Terlingua Dreams

Terlingua Dreams
Governors Landing Campground - Lake Amistad - Del Rio, Texas

Thursday, October 27, 2016

2016 Schedule of Events

Hi folks, I have been busy as a bee getting ready for my upcoming trip.  If any of you guys are planning on attending, I wanted to make sure you had access to the correct websites for as you know there are two Chili Cook-off's held in Terlingua, Texas at the same time.

There has been some confusion amongst my friends about the bands that will be playing at both events.  I am not that up-to-date on country music bands but I have certainly heard of Los Pinche Gringos as well as The Texas Tornados.  Let me be clear, the two previously mentioned bands will not be playing at the CASI cook-off but at the Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert-Wick Fowler Championship Chili Cook-off.

CASI webpage http://www.casichili.net/terlingua.html

The Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert-Wick Fowler Championship Chili Cook-off webpage
http://www.abowlofred.com/

Dang!  I just clicked on the Krazy Flat link and someone stole my picture of Ervin and Betty.  I do not mind that they posted it on their webpage but give me credit for it....grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!

http://www.casichili.net/krazy-flats.html

OK, here ends my public service announcements and rant.  See you when I get back.



Wednesday, October 26, 2016

I definitively have too much stuff...

Trying to locate my camping gear has led me to search high and low beginning in Terlita (my camping van) Mom's old van and dad's old Ford.  I have found everything but what I was looking for. While I found the bag with the small tent I hope to take this year, all that I have there are the poles and the rain fly.  I remember putting the actual tent in a plastic bag as I have never been able to fit everything like it comes when you first buy it.

Found my large three room tent but not the poles.  As soon as I saw it, decided it was not making the trip...takes up a lot of cargo space and again there are too many stakes to pound into the ground. Ran across a small screen room tent that I forgot I even had!

The only thing I found without much difficulty was my tent shower. In reality, this is all one needs if you are car camping. It serves as a change room, a shower and a place to put your port-o-potty. I can always sleep in my car like I did back in 2014. The first four years of attending this event I did not even have a tent and tent showers had not been invented yet.

Today I went to Walmart to purchase the food and spirits.  Almost busted a gut trying to lift a 30 pack!

If you are heading to this event remember your gallon water jugs need time to freeze, it might be a good time to start doing that.  Since we do not have a dedicated freezer I use the one in the refrigerator and freeze individual size water bottles.  Depending on the weather you can use them as ice to keep your food or beverages cold for a couple of days. When it thaws out you have water to drink, brush your teeth or wash your hair. Since the water stays in the container you do not have to worry about draining your ice chest or dealing with your food floating in the ice melt.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Spurs Corner

The regular NBA season began today.  Our season opener was against no other than the Golden State Warriors, a very worthy opponent.

I could not have been more proud of my team.  We played fabulously and won by 29 points.  The final score was 129-100 Spurs. Jonathon Simmons was a beauty to watch.

DISH is giving me one-week free access to the NBA League Pass and wouldn't you know it...I won't be here!

GO SPURS GO!!!!!!


Saturday, October 22, 2016

I used to be so organized...

All my life I have always been complemented on my organizational skills in particular when I worked. This was in the pre-Internet and computer era.  If I needed an item or a file, I knew exactly where to locate it.  Likewise in my home.

You would think that would have carried over into my new life in Del Rio, but it hasn't. I think I have mentioned on various occasions how small Mom's house is.  In particular my bedroom with tons of boxes that I brought here after thieves broke in to my house in Houston.

Add C.R.S to the equation and I have no idea where anything is at.  I used to be so good about being ready for the Chili Cook-off.  Granted, I had a dedicated vehicle...Terlita...my camping van and except for loading the food and spirits at the last minute, I had everything in order and ready to go.

Where are you going with this Belinda?  Well, I have no idea where my tent is. Yes, I have multiple tents but I need my old three room tent as well as a smaller one along with my tent shower so I can spread out and save our camping spot.  I lost my prime piece of real estate in 2013 and I bowed that it would never happen again.

My Houston friends will not be there until mid-week of next week but I plan on being there in a couple of days.  If anyone is eyeing my camping spot they better make sure they beat me to it...grrrrr!!!

