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Stella fixed us another good breakfast this morning and as soon as I could, I went outside to enjoy the weather. It is so peaceful here in this state park. There are few other trailers here and almost no traffic. It is nice to sit outside and watch the birds and squirrels at the feeder. The other park guests that occasionally walk by are very friendly and we will miss the shady, wooded sites.
I bought the book "The Blind Side" yesterday and started reading it while sitting outside. It is one of the best books that I have ever read! It is so heartwarming to read the true story of Michael Oher and his adopted family. I have heard from others that have seen the movie that it's a great story and now I believe it. I read over 200 pages of the book today and will finish it tomorrow. I can highly recommend this book and I'm sure that the movie is every bit as good.
We did our chores around the park today for the last time this year. Tomorrow is our day off and we are leaving on Thursday for Rayford Crossing, so we are done with working for awhile. Our next work camping gig will be at Timber Ridge Village in Magnolia next month.
Stella fixed us her special smothered steak for supper. It is rapidly becoming my favorite meal. I think she found it on one of the Food Network shows on television. Ask her about it the next time you see her, maybe she'll fix it for you.
This will be a short entry today, but you can just thank me, no applause is necessary.
So long.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday March 29, 2010-Stephen F. Austin SP
Today is another of those perfect weather days here, cool at night and warm and dry during the day. We have really tried to take advantage of this weather and have spent every moment outside. I wish we had more spring time in Texas but this will last a couple of weeks and then summer will arrive.
We did our chores around the park, and since we needed propane, we decided to try out a new restaurant that we had heard about, Ernesto's Mexican Food while we were out. Ernesto's was supposed to have been so great and very cheap according to some friends from here in the park. We were told that both of them had plenty of food for about $6.00 but that is not what we found. It is your typical small family-run mexican restaurant where no one speaks much English, and even the television station is all mexican, so if you don't speak the language, you better have someone to talk to or bring a book to read, cause there ain't nothing else to do there. The food wasn't bad but it was nothing great and not all that cheap either.
We also did some grocery shopping at Wal Mart and came on back home. We invited A.D. and Dee over to have a campfire tonight, so I lit the fire and sat up the chairs around the fire. They came over and stayed until about 8:30 when the fire started going down and it began to get cold. They had to get up and go to the hospital early in the morning, so the party broke up early. We had a very nice visit with them and have become good friends since we've been here. We'll miss them when we leave.
So long.
We did our chores around the park, and since we needed propane, we decided to try out a new restaurant that we had heard about, Ernesto's Mexican Food while we were out. Ernesto's was supposed to have been so great and very cheap according to some friends from here in the park. We were told that both of them had plenty of food for about $6.00 but that is not what we found. It is your typical small family-run mexican restaurant where no one speaks much English, and even the television station is all mexican, so if you don't speak the language, you better have someone to talk to or bring a book to read, cause there ain't nothing else to do there. The food wasn't bad but it was nothing great and not all that cheap either.
We also did some grocery shopping at Wal Mart and came on back home. We invited A.D. and Dee over to have a campfire tonight, so I lit the fire and sat up the chairs around the fire. They came over and stayed until about 8:30 when the fire started going down and it began to get cold. They had to get up and go to the hospital early in the morning, so the party broke up early. We had a very nice visit with them and have become good friends since we've been here. We'll miss them when we leave.
So long.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, March 26-27 & 28, 2010-Stephen F. Austin SP
Not too much special to report here for the last three days. The weather has been spectacular, with cool nights and moderate temps during the day. It dips down into the upper 40's at night and into the low 70's during the days, and without a cloud in the sky, no chance of rain.
The park was absolutely full of scouts this weekend. Almost all of the tent area was taken up with several cub/boy scout groups, and there were even more in the shelter area. There were even two good sized groups in RV sites, so needless to say, the park was full. The scouts can get loud and, being kids, they like to stay up late. Most of the time, they are very well behaved, but I have heard stories of some of the things they have done here. It helps if the scoutmasters take them for hikes or play games to tire them out.
