Debbie's Travel Notes

Happy Birthday Reid

2012-01-28T07:07:00.001-08:00

Happy Happy Birthday to Reid. He can now order off the back page of the menu at most restaurants. LOL We're going to celebrate with a road trip in the Challenger and have BBQ and this little restaurant along our drive. Should be a fun day. I love birthdays and it doesn't matter whose having them. This is probably the last time today I'll be "allowed" to mention his.

I guess I should update

2012-01-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

Lets see. what to say.. I stay busy around the park. Sometimes too busy.. I seem to let myself run down while we're in the valley.. Most of my volunteer projects have ended so that will take some stuff off my plate. I'll be spending then next several days getting my spring cleaning done.. We're heading out of the valley in Feb so I have to do my "if we haven't used it in 6 months we don't need it cleaning" usually it's Reid's stuff that I get rid off. Ha.
Jan has been a pretty ok month.. the temps have been nice so when we've endured cloudy days it's not been cold.. Today it's sunny and warm so that's nice. We're having a Chili and Darts event this afternoon with 6 other couples.. We usually play darts over at Larry's but since their casita is still being built we decided to get together tonight and play here.. it's finally warming up in the evening enough to sit out at night and visit. shhhhhhh...it's also code for Reid's birthday get together.......you know how he likes partys..He will enjoy beating us all at darts...
Tomorrow we're taking a drive up to Alice to met up with some friends from San Antonio..they are in our Challenger club.. There's a great BBQ place in Alice so it's a good meeting point.
That's it for this week..I'll try to post again next week..

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T17:45:00.001-08:00

I hope 2012 is everything everyone wants it to be.
We ended 2011 very quietly.. I've been sick for 2 weeks now and all they've found out is I'm anemic so I'm really super tired all day long with no energy to do anything or get anything done.. So I didn't feel like going to the dance last night.. Haven't missed one of those in 4 years.. I hope it went well. I didn't see many people from the park today I guess they stayed out too late last night and slept in today.. Rita did stop by to see how I was feeling but she's the only one I saw all day. It was a cloudy morning then it rained for a short time and stayed dready after that.. But I did what I've been doing best and slept all day.. I'm going back to the Dr on Tues to find out if there's anything I can get for this tireness I'm feeling..
Last week was the best three or four days we've had here in a row for the past 2 months. It was nice, warm, sunny and no wind and I didn't feel like being outside to enjoy it what a downer.
We are going to be here another 6 weeks before heading out.. that will still be four months in the valley and frankly that's long enough to be sitting in one place. We arrived mid Oct so by mid Feb I'll be ready to go.. We'll take about three weeks getting back to NV where we'll hang out for a couple of months before we head south again. I don't like to stay in any one place too long..
I'll try to do better with my updates this month. I know it's going to be a busy month. I myself am planning the Ladies Birthday luncheon for later in the month and we have the Ropa style show this month and a dance this weekend so I gotta start feeling better soon.

December in Mission

2011-12-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

I guess this will be another blah weekend here. Setting up to be a copy of last weekend. It's been dreary, cool and drizzly all day. I said cool instead of cold cause some people don't think 50 degrees is that bad but that just too cold for me. I know some of my northern friends thinks it car washing weather. LOL
Reid left yesterday for his drive to NV. He's taking the car there to store it in our garage. He'll get there sometime on Sat and then he and Steph will fly out of Vegas on Tues. She'll be here a week.
Lady sure misses Reid. she was up a lot last night looking for him. She kept walking around the bed, looking out the window then laying back down. She finally jumped off the bed and went to sit by the door, just waiting for Reid to come back inside. She chilled out about 3am. I hope she settles down tonight cause when Lady doesn't sleep, momma doesn't sleep. LOL
For those of you who aren't in the valley yet you haven't missed anything..November was really windier and so far Dec has been cool and damp. Hope Jan is mid 80's and sunny...think it will happen.
We'll see......

This is for Linda and Jim

2011-12-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

Hey there. I haven't been posting much and I heard about it. LOL. I stay busy with the same things going on weekly and figured no one wanted to hear about it.
Here's goes.. We woke up to rain today.First time in months this area has had any rain and it has really lasted all day. They are forcasting rain for the next couple of days so that's good for the area but not for Reid...he and rain don't mix. While we were in town this morning the streets were flooded with water.
The power went out this morning about 8:45 and was out for 8 hrs.. we don't have any idea why that happened..
We're having a Christmas potluck on Monday so that will be fun.
A couple of freinds are in the middle of building casitas and getting there concrete done.
A bunch of people are going home for Christmas this year. seems like more than normal..We'll be spending it with Stephanie. She'll fly in on the 20th for a week.
that's all for now.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a great one here. There were ten of us and the weather was wonderful.. The wind was very mild today and sometime we were asking for a breeze. We ate about 2 then spent the rest of the afternoon talking and laughing.. Some of us took a bike ride later to work off some of the food..
More residents will probably arrive in the next few days, usually several will come in right after the holidays. Hope Jim and Linda arrive soon they've got some of the best looking fruit on their trees this yr.. My tangerine trees are a bust...the frost got them.
We have our first dance on Saturday. It's a group I've never heard so I'm looking forward to hearing them and maybe getting in a dance or two.. (I've come a long way LOL)

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

We might be getting a trick or treater tonight.. I know there's one visiting his grandmother here in the park. Hopefully he'll stop by.
I've been a little bored but things are picking up this week.
Friends are arriving almost daily and the park opens it's winter season starting tomorrow. We have finished the "driveway" that we were having done and we can now park our tow trailer on it. Our extra lot is being sold in a couple of weeks and we wanted to park the trailer where we could keep an eye on it.
Friends Bonnie, Ralph, Phyl and Larry are expeced to arrive sometime tomorrow and their relatives next Monday.. Happy hours will be starting now. Someone usually has one going on nightly. We're planning a get together on Wed night with about 7 people so that will be fun.

5 Guys vs In and Out

2011-10-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

When we got back to the valley last week we noticed they'd open a 5 Guy's burgers and Fries near Cracker Barrel.. We'd tried In and Out for the first time this summer so we had to try these cause several people had told us they were just as good.. So today we stopped in. Guess what.. In and Out doesn't have anything to worry about.. I didn't think it was good at all. Mine was bad.. just bad.. one of the patties (I didn't know I was ordering a double) was ice cold.. the other one was hot but just not a good experience.. I'll be looking forward to In and Out once we get to AZ next spring.. (they are in Dallas now but we're not going that way either.)
I will try one again somewhere else just to see if maybe it's this location but right now I'm in no rush to try it again. The cost was a lot higher that In and Out also.

Back at LVR

2011-10-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

The sun is shinning and people are arriving a few at a time. Today there's a group going for lunch at Peter Piper Pizza. It's a park tradition on the 3rd Wed of each month. That will be fun cause a few that's signed up I haven't run into yet around the park.
I have to finish moving clothes to the casita and a few can good and then everything will pretty much be where it needs to be.
Lady has had a couple of spins around the park this week and she's in princess mode when we're riding..Head held high and ears blowing in the wind.
Reid's been super busy getting all the patio furniture washed up and in their spots and of course the golf cart is fixed too. I keep telling him to "pace" himself but so far this week he hasn't.

It's winter time

2011-10-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

We drove about 6 hrs today and arrived back in Mission about 3pm. This is where we'll be for the winter but winter hasn't made it to the valley yet and we hope it want be here for a while... did I mention that it was 95 degrees here today and 98 is expected for tomorrow.. It's cooling down to the mid 80's by the middle of the week (we'll see want we)
It's still pretty quiet here and it will be for another couple of weeks then it will get busy..I'm guessing there's about 30 households that live here year round now so the park is never really empty.. A couple of new houses have been build since we left back in March and a couple RV lots did get sold over the summer. That's pretty much all the changes I saw.
We'll spend the week getting all settled in. First thing to do...Fix the battery cable on the golf cart so Lady can get a ride.

Mopar Fest

2011-10-15T20:26:00.001-07:00

Today we headed to the Lonestar MoparFest. There were 275 cars signed up to attend and I'm guessing over half were Challengers.. It was great to see so many of them in all colors. too cool. The day was long and hot and yes I got some sun burn but it was still fun. A little different than I thought it would be but still fun. We ran into some of the people that we saw in San Antonio and visited with them for a while before heading back to the rv..
We are heading out early in the morning for Mission. We'll be back at Leisure sometime tomorrow afternoon.
We've had a fun 3 weeks and now we'll get rested up this winter, we'll Reid will, my winter is busier than the summer months with my activities at the park.. walking, riding, golf, dancing, just to name a few.. oh and don't forget the happy hours.. I'll bring the wine...Reid gets it.

Arrived in Houston

2011-10-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the park near Houston yesterday. Our park is crowded with long term users that have their RV's, supply trailers and their tow rig so it makes for a crowded park.. We'd love to find RV parks that just has fellow RV'ers moving from location to location enjoying this great country but more and more we're finding the parks over crowded with area workers.. I guess they need to have a place to stay but it makes finding RV parks difficult..do I sound like Reid.
Today we drove to Livingston to get our tags for the car and get our mail. The trip went surprisingly well. We usually have issues when we go there but today our paperwork was there and ready for us when we arrived and our mail was ready also. So we were in and out within an hour.
Tomorrow will be an easy day, we just have to get a few things at Walmart. Saturday will be our busy day cause we'll be at the car event all day. It should be fun. We've seen several Challengers driving around town already.. Hope they are going to be at the show.

