Photos From Last Season

I was looking through some of my Magnolia photos from the past and ran across a few that I thought were interesting.

These were taken 12/31/18, New Years Eve day last season. Edna Nelson was busy demonstrating how to make noodles. I happened to wander up to Allen Hall with my camera and as I recall that is what she was showing how to make. I think after she had them all rolled out she cut them up very finely with her knife. No fancy noodle machine necessary. Leslie and Mary are taking it all in and there were others there too but I just don't have any pictures of them for some reason. Jim told me that his mother made noodles but they were big noodles, nothing as thin as the kind Edna made. My mother also made noodles but I have never made a noodle in my life and I'm thinking it's a lost art. The way Edna did it seemed easy as pie! I noticed that she
had short sleeves on but both Leslie and Mary were bundled up so I'm guessing it was one of our cooler days of which there were many last season.

I ran across Max Pierce and Michael Murray on December 6 of last year. They are neighbors on Peach Street and they certainly both looked like they were enjoying each others company.

This is the Bluegrass Band which would practice in the corner of Allen Hall every Monday afternoon at 4:00. On February 16 they presented a little show for us and it was very good. You can see Jay Kelly in the front row with his fiddle.

Gordon's Mexican Moon

The Gordons in Mexico

Donn and Peggy were in Mexico helping the baby turtles get to the ocean. Sounds like fun doesn't it?

From 2015-BINGO!

From 2010

You never know who might pop up! This is Roy and Shirley Benner in 2010

Vera's Party

I was looking through some of my Magnolia photos and came across these when we all celebrated Vera's 80th birthday. The Salmons treated us to a wonderful performance by the Goldwing Express and as the old saying goes, "a good time was had by all."

Little Hall and Harvest Moon

I was sent some photos of Little Hall and you can see how nice it is looking. They are in the process of painting that dark brown exterior and making it white. It appears nice and fresh and certainly is an improvement and you can see from the inside that the dirty carpet has been replaced with a vinyl floor which again is a much needed improvement and will be so much easier to keep clean. It looks like the walls have probably also been painted and I assume the library books are probably packed away for the time being probably waiting to be put back on the shelves.

I also thought I would show you one of my photos from last Friday the 13th which is of the Harvest Moon behind one of our maple trees out in the front yard. It seems a bit eerie to me which is fitting for Friday the 13th. Those of you on Facebook have already seen this but for those who aren't Facebook friends here it is. Just below this post is one from Barb which shows a couple of photos from Iowa and as she stated, it is nearly harvest time there. Today's temperatures don't feel that way as here in Wisconsin it got up into the 80s and was pretty humid. Donna TX today was 108° which is way to hot for me (down from 112°)!

Harvest

Iowa's harvest isn't far away...

From November 2007

 

I remember when the courts were redone. It is hard to believe it was that long ago!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Monday Morning Shuffle

The new courts are great. No curving and a bit on the slick side. So if you have a bad shot -can't blame the court!!

On The Lighter Side

I had an email from Carol and Karl Kapke today and am glad to report that even though Karl had a somewhat tough summer with a couple of surgeries he is back home and doing very well. He was in rehab for a while and did lose a considerable amount of weight but now that he is home has gained five pounds. Carol also had cataract surgery earlier this summer but she didn't say if it was one eye or both. Tuffy Wolfrom along with a friend stopped in to see them a while back and Tuffy is doing fine. We missed all those people, as well as Char of course last season in the Magnolia pool hall where they would gather every night to shoot many games of pool.

Last evening I happened to look outside just as it was getting dark and saw the fog rolling in. I thought it might make a good picture opportunity and this is what I saw. The photos are both just out the patio door with just a slightly different angle on each.

Remembering Edna

This post is from 2004. See, I kind of know you may not be inclined to go back and read old posts so I thought I would pick out some at random and repost them. We all like to reminisce, don't we?
Edna has passed now and it has been several years. She was remarkable and a dedicated woman.

This and That

I'm sorry to say that it has come to my attention that one person is being "blamed" for the information that I have been sharing with you all summer concerning the changes in Magnolia. This would be laughable even if it were true, but it isn't. I was just counting up the number of folks who have sent me info and photos to share with you and I come up with at least eight different people and most of those have been on a regular basis. I had one person call me on a Saturday morning and talk for an hour and it was not the person who is being "blamed." Apparently management and the new owners really had no intention of informing the park residents that Magnolia was no longer a 55+ park but a family park. I can't imagine how they thought they could do that but it seems they did. If it weren't for the pictures and information that people have been sending me all summer would any of you have any idea what was happening down there. Did we get a letter? No, we didn't and I don't know of anyone who did. Did we get a phone call? No. Did we get an email? No. . . . NOTHING!!

I have actually bent over backwards not to put the really negative "stuff" I've been given on and I certainly could have. You should seen some of the photos I have especially of the dumpster, the pool, the weeds and I could go on and on. I think most of those problems have been corrected and as I have stated the dumpster is being dumped on a regular basis, or at least it was the last I heard, the new lawn mowing people are doing a good job, the streets have been repaired, Little Hall has been remodeled and as I did state I was told it is beautiful, Allen Hall was painted, at least in the front and the managers office was remodeled. As I have repeatedly stated I do believe the new mobiles look really nice when they are all skirted and the entrances added. The fact does remain however that it is a family park and that can't be changed. Things will certainly be different, maybe not bad, but definitely different. We had hoped to stay one more year and when I typed my post the other night I was nearly crying, it made me feel bad.

I do think if any of you RVers had made a reservation for the middle section you had better check to make sure that you are still going to have a spot. At this point it does look rather doubtful. This is a picture I received today of "our spot." As you can see, it is now fully occupied by two mobiles.

Photography Snafu

I decided to take a picture of the tree across the street that has begun the "change". But when I did, this is what it turned into. I left the pitcher in the photo because it has a Magnolia Park connection. Then I noticed the tree was blurry and that is because my camera was set on birdwatching.

Photo number 1:

So now you want to know the Magnolia Park connection, right? There are talented people in every park who like to flip park models, mobiles or RV's given the opportunity. Ten or more years ago, an elderly former resident in Magnolia park sold his place to one of those fellows when he no longer wanted it and the flipper took everything out of it before remodeling and invited passersby to take whatever they wanted. I happened to be one of those passersby and I chose this charming little pitcher. Now you want to know who the elderly gentleman was as well as the flipper, right? The flipper was Max Rayburn from Newton Iowa but the gentleman I do not remember but I can tell you he lived on the northeast corner of the intersection of Pecos and Willow. That should help you pinpoint it and the mobile is no longer in the park.

So moving right along, this is a clearer photo of the tree that is going through the "change" in central Iowa.

 Photo number 2

Linda Dick has another new hip

I was sorry to find out that Linda Dick broke her hip on August 6 and had hip replacement surgery that same evening about 6:30. She went to Lena Therapy on August 9 and she will be coming home on September 11 which is just a few days away. Bob says he will be glad when he gets her back home. If you will recall she fell in Allen Hall and broke her hip (I'm assuming the other one as I can't remember) and had that repaired. I am guessing she is mighty sick of broken hips and I'm sure she would be glad to get cards from her Magnolia friends.They hope to be going to Texas after Thanksgiving which actually isn't that far away as we are approaching the middle of September already.

We've had a super busy summer here trying to get a lot of outside work done and working Jim's cataract surgery in too. Tomorrow morning he will get his second eye done and then another month before he has an appointment to see what kind of glasses he will need. We were hoping to take our new 5th wheel for a trial run to see if everything works but I guess that won't happen. We'll "wing it" and hope for the best. I have to say our RV dealer does a pretty good job of checking everything out before the units leave their lot. This is the third KZ  that we have bought from them and so far have been satisfied. I hope I'm not jinxing us by saying that!

I just looked at the outside temp. It's 58° outside here but I know it's much warmer down in Donna. I don't know if you noticed but  Barb put the weather widget back on. The one we had quite a long time ago had ceased to work so she took it off. Hopefully this one will work better.

Remember, if you have news you'd like to share, whether you are a current resident or a past resident, please let one of us know. We'd be happy to put it on the blog.

Regretfully . . . .