I had an interesting conversation with one of the rangers this weekend. We had a very large group in on Saturday in one of the RV sites. There were at least six cars and what seemed like 50 people in the site. I noticed them and noticed a "D" sticker on the cars, which denotes a day pass. I asked the ranger why they were not asked to go to a day-use site and he said that the park will allow this as long as an RV site is not needed for an RV. In other words, I can come in and pay a day-use fee and get to use the most expensive site in the park for nothing? When I asked him about it, he said that this is TX Parks & Wildlife policy. Hmmm. I have to think on that a little more...
We just took care of our bathrooms and sold a lot of firewood and ice. We are running dangerously low on both, and as of Sunday we are down to 5 bundles of firewood and 7 bags of ice. I know there is more firewood in the park and have been told that ice will be delivered on Monday. I hope so, because that won't last at the rates the guests here go through it. This was our last weekend here and we don't know who will be taking our spot. There aren't any host scheduled to arrive for awhile.
Two of our friends that stayed here as project volunteers left on Saturday. Jerry and Diane are from Kansas and came in back in January. Jerry is very skilled at construction projects and worked on the fences here in the park, erecting a pole fence in the day use area. He built benches our of felled trees along the paths on a couple of trails. I know he stayed very busy.
On their way out, Jerry discovered a problem with his tail lights on the trailer. He stopped here to see if I had a electricity test light, but I didn't so he stopped at A.D.'s place and used his. They had to wire in a loop to his left tail light because the factory plug-in was shorted out. All of this work apparently made one of the fuses blow, so just when they thought they had everything fixed, they found the blown fuse. It was replaced and everything is fixed now. He just has to get his new Chevrolet truck to a shop to fix the shorted-out wire.
Stella's uncle and aunt, Sonny and Irene and their daughter Carol came by on Sunday afternoon. Carol has a mail forwarding service, so we got signed up with her to take care of our mail. It was a very pleasant afternoon. I listened to Sonny talk about his life after the second World War and some of the things he did in his life.
Later in the afternoon, I was helping A.D. and Dee look for a lost cell phone in one of the empty sites when a car drove up and asked a question. It was our friends Tom and Marti Mangum, who were driving by the park and decided to drop in. We are so glad to see them and we had a nice chat outside. The wind had picked up and it was chilly, so they didn't stay long. We will see them soon at the Heartland rally in Spring. It was a nice way to end our last weekend here in this beautiful park.
So long.
The park was absolutely full of scouts this weekend. Almost all of the tent area was taken up with several cub/boy scout groups, and there were even more in the shelter area. There were even two good sized groups in RV sites, so needless to say, the park was full. The scouts can get loud and, being kids, they like to stay up late. Most of the time, they are very well behaved, but I have heard stories of some of the things they have done here. It helps if the scoutmasters take them for hikes or play games to tire them out.
I had an interesting conversation with one of the rangers this weekend. We had a very large group in on Saturday in one of the RV sites. There were at least six cars and what seemed like 50 people in the site. I noticed them and noticed a "D" sticker on the cars, which denotes a day pass. I asked the ranger why they were not asked to go to a day-use site and he said that the park will allow this as long as an RV site is not needed for an RV. In other words, I can come in and pay a day-use fee and get to use the most expensive site in the park for nothing? When I asked him about it, he said that this is TX Parks & Wildlife policy. Hmmm. I have to think on that a little more...
We just took care of our bathrooms and sold a lot of firewood and ice. We are running dangerously low on both, and as of Sunday we are down to 5 bundles of firewood and 7 bags of ice. I know there is more firewood in the park and have been told that ice will be delivered on Monday. I hope so, because that won't last at the rates the guests here go through it. This was our last weekend here and we don't know who will be taking our spot. There aren't any host scheduled to arrive for awhile.
Two of our friends that stayed here as project volunteers left on Saturday. Jerry and Diane are from Kansas and came in back in January. Jerry is very skilled at construction projects and worked on the fences here in the park, erecting a pole fence in the day use area. He built benches our of felled trees along the paths on a couple of trails. I know he stayed very busy.
On their way out, Jerry discovered a problem with his tail lights on the trailer. He stopped here to see if I had a electricity test light, but I didn't so he stopped at A.D.'s place and used his. They had to wire in a loop to his left tail light because the factory plug-in was shorted out. All of this work apparently made one of the fuses blow, so just when they thought they had everything fixed, they found the blown fuse. It was replaced and everything is fixed now. He just has to get his new Chevrolet truck to a shop to fix the shorted-out wire.
Stella's uncle and aunt, Sonny and Irene and their daughter Carol came by on Sunday afternoon. Carol has a mail forwarding service, so we got signed up with her to take care of our mail. It was a very pleasant afternoon. I listened to Sonny talk about his life after the second World War and some of the things he did in his life.
Later in the afternoon, I was helping A.D. and Dee look for a lost cell phone in one of the empty sites when a car drove up and asked a question. It was our friends Tom and Marti Mangum, who were driving by the park and decided to drop in. We are so glad to see them and we had a nice chat outside. The wind had picked up and it was chilly, so they didn't stay long. We will see them soon at the Heartland rally in Spring. It was a nice way to end our last weekend here in this beautiful park.
So long.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday and Thursday, March 24 & 25, 2010-Stephen F. Austin SP
Today is our day off, but it is also the day that our friends Gene and Linda and Len and Peggy are leaving. Gene and Linda are on a four-state park trip and will go to the Matagorda Bay State Park near Bay City. Len and Peggy are going back home to Chappel Hill. We've had a great time with them and will miss them when they're gone. I'm sure we'll catch up to them again somewhere on the road or back here next year.
We all decided that we wanted a good breakfast that none of us had to work hard to make, so knowing how good Tony's breakfast is, we went into Sealy for breakfast. As usual, Tony didn't let us down, and all had a very tasty meal. We all enjoyed our last time together. We returned to the park and they made their final preparations to leave. Gene and Linda had loaded up a lot of their gear, so they didn't have too much to do when we got back. It must be easier to load up a motorhome because Len and Peggy were done about the same time as Gene and Linda. After hugs and handshakes, they were on their way.
Stella and I had decided to go into Sealy and do our laundry, so we got everything ready and went to the laundromat. As usual, I sat in the truck and read a book, enjoying the silence. It had started to lightly rain, so it would not have been a very good day to do much in the park. After finishing the laundry, we bought our groceries and came back home.
I should mention that I have heard from our buyer for the house and we should expect to close week after next. That is such good news for us. We are both so relieved to have finally sold the house. It has been our home for 25 years, but it's time to move on with our life in our lifestyle.
Wednesday we got up and went to Dickinson to make one last look-around at the house. We knew that there were some photos and other things we wanted to get out, but we ended up spending all day down there getting things picked up and moved. I finally told Stella that although I'm sure there are some things we could use if we hunted long enough for them, but we both were tired and hungry and wanted to get back home. Did I mention that we are excited over selling the house?
We stopped off at the karate school to see Tyler and Cameron on the way out of town. Cam has had some trouble in school and I wanted to talk to him about it.We had a little chat and I hope to hear from him soon, but I'm not holding my breath.
We stopped off and got something to eat on the way back home because we were right in the middle of the rush hour traffic. It has been years since either of us has eaten at a Wendy's but it hasn't changed. They have a good burger and it was right on the way home in Texas City. We soon got out into the traffic and made our way back to San Felipe. We stopped off at the Buccee's store in Alvin and filled the little tank on the truck. We took 20.6 gallons to go 363.7 miles for a 17.6 MPG average.
It is still cool at night and into the upper 60's to lower 70's in the daytime but at least it's not raining.
So long.
Did I mention that we are elated to have sold the house?
We all decided that we wanted a good breakfast that none of us had to work hard to make, so knowing how good Tony's breakfast is, we went into Sealy for breakfast. As usual, Tony didn't let us down, and all had a very tasty meal. We all enjoyed our last time together. We returned to the park and they made their final preparations to leave. Gene and Linda had loaded up a lot of their gear, so they didn't have too much to do when we got back. It must be easier to load up a motorhome because Len and Peggy were done about the same time as Gene and Linda. After hugs and handshakes, they were on their way.
Stella and I had decided to go into Sealy and do our laundry, so we got everything ready and went to the laundromat. As usual, I sat in the truck and read a book, enjoying the silence. It had started to lightly rain, so it would not have been a very good day to do much in the park. After finishing the laundry, we bought our groceries and came back home.
I should mention that I have heard from our buyer for the house and we should expect to close week after next. That is such good news for us. We are both so relieved to have finally sold the house. It has been our home for 25 years, but it's time to move on with our life in our lifestyle.