Plan on looking high and low for my tents tomorrow as well as my winter garments.  If you are "a virgin to this event" read my camping tips and do not assume the weather is always going to be mild.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams. I know I will, knowing that I shall soon be in my favorite place in the whole wide world  :)


Friday, October 21, 2016

Terlingua Chili Cook-off memories

For those that have been reading me for a while, you know how much it means to me to be able to make my annual pilgrimage to Terlingua, Texas to attend the Chili Cook-off.  This year is especially meaningful as it will mark 20 years of attendance.

Though I can not forget that even though I do not count it...I did attend this event for a couple of hours when I was a Freshman student at Sul Ross State University (but no...I am not going to tell you which year that was) !!!

My high school best friend (who was also my roommate) and I used to hang out with fellow students from Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Fort Stockton and Pecos, Texas.  Everyone pitched in a quarter or at the most fifty cents (yes I know, I am dating myself) and we would go riding around on the weekends to nearby towns.

Our favorite was going to Marfa, Texas to the only drive-in within miles or also in Marfa sitting around waiting for the Marfa lights to show their elusive selves...can truthfully say, I never saw a light, not even a flicker!

One day out of the blue Danny (who was the owner of this old beaten up vehicle with bald tires) asked if we wanted to go to Terlingua.  Not knowing what the heck that was, we said yes...why not? Back in the day if I drank one beer, I got a buzz.  If I drank two beers, I was drunk.  If I had three beers...I would puke!

Besides pitching in for gasoline, we also pitched in for beer.  At the time they only sold six packs and the favorite beer was Schlitz...do they even make it now?  It is no wonder I have very vague memories of that first time and even less so of how we got into the event.  We were college students and none of us worked or had money to spare.

Then there was only one chili cook-off unlike today that there are two separate events.  It was also held at a different location.  All I remember was sand dunes and two port-a-potties.

Funny how fast time seems to have gone by...and though my friends always tease me...at least since 1996, I have my spiral notebooks that have documented my trips and kept my memories "fresh".

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Monday, October 17, 2016

Options

Thought I would miss going online but can't say that I did.  Another trip to San Antonio and tons of stuff to get caught up on...pretty much took up all my time.

Every year around late August and early September different kinds of plagues seem to hit the area. Some years it's bees and others flies.  This year it has been flies. If that were not bad enough, mosquitoes have joined the ranks.

I am wearing pants and my long sleeved thermal t-shirt. I keep on spraying myself with insect repellent to no avail.  These suckers are vicious!  My poor mother is highly allergic to any type of spray, so she has lathered herself up with Vick's...but they keep on biting her and the smell is keeping her up.

My best friend sent me a picture of her new travel trailer as her boyfriend washed it this weekend to make it road ready for its first, of I hope many future Chili Cook-Offs.  So this year I have the option of staying with them or bringing my own tent...I like options :)

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Out of Data

If you do not see me around it is because I am out of data.  Dish gives me 5GB of anytime data and 5GB of Off-Peak data (2:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.) of which I still have 1.9 GB.

In their e-mail I have the option of purchasing an additional 1GB for ten dollars.  Otherwise, my speeds will be significantly reduced...jajajajaja...even more so?  My Internet speed is equivalent to that of dial-up, I can not imagine it being worse than that.

I do not plan on paying a penny more...hmmm, Mom might be right, I might be a centavera after all...jajajajajaja :D

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Centavera?....Moi?

I try to schedule medical appointments in San Antonio for the early afternoon, to give myself ample time to arrive.  This appointment was with the eye specialist who referred us to the cataract doctor. They call you in at your scheduled appointment time, rarely is there any waiting which is a definitive plus. With that said, this time, it was me who left late and once again sort of got lost.  I think I am going to have to start leaving even earlier though not for this doctor.  I seriously doubt we will come back to see her.

I do not know why she referred us to the cataract doctor when she knew there was a strong probability that the operation would have little success.  If anything mother is worst off than before. Sometimes I think they just want to milk the Medicare system.

After we left her office, I was surprised that mother said she wanted to go eat at Schlotzky's, you see she is not a fan of sandwiches.  This Ophthalmologist is off Huebner Road close to Leon Valley, an area we do not often frequent like we do the Medical Center. There was a lot of construction and frankly I did not know if I could even find my way back to Del Rio.

