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We finished up the rally last night with a potluck dinner with game after. The potluck was, as usual, great with a variety of foods, all delicious. After eating, many said their goodbyes with many hugs and handshakes because there are several of us will be leaving tomorrow.
I played Mexican Train at a table with TXBobcat, Terry and Carol, Nelly, Bette and Diane. We had some very good hands but didn't keep score. It was more fun that way and we all cut up and had many laughs and a great time. Only a few stayed for the games but they missed a great time.
We were up and drinking coffee at 7 this morning and I went out about 8 to get started on packing up. Wow, a cold (and I mean COLD!!) front came through overnight, dropping the temperatures, and soon after I got outside, it started to rain! The rain came and went all morning and at one point, it felt like sleet and it certainly felt cold. I later checked the thermometer in the truck and it showed 32 degrees! It's been a long time since I've had to pack up to leave in this kind of weather. I walked down and said goodbye to my new friend Pat, whom I had missed last night.
We pulled out about 9:15 and were soon on the highway toward San Antonio. There wasn't much traffic today and we made very good time. We made our first stop at the Buccee's in Luling, and we had just gotten inside when we ran into Malcolm and Val, who were traveling to California and had also stopped at the world famous Buccee's. We had a nice short chat with them before we bought some good kolaches to munch on while traveling. It continued to rain on us most of the way to Houston and we made it into the Oasis a bit after 3, pretty good time!
We were assigned site #113, but when we arrived there, it was occupied by a huge motorhome and a mad owner. He had just bought it and didn't know anything about it, not even how to start it up. I felt sorry for him, with a huge machine that he was unfamiliar with but I'm a trailer guy, not a motorhome, so there's not much I could help him with, especially since it's freezing out here and I just wanted to get set up and go inside where it's nice and warm. They came out and told me to choose another site, so I took a back-in across the street. After a bit of maneuvering, we were done and all set up. We'll probably set up our porch tomorrow but it's too cold and nasty to do any more today.
We fired up the fireplace and it immediately warmed the trailer, making it toasty warm. Stella later made us some supper and Life is Good...
So long.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Saturday February 14, 2015-Buckhorn Lake Resort
Friday was a kind of down day for us. We stayed home all day and sat outside in the nice weather and visiting with our friends and neighbors. We decided that since we didn't sign up for the barbecue dinner, we would eat our own. We had some leftover "cue" from our trip to the Salt Lick Barbecue, so Stella warmed it up and we had another delicious meal. We didn't know when any games would start tonight, so we asked some of our friends to call when the games began. No one ever called, so we just stayed home.
Saturday morning we went to the First United Methodist church for a funeral service for Kay Conerly, who was married to my step brother Ted. Ted came into our family about the time I moved out to begin my life on my own, so we were not close. Kay suffered from pulmonary fibrosis and endured a double lung transplant and lived with this for several years before succumbing to this incurable disease.
It was good to see the family, although for sorrowful reasons, and gratifying to surprise them when we showed up unexpectedly and we had some nice visits. Kay was a school teacher until her illness forced her retirement. Ted is also a musical educator in the Kerrville schools and he had one of his small choirs sing a tribute song for Kay but the most moving moments of the service was when he and Adam, his son, who is also a musician, serving in the U.S. Navy, played their rendition of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee". Ted played the piano and Adam played the clarinet, and it was beautiful! Ted also has a band, the Sentimental Journey Orchestra that plays songs of the Big Band era here in the Texas Hill Country.
We stopped off at the local Wal Mart store on our way back to the park and ran into several of our friends there. I later learned that they had all left the park at about the same time, so it was ironic that we chose the same time to go.
We returned to the park and I spent much of the afternoon visiting. There was a fellow who arrived a couple of days ago and almost immediately was taken by ambulance and air to a hospital in San Antonio where he got two stints put in. His friends, who were parked beside him, said that they had just returned from a trip to Big Bend and said that if this had happened there, he likely would have died because of the distance to any emergency services. Someone was looking out for him!