The blog heading says it all. It really is with a lot of sadness that as many of you have probably already figured out - "there is no room at the inn" for us. We had our usual spot 409, that we have occupied for the last several years, reserved and had left a deposit. Unfortunately within the last couple of weeks our spot has become at least partially occupied by one of the new mobiles and our 5th wheel is so large that we just don't fit anywhere. It is bigger than most park models and probably bigger than some mobiles so we do require a big spot. That was what we liked about our corner on Magnolia and Center. We had plenty of room and also a place to park the pickup. Jim always liked sitting out in front and watching what was happening around us and many times someone would wander over and "sit awhile" and chat with him. He enjoyed that (even if he couldn't remember everyone's name, typical man I say!).

Because I've done the directory for so many years I knew almost everyone in the park on a first name basis with the exception of some of those folks who don't speak English and at that time there really were only a few.

Over the years we've done what a lot of people do, especially those with RVs and have visited many parks. It always came down to the fact that we liked Magnolia, we liked our lot and we liked the people who had become our friends. When the large mobiles started arriving in late spring we thought, well, we'll have to wait and see what happens. When the new sign went up we realized that Magnolia was now a family park and not a 55+ park. We still hoped that it would all work out but by now we, as well as many others have come to realize that at least for us, there is no spot for our RV or for us. It was really hard to come to realize that we now had to decide what we wanted to do. We had several possibilities but some of the parks that sounded and looked good on line we had never been in. The park that Harpers are moving too, Trails End I thought was a real possibility until Jim looked at the aerial view on line and saw how close the RVs appeared to be parked next to each other. He didn't like that and we had never visited that park for whatever reason. It did come down to just a few and they mostly were all Wilder Parks. After kicking it around we finally decided on Trophy Gardens which was one we both liked when we had visited it. We've been over there several times either on our own or last year visiting Butch and Barb as that is where they spent last winter. They have a great pool hall with equally great tables and as most of you know we did spend a lot of time in the Magnolia pool hall, well that is until last season when there really was hardly anyone in there and somehow it just wasn't the same. Several pool players had left the park, some moving to other parks in the valley, some staying home and unfortunately a couple  who had passed away, namely Don Louks and Kim Hodge. Trophy Gardens also has a longarm quilting machine and as some of you know I have a longarm machine here at home so I found that somewhat intriguing. There are also nice streets to walk on, and trees which I hope will have some birds in that I can catch with my camera. One of the many things we will miss are the parrots that fly over Magnolia twice a day, almost every day. They were great fun to try to photograph, sometimes successfully and sometimes not.

We certainly are going to miss more than that we know but we are hoping that we will be welcome to come over to visit. Chet & Irma are still going to be there and here at home we drop in to see them at least once a week and we intend to do that down there too. Jim will miss being "fireman" at the steak frys and actually Chet's crew may be quite shorthanded.

As both Barb and I have said in the last few days, the blog will continue. We want to keep you informed of what's happening, not only in the park but also in the lives of everyone who was once a member of the Magnolia family and for whatever reason no longer is, whether they are now staying home, living in another park, or just "whatever." I know for instance that some people who were once in Magnolia made a trip to Alaska this summer. I know that some current park residents made a trip out west. I also know that there have been sickness and health issues for other former residents but unless we are given permission we really can't just post anything about these things.

As always, please feel free to contact either of us and even though we won't be living in Magnolia simply because there really isn't place for us, Jim and I intend to see you this upcoming season.

Change Happens

Don't be alarmed!! I changed the look and feel of the blog. It is called Simple Theme and that is precisely why I like it. I do believe it is easier to read. All the past posts are still accessible. You can still go back to 2004 and read all the entries. There aren't many in 2004.  I was still learning how to do it and in the beginning you could not add pictures. I was thrilled when that changed. You all know how I rely on pictures when the brain goes dry. If you have a few spare minutes write me an email and bring us up to date on what is new with you. If you have ever had a Magnolia connection we would love to hear from you. Even if 2004 was your last connection!

I love being punny!

FYI

I am the administrator of this blog. I created it and ever since its creation in 2004 I have controlled what was on it. That is still true. The circumstances of the park have drastically changed in the last few years and thus the blog reflects those changes.

