May 2012

Since our last entry we have had a quick trip to Canada and now have all of our goods and chattles back in San Antonio.  It was great to spend time with our dear Canadian friends and we plan to go back to Canada for Christmas this year.  When we returned to San Antonio our grass was 6 inches tall and after a good mow looked very good.  At the moment the grass grows as you look at it. 

Even our back yard is taking shape.

Our herbs are flourshing.

As we no longer needed our 4WD we decided to sell it for a smaller and more economical car.  When the time came to sell it we could not part with it.

We are now a 2 car family and with Dennis' truck parked in the driveway we now qualify as Texans as most of the neighbours have at least 3 cars sitting in their diveways. This car is a much more comfortable ride.

We have a number of small creatures who come to visit each day and really enjoy munching on nuts.

We were delighted that our friends Trish and Murray were able to spend a few days with us.  They were on their way to Kansas to pick up their motor home and to continue their sightseeing of America.  They have been coming back to the USA for 6 years now and remain as enthuastic as ever about their adventures.  We took the opportunity to have an 'at home' and Dennis was able to join us. To read more about Trish and Murray's travels and time spent in San Antonio have a look at http://warwarekrvusa.blogspot.com/

We also had the opportunity to catch up with Randy and Wanda Reynolds.  Many will remember them as they were posted to Canberra for 3 years.  Wanda's dad Ed joined us as did Jannette Curry, a friend who is best know for shooting rattlessnakes who encroach on her property.

On the final night of Trish and Murray's visit we had dinner at Dennis' home and the best of 2 worlds can be seen in the photo below.  Penfolds from OZ and 'very,very hot sauce' from Tx.





We had a great time with our friends and hope to see more of you come for a visit.  We have been back in San Antonio for 6 months and the time is flying so if you want a fun holiday come for a visit as you are all welcome.

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross

First Communion

On 14 April Patrick Hess the youngest of Dennis Reilley's grandsons celebrated his first communion at Mount Sacred Heart School, San Antonio, Texas.  Before the service commenced he and his brother Brendon posed for a snap.

This was a great opportunity to get the Reilly, Hess and other family members together.

Folllowing the service we all returned to Dennis' home to share good times and food with family and friends.

Dennis has a great outside entertainment and bar area. Jilly holding up a bottle of real 'Moonshine'.

It was a great day, thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross

Easter

Easter Greetings from Texas.

This Easter we were treated to a new experience.  Our next door neighbours Mary Alice and Albert invited us to their family gathering on Easter Saturday.  Their Mexican culture is very family oriented and we were warmly welcomed by their family and friends.  The children are the centre of attention and the "Big Event" of the day is the assault on the giant Pinada which swings high in the air and each child is encouraged to take a large bat and try to split it open.  Once this happens the children scurry for the candy which is inside the rabbit.

The parents spend a great deal of time and money putting the event together.  It  is done in two parts and this shows mums and dads getting stage 2 - the Easter Egg hunt, up and running.

The children have great fun with the confetti filled eggs and really get a kick out of smashing these brightly coloured eggs over their mates and the adults.

Then it is the time for the adults who are all armed with bags as they race to get the prized eggs.

Ross did not escape the confetti shower.

On Easter Sunday we spent time with our Texas family and Liz and Dave hosted a very nice brunch.

Brendan, Liz and Theresa enjoyed a quite moment to chat.

While the boys Dennis,Steve, Dave, Justin and Patrick watched the football.

We hope that you have a peaceful Easter.

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross

Pleasant Sunday Afternoon

Sunday afternoons are best spent when you can enjoy time with nice people and last weekend we had our lovely neighbours over for a Sunday lunch.

From left to right you will see Mary Alice, Albert, Kaci, Keith and Ross. 

Keith and Kaci have a set of triplets who are 4 years of age and Mary Alice and Albert have 2 boys aged 5 and 8 years.  The children had a picnic on the lounge room floor and were a delightful group to entertain.  Below is Clair, Cameron amd Brice.

