Saturday January 30, 2010-Stephen F. Austin SP

We got up this morning and ate a quick breakfast and checked the bathrooms early so we could run down to the Lakeview RV park where Bill and Ornell had come down for Bill medical treatment and to visit with Tom and Judy. We have also planned to go to the Houston Car Show this afternoon.

When we got to the show, we waited for Bill and Ornell's son Tommy, his wife Jackie and their son Tanner. Tanner is 7 and really seemed to enjoy the show. The first thing we saw at the show was the Toyota display, where they drove some of their cars around the lot, showing off different features. We didn't drive because we were afraid that these cars might be a part of the big Toyota recall and have a sticky accelerator.

When we did get inside, we were disappointed that neither Ford nor GM had brought a dually truck to the show. In fact, both brought a 3/4 ton truck with a diesel motor, but the Ford is a new model and they wouldn't let it be inspected except for walking around the outside. The truck was locked and could not be opened, nor would they allow the engine to be viewed since it is a new design that is not released yet. The GM is the same-old, same-old thing, so it was really nothing new. There are a few new whistles and bells, but nothing out of the ordinary. I don't understand corporate thinking. People pay for parking and then an entry fee for a car show, yet not all models are present, or they won't let you look at it because it hasn't been released yet. Sales are down across the board, yet they don't care about the buyers that are looking at their products. It doesn't give me a very warm and fuzzy feeling toward GM and FoMoCo. Dodge, however, had a dually and a couple of 3/4 ton trucks with the new Cummins diesel engine. Guess which one I'm looking at when I think of a new truck?

Judy started getting tired, so before we got too upset, we left the show and went to Judy's favorite restaurant, the Adobe. We had another fine meal and everyone enjoyed it. Tom and Judy had ridden with Bill, so when we finished eating, we came back home and they returned to Lakeview.

We got back to the park in time to make our late afternoon check of the bathrooms. Everything was okay there, so our thanks go to our friends A.D. and his wife Dee for taking care of things for us. We have made some good friends while we have been here, including them and also Bobby and Debbie and Don and Nita. We all have different duties but we are friends so when one needs some help, we are there for each other. Nice to have friends...

So long.