I met and answered some questions from our neighbors, who are just starting out their full-time adventures in their Mobile Suites Tradition. It was ironic how many things we had in common with them. He worked in emergency services, I was a police officer. His wife works from "home" as a consultant to her former employer, Stella had clients for her accounting services when we first went on the road. Their home was bordered by a green belt, our home also bordered on a green belt and a county park, so neither house will have a neighbor behind it. I answered some questions and made a few recommendations based on our experiences, and we had a nice chat.
We went to the annual steak dinner this evening. Things have changed with this dinner and not all for the good in our opinion. We had assigned seating for the first time and we were seated with one couple that we knew and two that we didn't know. Both of them seemed distant and difficult to carry on a conversation with. Then we were disappointed with the steak... The normally tender and delicious 32 oz. steak was overcooked and tough. Bummer and not worth the $65 they charge for this night. They had a band for the first time called the Raggedy Cats and it was pretty good. We enjoyed their 1940-50's music and many people danced and enjoyed themselves. We listened and watched for awhile and retired to one of the other rooms for some dominoes. Of course, I didn't win... We'll likely play some more tomorrow. The rally is going well and we're having fun.
So long.
Saturday morning we went to the First United Methodist church for a funeral service for Kay Conerly, who was married to my step brother Ted. Ted came into our family about the time I moved out to begin my life on my own, so we were not close. Kay suffered from pulmonary fibrosis and endured a double lung transplant and lived with this for several years before succumbing to this incurable disease.
It was good to see the family, although for sorrowful reasons, and gratifying to surprise them when we showed up unexpectedly and we had some nice visits. Kay was a school teacher until her illness forced her retirement. Ted is also a musical educator in the Kerrville schools and he had one of his small choirs sing a tribute song for Kay but the most moving moments of the service was when he and Adam, his son, who is also a musician, serving in the U.S. Navy, played their rendition of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee". Ted played the piano and Adam played the clarinet, and it was beautiful! Ted also has a band, the Sentimental Journey Orchestra that plays songs of the Big Band era here in the Texas Hill Country.
We stopped off at the local Wal Mart store on our way back to the park and ran into several of our friends there. I later learned that they had all left the park at about the same time, so it was ironic that we chose the same time to go.
We returned to the park and I spent much of the afternoon visiting. There was a fellow who arrived a couple of days ago and almost immediately was taken by ambulance and air to a hospital in San Antonio where he got two stints put in. His friends, who were parked beside him, said that they had just returned from a trip to Big Bend and said that if this had happened there, he likely would have died because of the distance to any emergency services. Someone was looking out for him!
I met and answered some questions from our neighbors, who are just starting out their full-time adventures in their Mobile Suites Tradition. It was ironic how many things we had in common with them. He worked in emergency services, I was a police officer. His wife works from "home" as a consultant to her former employer, Stella had clients for her accounting services when we first went on the road. Their home was bordered by a green belt, our home also bordered on a green belt and a county park, so neither house will have a neighbor behind it. I answered some questions and made a few recommendations based on our experiences, and we had a nice chat.
We went to the annual steak dinner this evening. Things have changed with this dinner and not all for the good in our opinion. We had assigned seating for the first time and we were seated with one couple that we knew and two that we didn't know. Both of them seemed distant and difficult to carry on a conversation with. Then we were disappointed with the steak... The normally tender and delicious 32 oz. steak was overcooked and tough. Bummer and not worth the $65 they charge for this night. They had a band for the first time called the Raggedy Cats and it was pretty good. We enjoyed their 1940-50's music and many people danced and enjoyed themselves. We listened and watched for awhile and retired to one of the other rooms for some dominoes. Of course, I didn't win... We'll likely play some more tomorrow. The rally is going well and we're having fun.
So long.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Thursday February 12, 2015-Buckhorn Lake Resort
It was a cool day here because of a cool front that came through. The temps never got out of the 50's, so after several days in the 80's, it felt quite cold. We stayed in most of the day and only ventured out mid afternoon. I walked around some and visited with several folks around the park before coming back home to get ready to go to supper.
