the trailer sprayed on Wednesday, and then went out for Lunch with Terry and Arlene. We went to El Patio where we went last year. This time Katie and I were smart and shared one order of Chicken Strips. I almost forgot how good they were.
Then we went to Ropa Usada to take some pictures for you....
Piles were not quite as high as the other day...people will go right to the top of the pile, then sit and begin going through the clothes looking for the right size and what they are looking for. People have told us they have gotten a brand new wedding dress, new leather jacket, a parka which has a very small amount of what appeared to be paint but came right off.
You can buy clothes for $1.50 a pound.
We did not do any pile diving though.....
I will make a long post when I get a chance about our long visit to Mexico yesterday to see Vicky and her family, and we went lots of other places with Sister Maureen and Ken and Vickey.
Then we went to Ropa Usada to take some pictures for you....
Piles were not quite as high as the other day...people will go right to the top of the pile, then sit and begin going through the clothes looking for the right size and what they are looking for. People have told us they have gotten a brand new wedding dress, new leather jacket, a parka which has a very small amount of what appeared to be paint but came right off.
You can buy clothes for $1.50 a pound.
We did not do any pile diving though.....
I will make a long post when I get a chance about our long visit to Mexico yesterday to see Vicky and her family, and we went lots of other places with Sister Maureen and Ken and Vickey.
Golf Day for Katie and happy hour
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Katie played golf yesterday with a ladies league...early start...Judy picked her up in her golf cart at 7:15. Katie says here putting was not so good on the front 9 but her drives were still good. She shot 50 on the front, but then made a good comeback shooting 43 on the back.
While she was gone...I spent the time getting things cleaned up as we were expecting a few people for happy hour. It's a bit tough trying to stage one of these as we only have so much room, and there are more people we would like to invite than we have room for. We restricted the group to 10 yesterday, including us. Good thing we did...because the winds were 15-25 in the morning from the south and gusting to 35 in the afternoon. We are unprotected in our carport and the wind was really blowing so we decided to move the party indoors. That turned out to be just fine...but squeezing anymore in would not have worked well.
Katie (@ Betty Crocker) did her usual great job...she made Cesar salad, chicken burgers, crab dip, home made salsa, 4 different kinds of her special pizzas, lemon pie(Remi loves it...so do I)and homemade brownies...awesome! Bill said it was one of the best pizza's he ever tasted. Sons Kelly and Jeff say the same thing.
So, between 4:30 and 5, Terry and Arlene, Bill and June, Remi and Dana, and Ron and Marie arrived. Then the fun started....good conversation about all sorts of topics, and lots of laughs...Bill is especially hilarious. Terry and Arlene had to leave early as Terry is in a bit of a park texas holdem group.
Lots of fun was had by all until around 8:30 or 9...we are fortunate to have good friends like this in the park, as well as others.
Today in the morning we are just sort of cleaning up and hanging around waiting to have our trailer sprayed for termites. They are not a major problem here but could be if you do not take precautions...so whether we would get them or not...for $35 it is not worth the risk, especially with a new wood floor down.
Then we are supposed to go out for lunch with Terry and Arlene, and we may stop by Ropa Usada to take some pictures...I said in a previous post "You have got to see this".
Lorraine stopped by this morning to say that she has a tee time for us to play with them and possibly Judy on Friday morning.
Nice day today, with a bit of a breeze.
more later....and another great day in the valley.
While she was gone...I spent the time getting things cleaned up as we were expecting a few people for happy hour. It's a bit tough trying to stage one of these as we only have so much room, and there are more people we would like to invite than we have room for. We restricted the group to 10 yesterday, including us. Good thing we did...because the winds were 15-25 in the morning from the south and gusting to 35 in the afternoon. We are unprotected in our carport and the wind was really blowing so we decided to move the party indoors. That turned out to be just fine...but squeezing anymore in would not have worked well.
Katie (@ Betty Crocker) did her usual great job...she made Cesar salad, chicken burgers, crab dip, home made salsa, 4 different kinds of her special pizzas, lemon pie(Remi loves it...so do I)and homemade brownies...awesome! Bill said it was one of the best pizza's he ever tasted. Sons Kelly and Jeff say the same thing.
