I just checked, and it's 6 1/2 hours one way for me. Sorry, but that's a bit too far. Plus, I'd have to take off work. Bummer. Have fun, y'all!

Sally

~sniff-sniff~whine~whine. I really want to go. It's just a long drive/airplane ride for my healing neck.

You guys have a great time. I can't wait to hear all about your trip down South. I hope you catch the biggest fish ever and post a picture of you cooking it :-)

Darn it. I would love, love, LOVE to see you again, Karen, but you really need to take it easy and take care of yourself. We'll meet again when I come to Louisiana to visit New Orleans, it's on my list of places to go too.

Sally, it's a long way to go for lunch and Texas is such a big state, it's going to be a long way from a lot of people I'd like to meet, I'm afraid. Sigh.

Ah well, there's always another trip, I'd like to see Austin and San Antonio too, another time.

Annie

Well, Corpus is about 4.5 hours each way for me. Unfortunately, that's too far for me as well. You're right about Texas being a big state... LOL.

I'm bummed because I would have LOVED to have met you Annie! I look forward to the next opportunity to meet you though! Have fun at the lunch. Can't wait to see the pix!

Darn! It's about 22 hours each way for me. Just a tad too far for lunch! (heehee....)

Ah well, hopefully I'll see you again in Chicago in March.
Have fun with Brenda, I would love to meet her!

Take lots of photos, too, okay?

Linda

Linda,come on...22 hours, 44 hours, BUT the weather should be in high 70's or 80's....does that entice you any?

Karen, May and Sally I wish you each could come. Hey, Sally, where are you in TX?

I look forward to meeting Annie and Elery.

Brenda

Aw, that's too bad, Annie. I'm a good 5 1/2 hours away, too.

I haven't lived in Corpus for 10 years but Water Street was not bad and it's in what used to be the most picturesque part of Corpus. If that's where you go, and you like oysters (cooked), you should order the Oyster's Rockefeller appetizer. Yum, I miss those. :( There used to be a really great German restaurant called Eidelweiss, of course. We loved that place. The owners/cooks were German or Austrian - along those lines.

Have fun and don't wear a light weight skirt! Very windy usually.

Yes, Brenda, that forecast does entice me a bit! LOL

Gosh, I wouldn't know how to act in 70-80 degree weather!! It's been so long....

Linda

Brenda, I live in Garland, a suburb of Dallas.

There are times I really wish Texas was a lot smaller, such as now. We drove up to Boston a couple of times while my DD was going to school there. We were amazed at how quickly we drove through those New England states. We'd blink, and whoops, there goes another state, lol.

Annie, I sure hope you have a great time on your trip.

Sally

Thanks, trsinc, I figured it would be windy there by the ocean, I didn't think about skirts. Heck, I could do a "Marilyn Monroe" picture if I wasn't careful, LOL. I do like oysters, but only cooked ones, I cannot eat the raw ones. The texture is too disgusting, it's like having a mouthful of....well....mucus. (grin) I'll have to try the oysters rockefeller, unless something else looks amazingly wonderful.

Sally, I'm sure I'll have a great time. I do know what you mean about those small states, though, the lower peninsula of Michigan is about 350 miles from top to bottom, then you have to drive over the Mackinac Bridge, which is 5 miles long, then it's another 50 or 60 miles across the upper peninsula. From side to side it's only about 150 miles if you go straight across, but we're still a lot bigger in square miles than several of the Eastern coastal states which I drove through in just a couple of hours.

So, Texas from top to bottom is about 800 miles and it's another 800 miles or so from side to side, you've got a lot more ground to cover.

Now I've got to quit reading all those headlines about the drug killings on the border or I'll end up just standing in Texas and waving at Mexico....

Annie

I am more over 24 hours from Texas. I would love to meet everyone but finances will not allow me to do it.

Annie, our oldest daughter, Elizabeth, will wave at you from Houston & our youngest, Sarah, will be waving from Austin!

Hope you have a great trip!!

/tricia

Tricia,
I'm waving at your Houston daughter right now. :)
I live in Meyerland and work in Greenway Plaza, so she can wave back! LOL
My son is at UT in Austin so he can wave at your other daughter.
Wheeee!!!!

Well, there's a whole lot of wavin' going on here, LOL. And I'm still thinking I just might wave at Mexico and stay right here in the U.S. and save my passport for when I go to Toronto and visit Chase.

I'll wave at everyone else on my way from Houston to Harlingen, LOL. I'll wave hard for daylily. (grin)

Annie

Juarez is the city that's having the most trouble, and it's across from El Paso, which is way, way far from where you'll be. I'm pretty sure Matamoros is safe, since it's such a tourist town, but I wouldn't guarantee it. I'd do whatever sounds fun and is comfortable for you to do.

Sally

Sally, I thought Matamoros should be pretty safe, right across the bridge from Brownsville, until (remember, I'm in law enforcement on the prosecution side) I had several officers tell me the Gulf Cartel is headquartered there, and that I should go across the bridge to Garcia's, but no further.

Now, I stay the heck out of Detroit because of the crime, I'm wondering about Mexico.

Annie

You'd be safer going to Reynosa, across the border from McAllen than you would in Matamoros. I've always gone through Reynosa instead of Matamoros, but I would take Matamoros over Laredo any day. Another Mexican town to avoid is Tampico, just down the coast from Matamoros - it's just very sleazy - at least the last time I was there. Other towns in Mexico I prefer to avoid include Villahermosa (I can't imagine how it earned its name) and Chetumal (on the border with Belize). And be sure that you do not go into Mexico alone, as unescorted women are considered fair game. If you speak a bit of Spanish, that will help immensely, or at least go with someone who does speak Spanish. If you have blond or red hair, you will also attract more attention in Mexico. My sister went to Mexico City one year, and I gave her the name and address of some of my friends who said that she could stay with them, and she got a lot of attention because of her red hair. She was traveling with a girlfriend who also had red hair, and when they would go out to eat in Zona Rosa, strange men would pay for their dinner - men they had never met! Any you are a lot prettier than my sister, Annie!

Lars

Oh shoot! I want to go! You are going to have such a good time!

I had an X-Ray today of my neck...from what it sounds like it's not good, but, I do feel better! I so wish that I could could travel to see you and Elery.

You guys have a great time and I can't wait to hear all about it.

RR, I sure hope your neck is OK, you just do whatever you need to do to make sure of that. I wish you could meet Elery too, but we'll be in Louisiana someday. Hopefully soon.

Lars, thank you very much for that kind compliment. I should have known you'd have very good suggestions about Mexico, you've been there so many times. How about Nuevo Progreso, or is that strictly a tourist trap? I speak almost no Spanish, although Ashley took 4 years of high school Spanish and 2 years in college. I can understand it a bit, but can't manage to get the inflections right so that anyone could understand me past "Si", "Por Favor" and "Arroz con Pollo". Sigh. I am not a natural mimic at all. Elery does speak Spanish, thankfully.

But really, is there anything to be had in Mexico that I couldn't get in Texas, and are prices really that much better. I'm not interested in tequila or vanilla or pottery. Well, I'd love the pottery but I'd never get it home intact, so what else besides that Mexican silver that doucanoe mentioned?

Annie

Annie, I spoke with a lady last week whose daughter trades in Mexican artifacts, etc. and she is closing her business she said not only due to the ecomony but because of the increasing instablility in Mexico and the border towns especially. You mentioned you might want to get the gkids something from across the border...I could probably get whatever at the market here in SA for about the same price if you will let me know what it is you are looking for and I could bring it when we meet; however, I know nothing of the Mexican silver to look for, but I could try.

Karen, I hate to hear your neck is not doing well, but am glad you are feeling better.

Trsinc, where in TX do you live.

Sally2, we may need to do a TX get-together.

Brenda

Brenda, I'm northwest of Austin. It's a 2 hour drive for me to SA(northwest side). I go a few times a year. In fact, I'll be there in a few weeks for a garden club get together. Do you garden?

