Contrary to popular belief, I do have one!!  And, as it turns out, it seems to be in fine shape despite my lifelong attempt to destroy it.  One more visit to the doc and we’ll finally be able to leave Harlingen and see the rest of Texas in our rearview mirrors.  All of the various medical procedures I have undergone down here have made me a favorite of the locals; most of whom are 80 or older.  They seem to enjoy asking me about my “latest” medical problem and then walk away giggling and believing they have another 10 years to live because they are healthier than the “young guy.”  Old people can sure be obnoxious!!  And their sense of humor is really weird . . .

Groundhog's Day                                                     February 5, 2003

There is nothing that quite compares with waking to the sight of several hundred plastic flamingos surrounding your motorhome.  Greyhound racing is pretty popular in this part of the world and our local racetrack has “Senior Day” every Wednesday (that’s today!).  All of us oldsters get in for $1 and can buy hot dogs and beer for $1 each.  We don’t eat a thing on Tuesday and show up at the track early Wednesday morning by the busload.

One of the Marines who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi over Iwo Jima was from south Texas and is buried near the sculpture.  Welp, I guess that’s about it for now . . . I have to get ready for the dog race.   Hugs, Chuck and Kalyn

For those of you living in Britain, Australia, Botswana or Grass Valley, Groundhog’s Day falls on February 2nd and, according to legend, if the groundhog emerges from his burrow and sees his shadow we’re in for 6 more weeks of winter.  I can only imagine the size of the shadow our south Texas groundhog must see each year: we are definitely living on the dark side of the earth.  We had planned to leave here on Feb 1st but a quick visit to my local doc turned into a trip to a cardiologist and fast became a nuclear stress test.  This is a procedure that includes injecting you with a radioactive chemical and running you nearly to death on a treadmill.  You then have a bunch of pictures taken of your heart . . .

I’m still having some difficulty in convincing Kalyn that this event should count as a night out at a fine restaurant.  Harlingen is also the home of the original casting of the Marine Memorial, which is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia . . .

Happy Groundhog's Day!!!!!  Actually this missive kinda missed the mark by a couple of days but I know that a lot of our friends plan their entire year around our annual groundhog greeting, so . . . heeere’s Phil!!