Sunday in San Antonio

2011-10-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

I love sleeping with rain hitting the roof top but it was so loud last night it kept us both awake (I should say all three of us) It started raining real hard about 12:30 and continued till 3ish that's when I dozed off so till then Lady and I just watched the lightening out the window and listened to the rain on the roof top.. Reid tossed and turned and mumbled off and on that he couldn't sleep with it raining so hard. Same situation but two different perspective.
Today we had made plans to met our nephew, Ryan and his fiancee', Crystal at Pappasita's.. We've been there before and really liked it so we thought we'd try it again.. At one time we heard that this chain was coming to the valley and they did build the seafood restaurant there but so far not this one.. it would be nice to have this one since we haven't found a mexican restaurant we like in the valley yet.
We had a nice visit with Ryan and Crystal. It was our first time to met her and she was very nice, sweet. Kinda quiet but one talker at the table is plenty..LOL

Reid brings the rain to San Antonio

2011-10-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

We hit town yesterday afternoon and brought the rain with us. We knew it was going to be a wet weekend but that's normal for us when we're in San Antonio. They've had 3.5 inches the last 24 hrs but still need more for the drought.
I still think that SA is one of our favorite places to visit. Last night we headed down town for a car thing...I'm sure theres a term for it but I can't think of it right now anyway there's a car club here in SA that has Challengers, Chargers and other Dodge muscle cars that met monthly and Reid keeps up with them online since there's not one in the valley. Anyway since this was their weekend to met we decided to go.. This is held at the Pig Stand which is a restaurant that's been around here since the 1920's. We didn't know if they just meet here in the parking lot or went here to eat so we decided to get there early and eat (we hadn't eaten all day) and the food was great.. I have ribs and they were very tender along with potato salad and fried okra..finished it off with sweet tea.. nothing better. As we finished our meal we started seeing cars arrive.. there were 12 total (with the weather bad we didn't know how many if any were still planning to come) 6 of them were challengers. We're going to see several of these people again next weekend at the Mopar thing in Houston.. Theres over 250 cars expected that weekend.

Almost to San Antonio

2011-10-07T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today we left Las Cruces and we're half way between El Paso and San Antonio, so far no rain but we hear it's on it's way. Wouldn't you know it as soon as we're back in TX they are calling for rain and lots of it but that's ok cause TX needs it so bad. I told Reid weeks ago we should head back cause he brings the rain.. He doesn't see the humor in it. We're only staying here for overnight then we'll head into San Antonio tomorrow.
Talked to Steph today and you can already see snow on Mt Charleston from our patio. She said she wasn't aware that it would get cool this early in the yr but she's stuck there now isn't she. LOL

Las Cruces

2011-10-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

After leaving Tucson we stopped for a couple of nights here in Las Cruces, It's a good stop and our favorite all time Mexican restaurant is here..Good thing there's a nice RV park close by for us to stay in. We always enjoy this area. We went to LaPosta yesterday afternoon and again it didn't disappoint.. it was sooo good. Can't wait for our next time through the area to have it again.

Tucson

2011-10-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Tucson yesterday. We're staying at Lazydays which use to be Beautry rv park.
We've stayed here before. We had planned to go to Old Tucson Studios but after we arrived we found out that they were only open on weekends for the month of Oct. So we'll have to do that next time we come through here.
Today we went out to Olive garden for lunch.. We both decided to have Lasagna Classico and it's a good thing they give plenty of salad and bread sticks cause when we got our order the lasagna was so small Reid told the waiter it looked like an appetizer. The slice of lasagna couldn't have been 2 in squared.. I felt sorry for Reid so I gave him part of mine.. I had salad and he didn't so it worked out ok..
We're leaving town on Wed heading to Las Cruces for a couple of days.

this week flew by

2011-10-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

We'll be leaving in the morning but we have a fun packed week here in Apache Junction.
We took a drive yesterday to the restaurant that we'd heard about. Well, the food was really good but the service (actually one waitress) was awful.. I usually give them a lot of slack but there was no excuse for how rude, unhelpful and nasty she was. We wouldn't go back that's for sure.
Today we headed to the Swap Meet.. We each found something that we had to have..Some of us found more than others...At one point the guys had found stuff but we girls hadn't but we caught up fast.
After we left it was time to make our AZ trip to In and Out.. It didn't disappoint.. The place was crowded which I believe all of them stay crowded but the burger was wonderful.. we plan to hit the one in Tucson before we leave the state.
Tomorrow we move on down the road for 3 nights in Tucson..

Day three and four of our visit to Mesa

2011-09-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Tues night we packed Lady up and headed over to Nancy and Bobs place to sit and visit.. Lady loves it when she gets to go.. Bob and Nancy run a close second in spoiling her..
We decided that on Wed we would go to the Arizona museum of History.. It was pretty interesting and had everything from Pre historic to space info. After this we had to check out an AZ Mexican Restaurant. We went to a place called Los Gringos Locos. With that name we had to try it and I was not disappointed. It was very flavorful and wasn't bland.. I don't like it bland. I would go again that's for sure.
Thurs we had to get some errands done so we spent most the day doing that. We had to go to the sporting goods place then look for a telescope for Reid.. and finally our tri weekly trip to walmart. Once we got home I spent the evening doing laundry..
We already have plans for today too. We're meeting N&B here later to check out a new recommemded restaurant and then tomorrow is the Flea market.. I hear it's a big one.
Our week has flown by and we'll be packing up and leaving on Sun but there's still more fun to be had so stick with me.

Visit with Family

2011-09-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

On Tues we were able to visit with Reid's aunt and uncle, Bill and Delores. They live about 50 miles from where we're staying so we all decided to met in the middle. A place called Casino Arizona was half way and they have a nice lounge where we could sit and visit. The buffet was really good to so we had a nice late lunch with them and then went to the lounge to visit. it was really great to see them. Delores made be a beautiful quilt last year and I finally got a chance to thank her in person. They are heading to TN later next week to visit with Reid's Mom. We hope to see them more often since we'll be coming through this area alot now that we have the house about 6 hrs away..

Tortilla Flats, AZ

2011-09-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

On Monday Bob and Nancy met us here at the rv park. They wanted to see Lady before we headed out on our sight seeing trip. We took a senic road to Canyon Lake and a few miles past that to a little (and I mean little) town called Tortilla Flats. population 6. It had a couple of stores and a restaurant where we had lunch. Everyone wanted burgers but me so I ordered off the appetizers and had nachos.. but what I didn't realize was the order wasn't for one serving but a platter to share...it was huge... it was good but huge.. lucky for me Reid and Bob were there to help me eat some of it.. I would still be sitting there eating if they didn't help me.
We came back to the RV and sat around visiting for a while. It was cooler yesterday than the day before only reaching about 95. We had the awning out and a breeze blowing so it was really plesent.
We may be seeing Reid's uncle this afternoon. not yet sure of our plans.

Reid's blog

2011-09-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

I posted my blog before reading Reid's post and it's "amazing" how we say the same things using different words isn't it.
I guess 30 years together will do that to you.
Here's to the next 30 years.

Apache Junction

2011-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

We left Kingman early on Sunday cause Reid wanted to watch some of the golf tourney so I got up at 6ish to get myself ready to travel, which involved walking Lady and going back to sleep in my traveling seat as soon as we got on the road. We arrived here about noonish and got all set up and the tournement was really good with a 2 hole playoff..
It was 105 degrees here yesterday.. A little warm...even with two air conditioners going.
We met Bob and Nancy for supper at Famous Dave's. We've tried the one in NV and AZ and NV was better.
Yesterday was also our wedding anniversary. 30 years in case you were wondering.. amazing isn't it..........
Today B&N are going to show us around the area..

Trying to pace ourselves

2011-09-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

We left Pahrump today and drove as far as Kingman, AZ before calling it a day. That's about 165 miles. We didn't want to over do it... It still took about 41/2 hrs to get to the RV park.. We left about 9:15 and needed fuel so we knew we'd be stopping before leaving town to get that.. I was going to be driving till we got over the mountain so I had to be awake and ready for the 30 mile drive.. I had some caffine before we left so I could stay awake LOL. Lady was tucked in the back seat with her blanket.. she didn't care where she was riding as long as she was going.. I had Steph hold her chain while I moved the car and she thought she was staying behind.. That didn't go over real well.. she wanted in the car bad and she wasn't happy till she got in it.
We knew that there was a truck stop in front of the rv park so we stop in there to top of the rig so we wouldn't have to do it in the morning and that took over 30 minutes and then we went inside for lunch at the Iron Skillet and that took over 45 mins so that's why this first day took so long and we only went 165 miles.
We'll be heading to Apache Junction tomorrow. I'm looking forward to this week cause I've never been to this area before.

Back in travel mode for a few weeks

2011-09-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

We're leaving Pahrump in the morning and heading toward AZ. We've had a great time in NV and it's time to get moving. Steph will keep the home fires burning till we return in the spring but for now we've gotta get moving.
We drove into Vegas earlier in the week to get some med's for Reid and we decided to check out the M Resort. We've been told it was one of the best buffets in town and it really was good. It was a little pricey I thought but it offered beer and wine with lunch making it cost more.. which is a waste for us cause everyone that knows us knows I don't drink and Reid doesn't start till 5ish. The choices were plentiful with some things I'd never heard of. On a buffet I don't get serving size helping I get samples of a lot of things. Yes it's a place we'd go again.
Speaking of pricey.. Denny's opened this week and I thought it was more per item here than at other Denny's we've stopped at.. The food was good and service was pretty good considering it opened on Tues and we stopped by on Wed. I wished it opened earlier in the month so we would have had time to go for breakfast.. Steph would never have been able to go for breakfast since she doesn't wake up till about 3 each afternoon...but that's another story. LOL.
Check back and I'll let you know where we're at the next few weeks.

Leaving soon

2011-09-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

Our scheduled four week visit to Pahrump is coming to a close. It's been four months. LOL
When we arrived in May we never dreamed that four months later we'd still be here but we are. The summer has still gone fast and just as it's starting to cool off it's time for us to leave.. We'll be back in the spring but for now I'm ready to be getting on the road. We're leaving next Sat heading to AZ. We'll be in the state for about 10 days before heading toward Texas.
The timing was perfect for Steph to need a place to regroup after the AF and we can feel comfortable knowing the place want sit idle for the next few months. Steph's in classes and looking for a job so far no luck on that front.
Danny had ACL surgery a couple of weeks ago and is doing well. We didn't get to see him this summer but I think he might be visiting us here next spring or early summer.
We don't have any plans to spend July and Aug here next yr as they are the two hottest months but we will be spending the spring here so if your spring travels have you heading this way let us know we might be around.
We'll be seeing friends Nancy and Bob in AZ as well as Reid's Uncle and Aunt and I'm looking forward to getting back to Leisure and seeing everyone there.

My birthday was wonderful

2011-09-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

I had a great birthday..We headed into Vegas about 11:15 to go to Kohl's and then on to Famous Daves's.. We love their ribs and it's the 13 state we've had their ribs in over the last several years and I must say this was the best that we can remember.
Simply delicious.
On the way home we stopped and took the driving tour through Red Rock Canyon. It was beautiful. I drove back and it was fun. I find out that I handle the mountain curves better when I drive through there vs riding.. I get motion sickness some times when I'm the passenger..wonder why.
When I walked in the house from our trip Steph had decorated the den and Kitchen with balloons, streamers, and confetti, that was so sweet and unexpected.
Thanks for all the calls, emails and texts today everyone.

