Transition Time

by Dianne

I apologize for the pictures not being in sync with the wording. Operator error I'm sure, but I'm not sure how to fix it.


Departing RVs have been a recurring scene the last couple of weeks at Rockport 35 RV Park. Friends, now considered family, saying goodbye, with well wishes for safe travels and with anticipation of greeting each other again in the coming fall. It seems the park tradition/ritual is to enjoy one last departing dinner with these friends, usually followed by a visit to the DQ.





And the dome coming down from over the pool is a sign that a new phase is under way for the park. The round up of helpers started early in the morning and by early afternoon the job was done all but for the drying of the dome before storage.

The season for sunshine, warmth, and escaping the cold winter months from the north has come to an end. A time of mixed emotions of leaving a place we enjoy so much but a time to head back to another place to reconnect with family and home town friends.

We anticipate that Dick's blood test on Monday will be a positive report with a "thumbs up" for our journey back to Michigan. They will be leaving their 5th wheel here and Lucille will drive the truck. Totes have been purchased and packed with necessities.

Our best to those still traveling homeward and to those who have reached their destinations. Until next season - be safe, be well.
















Message to Stacey Reynolds on April 8:
Stacey, please send me an email so I can respond to the Comment you submitted on this post. I do not have your email address, so need it to respond.
Send your email to Keith Williams at kaw@syntheticsaves.com

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Saving Typing

by Keith

Comment!

April 2 comment from Dianne:

Well, I'm glad to see that your household has the same predicament as ours.  No good deed is left unpunished. Maybe we could have a contest and everyone who finds themselves in this same situation can save and bring ALL their stickers/labels on their return this fall. Those with the most are the winners. And the prize is ALL the stickers for their collection plus a little ??

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Home Safely

by Dianne

Just in from Gary and Connie Rothmeyer--

"Hello"

We made it home Wednesday morning around 11:00. Weather was terrific the entire trip and no problems. We will say a prayer that everyone else makes it home safe.

Gary and Connie

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Remember That Nice Wax Job?

by Keith

Remember that nice wax job that Ron and I did on the front of our trailer? Pretty nice, wasn't it!

Here's what it looked like after travelling about 460 miles Saturday, from Tyler, TX, through OK, and into MO. Pretty sad!

Bugs, bugs, everywhere bugs!

But they'll wash off easily!

Comment!

Comment received:

What a shame we can't follow in your tracks since you've cleared the way of all those little flying pests.
We're still on 2nd Street, or Michigan Avenue if you prefer our newest street name.
Dick had blood tested yesterday (Monday) and his hemoglobin has increased - he's making blood. He'll have it checked once more next Monday and if it shows a continued increase, we'll head for home next Tuesday.  Safe travels.
Dianne and Rick 

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A Beautiful Day in Tyler, TX

by Keith

This afternoon our friends took us on several miles of the Azalea Trail, a Spring thing to do here in Tyler. The flowers were plentiful and beautiful.

And many of the houses were pretty interesting, too!

Here are a few examples:

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"Happy Trails" Committee

by Keith

It was a beautiful day yesterday, as we were leaving and all day long.

Another thing which made it beautiful were the friends who stopped by to wish us well on our return to Cedar Rapids.

The friends we make are what makes Rockport 35 RV Park so inviting year after year, to be sure.

Today we are near Tyler, TX, with friends. Shortly, we will go into town to see the Azaleas. On the road again in the morning.

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Change of Address

by Keith

Several of you might have this problem; I certainly do.

When I come here, I have USPS forward my mail to Rockport 35 RV Park's address. I always check the "Temporary" box and give a date when the forwarding is to cease.

Some companies who mail to me specify "Notify of address change" or something like that. In those cases, USPS gives them my Rockport address and should tell them that it is temporary. Sometimes the company changes my address to Rockport because of that notification, without my request or permission.

The logical fix, then, would seem to be to simply put in a change of address to change my address from Rockport to Cedar Rapids, right?

It turns out that I can't do that, because the Park is considered a business address.

Even more strangely, Allison can't change it, either! NO ONE can change the address at the Post Office!

The ONLY way it can be changed is to have the sender change the address!!!!

That means that I, who was trying to manage my mail properly, must exert effort to undo what someone else did on their own. Somehow this just doesn't seem right!

This information was provided during a good discussion with the Manager of Distribution at the Rockport Post Office today. He seemed very knowledgeable and polite.

Comment!

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Surprise Visit

by Keith

Last evening, to everyone's pleasant surprise, Allison and Tony came for a few minutes!

Allison had been hospitalized since Saturday, due to breathing problems. She returned yesterday, possibly just in time for the "Happy Trails" get-together.

She was smiling, talking, and looked as if she was very glad to be there! She graciously thanked everyone for their cards, well-wishes, and, especially, their prayers for her and Tony. She said it was the first time since early February that she had been without oxygen.

Tony had a huge smile, too. Surely it was a great relief for him to have Allison so much improved.

It will be interesting to see if her attire (violet and blue scrubs) will begin a new fashion trend at the park.

More good news: Dianne reported that Dick had undergone a treatment in San Antonio which he withstood well and appeared to be successful. Tests later last night were to give a more detailed results.

To both families, we wish the best as they struggle with serious health issues.

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A Day at the Race

by Keith

Saturday was a great day here in Rockport. Lots of folks from Rockport 35 RV Park took advantage of it to attend the Belt Sander Races just down the road.

Most agree that it is something anyone even slightly interested in tools, racing, or even beer, should attend at least once. Besides, it gives you a great answer when you're back up North and someone asks, "What do you do all the time down there in Texas?"

Above and Below: Rockport 35 RVers enjoying
a day at the belt sander races

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Aerial Act Draws Crowd

by Keith

Aerial Artist Terry is in position

A closeup of the artist's stance

The crowd is mesmerized by the skilled performer!

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What a Way to Meet a New Neighbor, or, simply, Ouch!

by Keith

Terry's Truck

Ouch!

Terry and Linda's pristine truck now has a blemish. The damage appears to be confined to the side of the box.

Even though it is dented, you can see that it still shines!

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The Value of Noise, or The Sound of Dollars

by Keith

The economic impact of the Aransas County Airport was $17, 269,314 in 2010 according to a recently released report. This included salary, wages, and benefits of just under $6M and the employment of 189 people.

T-34C, by Beechcraft

This is our airport neighbor immediately South of Rockport 35 RV Park. We know it mostly for the training flights by Navy T-34C airplanes and the coming and going of helicopters to the oil rigs in the Gulf.

We pilots feel the noise of the aircraft is music to our ears. Others consider it noise, objectionable noise at that. (Remember, the airport was here long before any of us chose to be here!)  You might look at it this way: that  "noise" generated a bit over $47,000 of economic impact to the area each day during 2010!

As Yakov Smirnoff, Branson performer, might say, "Perhaps you've never looked at it this way!"

This study was sponsored by the Aviation Division of the Texas Department of Transportation. The same report stated that the total economic impact of General Aviation airports in Texas was $14.6B in 2010, including over 56,000 permanent jobs.

General Aviation is big business!

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Rain

by Keith

My brand new rain gauge showed exactly 1/2 inch of rain for the weekend.

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Thank You!

by Keith

Pat and I just returned from another great breakfast, which, of course, included good conversation with our friends and neighbors.

While we usually remember to thank the volunteer Saturday morning breakfast-cooking kitchen crew, sometimes we forget. So, just to make sure they know that we, and many others, I'm sure, appreciate their efforts:

Thank You, 

Breakfast Kitchen Crew

The crew consists of these and probably a few I've missed: Gordon, Tom, J.W., Rick, Bob, David.

To these tireless contributors, Thank You!

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Aerial View of Rockport 35 RV Park

by Keith

Here are a couple of photos showing how the oil platform workers see our park as they come and go in their helicopters.

Rockport 35 RV Park, Looking SW

 These were taken from an airplane, not a helicopter. But the park looks the same from either aircraft!

Our Texas Homes, Looking West

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Proposed Addition Forces Change

by Keith

Residents of 5th Street took the first step to expanding their area into a luxury development earlier this week.

This reporter met with the office-mate of the Secretary to the Assistant of the vice-mayor of 5th Street so information in this article is believed to be factual.

It all started, I understand, with an inferiority complex among resident of 5th Street, particularly those who live on South 5th Street. It was rumored that at one time, maybe more times, they were referred to by some citizen, who obviously was ignorant of the facts, as "5th Street trailer trash."

They held a community meeting and agreed to upgrade and expand the area into an upper-class neighborhood, possibly with their own swimming pool and racquet club. The current South 5th Street would be included in the new development and would, in fact, be the first phase of the new area.

The first step of the first phase was a proposal to change the name of the street to 5th Avenue. This proposal passed unanimously and was immediately implemented.

Interestingly, the sign has since disappeared, possibly due to the high winds and rain.

Another possibility is that the Supervisor of the Street Department found that the sign did not meet the standards established for conforming street signs. You know, important things like height of characters, color of lettering, caps vs. lower-case letters, etc.

Word on the street, however, is that the name of the street was subsequently changed to Upper Fifth Avenue and the existing sign was removed while the newest version is being fabricated.

