The day didn't have the best start. DH usually is a late riser so I figured I could fit in a trip to the store for last minute party supplies and get a good start on food prep before he got up; however... This morning he was up at 7:30 so I just had to carry on with the store trip anyway. After hauling in the goods, I spent the rest of the morning and a good part of the afternoon fixing potato salad, shrimp salad, coleslaw, and baked beans. I also made a birthday cake and shaped about 40 hamburger patties. Whooh!
The birthday party seemed to be a big success with lots of friends and neighbors showing up about 6pm. We are blessed with great neighbors in our cul-de-sac. The furkids even had a guest as our longtime friend Loretta and her son Bobby brought their dachshund Owen with them. Owen is the brother of our Gretchen although you wouldn't know it to see them as Owen is about twice her size. The dogs played and Harley entertained the crowd as usual. There was only one minor glitch--the camera battery gave up the ghost just as I focused on the birthday boy and his cake so I didn't get a picture. Sorry! We had enough food for about 20 more people but that's okay; I would rather be prepared for more than not have enough to those who come. Some of the neighbors graciously took home goody boxes and I won't have to cook for a couple of days so it all worked out. DH had birthday calls from friends and relatives throughout the day. After everyone left, I tackled the cleanup with a little help from DH so bedtime was welcome.
Our daughter-in-law also shares this birthday so Happy Birthday Lorri.
The Longdogs
Gretchen, Willy, and Harley have all taken their roles as navigator seriously! Now it's Xena's turn with guidance from her role models.
Happy 4th of July
Have a Happy and safe 4th of July!
We are having a pretty quiet 4th of July this year but the flag is up and one of the local realtors came around and put a decent size flag at the corner of every driveway in the neighborhood. Looks pretty nice. They did it last year too. There won't be fireworks in this part of Texas as it is just too hot and dry and we are under a burn ban. It is a shame but I hope that people take it seriously as there have been too many fires across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. We are going to have a party tomorrow although my DH doesn't know it yet--it is his birthday. By the end of the week, I should be heading out with Moby Dick and The Pholly (F250 Diesel and 299RLS Jayco 5th wheel) so a quiet holiday today doesn't seem too bad.
8 Jun 2011 - Flamingo Glass
Kerrville TX was the site of another Women RV mini GTG with Birdie, Karen, and me. We all went out for a nice lunch. After lunch we stopped at the local RV dealer as Birdie is hunting for the right replacement for her current Class C. We had also stopped at another RV dealer on the way to Kerrville. Looking at RVs is a favorite passjtime. Next we stopped at a local mobile home dealer to look at a model Karen is considering and then we toured a possible lot she would like to park it in.
Since I didn't get to attend the Port Lavaca GTG in April, I thought it would be awhile before I had another chance to get my flamingo wine glass but Karen is the official presenter and she is in Kerrville. Back at Karen's motorhome, she presented me with my official Women's RV Flamingo glass. Thanks Karen!
Another great GTG for Women RV members.
Since I didn't get to attend the Port Lavaca GTG in April, I thought it would be awhile before I had another chance to get my flamingo wine glass but Karen is the official presenter and she is in Kerrville. Back at Karen's motorhome, she presented me with my official Women's RV Flamingo glass. Thanks Karen!
Another great GTG for Women RV members.
27 May 2011 - Aquarena Springs, San Marcos TX
I belong to an RVing group called Women RV not to be confused with RVing Women. Both great groups, just not the same. There are three of us sistahs here in the San Antonio area as well as some in Austin and others in the hill country. Some are part-timers and others are full-timers. Several of us got together for a mini-GTG, RV-less but still lots of fund. Our destionation was the Aquarena Center in San Marcos, Texas which is on Spring Lake, the headwaters of the San Marcos River. Spring Lake is known for it's crystal clear water. http://www.aquarena.txstate.edu/
Vickie, Birdie, and I showed up in Vickie's big red truck to meet Diana at the Aquarena on the hottest day of the year so far!
The Aquarena (water arena) was originally privately owned; and was operated as a 'theme' park of it's day complete with swimming/diving pigs. Those are long gone and the area is now run by the university.
It was a great GTG and we hope to have lots more in this area.
Vickie, Birdie, and I showed up in Vickie's big red truck to meet Diana at the Aquarena on the hottest day of the year so far!