FYI

2011-09-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

I do hope to have some pics ready for viewing some time this weekend. I told Reid no pictures till I tidy up so I must get to that this weekend. With three adults and two animals in the house something is always out of place.

September is here

2011-09-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

September means a lot of things to me. It's football season. College football starts this weekend and Steph and I will be watching some of it.. Reid will not be. He'll be watching golf.
September means cooling down. We've had some wonderful cool nights this week after some really hot days..We've been sitting outside watching the sun set then when it gets dark looking at the stars.. it's beautiful. We have very little light polution here so the stars go on for miles.
September means celebrating my birhtday all month. Reid pointed out that I'd been celebrating it all yr since my car was an early birthday present.
This will also be a busy month for us as we start to pack up the RV for our winter traveling. I will have to get a few things put back in the rv that I've had to borrow from it.
We have several friends that will begin their winter travels.. I wish them all safety as they get on the road.
We've been busy with the house. We've made a couple of trips in to Vegas for wall pictures and things. I'm still looking for a few things and I'll know what I want when I see it..
I've read Reid's latest post and all I can say is he can't handle 2 25 yr olds.. nough said. LOL
One last thing Danny's having knee surgery tomorrow.. he tore his ACL and meniscus so they are repairing it in the morning. Praying for his speedy recovery and he's back on the court soon. He tore it playing basketball. I ask him if he wanted me to fly to TN to take care of him and he told me to "stay in NV". He always was the independent one.

time to update

2011-08-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

Steph made it here just fine.. (I left you hanging with that one didn't I) She arrived last Friday and spent Saturday and Sunday sleeping and then the next week getting settled. She spent part of two days at the DMV office and put in job applications throughout the week. She's trying to get into school too but we don't know yet if that will work out.
The painting is just about done. Only one more room left and he's working on it today. Hopefully by tomorrow evening all the inside painting is going to be finished. It looks really good.. Amazing what a coat of paint will do. I guess we're settle into the house.. As settled as we get.. At least now with Steph here she'll "house sit" during the times we're not here.
Danny started his teaching job last week.. his first offical full time teaching job. yeah.. He's sub taught for years and then teacher assisted for a few more and now he only has one job.. (he usually has one or two part time jobs.)
I'm staying busy going to the gym and running errands for Reid.. He's hanging around the house while it's getting painted.
We're taking a trip into Vegas on Wed. Steph needs to get some things done at the base and the VA office so it's a road trip of sorts.. Wonder where we'll do lunch...there's so many choices.

I just have to disagree

2011-08-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Upon reading Reid's blog I have my own opinion of the paint colors.. I don't see any purple in them. I love purple so it wouldn't bother me to be purply but it's more of a slate blue if you ask me my opinion..
We are moving right along with the painting (I should say Lonnie is moving right along) We've got the two small bedrooms done and the back bath and laundry room.
Steph is on her way. She was in Olka City for overnight and she'd like to get to Flagstaff by tonight but she's in the middle of a three state rain pattern right now so I don't know if she'll get that far tonight.
Lady has decided to quit barking at strange people walking in and out of the house. If it's not Lonnie then it's the furniture delivery guys or the flooring guy.. She just gave up and now sleeps through their visits. She never saw this many strange men in the RV. LOL Nancy.

Lady's birthday

2011-08-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

Lady turned 7 yesterday and I kept meaning to blog but the day got away from me. I was really tired cause for the past three nights I hadn't slept much (not counting last night) The new bed we bought was just awful. How can a new bed be so unconfortable, but it was. Yesterday we headed back to the furniture store to get another mattress. They really wanted me to keep it for a couple of weeks but there was no way I could sleep (or not sleep) for two weeks. Last night was better and I believe this one going to be just fine.
We have started painting.. We'll our neighbor that's a painter has started working on it.. We've got the laundry room painted and will have the back bathroom done next. I wanted a little color so we're going yellow in the laundry room, two baths and the kitchen.. I want bight,, sunny colors in those rooms. The floor guys is suppose to come on Monday to floor the laundry room.. We've got the stuff ready and the w/d is sitting in the dining room waiting for him. He'd better show.
It's sunny today with a slight breeze. Should be another nice day in Pahrump.

The house is ready for us

2011-08-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well this will be our first night in the new house. OH we've been at the house but staying in the RV.. We still need the fridge and it will be delivered tomorrow. We drove into Vegas today for the linens and curtains and spent the afternoon getting that stuff ready then we decided to just go ahead and "move in" the house.. it's all ready except for the fridge.. Except for clothes and books we really didn't move much over, we want the rig road ready for when we decide it's time for a road trip.. Lady did get giddy when she saw me bring over her stuff...puppy chow, treats, oinkies (sweet potato centered treats) and her bacon..(ya'll see a theme there..all foods.) she's enjoyed playing and running around the big yard. But she usually has one eye on Reid or me.

Happy Birthday Steph

2011-08-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know how Steph feels today but it doesn't seem like she should be 26. where did the time go.. that's my baby and she 26. Just aint right is it.

Are we through rv you ask

2011-07-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

If you've read Reid's latest post then you know about the house.. Everyone's question has been "are you going to stop RV'ing" NO, why would we, we love it.. We just found a great place at a great price in a climate that makes us happy.. barely any rain, sunny most every day, very low humidity and a nice breeze most of the time.. We've always said we're chasing the weather and till this summer we hadn't found any place that we'd consider for once we "retire" from traveling. Then we got to NV and fell in love.
This is going to be our early summer and late fall stops each year and in between those months we'll be touring the north and south west, wintering So Texas and swinging through the gulf coast and south east states in the early spring to visit family, friends and doctors.. always have to see the doctors..
If any of our travelin friends and family are in this area let us know and stop in to see us..We could be in NV, UT, Wash St, Ore, ID, WY, MT.. those are places I want to tour in the next few summers. oh yeah also Northern CA too.

what are we up to, you ask

2011-07-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. We're just chillin'. We moved back to Lakeside RV park on the 5th and we'll probably stay here till it's time to move on.
We had window awnings put over the three main sets of windows and it's making a big difference. The shade they are providing by keeping the direct sun out is great.. I can leave the blinds up now with Lady inside without it getting unbearablely hot for her.. Yes, it's all about Lady isn't it.
I love this park.. it's got a walking path that circles the lake and there's birds and ducks all around. It's so cute to watch the ducks waddle up the walking trail.. (I think of the Aflac duck when they do that) These waddlers are use to people cause they don't move for you, they expect you to go around them and if you've got food they want it.. Oh yeah, if there's shade on your site you could have 4-6 just laying around beside you. They also hear the sprinklers come on and they come running to get in on the water fun. Lady, on the other hand, doesn't find them cute and likes to run after them.. They do move over for puppies and dogs.
Steph started working at Applebee's this week. So far so good. I wonder when the fun will wear off. I guess coming off of 14 hrs days and 4-5 days in a row this would be a fun job.
That's it for my thoughts today.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad I sent my Happy 4th emails out for the weekend on Fri and Sat cause I wouldn't have been able to do them if I'd waited till today. Yesterday morning on the way to Breakfast one of the lenses in my glasses fell out.. Oh I hate it when that happens. so we turned around and headed to walmart to have them fix it only to find that they were closed on Sundays.. Lucky for me they were going to be open today so I only had to wait one day.. I can't do computer stuff without my glasses or reading so believe me I was there when they opened this morning so I could get it fix.
We had a good fireworks show last night. Lady did great. She likes to watch them and she will get vocal but she did pretty good.. Once they get started she's fine but at first they scare her.. I sat her on my lap (yeah picture that) and she just watched, and cocked her head each direction, just so cute.
Lets see, change of direction in my thoughts...A highschool friend turns 50 today and a college friend of mine turned 50 yesterday...My brother in law, Brad and sister in law, Mary have turned 50 this yr.. Why are all the people "my age" turning 50. I just don't get it.. I was always the youngest in my grade and in my group of friends and the year is half over and they've all had birthdays...makes you wonder if I'm looking forward to mine this yr or not.

Is it hot in Nevada

2011-07-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

Just ask Lady when the front air conditoner goes out. That happened on Wed night. We heard a hum sound and then the front unit wouldn't come on.. lucky for us it happened during the week before everyone shut down for the holiday weekend. Reid called this mobile rv repair guy and he checked it out and the motor was locked up.. He had to go to Vegas to get a motor so we didn't have it all day yesterday but lucky again for us it was only 91 degrees on Thurs. The guys fixed it today about noonish and we were cool again soon after that. It was 102 today and forcasted for 108 tomorrow. All day Thurs Lady kept panting and looking at me like "Turn the dang thing on" She's been napping under it all evening.

And now a Danny update

2011-07-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Too cool to have good news from both in the same week. Danny called last night to let us know that he'd been offered a full time teaching position. We're so happy for him cause he's worked so hard for it. He'll be teaching reading at the high school and he'll also be coaching Freshman Basketball and assisting with the Jr Varsity and High school team.. He's always wanted to coach and he's finally getting his shot on the high school level. He told me last night that he wont have to work one or two part time jobs anymore in addition to working at the school.

Stephanie update

2011-06-28T20:32:00.001-07:00

Steph is now a civilian. (is that spelled correctly) Actually she's Retired AF. That sounds crazy doesn't it. She had all her final out processing meetings yesterday and woke up this morning unemployed. She's got some applications in and shes hoping to find a job, any job soon.. She'll take what she can get now and then worry about getting something that she might like to do later.
She does seem to enjoy her new apartment and the town that she's in. I know that it's lonely for her since she doesn't know anyone there yet but her neighbors have introduced themselves and once she finds a job and starts school she'll met people. I can tell that she's loney cause I'm getting more calls per day than usual..LOL
Thanks everyone for checking on her and asking how she's doing after her surgeries and as she waited on info about being put out of the service. It's been a long four yrs waiting on this outcome but I'm thankful that they (AF) medically retired her and she can get on with the rest of her life.