We should all do a TX get together sometime. That would be fun.

Annie, waving at Mexico might be a good idea. And, I agree that Brenda could get most things in SA. You won't have any fun in Mexico if you're worried the whole time.

Thanks, Brenda and trsinc, I think we'll just play it by ear, depending on whether they are doing a bus tour out of SPI or Brownsville. I wasn't all that excited about Mexico, but Elery would like to go, I figure if I'm in Brownsville probably a lot is the same, if you can see Mexico from there, LOL.

Annie

Annie, you will have a great time. I wish I could come, but I would have to leave the day before to be in Corpus by lunch. It is an all day drive for me, with a few pit stops!

As far as I know Roselin and I are the only ones in the Texas panhandle and we are almost 200 miles apart.

Can't wait to see the pictures of your get together and vacation.

Reynosa, that's it! I've been trying to remember the name of the town we went to the last time we went to Mexico, and that was it. It was the town that my cousin recommended we go to instead of Matamoros. I don't remember why, but it didn't have to do with safety - more-so I think because it was more authentic and not so touristy. I think it's become hard to distinguish between Matamoros and the U.S., or Texas, at least. I do remember there was a specific road he said to go on to get there, which wasn't necessarily the most obvious road, but the safest road. The other road was too dangerous he said. Unfortunatley, I don't remember what route we took. That was 5 years ago, when we buried my mother's ashes in San Benito. I haven't brought it up since I couldn't remember the name.

The one thing I bought in Mexico that I wish I had purchased more of was a dress. I have worn that dress to death, and want more. Yes, I can get them here, but I still wish I had gotten more of them at the time. It was a simple sundress that's oh so comfortable and easy, easy to care for. If I were to go to Mexico now, that's what I would shop for.

Brenda and Trsinc, I'd very much enjoy a Texas get together. Maybe Austin would be a good in-between place. I just don't know when I'm going to have time, since we've been focused north instead of south these days, and are buying a place in Oklahoma. (Not moving there yet, but striking while the prices and interest rates are low). We're going to be traveling there a lot from now on. However, I'd love to meet at least some of the people from this forum. Those of you in the Panhandle would have so far to go, though. You're a long way from everywhere. :-(

Sally

Oops, I should correct myself. It's 2 hours to the north EAST side of SA for me.

Sally, how long does it take you to drive to Austin? Depending on what part of Austin it's 1 - 2 hours for me. I bet we could find a place that wouldn't be quite so far for you. For Brenda, it's probably the same time frame (1-2 hours- depending) for her to Austin. We should try, at least, before you move. Who knows, you may be closer to the Panhandle people once you're in OK.

Should we switch to emailing? I feel kind of bad about hijacking Annie's thread, lol.

Karen, I sure hope your neck is ok. Just a little crick will drive me crazy. Are you in a lot of pain?

1550 miles for me. Can we make it dinner instead?
Have fun!
Jo

Trisnc, Nah, I'm OK. Thanks for asking, but, I'm just not up to traveling. I had my 4 week x-ray and I'm still not sure...maybe more surgery. I've lived with a subluxation of my neck for years...a few more weeks won't matter much.

Annie, have fun. The last time I went to Mexico I bought a gold braclet that I wear all the time. I also remember the donkeys that were painted like Zebra's. So sad but really funny ;-).

I've seen crosses between zebras and donkeys that had stripes on their rear ends. Could that have been what you saw, Riverrat?

We're not moving to OK yet, just strking while the iron's hot. The sooner (no pun intended) we can move there the better, but we're working on a 3 year time frame. I love Texas, foibles and all, but love DH (who loves OK and is Cherokee) and want a country homestead almost as much, and OK seems to be the best way to get what we both want. In the meantime, I'll check my emails. (Sorry Annie)

Sally

LOL, that's fine, Sally, any time I can get involved in a forum get together, even just by having a thread "re-routed", I'm happy. (grin)

However, if you DO get together, it's required that you post pictures!

Annie

Sally, No, I really saw real donkeys painted white then the black stripes are painted on.

