Can Tab Social

As you may recall from previous posts Bernie and I collect aluminum can tabs to help a young fellow with Cystic Fibrosis.  He is the nephew of our good friends Denis and Therese LeBrun.  These tabs go to the Cystic Fibrosis Association who use the proceeds to help fund machines that help these young folks breathe, leading to a much more normal life.

Last year at this time we gave our collected tabs (just over 5 lbs) to them and promised to try and double that effort and get 10 pounds for this year.

So as some of you will know I started, at this time last year, harassing everyone I know to help me.  In this world there are people that like to help and some who don’t.  Bernie and I are blessed with a beautiful family and a great circle of terrific  friends who are willing to help.

So last night the 2012, 2013 effort came to a conclusion with a small get together at our place.  I called it the can tab social, where we had some fun and some food, to bring the collection all together.  We had to weigh it to see IF we had met our 10 pound goal.   I thought this would be a good place to post some pictures of our first “Can Tab Social.”

 Told you I could get a smile Gary

 

 Good friends, good food, and for our friends up North - 80 ABOVE ZERO

It's only fair, before discussing the end result that I recognize the efforts of those who helped us.  The 2012 collection all started when a neighbour friend, Kent B., brought us an ice cream pail half full last March and we were on our way.  It continued all summer, fall and winter, with help from all over the continent.

Each of our five children helped out and I want to thank them all right off the top.  Second, I really want to thank Grandsons Cole and Brendan for an extra special effort.

Friends Ken and Doreen B. collected a whole bunch from everyone they could find.

They had a bit (lot) of help as we all contribute to their collections during Happy Hour at their place all winter long.  Friends Ron and Karen A. brought us two huge bags which Karen collected by  (according to husband Ron) “dumpster diving.”  She actually worked hard, all summer long, collecting them at every tee at their golf course.  Not really dumpster diving but a ton of work.  Thank you Karen, we missed having you two here yesterday.

 

My sister Jan and her co-workers at First Calgary, in Calgary Alberta, helped us out a ton.  Jan sent us two packages, each weighing two or more pounds.  Thanks sis and please thank your co-workers for me.

 

Many, many, of our friends took the time and made an effort to collect and contribute tabs.  Some people had their own collection system going, some just kept a jar at their home.  Some got a few, some got a bunch, thank you all for doing what you could.  The amount each person collected is not the point of this.  This is to thank everyone for helping out and making life a little easier for those that have to deal with this nasty disease every day of their lives.

 

Remember this picture from last year?

 I introducted you to Raphael, the young fellow who is indirect beneficiary and the motivator for our efforts.

Now a year later.
 

 This is Raphael and his younger brother with last year’s collection effort.

 Meet Denis and Therese Lebrun our good friends and Raphael’s Uncle and Aunt who spearhead this whole effort.

So now finally, how many tabs did we collect this year? 

 This is the pile.

It takes about 1600 tabs to make a pound and this pile weighed in at 24.2 pounds.  About 2.5 times our goal and somewhere in the area of 38,500 tabs.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO ALL WHO HELPED OUT.

I don’t want to appear ungrateful but the effort continues and we must start now on next year’s collection.  The goal - we’re looking to collect a minimum of 15 ponds this year, somewhere in the area of 25,000 tabs.  We need all the help we can get.  PLEASE.

Ten tabs or ten thousand tabs we'd love to have you at next year's "Can Tab Social."

Neal and Bernie

The People Of Tropic Star

As we travel around with the RV, or travel around in the Rio Grande Valley, many folks ask us “Why Tropic Star?”  Why that particular resort?

Bernie and I first came here because of the gym.  Yup – the gym.  We were at home, in Winnipeg, searching for a place to stay when we got here.  We found pictures on the Tropic Star web page of the gym and decided to start here.  The plan when we left The Peg was to spend a week here while we searched through the valley for what we wanted.  That was six winters ago and it’s likely we’ll be back for a seventh.

So back to the question at hand, “Why Tropic Star?”

With six winters almost finished we have visited most of the parks in The Valley.  Maybe a dance, a craft show, visiting, or maybe just plain snooping.  We have met hundreds and hundreds of people from all over and chatted, sometimes at length, about what makes their park, their choice.  Most of the better RV Resorts have similar things to offer, some a bit more, some a bit less, some a bit more expensive, some cheaper, but most have similar offerings.

Lil, Lois, and Gaylord

The first time we came to Tropic Star we were checking out the resort looking for a lot to call home for a week or so.  We bumped in Lil T. who told us we had to come to her side of the park and recommended her street.  What a great way to start, a really nice lady, on a really nice street, and a great first winter.  Lil and Bill are still here each winter and are looking forward to seeing them later this week.

As newbies we were anxious to get to the pool and did so at the first opportunity.  While cooling our jets in that beautiful pool we met Lois M. who asked us what we were doing for Thanksgiving dinner a few days later.  Since we had no plans she invited us to join them at their table in the dining room.  We did go for dinner and, yes – you guessed it - Jim and Lois have become very good friends.  You may recall my posting about our stops in Oklahoma City.  That’s where Jim and Lois are and we look forward to seeing them every single time.

And then there was Gaylord.  As nice a guy as the Good Lord put on this earth.  Bernie and I were doing laundry, shortly after arriving here, and in walks this guy with a pony tail and big black motorcycle boots.  He told us his hot water tank was broken so he had come over for a bucket of hot water.  HMMMMM what’s this all about, we thought.  Remember we’ve been here only a few days at that point and were pretty unsure of the whole thing.  So then he asked if we want to go for a drink at Peppies, or maybe Sophies, or how about a day trip to Progresso.  We had no clue what Peppies, Sophies, or Progresso were but over the next few days Gaylord took us to each of them.  We enjoyed them all and now enjoy seeing Gaylord at church every Sunday.  Not what we expected that first day in the laundry room.  Now the guy in the laundry room is – yup – you guessed it – a good friend.