Kate is a ball of energy. Adrian and Cameron were more intent on TV and toys.  

We had a fun day and will be getting together again very soon.

Best wishes to all.

Bev and Ross

Bandera, Texas

The last time we visited Bandera Texas, was in 1993 when Bev was posted to Ft Sam Houston.  Bandera is a small country town about an hours drive from San Antonio and has a population of some 970 people. It is the self proclaimed Cowboy Capital of the World.

It is a typical American small town which features all the stores we have seen in the Western movies of a bigone era, but now with a modern twist.

In 1993 the banner below read 'Welcome Winter Shooters".

Some of you may of heard us mention the Arky Blue's Silver Dollar Saloon.  Happy to say it is still the same as it was in 1993.

 Even has the same sawdust floors.

It was fun to return to Bandera where it seems life has changed little since 1993.

Best wishes,
Bev and Ross

Settling into San Antonio

February started of with another birthday for Ross and this year he celebrated the day with Richie, the eldest son of Theresa and Steve.  Theresa organised the cake and thoughtfully had the cake decorated in the colours of Australia.  A good night was had by all. 

Dennis our old mate shouted Ross out for the evening on his actual birthday and this is the two of them having a quite an after dinner drink.

As many would know Ross as a young man belonged to a world famous band called the Leedons who were a huge hit in the country town of Bathurst.  However, he had longed for a Richenbacker and so at the tender age of 62 yrs he is now the proud owner of one.

We still enjoy our time in the kitcken and fortunately our home has a good sized kitchen.  We are still keen to try new dishes and below is our now famous Dublin Bay Prawns.

We are now into spring and everywhere there are masses of lovely wild flowers.  In a field very close to us there are masses of Blue Bonnets which is the State flower of Texas. 

Now many have heard that everthing is bigger in Texas, well in the case of this 3lb cinnamon roll one has to agree.

More to follow.

Best wishes to all,

Bev and Ross

Our last week in Australia

As you can see from the previous entries we had a very busy time while in Australia and yes, a lot of the time was spent with our very dear friends and family. We previously mentioned the 'Old Jerra Gang' who are our wonderful friends from our surburb in Jerrabomberra where our Australian home is located.  Here Debbie and Ross are enjoying another social event.    

We always enjoy the opportunity to have our furry friend time and we were are always pleased to see Pooch and Gismo when they came for a visit.

All of our friends made a great effort to come and visit while we were in town and this photo is taken in the backyard of Debbie and John's home, where we stayed for our last week before returning to the USA.  From left to right you will see Fred, Mary,Debbie, John, Kala, Dan and Bev.  Debbie and John have a lovely home and as you can see a spectacular garden.   

As it turns out several of our group celebrate their birthdays in the month of February and as we were departing for Texas on 26 Jan, Australia Day we decided to have early birthdays for all.   We needed to do this over 2 nights as it was difficult to get everyone together so below you will see the smiling faces of lovely Kala, and the two handsome fellows Ross and John.

Ric, our other mate was free another evening for his early birthday and he had a cup cake with a candle.  His lovely friend Ann joined us for the celebration.  We had a great evening.

When we think of Australia we all know about the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Many however, have never seen how many people in  Australia hang out their washing, so for our North American friends in particular, this is a rotary clothesline which is an Australian invention.  It is most effective.

After living in North America for just over 3 years now and seeing road signs warning of deer and moose we wanted to share with you our warning signs - the Kangaroo. 

On the 26 Jan we arrived the Sydney International Airport to return to Texas and we wanted to show our North American friends what a Qantas Club looks like.  As it was Australia Day they were serving excellent meat pies along with a wide variety of other fare, inclusive of a full bar selection.

We had the best time in Australia and were so delighted to catch up with family and friends.  We met so many wonderful people and really appreciated our country of birth.  

For those who have not had the opportunity to visit Australia we urge you to make the trip downunder.     

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross