San Angelo has captured us

The more we talk about it and the more we experience it the more we agree that San Angelo has captured our hearts. We walked through a thrift store the other day, the largest I've ever seen, and were amazed by the amount of goods and the size of the store. There were dozens of sofas and chairs, dozens of tables and dressors, dozens of complete china sets and just about every other thing you could imagine. Everything was sorted and displayed in wide, well lit isles. The name of the store is Christian Action and, by the sign, it appears there may be several by the same name in Texas. They claim to be the largest. There are also Good Will and Salvation Army thrift stores as well as some private ones yet to explore. 

Last night we felt like eating out and headed into town not sure what we were going to try. We drove by a restaurant I thought was listed as a buffet but it wasn't. We turned toward the Red Lobster but spotted a private Italian restaurant across the street. The Cafe Italia is where we settled. It has been a very long time since I enjoyed a meal more. I had a pasta trio served in a rich, creamy white sauce made with cheese and spinach. It was Ravioli, Manacoti and Chicken Lasagna in the white Spinach sauce. I could tell it was made with real butter and heavy cream. YUMMY!!!!! A glass of Pino Grigio on the side was like dessert. Bubba enjoyed a three sea food blend in linguini. Shrimp, crab and clams layered his dish and he LOVED it! The bread served at every table was a warm cheese bread served with an herb oil dip. We loved it but the main dishes were so good we actually left bread on the table.

Tonight we'll be having supper in the pavilion here at the park. Every Monday night they grill burgers over mesquite and serve burgers with all the fixin's, chips and cold drinks for $2.50 per person. We forgot about it last week but now we're parked right across the grass from the pavilion so we should smell the grill when he fires it up. ;-)  

We've decided that the deer we've been seeing is a herd that lives here in the park. We often see the same number of deer, same number of doe and buck as well as at least one half grown. The grassy area around the pavilion is well fertilized by them, you can't take a few steps in any direction without seeing deer poo. That grassy area has kind of become our front yard for the next couple months. We moved to this space yesterday and were pleasantly suprised when the manager charged us 25% less than their listed rates for this space and this season. We're now on metered electric so we've switched the water heater to propane instead of electricity. Its been warm enough here that the propane lasts much longer. 

I seem to want to go on and on about this area. We're excited now about researching properties, metal buildings and everything that goes with it. We've chosen a realtor and are talking to a builder. When the banks open again tomorrow (there are 3 Bank of America locations in town) we're going to find out what we can afford for a mortgage. There are a couple areas we are excited to look at yet; the locals say it is as close to the look of the Hill Country as you can get without driving the 150 miles South to get there. ;-)  Any place close to San Angelo will be acceptable. What we have found here is a very warm, welcoming small town personality in a community of around 100,000 people. As is very typical for this state, I perceive, is a humble pride in their home, their faith and their families. We feel very 'at home' here. 

I better go. Its time to bake Amish bread ........... a day late but that should only make it better. :-)

More later ..............

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH