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Tuesday was a very routine day of work for Stella at Timber Ridge with nothing much to report. I did take my truck by Master Hitch to have the horn diaphragms replaced and to adjust the fifth wheel hitch. Now my train horn works again. I dare you to cut me off now...!
Wednesday however was a much busier day. It had rained most of the night and continued to rain all day long and with the mid-50's temperature, it felt very cold. I took Stella to work and returned home. Our friends Tom and Marti were coming in today, and Tom dropped by after he got in and got his trailer all set up, just to let me know that he had arrived. About 1:30, I went outside and did some chores and when I came back in, I had a call from Stella that some friends had come to the park to see us and couldn't get in touch with me. My friend Mike Tinklin, his wife Donna and their son Ben soon arrived at our home. They are fellow Bighorn owners from Toronto Canada who are visiting Texas to scout out places to come in another year or so to visit. They had been in Corpus Christi and North Padre Island looking at RV parks and had come to Houston to look at Rayford and to meet me. Mike and I have been messaging back and forth on Facebook and took time out to come by for a visit. We had a nice time together and they asked some questions about our lifestyle. I showed them around the park and they met the office personnel and said that they plan to return to Texas in January-February. Melissa recommended that they contact the park as soon as they can to reserve a site at the times they wish to book. They had already gotten a brochure on the park, and said they would contact her closer to time for them to make their reservations. After hugs and handshakes they left for their hotel and tomorrow's trip to San Antonio. It was good to finally meet them and we are looking forward to seeing them again in Goshen.
We had decided to take Reta to eat supper with us tonight before playing bingo. We went to Marcos with a coupon that Donna had given us, and it sure came in handy. All three of us ate for around $15, and we figured out that it was cheaper to eat out than fix it ourselves.
Of course, none of us won at bingo but we did have a good time. Tom and Marti came and we all sat together and had many laughs during the game. One of these nights, someone is going to mess up and I'll win but I'm not holding my breath.
So long.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday December 27, 2010-Rayford Crossing RV Resort
Boy, it was cold this morning. My outside thermometer showed 29 degrees a little before 6 AM and the computer showed the temperature in Spring as 28, so we were close. I had been woke up about 5 when the propane bottle ran out and I had to go out and change bottles. There was plenty of frost and ice around the park and when I got home from coffee, Stella told me that the water line had frozen and she had turned on the water pump for water to flush and shower with. I went outside to check on the lines and didn't see anything out of order, so I came back inside and turned the pump off and the water was running again. I'm glad that nothing drastic happened. I looked around as I walked down to coffee and I know that some of the other guys looked also but we didn't see any water leaks.
I did chores all day, running the vacuum to clean up Mr. Tramp's mess on the living room floor (the inside stuffing of one of the toys) and went outside and insulated the water line. If it freezes up now, it's not my fault!! I'm sure that it will be said that it's my fault anyway, that I left a gap in the insulation or it wasn't heavy enough...sucks to be me, doesn't it?
We went to the Mai Tai Monday at the Rayford room and had a good time visiting with other guests at the park. Reta invited us over to her house for chili tonight and when the Mai Tai party was over, we went by and had a delicious meal with her. Jim is out of state with relatives, so I told Reta to call me if she needed anything. This is just one of the many things I like about Rayford and all the friends that we have made here. Just this afternoon, I learned that Roy and June had broken the screen of their laptop and I was able to steer them to a computer repair shop that is getting their computer back in one day instead of weeks that Best Buy had told them. It is all about being good neighbors...
It is supposed to be cold tonight but not nearly as cold as the last couple of nights, and we shouldn't see any below freezing temperatures for a few days. We brought back our large storage box of winter clothes and coats from storage, so we probably won't have any more cold weather.
I did chores all day, running the vacuum to clean up Mr. Tramp's mess on the living room floor (the inside stuffing of one of the toys) and went outside and insulated the water line. If it freezes up now, it's not my fault!! I'm sure that it will be said that it's my fault anyway, that I left a gap in the insulation or it wasn't heavy enough...sucks to be me, doesn't it?
We went to the Mai Tai Monday at the Rayford room and had a good time visiting with other guests at the park. Reta invited us over to her house for chili tonight and when the Mai Tai party was over, we went by and had a delicious meal with her. Jim is out of state with relatives, so I told Reta to call me if she needed anything. This is just one of the many things I like about Rayford and all the friends that we have made here. Just this afternoon, I learned that Roy and June had broken the screen of their laptop and I was able to steer them to a computer repair shop that is getting their computer back in one day instead of weeks that Best Buy had told them. It is all about being good neighbors...
It is supposed to be cold tonight but not nearly as cold as the last couple of nights, and we shouldn't see any below freezing temperatures for a few days. We brought back our large storage box of winter clothes and coats from storage, so we probably won't have any more cold weather.
I know that you have been waiting patiently for my fuel usage reports. I have saved them up and will give you the results now. You have waited long enough...
On December 11 I took 28 gallons to go 417 miles for a 14.89 MPG average.
On December 17 I took 33 gallons to go 285.4 miles for a 14.7 MPG average.
On December 22 I took 25 gallons to go 437.6 miles for a 17.5 MPG average.
On December 28 I took 25.7 gallons to go 446.6 miles for a 17.3 MPG average.
There were a couple more fuel tickets but sadly I didn't put them away well and my little buddy Tramp ate them. We had a little chat over this and I think he understands the importance of leaving my papers alone and to eat his own food that I bought especially for him. We'll see how long this lesson lasts.
So long.
Sunday December 26, 2010-Rayford Crossing RV Resort
Well, Christmas is over and I'm happy to say that we survived another one. We had a good time visiting with family this weekend and have one more travel day to officially end the celebration. Christmas day we went to Blessing to visit Stella's family and yesterday we went to Kim's house to visit with her, Jeremy and the boys. Cameron had come down with some sort of virus but by the time we got there, he had been in bed and was feeling much better. Next weekend we will travel to Garland to visit with Jennifer and Melissa and of course Ian and Jay
to finalize Christmas.
Last week it was fun to watch everyone scurrying around buying last-minute gifts. I shopped a little bit trying to find a Kindle for Stella. Kim had given me a suggestion for a gift for Jeremy, so I went out and found one for him and at the same time, she had complained that she didn't know what to buy for her Mom. I told her that we had discussed buying a pair of Kindles that would save both space and weight for us in the trailer and Kim thought that was a wonderful idea. Of course, but this time everyone was out of them, so she printed a picture of the Kindle to give to Stella with the promise that as soon as they become available, she will get one.
It's cold down here in Spring! The last couple of days, the temperatures haven't gone above 55 degrees, and looking at the thermometer right now shows the temp at 28 degrees. Yikes! For south Texas, that's really cold.
I have been working on the beginning of our summer trip. We will be leaving here in May and are going with Tommy and Susan to Elkhart Indiana to show them around the area. I have two routes planned, so now it's time for us to decide which way to go. From there, we are planning to go to the Heartland National rally in Goshen IN and then have the boys flown up and we will take them to some areas in the midwest for their vacation. We haven't really decided where we will go from there, but it will be fun!
We hope you had a very Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year.
So long.
to finalize Christmas.
Last week it was fun to watch everyone scurrying around buying last-minute gifts. I shopped a little bit trying to find a Kindle for Stella. Kim had given me a suggestion for a gift for Jeremy, so I went out and found one for him and at the same time, she had complained that she didn't know what to buy for her Mom. I told her that we had discussed buying a pair of Kindles that would save both space and weight for us in the trailer and Kim thought that was a wonderful idea. Of course, but this time everyone was out of them, so she printed a picture of the Kindle to give to Stella with the promise that as soon as they become available, she will get one.
It's cold down here in Spring! The last couple of days, the temperatures haven't gone above 55 degrees, and looking at the thermometer right now shows the temp at 28 degrees. Yikes! For south Texas, that's really cold.
I have been working on the beginning of our summer trip. We will be leaving here in May and are going with Tommy and Susan to Elkhart Indiana to show them around the area. I have two routes planned, so now it's time for us to decide which way to go. From there, we are planning to go to the Heartland National rally in Goshen IN and then have the boys flown up and we will take them to some areas in the midwest for their vacation. We haven't really decided where we will go from there, but it will be fun!
We hope you had a very Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year.
So long.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday December 17, 2010-Rayford Crossing RV Resort
Another catch-up blog entry. At least I'm only a few days behind this time. I think it's the weather. Yeah, that's it, gonna blame my blog being late on the depressing weather right now. It has been up and down with the temperatures during the last week, from lows in the 30's, then a day or so later, highs in the mid 70's. Crazy Texas weather. At least it hasn't snowed like our friends in the northern states.
Tuesday we took Tommy and Susan out to eat at El Chaparro in Magnolia where we met Ted and Donna. We all had great food and after finishing our meals, went to T & D's house for dessert. She made some great butter cookies and served us flavored coffee and peppermint ice cream. We played a WII bowling game on their new game console. It was fun but Tommy beat me badly. It has been years since I've bowled on the WII and decades since I've gone bowling in a bowling alley. It was fun and we all had a good time.
We missed the baked potato bar at the park Tuesday night. We had planned our night out with the group for awhile and beside that, I don't need all the starch in a baked potato.
Wednesday was another routine day. We went out to eat at the Fish Place for supper and found another good place to eat. Tommy had the ettoufee and the rest of us had fried fish. It was all good but Stella didn't like some of the seasoning that was used on the catfish.
Thursday was a very routine day with nothing out of the ordinary that day. Tommy and I worked with Tramp on some new commands, Come and Sit in the doggie park here at the park. He is coming along really well with his commands but still lacks in his behavior when left alone at home. He began by gnawing and chewing on papers, wires, shoes, belts, just about anything not picked up. If it was within his reach, he chewed it. He ate the end off my connection between my Wilson Trucker antenna and the aircard. It could have been worse, he could have chewed the antenna wire, ruining it, but he only got the connection. One night he found an old box of Kleenex that had come out of the old truck. When we returned after supper, it looked like it had snowed inside the trailer with little tiny pieces of tissue covering the floor. Just last night, he found the Christmas wrapping paper and tore up about half of the package of tissue paper, covering the floor with red and green. I respect Stella for not murdering the little boy.
Friday began normally with coffee with the guys and taking Stella to work. When I returned to the park, I noticed Chuy going around picking up trash. I knew that she has a knee that is bad and she is saving money to have an operation on it. She is a Mexican National with a green card but she doesn't make that much money, so its going to take a long time to save up the $25,000 for the operation. Jim helps her with trash pickup when he can, and I figured that today was my day. It wasn't hard to walk along beside the golf cart and throw plastic bags of trash into the little trailer and I know it was easier on her.
Tuesday we took Tommy and Susan out to eat at El Chaparro in Magnolia where we met Ted and Donna. We all had great food and after finishing our meals, went to T & D's house for dessert. She made some great butter cookies and served us flavored coffee and peppermint ice cream. We played a WII bowling game on their new game console. It was fun but Tommy beat me badly. It has been years since I've bowled on the WII and decades since I've gone bowling in a bowling alley. It was fun and we all had a good time.
We missed the baked potato bar at the park Tuesday night. We had planned our night out with the group for awhile and beside that, I don't need all the starch in a baked potato.
Wednesday was another routine day. We went out to eat at the Fish Place for supper and found another good place to eat. Tommy had the ettoufee and the rest of us had fried fish. It was all good but Stella didn't like some of the seasoning that was used on the catfish.
Thursday was a very routine day with nothing out of the ordinary that day. Tommy and I worked with Tramp on some new commands, Come and Sit in the doggie park here at the park. He is coming along really well with his commands but still lacks in his behavior when left alone at home. He began by gnawing and chewing on papers, wires, shoes, belts, just about anything not picked up. If it was within his reach, he chewed it. He ate the end off my connection between my Wilson Trucker antenna and the aircard. It could have been worse, he could have chewed the antenna wire, ruining it, but he only got the connection. One night he found an old box of Kleenex that had come out of the old truck. When we returned after supper, it looked like it had snowed inside the trailer with little tiny pieces of tissue covering the floor. Just last night, he found the Christmas wrapping paper and tore up about half of the package of tissue paper, covering the floor with red and green. I respect Stella for not murdering the little boy.
Friday began normally with coffee with the guys and taking Stella to work. When I returned to the park, I noticed Chuy going around picking up trash. I knew that she has a knee that is bad and she is saving money to have an operation on it. She is a Mexican National with a green card but she doesn't make that much money, so its going to take a long time to save up the $25,000 for the operation. Jim helps her with trash pickup when he can, and I figured that today was my day. It wasn't hard to walk along beside the golf cart and throw plastic bags of trash into the little trailer and I know it was easier on her.
After I picked up Stella from work, we were supposed to meet Tommy and Susan at James Coney Island for a quick supper. We got started to meet them and learned that there was a terrific traffic backup on Rayford. They had only gone a short distance before Tommy called and said that they were held up. We decided to meet them at the Fish Place again and had another nice meal. We came back to the park and three of us went to play bingo in the rally hall. Of course I didn't win again although I came close a couple of times. Too bad we weren't playing horseshoes... Susan split one of the wins with two other people and we all had a good time.
We stopped by Tommy and Susan's motorhome for some pecan pie after bingo. We visited with them for awhile before I got sleepy and went back home. Me and the dogs were soon fast asleep, imagine that...
So long.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday December 13, 2010-Rayford Crossing RV Resort
Well, like many other bloggers I have gotten pretty far behind. I am going to try to keep this thing caught up better, but with the holidays and all, it may be tough. There really hasn't been all that much to talk about here.
During the past couple of weeks, we been out to eat several times with friends. We found a new Mexican restaurant, El Chaparo in Magnolia. They have very good food with entertainment on Friday nights. We went on a Saturday night and the guy either didn't show up on time or he was only there on Fridays, we don't know which. Bob and Christina left last Thursday but Tommy and Susan came in on Friday so we still have friends here in the park to go out with. We took them out to the restaurant last Friday and they liked it too.
Saturday night was the annual Winter Texan potluck dinner and white elephant gift exchange. As always, the food was great but the fellowship and fun was even better. Although we have had some bad experiences with the length of time taken to finish the white elephant exchange, this one wasn't bad at all. Most of the gifts were nice enough that many didn't want to give up what they had and we all had a lot of fun stealing a few of the items, all liquor...
Sunday we went down to Texas City to take Cam out for his birthday dinner. We all knew where he would want to go, Gringos restaurant. We all had good food and it was good to be with the boys again. Tyler is growing like a weed and is taller than Kim and almost as tall as I am...
I played a joke with Melissa about her birthday. A few years ago, I made a mistake and said that her birthday was the 12th of December when it is really on the 14th. I called her yesterday and today as if I didn't remember again and we both got a good laugh about it. Now to remember to call her tomorrow when it really is her birthday.
There have been a couple of the guys here at the park that have had hernia operations recently. Jim had his done last week and is recovering nicely and Roy had his operated on today. I have had one for several years now and it hasn't given me a problem so I hope its not contagious. I guess I'll just have to deal with it if I begin to have problems.
I intend to do better with my blog so hopefully I won't get so far behind again.
So long.
During the past couple of weeks, we been out to eat several times with friends. We found a new Mexican restaurant, El Chaparo in Magnolia. They have very good food with entertainment on Friday nights. We went on a Saturday night and the guy either didn't show up on time or he was only there on Fridays, we don't know which. Bob and Christina left last Thursday but Tommy and Susan came in on Friday so we still have friends here in the park to go out with. We took them out to the restaurant last Friday and they liked it too.
Saturday night was the annual Winter Texan potluck dinner and white elephant gift exchange. As always, the food was great but the fellowship and fun was even better. Although we have had some bad experiences with the length of time taken to finish the white elephant exchange, this one wasn't bad at all. Most of the gifts were nice enough that many didn't want to give up what they had and we all had a lot of fun stealing a few of the items, all liquor...
Sunday we went down to Texas City to take Cam out for his birthday dinner. We all knew where he would want to go, Gringos restaurant. We all had good food and it was good to be with the boys again. Tyler is growing like a weed and is taller than Kim and almost as tall as I am...
I played a joke with Melissa about her birthday. A few years ago, I made a mistake and said that her birthday was the 12th of December when it is really on the 14th. I called her yesterday and today as if I didn't remember again and we both got a good laugh about it. Now to remember to call her tomorrow when it really is her birthday.
There have been a couple of the guys here at the park that have had hernia operations recently. Jim had his done last week and is recovering nicely and Roy had his operated on today. I have had one for several years now and it hasn't given me a problem so I hope its not contagious. I guess I'll just have to deal with it if I begin to have problems.
I intend to do better with my blog so hopefully I won't get so far behind again.
So long.
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