We started our day with a tour in one of the circa 1940s glass bottom boats which feature beautiful woodworking. The water is crystal clear allowing views of the springs bubbling up; turtles feeding on the bottom; and an array of fish swimming along.
There was a partially submerged submarine like structure on one side of the spring that used to house the spectators for the underwater extravaganza in the old glory days.
We toured some displays and then visited the old hotel that currently houses The River Center with outstanding interpretive displays. Next we had a picnic inside the main building to cool off before we went for a walk in the wetlands area which featured a floating walkway.
There were placards with info on the birds and fish you might see. And we did see quite a few.
Birdie is obviously the bird expert but we also had a fish expert with us. Vicki told us that the fish were making nests and we started seeing "hole and hole" with one fish in each one.
On the lower left of the picture you should be able to pick out the larger fish defending her turf from several other fish. Here you can see several of the nests. The female fish scoop up the dirt at the bottom and spit it out on one side at the top to make the hole. You can see one of the larger fish at the lower left of the photo. The whole area was riddled with busy fish making nests. Didn't seem any male fish anywhere around.
Birdie is obviously the bird expert but we also had a fish expert with us. Vicki told us that the fish were making nests and we started seeing "hole and hole" with one fish in each one.
On the lower left of the picture you should be able to pick out the larger fish defending her turf from several other fish. Here you can see several of the nests. The female fish scoop up the dirt at the bottom and spit it out on one side at the top to make the hole. You can see one of the larger fish at the lower left of the photo. The whole area was riddled with busy fish making nests. Didn't seem any male fish anywhere around.
It was a great GTG and we hope to have lots more in this area.
Jan - Feb 2011 - 4 Weeks in the Hill Country
January found me back at Ladybird Johnson park in Fredericksburg for a long visit. My cousins trekked down from Calgary, Canada to escape the cold and snow and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with them. Unfortunately, we had some real unusual cold weather here in Texas during that time as did the southwest US. Of course, "our" cold couldn't hold a candle to "their" cold any time of the year. lol. We had a good time anyway. The RVers in the park got together for potluck dinners and games every other week. It's a great to way to meet new people and have a fun time. There were RVers from all over the country and Canada too, some come back every single year to the same spot.
My cousin's RV door had plexiglass over the screen which is very nice in both the summer and the winter as you can often leave the outside door open and let the sunshine in. Jack volunteered to do the same for me so we picked up the materials and he did a great job on it. Willy, Gretchen, and Harley love the new door too as they can sit there and look out. Another benefit is that I don't have to worry about them getting excited and pushing the screen out. Jack also installed some drainspouts for me.
My cousin's daughter, friend, and 3 year old son flew down for a visit which was really nice as I hadn't seen her since she was very young except for Skype calls over the last few years. I did the tour guide for the San Antonio riverwalk one day and they got to see Fredericksburg, Kerrville, the Bat railroad tunnel, and Enchanted Rock. It was a great visit.
During the month I spent in my RV, I learned a lot about RVing in the cold--at least the south central Texas version of cold. My RV is well insulated. Be sure to unhook your hose from the RV end. Be sure to put water in your tank as long as it is inside or in a heated basement area. That way you still have a water source. It's also great to have a small electric heater. It is a great time to use your oven. Oh, be sure you have plenty of propane.
My cousin's RV door had plexiglass over the screen which is very nice in both the summer and the winter as you can often leave the outside door open and let the sunshine in. Jack volunteered to do the same for me so we picked up the materials and he did a great job on it. Willy, Gretchen, and Harley love the new door too as they can sit there and look out. Another benefit is that I don't have to worry about them getting excited and pushing the screen out. Jack also installed some drainspouts for me.
My cousin's daughter, friend, and 3 year old son flew down for a visit which was really nice as I hadn't seen her since she was very young except for Skype calls over the last few years. I did the tour guide for the San Antonio riverwalk one day and they got to see Fredericksburg, Kerrville, the Bat railroad tunnel, and Enchanted Rock. It was a great visit.
During the month I spent in my RV, I learned a lot about RVing in the cold--at least the south central Texas version of cold. My RV is well insulated. Be sure to unhook your hose from the RV end. Be sure to put water in your tank as long as it is inside or in a heated basement area. That way you still have a water source. It's also great to have a small electric heater. It is a great time to use your oven. Oh, be sure you have plenty of propane.
