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NELSON'S NOTES #94
Fun N Sun, San Benito, Texas,
September 20, 2013
SUPERMARKET RENOVATION NEARS COMPLETION
Take away the tent-like structures that made this
H-E-B so easy to spot from the expressway, then add a few feet to the end of
the produce department, and this is what you get. As
the H-E-B company celebrates its 85th year in the Harlingen area,
this store (the biggest HEB in Harlingen)
will hold a “Re-Grand Opening” on Oct. 4.
Starting in April, renovations went on every
minute the store was open as well as after business hours. For a few weeks
while new restrooms were being installed, temporary bathrooms were in a nice
mobile unit parked in front of the store.
Each week, we shopped with a spirit of adventure
not knowing where our favorite products had been moved or what other
surprises we would find:
wider aisles,
checkout lanes in a single accessible row,
easy-to-navigate produce section,
new meat department showcase and work area.
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About H. E. Butt Grocery (HEB)
(from Wikipedia): H-E-B is Texas'
largest private company. As the #1 food retailer in South and Central Texas,
it owns more than 350 supermarkets. The company was founded on November 26,
1905, when Florence Butt opened the C.C. Butt Grocery Store on the ground
floor of her family home in
Kerrville, Texas. In 1919,
Howard Edward Butt, Florence's youngest son, took over the store upon
his return from World War I.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF REOPENING
On September 19, Fun N Sun opened its
renovated fitness room with 16 new machines (plus two recumbent bikes & one
leg curl/leg extension machine from before), a new AC system, 3 wall-mounted
TVs, and a new paint job.
New machines:
3 elliptical trainers (see the 3 machines on the left) that are for cardio/muscle workouts without joint stress), 5 treadmills, 2 upright bikes, 1 pulley/weight machine, 1 weight-lifting bench with 26 dumbbells (2.5 to 35 lbs. each), 1 ab crunch machine, 1 TRUE stretch cage, and 1 upper/lower body extension machine (as shown in photo of Tony Ortiz, FNS manager).
Learn more in our video.
CRAIG AND SARAH (our son and granddaughter
from St. Louis)
On July 8, Craig had a fusion of his left (dominant-hand) wrist. For almost two months he wore a cast but it didn’t keep him from jogging daily, swimming in the Fun N Sun pool every evening, and going to South Padre Island during their week-long visit in August.
We also went to the Brownsville Museum of Fine
Art.
Inside, we absorbed every minute of the video and every photo of the exhibit called, “The President’s Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office.” Before watching the National Geographic video, we walked through rooms with photos of U.S. presidents, starting with John F. Kennedy: presidents in action, presidents contemplating tough issues, presidents bestowing awards, and presidents being with their families. The exhibit lasts through October 12.
WATER VOLLEYBALL AT FUN N SUN
During the winter, the Fun N Sun pool is filled
with eager volleyball players seven days a week. In the summer, the groups
are just as enthusiastic but have only a handful of players. Watch Bruce’s
short video taken of the afternoon volleyball group on August 9. That day
the players, ranging in age from 58 to 85, were: Tim Donovan, Elmer Craver,
Floyd Mehl, Bee Orr, John Zulick, and Roger Wren. Rena Wren was the
cheerleader and the counter.
TOADSTOOLS
Instead of our usual dry weather, there have been
showers every day for the last few weeks. As a result, fungi are growing
faster and are making some Fun N Sun lawns look like this one on Peaceful
Street.
A quick Internet search said that these fungi
live under our lawns all the time, doing good things like decomposing dead
tree roots, stumps, and other organic debris. All this recycling keeps the
soil healthy, feeds worms and allows better water transfer in the root zone.
Mosquitoes will come next. Right now their larvae are still developing but after the rainy period ends, they will be full-fledged mosquitoes ready to do what they do best – bite
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MARK T. AND ME
One rainy afternoon, a writer of great fame had a
friendly chat with me at the Harlingen Public Library. He said he likes his
spot outside the library, especially when people come over to have their
picture taken with him.
PINEAPPLE CROP
Remember Bee and Roger’s purple martin apartment
house in the last Nelson’s Notes? Their winged tenants have left for the
season but below their vacant house is an unusual garden. If Bee and Roger
beat the bunny rabbits to it, they will be eating more pineapples like this
one, which grew in the garden from the top of a store-bought pineapple.
More pineapple talk in Bruce’s video.
MEET NORMA
Norma, owner of “Curlin’ On Beauty Salon” at Fun N Sun with her daughter, Damiana, age 6. At my August appointment with Norma, I noticed a sign on her car door.
Norma hopes that wherever she drives people will
learn where “Curlin’ On” is located and spread the word. This is what she
told me:
“I bought the shop on Feb. 17, 2010. I always anticipated that one day I would own my own salon but never did I think it would be in such a place! It hasn't been easy at all with it being such a seasonal business. It takes a lot of Faith to get through the summer and hope that enough people return in the winter to get me even through another year. I love working in a salon that allows me to hear such great stories about all walks of life and of different eras! It's very humbling and I pray that God blesses me through my business for the rest of my years. For my sake and my family’s sake.”
Nelson’s
Notes are written by Marianna Nelson and pictures/videos were taken by
Bruce & Marianna.
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