NELSON'S NOTES #76, Fun N Sun, San Benito, Texas, Oct. 6, 2008

 

HANNAH, IKE, AND OUR TRIP TO NEW ENGLAND

We flew to Connecticut on Sept. 4, and planned to drive to Cape Cod on the 6th. Hannah decided she wanted to go there, too, so we let her go first. We arrived at our Cape rental house a day later after she'd blown through.

In the meantime, Ike was growing in the Gulf. For a while it looked like he wanted to go to South Texas where we live, but, as you know, he picked Galveston and Houston for his devastating landfall. That was the day before we were to fly home through Houston. We changed our flight plans and stayed in Connecticut three extra days until the Bush International Airport reopened. Ken and Teri were in Connecticut, too, so we had a chance to see them and Kristi's family longer.

 

EASY PICKINS IN ENFIELD, CONNECTICUT

Our daughter Kristi Sweeney and her family pick fruits and vegetables at Easy Pickins at least once a week. Kristi says having fresh fruits and vegetables is what she really likes about summer.

 

Kristi and David pay for their pickins, and . . .

 

. . . back in their kitchen David shows off freshly picked tomatoes, kale, string beans, Macintosh apples, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I was surprised that strawberries were still getting ripe three months after the season peak

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Bruce and our 9-year-old grandson Matthew take time out. Matthew picked and ate lots of berries.

 

Our 15-year-old granddaughter Abby, a Red Sox fan.

 

 

RAISING MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

Milkweed growing in the Sweeney's garden is the perfect place for monarch butterflies to lay their eggs. During the next stage (larva), Kristi and Matthew collect one or two of the caterpillars and put them in net "cages" on the back steps. Before long they become chrysalises (pupae) and suspend themselves for a few weeks from the top of the cage while miraculous changes are happening.

We were there when two monarchs emerged, a male from one chrysalis and a female from the other. Males have two black spots on their hind wings and thinner black webbing than females. Matthew named them Hercules and Stella. When Matthew releases a butterfly and it flies around him, they look like they're playing tag.

 

 

A Monarch has just hatched from its chrysalis.

 

The newly hatched monarch lights on Kristi's hand.

 

 

MOVIE STARS

Matthew and David star in a dinosaur adventure video Bruce made.

 

 

 

 

OLD FRIENDS

Dot and Charles Smith seem to defy the aging process. Every time we go to Connecticut and see them, they never change. Bruce and Charles were college roommates.

 

 

STILL FIXING UP 2 ½ MONTHS AFTER DOLLY

While many residents are hiring contractors to replace the roofs on their park models and mobile homes, management is busy arranging repair of the park's damaged facilities

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After this picture of the Fun N Sun Music Room was taken, the rest of the battered 20'x40' building was removed. It will be replaced with a 40'x40' building, hopefully this winter.

 

Workers install posts for 2,200 feet of privacy fence along Fun N Sun's border with Turner Road and part of Barber Road. It will replace the chain link fence damaged during Dolly

 

 

GAS PRICES DIP BELOW $3 A GALLON

October was the first month since February that a gallon of regular gasoline was under $3 here. Prices change dramatically every day, and sometimes when we pass the same station twice within an hour or so, we notice a few cents' drop.

The lowest prices at San Benito and Harlingen stations were: Oct. 3 - $2.99, Oct. 4 - $2.91, Oct. 5 - $2.81

 

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Marianna Nelson