October 2010 - Fredericksburg TX
We planned a trip to Fredericksburg TX about 70 miles from San Antonio. Over the years, it has been one of our favorite places to visit. It is a busy little touristy town that almost always has something going on but even people watching there can be fun. This time DH was along for the ride. Luckenbach TX was hosting a motorcycle rally over the weekend which is what drew his attention. It is not far from Fredericksburg. We've never had trouble getting an RV spot at Ladybird Johnson Park as long as we didn't come on a holiday weekend or at their very busiest time in the winter. It has been a favorite of snowbirds for some time. It came as a shock when the office wasn't sure they could fit us in for more than a night especially since the park was over half empty. They claimed to have two huge groups coming in the next day, the Houston police and another group. Anyway, we ended up staying the whole week but each day I had to go in and petition them to let us stay another night. We do a lot of walking around the park with Willy, Gretchen, and Harley so I noticed that there were a minimum of 30 empty spots every single day. The park is run by the city and everything is manual. I think the staff who were just city clerk types were simply unable to juggle any of the sites around to make the best use of space but there were so many empty spots that juggling shouldn't even have been necessary. The prices have gone for camping there but it seems that better site management would have done more to bring in revenue as we saw many, many RVers turned away because they were "full". We like it because the park is quiet and situated in a pecan grove so there is nice shade always a bonus in Texas.
It was an enjoyable week. I drove DH over to the motorcycle rally two days in a row so I could do a few other things. The second day I had a crock pot going with dinner and took the dogs out for a walk around the park. When I came back, I couldn't get the deadbolt unlocked. I called the RV dealership since we had already had the lock replaced once for the same problem. They told me to call a locksmith and they would cover it so I headed over to the office to find a phone book. I was really fortunate since there was only one locksmith and he had just returned from an out of town job. He arrived about 10 minutes later and, after much effort, managed to pick the lock. By then DH had already called me to come pick him up as it had started to rain so he found cover until I could get the lock taken care of. We changed our route home to include another stop at the RV dealer to once again take care of the lock.
As a side note, I later did a bunch of research online; found a thread on one of the RV forums which led back to a lockmaker. Seems that the locks made in the last couple of years don't work the same as the old ones. The old locks wouldn't release the key unless it was straight up and down. The new ones are missing this safety feature and, if the locked is turned even a little sideways when the key comes out, the teeth inside shift out of place and you cannot open the deadlock. Wouldn't you think that locksmiths and RV dealers would be up on issues like that? Anyway, keep it in mind if you have a problem with a newer deadbolt. Put the key in as far as it will go and gently tap the end of the key. You should hear the teeth moving back into place one by one. Then, be absolutely sure never to take the key out unless it is perpendicular to the ground.
9 Aug 2010 - Heading home to Texas
My brother was back at work on Monday so I visited with my sister-in-law for a while and then headed down the driveway. My brother overrode "Hillary's" navigational directions and routed me away from The Hill and down through Little Rock. My nephew is going to college there but he was away on a training trip for his new job so I didn't get a chance to see him. It was another beautiful drive down through very manageable hills and forested areas and again the roads are great.
My plan was to cross north Texas to Wichita Falls where we used to live to visit friends and co-workers in the area. As I crossed into Texas, I knew I should look for a place to stop for the night. When I talked to my husband on the cellphone and told him my plans, he convinced me to just push through to Wichita Falls. I knew it would be too long of a day on the road for no real reason but I let myself be overridden even though I was the one with the real travel experience. Always follow your own instincts!
Wichita Falls has a city park with RV hookups right off the highway in town. Many of the spots are pull-through but you must be self contained because there are no restrooms in the RV area. The $10 fantastic deal is now a $17 good deal -- just don't expect to find an RV spot or a hotel room later in August when the "Hotter N Hell Hundred" bicycle race is in progress. Attendance is huge and people book rooms months in advance and arrive days early to use the RV park. The RV area is connected to the main park by a swinging bridge and you will find lots of walking paths. You'll also want to see the "falls" which are man-made since the original falls disappeared a really long time ago. The current falls are quite nice and, unless you take the path to the top, you wouldn't know that there is no river behind them--just a cemetery! If you happen to come through after a storm, you may find a "chocolate" falls flowing down into the river.