I've seen pictures of the painted donkeys from Tijuana, but I've never seen one in person - I think they are a border town thing.

I've been to the Mercado in San Antonio, and it definitely does not have everything you could find in Mexico. It's an extremely small market by Mexican standards, at least considering the size of SA. It's a vastly difference experience shopping in Reynosa than In SA. They will have a lot of the same things, but in Reynosa you will have a much larger selection. I bought a ceramic ashtry that has a Mexico boy taking a siesta against a saguaro cactus - a bit kitschy, but I liked it.

When you cross the border into Reynosa, you will notice a marked change in architecture and building materials. It's not the same experience you would have in the interior of Mexico, as many people in Reynosa speak English and will accept American money, but you will definitely notice that you are in a foreign country when there. Prices will be significantly lower in Reynosa, if you know how to bargain. For me, it just comes naturally - I never try to do it deliberately.

You should visit some import shops in Brownsville or McAllen to check prices before crossing the border. Prices will be pretty much non-negotiable in Texas (depending on where you go) and will give you an idea of how to bargain. Try to get the same (or similar) item in Reynosa for half the price. There should be some good selections of woven items, as well as leather goods. I haven't shopped for jewelry in border towns - I go to silver mining towns like Taxco or Guanajuato for that, but Mexico City is great for jewelry shopping as well. I bought black coral when I was in Cozumel, but that's rather difficult to find outside the Caribbean.

Lars

Thank you, Lars, that's very helpful, especially the part about checking prices in Brownsville first, then shopping if/when I go into Mexico.

I don't know that I could get pottery back unbroken, it would have to go back in checked luggage. I don't like tequila and vanilla is easily accessible (and safe) here in the U.S. I'm thinking silver belt buckles, boots and belts, or maybe Sally is right and I should shop for sundresses....

Annie

I remember perfume being a bargain. Not that I cared as a kid (I spent my early childhood living in or close to Mexico) but my mother and grandmother would buy their favorites. And you can get Retin-A sans prescription, correct?

Really? Retin-A without a prescription? I've never used it, but I didn't quite ever understand why Retin-A needed a prescription since everyone seems to put it in their facial care products in small amounts anyway.

Annie

Cameron took Retin-A as his after chemo medicine for 44 weeks. It has quite a few side effects, so I can understand why it is prescription. When he was on it, his feet, hands and face peeled as if he was sunburned.
Lisa

When we went to Matamoras a few years back, I got a friend some Retin-A sans scrip and I think it was $10. I asked about some of the other rx's we had and they didn't have them or they couldn't beat the price we get with insurance.
I did pick up a bottle or 2 of perfumes also, that was cheaper thant whhat I paid stateside.

Sally and Tricia, I've gotten your emails and will email you about getting together. That would be fun.

So, I get Annie and Elery all to myself? That will be fun, but wish we could meet some more too, but Annie seems to think they wll be back to TX sometime.

Brenda

I'm so sorry I'm going to miss this. I wish I could go!!! I'll just add that I have bought a lot of silver jewlery at wonderful prices in border towns, and it's great stuff.

If we do a Texas get together, count me in!

I would love to get Retin-A for 10 buckaroos!

"Last Call" -- Corpus, Saturday, Feb. 28. Water Street.

BTW, I spoke with Annie last night and she sounded great. They had been fishing and she (naturally) had cooked their catch. Had seen a group of dolphins and was sunburned. Plus, she is the youngest "sunbird" there...lol.

I am looking forward to meeting her and Elery Saturday and then DD, DGD and possibly DH and I are on to Port Aransas for the night and then a day beach combing, dolphin watching and hitting the local fish markets before heading home Sunday night.

(thanks trsinc for the lik)

OK FUN IS OVER POST YER LUNCH RECAP

Hey, give me a break, it's a 3 hour drive from Corpus Christi.

Yes, I met Brenda, her DH,DD and Aleksi. I have pictures but can't post them until I get back home. Brenda was great, as was her whole family. I was yakking so much that I almost forgot to eat lunch. I had some soup I can't spell or pronounce, Elery had jambalaya and Brenda had shrimp enchiladas.

