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Jason Coleman keeps Floyd Cramer’s piano genius alive

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Jason Coleman is the grandson of famed pianist Floyd Cramer. If you don’t know Floyd, you do know his music. Sher and I were lucky enough to hear a concert by Jason at the Park Place Estates RV Park where we are official Winter Texans in the Rio Grande Valley this year.

Jason on stage

Coleman puts his music heritage out there with a dedication and sincerity that he gets honestly. His show not only is performing classic songs, but also a fascinating  look into the history of Floyd Cramer’s signature style of piano. Cramer’s piano is heard on just about all of the greats of country and rock from the fifties and sixties and beyond.

I had a nice chat with Jason

Applause from the large crowd rippled through at the start of most of the pieces Jason shared with his audience. He personality and the nostalgia of the music is magic. Not only did Jason play the tunes, but he also shared some poignant video of his time as a young man with his Grandpa Floyd. These clips included his performances with Floyd on TV.

Of the entertainment shows offered at the park, we both agreed that Jason Coleman’s performance has been the best.   I recommend that you check his website here for his concert schedule and available CD’s.

Today we saw “The Wall” on the border

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Today was sunny and windy in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Sher and I decided to head out and see if we could see the border wall. We also wanted to see the Rio Grande River, which is of course the US/Mexican border.

We started our trek on US Highway 281 south of Pharr, Texas. We headed east on 281, which for this stretch towards Brownsville is also the route of the Military Highway, another historic route in the Lone Star State.

Border fence seen across a farm field

Closer to Hwy 281, with graffiti

 

 

 

 

 

We spotted some of the border wall sections that were pretty far from the road. We were closer to the fence between Los Indios and La Paloma. The vertical metal slats were mounted in a large concrete foundation.

What we didn’t get, however, was why the wall/fence stopped out in the middle of nowhere. It seemed odd that it seemed to be random as to where the fences had been constructed and where there were none.

We continued our drive into downtown Brownsville into the historic commercial part of town. What a treat to see all the colorful store fronts and signage in Spanish. Different for a couple from Indiana. I spoke with a Border Patrol Agent who kindly directed us to a small city park where we could see the Rio Grande river. It too had a high fence, complete with coils of razor wire on the Mexico side.

Mexico on left, Border Patrol watching the river (I put my phone through the slats for this shot)

Looking across the river at Reynosa Mexico

Our rig parked at the Alice Wilson Hope Park. See how tall the fence is, and note Reynosa through the slats

 

 

 

 

 

All in all we had a very nice day. It was most interesting seeing the thousands of acres of irrigated crop ground. There were some workers in the fields, but mostly it seemed that new crops were just starting to grow, and other fields had been recently tilled in preparation for new crop plantings.

Oh, and that friendly and helpful Border Patrol Agent? He has not been paid since the Government shutdown started.

Windy days, lots to do and a flea market

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Sher and I have been at our +55 RV Resort in south Texas for a week now. We are just loving the weather, even though most days have seen consistent winds in the 20 – 25 MPH range. Temps are in the 70’s during the day. We are kind of waiting to swim until we get a sunny day with light breezes.

Beautiful skies and waving palms make for a pretty view from our RV.

We are not that far from where Pres. Trump made his ‘trip to the border’. Local TV news really enjoyed all the hoopla involving the movements of Trump and his entourage.

The guard shack at the gated entrance of our park. Gates are closed at night, IDs required for entrance.

We really like the park here in Harlingen, Texas. We feel safe, as there is a guard gate manned 24/7. The park is really large. There are actually several miles of roads to walk and bike if you wind your way through. Sher and I are both riding our bikes and walking daily. Most exercise we have had in a long time. We both have commented that we do feel better.

Inside vendors at the local Don Wes Flea Market

We took a trip to a local Flea Market this past Wednesday. There were some vendors with used flea market type goods. However most of established vendors inside the buildings were selling a wide variety of new products. We bought some bananas, oranges and a pineapple. The vendor had a pineapple coring machine, so it was ready to eat when we got back.

Well, gotta go. There is another dance tonight we have to get ready for. Park Place Estates always has something going on.

Our first day as Snowbirds in Texas

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Our first activity at our new “home” for the winter of 2019 was a dance in the  large dance hall at our RV park. The Park Place Estates and RV Resort has great facilities, including their Friendship Hall. The music at the dance was provided by Leslie Blasing, a professional singer who provided a wonderful evening of song.  Sher and I met several wonderful residents of the park. All were most gracious and friendly.

Looking over our table at more of the craft sale

During a conversation someone mentioned that there was going to be a craft fair the next morning. Well, that peaked my interest as we had brought some of our jewelry with the plan of setting up somewhere and sometime down here. One of our new friends got me set up with the lady running the craft show, and yes, we could get a table for $5, a very reasonable fee for a four hour show.

This was how our jewelry display looked

Six o’clock came early for set up, but we’re used to early starts at markets and festivals. I was pleased with the number of vendors. All had good wares to sell, and our jewelry was a good fit.  The crowd wasn’t huge, but there were enough folks that liked our stuff. When it was all said and done, we had a respectable number of sales during the show.

After lunch Sher and I took a nap. Then we took a nice bike ride around the park. Then some reading, some blogging, and just relaxing. We are really starting to like this Snowbird lifestyle.

Oh, and the next seven days here in Harlingen, Texas will be partly cloudy with highs in the 70’s, rain chance 0%. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Columbus Zoo Wildlights 2018 event

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Reflection pond

With several family members in tow, Sher and I attended a very neat event at the Columbus, Ohio Zoo. The Wildlights event has transformed the zoo into a Christmas wonderland.

