2020-07-20 Rallying in Rockport

 I left San Antonio about 9:00AM with my friend Mary Jane trailing along behind on our way to a Texas Ramblin' Roses Rally in Rockport TX.  It took us just a little longer than planned because we ran in to 7, yes that is seven, road construction zones on the backroads. Some were a block long with a stop/go light and most others were a little longer where you had to follow a pilot car. Fortunately the waits were not too long.

We arrived at Wilderness Oaks RV Resort in Rockport and were quickly checked in and led to our sites

I have hosted a number of rallies here and they always make you feel very welcome. Some of the group came as early as Tuesday just to relax. I was planning to stay several days after the rally before heading east to another rally. More on that later.

Mornings at our rallies usually start at 8:30AM for early risers who want to exercise. Joyce, in the white shorts always leads the exercise group. You would never guess but Joyce is 89 and in better shape than most 20 years younger. She does a lot of stretching exercises for the group. 

We ended up with 37 women at the rally. Rules were masks, social distancing, and lots of sanitizer. Some women enjoyed the salt water pool. Some didn't really come into the rally room or go out to eat but were just glad to be able to get out and wave at their friends while staying more isolated. That was just fine and we were glad they came.

We had quite a few new or new to members RVs that were christened and given a safe travels blessing by President Jimmie Andrews and her squirt gun filled with H2O champagne. This is Joyce's brand new Phoenix Cruiser she picked up at the factory this spring. Did I mention that Joyce is 89? She plans on lots more travel. She spends fall, winter, and spring in the Rio Grande Valley and the summer in New York driving her RV back and forth.

We had dinner on Thursday night at Old Fulton Seafood Cafe & Deli but I failed to get a picture there. The food was great. I have to admit that I had their special lazagna  instead of seafood but it was the best I have ever had......an old family recipe belonging to the owners mother I was told. They set us up on a separate room at several table.

Friday at lunch, we went to Paradise Key Dockside Bar and Grill. They also put us at several tables to comply with Texas requirements which we were happy to follow. The food there is also very good here.

A drive back to the RV park along the bay allows you to see all these unique trees. I don't know if they are running away from the wind or leaning protectively over the house, lol.

We had seven new members join our chapter. Cookie was anxious to hand out their bandanas and pins. We all put yellow bandanas on our rigs for a rally so we can all identify other group members.

Others were more anxious to get their bandanas.

Finally a better photo.

We had a chapter meeting on Saturday morning to conduct some official chapter business, then took our group photo. Saturday night was pizza and salad night rather than our usual pot luck just to be safe. Then Tropical Storm Beta started to worry some. Some left for home right after dinner.

I had planned to stay until Wednesday morning. They kept talking about the storm surge along the coast even though Beta was a ways from shore. I did a lot of checking weather and finally decided I should be safe head east as long as I got through Houston before it started flooding. Yes, Houston has a flooding problem. I left about 11:30AM and it started raining heavily about an hour before I hit Houston. It rained hard all the way through the city but fortunately, the traffic was not too bad. Hard to understand why people are too dumb to put on their lights when their windshield wipers are working hard. About a half hour past Houston, the rain quit and I was able to get set up in Beaumont without getting soaked. More on that next time.

Gearing Up for the TRR Rally

Wednesday passed by in a blur but those who arrived early went to Moon Dog for dinner, right on the bay in Fulton. We sat under a roof but with walls wide open......no bugs so it was really nice.

Thursday morning after the line dancing class sponsored by the park, I checked out the rally room and found this wonderful surprise from the park. Check out the dolphin bananas. The crate was full of bananas, apples, oranges, crackers, candy, etc.

By Thursday night, we had quite a crowd...….a crowd that loves seafood and here we are in Rockport. We all loaded up and drove to Old Fulton Seafood Café. The restaurant is very unpretentious from the outside as it is located in a strip mall but it is nice inside and the food is great. It used to be on the bay in Fulton but the building was lost in the last hurricane.

We had a good sized group......more than I told the restaurant since some ladies went directly to the restaurant instead of meeting up at the park. The staff handled it all quickly and we all had our food in a short time.

Final Days at the Rockport Flocking

Sunday we visited the Old Fulton Seafood Café and Deli for lunch. We were a little surprised when the GPS led us to a restaurant in a strip mall; however, when we went inside it was nice. They have a very high rating from several sources like Trip Advisor. Our waiter told us that they were located on the beach in Fulton until Hurricane Harvey. Everyone agreed the food was great and so was the service. MJ was the last one served, a bit after the rest of us....the waiter apologized and said he didn't like the way the first plate looked so he had them redo it.
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Next on our agenda was a visit to the Fulton Mansion. From this picture, you really don't see much damage.

But then, a view of the roof changes things. Hurricane Harvey occurred over a year ago but the Rockport-Fulton area is still recovering. The hurricane tore off several chimneys which opened holes into the roof. Right now, all the furniture is wrapped up in the center of each room. Walls had to be replastered and it was too wet to do that for some time. By then the first roof contractor was no longer available so new bids had to be sent out. The mansion is open and you can see more of the details of the walls and trim without the furniture blocking the view. Entry is free until the repair work is complete and it is definitely still worth a visit.

The Education and History Center along with the gift shop are in great shape. We had a great time watching two young girls dress this manikin from the skin out. They were shocked at how many pieces of clothing the ladies had to wear.

We also toured downtown Rockport. Almost all of the stores are repaired and open. This lovely mural is on the wall near the coffee shop on the main street.

Most of our group left on Monday morning but Carolyn, Mary Jane, and I stayed several more days before we headed east to another RV rally but that is another story. We gave the Apple Dumpling Deli a try for lunch and would definitely recommend them. Think about splitting a sandwich like Mary Jane and I did as they are huge!

Our last afternoon, we spent some time painting some rocks. Sorry, no pictures of those. We also tried one more time to have supper at Steer Burger. Once before during this rally, and once at a previous rally, we managed to catch them on a day they were closed. They have a really high rating and prices are reasonable. Their rating is very well deserved......great burgers. You order your burgers from the stand outside and they bring them to you inside a house with picnic tables.

Our goal for this rally was to get together with friends and have a good time while we helped the Rockport community in their recovery from Hurricane Harvey. Please visit.....you will find lots of businesses for shopping and great restaurants. They put their initial efforts into rebuilding their tourism areas. Residential areas still need work and recovery there is ongoing. We met a new member for our group....Marlene. She was in town to help with rebuilding efforts as a part of this group. They still need lots of help and you can work as much or as little as you want. And they can definitely make use of any skills you have from data input, answering phones, to carpentry, etc.