TEXAS LIVING!

Let’s start with the weather, Ok? It has sure changed now! We are finally having summer weather, just we moved here for. 90 degrees by noon and around 100 predicted all this week and thru the weekend. If it does hit triple digits, it will be the first time this year. Normally by now this area would have nine days over 100, and last year at this time we already had 23 days of 100+ degree days. I’m outside at the butt-crack of dawn, either taking my walk or watering flowers. Oh yea! I mentioned housing prices in a posting earlier. Using the same criteria for both Clark County and Collin County, here’s the difference. Criteria was 4+ bedrooms, 3+ bathrooms, den or study, 2+ car garage, formal dining, family room, 0 – 10 years old, approx. 3,500 sq. ft., on a culd-de-sac. In Allen, TX... population 82,000 – there were 17 homes from $225 to $300,000. In Vancouver, WA. population 130,000 +/-, there were no houses in that price range. When I revised the maximum amount to $400,000. there were 3 houses, and when I revised it upwards to $500,000, there were 16 homes for sale. And lots of the homes in Allen had swimming pools. And that my friends, is one of the reasons we moved to North Texas! As I watch the news today of another child drowning here locally, I am thankful Connor takes swimming lessons, and has, since he was an infant. Not only standard swimming lessons, he is now taking survival swimming lessons. Lessons are individual, and daily for four weeks. I took him today and it was pretty difficult watching all the toddlers in the pool. While it was difficult to watch as instructors work with them to float on their backs and learn to have water splashed in their little faces to teach them to roll over, the long term benefits far out-weigh this grandfather’s difficulty watching. The instructors are very competent and highly qualified. Connor cried during part of the session, but when it was over and time to pick out a lolly-pop, it was easy for Connor to say good-bye to Tracy, see you tomorrow! This past Thursday I had the pleasure of dining with new friends Al & Yevette from Southern California. We struck up a friendship in May when we offered them a ride to the San Jose airport from La Paz, Mexico. What a fun and friendly couple. They were sailing their 46’ sloop around the Baja when we first met them. Last week they came through Dallas on their way to & from Louisiana. Thanks for dinner you guys! All we needed was Donna!