The weeks are flying by

2011-06-28T20:01:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's the end of June already. Our stay here in NV has gone quickly. This town is about the size of town that I thought Mission would be when we started talking about going there in the winter. I don't know why I thought the RGV would be smaller but it's what I was expecting and when we headed into Pahrump for the first time I thought it was the perfect size town. I can do a quick run to walmart for something that I'm out of in half an hr. I love that.
I do wish there were more restaurants. There's plenty of fast food places but sit down and order places are limited. I guess that's what Vegas is for.
We did try Wulfy's this week. It's a sports bar with a nascar theme and they have a big sign out front advertising their sour dough pizza so we had to give it a try.. Beside being on a quest for the best burger ever, Reid is also on a quest for the best pizza.. This one didn't make the cut.. so we'll keep searching. I had the Philly Cheese Steak and it was pretty good.
We headed back over to Perferred RV today. It's one of our membership parks and we still had one week we could us it so we thought this week would be a good time to use it since the holiday is coming up. The Lakeside Park had only a couple of site left for the holiday weekend and they were going to be all day sun so we decided to leave and go back there next Tues.

Road Trip

2011-06-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today we headed into Vegas to run errands. It was a long day cause we had lots of places to go. We headed out at 8 cause we needed gas and we had an apt. for an oil changed at 10:00. We weren't sure how long it would take and wanted to give ourselves plenty of time. We're west of Vegas and the dealer is across town once you get to I-15. I expected this part of the trip to be the longest since it was at the dealer but it wasn't.. We arrived a few minutes early and they got us right in. I went to the lounge to read and Reid walked around the car lot looking at Challengers (It's a guy thing) The car was ready in 55 minutes, they didn't charge us since it was our first visit (and probably last) and they washed the car for us... We were impressed.
From there we went to get lunch at In and Out. This location also has a store so we ate lunch and bought shirts. We were early but there was already a line at 11am. I had the double this time and it was the best. BTW..they've opened a couple of restaurants in TX but still not close to us.. Right now they've opened a couple of locations near Dallas and more should be coming or so we were told.
Now it's time to go to Sam's for Reids meds, then on the Lowe's and Camping World. Once Reid was done getting what he needed it was finally my time to shop.. Kohl's here I come. I was getting tired at this point but I still found a blouse and a purse that I just had to have. I napped on the drive home while Reid had fun driving the car on the curvy mountain road.
That was our day... Did I mention that it was 105 degrees today in Vegas.. I loved it.. it's very hot but no humidity so it feels good...I kept thinking of how much Phyllis would love the heat.

June is half over and I haven't blogged

2011-06-18T22:23:00.000-07:00

So sorry.. I'll catch you up now. We're still in NV and it's going great. We're actually cooler here than some places in TX, we've only had a couple of days over 100 where Dallas has had 6 or 7 according to TWC. With the humidity low it's not bad.
We're taking a trip into Vegas this week for shopping, oil change and Sam's for med's. You know there's a trip to IN and Out coming too.
We're at the Winery rv park again this week then we're heading back over to the lakeside rv park. that one is nice and shaded with the lake and grass that Lady just loves to lay in.
Steph moved this past week and with one more day of apts on base her military life will be behind her. She's getting unpacked and settled in this weekend and will start job hunting on Monday.
We found a groomer this past week for Lady so she's already for the hot weather, her fur hasn't been this short in a long time.
That's all for today. chat more later

Month of May

2011-05-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

2011 is moving right along. April went fast but May seems like a slow month but I think that was cause we did so much moving around. We moved today to a different RV park. This one is called Charleston Peak and the scenery is beautiful. Mt Charleston is right out our front window. This park has a winery attached to it but that does't do us much good does it.. Wine tasting is at 10:30 and I can think of several friends who'd love to be here for that. Should I go taste for you guys. LOL
Danny is waiting for his job offer.. hope it comes soon.. he's been told that an offer should be give to him soon.. There are several job openings coming up for this next school year so its a waiting game.
Stephanie has 3 more working days left in her military career. She's completed 8 yrs 11 months and 4 surgeries.... She's found a new place to live and is in the process of registering in classes for the fall.
Lady...can't leave out Lady...she's fat and sassy... not fat, just chubby... as long as she's getting her walks and treats she's fine.
Reid...he's great... sunny, no rain, 80 degrees, low humidity,,, he's lovin it. He always like it when we lived in NV back in the 80's cause it hardly ever rains.
Me..I'm happy most places..

In and Out

2011-05-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Where do I start. Everyone kept telling us that these burgers were the best, but of course we had to try it for ourselves.. Reid's been on the look out for the best buger for years consuming hundreds during this quest. Me not so much.. I eat very few burgers over the course of a yr.. My big burger adventure is if we grill out or once in a while I get a craving for a Mac. (how sorry is that). Since In and Out are only in the west we have been waiting about 4 yrs to try these burgers. I can honestly say that I was thinking more about where to go for supper that our lunch but Reid had been looking forward to it and I wasn't going to hinder his enjoyment so I ordered my first burger of the yr.. That was the BEST burger ever.. The bun just melt in your mouth. Half way through it I was wanting another one.. and next time I think I'll get the double.. Thanks to B&N, W&G, and all the others that told us to try them. We were not disappointed. Now for a reason to drive back into the city for another one..

Some time off the road

2011-05-26T23:28:00.001-07:00

Hey I thought I'd updated since Tues but it either didn't save or I didn't write anything, so here goes.
We arrived on Tues after taking 11 days to get for TN to NV. We had pretty good travel weather, some sprinkles and cooler temp than we like but over all it was good. We seem to be in between the fronts that's been moving through the country that has hit MO and OK so badly.
We're at one of our membership parks in Pahrump NV. The park is pretty nice. I like everything about it except for the buddy sites. Those sites are fine if the person's patio beside yours is a friend of yours.
When we lived in Vegas 24 yrs ago we didn't leave the city much so we'd never visited the Pahrump area. We have mountains surrounding us. Mt Charleston still has snow on it.
The weather has been beautiful, highs in the 80's with sun and no rain.. This is a good place for Reid since he doesn't like rain.
We'll be making a trip into Vegas sometime in the next few days cause we need to go to Sam's Club and Reid saw an In and Out Burger when we came through there and he's been wanting to try it, we've heard nothing but good things about them and Reid is always on the lookout for the best burger ever.
We're going north when we leave here just not sure when that will be yet.. we have to make sure the area we're going to is warm, sunny and dry.

Winslow AZ

2011-05-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday we arrived at Meteor Crater RV park near Winslow AZ. We were ready for a couple of down days after a week of travel. We took the car out for a ride yesterday to sightsee (more travel). We drove through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. Reid got a lot of pic's of the car at various places on the drive. It was a pretty site and very interesting. Later on our way back to the rv park we drove through Winslow to see where Route 66 went through the city.. It was interesting and we found a place called Bojo's to eat.. It was pretty good, we're always scared to order mexican food cause it's so different everywhere we go but we tried it and it was good.
Today we're just packing back up and getting ready to travel tomorrow. Our stop tomorrow will be Kingman, AZ. Actually a side note. The only place we've made reservations on this whole trip is our membership park in Pahrump. So you guys know that's not usually us.. We (ok, me) like to know where we're stopping and make sure the park isn't full when we get there. but I have to say I've been surprised at how empty the parks have been. It's still early in the summer I guess for them to be full.

Still on I-40 heading west

2011-05-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

We left Amarillo on Thur morning heading to Albuquerque. The drive was pretty. Watching the landscape change to southwest look as we move farther west is interesting. We stayed at American RV Park west of Albuq. The park was nice, and I saw a roadrunner barreling through the sites but I didn't have my camera out yet but as fast as he was going I couldn't have gotten his pic anyway.
Albuquerque is at 5500 ft so we knew it would be cooler than Amarillo's sunny and 83 but we didn't know about a cool front.. how we missed that with both of us watching the weather all the time I don't know..but when we arrived at our park it was drizzling and 49 degrees...Can you guys just picture Reid with 49 degrees and drizzle.. it became an inside afternoon and evening..Good thing it was just over night.. Today we heading out again and went another 273 miles and arrived at Meteor Crater RV Park and the altitude is some better but not much at 5000 ft but it started to rain on us as we approached the park and the temp is 54 degrees.. Where is the sunny and 70's we saw on TWC. Tomorrow is suppose to be 79 but Reid's not believing a word of it till he sees it. It's been raining off and on all day. I don't know if this area has been in a drought but if so they are happy Reid's here. We're going to be here till Monday morning and hopefully tomorrow will warm up and be a nice day to get out and see some of the area.

A Small World

2011-05-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

We left the Valley in Mar thinking we wouldn't see anyone from there again till fall but today I was out doing two of my favorite things...walking and talking on my cell and as I was talking to Steph I passed a guy sitting out reading. He looked really familiar to me but since I was talking to Steph I kept walking. On my next loop he was still outside so I just asked him (I'm not shy and I'll talk to just about anyone) if his name was Paul. Once I spoke to him he remembered me too. He and his wife Marsha stayed at Leisure over the winter. They became really active in park activities and dances. I didn't get to see Marsha she was getting ready but Paul and I talked for a few minutes about how our summers had been going and where we're heading next. It was so neat to see someone that I knew.

Famous Daves anyone

2011-05-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

We left AR on Monday morning to continue our trip west. We did an over night stop in Okla City last night. The only thing good about it was that the weather was cool so there wasn't any chance of storms.. Seems like anytime we come through OKLA CITY it's under some sort of weather warnings. The RV park was just a parking lot and doable only cause it was an over night stop. We left early this morning and made the drive to Amarillo. The good thing about here is.....Famous Dave's is here. Yeah, it's been 10 months since our last visit to FD's. If you love bbq ribs then you have to try FD's. We went there right after we got set up. It didn't disappoint..I had so much food (and I ordered the smallest serving of ribs) that I have another whole meal for later.
The park is really nice with the sites plenty big. We plan to be here till Thurs and then we'll head to our next stop.

Going West now

2011-05-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

We spent some of our week at the state park deciding where to head next. We haven't been west since 07 and when we were in TX that was our plan but we still have to come to TN to see the dr. So after some discussion and very little planning we decided we were going west.. It may be too hot in some places too cool in some places but it's been that way for us the last two summers in the TN, KY, IN, OH, and MI locations so it's time to mix it up a little. There's plenty to see and do in this country so it's time to check some more stuff out.
We left TN this morning heading West on I-40 into AR. We knew the interstate had been closed near Little Rock but we knew there were also detours around so that was ok. To our surprise I-40 was back open. We saw plenty of rivers and creeks out of banks but from our view on the interstate we didn't see any houses in trouble.
We're in AR for the weekend. We're behind storms and the front for now. the temps have dropped some from our near 90 highs in TN. We're going to sit through the weekend. We have no real plans so we don't have to get anywhere in a hurry which is how Reid wants to do this trek. so keep checking on the blog to see where we're at and where we're going.

