Helen L. Montoya/Caller-Times
A group of Canadians travelling in a caravan of 17
RVs plays petanque, a game similar to shuffle
board, on Friday at Bob Hall Pier. The Canadians
are moving on to Harlingen today.
Posted on 11/28/2004 7:48:45 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
Forging new adventures and making new friends comes easy for a caravan of motor-coaching winter Texans from Canada.
The group of savoir faire Quebecois fled the bitter cold of home Oct. 23 for warmer climes, spending their last day on Padre Island on Friday before heading to Mexico.
Wagon master Yvon Houle, 59, and his wife, Gisele, 66, have led a convoy for the past 10 years to the Colonia del Rey RV Park in Flour Bluff. Houle works for a RV dealership in Quebec that organizes trips as a service to its customers.
"We're a bunch of friends together to share experiences," Yvon Houle said. "A lot of them are traveling for the first time, so we learn together."
The group of 17 RVs and 34 travelers arrived Tuesday and moves on to Harlingen today. Their final destination is a three-month stay in Puerta Vallarta, starting Dec. 6.
On their last day in Corpus Christi, a caravan of seven cars drove to Padre Island Friday morning to Bob Hall Pier for a game of petanque on the beach.
Petanque is similar to shuffle board, but played with metal balls that weigh less than a pound.
The group was divided into four teams. Two teams played against each other. A red ball, called the "little pig" is tossed in a play area. The object of the game is to pitch a silver ball as close to the pig as possible or hit the opponents' balls away from the pig.
Frances Boucher, 61, firmly planted her sandals in the pitcher's circle carved in the sand.
Holding the ball palm down, she extended her arm out, pumping twice before releasing the ball into the air.
"Oh, I'm so close!" she shouted as her ball rolled close to the pig.
Boucher and her husband, Norman, 66, have been RVing for the past 14 years. She said this year they will spend six months away from their home in Sherbrooke, Quebec.
"I love going on the road, camping, visiting, stopping for gas, I love all of it," said Frances Boucher.
From Montreal, Quebec, the group traveled through Michigan, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and finally Texas. Yvon Houle estimates the round-trip distance from Quebec to Mexico will be from 9,000 to 10,000 miles.
Pierrette, 61, and Gerard, 65, Cote, dreamed of traveling before they retired from their jobs.
The couple won't venture past Harlingen with the caravan because they're backtracking to visit their daughter in Ohio and then explore Canada, coast to coast, in April.
Despite the cloudy beach weather, Pierrette Cote found warmth in the company of new friends.
"It's easy to make friends at my age now," said Pierrette Cote. "It's easier than when you're young because the outside doesn't matter. It's just who you are and I'm just me, Pierrette Cote."
Contact Diane S. Morales at 886-3758 or moralesd@caller.com
Helen L. Montoya/Caller-Times
A group of Canadians travelling in a caravan of 17
RVs plays petanque, a game similar to shuffle
board, on Friday at Bob Hall Pier. The Canadians
are moving on to Harlingen today.
Heh. In a red state no less. Maybe some common sense will rub off on them.
Wonder if the author ever heard of "bocci" or the English "bowls"? Do you have to be a complete twit to write for a paper these days?
The winter Texans come from all over the blue states up north to stay in South Texas during the winter. Real nice folks.
The winter Texans come from all over the blue states up north to stay in South Texas during the winter. Real nice folks.
There should be a large visitor tax imposed on them. They criticise us as the worst place on the planet but they bust their nuts getting here to take advantage of the safety and freedom and economics....plus they litter our beaches.
We need tighter control on the northern border too. These people flocking south - called Snowbirds - are as anti-American as the French.
Obvious answer, "No, but it helps." I think he may having been looking for a reference that would be widely understood by his audience. For the purposes of the article, shuffleboard is an apt analogy.
In writing the first thing to keep in mind is "audience". Give him his props.
I've got no problem with Canadian snow birders. They represent the perfect tourist - they come here for a short while, spend copious amounts of money, and then go home.
My parents are American snow birders and consequently cross paths with lots of Canadians. I've met several and enjoyed their perspective. I don't think these particular folks are our (ideological) enemies.
My take.
Jealousy bump. I'm always envious when I see lone or caravans of RV'ers headed somewhere. Looks like a very nice life to me.
-People playing this game are old;
-Old people play shuffleboard;
-Therefore this game must be like shuffleboard. LOL
".....Looks like a very nice life to me."
....courtesy of the poor working stiffs in Canada. I wonder if the taxpayers would willingly pay their taxes if they knew that it was going south. Once here they don't have to wait in line for their medical care, either.
Ah, nothing like a flock of pink Snowbirds pondering the positions of a smattering of sunlit metallic onions surrounding a bright red radish on a sandy south Texas beach, their pendulous pouchiness giving them the appearance of prehistoric Ostriches as they might have peered at the unusual food arrayed before them in rituals of a distant time.
But didn't the RV'ers also work for their retirement? Once you retire --- does it really matter if you sit in the cold in your house that's paid for or scale down so you can buy an RV and head south?
"But didn't the RV'ers also work for their retirement?"
Of course. I don't begrudge these folks their RV and trek to warmer climes. But a lot of the money that allows them to do so comes from gov't sources.
The working Canadian taxpayers who now pay the freight so these folks have the extra money to hit the road will never be able to build the wealth that will allow them to do the same, I'd wager.
The money simply won't be there for them, just like it won't be there for todays workers in the U.S. who expect to collect Social Security. The lucky ones will be just have to give up the RV and trips south.
Soon, other "snowbirds" specificly those ones from Q-bec will be exposing their white blubber on Florida's beaches.
It's a wonderous site, (barf!) Like beached baluga whales, rotting in the sun.
All is fair in the tourist industry however, Canadians are overun by Millions of American tourists on summer vacation , and like Canadians, American tourists have all sorts of political views as well. Those in the tourist industry on both sides of the border don't care about that. Anyone is welcome as long as they spend money.
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