So, between 4:30 and 5, Terry and Arlene, Bill and June, Remi and Dana, and Ron and Marie arrived. Then the fun started....good conversation about all sorts of topics, and lots of laughs...Bill is especially hilarious. Terry and Arlene had to leave early as Terry is in a bit of a park texas holdem group.
Lots of fun was had by all until around 8:30 or 9...we are fortunate to have good friends like this in the park, as well as others.
Today in the morning we are just sort of cleaning up and hanging around waiting to have our trailer sprayed for termites. They are not a major problem here but could be if you do not take precautions...so whether we would get them or not...for $35 it is not worth the risk, especially with a new wood floor down.
Then we are supposed to go out for lunch with Terry and Arlene, and we may stop by Ropa Usada to take some pictures...I said in a previous post "You have got to see this".
Lorraine stopped by this morning to say that she has a tee time for us to play with them and possibly Judy on Friday morning.
Nice day today, with a bit of a breeze.
more later....and another great day in the valley.
What's with the last few days?
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Haven't posted the last few days, as several people wanted a chance to read about the trip to Mexico. Trouble is...but also good thing about this format is that the latest post is always at the top, and pushes every other one, down...so if folks don't have the time they will sometimes miss the odd good one.
Forgot to post this the other day from the trip to Mexico(see long Mexico account in post below this one)and I think it's priceless.
All of the supplies you see are only half of what was in the back of Sister Maureen's truck...and this cute little one, was one of the helpers to unload.
Katie and I played golf on Friday with Lorraine and Raymond, a fellow named John who is also from Winnipeg and a 72 year old lady whose name I forget. It was the guys in a threesome and the girls also. The 72 year old Katie said was really good...didn't hit the ball far but very consistent and scores in the 80's. I didn't see it but the girls can attest to it...Katie hit a 280 yard drive on the par 4 9th hole at Tierra Del Sol...yikes!
I started off well...tailed off...then picked up my game again...but not really a good game overall.
I let Raymond try my putter...and he immediately started sinking putts all over the place, and if they didn't go in they were tap ins. Guess what? he now has one on order and it should be here in a few days. It is called a Tiger Shark V-5 Greenspeed with a jumbo type grip.
Bob and Judy had everyone over to their place after the game for drinks and snacks and again lots of fun was had by all.
Katie and I played golf again on Sunday...9 holes with the Canadian Group in Edinburg. Guys plays together...girls play together. Again Katie played well shooting 41 and was only beat by one guy who is a very good golfer and he was at 40.
I started off poorly again and pretty much stayed that way...no big scores but basically playing bogey or double bogey golf until the 7th hole, when my slow brain figured out what I was doing wrong. Immediatly I started playing well, with good drives, good iron shots and putting. It was birdie, par, bogey(almost par...rimmed the cup). So I was satisfied and was low in our group.
Then all of us were off to Pizza Hut for Lunch for some good conversation and laughs.
Monday...Katie and I had to do shopping as we are having some people over Tuesday afternoon.
First we went to a place called Ropa Usada...Our friend Remi told us about it...but there are many all over the place. He gets lots of used T Shirts there, which he uses for work shirts, and when he get something on them, they become rags. The reason? 5 to 7 cents a shirt.
We just had to see this...so off we went. What we saw is hard to describe and we didn't have the camera. Mounds of clothes, front end loader pushing then around...people on top of the piles...sifting through the clothes for size and what they want. Unbelievable!!!! You basically buy the clothes by the pound.
You just have to see this...so we will take the camera and return.
We got good news Monday...I had written Sister Maureen...telling her we didn't want to be pests, and she could certainly say no with no reason necessary...but...isn't there always a but?...could we go with her on Thursday back to see Vicky and her family? She said sure no problem...same time, same station,...and Ken and the other Vicky from Pine to Palm would be with her again, and we didn't have to do lunch...we could do coffee afterward.
So, we are looking forward to another visit with our little one, and I have a few Spanish phrases ready to go, hope I can pull it off. We don't want Vicky's brothers and sisters to be left out...so we have something for each member of the family. We found out all the names and ages...Dad: Jose Maria: Mom: Armada: Oldest to youngest: Jorge 8: Maria 7: Jose 6(pancho villa) and Vicky 4 almost 5.
Katie is off playing golf today with the girls...looked like rain this morning...ominous looking clouds...but cleared up pretty quickly.