NTSP

2011-05-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

We just spent a week at NTSP and it was a fun week. the weather was great (we got out of there today just as the next front was heading in.) We knew we were going to be stopping there once we left the "home area" and as luck would have it some friends of ours were passing through there about the same time. We arrived on Thurs and on Friday Geo stopped by. We'd seen him in AL and he was heading through TN so he stopped in, Nancy and Bob were in route on I-40 heading back from their west winter and they stopped in and Paul and Rosemary were heading toward MS/AL and they stopped for a couple of days with Savannah. it was perfect timing and a fun few days.
We didn't have a fire it was too warm but we did sit around the circle in the evening and compared notes on places we'd been and the sights we've seen. On Thurs we decided to go to Tbirds for pizza.. A couple of yrs ago it was called Sparkey's and we remembered it as serving good pizza so with new owners we had to try it again and it was just as good.
P&R had to leave on Wed to met up with family and the rest of us headed out this morning going our various ways. It was great to see them and hopefully we'll see each other again on our travels this yr.

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Happy day to all my Mom friends. Hope your day has been great. I've talked to both our Mom's. Danny and Steph called me today and we got to talk some, our cell reception here is weak but I was glad I was able to talk to them.
It's back to normal today in TN. 80 degrees and climbing. They (weather people) are calling for 4 days of hot, sunny and no rain. That's good. Maybe TN will start to dry out.
Again Happy Mother's Day..

Sunny and dry didn't last long

2011-05-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

It's Sat and it's raining. We're near Jackson TN at a state park. We're about 120 miles from Memphis. This area really doesn't need more rain. Memphis is flooding right now. The Mississippi River is at record highs.
We've been here several times and weekends in May are always booked but I guess with the ecomony and all the rain this area has had most people stayed away. We're surprised to see it so empty. About two yrs ago we had a rally here during this week in May and the place was packed.. If I remember correctly it rained on us all that week too. I don't remember this much rain in TN in May when we lived here but it must be something I've chosen to forget.
No plans yet on where we're heading when we leave here. We're going to hang out here till the floods are over. I-40 between Memphis and Little Rock is closed cause of the flooding. We've got friends west of Little Rock heading this way but they're trying to find other routes cause of the road closings.

West Tennessee

2011-05-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

We packed up this morning and headed west. It was a great day for travel. The sun was out and the skies were clear. It was only about a three hour drive today and we arrived about noon. The park isn't full..yet, but it's going to be the nicest, dryest weekend this area has had in several weeks so we're expecting the park to fill up for the weekend. We've seen about 7 rigs come in since we arrived all heading for the lake front sites but as usual all but one was already taken. We decided to take the long pull thru on the hill, this way we don't have to disconnect the trailer.
A couple of friends are heading this way on their way home for the summer and going to be in the area about the same time are here so they are going to stop by for a few days. That should be fun.
We plan on hanging out for a week and see how the weather goes. We can stay for a total of two weeks and if it's warm and dry we might do that.

Sunny dry Wednesday

2011-05-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's cool and wet day it sure rebounded today for a wonderful Wed.. Now we all know what Reid would say, "It could be warmer" but we've had beautiful clear skies, sunshine and a breeze. It did get to 63 today (7 degrees under Reid's comfort zone) but it's so much better than yesterday's cloudy, dreary, drizzle 52 degrees.
My day started early with a trip to Walmart for my Mom then over to get her to take her on her errands. then I had to rush to M'boro for med's (Kohl's was right across the street so I took it as a sign and stopped in) then I had to get back home to get Lady to the vet.. she's got a boo boo and needed some med's, then it was off to Reid's Mom to see our neice and her three kids before I had to met Reid again to drop off the rental car.
Yes, Reid was so kind in letting me drive the rental all week. It wasn't even a cool car but that was ok since I was the one that was driving our Mom's and others around this week having a car with four doors came in handy.
We'll be leaving in the morning for West Tenn

Still some fun going on here

2011-05-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have been visiting family the last couple of days. I visited my Mom and Sis on Sunday and on Monday I got to see Jess and my newest great niece Bonnie Kay, she's 4 months old. I also saw Mary, she is my s-i-l and BK's Nana, Mom, and Betty, Reid's sis..
Today I'm meeting Lisa at lunch and Tomorrow running Mom on some errands.
Reid and I decided to go to Crockets Roadhouse on Sat night..It's been one of our local favorites for years and there's two locations and so we headed to the closest one.. Guess what.. it had closed down..didn't see that coming, it had been in business for years.. So since we were out and driving my car is fun we decided to head over to the other locations in the next town...it was closed too.. What a let down. We did find another place that served everything from pizza to steaks so we ate there. it was good but I was looking forward to Crocket's Manchester Chicken.
We'll be in town thur Wed and heading out for West TN on Thursday.

Question:

2011-05-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

If we're in Tennessee it must be................RAINING.. That's right... Rain, rain and more rain. We arrived on Sat afternoon and that evening was fine. Sunday it was showers late..so not real bad right. Yesterday showers off and on in the morning but cleared off in the afternoon. Then about midnight it's starts again and it hasn't stopped (it's 9:15am right now) This is suppose to last the rest of the day..
The sad part to all of this is this area has had rain the last 12-15 days and places are flooding. We're still ok right now but West Tenn is flooding (we're heading that way on Thurs.) Memphis is having lots of flooding problems of course the city is right on the Mississippi river so that has it's own problems.
Now lets talk about the temps... 48 right now and it's May.. that rarely happens. May is usually mid 70's or higher.. This does happen but it's rare. I think the high today is only 55.

Travel Day

2011-04-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

We left Gulf Shores AL today about 7:45am.. We knew we had a long day ahead of us.. We had decided earlier in the week to do the trip in one day, (it's about an 8 hr trip.) It was a good thing we'd planned that cause half way was around Birmingham and that wasn't going to happen since the terrible storms this past week. We didn't see the worst of the damage but from I-65 about four miles north of the city you started seeing the trees down, snapped off or stripped bare of bark. We did see some buildings (I'm thinking one was a hotel) that had crumbled. We saw several carivans of utility trucks and phone company trucks heading up and down the interstate, most likely coming from other towns and states to help. We're finding that there are several families from Alabama staying in town here (Shelbyville) with either families, friends or at hotels cause power is still out in AL. Let's keep praying.
Our time in AL seem to go fast.. We had a blast with friends..and we had plenty in and out of here to visit with. Tim and Jean are still there. They are heading back home for the summer soon, Rich and Betty, Peggy and Jimmy, Rita and Dan and Geo are either in MI or heading that way soon. So glad we got to see them (even though we spent the winter with most of them it's still fun when we see each other on the road). If we get to MI this summer I'm sure we'll see then again before we all met back up in TX for the winter...can you call sunny and 70 in Jan winter...
We'll be getting Dr's apts out of the way this week and visiting with our Moms and other family members then getting back on the road on Thurs.

Fast Month

2011-04-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, this sure has been a fast month.. Time does fly when you're having fun. We could stay longer if we didn't have dr apt's in TN. This is one of our favorite areas to stay in. If it wasn't for my allergies it would be just about perfect.
Another rv friend stopped by today. Geo is making his way from FL to MI. and stopped at one of his membership parks in Robertsdale, AL. for a few days. He knew we were in the area so we made plans to get together this afternoon. Tim and Jean stopped by too since they are friends of his also. We didn't have a long visit since we're heading out tomorrow but we'll see him again later this summer. We plan to see Tim and Jean this summer also.
Rita and Dan left this morning making their way back to MI. (I'm beginning to think the entire state of MI are RV'ers since most of our RV friends are from there.)(laughing)
I have a full schedule planned for the next several days visiting family.. I have one dentist visit hopefully it will be a simple filling but with me dental work is never simple.
We'll be traveling through the state of Alabama tomorrow and as we travel through I'll be thinking about and praying for the families affected by the storms this past week.

Storms

2011-04-28T13:07:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry about all the storms that happened yesterday. they were all north of us, remember we're in south AL and south of where we're at is the Gulf of Mexico..
We had rain showers overnight but nothing bad.
I've talked to both my (our) kids and they missed the bad weather too even though it was all around them as well.
As we travel through the state on Sat we'll probably see some of the distruction. I'm praying for these families.

Rita and Dan

2011-04-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Rita and Dan arrived on Monday evening and we headed out to their park to see them and see their new rv. They decided to trade their travel trailer in for a motorhome and they got a nice Discovery (remember we also have a Discovery) It's very nice.. We had to check it out and compare the differences between the two rigs.. We then headed to The shrimp basket for supper. Rita and I made plans to get our ped's on Wed.. So we met them for lunch at the Mellow Mushroom (not as good as it use to be) and while the guys came back to our place to solve the worlds problems we headed to the nail salon.
They will be leaving on Friday heading to MI for the summer.

Busy with friends

2011-04-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

We spent the week visiting with friends from TX. they are actually from MI but we winter with them in Tx.
In addition to Rich and Betty being here for a week and a half, Peggy and Jimmy arrived on Sunday afternoon. We made plans to get with them on Monday at Lamberts...Lamberts is a restaurant here that "throws the rolls" fresh out of the oven to you. The serving size are super big and the place is always packed. You get the sides that you order but then there's the pass arounds too that come with every meal...like our favorite, fried okra, fried potatoes and onions, cabbage, & black eyed peas. As long as you want to eat they keep bringing food, just ask Jimmy.
Tues we met at Lulu's so Peggy and Jimmy could check it out. It's a great place to start happy hours.. We got a table outside where we could watch the boats go by.
One Wed we decided a cook out was needed. So we grilled hotdogs and Brats with the trimmings and fresh strayberry short cake. The gang left on Thurs heading north.
This weekend we're grilling out with Tim, Jean, Trina and Alexi. Rita and Dan are heading this way sometime next week..

LuLu's

2011-04-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

We got together with Rich and Betty yesterday and went to Lulu's. It was our first time there and it was a fun. It's down by the marina and there's climbing stuff for kids, a gift shop and a stage area for bands. The building is open with no sides and plenty of tables.. it has a stage for a band and restaurant.. Some of the Tx gang is picturing Pepe's and yeah that's what I said when I saw it but it's newer, nicer, younger, got the food faster..and it's geared toward the family crowd.. There was music playing but no one line dancing. The food came quickly and it was good. Our waiter Jeremy was fun too.
Reid had the Cheeseburger in paradise and I had a grilled chicken wrap.. BTY did I mention that Lulu is the sister to Jimmy Buffet. he plays there sometimes but it would never happen while we were there.
Peggy and Jimmy are heading this way and will arrive later this afternoon. Can't wait to see them again.
I missed my trip to Shrimp basket this week with Tim and Jean..we'd eaten a late lunch and then they called with the invite.. hopefully we'll plan better on thurs. hint hint.

