Potato Bake & Dulcimer concert

 
 
 
 Saturday at Lone Star Corral we had a big day at the clubhouse. First there was a dulcimer concert, then a potato bake supper and finally a brown bag auction.
I was co-chair for the potato bake along with our friend Shari. We had to plan the menu - potatoes obviously - but we added a choice of sweet potato too. We had different toppings: chili, broccoli cheese sauce, chicken and gravy (we had leftover chicken from the Valentine dinner), plain cheese sauce. For the sweet potatoes we had butter and brown sugar. On a separate table we also had diced green onion, sour cream, butter. We also had different kinds of cake. The cost was $3 for potato and dessert, ice tea and coffee. We had to shop carefully, since this was a fund raiser for the clubhouse. We made a $200 profit! We had 108 people sign up, so the clubhouse was almost filled.
Shari and I baked six cakes the day before. On Saturday morning, four of us scrubbed 120 potatoes. Doug worked most of the day in the kitchen with us. We were pretty organized and had lots of help, including a clean up crew. We had lots of compliments, so the long day was worth it. It was actually fun working in the huge kitchen. The island alone is larger than my entire kitchen in the trailer. There are two huge commercial stoves with ovens, three refrigerators, two freezers.

The concert filled an hour before dinner. It was a group of six from Hondo. They had two guitars, two dulcimers, both string and hammered, a washboard fiddle, a banjo and a harmonica. They played quite an assortment of music, sang on some, and also had some wry humor. I thought they were great.

After the concert and dinner, there was the annual "brown bag auction" which is a major fund raiser for the co-op. Members and guests (we are guests since we are not lot owners yet) donated items and put them in paper grocery bags, then wrote a hint on the outside. One of the long time members acted as auctioneer and the audience bid on the bags. There was much laughter amid the fund raising.

As I write this on Sunday, it is the high 80's and we have the air conditioner running. It is early to be this warm, but we are not complaining too much.

Ordinary day at Lone Star Corral

No photos today. I started the day with going to exercise class at the clubhouse. After walking dogs of course. Exercise class is just a bunch of us gals working out to a Richard Simmons tape. Everyone goes at their own pace. The oldest gal in the class is 85 and she keeps up very well; she can be quite funny. I love her comment when Richard said something: "he's full of sh**".

After exercise I did our laundry in the co-op laundry room. We have six washers and dryers. While my clothes were washing, I wandered over to the clubhouse library and got a couple of magazines to read. I got a Time magazine that was only two weeks old, not bad. Sometimes there are several people in the laundry room and then we have some interesting discussions.

After walking dogs again, we had lunch. Then time to do some computer work, straighten up the trailer, read and relax a little.

On his afternoon walk, Leonard (our 100 lb Rottweiler) rolled in the field and got himself covered in 'thatch' that stuck in his coat. It is so dry here that we have no green grass, just dry stuff that crumbles. So I had to brush him and then use a waterless shampoo that works pretty good with a towel to rub it off.

Tonight we are going with friends to McDonald's in Hondo (8 miles away) for supper, then to see the movie THE BUCKET LIST at the local theatre. Senior price is $4, so we might splurge and get popcorn. The theatre has been rehabbed and is very nice for a small town. Only one movie plays at a time, and no "R" rated flicks. On Wednesdays there is usually a contingent of folks from the co-op.

It has been a sunny day here, with a high of about 70. Our indoor/outdoor temperature gauge is not too accurate so we just estimate.

more San Antonio Botanical Gardens

 
 
 
  I just wanted to put up more pictures of Chocolate Day at the Botanical Gardens. There were two chocolate chefs making the elaborate chocolate sculptures. The pretty girl in yellow must have been a pagent queen - she was there to let children have their picture taken with her. Some of the little girls were dressed up in princess dresses and so excited. Even some boys wanted to pose beside the "queen". I can't remember the name of the beautiful yellow blooming tree, but have never seen one like it. Shari took a picture of me in front of the huge agave plants near the entrance.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens

 
 
 
 My friend Shari and I went to see the San Antonio Botanical Gardens today - what a beautiful place! It is on 33 acres near downtown. Some of the outside plants and trees were not in bloom yet, but many were. We were first greeted by gorgeous trees and landscaping outside the gate, and entered through an old limestone building. Once inside the grounds, we went through a courtyard with flowering pear trees and potted plants, fountains and flowers. There are lots of things for children - special gardens including a vegetable garden and a sensory garden with sculptures and plants to touch and smell. The conservatory was a large glass ceiling building with different rooms for various kinds of plants. We saw gorgeous orchids among other flowers - such amazing colors everywhere. One room had only ferns, some of them huge. A very good three person band was playing -- guitar, marimba and drums. I don't know how to describe the music, kind of a latin jazz sound. Today was "Chocolate Day". We listened to a talk that was all about chocolate - from how the pods grow on the cacao tree, history of chocolate from the Aztecs to modern day. We got to see the 'theobroma cacao' tree, pods with seeds, and of course we had luscious chocolate samples!

We had lunch in the main building that also has a gift shop. We expected maybe just a snack bar, but the "Bistro" restaurant part was classy, with cloth napkins and Mikasa tableware. The food was very good. We ate inside but next time we'll ask for the outdoor patio. We were there for several hours and didn't even see everything. We plan to go back next month when even more plants will be in bloom.

Lone Star Corral

 
 
 
 We are staying at Lone Star Corral near Hondo TX, about 45 miles west of San Antonio. LSC is one of the Escapee RV parks. There are 130 lots, an office and large clubhouse. Since LSC is a co-op, everything is done and run by the lot owners, who elect a board of directors. We are not lot owners yet, but we are on the waiting list. We are currently 'renting' a lot owned by someone who is out traveling elsewhere.
The clubhouse is the social center - many functions and events are held there, mostly revolving around food! Two nights ago we had a chili cook-off with prizes awarded to the winners. We are helping later this month with a baked potato supper, to be held with a dulcimer concert and brown bag auction to follow. And of course there will be a special valentine dinner - I volunteered to help in the kitchen for that. Cooking in a huge kitchen with other ladies is fun.

Almost all of the lots have "sheds". I think originally they were just small storage sheds, but many of them have evolved over the years as owners made improvements. Some of the sheds are nice looking, all are different. I like the ones with porches best. Some of them are decorated inside like miniature living rooms with TV; some have a workshop or hobby area. You can see some in the photos.

The land surrounding LSC is mostly dry scrub, but we are just a short distance from the beautiful Texas Hill Country. The town of Hondo, population 8,000 is just 8 miles away. Hondo has shopping (even a Super Wal-Mart), restaurants and a nice little movie theatre. If we want more excitement, S.A. is only an hour or less away.
We have had warm weather here - it has been 80 degrees this week. We plan to stay until the end of March, then it gets way too hot here. This is a nice little community and we have made some good friends here.