Then friends this afternoon...Katie has been baking up a storm...hmmm...maybe that is why it looked so much like rain this morning.
more later.....
more good days in the valley
Forgot to post this the other day from the trip to Mexico(see long Mexico account in post below this one)and I think it's priceless.
All of the supplies you see are only half of what was in the back of Sister Maureen's truck...and this cute little one, was one of the helpers to unload.
Katie and I played golf on Friday with Lorraine and Raymond, a fellow named John who is also from Winnipeg and a 72 year old lady whose name I forget. It was the guys in a threesome and the girls also. The 72 year old Katie said was really good...didn't hit the ball far but very consistent and scores in the 80's. I didn't see it but the girls can attest to it...Katie hit a 280 yard drive on the par 4 9th hole at Tierra Del Sol...yikes!
I started off well...tailed off...then picked up my game again...but not really a good game overall.
I let Raymond try my putter...and he immediately started sinking putts all over the place, and if they didn't go in they were tap ins. Guess what? he now has one on order and it should be here in a few days. It is called a Tiger Shark V-5 Greenspeed with a jumbo type grip.
Bob and Judy had everyone over to their place after the game for drinks and snacks and again lots of fun was had by all.
Katie and I played golf again on Sunday...9 holes with the Canadian Group in Edinburg. Guys plays together...girls play together. Again Katie played well shooting 41 and was only beat by one guy who is a very good golfer and he was at 40.
I started off poorly again and pretty much stayed that way...no big scores but basically playing bogey or double bogey golf until the 7th hole, when my slow brain figured out what I was doing wrong. Immediatly I started playing well, with good drives, good iron shots and putting. It was birdie, par, bogey(almost par...rimmed the cup). So I was satisfied and was low in our group.
Then all of us were off to Pizza Hut for Lunch for some good conversation and laughs.
Monday...Katie and I had to do shopping as we are having some people over Tuesday afternoon.
First we went to a place called Ropa Usada...Our friend Remi told us about it...but there are many all over the place. He gets lots of used T Shirts there, which he uses for work shirts, and when he get something on them, they become rags. The reason? 5 to 7 cents a shirt.
We just had to see this...so off we went. What we saw is hard to describe and we didn't have the camera. Mounds of clothes, front end loader pushing then around...people on top of the piles...sifting through the clothes for size and what they want. Unbelievable!!!! You basically buy the clothes by the pound.
You just have to see this...so we will take the camera and return.
We got good news Monday...I had written Sister Maureen...telling her we didn't want to be pests, and she could certainly say no with no reason necessary...but...isn't there always a but?...could we go with her on Thursday back to see Vicky and her family? She said sure no problem...same time, same station,...and Ken and the other Vicky from Pine to Palm would be with her again, and we didn't have to do lunch...we could do coffee afterward.
So, we are looking forward to another visit with our little one, and I have a few Spanish phrases ready to go, hope I can pull it off. We don't want Vicky's brothers and sisters to be left out...so we have something for each member of the family. We found out all the names and ages...Dad: Jose Maria: Mom: Armada: Oldest to youngest: Jorge 8: Maria 7: Jose 6(pancho villa) and Vicky 4 almost 5.
Katie is off playing golf today with the girls...looked like rain this morning...ominous looking clouds...but cleared up pretty quickly.
Then friends this afternoon...Katie has been baking up a storm...hmmm...maybe that is why it looked so much like rain this morning.
more later.....
more good days in the valley
We just had "THE BEST DAY"
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Just got back from Progresso Mexico where we met our "adopted daughter" to sponsor her so she can go to school.
Katie and I spent some time on Wednesday gathering supplies and gifts for Victoria(Vicky) the 5 year old that we are sponsoring in Mexico, so she can go to school. We had a lot of fun...deciding what she would like or not, what she needs for fun and learning, and what the family would appreciate in the way of food. Here is what we came up with...
We made arrangements to meet Sister Maureen, the Catholic Nun who orchestrates all the help these very poor kids and families receive, on the Mexico side of the International Bridge in Neuvo Progresso, Mexico.
At the appointed time 1:15 we saw Sister Maureen's red Ford Truck come across the bridge. At first we didn't know it was her because there were two other passengers in the truck. Turns out it was two permanent residents of Pine to Palms Park in Weslaco who help Sister Maureen. The Lady, coincidentally, happened to be named Vicky. These generous folks are also sponsors and have been coming to Mexico for several years learning the language bit by bit, and learning and helping the families and kids.