Wednesday we got up and went to Dickinson to make one last look-around at the house. We knew that there were some photos and other things we wanted to get out, but we ended up spending all day down there getting things picked up and moved. I finally told Stella that although I'm sure there are some things we could use if we hunted long enough for them, but we both were tired and hungry and wanted to get back home. Did I mention that we are excited over selling the house?
We stopped off at the karate school to see Tyler and Cameron on the way out of town. Cam has had some trouble in school and I wanted to talk to him about it.We had a little chat and I hope to hear from him soon, but I'm not holding my breath.
We stopped off and got something to eat on the way back home because we were right in the middle of the rush hour traffic. It has been years since either of us has eaten at a Wendy's but it hasn't changed. They have a good burger and it was right on the way home in Texas City. We soon got out into the traffic and made our way back to San Felipe. We stopped off at the Buccee's store in Alvin and filled the little tank on the truck. We took 20.6 gallons to go 363.7 miles for a 17.6 MPG average.
It is still cool at night and into the upper 60's to lower 70's in the daytime but at least it's not raining.
So long.
Did I mention that we are elated to have sold the house?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday March 23, 2010-Stephen F. Austin SP
Tuesday, we all woke and did our own thing for breakfast. We had decided yesterday to go to Orlando's Pizza in Brookshire this afternoon, so we didn't want to eat a big breakfast. We ended up going there about one o'clock, so we missed the lunch rush and still had a good selection of pizzas to choose from.
Len and Peggy rode with us, and wanted to go to Tony's to get one of their blueberry pies before they leave tomorrow, so we took a ride over to Sealy and picked one up after lunch. Len also bought one of their coconut pies after hearing all of us rave about how good they are. We brought them back with us and just hung out all afternoon. We all met again around five, and after I built another fire, we all had a piece of the coconut pie. It was WONDERFUL! You owe it to yourself to come to Tony's restaurant in Sealy and have some of their coconut pie. Actually any pie that you choose will be great but the coconut is outstanding!
The weather certainly cooperated for much of the week because it was cool outside but not too cold, so we had another very nice night sitting outside by the fire and visiting.
So long.
Len and Peggy rode with us, and wanted to go to Tony's to get one of their blueberry pies before they leave tomorrow, so we took a ride over to Sealy and picked one up after lunch. Len also bought one of their coconut pies after hearing all of us rave about how good they are. We brought them back with us and just hung out all afternoon. We all met again around five, and after I built another fire, we all had a piece of the coconut pie. It was WONDERFUL! You owe it to yourself to come to Tony's restaurant in Sealy and have some of their coconut pie. Actually any pie that you choose will be great but the coconut is outstanding!
The weather certainly cooperated for much of the week because it was cool outside but not too cold, so we had another very nice night sitting outside by the fire and visiting.
So long.
Monday March 22, 2010-Stephen F. Austin SP
We got up this morning and had breakfast with our friends Gene and Linda and Len and Peggy. Stella fixed a breakfast casserole for everyone, and I built a fire in the pit and we sat around the fire all day long.
Stella and I did our chores periodically all day, and kept our bathrooms sparkling. Most of the park guests that were here for spring break were now gone, so it was quiet and peaceful again. The weather was spectacular, a great change from the cold winds of yesterday. Gene and Linda rode their bikes every day around the park. I took walks around the large loop every day, so everyone tried to stay healthy in spite of the amount of food that we had.
Peggy fixed us a spaghetti dinner this afternoon, complete with a salad with garlic bread and all the fixin's. It was a great meal with our friends. We had leftover pie and brownies from yesterday for dessert. Since Gene and I had picked up all the firewood that had been left behind, we had plenty to have a fire all day that we just hung out around the pit all day and into the evening.
We are so blessed to have so many friends.
So long.
Stella and I did our chores periodically all day, and kept our bathrooms sparkling. Most of the park guests that were here for spring break were now gone, so it was quiet and peaceful again. The weather was spectacular, a great change from the cold winds of yesterday. Gene and Linda rode their bikes every day around the park. I took walks around the large loop every day, so everyone tried to stay healthy in spite of the amount of food that we had.