The rally had set up a Mexican food meal at the Mamacita's restaurant as our meal tonight. This has been a tradition for this rally for several years, and it seems to improve every time. We had probably 70-80 people at supper and the restaurant waitstaff did an outstanding job of getting our orders and then getting them delivered. We sat across from our old friends Jerry and Diane. It was good to catch up with them.
I had made plans to go down and play dominoes, but Stella reminded me that there were no planned activities tonight and the hall was not open, so I didn't go. We'll play again tonight and throughout the weekend. The rally is going well and we're having fun. There are a couple of the "old timers" that usually attend that aren't here, but there's always next year.
So long.
The rally had set up a Mexican food meal at the Mamacita's restaurant as our meal tonight. This has been a tradition for this rally for several years, and it seems to improve every time. We had probably 70-80 people at supper and the restaurant waitstaff did an outstanding job of getting our orders and then getting them delivered. We sat across from our old friends Jerry and Diane. It was good to catch up with them.
I had made plans to go down and play dominoes, but Stella reminded me that there were no planned activities tonight and the hall was not open, so I didn't go. We'll play again tonight and throughout the weekend. The rally is going well and we're having fun. There are a couple of the "old timers" that usually attend that aren't here, but there's always next year.
So long.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Wednesday February 11, 2015-Buckhorn RV Resort
This will start with our last day at Cottonwood, moving day to Buckhorn, our first couple of days here and the first official day of the Sweetheart rally. When this is done, I will again be current.
Sunday was a beautiful day in the valley, with warm temperatures and clear skies. We planned to hang out with our friends here and to make some preparations for leaving tomorrow. We planned a cookout for late afternoon and just sat outside with our friends in the early afternoon. Dave and I wanted t wash our trucks before going to Kerrville, so we, along with Corbin who had already washed his own truck, also helped, got busy and got 'em done. Dave and I manned the brushes and Corbin rinsed for us. All working together, the washing was done in no time and both trucks looked great. Corbin's truck looked better because he took the time to put some polish on his. Larry didn't participate because he was the designated cooker for the meat at the cookout, and everything turned out very well. We all had a good time sitting around and eating, and Dave made a new friend of a stray dog that wandered up. He gave the little dog scraps and he was very well-fed today.
The skeeters came out with a vengeance about the time we got done eating and everyone went home to escape them. Dave came over in a few minutes and invited me to come over to watch "American Sniper" with him and Larry. It was a very good movie and I was glad they called me to watch it.
Monday morning was chilly and I started out wearing sweatpants and a heavy shirt, but it only took about 30 minutes for me to get hot and come inside and change into shorts and a tee shirt. We were through and ready to pull out a little after 9, but by the time we said our goodbyes and got pulled out it was about 9:30. We had an easy drive to Kerrville, stopping at the rest area just after the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias, a service station in George West that was easy to get into for a quick hot lunch, and later at a picnic area for the pups. We pulled into Buckhorn about 4 o'clock and were set up and ready to rally by 5.
Jim B. came down and invited us to eat some pasta with them later. Our friends Ken and Kathy were already here and picked up some garlic bread for us to bring to supper. We had a great time visiting with our friends in Jim's trailer but while there, Jim's three Yorkies got into a "little dog dogfight" and Rocco (Also known as rockcujo) suffered a scratched retina. Jim and Nancy had to take him to a vet to get some treatment.
Tuesday morning a group of us (Jim and Nancy, Ken and Kathy and a new (to us) couple named Pat and Elaine) went over to Driftwood to eat lunch at the Salt Lick BBQ. This is a well known barbecue restaurant and it didn't disappoint. It was a long way to drive but the food was excellent and the company was better. It was nice to meet with Pat and Elaine and we are planning to travel together to Goshen. We were all stuffed from lunch but did stop at the New Canaan Farms store in Dripping Springs to pick up some of their delicious jams and jellies.
Wednesday we went over to the Gibson's store in Kerrville. This is one of only two of the old Gibson Discount stores still in existence. I worked at the Gibson's store in La Marque before starting my career in law enforcement. This store is a True Value hardware store now and has a huge inventory of anything that you can imagine from clothing to hardware. It's fun to shop there to find the quirky odds and ends there. After shopping we picked up a bite to eat at the Chili's restaurant in town.