Katie and I had put all of our loot in a couple of well constructed type shopping bags, and they were heavy. We did not know how far Vicky's mom might have to carry them as we were not sure what the agenda for the day would be. We put the two bags in a large gym type bag which had wheels and a handle that pulled out. Sister Maureen has a crew cab type truck so there was no room for our bag. I put it in the back and saw that the back of the truck was loaded with bags and boxes of food. There were 25lb bags of rice, boxes of beans, and all sorts of other food stuffs. Katie and I squeezed into the truck with Sister Maureen driving and off we went.
Sister Maureen told us we would be going to Vicky's home, which is on the back streets of Progresso. She was also going to drop off her load of food at two different locations. On the way on the main street we saw the school where Vicky would be going for kindergarten. If you hadn't been told you would not even know it is a school, but the kids who go there all have to wear uniforms, white shirts, skirts, socks and shoes. All the kids who go to school in Mexico have to wear similar uniforms, the only difference being the colors between kindergarten, grade school, and high school.
We drove down the Main Street of Progresso much further than Katie and I had ever been. We finally made a left turn onto a street that they were working on and paving. Sister said this road had been terrible. Sister Maureen calls this "Church" Street as there are several churches on it. When I say churches not the type you would normally think of, but mostly one or two room type buildings and mostly in a state of disrepair.
We turned just short of the Catholic Church, and down a back lane type street with all sorts of one room buildings in much need of repair...It wasn't long before Sister announced that we were pulling up in front of Vicky's place.
As you can see, the fridge is outdoors, as there is no room inside the so called home. It is hard to believe that this is a day to day year to year living arrangement, with really no hope for anything different.
As soon as we pulled up, Vicky and her brothers and sisters came running out of their one room home....and incredibly Vicky went straight for Katie. Katie swept her up in her arms, and Vicky gave her the biggest and longest hug and a kiss that anyone could ever ask for.
Then it was my turn....
I cannot fully describe to you the feeling I had when Vicky wrapped her arms around my neck, put her head on my shoulder, and hung on..and on....and on....and then gave me a big kiss on the cheek....all the time having a big smile on her little face. I won't soon forget the moment or the feeling. I think Katie and I both fell in love with her right then and there, with no words at all spoken.
Then we saw the rest of the family(the De La Cruz Deleon family)...Mom,
Mom, Vicky's Sister, two brothers and Grandma. We didn't get all the names there was just so much going on in the moment and the following hours. Sister Maureen though calls Vicky's brother(the little one in front) "Pancho Villa" as he is always posing and puts a big smile on his face.
Here are a few candid shots....
Behind Grandma is an opening which is a store where another relative not part of Vicky's immediate family sells a few goods to try and make some money.
We learned that Vicky's father who was not present, shines shoes on the main street, and has epilepsy. We also learned that many of the fathers of these families are alcoholics...so the money that is being used...given by sponsors to send the kids to schools, is never given to the fathers...rather kept in a separate fund, for the kids to go to school. This involves uniforms, books, supplies, toilet paper, water, and all sorts of other needs.
One thing that became obvious is when Sister Maureen's Red Truck pulls up...kids and parents come from everywhere...it is a symbol of generosity and caring. When the kids approach you, the first thing each and everyone without fail does, is hold out their hand to shake hands and say "Ola". This was consistent throughout the day.
We learned that in Vicky's family, all the kids are sponsored and now our Vicky is as well. Sister Maureen has a long waiting list and most of the kids have been on it for approx 4 years. Vicky has been on the list since birth. There was another little girl there and one of her brothers still needs a sponsor...more on that later...
After all the hugs and kisses, it was time for Katie and I to take Vicky and her mom along with Sister Maureen out for lunch. Vicky's mom obviously didn't want Vicky to go out for lunch dressed as she was, so she went and put Vicky in a cute skirt. We went back to Main Street and were guided into a very tight parking space by a man in a uniform who does this for a buck or two.