We become family after spending in some cases 30 years of winters with people. We're still family. We will always be family. So if you have something you would like Magnolia family members to know you can still contact me keep.movin.on@gmail.com or Deon  deonsp43@gmail.com .

We both take care of knowing what we post is true and appropriate and we will continue to do so. I check for accuracy. Keep it simple and to the point, please. As always, a matter of opinion entries will be scrutinized but not necessarily accepted.
I hope you all know I love and appreciate all of you. Each of us brings a special part of ourselves to the Magnolia family and that will never change. Please continue to fill us in if you know a bit of news that we all would appreciate knowing.
Best Wishes Always,
Barb Brooker

Blog Transition

I talked with Barb this morning and as you can see from the new heading we decided that it is time to change the purpose and direction of this blog. I told her that I would like to see it as a place where those of us who have been long-time Magnolia residents can keep abreast of what is happening. As you know there have been many changes in Magnolia and many of the "Magnolia Family" have already moved to other parks or are in the process of arranging a move. I don't necessarily see that as bad just different. Magnolia has become a family park and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that but for a lot of us it isn't exactly what we had in mind when we decided to become Winter Texans, or full time residents of south Texas for that matter.

Here are some of the things that I would like to see happen through this blog. If you have good or bad news that you would like to share with your "Magnolia Family" this is the place to put it. All you have to do is send it to either Barb or myself. And I think this doesn't just have to be in the winter. I for one thoroughly enjoyed all the photos from the Misfeldt birthday bash which was held earlier this summer. There were former Magnolia residents that some of us hadn't seen for years so for those of us who couldn't make it to the party the pictures were great.

I know in the past there has been some resentment when for one reason or another long-time park residents made the move to another park, usually for very good reasons. I would really hope that doesn't continue to happen. For all those who have made the move in the last few years I would really hope that they could feel like they would be welcome to come back to visit old friends who still live in the park. (I think "old" might have a double meaning as most all of us are old and have been friends for many years.)

Even though the blog is in transition we will still try to keep you informed of what is happening in Magnolia. It won't be long and some of the first Winter Texans will be down there. Here it is September already and usually there are quite a few who arrive in October. Fall is in the air. We had 47 degrees here this morning in Central Wisconsin and when I walked I had a jacket, headband and gloves on. It was chilly!

Stay tuned and feel free to send what you would like to share.

Latest Happenings

I had a phone call this evening from Marty and Don Harper and we talked quite a while. Among other things Marty said that Little Hall had been remodeled and to quote her "it's beautiful." But the real reason they called was to tell me to put on the blog the fact that they will be moving their unit out (Fred's which they had bought last season when Fred went back by his daughter.) They will be moving over to Trail's End which is located on Texas 88, the main street in downtown Weslaco. Trail's End is almost diagonally across from the Neighborhood Walmart which is located on 18th Street. I believe there is also a Dollar General within walking distance of that park which might prove to be quite handy so all in all it's a very convenient location. Marty also told me that Mike Reddick, Marie Flood and I believe also Natalia Poprawski will be moving over to Trail's End. As I understand it, they were working on getting Marie's mobile ready to move today but it has been pouring rain and it's supposed to rain the rest of the week so I'm not quite sure how that will affect the planned moves. Andy Harper has chosen to stay at Magnolia as he has friends in the park.

They also said there will be lots more mobiles coming in and from what they have heard the plan is to fill up the entire center section with some of these new mobiles. I'm guessing the rest will go back on Cummings as there are still empty spots back there.Also, with these units moving out that will open up some more spots for new mobiles to move in. I do think from the pictures I have posted previously these new units are finished very nicely. I like the white skirting and they all seem to have nice entry steps and landing to get into the homes. The one that Bea is living in is especially nice looking with a porch across the front. That is back on Willow where David Helton's unit was previously.

Lots of changes in the park and I would imagine there will be more to come. As always, if you have something you'd like to share please do let me know.

I meant to mention this before but I asked Connie a few days ago how her knee is doing and she told me she believes the infection is finally gone. That is very good news, for sure!

Vera and George Salmon

I spotted this on Facebook and snipped it. I thought her Magnolia friends and family would get a bang out of it!!