NELSON'S NOTES #96
Fun N Sun, San Benito, Texas, May
22, 2014
Ipads.
Add 40 degrees or so to the temps in the north this past winter and that’s
what we had down here. Believe me, temps in the thirties and forties feel
cold in the Valley. Most mornings, after Ken Roberts and Bruce took their
walk, they warmed up in our studio, drank a cup of juice, and explored the
many things they can do on their Ipads.
Veggies.
Even during cold weather, twice a week Marcella (the Veggie Lady) came to
the Rec. Hall selling a variety of citrus fruits including Valley lemons
(large and juicy) and also seasonal vegetables including huge cauliflower
that barely fit in my big cooking pot, Texan pecans, and Mexican vanilla.
Ronald’s Angels.
Monique Voight coordinates Ronalds Angel’s at Fun N Sun. She is sitting next
to a display of baby blankets and clothing that were sewn, knitted, and
crocheted by the group. The items are given to the Ronald McDonald House in
Harlingen to distribute to families of very sick babies or those who have
died. One 95 year old member of Ronald’s Angels lovingly sews burial gowns for baby
boys made from baseball print material.
Writers Group
table at the Fun N Sun Craft Exhibition.
Once a year the park’s arts and crafts groups display what they have been
working on during the season. At the Writers Group table we “hang up” our
stories on a “clothesline” for passersby to read.
Writers Group members: Carolyn Ross and Marlys Jones (back)
Carolyn Sauerbrei and Kay Ladwig (front)
Mardi Gras Parade.
This year’s parade was a big success thanks to organizers Roy and Judy Pool
and their committee. The Walk Aerobics group reserved the Fun N Sun train
for the parade. Some walked next to the train as it looped around the park
and others, like me, rode on the train. The group insisted that I sit in
front of a big sign made by Nancy Ayres which proclaimed me “Queen of
Fitness” (because I started the group in 2001).
Carolyn Sauerbrei and the FNS
train decorated for the Mardi Gras parade
Diana White and Janice Matol
designed this T-shirt for our group.
Zoomers R/C Car
Club. A few months ago the park manager agreed to build a
racetrack for R/C cars at Fun N Sun. The new Zoomers Radio/Controlled Car
Club, the brainchild of Bob Ross, started with ten members but has increased
to 29. “Once the track is in operation and people see us racing, we expect
even more,” Bruce says. Find out more and see pictures and videos at:
zoom.studio221.net.
Bruce’s cars have their own
“garage” in our studio (this sliding shelf originally stored paper and other
computer supplies).
Zoomers on March 27: Gene, Ron,
Carl, Bob, Bruce, Grant, and Paul at Tropic Winds RV Park race track.
New Roof.
Workers are replacing the roof on the Rec. Hall. The job is
a big one and is necessary because of serious leaks.
Tony Ortiz, former manager at FNS, is now the South Texas Regional Manager
for Encore Resorts.
Owl in Residence
at Diana Miller’s. The eggs inside the box have hatched and
mama has been too busy getting food and feeding her young ones to just sit
and look out, at least when we come by. That is until this morning when
Bruce spotted her while on his walk. He didn’t have his camera and
practically sprinted home to get it. Luckily she was still there when he
returned. Mama looked out the hole long enough for Bruce to get some shots,
then flew away, probably in search of more food.
This is the third year that an owl has nested in this box.
And this is one of her babys.
Once a Furnace,
Now a Closet. Last September we had our furnace removed
from the hall and a heat pump installed behind our house; a heat pump is a
heater and a cooler all in one. This spring Bruce finished the cabinet and
drawer which now store plastic and Pyrex pans and their lids plus boxes of
plastic bags and wraps which were hard to see and reach in our high kitchen
cabinets. The drawer remains empty until we decide what to put there (it’s
nice knowing that we have a little extra storage space to grow into). Since
2001 when we first moved into the house, this is Bruce’s twelfth addition to
our storage and shelf space.
Superb Bird
Viewing at Fun N Sun
Big flat bird feeders had been behind the Fun N
Sun Library for years but cheap seed was used and the ground was solid with
sparrows – “like a carpet of them,” says Diana Miller, avid birder and
gardener. After a while, people stopped putting food in the feeders.
This year Diana had the idea to put in a
dripping-water bird bath to upgrade the area. Because it would need a water
line installed for a network of soaker hoses that are on timers and included
plans for a bird and butterfly garden, the proposal took weeks to draw up.
But, Diana said, “Everything kept bubbling up and so many things seemed
possible, including starting birding trips again. The trip to Quinta
Mazatlan this spring was a totally unexpected success with 52 people
attending. Jo-Ann Gruber and Dave Skinner are making plans for regular trips
next year.”
To begin the work behind the Library, FNS
maintenance men put in a water line and rototilled the soil. After Tony
Ortiz (FNS manager at the time) allowed $100 to improve the soil, the
maintenance men came immediately to spread manure and top soil. “They were
so cooperative,” Diana said.
Then, to attract the colorful and
unusual butterflies the Valley is noted for, Diana and Dave planted nectar
and food plants that butterflies and caterpillars need. One-quarter of the
seedlings and cuttings were transplanted from Diana’s garden, another
quarter were bought from Lowe’s dollar discount shelves, and more from the
“Tree of Life Nursery” (on the Frontage Road on the other side of Sam
Houston Blvd. The nursery is a great place to buy huge plants cheaply.)
Also, Richard Pate, who maintains a garden on the other side of the FNS
fence, gave 50 rooted butterflyweed plants.
So far, volunteers are all set for five days a
week: Sue and Jerry Meyers, Tony and Terry Jacoby, Ron and Luann Kalas, Gail
Green, and Jeannie Winniford. They clean up spent food and cut up oranges,
grapefruits, and apples and put out fresh fruit. Harold Kurth bought a
20-lb. bag of black oil seed which is preferred because it is not as
attractive to grackles, sparrows, and Red-Winged Blackbirds. “You could
spend $200 a week if you wanted to keep them happy,” Diana said.
People are asked not to put bird food out but are
requested to put fruit in the cans outside. Monetary contributions can be
sent to Diana Miller during the off-season or Jo-Ann Gruber in-season.
Offers of labor are welcomed, too, especially digging holes because Diana is
always moving things around and putting in more plants and cleaning windows
and feeders.
Did you know that birds love grape jelly? Lyn
Gibson provided the jar, constructed a hanger, and provided a huge supply of
jelly. On the FNS residents’ Facebook blog, there was a wonderful picture of
a Baltimore Oriole eating out of the jar – “it was half-way inside it,”
Diana said.
More great photo opportunities exist from inside
the library. Paul Green happened to be there at the right time to photograph
a young male Painted Bunting and also a pair of cardinals kissing. The
female of the pair had a history of attacking the library window almost
non-stop from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Because the window is like a mirror, she
decided she had a rival. “She was driving everyone crazy,” Diana said, “and
it looked as though she would injure herself. She stopped when she started
kissing the male.”
Tips: Diana recommends that
pictures be taken with your camera right up against the window. This keeps
the film on the glass from distorting the color. Also, write down the birds
you see and what they are eating on a pad that is near the window. If you
don’t know the names of the birds, look them up in the books and on the
charts that are in the library’s pleasant, air-conditioned viewing area.
Photo of a female Oriole (probably
Hooded but possibly Baltimore) taken from inside the library.
Marianna Nelson