Sister Maureen took us to a bakery with a large restaurant in the back. Sister Maureen said they have the best coffee and she was exactly right. Sister Maureen had breakfast...Vicky's mom, Katie and I all ordered a beef dish which came with fries, tomato, beans, and lettuce. The older Vicky and her husband had pastries from the front. The beef dish turned out to have a piece of thin beef which covered the whole platter so that all the other ingredients were underneath. With a bit of trepidation as we had not ever seen anything quite like it...we cut into it and took a bite. Delicious! and tasted like Veal.
Katie and I each ate half and stopped, so that Vicky and her mom could take the rest home for the rest of the family. Vicky's mom fed Vicky from her plate. Before the main course of the beef arrived, they brought an appetizer of nachos and cheese on two plates. Our little Vicky dug into that Nachos and we couldn't believe how many she ate for such a small frame...along with constantly sipping from her large coke. Then her mom cut up some beef and Vicky dove into that. It was so good to see her enjoying the food. We learned that Vicky has never been out to a restaurant. I forgot to mention that on the way to the restaurant Vicky sat on Katie's lap...so trusting...and just like they have always been together.
Here are some candid's from the restaurant
Jim and Sister Maureen in enjoying a conversation
Our little Vicky
Vicky and her mom
Katie and Vicky
All the extra food was put into take home containers for the rest of the family.
We all left the restaurant and back into the truck, with Vicky taking her spot on Katie's knee. Back to Vicky's house. Lots more hugs and kisses from Vickey for Katie and I, more posing by Pancho Villa and he gave Katie a big hug like Vickey does. Sister Maureen had some letters and gifts from sponsors for the other kids...Katie gave Vicky some bubblegum which she immediately shared with her siblings.
Then very very reluctantly for Katie and I....we were off to our next destination.
It's time for Katie and I to go play golf with Judy, Lorraine, Raymond and some other people, then we're going for drinks after at Bob and Judy's, so I will finish this later....there is more to tell....
Best Day Continued
We continued on in the red truck waving goodbye to our Vicky and her family. Down some more terrible back lane type roads, the trucks suspension taking a beating. We arrived at Carla's house(Little girl sponsored by our friends Terry and Arlene) and across the street lives Miquel...who is sponsored by the Palmers and the Genners.
This is Terry and Arlene's "Carla" very cute
Carla with her mother
This is Carla's House
This is a picture of "Miguel" Sister Maureen said he usually doesn't smile but Katie managed to get him to smile several times...also there were lots of smiles between Carla, her mom, Miguel and his mom due to the gifts sent by Terry and Arlene and the Palmers and the Jenners.
Miguel happily about to open his gifts.
Carla with one of her gifts.
The same story at this location as at Vicky's house. As soon as the red truck pulled up, kids and parents appeared from nowhere. Lots of handshaking and Ola's.
We headed off to the next location, bumping and shaking along. Now it was time to unload half of the large amount of food in the back of the truck. Again kids magically appearing along with some mom's...a couple of these mom's help Sister Maureen by distributing the food to those who need it the most. This is all donated food. Some of the bags are extremely heavy but one little guy hopped in the back and proceeded to grab and drag the goods so that other kids could grab and carry them. One little guy tried to carry a 25 pound bag all by himself and gave me a dirty look when I said I had to help him. The kids all want to carry by themselves. Katie made sure that those who were not so aggressive managed to get something to carry.
After half the foodstuffs were unloaded, Sister Maureen gave each child a candy cane.
Here is the distribution point for half the foodstuffs, you can see a couple of the 25 pound bags of rice on the ground behind the kids.
Sister Maureen with the helpful kids and "Lupe" one of the mothers who helps Sister Maureen.
Some Candid shots....
In this picture the girl in the High School uniform is handing over a cheque that she received from her sponsor to Sister Maureen. They are taught to endorse the cheque, Sister Maureen then cashes it for them and gives them the cash. It is too hard for the kids or parents to set up any kind of bank account for themselves.
Again...each and every child came up to us and shook our hand...so polite and obviously so grateful for anything they get.
Then we were off again...Sister Maureen took us down some more of the back roads so we could see the conditions. Horrible roads and in some cases Sister Maureen who handles the truck very well, is just crawling along as the road is that bad.
On the way back to the Main Street, Saw a Police Toyota Suv pretty new, parked on the street outside the Police Station with 4 flat tires. Another one in the driveway looked to be alright.
Sister Maureen and her helpers from Pine to Palm Park in Weslaco then dropped Katie and I off on the main Street close to the Bridge so we could go and do our shopping.
