Stuck in Holbrook

Ok, Ok, I know everyone thinks we are leaving the beach on South Padre on Thursday but we actually got in the Honda Tuesday AM at 6:00 AM.  We drove and drove and landed Tuesday night on the West end of El Paso.   That was over 850 miles and 13.5 hours through Corpus Christie, San Antonio, and El Paso  (I only mention that because I was really proud of myself for getting through those big cites all in 1 day).   So we get on the road on Wednesday for an easy drive to Show Low to pick up the truck and a few other things we decided we wanted to have in Mohave Valley. 

We got to Show Low about 12:30, picked up the stuff we wanted and the truck that we had loaded.  Loaded means we also have put the scooter on it’s rack and attached to the truck and headed out.   We intended to go to Winslow, AZ to spend the night so we would get home early on Thursday.  We decided to gas up in Holbrook…….so WTF… happens….the truck WILL NOT START.   Fortunately, there is a Ford dealer about ONE MILE away.  It only cost $100 to get the truck towed there!!

They can’t get truck started either…so we went to a local hotel, checked in and waited to hear from them.  When they called, the verdict was…fuel pump!!  When the fuel pump, labor, and etc. was added up we were over $1,000…..

That sucks…..but what do you do???  Hopefully they will have it installed on Thursday and we can be on our way, without having to spend another night in Holbrook!!

THE END

ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END, AND I’M SORRY TO SAY THAT TODAY IS OUR LAST DAY ON THE BEACH. I’M SURE WE WILL RETURN NEXT OCTOBER……

TOMORROW WE PULL OUT AT O’DARK-THIRTY TO RETURN TO “THE MOUNTAIN” IN EASTERN ARIZONA TO GET THE PICK-UP AND THE SCOOTER AND RETURN TO THE LOWER DESERT AND THE MOHAVE VALLEY, NEXT TO THE COLORADO RIVER. THE TRIP WILL TAKE US TWO AND HALF DAYS.

WE’VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE CASINO WHERE WE SLAP JACKS AND THE GOOD NEWS IS, THAT OUR DEALING JOBS ARE OPEN AND WAITING FOR US.

THERE WON’T BE MUCH BLOGGING AS WE’RE TRAVELLING AND THE  RETURN TO WORK IS A RATHER SHORT TURN AROUND. WE WILL GET BACK TO THE BLOG AND THE FALL “TO DO” LIST IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS !!!

FOR RENT

AS WE WIND UP OUR STAY HERE ON SOUTH PADRE ISLAND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU TOO CAN RENT UNCLE HANS’ CONDO AND ENJOY THE BEACH. HANS OWNS TWO CONDOS IN THIS BUILDING, BOTH ARE ONE BEDROOM UNITS, BUT HAVE SLEEPER SOFAS, AND IN UNIT 407 THERE ARE BUNK BEDS IN THE HALLWAY.

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO CHECK IT OUT.

304   OR 407

EDDIE ORANGE

SO WHO LOOKS BEST IN THE MEXICAN EDDIE ORANGE HAT?

 

REX AND “AZ”

WHEN AIM WAS HERE VISITING SHE THOUGHT “AZ” AND I, HAVING SPENT SO MUCH TIME TOGETHER THIS SUMMER, ARE LOOKING LIKE EACH OTHER?

Calf

By Uncle Hans

About November of last year, our rancher buddy, Richard, found another orphan calf.  This means a lot of work hand-feeding and, like a few years ago, Renee asked to help out.......

 

.....We recently stopped back for a visit.  Mercedes is more into clover than bottle feedings these days.  Renee wants to take her to the County Fair and get a ribbon........

 

......while at Mr. Fox's,   Hannah's horse, Pollo, found out that Renee was "packing"

     Yes!   she had apples!!

By Uncle Hans

WANNA WANNA

WANNA WANNA IS MY FAVORITE BEACH BAR. IT MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT BEING THE CLOSEST BEACH BAR, OR MAYBE IT’S THE $2 BUSH LIGHTS.

 

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SIGNS……

 

UNCLE HANS HAS BEEN ON THE ISLAND SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND KNOWS THE INS AND OUTS OF THE REAL ESTATE MARKET. UNCLE REX HAS BEEN ON THE ISLAND 20 MINUTES AND KNOWS THAT BUSH LIGHTS ARE $2 AND THE REST OF THE DOMESTIC BEERS ARE $4.

I WONDER WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS?

EVERYDAY…..

EVERYDAY ON THE BEACH IS DIFFERENT, STARTING WITH THE SUNRISE OVER THE GULF.

I’VE MISSED VERY FEW OF THEM. THE FRESH AIR PUTS ME IN BED EARLY IN THE EVENING AND THAT HAS ME UP EARLY IN THE MORNING AS I SIT IN FRONT OF THE ‘PUTER AND AWAIT THE SUNRISE.

THE SEA GOT WILD OVERNIGHT AND FILLED THE BEACH WITH SEAWEED.

UGLY, BUT THE GROOMERS WILL BE ALONG TO RAKE IT ALL UP.

LOOKS LIKE I’M GOING TO HAVE TAKE A COUPLE OF DAYS OFF FROM WALKING ON THE BEACH OR GO BACK TO THE UGLY ORANGE WATER SHOES. SEE HOW PINK AND SUNBURNED THE TOPS OF MY FEET GOT YESTERDAY ?

  “SUNNY & 80” ON ‘DA BEACH !!!

Texas Olive Ranch Part 2

I forgot to mention that the Texas Olive Ranch is located at Carrizo Springs, Texas, a small town of about 5500.  That is where the olives are grown and pressed.  The oil is actually bottled in Austin.

These are my cousin’s two sons that work the business with him.  Matthew on the left and Josh on the right.  Matthew was on vacation so we didn’t get to meet him but Josh was on hand.  He constantly checked on the progress of the press and was sort of like a “brew master”.  He also works in sales and marketing.

This is a pile of olive byproduct.  It is dry like coffee grounds.  They use some of it like a “mulch” around the trees.  It can also be mixed with molasses and used as livestock feed.

This container of olives turned into….

this in about 2 hours.  Isn’t that amazing??

Ah, the finished, bottled product.  I love the cowgirl on the label!!   This brand is carried by Whole Foods and H-E-B grocery stores in Texas.  It can also be ordered online at www.texasoliveranch.com.

After  visiting the ranch and seeing this process, I feel that I’ve see the “real” Texas gold!!

Texas Olive Ranch

Since we were going to be in Texas for the whole month of October, we decided that we would like to go to see the Texas Olive Ranch.

I only know about the ranch because it is owned and operated by my first cousin, Jim Henry.  Jim’s Mother and my Mother are sisters and I haven’t seen Jim in at least 30 years.

I bet we both looked a lot different 30 years ago!!  When I called Jim, he graciously invited us to come and watch the process of pressing some olives.  We missed harvesting which takes place in September.

His crop had  already been pressed but he was doing some for another olive grower and we were lucky enough to be able to watch.

Where it all begins….with this grove of olive trees.  He has about 40,000 trees at the ranch.

Here, the olives are being fed into the bin that will take them through the process of pressing.  The black olives are not from a different tree, but are on the top of the tree.  They ripen faster because they get more sunshine.  They are also juicier.

The next step in the line…..this is where they get washed with water only and the debris and leaves get separated from the olives.  Extra virgin olive oil means that the olives are pressed without any heat or chemicals. 

Here the olives are coming out of the “water bath” for lack of a better term.  I guess I wasn’t paying proper attention because I don’t remember what the proper terms are.  The olives are dropping into a machine that churns them.

Hard to tell here but the olives are churned into what looks like a thick paste.  This part takes about 45 minutes.

The paste goes into this machine next and is separated….again I don’t know the proper explanation or terms.  But I think this was called an extruder. 

 

This is another shot of the extruder from a different angle.

See that stream of olive oil coming out??  The whole process is pretty cool to watch and I am grateful that we got the chance to see it.

Now this isn’t really all of the pictures but I don’t want to make this blog too long.  So look for some more about our visit to The Texas Olive Ranch on my next blog on Sunday!!

County Fair

By Uncle Hans

Happened to work the weekend of the County Fair.  I was bored so I walked over there.  It is a piece of Americana that has to be experienced........

