MOM’S MEMOIRS – IRENE LOUISE (NEE KUCKKAN) MUELLER
(Continued)

Mom’s Autobiography – Chapter 31 – In Book, Page 73

Weslaco, Texas, The Valley, Steve Arrives, Congregation, Iwo Jima Memorial, Billy John’s Visit, Golfing With Steve, Exploding Ball, Fishing At Port Mansfield, First Trip To Mexico, South Padre Island, Winter Texans, Pot-Lucks With Jam Session, Steve’s Second Marriage, Nicki, Dave, And Ann Visit, Condo at Seven Oaks Country Club In Mission, Texas, Steve At Monitor

WESLACO, TEXAS

So we started packing again, and so did Steve, who planned to move down to Texas too. We left Colgate, Wisconsin, where we stayed overnight with Debbie and Glen, on July 26, 1993. We had our wonderful Siamese cat, Toi, in a “taxi” behind us on a shelf in the front of the truck, and two lovebirds, Cheeky, and Bonkers (gifts from our daughter, Sue) in a cage between us. They proved to be great travelers. They say Texas is BIG, and it sure is! It took a whole day to go through Texas. Weslaco is five miles from the Mexican border, so it is a long way to go. The King Ranch is on the way, and there are miles and miles of it with nothing but the road and the “bush” to see. We wondered where in the world we were. But then we reached Weslaco – what a change! We were pleasantly surprised. There are palm trees, live oak, orange, grapefruit, banana, pecan, etc. trees. Also, all kinds of vegetables, cotton, and sugar cane are grown in huge fields. There are many beautiful flowers – bougainvillea, magnolia, hibiscus, Texas blue bonnets, prickly pear cactus (yes, it has flowers), gardenias, etc. We were amazed to see the ground between the Abiding Savior and the parsonage carpeted with beautiful Texas blue bonnets. We stayed the nights of the 29th and 30th with Mr. Buddy and Mrs. Gretchen Hovda, members of Abiding Savior, and such warm, southern hospitable, people. Mr. Hovda raised sugar cane and cotton. Everything about the Valley is so interesting!

We moved into a very comfortable parsonage at 1612 West 6th Street on July 31st, and were eagerly welcomed by the other members of Abiding Savior. Because Steve had to finish his work in Wisconsin, he did not come with us, but in the middle of a delicious welcoming potluck, he burst in, all sweaty, sunburned (sunroof open) and hot! He had been driving all day through the King Ranch and arrived in Weslaco at night. The door of the parsonage was locked, so he came over to the church next door as he was. Oh, my, how all of us welcomed him! He said that he wondered, like we did, where in the world he was when he drove through the King Ranch, but then saw the lights of Weslaco, and knew he had finally gotten there.

Dick was installed as Pastor of Abiding Savior on Sunday, August 1, 1993. The members were all very friendly, and sincere regular church-goers. The church building itself was there. All the worship services, meetings, Bible and Sunday School classes, Ladies Aid, potlucks, etc. were held in the church. The people sat on folding chairs. There was no balcony. So they were eager that a fellowship hall be built.

August 10, 1993, Dick, Steve, and I went to Harlingen, Texas, also along the Rio Grande River, to see the Iwo Jima Memorial statue mold. What a sight that is! It made us think of all the brave men who sacrificed their lives in World War II to gain possession of Iwo Jima from the Japanese. Our son, Richard, who had been a Marine himself for four years, ran past the original Iwo Jima statue across from the Potomac River in Washington, D. C. on October 28, 2007, when he ran in the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon.. He was awed by it. The Iwo Jima Memorial is based on Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize winning photo.

Dick’s cousin, Bill Laesch (son of Uncle Bill and Aunt Violet) came to visit us the end of December, 1993. Bill, our son, Steve, and we went to Corpus Christi, Texas, to see a huge aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Lexington. Commissioned in 1943, she served the United States longer and set more records than any carrier in the United States Navy by the time she was decommissioned in 1991. This national treasure is now birthed off Corpus Christi Beach as the Lady Lex Museum. Corpus Christi Naval Air Station is the largest in the United States. The base was set up in 1941. During World War II, it trained more than 35,000 naval aviators.

Also, during Bill’s visit, we went golfing at Seven Oaks Country Club in Mission, Texas. I had never golfed before coming to the “Valley” and loved it! The first time I tried to hit that little ball, I missed a couple of times, and when I did hit it, it exploded! I thought I had destroyed the ball, but Steve pulled a trick on me with that kind of ball. We all had a good laugh over that. (We have videos of this spectacular event. Steph and Steve has copies of that video. Ours is yet to be found.) Almost every time we were at the fourth (or fifth) hole, the “ice cream man” would come along with his truck, and we would hear “ding, ding, ding, etc.”. Steve would sputter and say, “why must he come every time I’m ready to putt?” I learned that when we golf with Steve, there is absolute silence – absolutely no talking!

