Fun on the Fourth!

We had an old fashioned hometown 4th of July that started with the parade.  This is the Jubilee year for Schertz and they always have parades anyway so it was a good one.  All the other local small towns right around here were represented too since they don't have their own parades.  First, there was a 5k run that started early and came in down the parade route right before the parade was due to start.  So the runners were treated to lots of cheers no matter what their place in line was.  You could tell from the big smiles of some of the "also rans" that they really appreciated the applause.  Next the parade led by the color guard from one of our local high schools.  We were on a corner near the beginning of the parade so sorry for all the wires.

The grand marshall in an old fire truck.

Clowns waving back at all the flags being waved.

Morgan was interested in the little car but Cameron had his eye on the motorcycle group coming up next.  I didn't get a photo but they did some fancy maneuvers on their big bikes.

Everybody gets in on the action in a local parade and HEB is a big sponsor of all the fun.

There are fancy floats too with princesses.

Hmmmm......the local RV dealer was there too towing a pop-up and a huge 5th wheel with no decorations.  Can we say blatant advertising????

Not sure where this old time police vehicle came from but it got lots of looks and waves.

There was a really nice showing of old cars all decked out with flags.

This princes was showing off her fancy sneakers with her dress.  All the kids were chanting "show us your shoes"....I guess it is a local thing.

And then there was a local Mustang club.

This pink was dancing the whole time and he really had some moves.

And, of course, it wouldn't be a Texas parade without the horses.  There were a lot of them, large and small,  some colts practicing their parade manners next to their mothers.  Some cute little ponies pulling carts.  Of course, the horses are always last.....I think you can guess why.

We were also celebrating birthdays.  It was a day early for Dave since he works this weekend....

and a month late for Helen since she was in Florida and the rest of us were in Texas.

I think he was thinking about his birthday wish.

Morgan is always ready to help open birthday presents.

And we rounded off the whole big day with the fireworks display.  My camera is a little slow for good shots of fireworks but it was a great show.

From all of us to you......hoping you had a great 4th of July celebration wherever you were for the day!

Summer Day Camp - Courtesy of Bass Pro

Thursday afternoon we headed across San Antonio to take the kids on an outdoor adventure.  It was an outdoor adventure held indoors.  I actually saw an advertisement for Bass Pro's Summer Day Camp for kids on a bill board as I was driving back from Florida earlier in the month.  Events may differ from store to store but here in San Antonio, they offer camp events Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

We missed the craft making event but the kids had the opportunity to earn a number of badges.  When they first arrived, they each got a camping lanyard to wear.  Then prior to each badge program, they received a little workbook and a pencil.

A short video narrated by a college student aged host was presented.  They were able to answer questions in the book as they watched the video.

The camp host also asked questions as he talked to the kids.

Some of the badges also required that we do a little scavenger hunt in the hunting/fishing area of the store.

Then, the kids got to participate in the more hands-on action.  First, there was archery.  Cameron had no problems handling the bow.  The target was a little more elusive although he did manage to hit an iron javelina next to the target.  lol.

Morgan was having a little more trouble with pulling back on the arrow hard enough to get a shot off.

No problem.  The instructor was there to help.  She held the bow steady so Morgan could put all her effort into pulling back the bowstring.  No one was harmed in this endeavor and the kids had a great time.

Then it was off to the gun range.  The range is an inflatable structure rigged up for shooting BB guns.  Cameron had a pretty good handle on this activity as this wasn't his first time with a BB gun.

It was Morgan's first time though and after this pose, she got some hands on help from her Dad.

Both of the kids were pretty pleased with their target shots.

After all the camp activities were completed, the kids also got to ride on an unusual carousel.  No horses but lots of animals to ride on.

Last stop was the shooting gallery.  Sorry I didn't get a photo of the target but it was just like a shooting booth at the fair with ducks in rows.  These bows had arrows with bulbs on them to knowck of the target.

Some were more hung out to dry than others after this all afternoon event.

If you have kids or grandkids, check out your local Bass Pro Shop.  The day camps are going on until 7 July.  It was a great free event and the kids had a ball.  Thanks Bass Pro.

The Bussey Armadillo

Our days have been much the same lately, nothing exciting, but pleasant enough.  Steve and the grandkids often take off to the park right after breakfast to take advantage of the cooler weather (mid 80s) before the heat of the afternoon hits (100s all this week).  One morning Steve and Dave installed electrical hookups on the RAV so it could legally haul a small trailer.  Dave doesn't move easily until later in the morning so it ended up being a rather hot install.  Lunch is next in order.  Steve and the grandkids are always ready to eat, lol.  Sometimes swimming is on the agenda for the afternoon.  Our neighbors have a very large above ground pool which they have invited us to use whenever we like.....the kids definitely "like" often.  We are also still putting away things at Steve and Helen's new house so that occupies an hour or two or three each day.  The kids have their own rooms which are already set up and have turned their walk-in closets into clubhouses so they have plenty to keep them busy while Steve and I work away.

On this particular Saturday, we decided to make a trip to Bussey's Flea Market for a walk around.  The kids like the giant armadillo out front.  Hooboy....it was hot.  We didn't get there until about 1:30 and some of the vendors were beginning to pack up because of the heat and smaller crowds.

We spent an hour or so browsing but the only thing we ended up buying was a phone accessories kit for Steve's new phone.

