2026-5-14 Brunch in Deridder La

 The next morning, we all met for coffee. Everybody brought their own.

It wasn't long before everyone decided they needed some breakfast before it got any later.

So we made an executive decision to head into DeRidder for brunch.

Several of us saw this place when we had been to town earlier and decided we needed to try it for brunch.

Martha and Carolyn had already headed into town earlier and so had Olivia so we called them and we all met at the Waffle Shoppe.

The food was good and so was the service. Our waitress was happy to snap a photo in between bringing more coffee and then our food which ranged from omelettes, chicken and waffles, to waffle, bacon or sausage and eggs. It was all good. Right behind where we were sitting, they had a board with order checks on it for various amounts. The waitress explained that they were part of a pay it forward movement where anyone who needed coffee or a meal could get it. Customers often paid a miscellaneous amount or just paid for a second meal just like they had and the paid check was pinned on the board for anyone that needed it for any reason. Needless to say, a number of us left a paid meal on that board for someone else.

Irene  and Carolyn went back to sightseeing as did some of the rest of us.

Back at the park later in the day...

Dogs were looking for walks around the park. It would have been a great time for a swim but one look at the pool made that a very definite NO. It was milky white with no visibility of the steps let alone the bottom. Sadly, this is a once beautiful place that has been let go to ruin with no management or even workcampers on site. We were lucky the grass had been cut recently because some of those staying longer term at the park said it was over a foot high before it was cut. If you look at the pictures online, what you actually get isn't even close to those very old pictures. 

2026-5-14 Bundick Lake Rally Meet and Greet

The next day we just relaxed. Xena was the recipient of this squeaky chicken from Ollies. It was hilarious and she loved it. Unfortunately, she quickly loved it to death. Good thing it was just $1.50. Tiana got one too but I suspect hers lasted a little longer. Xena is a wild woman with her favorite toys.

Later in the day, we all got together for a "Meet and Greet" which is funny since we had been greeting all day but this meant that we all brought snacks to share.

There are lots of trees here and it is very green. The Texans among us were commenting on the overflowing rivers and lakes around here as central and west Texas are often under drought conditions.

I cooked sliders on the grill for everyone for dinner for everyone and everyone brought sides and desserts for everyone.

I should mention that Carolyn took the majority of these photos. After dinner, Olivia and Jimmie headed down to the lake to fish.

And then, it was time to retreat from the mosquitoes. The various kinds of frogs and insects made very loud music especially walking back from the lake.
 

2026-5-13 Travel to Bundick Lake Retreat Rally

My grandaughter Morgan gave me a ride out to pick up my RV from storage on Mondaymorning  as Dave and Steve were out riding motorcycles and I promised my friend Barb a ride home after she dropped off her RV for some repairs in the afternoon. Barb and her dachshund Retta came by our house so the dogs could play before I took them home. It was dinnertime by the time I got back. Fortunately my clothes were all packed and I had everything but the fridge and freezer food packed and loaded before I went to bed. Xena and I were up early and got the cold food loaded up and we were on our way by 7:30 AM.  Traffic on I-10 was moving right along going east. I left the car at home this time so I was able to go much faster since I wasn't towing. I whizzed through Houston with hardly a slowdown at 10:15 AM. We topped off gas at Buccees on the east side of Houston. Stopped at very nice rest area a little further on but Xena refused to have anything to do with going potty with all those diesel semi's roaring near her. She's a very good traveler. I was very glad I was going east. There was some construction but it really didn't slow me down much. Going west was another story. I saw mile long stopped traffic 3 different times, all going west.

I was the second to arrive at Bundick Lake Retreat and RV. Elaine had managed to get herself backed in and was finishing setting up. My set-up was simple since I didn't have to unhook the car. My site was surrounded, closely, by trees which had me hoping we didn't have any wind. There were 1 1/2 inch spiky balls all over my area which was not great. I was really wishing for a rake to clear them out. 