 

Gaylord T.

The volunteer base in our park is unbelievable.  As we talk to folks from other resorts we often hear about their inability to get things done because nobody wants to help.  It’s not like that here.  We are blessed to have a group of volunteers that give, and give, and give some more.  We have had countless meals, gone to countless events, and had countless good times here.  Each time volunteers are manning the show in one way or another.  Literally seven days a week, volunteers are making this place a home for all of us.  Some are in the kitchen cooking a five star meal, some are playing the music, or singing in the 40 member choir, or ushering 400 +/- or us to our chairs on Sunday, or teaching a ceramics class, or a painting class, or a stained glass class, or giving swimming lessons, or giving tennis lessons, or maybe sewing lessons, or taking out the bike riders, or working the two bingo nights, and the list goes on and on.

Oh – and let’s not forget Square Dancing.  Bernie and I don’t square dance but hundreds and hundreds of people do.  As a matter of fact they consider The Rio Grande Valley to be the Square Dance Capital of The World.  Joe Saltel, http://www.joesaltel.com/ one of the top Square Dance callers in the U.S. calls Tropic Star home.  Joe calls all over the world and here at Tropic Star he has Square Dances and/or classes six days a week.  A couple of weeks ago we went to a Country Dance(not Square Dance) in our ballroom where Joe and a friend of his, Jerry Storey, another world class caller http://www.jerrystory.com/ spent three hours singing and we spent an equal amount of time on the dance floor.  This event was so successful that as the event was winding down the crowd quit dancing.  We all stood around the stage just listening and singing along to great music.  Where else can you get to spend an evening up close and personal with two “World Class” entertainers.  Square Dancers come here from all over the valley so you can imagine how many people show up all week long.  Hundreds is not an exaggeration.

The people of our resort are huge givers.  Giving is a personal thing so I won’t go too far into this.  I do believe one of the main reasons this is such a happy place is because it’s giving place.  The people here are generous beyond belief.  One of the streets here, Banana St., has a charity auction each year where people donate things, baking, new, used, etc and then everyone in the resort is invited to come over for the event to buy something.  All proceeds go to a shelter for battered women.  They have a real life, auctioneer doing his thing.  We watched people pay silly amounts of money for things they wanted, maybe even thought they needed.  Like $25 for a used picnic basket or $8 for a loaf of someone’s home made bread, or $20 for a pie.

 Banana St. Auction.

Until the drug cartel made it impossible, one of the people here, went to Sam’s Club with his pick up every week.  At his own expense he bought hundred pound bags (many) of rice and delivered them to the poor in Mexico.  Many people volunteer at the hospital, or the animal shelters.  Every Sunday there is a basket set out for food donations for the poor.  We have coat and blanket drives in early winter each year and there is a teddy bear luncheon.  This is a ladies only event held in Dec. every year.  The price of admission is a ticket and a Teddy Bear.  The Teddy Bears (a couple of hundred +) are given to the local fire department who then distribute them to the poor.  This only scratches the surface of the giving here at Tropic Star.  The resort and giving go hand in hand.

And - now back to the original question “Why Tropic Star?”  The answer is The People of Tropic Star.  Without the people it would just be a nice chunk of real estate owned by some super rich dude.  The people make Tropic Star and that’s why we come back, looking forward to seeing our friends, doing what time permits with each of them, and feeling like we’re a small part of the Tropic Star family.

If you’re clooking for a place to call your "winter home" give Tropic Star a look over. http://www.tropicstarrv.com/gallery.html      http://www.tropicstarrv.com/

Thanks for stopping by, maybe we’ll see you here.

Neal and Bernie

PS, no I didn’t get paid for this huge, free, ad for the resort.  :-)

Happy Anniversary Broughtons'

We have been blessed to meet and become friends with the Broughtons', a family from Alberta.  On the full time RV, and winter Texan, circuit we meet people from time to time who are traveling, or spending time, with a brother or sister.  In the Broughtons’ case there are three of them, two brothers and a sister, all spending their winters together here at Tropic Star.  All three of them are here with their spouses, and each of the couples has been together for 50 or more years.

Bernie and I enjoy their company so very much and this post is devoted to wishing them a Happy Anniversary.

Once a year Tropic Star has a dinner and a re commitment service for those that are celebrating their 50^th anniversary.  Some people wait a year or two, or more, to participate.  Pat and her husband Peter, waited a couple of years so that the three couples were able to celebrate it together.  Last night Ken and Doreen invited us, as their guests, to come to the anniversary dinner.  Today, Sunday, in the afternoon the six of them will participate in the re commitment service.

Janet Ashcroft, the activity director, here at Tropic Star, her husband Jack, and a number of volunteers created a five star dinner for us.  The food was great, the company was fantastic and the evening was first class.

 

Happy Anniversary Ken, Doreen, Robert, Helen, Pat and Peter 

 

Back row, Ron Adams (another friend) yours truly, Ken Broughton, Peter Toporowski, Robert Broughton, Front Row, Bernie, Doreen Broughton, Pat (sister) Toporowski, and Helen Broughton.  Missing Karen Adams who is home helping her Mom.

 

 

More later, this post is just for the Broughtons.

 

Neal and Bernie