Speaking of phones, for those of you looking at getting a new Iphone, let me tell you about Steve's experience with Verizon last week.  We stopped at Verizon because he was having a lot of trouble with his existing flip phone shutting off.  Yes, even though we all like new techie things, we all still have flip phones.  He was pretty sure he wanted an Iphone this time as he likes the way his Ipod works and they would be very similar.  He decided that he didn't really want the newest Iphone 5 because he just didn't need it but the Iphone 4S looked really good.  He and the salesperson talked about the functions, how it worked, the camera, etc.  It was $99 so he said he'd like that.  Then the salesman said they had a special deal going where you got $99 worth of accessories so the phone was basically free.  So he said he wanted the black one.  Later that evening when he had already loaded up his contacts and set up a bunch of other things, he realized that it was an Iphone 4 not a 4S.   Hmmm, at no time did the salesman mention the 4 nor was there one on display.  So the next morning, he was there when they opened.  They hemmed and hawed around, the manager finally came over.  They finally decided that they could take the 4 back without a restocking charge (really....since you tried to pull a fast one on the customer) but he wouldn't get the accessories.  So, he went to Best Buy to buy a cover for the 4S and we got the rest of the "assessory kit" new at the flea market for $10.  Watch these cellphone companies....they are definitely sharks.  The "new every two" plan no longer exists....oh, yes....there is a $30 upcharge every time you get a new phone...that is not for the phone, it is just to "add" the phone.

Enough said.....I think it's time for a dip in the pool, maybe lunch first though.  See you later.

Escape from Brownwood, the Kids Are Coming

Saturday morning we hit the highway again headed towards Brownwood Tx to pick up the grandkids for six weeks.  This time we didn't have to leave until just before 0800.  We made a quick stop on the way hoping to have Steve's 2013 Tundra truck inspected for Texas since he has Texas plates but this is the first time the truck has been in the state.  They didn't like the film he has on the headlights to protect them so we moved right on.  Halfway to Brownwood, we made a stop at the Starbucks in Marble Falls to get some caffeine.  The GPS decided not to work which doesn't make a difference as far as the trip since we know the road well but it really helps to find our way to the kids' mother's house once we get there.  We managed to get Helen on the phone and she gave me the appropriate turns on the backroads from mapquest so we arrived a bit early and killed about 15 minutes before we picked them up at noon.  Naturally they hadn't had lunch so we drove until we got to the Texas Stop Sign (Dairy Queen) in San Saba.  Did you know that San Saba is the Pecan Capitol of the World????

By the time we got to Blanco, we needed gas and everyone was ready for a stretch so we stopped at the Courthouse where they were having a little market day.

Most small towns in Texas have really great courthouses and Brownwood is no exception.

We checked the booths as we walked around the courthouse square.  Interesting but nothing we couldn't live without and we really just needed the break from the road.

I think most of the booths were about ready to call it a day anyway.

Back home in San Antonio in time to hit another inspection place for a sticker.  This place paid no attention to the film on the headlights but they were concerned about the tint strip across the top of the tall windshield....it in no way comes anywhere close to obstructing your view but there is an imaginary line that they are supposed to follow so Steve borrowed a razor blade and scraped it off. Another quick stop at Silver's Feed Store to pick up the special allergy food for the longdogs.  We were five minutes after closing but they opened up for us as the register hadn't been closed out yet. Lucky longdogs as the cupboard was bare.  Then home in time to fix dinner....not too hard since I put a crockpot full of boneless barbeque ribs on before we left.

Hitting the Highway Again

Short post for a very, very long day.  We left Lynn Haven Florida at an hour when people should be tucked in bed fast asleep.  It was dark out, pitch black, O-dark-thirty by my watch....actually 5:30AM.  We headed northwest across country towards I-10.  In addition to dark, we had plenty of fog.  The humidity was thick enough to cut with a knife.

By the time we hit Alabama, the sun was out and we were rolling right along.

Traffic was good through Mobile and on through Mississippi.  In Louisiana, we stopped at the Rest Area near the John C. Stennis Space Center.  It is a great rest area.  It has some great pull through places for an RV to stop for a nice rest on the far side of the rest area but, unfortunately, you can't stop overnight.  I've never had a chance to stop and take one of the tours but it sounds interesting if you pass through here.  I have to say that all the rest areas across Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana on I-1- are beautiful and have security.

We stopped for gas and picked up food along the way but this wasn't a pleasure jaunt.  It was a very long day.  We arrived back in San Antonio at about 9:15 PM.  Definitely not a relaxing RV trip but we needed to get back so we could head out again early Saturday morning.

A View of the Beach, Panama City Beach

To say that our time back in Florida was busy would be a real understatement.  Most of our time was spent working on final touches to the house and a few visits with friends of Steve and Helen.  I hated the thought of leaving without at least one view of the beach since I don't know when I will be back in Florida again.  Wednesday, Steve had an appointment for a deep tissue massage to work out some of the knots so I dropped him off and drove up the road to Pier Park.  If you haven't been there, Pier Park is a big multi-use shopping venue that includes the big box type store furthest from the beach working towards more beachy stores near the shore.  This is looking out toward the  gulf.

And looking back towards Pier Park.

Ah, the beach!  It was windy, humid, and hot but a little better closer to the water.  I thought I might melt walking around the rest of Pier Park.

The sand is beautiful, soft, and very white.  It was a one red flag day so people were in the water but very close to the shore.

There were numerous parachute riders out in the water being towed down the beach.  This part of the beach was in front of a big hotel so you can see it is much more crowded than right next store.

There is a big pier that people fish from.  I didn't have time or feel like paying to walk out there though.

This fountain was near Starbucks where I stopped for a cold drink while walking around the stores.

It's a nice place to visit and I'm glad I got one more chance to see it.