Sunday-The Road Trip to Florida Begins

Some time ago, Steve asked me if I wanted to come to Florida for a good part of the summer while he has the kids.  His idea was to travel down with the RV and then spend time camping for part of each week while there.  He will have quite a bit of time off from work so it should be fun.  He loves to RV as much as I do and wanted to share the experience with the kids.  We picked the RV up from storage on Saturday and he was busy checking the tires, etc. that evening.  I started doing a bit of reorganizing.  Toting things out to the RV goes much faster when you have some big strong help to move it.

Sunday morning, the last of the clothes and extras went out.  We had already decided to hold off on a Walmart run until this morning and just load the food directly into the RV. 

Let's hit the road! 

I forgot to mention that Steve and his Dad did some trading which resulted in Steve having a motorcycle that needed transport to Florida.  Of course, the men in the family decided that this was the perfect time to get it there as there would be plenty of travel breaks.

Everybody ready to roll?

Suited up at Walmart and headed out!

We pulled out of the Walmart parking lot at 11:30AM and headed down the back roads to I-10.  Two hours later, we pulled into a rest area and made ham sandwiches for lunch.  Potty breaks for all plus a walk  around with the dogs to stretch the kids legs and we were on the road again.  We had an easy trip through Houston since it was Sunday afternoon and traffic was light.  Just as we were coming into Beaumont, TX, about 6:15PM, we pulled into Hidden Lakes RV Park.  The office was already closed but there were two envelopes with info for #30 and #31 pull-through spots taped to the door.  One of the other campers came up to see if we needed any help (and to ask if the motorcyclist was with me, hilarious as he certainly didn't look like a Hell's Angel).  We got set up in our site.  The propane turned up empty earlier in the day and we were hoping to fill up at the park but no such luck. We decided that we would have dinner out so quickly unhitched and only had to go a mile to find several places.  Cracker Barrel got our business for the night.  Back at camp, we found that we couldn't connect to the free wifi because it asked for a logon and password which was not in our packet of info.  There was not a lot for us to do at the park because the lake was definitely not one that we would swim in and we weren't into fishing.  The park was very clean and quiet though and had great individual bathrooms and a laundry room so not a bad place to stop overnight for Passport America prices ($17.50 plus $2 each for more than 2).  We were already to pull out at 8:30AM when the office manager arrived.  I told her it was fine except for the wifi logon and password we didn't get.  She seemed puzzled and said "you just enter your own" which is definitely not the norm.

Fun Arrives in San Antonio-Friday

I picked up my son at the airport last night and for once Delta was early instead of late.  Today we drove up to Brownwood to pick up his kids for the rest of the summer.  The handoff between parents went smoothly which sure made life easier.  So we spent a total of 7 hours on the road today going from San Antonio to Brownwood and back again.  Lunch was Dairy Queen in Llano, hamburgers are always popular.  Steve calls Dairy Queen the Texas stop sign.  This afternoon we had a nice swim in our neighbors pool.  It was beautiful and warm, very relaxing.  We all need an earlier night tonight because last night was a late one.

Cameron, Steve, and Morgan-Two Kids Very Happy to See Their Dad

The Texas Stop Sign Strikes Again

Birthday Party

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.