The rally officially kicked off this afternoon with a Meet and Greet followed by dominoes and games. The dominoes and games are one of the things most talked about in this rally, and all had a good time. The table that I played on quit playing about 9 but Stella's table was more hard-core and they played until after midnight. I would have been asleep in my chair, but they had fun and that's what it's all about.
We're looking forward to more good food and fun and games with our friends.
So long.
Sunday was a beautiful day in the valley, with warm temperatures and clear skies. We planned to hang out with our friends here and to make some preparations for leaving tomorrow. We planned a cookout for late afternoon and just sat outside with our friends in the early afternoon. Dave and I wanted t wash our trucks before going to Kerrville, so we, along with Corbin who had already washed his own truck, also helped, got busy and got 'em done. Dave and I manned the brushes and Corbin rinsed for us. All working together, the washing was done in no time and both trucks looked great. Corbin's truck looked better because he took the time to put some polish on his. Larry didn't participate because he was the designated cooker for the meat at the cookout, and everything turned out very well. We all had a good time sitting around and eating, and Dave made a new friend of a stray dog that wandered up. He gave the little dog scraps and he was very well-fed today.
The skeeters came out with a vengeance about the time we got done eating and everyone went home to escape them. Dave came over in a few minutes and invited me to come over to watch "American Sniper" with him and Larry. It was a very good movie and I was glad they called me to watch it.
Monday morning was chilly and I started out wearing sweatpants and a heavy shirt, but it only took about 30 minutes for me to get hot and come inside and change into shorts and a tee shirt. We were through and ready to pull out a little after 9, but by the time we said our goodbyes and got pulled out it was about 9:30. We had an easy drive to Kerrville, stopping at the rest area just after the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias, a service station in George West that was easy to get into for a quick hot lunch, and later at a picnic area for the pups. We pulled into Buckhorn about 4 o'clock and were set up and ready to rally by 5.
Jim B. came down and invited us to eat some pasta with them later. Our friends Ken and Kathy were already here and picked up some garlic bread for us to bring to supper. We had a great time visiting with our friends in Jim's trailer but while there, Jim's three Yorkies got into a "little dog dogfight" and Rocco (Also known as rockcujo) suffered a scratched retina. Jim and Nancy had to take him to a vet to get some treatment.
Tuesday morning a group of us (Jim and Nancy, Ken and Kathy and a new (to us) couple named Pat and Elaine) went over to Driftwood to eat lunch at the Salt Lick BBQ. This is a well known barbecue restaurant and it didn't disappoint. It was a long way to drive but the food was excellent and the company was better. It was nice to meet with Pat and Elaine and we are planning to travel together to Goshen. We were all stuffed from lunch but did stop at the New Canaan Farms store in Dripping Springs to pick up some of their delicious jams and jellies.
Wednesday we went over to the Gibson's store in Kerrville. This is one of only two of the old Gibson Discount stores still in existence. I worked at the Gibson's store in La Marque before starting my career in law enforcement. This store is a True Value hardware store now and has a huge inventory of anything that you can imagine from clothing to hardware. It's fun to shop there to find the quirky odds and ends there. After shopping we picked up a bite to eat at the Chili's restaurant in town.
The rally officially kicked off this afternoon with a Meet and Greet followed by dominoes and games. The dominoes and games are one of the things most talked about in this rally, and all had a good time. The table that I played on quit playing about 9 but Stella's table was more hard-core and they played until after midnight. I would have been asleep in my chair, but they had fun and that's what it's all about.
We're looking forward to more good food and fun and games with our friends.
So long.
Saturday February 7, 2015-Cottonwood RV Park
Well, here I am again, waaaaay behind on keeping this thing up. I'm going to get it caught up today and then work on keeping it up again.
Our last week here was very busy with two visits to Mexico and several meals out with our friends. I had an appointment late in the afternoon with the dentist on Monday and our friend Bernie had also made an appointment for some work but I cancelled my work because I couldn't get it all done now, so I'll get it done when we return next season. We went over with Bernie and while he was having his dental work done, I went across the street and bought a new pair of glasses. I have plans to wear my new glasses all the time so I'm pretty excited about getting these new glasses.