Exhausted and more than ready for bed, I hit the button to raise the front of the RV to unhook it. Nothing! Replaced the fuse. Nothing! I hooked up the electric and water and headed inside. More good news--apparently I clipped the vent cover over the bed on the way out of my brother's driveway and it was gone. Too tired to care, I stuffed a pillow in the hole. It NEVER rains in Wichita Falls in August but I wanted the A/C cool to stay in the RV. A quick doggy walk and we were all ready for bed. Willy, Gretchen, and Harley have no trouble sleeping at night even if they napped the day away. Ah, the life of a pampered and well-loved dog or two or three.
The missing vent and the useless front legs on the RV were still waiting for me in the morning. Since I was no longer exhausted, I found I was mostly annoyed to have this happen at the end of a really good first trip. I started calling around and found that most of my friends were not around so I finally decided to pack it in and head on back to San Antonio. Better luck (and calling ahead) next time.
That evening I was back in the driveway in Schertz. The next morning the fridge, perishables, medicine, and clothes were unloaded early and we headed back up I-35 to Crestview RV in Buda for some warranty work. A rather macho mechanic hinted that I just didn't know how to work the electric legs. He popped a fuse in (been there, done that) and hit the switch resulting in ripping the motor right off the wall. His tune changed quickly and a whole new motor set-up was ordered. There was a reason that the fuses had popped a number of times and it wasn't operator error. A couple other warranty items were also listed. I only had to pay for the vent cover. We left the RV in Buda and headed home until the next trip.
The Traveling Longdogs and I hope to meet you on the road soon!
My plan was to cross north Texas to Wichita Falls where we used to live to visit friends and co-workers in the area. As I crossed into Texas, I knew I should look for a place to stop for the night. When I talked to my husband on the cellphone and told him my plans, he convinced me to just push through to Wichita Falls. I knew it would be too long of a day on the road for no real reason but I let myself be overridden even though I was the one with the real travel experience. Always follow your own instincts!
Wichita Falls has a city park with RV hookups right off the highway in town. Many of the spots are pull-through but you must be self contained because there are no restrooms in the RV area. The $10 fantastic deal is now a $17 good deal -- just don't expect to find an RV spot or a hotel room later in August when the "Hotter N Hell Hundred" bicycle race is in progress. Attendance is huge and people book rooms months in advance and arrive days early to use the RV park. The RV area is connected to the main park by a swinging bridge and you will find lots of walking paths. You'll also want to see the "falls" which are man-made since the original falls disappeared a really long time ago. The current falls are quite nice and, unless you take the path to the top, you wouldn't know that there is no river behind them--just a cemetery! If you happen to come through after a storm, you may find a "chocolate" falls flowing down into the river.
Exhausted and more than ready for bed, I hit the button to raise the front of the RV to unhook it. Nothing! Replaced the fuse. Nothing! I hooked up the electric and water and headed inside. More good news--apparently I clipped the vent cover over the bed on the way out of my brother's driveway and it was gone. Too tired to care, I stuffed a pillow in the hole. It NEVER rains in Wichita Falls in August but I wanted the A/C cool to stay in the RV. A quick doggy walk and we were all ready for bed. Willy, Gretchen, and Harley have no trouble sleeping at night even if they napped the day away. Ah, the life of a pampered and well-loved dog or two or three.
The missing vent and the useless front legs on the RV were still waiting for me in the morning. Since I was no longer exhausted, I found I was mostly annoyed to have this happen at the end of a really good first trip. I started calling around and found that most of my friends were not around so I finally decided to pack it in and head on back to San Antonio. Better luck (and calling ahead) next time.
That evening I was back in the driveway in Schertz. The next morning the fridge, perishables, medicine, and clothes were unloaded early and we headed back up I-35 to Crestview RV in Buda for some warranty work. A rather macho mechanic hinted that I just didn't know how to work the electric legs. He popped a fuse in (been there, done that) and hit the switch resulting in ripping the motor right off the wall. His tune changed quickly and a whole new motor set-up was ordered. There was a reason that the fuses had popped a number of times and it wasn't operator error. A couple other warranty items were also listed. I only had to pay for the vent cover. We left the RV in Buda and headed home until the next trip.
The Traveling Longdogs and I hope to meet you on the road soon!
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