Spending the winter in Texas

No, Cliff and I aren't going anywhere for the winter.  It's a discussion we got into this morning.  Yesterday a local Facebook friend messaged me from their winter home in Texas to tell me she and her husband have gotten a bigger place to stay down there, and will be renting out their little park model for three months.  I asked her how much those things rent for and she said they're getting over $1,300 monthly for theirs.

I found this rather astonishing, considering the park models I've seen are pretty cramped-up little places, about the size of a medium-sized RV.  My sister just sold her Texas place last winter, a roomy double-wide in like-new condition, for a very reasonable price, so I couldn't imagine paying so much rent; you'd be better off buying something, which I suppose is why my friend and her husband did just that.  

I mentioned to Cliff that I might go down there for a month  if I could afford it, but that would be long enough for me.  

"Why is that?" Cliff asked.  

"Because this is home!  I don't like to stay away from home that long."  

"I don't see why anybody wants to go down there anyhow, except to get away from cold weather," he said.  

I'm pretty sure I understand it, and I gave him my thoughts on the subject.  When you are staying in one of those parks, you are with a group of like-minded folks, all of them retired with plenty of time on their hands.  My sister (and her husband, before he died) got together often to play cards with neighbors.  When my aunt and uncle wintered in Texas, Uncle Lloyd like to shoot pool.  

There are jam sessions at every park, and my sister and her husband usually went to at least one of those weekly; you could have attended one every night, at different parks, if you so wished.    

Dances, swimming, exercise classes... there is always something to do.  

But it all involve being sociable, and I'm not.  I think if Cliff had hooked up with a wife who was more of a mixer, he would do better at social activities, since he really is a people person at heart.

However, he hates playing cards, dominoes, and other games that require sitting at a table.  I enjoy playing cards, but I'm so bad at it that nobody wants me for a partner.  The reason I'm no good at it is that, since it's only a game, I can't see the big deal about who wins and loses, so I don't try very hard.  Yeah, who wants somebody like me for a partner?  And if it's a card game where you aren't playing with partners, it's pretty boring to have somebody involved that's as lacking in talent as I am.  

Cliff might shoot some pool and play horseshoes once in awhile given the opportunity, but he'd get tired of it before long.  I remember one time some friends mentioned playing shuffleboard... Cliff was at a loss as to why anybody would want to play shuffleboard.  

So I guess we'll be spending our winters right here in God's country.  Different strokes for different folks.  It works out well, since we couldn't afford $1,300 a month rent anyhow.