 

 

....I hate to admit it, but I spent a quite a while with the old people listening to the live polka band.....

 

.....all the animals were there.....

 

.....and the machinery. (Renee always asks "does it come in RED?")....

 

.....The parking lot, which is usually the big empty field where Charley and I play, was packed.

I loved the  "shuttle".  I goofed up the picture because the shuttle was pulled by a cool vintage "RED" tractor.  

     The coolest thing, naturally, I didn't think to get a picture of.  They have a race, using the big dirt stock car track with a special detour through the infield, for a "trailer race"  The detour has some nasty bumps and craters.  You enter with a vehicle, usually a high powered pick-up truck, and you must have a trailer.  It could be a camper, snowmobile trailer with snowmobile, 4-wheeler trailer with 4-wheeler, boat trailer with boat, etc.  Then you race, wide open, around the track and through the infield detour with the nasty bumps and craters.  The trailers and their contents are all smashed to smithereens! The crowd is delighted!  The faster you disintegrate your trailer the lighter your load gets and the better your chances are of winning.

     Looked like a lot of work to clean up afterward for the night's big stock car race.......

By Uncle Hans

BEACH LIFE

UNCLE HANS TELLING A GOOD OLE DAYS STORY AT THE MEXICAN DANCE HALL.

 

TOO BE HONEST, I DON’T REALLY REMEMBER THIS FELLOW, BUT BASED ON THE SWISS T-SHIRT I MUST HAVE RUN INTO HIM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT SOMEWHERE ON THE ISLAND…..

 

 WE BROUGHT 10 SEA SHELLS UP FROM THE BEACH FOR “AZ” TO PLAY FLOOR HOCKEY WITH. HE JUST LOVES TO BAT THE SHIT OUT OF STUFF. BY THE END OF A COUPLE DAYS THERE WASN’T A SEA SHELL IN SIGHT, OR TO BE FOUND……

MARY THOUGHT WE SHOULD BUY HIM A COUPLE OF HERMIT CRABS TO PLAY WITH. I WAS VERY NEGATIVE ON THE IDEA, “I DON’T WANT NO STINK’N HERMIT CRABS IN THE CONDO.”

OF COURSE WHEN AIM AND MARY WERE OUT SHOPPING AND HERMIT CRABS CAME UP, AIM WAS ALL FOR THE IDEA AND THEY BROUGHT TWO OF THEM HOME FOR “AZ”. IT WAS A RIOT AS WHEN “AZ” TURNED HIS BACK THE CRAB WOULD TRY TO CRAWL AWAY AND MAKE HIS ESCAPE, AND EVERY TIME IT MOVED “AZ” WOULD BAT IT ACROSS THE WHITE TILE FLOOR.

 EVEN CHARLIE HAD TO CHECKOUT THE ACTION.

 IN THE END, THE CRABS SUCCESSFULLY SNUCK OFF AND FOUND A SAFE PLACE TO HIDE. HERMIT CRABS ARE NOCTURNAL AND AT 1 AM IT WAS PAYBACK TIME FOR AIM AS THE CRABS CAME OUT AND “AZ” BATTED THEM AROUND KEEPING AIM AWAKE HALF THE NIGHT.

AMY SMUGGLED THE HERMIT CRABS INTO HER BACKPACK AND FLEW THEM HOME TO HER BOYS IN DAYTON. THANK GOD, I DIDN’T WANT NO STINK’N HERMIT CRABS IN THE CONDO.

 

HERE WE ARE AT CLAYTON’S ENJOYING THE SEA BREEZE, COCKTAILS, AND “SUNNY & 80”.

 

THE THREE BROTHERS ENROUTE TO MEXICO IN THE RIALTA.

 

HEY AIM, THANKS FOR ALL THE NEW SHIRTS…. 

 

WE SENT THIS SELFIE FROM THE REEF TO UNCLE NEIL’S PHONE THE NIGHT BEFORE HE JOINED US ON THE BEACH.

 

THIS WRAPS UP THE BLOGS ON THE FAMILY VISIT TO SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, AND MARY AND I THANK YOU ALL FOR TRAVELING MILES AND MILES FOR DAYS AND DAYS TO JOIN US ON ‘DA BEACH.