2021-08-17 Relaxing in Louisiana

Woohoo, headed out to join the Heart of Dixie chapter for a rally in Bogue Chitto State Park near Franklinton, Louisiana. First a trip to the storage building in the backyard. Not a good surprise, hubby got rid of my tub of summer RV things and the small lawn chair I saved for sitting in the river. So the water shoes and canvas floats are gone because they were in the tub. Someone is in big trouble. Of course, no one has water shoes now as they have moved on to fall and winter things.

Picked up the RV on Thursday and headed out Friday morning (5 August). No big rush as my plan was to drive only as far as Beaumont TX and stay at Gulf Coast RV Resort, a Passport America park. Saturday I headed east to Butte LaRose to my friend Carolyn's house. One night there and then off to Bogue Chitto State Park for a Heart of Dixie Rally (RVW). 

This is a nice state park. I have been to about 5 different Louisiana state parks and they have all been nice. And, what is even nicer, is that you can actually get reservations at them unlike Texas where you need to be on the computer 5 months in advance. The rally was Sunday through Thursday and the park was about 1/3 full. Seniors camp for half price and others can get the "Welcome Back" 15% off price. Sweet deal.  A little trip around the park. First my site. It was a pull-through along the creek across from a pond. Far from the best site in the park but it was close to the others attending the rally and I reserved last minute.

Lots of hiking trails in the park. It's a big park with two different camping areas each with several loops. We were in Bottomland area with Electric and Water. The Upland loops have full hookups.

They have horses for rent and equestrian trails.

Looks like they also have yurts for rent with nice outside patios.

It looks like the horses are only available Friday through Monday.

A trail just for kids.

Mountain bike trails too.

Frisbee Golf.

The Interpretive Center.

Sunday night we all got together for a Meet and Greet. Everyone brought nibbles. There were 9 RVW members and one guest in 7 RVs. Three of the RVW members joined Heart of Dixie chapter during the rally. Monday, 4 of us decided to go Tubing on the Bogue Chitto  River.

Here we are ready to go. The nice young man pulled us in a trailer down to the start of the run. He said he would look for us to arrive back at the tubing stand area in two hours.

Off we go.

The river was a little lower than normal so there were a lot of snags from the flood earlier this summer. Carolyn was headed into the limbs here but she made it out okay after getting off the tube and swimming it out. The current was pretty strong so we all got a good workout. 

We saw three tubes on the shore and found out after we got back that those tubers called for a boat ride out but we tuffed it out. The current was so strong when I got off my tube at the end, it pushed me forward onto my knees. Getting up was real fun. Some of the ladies thought they might try kayaking it the next day as it would be easier. That evening we heard that two tubers drowned the day before further down the river. They had small tubes and no life jackets but we passed on the kayaking.

We opted for sitting in the creek instead.

This was Carolyn's site.

Mary was right in front of Carolyn and that is where we all gathered.

Viola loves to fish. She tried several different kinds of fish but they just weren't biting so no fish for dinner.  She did catch and release a good sized turtle. The resident alligator also swam past her.

Viola and her little dog also put a few miles on her bicycle. 

We had a grill night and a potluck night. One night Carolyn and Mary, the hosts for the rally, made Shrimp Creole with Rice and the rest of us provided sides.

All in all, it was a great rally. Texas Ramblin' Roses rallies are usually at least three times this size but there is also something very special about small rallies.

I got up Thursday morning to find a flat on my toad. Fortunately, we didn't have to leave until 1:00PM so I called Roadside Assistance. Once they changed the tire, I took the toad into town and had the tire repaired and put back on the car and we were off back to Carolyn's.

I stayed at Carolyn's for several days. One morning I fixed breakfast for us in my RV. Another day we drove into Lafayette and met two friends for lunch. It was really great to see them.

If you ever see this RV going down the road, be sure you wave. It's Carolyn, my Cajun friend  and president of the Heart of Dixie chapter.

2021-07-16 Harley's 13th Birthday 🎉

2021-07-11 Pearl Farmers Market

 It is nearly the middle of July but here in Central Texas you would never know it. Every thing is very green and it is still raining frequently. That is definitely not normal for us. Saturday we decided to go downtown and check out the Pearl Farmers Market. Between Covid and all the rain we have gotten this summer, I haven't been in quite a while.

The orange booth makes crepes on site with a wide variety of fillings. My granddaughter had one with nutella, strawberries, and whipping cream. Steve and I had one with turkey, bacon, tomatoes, spinach, and avocado in it. Both were very good. Helen picked up a croissant with ham and cheese from Bakery Lorraine. It is a permanent place here in this area where old brewery buildings have been converted to condos, restaurants, and hotels as well as the Culinary Institute of America.

We listened to beautiful music while we had brunch. This man was very good.

These kids were having a great time in this fountain area.

There were a couple of other people providing music as well. There is often a band in front of one of the buildings but not this day. It was nice because, although they are usually very good, the amplifiers make it unpleasant to walk in front of them.

There are all kinds of booths from meat fresh from the ranch to vegetables in baskets and everything else you can imagine.

There are also permanent restaurants and bars.

Selling different things with caramel as part of the ingredients.

Garden fresh bouquets.

We would have stayed a little longer but, surprise, we got hit by another rainstorm.

2021-06-12 Food, Fun, and Rusty Shirts

 Back at the Rally Room, Mary Ann and Olivia were ready to show us how to do a unique craft project. We are doing ours on shirts but Olivia had already made two pillows to demonstrate what the finished product could look like.

I missed a photo of the first step which is to mix vinegar and water half and half in a bowl or basin. Then you need some steel wool.....not Brillo pads.....or some other pieces of metal that are rusty or will rust. Olivia used some old lawn mower blades for her pillows which looked really great.  Dip your shirt or other material in the vinegar/water mix and squeeze just enough liquid out so that it won't run all over. Have a sheet of plastic.....garbage bag slit open will work fine. Sprinkle with salt. Lay your shirt/fabric out and sprinkle it with salt. Put your steel wool or other rusty items out on the material however you want.

Roll up the shirt/material and then roll it up in the plastic.

Put your art project outside in the sun and leave it for a number of hours. Longer equals more rusty pattern. You can wash it in the washing machine no problem. I would recommend washing alone the first time.

We took a break after that. Some ladies needed to work on their potluck items. Others took a nap. Some went swimming.  

Everyone was supposed to meet back at the Rally Room at 5pm for the group photo.

After a quick meeting with some announcements about upcoming rallies, everyone lined up for the potluck.

There is always more than enough food for all and then some.

There was another opportunity for visiting while we all enjoyed the good food.

After dinner, we all gathered to play a game of Camping Jeopardy. It was fun with everyone divided into two teams. 

It was a great rally. Everyone survived the heat and had a good time. Mary Jane and I were on the road home at 8:30AM on Sunday morning. I usually stay until Monday but Sunday was our anniversary so I wanted to make it home Sunday.