NELSON'S NOTES #67, Fun N Sun, San Benito, Texas, May 30, 2007

A NEW FRIEND FROM QUEBEC CITY

Marguerite and husband, Jean-Clement, get ready to wash their RV.

In March, I read an intriguing note posted on the bulletin board at the Fun N Sun mailroom. A lady by the name of Marguerite said she wanted to practice speaking English with another lady in the park. That sounded like fun, so I got in touch with her. We met a few times before she left for home and before we left for Mexico. I enjoyed being with her and marveled at her command of English--she could understand me and I could understand her. French (for me) was a different matter. I remember only a few words from high school classes but she taught me more, most of which I've forgotten. Maybe French phrases will stay in my head if I practice more, like Marguerite does with English. Because of her inspiration, I plan to join a bilingual French-English group next year.

EVENTS COORDINATOR

In April, Luanne Kalas retired as the park's Events Coordinator. The position calls for an energetic person to coordinate the park's special events--like the Christmas Pageant, Mexican Fiesta and Mardi Gras celebration. The Events Coordinator also handles activity room assignments, arts and crafts sales, garage sales, koffee klatches, and probably many other things that are invisible to most of us but that help make our park a lively, fun place to be. Next season the new coordinator will be Bonnie Edenfield (see photo, page 23, Fun N Sun Pictorial Directory).

As Escapees and full-time RVers, Bonnie and her husband Bruce have been at Fun N Sun for three winters. "Each year we've spent more time here," Bonnie says, "so we recently put our motorhome up for sale, and plan to buy a home at Fun N Sun, and possibly a smaller RV for shorter trips." Bonnie and Bruce have many interests and hobbies and are avid travelers. "I'm thankful I'm an American," she says, "but I love to meet people from around the world. I'm a real 'people person.'"

HEAVY RAIN

Last Friday, May 25, the Valley was pelted with heavy rain lasting 5 hours. On Hibiscus Street at Fun N Sun, the water in Lil and Will French's rain gauge reached 5.5 inches, and at our house ground water rose to the top of our cement slab. Fortunately, the rain stopped at that point.

An hour later, Bruce took this photo looking west from Midway and Mirth. By the next morning much of the water had drained away.

GAS PRICES

On May 26, one day after I'd filled our tank with regular gas at $3.09 a gallon, this sign shows gas prices 12 cents lower than what I'd paid.

ZAPCAR

ZAP stands for Zero Air Pollution.

The sign says, "ASK ME ABOUT MY GAS MILEAGE."

This 100% electrified vehicle is owned by Larry Loving on Quiet Street, an appropriate location for a cute, novel truck that's extremely quiet. It purrs like a golf cart but goes up to 40 mph on city streets and up to a distance of 40 miles before the battery needs to be charged. The electrical plug is where the gas tank is on most cars. Everyone notices Larry when he drives his Zapcar on local streets and to places like the Valley Vista Mall.

TREE TRIMMING

From our house a few feet away, I watched this strong and agile young man whack and cut palm branches from trees next to Hoagie and Bonnie Vaher's trailer.

When palm trees are first trimmed, they look like upside-down brooms on VERY long sticks. A month ago, a crew from outside the park started trimming a few times a week a few streets at a time. By the end of the month, the first trees had new green fronds, which gave us back a little of the shade we'd lost.

I LIKE IT

Recently painted orange trim and doors give a pleasant, southwestern look to the Rec. Hall.

NEW AT THE FITNESS CENTER

Bruce looks over an exercise machine recently installed at the park and also tries his hand (!) at boxing.

SITE COUNT

In the peak of the winter season, this sign in the mailroom would say 1300, or about 95% of the park's 1400 sites.

FREE MOVIES, FREE POPCORN

Ross Harper helps Carolyn Ross to free popcorn. That night the movie was Flags of our Fathers.

This summer, popcorn is free at the weekly movie, thanks to Activity Director, Ross Harper, who moved the machine into the Computer Club room where movies, also free, are shown by Computer Club members Pat Stotler, Jody Law and Sharon Cook. So far my favorite movies have been: The Pursuit of Happiness, Prairie Home Companion 30th Anniversary Show, Rocky Balboa and The Guardian.

NEW VIDEO

Bruce is having fun writing the script and making special effects for a short video about an alien space ship that lands in Texas. The aliens want to become Winter Texans and are looking for a resort where they can park their "RV." He made the spaceship from an aluminum pie plate and paper-towel tubes wrapped in foil.
See the opening sequence of the video at studio221.net (if you have a low-speed connection, click on the first choice).

SUMMER PLANS

Our motorhome trip will start on June 24. Highlights will include visits with family and stays at Stone Mountain, Georgia; Williamsburg, Virginia; Harper's Ferry, West Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and St. Louis, Missouri.

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Marianna Nelson