Many thanks were exchanged in both directions and off they went to drop off the rest of the food in Canales another area several miles further away.
Katie and I just looked at each other, both of us feeling a combination of joy and sadness at what we had just seen. Both of us agreed that we wouldn't trade the experience for anything and wouldn't soon forget it or Vicky's hugs and kisses for that matter.
Now some words about Sister Maureen and her program....
Sister Maureen is a member of the "Sisters of St. Dorothy" and she is based and lives in Progreso, Texas which is across the Rio Grande River and the International Bridge from Progreso, Mexico.
She makes trips to Mexico three times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursday. To get back across the bridge a couple of weeks ago she had to wait on the Bridge lineup for 2 and 1/2 hours to get back home...it is not always like that but talk about dedication!
She distributes letters and gifts from Sponsors every time she goes, and we saw first hand how she knows virtually every child's first name, and stories about each family. She has a Boston Accent, and is self taught in Spanish.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with her, and one can visually see and internally feel the love that she has for the kids and their families. She is one hard working nun!
It is not easy to keep all of this straight and to administer the "Las Flores Education Fund" as it is known.
What can I say about Sister Maureen? She is performing "Saintly" work. This really has nothing to do with religion...it is her vocation at work! I'm pretty sure that she does not often stop to think about how many people's lives she is touching in a positive way...Mexican kids and their parents...and all of us who chose to sponsor a child for school...all because of what she is doing!!! I can only say that for the majority of people, this work would just be too hard, so they would not do it.
Many thanks Sister Maureen! What would they do without you?
For those of you who agree with us that this is a very worthwhile project and wish to become a donor...
The cost for kindergarten and elementary is $180/yr and can be paid monthly, quarterly, and bi-annually.
For High School it is $240 with the same options.
Don't forget Sister Maureen has an extremely large waiting list.
THESE KIDS NEED TO GO TO SCHOOL! and anyone can sponsor...just think
of what you have and what they have.
you could write to Sister Maureen Crosby
c/o Sisters of St. Dorothy
Las Flores Education Fund
P.O. Box 147
Progreso, Tx 78589
email mcrosby@cdob.org
Well that's my account of "Our Best Day", hope you enjoyed the insights!
Katie and I spent some time on Wednesday gathering supplies and gifts for Victoria(Vicky) the 5 year old that we are sponsoring in Mexico, so she can go to school. We had a lot of fun...deciding what she would like or not, what she needs for fun and learning, and what the family would appreciate in the way of food. Here is what we came up with...
We made arrangements to meet Sister Maureen, the Catholic Nun who orchestrates all the help these very poor kids and families receive, on the Mexico side of the International Bridge in Neuvo Progresso, Mexico.
At the appointed time 1:15 we saw Sister Maureen's red Ford Truck come across the bridge. At first we didn't know it was her because there were two other passengers in the truck. Turns out it was two permanent residents of Pine to Palms Park in Weslaco who help Sister Maureen. The Lady, coincidentally, happened to be named Vicky. These generous folks are also sponsors and have been coming to Mexico for several years learning the language bit by bit, and learning and helping the families and kids.
Katie and I had put all of our loot in a couple of well constructed type shopping bags, and they were heavy. We did not know how far Vicky's mom might have to carry them as we were not sure what the agenda for the day would be. We put the two bags in a large gym type bag which had wheels and a handle that pulled out. Sister Maureen has a crew cab type truck so there was no room for our bag. I put it in the back and saw that the back of the truck was loaded with bags and boxes of food. There were 25lb bags of rice, boxes of beans, and all sorts of other food stuffs. Katie and I squeezed into the truck with Sister Maureen driving and off we went.
Sister Maureen told us we would be going to Vicky's home, which is on the back streets of Progresso. She was also going to drop off her load of food at two different locations. On the way on the main street we saw the school where Vicky would be going for kindergarten. If you hadn't been told you would not even know it is a school, but the kids who go there all have to wear uniforms, white shirts, skirts, socks and shoes. All the kids who go to school in Mexico have to wear similar uniforms, the only difference being the colors between kindergarten, grade school, and high school.
We drove down the Main Street of Progresso much further than Katie and I had ever been. We finally made a left turn onto a street that they were working on and paving. Sister said this road had been terrible. Sister Maureen calls this "Church" Street as there are several churches on it. When I say churches not the type you would normally think of, but mostly one or two room type buildings and mostly in a state of disrepair.
We turned just short of the Catholic Church, and down a back lane type street with all sorts of one room buildings in much need of repair...It wasn't long before Sister announced that we were pulling up in front of Vicky's place.
As you can see, the fridge is outdoors, as there is no room inside the so called home. It is hard to believe that this is a day to day year to year living arrangement, with really no hope for anything different.
As soon as we pulled up, Vicky and her brothers and sisters came running out of their one room home....and incredibly Vicky went straight for Katie. Katie swept her up in her arms, and Vicky gave her the biggest and longest hug and a kiss that anyone could ever ask for.
Then it was my turn....
I cannot fully describe to you the feeling I had when Vicky wrapped her arms around my neck, put her head on my shoulder, and hung on..and on....and on....and then gave me a big kiss on the cheek....all the time having a big smile on her little face. I won't soon forget the moment or the feeling. I think Katie and I both fell in love with her right then and there, with no words at all spoken.
Then we saw the rest of the family(the De La Cruz Deleon family)...Mom,
Mom, Vicky's Sister, two brothers and Grandma. We didn't get all the names there was just so much going on in the moment and the following hours. Sister Maureen though calls Vicky's brother(the little one in front) "Pancho Villa" as he is always posing and puts a big smile on his face.
Here are a few candid shots....
Behind Grandma is an opening which is a store where another relative not part of Vicky's immediate family sells a few goods to try and make some money.
We learned that Vicky's father who was not present, shines shoes on the main street, and has epilepsy. We also learned that many of the fathers of these families are alcoholics...so the money that is being used...given by sponsors to send the kids to schools, is never given to the fathers...rather kept in a separate fund, for the kids to go to school. This involves uniforms, books, supplies, toilet paper, water, and all sorts of other needs.
One thing that became obvious is when Sister Maureen's Red Truck pulls up...kids and parents come from everywhere...it is a symbol of generosity and caring. When the kids approach you, the first thing each and everyone without fail does, is hold out their hand to shake hands and say "Ola". This was consistent throughout the day.
We learned that in Vicky's family, all the kids are sponsored and now our Vicky is as well. Sister Maureen has a long waiting list and most of the kids have been on it for approx 4 years. Vicky has been on the list since birth. There was another little girl there and one of her brothers still needs a sponsor...more on that later...
After all the hugs and kisses, it was time for Katie and I to take Vicky and her mom along with Sister Maureen out for lunch. Vicky's mom obviously didn't want Vicky to go out for lunch dressed as she was, so she went and put Vicky in a cute skirt. We went back to Main Street and were guided into a very tight parking space by a man in a uniform who does this for a buck or two.
Sister Maureen took us to a bakery with a large restaurant in the back. Sister Maureen said they have the best coffee and she was exactly right. Sister Maureen had breakfast...Vicky's mom, Katie and I all ordered a beef dish which came with fries, tomato, beans, and lettuce. The older Vicky and her husband had pastries from the front. The beef dish turned out to have a piece of thin beef which covered the whole platter so that all the other ingredients were underneath. With a bit of trepidation as we had not ever seen anything quite like it...we cut into it and took a bite. Delicious! and tasted like Veal.
Katie and I each ate half and stopped, so that Vicky and her mom could take the rest home for the rest of the family. Vicky's mom fed Vicky from her plate. Before the main course of the beef arrived, they brought an appetizer of nachos and cheese on two plates. Our little Vicky dug into that Nachos and we couldn't believe how many she ate for such a small frame...along with constantly sipping from her large coke. Then her mom cut up some beef and Vicky dove into that. It was so good to see her enjoying the food. We learned that Vicky has never been out to a restaurant. I forgot to mention that on the way to the restaurant Vicky sat on Katie's lap...so trusting...and just like they have always been together.
Here are some candid's from the restaurant
Jim and Sister Maureen in enjoying a conversation
Our little Vicky
Vicky and her mom
Katie and Vicky
All the extra food was put into take home containers for the rest of the family.
We all left the restaurant and back into the truck, with Vicky taking her spot on Katie's knee. Back to Vicky's house. Lots more hugs and kisses from Vickey for Katie and I, more posing by Pancho Villa and he gave Katie a big hug like Vickey does. Sister Maureen had some letters and gifts from sponsors for the other kids...Katie gave Vicky some bubblegum which she immediately shared with her siblings.