Betty and Rich

2011-04-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

We got a call yesterday from Betty and Rich.. Friends from TX. We met them through Phyllis and Larry.. Betty and Phyllis are sisters. Anyway they left TX and headed here for a week or so. We talked about going to LuLu's but decided it was too cool (LuLu's is right on the water and mostly outside seating) we'll get there before they leave. We visited briefly at their park Island Retreat then followed them to Desota's seafood place. It's one of their favorites and one we had't found yet. The seafood gumbo was very close to as good as Doc's according to Reid. Afterwards they followed us back to our park and we visited a while longer. It was fun to see them again and have plans to get together again soon. Peggy and Jimmy are headed this way. They'll be here over the weekend. Peggy is Larry's sister..

Lets eat

2011-04-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Doc's, Mellow Mushroom and The Shrimp Basket.. just three of our favorite places to eat while in the area and yes we've tried all three since we arrived last week.
TSB is Reid's favorite for blacken fish. He loves it and they have all you can eat nights a couple times a week. (Tim and Jean love the blacken fish too) Then there's the MM for pizza. We always try a local pizza whereever we go. We've been told by T&J that there's another pizza place that opened in Nov that we need to check out. Then there's Doc. Reid swears they have the best seafood gumbo on earth and he also likes their burgers. What a combination right. I keep mentioning Reid's favorites and your wondering about my favorite.. That would be peel and eat shrimp and I've never found a place on the gulf that doesn't have wonderful shrimp.. The sides are great too. Shrimp cole slaw.. yum, then there's the hush puppies..just thinking about it makes left over spaghetti sound blah doesn't it.
We're going to add to our favorites by trying some other places so stay tuned.

Plantation Harbour RV Park

2011-04-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

I think we made a good choice in parks this spring. In the past we've stayed at another park that is a very nice park and has anything you'd want but this place is a little farther from the coast and it doesn't cater to the spring break crowds.. This park is a lot like our place in Texas. There are deeded lots here and we tried to rent one of them but we wanted a really long site and the one we found was heavy treed so we decided to rent one of the park rentals and it's working out just fine. There's a couple of trees for shade and once our tv and internet came in we were ok with the trees.
The park is quiet and not a lot of traffic which is unlike the other place.There was constant traffic going in and out all day and evening. This park seems to have a lot of snow birds here with some leaving each week. Lady is watching the golf carts drive by wondering what up with this...she can't find her's.
April is spring break month and the other place had a lot of tweens in it So this place is gonna work out just fine. I'll let you know if my snow bird neighbors move on and a family of kids deside to park beside us. It could happen.

here's an update

2011-04-02T12:02:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't been doing so well with my updates. As soon as we left Texas my allergies kicked in. I keep telling everyone that I'm allergic to the south even thought I've lived here most of my life. We hit Louisana last Wed and the symptoms started up: sneezing, sniffing, stuffy head, my voice is in and out..(Reid's smiling over that) anyway I don't feel to bad most of the time just miserable and tired and headaches off and on. I've gotten some meds that are masking the symptoms but they want really go away till we leave the south which wont be for about 6 more weeks. So I'll try to hang in there.
We've had good weather with only one evening of rain and mild storms. That was when we were in Ms. Most of the heavy stuff went south of us through the gulf. We waited till Thurs to travel to Gulf Shores since the rain that MS had on Tue was hanging around GS on Wed. While in MS we drove the Challenger up the coast a couple of times. I love riding along the coast and looking at the gulf. We checked out one of our favorite Seafood places called McElroy's while we were there. They had a location on the coast of Biloxi that was destroyed during Katrina but have another location in Oceans Springs which is on the back side of the gulf.
We arrived at Plantation Harbor RV park and got set up on Thur. Tim and Jean have a place here and they arrived a couple weeks ago. We met them for an early supper at The Shrimp Basket that afternoon to get caught up. We last saw them in Ohio in Aug.
We're going to be hanging out here for about a month before getting to TN to see family and Reid's dr visits. We do expect to be busy here with all the wonderful restaurants to check out and friends to visit with. We know of three couples that are heading this that we winter with in TX. Some have been here before and some haven't so we'll check things out with them. I'll keep you informed and updated on what we're doing.

About Steph

2011-03-25T19:22:00.001-07:00

She got her news. Most of you know that Steph's had a back surgery and three knee surgerys (no she doesn't have three knees...one was done twice) any way the AF decided she couldn't perform her duties so they med boarded her, meaning they decide her future..
She's got in almost 8 yrs. Anyway, they decided to medically retire her. We never expected this outcome but they will pay her 50% of her base pay for life plus she gets medical and base priveledges. She will offically be out at the end of June.
Now she's busy check out schools and apartments near Atlanta.

La Margarita, still wonderful

2011-03-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

If we're in San Antonio we make a visit to La Margarita..It's one of our three favorite places for Mexican food.. It was wonderful as usual. I know we spent the winter about 5 miles from the Mexican border but the mexican food there is not what we like. Bobby was free so he met us there. Bobby is Reid's business associate..We see him if he's free wherever we're in town. We also had to make a groc run so we hit an HEB, last time before leaving TX.
On Thur we left early so we could get through Houston at a good time to hit the traffic lite.. We went through about 10:30 and it was pretty easy.. (It's easy for me to say cause I'm not driving). We arrived at the RV park in LA about mid afternoon but it was still a 7 hr day for us and we don't do them often.
The weather has been just wonderful since leaving So TX. We're having low 80's and mild. We were here this time last yr and our water hose actually froze while we were here. We perfer this weather better.

San Antonio, Tx

2011-03-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

We're out of the Valley for the first time in 5 months and 3 weeks. Yeah!!! we really love our park and friends but the rest of the area we can take or leave.. We had the car on the trailer and was heading out by 9. We said our "so longs" last night but we still saw Larry, Wayne and Jimmy this morning as they helped Reid get the car and trailer all loaded. We saw Myron too. Bonnie and Ralph were standing outside waving to us as we drove by and Phyllis was waving from the window.. I think good byes are the hardest even though we know we'll seem them again later in the summer or fall.
We arrived at Braunig Lake RV Resort at 1pm.(we love how people like to throw the word resort around.) We were planning to stay a week but the site we reserved wasn't the site they gave us so we have to be out of it on Thurs so we'll leave then instead of Sunday.

Almost time to leave

2011-03-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

We're almost ready to leave. With the exception of some things to put up last minute everything is put away. We're so ready too.
Friday, Rita had a going away happy hour. We're leaving first but the others will follow shortly.
We sold our rental lot this week. Phyllis and Larry decided to buy it. They've rented it for a couple of yrs and they've been coming down here for about 6 so they decided to get their own lot.
We tried Joe's Crab Shack on Wednesday and it was good. Six of us went and had a great time. I've had it fried and now steamed and I think their steam pots are better.
Our plan is to be out of here betweem 8 and 9 in the morning. We've got reservations at a park in San Antonio. We'll be there a week.

Yeah for Danny

2011-03-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

Danny was able to get a Interm Teaching job. It will last a month or it could last till the end of the school yr. Yeah for him. The teacher he's replacing is out on medical leave. She's pregnant but he thinks it's too early to have the baby so it might be for something else. We're just happy he was able to fill in and get some experience under his belt.. This will be an advantage once they start hiring full time positions in the summer. So for now and at least for a month he'll be receiving full teacher pay which granted isn't much but it's double what he makes as an assistant.

Ready to start our Spring

2011-03-11T16:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm ready to get the spring started but we still have another week here to finish up first. We're leaving on Sunday Mar 20th so I'll spend next week seeing everyone around the park and saying my good byes. A couple of people have left already and I know of a few more leaving this week but most will start to leave at the first of April. We're going to San Antonio for the week and check out things there. We don't get in a hurry to get anywhere cause we moved around all summer. The only place we have to be is in Tn by May 3rd for Reid's medical check up and test and I think we can get there in 7 weeks.
I have a few things around the park still to do next week and then I need to finish straightening up the casita and moving the last of the food and clothing over to the rv but that's all I still have to get done. It should be an easy week with plenty of time for happy hours.

countdown to leaving the valley

2011-03-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

We have a little over two weeks left and so much to do. My problem is I don't know how to scale back my activities.. I try to get everything in and all I do is wear myself out. Today was my "free day" and it was super busy. First was the park business meeting and it was crowded so I helped in the office till the rec ctr cleared out. Then went to lunch with friends, Rita and Dan, we started out going to a mexican place in Edinburg, We'd both won gift certificates at one of the dances but when we got there it was a fast food place and since we haven't had great luck down here with Mexican food we decided to go to Wallbangers instead. Later was happy hour and then I'm puppy watching for a neighbor so I'm going down to their place to feed and walk Dakota while they are at Borderfest this weekend.
Tomorrow will be my shopping day cause I avoid doing it on the weekend. Sat is Marti Gras and it's an all afternoon and evening event. Sunday will be my down day. I have Church early and I'll spend the rest of the day working around the rv, getting it organized. I'm busy but I wouldn't have it any other way.. if I wasn't busy I'd be bored and restless.

Out with Feb

2011-02-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

Another month is done. We've been hanging out here for five months and it's time to get rolling. You know I get stir crazy after awhile. As of right now we're leaving here on Mar 20th. We'd talked about going to Houston for a car rally but it looks like that's not going to happen so we decided to stay here till the 20th no matter the weather.
I've got plenty to keep me busy for the month with packing up and park activities so the time will go pretty fast.
We've had a couple of theme partys here at the park and a Marti Gras supper and dance this Sat. I had to have a tooth pulled last week and I'm glad it's over with. I didn't want to get on the road with a bad tooth.
I'll keep you posted as March gets underway and we get on the road.

Night out with friends

2011-02-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

Most of the "gang" (the gang meaning about 15 friends from the park and all related to each other) went on a cruise this week leaving behind the land lovers..So we decided to get with Bonnie and Ralph and go out to dinner while they were all out of town. So it was decided we'd bring the seas to us and have Red Lobster. It's also Mom's favorite restaurant so we were all happy.
The meal was great and we went about 4 for an early supper and the place was empty.. You don't say that often when talking about a restaurant here in Mission/McAllen. It was a perfect time to go. We decided we should do it more often..No dishes, I'm totally in.
No real plans for the rest of the day..

