A Winter Texan kickoff with all the trimmings

It’s best to be with family on Thanksgiving. But if the vastness of the United States prevents you from doing that and you’re a Winter Texan, one of the next best things is to make merry with other Winter Texans at an RV park.

So, that’s what I did.

I joined about 165 other RVers on Thursday for Thanksgiving in the clubhouse at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in Mission. The event also served as a sort of kickoff to the 2007-2008 Winter Texan season.

Among the lively and conversational diners were several Canadians partaking in their second Thanksgiving this year. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated the second Monday of each October — this year on Oct. 8.

One of Mission’s newer and nicer RV parks, Bentsen Palm was built and is owned by Canyon Lake real estate entrepreneur Mike Rhodes as part of a 2,500 acre, 11-community development that opened four years ago. Rhodes, wife Lori and family traveled 150 miles from the Hill Country to join the feasters.

The RV park attracts some buyers for the Rhodes real estate around it. Though the overall local housing market is down as much as 25 percent, that still means that 75 percent isn’t moribund — and people who can buy now are the ones Rhodes wants.

Rhodes, 45, is catering to a slightly younger crowd than what many consider typical Winter Texans.

“These people are baby boomers,” he says. “They’re birders, nature photographers, hikers, bikers, and golfers — very active people.”

The park supplied turkey for about 400 people, while guests brought everything else — veggies, salads, stuffing, cole slaw, wine, pastries, biscuits, pies, cheeses and cranberries in all configurations — jam, jelly and sauce.

In general, diners shared characteristics of being long married, with adult children and grandchildren. Many were retired from the oil business or places such as Sears, the U.S. or Canadian military and the U.S. government. Most are economically comfortable, if not wealthy.

Nearly all are active in what the area offers, including sipping margaritas at Pepe’s on the River (and for free Wednesdays in the clubhouse at Bentsen Palm) and, of course, shopping. A number of diners planned to storm the malls at 3 a.m. Black Friday. Canadians had good motivation: a powerful dollar vs. the U.S. greenback.

Some are CNN and National Public Radio news junkies and closely follow the unfurling 2008 presidential campaign, with just 41 days until the Jan. 3 caucuses in Iowa.

But, mainly, the group’s world is butterflies and birds, which thrive in abundance around them, and winding up for Winter Texan softball — maybe, just maybe, a longmissing Canadian win in the match against the United States in March.

Oldest couple: Lucille and Ernie Schnitz of West Salem, Ill. who have been married 65 years and RVing for 30. He is 87, she is 85. They’ve owned 10 RVs towed by Ford trucks over the years. Says Ernie: “I worked for one guy for 42 years and got a new pickup every year.”

Mike Lizotte of St. Petersburg, originally from Maine, says “we were told about this park in Seneca. N.Y. and looked it up.” Yet for all its pluses, no RV gathering can fulfill all needs, especially at Thanksgiving.

Wiping a tear, one diner said the scene at Bentsen Palm is a family substitute — “sort of.”

Then she quickly recovered and brightly smiled.

John S. DeMott covers the Winter Texan community and general assignments for The Monitor.