Elaine was just to the left of me. We initially thought the guy next to her was a work camper who had been there a long time and had lots of stuff on his site. We found out later that he was not a work camper and that there was no one from the campground on site but more on that later. Jimmie pulled in a short time later and backed in like the champion backer she is. One smooth long move backwards.

We were all tired so we decided to drive into DeRidder, the closest town and have dinner. After checking out our choices online, we settled on Steamboat Bill's. It turned out to be a good choice. They had a lot of Cajun food so I opted for the relatively safe choice of a burger and fries which was good. They had some intriguing baked potato choices. Elaine had a baked potato with etoufee on top which she said was spicy butt very good. Jimmie elected to go with a bowl of gumbo with a "plain" baked potato which meant it came with butter, sour cream, cheese, and chives on it. The potatoes were huge. We checked out "Ollies" and made a stop at Dollar General for some baby aspirin for Jimmie's little dog Peanut who took a tumble.

The next day Olivia, Mary, Carolyn, and Irene arrived in the afternoon.

Mary set her rug up in the shade. We don't put rugs or things like that on the grass in our part of Texas due to drought and needing to baby the surviving grass but it isn't a problem in Loisiana where Mary, Carolyn, and Irene are from.

It was nice for Elaine and I to catch up with old friends and for Jimmie and Olivia to meet them all. Carolyn and I have been friends for a very long time and I've known Mary and Irene for a while too.
 

2026-5-2 Purtis Creek Texas Ramblin' Roses Rally

 Elaine and I arrived on Tuesday and found about 6 women already there. They came directly from another rally so were all set up and playing games.

Debra mixed up pancakes the night before and fixed a ton of pancakes for anyone that wanted some.

 

Cynthia manned the skillet for all the bacon. they had a great set-up.

Several of us went in to Eustice to The Roost. It had great reviews but the outside was not impressive at all. Never judge a book by it's cover as the food was reasonable and very good. We opted to get the family meal for $34.50 which was more than ample to feed all of us. It included 12 large steak and chicken fingers (homemade) and three vegetables with unlimited refills. We opted for onion rings, mac and cheese, and sweet potato fries. Kathy asked in advance what the mac and cheese was like and the waitress said "just a minute and I'll bring you out a sample". We did add a fried green tomato appetizer. Then we also got one slice of pie because none of us had ever heard of oatmeal pie. Unique but good. We had leftovers which they packed up for us. The service was even better than the food.

There was lots to do at the park itself. Judy went hiking.

Some of us played games in Kathy's new trailer.

Ileana caught several fish. The lake is very popular for fishing.

Debra and Cynthia rode their electric bikes. Elaine & Tianna and Xena & I walked the loop every day.

Friday night we all went to Bellitos Italian Restaurant in nearby Gun Barrel City. The food was fabulous and the waiter was a hoot. He had a great time serving us and we really enjoyed it. 

Saturday morning I made biscuits and Elaine made sausage gray for everyone. There was also bagels, granola, fruit, and coffee. This was Elaine's site as she was the host. Our other host, Sherry, was unable to make it due to a family emergency. Elaine and I each had a canopy. Elaine bought what she understood was a canopy to replace her missing canopy.....it turned out to be a whole screen room which wouldn't fit. Debra disappeared and came back with a canopy that she just happened to bring with her. She saved it when the frame was destroyed. Presto, the Roses created a whole set-up from two different people. Many thanks to Debra also for tutoring us on how to set the canopies up.

We had an impromtu popluck dinner that night. Everyone brought something. We grilled burgers along with lots of other good food.

We took our rally group phot at Bellitos. The waiter insisted on doing the honors.

Debra, Cynthia, Karen, and Ileana had to leave early. I took this photo hoping to insert them into the group photo but couldn't get it to work. Something new to work on for the future.

It was a great rally inspite of the rainy start. Everyone had a wonderful time. Until we meet again. Maybe June at Canyon Lake?