Our source was positive that any delay caused by disappearance of the street sign would be temporary and planning for the luxury development would continue.

More importantly, the meetings at which such plans are formulated will continue.

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Thrilled! And Exhausted!

by Keith

Yesterday was the big day for J.W. and Ann! It was the day they traded houses! They left in the morning with their existing trailer in tow and arrive back in late afternoon with a brand new Rushmore by Cross Roads!

After parking it, they still had to hook up and move all the boxes left behind into the new trailer. To "move house" in one day is, to be sure exhausting; just ask J.W. You can see he is smiling, but he is also exhausted.






























Here, you can see J.W. and Ann posing on the front steps of their beautiful new home. After all the work, I'm sure they slept well!


At the very bottom, J.W. and Rick are peeking in the door.

Enjoy your new home, Ann and J.W.!

About Amazon.com Ads

by Keith

Today I'll talk about ads for Amazon.com, which started appearing on this site a few months ago. They appear directly below the Quotation of the Day.

If someone clicks on the Amazon ad on a website, the webmaster or owner gets nothing. However, if  viewer clicks on the ad then makes a purchase from Amazon.com, he or she is paid an "advertising fee." This fee is generally between 4 and 6%.

That means that if you click the Amazon ad then purchase 50 bucks worth of books, I'll get 2 bucks. On the other hand, if you click on the ad then purchase a nice, new, high definition, "thin" TV set for $500, I'll receive $30.

Two More Packages From Amazon.com

Purchasing a TV set from Amazon.com isn't far-fetched. First, they do have them! And second, it will be delivered to your door! Try that with Wal*Mart.

They have almost everything you can imagine. The next time you need something—anything!—check out Amazon. (But click the ad on this site first, please!!)

Amazon.com made its first online sale in 1995. Today, it is the largest online retailer in the world. That sounds like a company which would be good to be associated with, right? I thought so, too, so started advertising for them.

So far, I've made less than $2. I expect that to change!

Comment!

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Fish Story of the Year

by Keith, info from C.J. and Sharron

C.J. Francis and his catch of the year!
A Black Drum, caught on The Copano Bridge
Tuesday night, Feb. 28.
 It was 49 inches long and weighed 60 lbs. 

That about says it all, doesn't it! I heard that C.J. was now hooked and returned to the causeway to see if he could do it again.

The fish? He/she/it was returned to its watery home.

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About Those Ads

by Keith

I spend so much time working on websites that I might as well get paid for it, right?

That's what I thought about five years ago. It seemed like a good idea, so I added Google AdSense ads to this and other websites.

On this site, these are the ads which currently appear just below the "Rockport in the News" section in the right hand column.

Whenever someone clicks on one of those ads, I get paid a small amount. That small amount is almost always a few pennies, from one to five. On another site, I have gotten as much as $1.38 for one click!

Google AdSense ads are not a big moneymaker for me. First, my sites do not get hundreds of visitors each day. For example, this site has been visited by 15 to 69 people each day since January 1, 2011. The average is about 35/day.

Most of us are pretty immune to those ads so they don't get clicked very often. They get clicked so un-often that it takes about three years to earn $100, and that's from all my sites which use them, not just this site.

A get-rich-quick scheme? Not so much!

I'll cover the Amazon ads in a different post, as they are entirely different.

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Exercise Anyone???

by Dianne

How many of you are thinking, “Exercise?? I get enough exercise!" Yes, I've heard that before -- actually I've said it myself. I’ll admit that exercise is not one of my favorite things to do first thing in the morning either, but I do think it’s a great way to get your day started. Really, it is! Some in the park take long walks while others use the equipment room, which is great. However, if your exercise preference is group oriented, here are two options for you to consider.

Option One: A stretch activity where participants meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning at 8:30 in the Club House. These activities are lead by Connie Perkins and involve stretching and strengthening muscles in the arms, legs, back, etc. We even have foam mats for
the down-on-the-floor
portion of the workout.

Option Two: Water activities, in the pool, is lead by Dorothy Bogue. This group meets five days a week (M-F) at 8:30 for a full hour. They also work on muscle building and balance. I asked how long into their program the synchronized swimming would start. Guess I have to join the group and find out for myself.

As you can see, either option is suitable for our age group, and in spite of an occasional Monday morning moaning/ groaning, we have fun. I'd like to clarify that these activities are not gender specific. Gentlemen are always welcome and we love to have you join us anytime. So, if you’re of able body but currently not involved in some sort of physical activity (crossword puzzles, computer games, etc. do not count) why not consider one of these group activities and join in just for the health of it.

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