I brought Aleksi a purse from Mexico, yes we went there. Not to Reynosa because they are under military lockdown since a shootout a week or so ago between the soldiers and the druglords where 6 people were skilled. We went to Nuevo Progreso, past the armoured vehicle with the machine guns, past the soldiers with AK47s behind sandbags. We went about 3 blocks, bought a purse for Aleksi and a sundress for Makayla and then turned around and came back. it was altogether a tense and unpleasant experience.

I didn't manage to get Brenda anything, but she brought me some chili powder including some "Dallas Dynamite" that Elery is really looking forward to, a bottle of Texas olive oil and some cinnamon, as well as a bar of "chef's soap" made with olive oil and vanilla, it smells wonderful.

Anyway, I'm using this tiny little laptop of Elery's ahd it's a struggle, so I'll post pictures when I get home. We're flying out on Monday but won't be home until midnight or so, so I'll post next week.

Annie

That does sound tense. Sorry it was a bad experience for you. I've seen a lot of soldier with rifles and bayonets in my travels in Latin America, but they never made me tense, for some reason. When I crossed the border between Belize and Guatemala, they were having a war over a border dispute, and there were thousands of soldiers at the border. I grew up 25 miles east of Fort Hood (the largest military base in the world, according to them), and so I was used to seeings lots of soldiers growing up and never thought much about it. When I traveled through Chiapas and Oaxaca while they were having guerrilla warfare, I merely thought that I was close to a military post. I thought the same thing when hordes of soldiers would board the train from Laredo to Mexico City near San Luis Potosí. I still think that SLP probably has a military base nearby. You may have seen a naval base in Corpus Christi as well. The last time I saw a large military presence was in 1992 during the Rodney King riots when L.A. was under martial law. That was scary because I had nowhere to go.

I looked up Nuevo Progresso, and it looks like a nice place to visit - much smaller and easier to navigate than Reynosa or Matamoros. It looks like you had rather warm weather with possibly a couple of cold days in the 60s. My parents said it had been in the 80s where they are.

I'll look forward to seeing your pictures! I haven't been to "The Valley" (south Texas) since the 1980s!

Lars

It's such a shame that Mexico has gotten so bad these days. It used to be such a fun place to go.

I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures and hearing all about the visit.

Sally

Yes, I did get to meet Annie and Elery! Annie and Elery were wonderful and it was a delight meeting them in person.

Annie and Elery were so sweet to think of Aleksi and brought her the cutest purse...ever. We will have to wait for pictures from Annie as my charger for my camera battery has disappeard and DD's camera doesn't work on my usb cables.

The food, well...I was disappointed I didn't find a better foodie place to share with the wonderful company. My shrimp enchiladas would have been good if the shrimp had been even remotely fresh. DH's fried shrimp was about the same. DD liked the soup and her California rolls. Aleksi ate the bread off her corn dog bites and was totally satisfied.

I could not believe how cold it was in Port Aransas yesterday as wind chill Sunday am was 30 (I am sure Annie is laughing here about my "cold" compared to her "cold"); however, not too good for beach combing, but we got some in Saturday afternoon -- enough to satisfy Aleksi. No dolphin watch...too windy and cold. Annie and Elery were definitely the highlight of our trip.

We look forward to meeting up with Annie and Elery again. Aleksi has offered her bunk bed to them and I'll let them work out the logistics of that...lol and Elery convinced DH there were plenty of places in MI to play cards.

Brenda

I'm so sorry I missed. The food notwithstanding, I'm sure it was a wonderful lunch time meeting.

Yeah, the weather turned cold on us! Friday night I had to turn on the A/C, it was purdy warm. Saturday morning the cold blew in and I had the heater on Saturday night. LOL, that's Texas for you.

Hope you had a fun visit Annie. Sorry the Mexico trip wasn't so great. Unfortunately those border towns have been having problems lately. Looking forward to seeing your pictures!