Out of the blue, I caught a glimpse of a Schlotzky's when we were on Bandera Road and quickly pulled in. It was an older location but the food was just as tasty.

When I went to get my tire fixed there was an ad for Harbor Freight with a lot of coupons. I asked the father of the owner if I could cut two of them out and he gave me permission.  However, by the time we reached the store, it was rush hour traffic and I decided to pass, as this area is also under construction. I knew I would encounter delays and I wanted to get home before dark...maybe next time?

There are a lot of pros of living in a small town but access to medical care and specialists is not one of them.  It is not just us that have to make these trips but many of my mother's friends and neighbors. Even in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico our lady friend has to go to specialists in Saltillo, Coahuila (the capital of the State) or Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico for medical care.  She is fortunate in that she has two sons who take turns taking her.  They hop on the bus at midnight and arrive in the morning. In Del Rio, we do not even have bus service to San Antonio anymore.

Another reason for arriving late was because I forgot to stop to gas up the day before (one more thing to blame on my CRS). I had to fill up at $1.95 a gallon when I could have gotten it cheaper!  My mother called me a "centavera" Spanish for "penny pincher"....jajajajajaja...I am saving the woman money and she still complains :D

Fortunately, on the way back the price of gasoline had gone down and I was able to fill up for $1.87 a gallon in Uvalde, Texas.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Monday, October 3, 2016

Dashlane / Redbox / AARP

I am tired of trying to remember so many passwords for so many sites so decided to sign up for Dashlane and bring back some kind of order into my cyber life.  The straw that broke the camel's back was locking myself out of my car insurance web page.  Had no other choice but to go in person to make my payment.

Sunday I noticed that my free promo code for a Redbox rental was about to expire so went to rent a movie.  I was upset because my new computer would not play it, so I dragged out my old laptop and everything was going well until half way into the movie when the DVD just quit working.  The last time I rented a movie was at Blockbuster back when they came in VHS format in the early 90's.  I called Redbox and they were very apologetic and issued me another free promo code.

AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) has been hounding me for years to become a member and I finally caved in.  They had a special promotion for Hispanic Heritage month plus they offered a free Weekend Duffle Bag to seal the deal. I think I will more than recoup my yearly fee with the discounts they offer when we stay overnight at a hotel now that daylight savings time is only a month away.  As you all know I have poor night vision and I am not going to risk driving after dark.

I do not know why I go into a panic whenever the low tire indicator comes on. Since we have an out- of-town trip coming up decided to take care of that matter.  The tire shop I frequent also does vehicle State Inspections. Unfortunately for me, there were other procrastinators who were trying to get their October inspections done so they could go buy their license tags.  Patience is not one of my virtues so will try again in the next couple of days.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Midnight confessions...

It is a little past 5:15 a.m. and I am not sleepy.  Have been watching YouTube Videos for a couple of hours. Mostly of Juan Gabriel and Marc Anthony duets.

I have to admit that the death of Juan Gabriel has hit me hard.  The only other death in the celebrity world that has impacted me as much was when Princess Diana died.  There were others that I recall exactly where I was when I heard of their passing such as John Lennon, Selena, Celia Cruz, Barry White, Jenny Rivera. Diana Summers and Emilio.

Wednesday, September 28th marked one month of his passing and Spanish speaking networks were trying to out do each other with exclusive coverage.  I must admit that Univision beat all others with its exclusive interview with the unknown "love child" of Juan Gabriel.

I thought it was going to be a bunch of hog wash but only seconds into the interview you knew that was his biological son.  You did not even have to wait for the birth certificate he produced, e-mails his father sent him and pictures with Juan Gabriel.  It bears mentioning that he did not call the media...they found him and came calling to his door.

While I am deeply sadden by Juan Gabriel's passing, the appearance of this unknown up to now, biological son has made his fans very happy.  There are a lot of us that questioned the hastily manner in which he was cremated.  It all makes sense now after a forensic expert said that with his cremation it would be impossible to get a DNA sample.  However, there were other forms of proving he was his biological son.  I am sure Ivan Aguilera, the heir apparent, is not very happy about the up till now unknown existence of this son.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.