Mid Feb

2011-02-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

I guess it's been a while since I've blogged. I have been busy this month but that's not unlike any other month. Since Reid's birthday we've had some cold weather.. real cold, like in the 30's for highs.. This was off and on for a couple of weeks but this week has been more like south Texas. Highs in the 80's and windy.. I can take windy and warm over cold any day.
On Sat Feb 5th Reid's Mom flew down for her two weeks visit. She will be leaving on Sat. We've had fun having her here and I thinks she's had fun being here. At least it's been warmer here for her than TN.
The park is busy with parties and dances with all activities still going strong.
On the 27th we will have been here 5 months and you know what that means....it's getting time to get on the road. We usually leave south Tx in mid Mar and this yr will be no exception. As much as I enjoy my park here I am already to get back to what we like to do and that's travel.

Happy Birthday Reid

2011-01-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

We all know it's not his idea to celebrate his birthday but he had a great day doing whatever he wanted to do. I told him I'd take him our for lunch his choice and friends, Rudy and Sherry, had told us about a burger joint called Wallbangers that was very good so Reid had to try it. He's always on the lookout for the best burger ever.. We'd seen the restaurant for years just never thought about stopping. But it was good. Reid said the burger was great.. I had the salad bar and it was really good too.
Tonight our park held this Luau. Since it wasn't on Reid's list of fun things to do on his birthday he didn't go but I did and had a good time.
Tomorrow we're having some people over for Chili and darts. It's Al's birthday so we're having a group over for a non birthday get together.

My view of the cars

2011-01-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

For starters I do love the look of the Challengers. Reid use to have some for racing or various projects but never one fore me to drive and I always wanted my own. I did think that I'd get to drive the black one when we got it and yes I did drive it, all the way from AL to So TX. Then Reid took it over. LOL. He'd asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted to trade in my Jeep and get me one to drive around too and the pratical side said "no the Jeep is fine" and the non practical side was saying "Yeah, Yeah, go for it" Last weekend Reid went on a road rally with 14 other Challengers and I was thinking he'll have a good time them be ready to store the car for the summer.. That didn't happen. After Reid got back it was easy to see that he really wanted to go on the road with a Challenger so I changed my mind (or was it Reverse psychology) and he left with my Jeep and returned with white Challenger. It will go on the road with us and his will stay here to keep the mileage low.
So I didn't have to twist Reid's arm to get my own he was twisting it all by himself. I am having lots of fun driving and making up reasons that I need to go out.

Winter in South Texas

2011-01-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

OK it had to happen..Were hoping that our winter will only last this week. We started Monday off around 70 and then BAM, mid forty's for the next three days. We're hoping to get to 40 today so far we're still at 39 and drizzle. But I must say it's been better than last winter. This is our first (hopefully last) winter blast and we're all handling it ok..for now.
We all know that I'm a 80 degree kind of person and when it gets cold I like to do nothing and stay in and stay warm but my schedule is too busy for that so I have carried on nicely this week. I helped with the ladies golf luncheon on Monday and Bible study, ladies luncheon & groc shopping on Tues. Wed I worked my two hours in the office and line dance in the afternoon and today was our park's monthly meeting. Later we'll have our lunch date Thur and do any errands that need to be done, After that I think I'll be a couch potato and watch some stuff I have taped.
Lady is taking the cold well, she's curled up on the recliner in casita sleeping. She wants me to wake her up when the temps are back in the 60's LOL
Reid's had plenty of stuff to watch on TV so he's with Lady (in his own recliner of course)
The rest of the month is jam packed fun with a ladies' luncheon, a dance, a luau, craft fair, pizza party, and entertainment in addition to the regular activities so I plan to stay busy lets just hope I warm up for all this.

Happy New Years

2011-01-01T20:25:00.000-08:00

2011 another year. It seems like 2010 just started. It's been a great year. The yr was spent traveling and sightseeing, visiting with family. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Our year ends and begins here in Mission Texas. We usually spend 5-6 here between Oct and March. We had several visitors this yr too. Gary and Marge and Jo and Steve spent some time here in early winter 2010. Reid's Mom came for her annual visit and both the kids, Danny and Steph were here the month of Dec.
We spend spring and summer traveling around this great country of ours. We've discovered that there's a lot to see and do you just have to figure out what it is that you want to see and where you want to go. We spent 2010 seeing 10 states. Some things were repeats like spending 6 weeks in Ga near Steph. She had her third and hopefully last knee surgery this summer. I believe she sees her surgeon again this month for a check up on how her knees are healing. Then we spent some time at some membership parks that we've seen before such as Batesville, Erie and Waldenwoods. We were with friends Tim and Jean and Nancy and Bob during a couple of these visits. Toss a rally in there too at Shipshewana.
New adventures included trips to Akron, OH for a golf tournament, and Manistee MI and Travese City, MI to see the west coast of the state that we hadn't seen yet. Then we looped around to the east side of the state to Alpena and a visit with Larry and Phyllis, We met with about 50 family members in Spring Mill IN for a Birthday celebration for Mom and her twin, Connie. Then made our way back down to Gulf Shores for week of seafood before taking I-10 back toward the valley for the winter.
We did have the sad loss of our cat, Tigger. He was with us for over 14 years so we miss him. He really did travel pretty good.
Looking for to 2011 and where our travels will lead us. We're hoping to leave the valley in March and go North to San Antonio and then west from there. Keep reading and see where we go next.

Merry Christmas Everyone

2010-12-24T20:37:00.001-08:00

Hello, Hard to believe it's Christmas again. Where did the year go.
We're having a wonderful Christmas this season. For the past couple of years I've has either a sinus infection or the flu during December so I didn't get to enjoy the festivities but this year has been different. I started off the month with Stephanie visiting and getting the tree up and decorated and we've had our golf cart parade and cookie decorating party this week so we're in the Christmas spirit.
Danny arrived yesterday and we've had one get together after another since he arrived. Tonight we had our traditional Christmas Eve supper of Clam Chowder with cheese and cracker munchies. Then we sat around the tree and waiting till Lady found which gift was her's. The smell of the treat gave it away. That was the most fun watching her get into her bag and get her treat out.
Tomorrow will be another day of food and get togethers. We're having turkey with the trimmings here tomorrow. Our friends from the park, Linda and Jim are coming over to eat with us. By Sunday we'll all need a day off from all the baking, cooking and parties that we've been too.
Hope everyone's Christmas is merry and bright and we all realized how blessed we are.

Way to Go, Danny

2010-12-22T21:35:00.001-08:00

I'm happy to say that Danny rec'd his diploma today via mail. He finished his last class earlier in the month and his college graduation was on Sat. He didn't walk but his diploma was mailed to him and he rec'd it today. We're so proud of him.. He's also coming to town...tomorrow. Yeah. I'm so excited about his visit as I was with Steph's visit. He can only stay a few days but we'll have fun as long as he's here.
Tomorrow is our Christmas decorated golf cart parade so we'll be doing that later in the evening. Phyllis and I will be in the golf cart, one of us driving and one tossing candy. The rest of the group is helping us decorate and we'll be hanging out at our place later for snacks and some darts. That's our new thing. Darts.
We've been playing at P&L and Reid decided we needed a board too so now we're getting in some extra practice..
I'm fixing Christmas dinner and I'm hoping the weather stays nice for it since we want it to be outside if at all possible.

Super busy week

2010-12-12T21:20:00.000-08:00

The past week was really busy with Steph here. We were on the go the entire time. Steph comes in like a hurricane. Just kidding Steph. (really not) I do love it when the kids get to visit. It took the rest of the weekend to get the casita and rv back in order but I still had time for some fun too. On Sat night our neighbors across the street, Nancy and Ed, invited us over for chili. We had an early supper with them cause we were heading to the dance later. the chili was very good. There's so many ways to make chili isn't there.
Last night was our parks first dance of the season. It was also Betty's birthday so we had a table with four of our couple friends to celebrate her birthday. The group was Phyllis and Larry, Betty and Rich, (Phyllis' sister) Dan and Rita, (Phyllis' brother) and Ralph and Bonnie, (Rich's sister). We had a great time and we were surprised that Reid stayed as long as he did. He was a the hit of the party, all the women were taking smoke breaks with him.
This week is shaping up to be really busy and next week Danny will be visiting so I'm having a wonder December.
I also talked to a couple of "old" college friends today. I met Darlene and Eve 31 years ago and we've always kept up with each other but the past few years we'd lost touch but Steph found Eve on facebook and she called me today and we talked and talked and then I called Darlene and had a long talk with her so we decided to stay connected more often from now on.. Eve lives in TN and Darlene lives in VA. I'm so glad we've reconnected.
thanks Steph.

All about Danny

2010-12-08T08:36:00.001-08:00

I have to give each child (I know they are adults) equal time.
Just wanted to say that Danny texted me earlier and he had his last college class today so it's offical, he's finished with college. Yeah!!! It took a while. He went a couple yrs. changed majors a couple times, changed schools a couple of times, stopped and then went back a couple times but he stuck with it and he finished. He's going to teach Elem Ed somewhere in East Tenn and most likely coach too. We're proud of him and glad he hung in there and finished.

Week with Steph is going good.

2010-12-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

The week has been cool, warm and windy but I guess that's to be expected. We've walked some, rode bikes, had a happy hour, played darts with P&L, grilled out, gone shopping, ate out at some of our favorite places, got our hair and nails done and we still have a couple more days. Today she and her dad are going to the shooting range for some practice.
I was so looking forward to today being warmer but I didn't know it was going to be so windy.
Steph and I have discuss putting up the Christmas tree but last night we were looking around the casita and there's no real place to put it but where Reid's computer is at so we'll need to get his imput about the bigger tree.. I have a small table top tree I can use but the bigger one is prettier.
Steph will have to leave on Friday so we have to enjoy the next two days. Tomorrow the 3 of us will have a late lunch somewhere, probably of Steph's choosing then we take her to the airport at about 10 on Friday.
The week has gone so fast.

My Christmas is starting early

2010-11-30T16:20:00.000-08:00

Stephanie couldn't get leave to come visit for the week of Christmas but she could get leave this week. Yeah!! She's arriving on Thursday and staying a week.I'm so excited. I don't mind celebrating the entire month...She can help decorate the tree and we can ride around the park and check out the lights. Danny's going to vist the week of Christmas so I'll get a week with each of them. Can't wait.