Mrs. Helen Becker and her son, Keith, were members of Abiding Savior. The Beckers had moved to the Valley from Watertown, Wisconsin, my hometown. Keith was a policeman in Watertown. They lived at Port Mansfield, next to the Laguna Madre, in a beautiful house on pillars (because of hurricanes). Keith loved to fish, and many times we were invited to delicious fish meals, wonderfully cooked by Helen. Dick and I went fishing too, but didn’t catch much of anything. Once I caught an eel, which Keith obligingly took off the hook – ugh!

Not long after we moved to the Valley, the Beckers asked if we wanted to go to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. We were all for it. Keith parked the car on the United States side, then we walked across the bridge over the Rio Grande River. Mothers with their children were begging for money under the bridge with hands outstretched. How could anyone walk by without giving them anything? We came to a turn style which opened by putting a quarter in a slot, and there we were in the little town. How exciting and interesting it is – Mariachis playing Mexican music, shops (especially El Disco) laden with purses, onyx curios, blankets, jewelry, glassware, dentists, pharmacies, etc. The prices were reasonable, so we would do our Christmas shopping for the families there. There is a restaurant called “Renes” where we, along with many Winter Texans, went to eat delicious rolls and other food. Another restaurant by the name of “Arturos” was often frequented by Winter Texans. There are waiters in tuxedoes there, so you can imagine what the prices are for the food. We did go there once.

We also loved going to South Padre Island. To get to it we drove from Port Isabel, Texas, on a long causeway over to the Island. We went swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, and metal detecting on the beach. There wasn’t much to be found on the beach with the metal detector, probably because others had been there before us. Anyway, it was fun. I loved the sound of the sea gulls which would almost eat crumbs right out of the hands of the people. There was a replica of the Santa Maria, one of Columbus’ ships, docked at Port Isabel. There is a little seafood restaurant, Pirate’s Landing, in Port Isabel near the causeway where we liked to go and eat delicious shrimp. Many shrimp boats could be seen as they made their way out to the Gulf.

During the summer, Abiding Savior’s attendance was about 50, but in winter the congregation swelled to 350 and more because people, called Winter Texans (not Snow Birds) come swarming to the Rio Grande Valley to get away from the cold winters in the north with their snow and ice. Many of the Winter Texans lived in beautiful homes, mobile homes, fifth wheels, and trailers in gated parks, many with golf courses, swimming pools, clubhouses, etc. Dick and I were invited to many of their homes, and had many enjoyable times. Dick bought a video recorder and set it up in the church so we could later look at the videos and try to remember all the names and faces of all the people. But the Winter Texans kept coming and coming, and that made it a little harder to remember all of them. We sold our truck and bought a very nice white Ford Taurus station wagon which we thought would be more presentable when visiting the people. Our son, Steve, went with us and helped pick it out.

The congregation had potlucks with delicious food. Dick invited people who could play instruments (accordions, drums, guitars, etc.) to bring them, so he lead the people in singing, and all of us sang the wonderful old songs we remember from a little booklet which Dick had printed with the words of the songs. Professor Fischer of New Ulm, Minnesota, played an “instrument” which he made from a washtub. The little children and everyone were intrigued by it. We had such great fellowship! At the very end Dick came sauntering over to me, put his arm around me, and everyone sang “Goodnight, Irene” to me. The people were so good to us. When we had birthdays, there was a huge birthday cake, flowers, balloons, gifts, etc. What fond memories! We missed our loved ones in the north, but the people in the south sure did keep us busy.

Three of the members of Abiding Savior, Sherry Ballard, Lila Jones, and Rebecca Manahan studied to be Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN). A Recognition Ceremony for the Vocational Nursing Program at Knapp Medical Center was held in Weslaco. The program is part of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Texas at Brownsville in Partnership with Texas Southmost College. One of these girls, Rebecca Manahan, and our son, Steve, were very much attracted to each other and decided to get married. They were married on May 14, 1994, in Abiding Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church in Weslaco.  Dick married them. Our grandchildren, Nicki and Dave Wilson, and Ann Seifert, came for the wedding. After the wedding we took them to South Padre Island, Nuevo Progreso in Mexico so they could shop, went golfing, swimming, etc. We were so happy that they came all the way from Wisconsin for the wedding, and meet the people at Abiding Savior, Weslaco.

How happy Steve, Rebecca, the members of the congregation, Nicki, Dave, Ann, and we were. Since we loved the Rio Grande Valley, Dick and I had bought a condo on April 19, 1994, at Seven Oaks Country Club in Mission, Texas, 25 miles from Weslaco, where there was a beautiful swimming pool, Jacuzzi, club house, golf course, etc., and the dues were quite reasonable. Steve and Rebecca needed a place to live, so they rented it from us. They had a beautiful German Shepherd puppy named “Sadie”. She was the first dog Steve could call his own Steve had found a wonderful job by answering a newspaper ad with the McAllen, Texas, MONITOR, the biggest newspaper in the Rio Grande Valley, as Assistant Systems Manager. The ad didn’t mention that the job would be at the MONITOR. He was more surprised when his boss turned out to be a blond, blue-eyed, young guy named Steve, the son of the owner of the newspaper. To top it off, they even looked alike! Our Steve’s wife, Rebecca, worked as an LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) visiting the sick in their homes.