Peggy fixed us a spaghetti dinner this afternoon, complete with a salad with garlic bread and all the fixin's. It was a great meal with our friends. We had leftover pie and brownies from yesterday for dessert. Since Gene and I had picked up all the firewood that had been left behind, we had plenty to have a fire all day that we just hung out around the pit all day and into the evening.
We are so blessed to have so many friends.
So long.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday March 21, 2010-Stephen F. Austin SP
We woke to cold weather again....will winter never leave? At least we didn't have any snow here like Dallas got! It was very cold in the trailer because of course, the propane ran out during the night and Stella didn't wake me to go switch tanks. Poor little Cassie was snuggled up on me just a tight as she could be, and still shivering. I went outside and changed the tanks over, and it warmed up nicely.
We had a Colorado reunion scheduled for today. Tommy and Susan were coming down and bringing Dick and his wife Eugenia and of course Gene and Linda and Len and Peggy who were already here. Ted and Donna also came, so it was a nice group. We haven't seen them in quite awhile, so it was a nice get together. The only problem was the weather, windy and cold.
We had a great deal of munchies, chips and dips, summer sausage, several kinds of cheeses, hot crackers (my favorite), and lots of crackers. Linda made sloppy Joe sandwiches, calico beans, cole slaw, potato salad, so there was PLENTY to eat. Susan fixed some brownies and Peggy fixed a banana pudding. Donna had been wanting a piece of coconut pie, so Stella fixed one, but was told that since there was so much other stuff to eat, to keep it at home. She later fixed Ted and Donna some of the pie to take home. I know she appreciated it, and we were glad to be able to give her some of the pie that she wanted.
Gene and I went to the group area and picked up a lot of firewood that they had left there. My neighbor had given me his firewood that he wasn't going to use, so we had plenty of wood to burn. Gene made a nice fire in his firepit and we all sat around the fire, keeping warm and chatting. I had brought two of our brand new chairs, but when I got out of mine, the wind blew it into the fire, burning a large hole in the seat back. It's not ruined, but it doesn't look too good. Maybe we can find a cover to put over the burned material.
Tommy and his group left promptly at 2 just like he said he was going to do. I think Gene was wanting to get home to watch NASCAR on television. Ted and Donna stayed and we had a very nice visit. It was a very nice day and we were sorry to see them leave, but they had a long drive back to the Woodlands. The rest of us continued to sit outside, enjoying the day.
Those of us that were hungry had some of the leftovers, but honestly, we were all pretty full. We sat out until well after dark and turned in. It was a great day with good friends.
So long.
We had a Colorado reunion scheduled for today. Tommy and Susan were coming down and bringing Dick and his wife Eugenia and of course Gene and Linda and Len and Peggy who were already here. Ted and Donna also came, so it was a nice group. We haven't seen them in quite awhile, so it was a nice get together. The only problem was the weather, windy and cold.
We had a great deal of munchies, chips and dips, summer sausage, several kinds of cheeses, hot crackers (my favorite), and lots of crackers. Linda made sloppy Joe sandwiches, calico beans, cole slaw, potato salad, so there was PLENTY to eat. Susan fixed some brownies and Peggy fixed a banana pudding. Donna had been wanting a piece of coconut pie, so Stella fixed one, but was told that since there was so much other stuff to eat, to keep it at home. She later fixed Ted and Donna some of the pie to take home. I know she appreciated it, and we were glad to be able to give her some of the pie that she wanted.
Gene and I went to the group area and picked up a lot of firewood that they had left there. My neighbor had given me his firewood that he wasn't going to use, so we had plenty of wood to burn. Gene made a nice fire in his firepit and we all sat around the fire, keeping warm and chatting. I had brought two of our brand new chairs, but when I got out of mine, the wind blew it into the fire, burning a large hole in the seat back. It's not ruined, but it doesn't look too good. Maybe we can find a cover to put over the burned material.
Tommy and his group left promptly at 2 just like he said he was going to do. I think Gene was wanting to get home to watch NASCAR on television. Ted and Donna stayed and we had a very nice visit. It was a very nice day and we were sorry to see them leave, but they had a long drive back to the Woodlands. The rest of us continued to sit outside, enjoying the day.
Those of us that were hungry had some of the leftovers, but honestly, we were all pretty full. We sat out until well after dark and turned in. It was a great day with good friends.
So long.
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