A wonderful Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

Thurs was just a beautiful day. The sun was out and it was windy. But I've decided not to let the wind bother me. The turkey went on the grill about 9:30. I took a walk and visited with people in the park. With Reid watching the turkey I just had to get the veggie hot and set the table. We ate about 2 with Phyllis and Larry. The wind actually started calming down about the time we ate. I got a call earlier in the day from Wilma. They are back for the winter and they came over to visit later in the afternoon. We had a good visit and we're still here..even after the pumpkin bread. Last time we saw them was at a rally in Aug. We're glad they are back.
Another couple, Ed and Nancy stopped by later for a visit so we had a wonderful day of friends..but don't worry about me I talked to both my kids and caught up with them and also talked to Reid's Mom and my sister, Penny. Got Happy Thanksgiving emails from several other friends and family members. Family is never to far away when you have friends that are like family and emails.
Yesterday was our winter..now it's over hopefully, The cold front came through and after Thurs at 90 degrees I woke up on Fri to 40's (not good) It took most of the day but it did warm back up to the 60's I was bored so I went Warmart and I must have hit a shopping break cause the store wasn't too busy, I was able to browse without any problems. I got a couple of gifts so it was productive. Now it's time for me to start planning Christmas. I know that Danny will be spending it with me not sure yet if Stephanie can but we'll have fun.
Some more of our friends are heading our way.. Rita and Dan will be here in about a week and Jane, Rich, Bonnie and Ralph aren't too far away. There's another party waiting to happen.

Thanksgiving is almost here

2010-11-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

Some one reminded me that I haven't blog lately so I decided I'd better catch everyone up.. We're still in Texas where we'll be for another 3 and a half months give or take. We've been here already 8 weeks and they've gone super fast. Most of our friends are back. A few more couples will be coming in around the first of Dec. We've had happy hour and a cook out and have another one in the planning probally Sat weather pending. I still have the other end of the block to invite over before our cool month hits.
We're having Phyllis and Larry over for Thanksgiving dinner. That should be fun. Most people in the park are going to the Rec Ctr for dinner but we didn't want pot luck so we'll just have our own here. I really don't mind fixing a tradition turkey dinner except this yr we're going to try the turkey on the grill. It should be great.
I'm back in the swing of things here at the park, there's somthing going on all the time, when I have a free minute I usually enjoy it, they're so few.
I guess you're now updated so I'll close. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Kicking off the winter season

2010-11-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

When november hits so did the activities. The park is filling up fast with the bulk of the residence back. There's never a shortage of stuff to do. I'm going to be working in the office again on Tues mornings, we have line dance on Mon and Wed. Then there's breakfast Thurdays, bike rides, and Happy hours. The rest of the week will be meetings and get togethers. So much to do.
We've actually already been here for 6 weeks and time has gone fast. A couple more people arrived today with the last couple from our end of the street scheduled to arrive tomorrow.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I'll be fixing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner here. Hopefully the weather will be great and we'll be able to eat on our newly expanded patio. (Pic's on Reid's journal)
That's all for now.

End of Oct

2010-10-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

This was our first month back in the valley and it went fast. I expected it to be slow but it wasn't. My November is filling up fast. On Tues I start my volunteering in the office and I'm also Welcome greeter for the Month. We have a group that welcomes new people to our park and we break it up where a couple of us greet each month. Leah and I are doing it for Nov. Besides that I'll have my walking and riding, line dancing and Bible study that I do weekly then fill in other things to do around that. I'm ready to get busy with it all.
Yesterday was a beautiful day and Reid wanted to take a ride. So we got in the Challenger and headed west on 83. That would be toward Laredo but we didn't go that far.. We stopped at Falcon Lake State Park.. why you asked.. because it was there. It was really nothing interesting. The park does have an rv park but really not much else. There was a boat ramp with a small inlet that flowed into the big lake but you really couldn't see the lake from the park. There was a group of people looking at and taking pictures of plants and butterflies and that was it. We stopped at a picnic table for a break (smoke break) and there was a swampy area near it but still no big lake. We left and headed back home. We had fun on the drive so all was not lost.

Rumor: No

2010-10-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

It was true. Jim and Linda are here. I finally saw them. They were getting stuff settled and their golf cart batteries needed replacing so that's why they hadn't been out much. I saw them taking a drive last night when Lady was taking us for a ride.. I expect we'll see them out and about now.

Was it a Rumor

2010-10-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Reid told me that Linda and Jim are back but I haven't seen them yet. I've rode by their place a few times but still no sightings. Could Reid have been wrong? Maybe he just thought he saw them. I need to investigate this some more.

Last week of Oct

2010-10-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's the last week of the month and it's been pretty busy. I've had plenty to do with meetings starting up and stuff. Next week the office will open and I'll start volunteering on Tues again.
The temp is returning to normal this weekend. It was 97 yesterday and only 85 today with some wind. It's still not going to get as cool as they first said. We were hoping for some 70's.
I told everyone about Steph's trip to SA didn't I. Well after a 1000 mile drive one way and 4 hrs of class they realized she's still on medical restrictions and they send her back to GA. So after driving down last Fri and Sat she has to make the return trip back to GA on Mon and Tues. She wasn't happy but she made it home safely.
Reid and I went to the mall today. He needed jeans and I needed a curtain for the casita. After that we went to KoKo's, It's a mexican place we found and it was pretty good. There was a couple things we'd change but it was the best ones we've found here so far but the search isn't over.. About once a month we like to try a new place so on date lunch Thur we never know where we might end up.

What's been missing in South Texas

2010-10-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

We've been here almost a month and we've had sunshine, low humidity, high 80's to mid 90's, no rain...what's missing...oh yeah! wind...well, we got it on Thurs. First sign of the wind after three wonderful weeks. Yesterday was the worst with wind gust over 30 but today was some better and I believe over for next week. Now the wind doesn't bother me too much unless I'm trying to petal my bike.. that doesn't work too well.
Our park is getting busy.. I had to wait on traffic to go by me while on a golf cart ride with Lady last night..Tonight we had the Hobo dinner. It was a blast. There was a great turnout and everyone had fun.
I know of several that are arriving this week so it will be fun seeing them.
Steph is close.. she's in San Antonio for the next two weeks. She has 7th level training (whatever that is). Don't know yet if she'll have time to see us.. If her weekend is free she might come down but she's probally going to be so busy we wont see her.

I'll tell you about my week

2010-10-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. I'm trying to get the RV all "spring cleaned" but I keep putting it off. I guess I have about half if it done. Once I finish I want to have the carpet shampooed and I'd like to have it all done before activities start Nov 1st. That's when the offical schedule cranks up but there's enough of us here that some things have started or are starting up soon. Card nights have started and a pool party was held on Friday.. (I forgot about it but I'm not a pool person but I am a party person) Lady is going to the groomers tomorrow and I'm going looking for curtains for the casita.
Looks like Danny and Stephanie will get to spend Christmas here this year so that's got me really pumped. We're still working out the days and times with the kids and checking for tickets but I think it will all work out.
We've been cooking on the grill ever since we got it. I love it when Reid does the the cooking. He's practicing before we have guest over..
Several more people have come in this week. I'm seeing 4 or 5 new couples each week. Were looking forward to seeing everyone and we know that a few are planning to be here the end of Oct and some more arriving the end of Nov. The weather has been nice. Today got back to the low 90's but the 80's should be back by mid week. That's all I have now. Ya'll hurry and get down here so I'll have things to do and talk about.

Nice in the Valley

2010-10-06T12:00:00.001-07:00

Every since we've arrived the weather has been great. We had a couple of mid 90's last week but mostly it's be mid 80's and sunny. The humidity has been low and that's been great. I got to go walking and biking this morning cause it was so nice and comfortable. Our low's have been mid 60's so the evenings have been nice too.
I went back to get groc today and I can see the winter Tex prices are comming out. I say that cause we've been down here as early as mid Sept and the prices are cheaper in Sept and Oct. The closer we get to Nov the prices start to rise. I got beer last week at 18.47 today is was 19.47. Pepsi last week 2.97 today 4.38.. It's not just a few things either it's a lot of stuff so back to my point...they raise the prices for the winter crowd. Oh you laugh but it's true.
Lady is getting her golf cart rides in the evenings. She loves them so but the other day when I told her we were going for a ride and let her off the chain she rain toward the Challenger instead of the GC. She likes a nice ride sometimes too.

where did I go right

2010-10-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

hey there again. We arrived in the Valley on our lot Monday afternoon. Got something to eat and started some unpacking...I wasn't feeling good so I layed down and got up on Thurs about 10am.. wow...I was running a fever and super dizzy...Vertigo...I've had it before but usually after an ear infection or a cold..
Anyway I was able to stay up yesterday for the first time and today was better. I'm hoping to be myself again real soon. I still have some "spinning" so I have to be careful, I don't like it when everything spins and there's nothing you can do to stop it.
Now about the Valley. It's real green and lush here. That's unusual. It's usually brown... We've been told that the valley has had over 30 inches of rain since Jan so that's rare too. Having two hurricanes skirt the county will call lots of rain. Very little additional lot improvements happened over the summer. We see where one new house was built and one rv lot had concrete poured. Another developed lot had a mobile home put on it but that's it. Winter projects will get started soon.
There's several people here already. Beside the ones that live here yr round a few have already arrived back in town. I was told more are heading in next week.
I plan on taking it easy this weekend. I have to let all this dizziness and light headedness go away and then get the rv unpacked and cleaned out. I like to be settled before the "stuff" started happening for the winter.

In Texas again

2010-09-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

We got up early this morning and headed toward Houston. We always like driving through there on Sunday not really thinking there was a home football game. I'd looked it up earlier in the month but I was checking for next Sunday cause that was our plan date to go through there but when we changed our plans for a week early I forgot to check on it again. We saw the signs about football traffic and realized we were heading right into it but they either had a small crowd or we were ahead of the crowd cause we got through pretty easily. I'd never driven through Houston myself before but I thought it went pretty smoothly. We are in Victoria, TX for the night and we'll get into Mission and our park tomorrow. We've been on the road for over 6 months and it's time to take it easy for a few months and by take it easy I mean get back on my Leisure schedule where most everyday has something scheduled to do. There's never a dull time there that's for sure.