The crowd was already sizable when we arrived just as it was getting dark. We knew that we would not be seeing lots of animals, but were there for the light displays. The zoo covers a lot of acreage, so we were ready for a bit of walking!

Polar bear cub in lights

Beautiful trees

 

 

 

 

There was a pen with a couple of Santa’s reindeer you  could see. Our 4 year old grandson really liked the huge antlers on these beautiful creatures. There were a couple of polar bears who were outside in their enclosure so we could see them as well.

Reindeer (Caribou)

The centerpiece of the light show was around a pond just inside the zoo entrance gates. Thousands of lights “performed” by keeping beat with Christmas music. The show played every twenty minutes or so. Sher and I sat on a bench and enjoyed the spectacle while the kids hiked over to the gorilla enclosure, which, it turned out, was closed. We all enjoyed our trip to the zoo.

Elf, The Musical at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre

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Santa gives Buddy a snow globe

We had a delightful evening at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre with Elf, the Musical on stage. This is the first time in years for the popular Indy theater to not have a Christmas variety show. The choice of Elf, The Musical, however, gives patrons a wonderful celebration of the season.

Elf, The Musical is of course the story of a human raised by Santa’s North Pole Elves.  Buddy thinks he is an elf. But, when Buddy hears that he is human, Santa decides to send him to New York City to meet his human father. Thus the chaos begins. Dan Bob Higgins gave a remarkably energetic performance as Buddy. His character gushes with joy and happiness.  Higgins’ performance carries the show.

We enjoyed young Aiden Shurr, a 5th grader, who plays Michael Hobbs, Buddy’s younger brother. This young man did an admirable job both in song and line deliverance. Doug Stark both directs and fulfills his favorite role: Santa Claus. Christmas time at B&B would be incomplete without Stark’s Santa!

Jill Kelly Howe has again done an outstanding job on the costumes. She has successfully made gown actors become short elves. Clever, indeed. The lighting and set design works to enhance the production. Kristy Templet’s orchestra shines.

The show is filled with some great humor. We got a kick out of some great lines both traditional and contemporary. The Ron Morgan choreography gave the entire cast the chance to show off their dance talents.

Elf, The Musical runs  through December 31st. For reservations, you can call the box office at 317.872.9664 anytime between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays. For a complete show schedule, including information about the New Year’s Eve party, visit the Beef & Boards website.

 

Hamburger Inn Diner an integral part of Delaware, Ohio

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The Hamburger Inn Diner is on the main drag in the central Ohio city of Delaware. Our family enjoyed lunch there last weekend. (Read our post here) I was fortunate to meet and have a conversation with Bill Michailidas, the owner.

Bill shared how the Hamburger Inn Diner is really a focal point in the community. The generous serving of Thanksgiving dinner to nearly a thousand folks is a shining example of the good this Diner shares. Besides, it has been serving the people of Delaware great food since 1932.

Since 1947 the diner has become the place for local citizens to gather and share coffee and conversations. Oh, the wisdom that has been shared in the gatherings for the past seven decades.

The diner is open 24 hours on the weekend. As you can imagine, the diner is full of law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel . Workers from all shifts can find a time to eat, and local college students can enjoy great food and a safe place to study after hours.

Delaware, Ohio is fortunate to have the Hamburger Inn Diner. Be sure to stop in when you are in Delaware.

Hamburger Inn Diner in Delaware, Ohio

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Our family group was headed to Delaware, Ohio to visit some of the Antique shops and malls in the downtown. Our son recommended the Hamburger Inn Diner for lunch after we visited the shops. What a great recommendation it was!

The Hamburger Inn Diner opened in 1932. It has remained virtually unchanged since it opened. It is a classic diner with primary seating at horseshoe shaped counters instead of tables. The vinyl covered stools rotated much to the delight of our grandson. There were ten in our party, and after a short wait while another couple finished their meal, all of us could sit at the same counter.

Grilled cheese and fries

Half pounder with bacon and eggs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The diner’s name gives a huge hint as to the menu. Yes, there are marvelous burgers on the menu. In addition to burgers and other sandwiches there is a full breakfast menu offered. Breakfast is served anytime. The food was outstanding: best biscuits and sausage gravy I have ever had. The service was terrific. Sher ordered a grilled cheese on rye. It came on white, and shortly thereafter here came another sandwich on rye, no charge.

Mmmm……Chili

Huge order of biscuits & gravy topped with a fried egg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the great meal, I was fortunate to meet one of the owners, Bill Michailidis. He told me about the restaurant’s history, and shared some of the things that it does to support and help the community. One remarkable event put on by the diner is their annual Thanksgiving feast. The diner first has a meal for employees and their families and a neighboring gas station. Then the diner opens for the entire community. That’s right, free meals are offered to anyone and everyone. This year over 900 were served. Some of the other happenings at the diner are described in our post here.

That’s me, seated, and Bill Michailidis, right

Given the quality of the cuisine, the excellence of the service, and the citizenship of the establishment, it is no wonder that The Hamburger Inn Diner is one of the most popular places to visit in central Ohio. If your travels take you to central Ohio, it will be worth your time to eat at the Hamburger Inn Diner.

Ice storm!

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This morning most of Indiana has been hit with an ice storm. Luckily there are only spotty power outages, as reported by local media.

Tree branch covered with ice

A leaf hanging on

 Thankfully we do not have to travel anywhere today, as the hazardous road condition warnings are out for the rest of the day.