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Howdy from Harlingen!
We hope everyone had a great summer! Jeanna and I traveled and called in 26 states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming) plus five other countries (Canada, Denmark, England, Scotland and Sweden). It was a lot of fun. The sights were wonderful, yet the people we visited with and called for were even more wonderful!
FALL DANCE PROGRAM
Our Fall dance program at Fun N Sun in San Benito, Texas kicks off the day after Thanksgiving and ends on Saturday, December 22. We pause between Christmas and New Years, then dance again from Thursday January 3 until Saturday March 22, 2008.
SPECIAL DANCES
We hope you feel that -every- dance is special at Fun N Sun, yet we have planned some extra-special events:
Saturday, November 24 - season opener
Saturday, December 1 - "Blue and White Night" (bring finger foods)
Saturday, December 15 - two-caller special with Tom Roper and Nasser Shukayr
Saturday, December 22 - Christmas dance
We are planning even more special events for January thru March!
FOR MORE INFO
Round dance, Country Western and Ballroom dancing at Fun N Sun - see Karen & Dick Fisher's website at www.FisherDance.com
All square and round dances in the area - see Rio Grande Valley Square Dancing website at www.RGVSD.com
WEATHER FORECAST
The valley weather this season is forecast to be just about perfect: nice days, slightly cooler nights, and just right for square dancing! Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you in a square!
With best regards,
Nasser and Jeanna Shukayr
www.NShukayr.com
Howdy from Harlingen!
FALL DANCE SCHEDULE
Our Fall dance program runs until Saturday, December 22. We pause between Christmas and New Years, then start again on Thursday January 3.
SPECIAL SQUARE and ROUND DANCES
Saturday, December 1 - "Blue and White Night" (bring finger foods)
Saturday, December 15 - two-caller special with Tom Roper and Nasser Shukayr
Saturday, December 22 - Christmas dance
FOR MORE INFO
All square and round dancing in the Rio Grande Valley: www.RGVSD.com
Nasser & Jeanna's website: www.NShukayr.com
Karen & Dick Fisher's website: www.FisherDance.com
- - - - -
We hope to see you in a square! Happy Dancing!
Nasser and Jeanna Shukayr
Harlingen, Texas
Howdy from Texas!
RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Special two-caller dance (Nasser and Tom Roper, with the Fishers on rounds) this Saturday night December 15th at Fun N Sun. Flyer at www.nshukayr.com/20071215.doc
Mike Sikorsky is coming to town on February 16th! Flyer at www.nshukayr.com
Complete square and round dance info for the entire Rio Grande Valley is at www.RGVSD.com.
CHRISTMAS BREAK
Our Valley program goes dark on December 23 and resumes on Thursday morning January 3. Jeanna and I will travel to England for Christmas and New Years. We will call one dance while in England in North Devon on Friday, December 28. Please drop by if you're in the neighbor... oops... ... neighbOUrhood. :-)
The main reason to visit England is to see her homefolks, and the secondary reason is to bring back a fresh supply of authentic English provisions (tea, chocolate, cheddar, et cetera).
ALASKA CRUISE, JULY 2008
We're planning a fantastic trip in July 2008. Doug & Priscilla Davis, and Jeanna and I, will travel to Seattle and take a beautiful luxury cruise ship through the inside passage of Alaska. Viewing a majestic glacier is surely a nice way to pass a summer afternoon. The dates are July 18 thru 25.
I have been on this exact ship (Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas) before, and it is a super facility for square dancing. The ballroom has a nice wood floor! Because we sail during peak Alaska tour season, you do not want to wait to sign up for this trip.
You will need a passport since we will stop at one port in Canada. Please contact me or our travel agent for info (Chuck Olson Tours at (956) 664-2916 or toll-free (800) 568-9890).
UPCOMING TRAVELS
On Friday February 1st, Jeanna and I hope to see our Arizona friends at a special dance in Mesa with Mike Sikorsky and the Weisses. The next day, Jeanna and I will be in Loveland Colorado to call the annual Sweetheart Ball.
Loveland (because of the city's name?) goes all out for February and Valentine's Day. They choose a high school senior each year as Miss Loveland Valentine. One of her official duties is to show up at the square dance. Because she's beautiful but mainly because she's a teenager, she learns very quickly. They just toss her into a square mid-tip and let her fend for herself while the TV cameras roll! People don't need square dance lessons if they're young, famous, beautiful, official, and have their own TV camera crew in tow. :-)
JUST FOR FUN
The next time you surf the net with nothing important to do, check out http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1132697226 It's a cool little movie which ... naaah, I won't spoil the surprise. Check it out for yourself. :-) After you view the clip, you can make your own ... just like we did after watching Sam & Sue's (from Austin Texas) clip.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
We know that you are all looking forward to your upcoming Christmas holidays. Enjoy them! May your celebrations be happy and your travels safe! Warm holiday wishes to all!
Nasser and Jeanna Shukayr
Harlingen, Texas
December 26, 2007 Lost and Found in England
Happy Holiday Greetings from England!
Do you ever feel lost? I just learned the easy cure -- find out if you're in Texas! I'll explain.
We have a GPS (known as a Sat-Nav in some regions). We recently added maps for Europe, so it will work in England.
We arrived in England on Christmas Eve, got a rent-car and turned on the GPS. The message "Acquiring Satellites" came up. This message usually lasts a few seconds.
We start off in some general direction, with no real idea where to go. We did not bother to bring a map because, after all, we have a GPS. We drive for half an hour without knowing if we're on course. The GPS is still "Acquiring Satellites". We switch it off and back on a few times. It's still "Acquiring Satellites".
After 35 minutes of "Acquiring Satellites", the screen finally comes up and says "Having trouble tracking satellites. Are you indoors?".
I reply "NO".
It asks, "Are you in Texas, United States?".
I reply "NO".
Almost immediately, the GPS knows that it's in Cornwall, England! (PS - surprisingly, we were on course!)
So, the next time you feel lost, ask yourself those two important questions:
"Are you indoors?"
"Are you in Texas?"
I sincerely hope you never get lost. But if you do, you now know the cure! It may not always work for you, but it sure worked for the GPS!
Hope this info helps! :-)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Nasser and Jeanna Shukayr
currently in Plymouth, England
December 29, 2007 Looking forward to 2008
We hope everyone has a Happy New Year and a super 2008! Jeanna and I will spend New Years Eve and New Years Day with her family and friends in England, then head back to Texas on 2 January.
We look forward to several special events in 2008, including:
July 18 thru 25 - Alaska Cruise - along with caller Doug & Priscilla Davis, we will take a square dance tour group on a beautiful cruise ship from Seattle, north to Glacier Bay, and return to Seattle. We will dance on ship and also in some of the ports.
I have led a previous square dance cruise on this exact same ship (Rhapsody of the Seas), and it is fantastic. The ballroom has a big wood floor. This cruise will be a lot of fun. Because we sail during peak Alaska Cruise season (our travel agent says the ship is quickly filling up) you do not want to wait too long to make your reservation. Please reserve your place through Chuck Olsen Tours in McAllen, phone (956) 664-2916 or toll-free (800) 568-9890.
August 31 thru September 6 - Fun Valley, Colorado - for the 13th year in a row, we (along with caller Lem & Sue Gravelle and cuer Jeanne & Warren Shane) travel to Colorado for a week of fun, fellowship, dancing and nature's majestic beauty. This vacation in the magnificent Rocky Mountains is always a highlight of the year. You'll see old friends and meet new ones. An accurate description would be "Crazy Square and Round Dance Fun"! You just wouldn't believe how grown people act when they get way back in the woods. :-) Fun Valley's prices are a bargain, and this is their 50th year of treating guests like royalty.
This Fun Valley square dance week usually sells out and has a waiting list, so you will want to get your reservations in. Call Fun Valley toll-free at (800) 548-1684 to reserve your place. If the week is already full, ask to be put on the waiting list. Often they will call you back a few weeks later to let you know of an opening.
Flyers for all special events are on our website at www.nshukayr.com
Our travel plans in 2008 have us calling in 25 states plus 7 countries overseas. Even more stops are being added. We enjoy travels because of the opportunity to renew old acquaintances and meet new friends.
From January to March we call a full program at Fun N Sun RV Resort in San Benito, Texas. Here are some planned highlights:
January:
Thursday, January 3 - season opener donut dance at 10 am (pre-rounds 9:30 am)
Saturday, January 5 - Blue & White party night with finger foods
Saturday, January 19 - Free Root Beer Floats!!
Thursday, January 31 - two-caller special, Nasser with special guest Mike Kelly from Kansas City
February:
Saturday, February 2 - Blue & White party night with finger foods
Saturday, February 9 - Sweetheart Dinner / Dance - get tickets in advance - dinner 5 pm, dance 7:30 pm (pre-rounds 7 pm)
Saturday, February 16 - Super-special featuring Mike Sikorsky - Advanced 3 pm, Plus 7:30 pm (pre-rounds 7 pm)
March:
Saturday, March 1 - Blue & White party night with finger foods
Thursday, March 13 - special guest caller, Doug Davis from Spokane, Washington
Saturday, March 15 - Luck o' the Irish special with green refreshments
Saturday, March 22 - season closer
Classes start in January. Reach out and touch somebody, then bring them with you to a class. You'll both have fun! First-timers and angels dance for free. If you can't find someone to bring, come on out anyway, especially during the first week or two! Why not? It's free for angels! Your presence and much-appreciated support makes the event more festive and memorable for everyone, new dancers and angels alike.
January classes:
Beginner / Mainstream class - Tuesday at 11 am, and Saturday at 1 pm
Plus class - Tuesday at 3 pm, and Saturday at 3 pm
Plus review / brushup - Tuesday at 9 am
A-1 class / workshop - Sunday at 1 pm
A-2 class / workshop - Friday at 3 pm
Dances:
Intro to Square dancing (easy level, first timers always welcome) - Thursday at 7 pm
Mainstream and Plus Class-level dance - Sunday at 11 am
Plus dance - Thursday at 10 am (pre-rounds 9:30 am) with free coffee & pastries
Plus dance - Saturday at 7:30 pm (pre-rounds 7 pm)
A-2 dance - Sunday at 3 pm
- - - - - -
Our esteemed round dance cuer couple, Karen & Dick Fisher, also have a complete dance program planned. For more info see their site at www.fisherdance.com
We wish you a happy 2008! Remember, do -not- stay up until midnight on December 31! Instead, go to sleep early ... and save your energy for more dancing in the new year. :-) :-) :-)
Nasser and Jeanna Shukayr
Harlingen, Texas
www.NShukayr.com