Then very very reluctantly for Katie and I....we were off to our next destination.
It's time for Katie and I to go play golf with Judy, Lorraine, Raymond and some other people, then we're going for drinks after at Bob and Judy's, so I will finish this later....there is more to tell....
Best Day Continued
We continued on in the red truck waving goodbye to our Vicky and her family. Down some more terrible back lane type roads, the trucks suspension taking a beating. We arrived at Carla's house(Little girl sponsored by our friends Terry and Arlene) and across the street lives Miquel...who is sponsored by the Palmers and the Genners.
The same story at this location as at Vicky's house. As soon as the red truck pulled up, kids and parents appeared from nowhere. Lots of handshaking and Ola's.
We headed off to the next location, bumping and shaking along. Now it was time to unload half of the large amount of food in the back of the truck. Again kids magically appearing along with some mom's...a couple of these mom's help Sister Maureen by distributing the food to those who need it the most. This is all donated food. Some of the bags are extremely heavy but one little guy hopped in the back and proceeded to grab and drag the goods so that other kids could grab and carry them. One little guy tried to carry a 25 pound bag all by himself and gave me a dirty look when I said I had to help him. The kids all want to carry by themselves. Katie made sure that those who were not so aggressive managed to get something to carry.
After half the foodstuffs were unloaded, Sister Maureen gave each child a candy cane.
Some Candid shots....
Again...each and every child came up to us and shook our hand...so polite and obviously so grateful for anything they get.
Then we were off again...Sister Maureen took us down some more of the back roads so we could see the conditions. Horrible roads and in some cases Sister Maureen who handles the truck very well, is just crawling along as the road is that bad.
On the way back to the Main Street, Saw a Police Toyota Suv pretty new, parked on the street outside the Police Station with 4 flat tires. Another one in the driveway looked to be alright.
Sister Maureen and her helpers from Pine to Palm Park in Weslaco then dropped Katie and I off on the main Street close to the Bridge so we could go and do our shopping.
Many thanks were exchanged in both directions and off they went to drop off the rest of the food in Canales another area several miles further away.
Katie and I just looked at each other, both of us feeling a combination of joy and sadness at what we had just seen. Both of us agreed that we wouldn't trade the experience for anything and wouldn't soon forget it or Vicky's hugs and kisses for that matter.
Now some words about Sister Maureen and her program....
Sister Maureen is a member of the "Sisters of St. Dorothy" and she is based and lives in Progreso, Texas which is across the Rio Grande River and the International Bridge from Progreso, Mexico.
She makes trips to Mexico three times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursday. To get back across the bridge a couple of weeks ago she had to wait on the Bridge lineup for 2 and 1/2 hours to get back home...it is not always like that but talk about dedication!
She distributes letters and gifts from Sponsors every time she goes, and we saw first hand how she knows virtually every child's first name, and stories about each family. She has a Boston Accent, and is self taught in Spanish.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with her, and one can visually see and internally feel the love that she has for the kids and their families. She is one hard working nun!
It is not easy to keep all of this straight and to administer the "Las Flores Education Fund" as it is known.
What can I say about Sister Maureen? She is performing "Saintly" work. This really has nothing to do with religion...it is her vocation at work! I'm pretty sure that she does not often stop to think about how many people's lives she is touching in a positive way...Mexican kids and their parents...and all of us who chose to sponsor a child for school...all because of what she is doing!!! I can only say that for the majority of people, this work would just be too hard, so they would not do it.
Many thanks Sister Maureen! What would they do without you?
For those of you who agree with us that this is a very worthwhile project and wish to become a donor...
The cost for kindergarten and elementary is $180/yr and can be paid monthly, quarterly, and bi-annually.
For High School it is $240 with the same options.
Don't forget Sister Maureen has an extremely large waiting list.
THESE KIDS NEED TO GO TO SCHOOL! and anyone can sponsor...just think
of what you have and what they have.
you could write to Sister Maureen Crosby
c/o Sisters of St. Dorothy
Las Flores Education Fund
P.O. Box 147
Progreso, Tx 78589
email mcrosby@cdob.org
Well that's my account of "Our Best Day", hope you enjoyed the insights!
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