Tuesday morning we made plans to go to Gonzales Burgers with the group here at the park. None of the others had been to Gonzales Burgers but everyone loved them! We were there a few minutes after 11 and were still order #11. They start taking orders at 11, start cooking around 11:30 and begin serving about noon or whenever the first burgers are done. The burger patties are over a half pound each, which makes the double meat burger a huge meal! They offer a double meat/double bacon/double cheese that I only know of one person having eaten one. At any rate, the food is excellent and we all enjoyed it.
Wednesday morning I had made plans to go to Bernie's place to go to Air Horns of Texas so he could get information on mounting his air horns on his new Ram truck. There he learned that his old horns would not work on the new truck so he bought a different horn that will fit. Stella and I went to HEB to do some grocery shopping and bought some fuel for the truck. Believe it or not, HEB has the best prices on diesel! We came on back home and had a cookout with our friendly neighbors from Texas.
Thursday we went back to Gonzales Burgers with our friends Mike and Linda. They had never been there before to eat, although we had taken them there a few days ago on a Monday and found out that they are closed on Sunday and Monday. Again, the burgers were great. Stella and I have learned to split one burger and Mike and Linda also split theirs too and we all had plenty of food.
Friday Stella had her dental appointment in Mexico and Mike and Linda came over and picked us up. We met Ted and Donna and some friends of theirs and all walked across together. Several others had dental work to be done and the rest of us just hung out while they were having their work done. We all met up later and went to one of the local restaurants and had a drinks and snacks and rested up for more shopping. I went by and picked up my new glasses and after shopping our way up the street, we split up with Ted and Donna and their friends and went to lunch at the Red Snapper in Mexico. The food was very good but I was the only one that had Mexican food with the others having shrimp. We all enjoyed our food and conversations with our friends Mike and Linda.
Saturday morning we went to the Don-Wes flea market again. Nothing much was purchased while we were there but we did buy some more grapefruit and oranges. We all met at Martha's Taquieria for lunch and as usual, had great and inexpensive food.
Later that evening, Stella went with Flora and Nancy to see Dale and Gayle perform at the small rally hall here at the park. No one knew that they had performances here but they said that they were pretty good and they enjoyed themselves. I stayed home with the doggies and kept them company.
We'll be leaving here on Monday, going to the Sweetheart rally in Kerrville.
So long.
Our last week here was very busy with two visits to Mexico and several meals out with our friends. I had an appointment late in the afternoon with the dentist on Monday and our friend Bernie had also made an appointment for some work but I cancelled my work because I couldn't get it all done now, so I'll get it done when we return next season. We went over with Bernie and while he was having his dental work done, I went across the street and bought a new pair of glasses. I have plans to wear my new glasses all the time so I'm pretty excited about getting these new glasses.
Tuesday morning we made plans to go to Gonzales Burgers with the group here at the park. None of the others had been to Gonzales Burgers but everyone loved them! We were there a few minutes after 11 and were still order #11. They start taking orders at 11, start cooking around 11:30 and begin serving about noon or whenever the first burgers are done. The burger patties are over a half pound each, which makes the double meat burger a huge meal! They offer a double meat/double bacon/double cheese that I only know of one person having eaten one. At any rate, the food is excellent and we all enjoyed it.
Wednesday morning I had made plans to go to Bernie's place to go to Air Horns of Texas so he could get information on mounting his air horns on his new Ram truck. There he learned that his old horns would not work on the new truck so he bought a different horn that will fit. Stella and I went to HEB to do some grocery shopping and bought some fuel for the truck. Believe it or not, HEB has the best prices on diesel! We came on back home and had a cookout with our friendly neighbors from Texas.
Thursday we went back to Gonzales Burgers with our friends Mike and Linda. They had never been there before to eat, although we had taken them there a few days ago on a Monday and found out that they are closed on Sunday and Monday. Again, the burgers were great. Stella and I have learned to split one burger and Mike and Linda also split theirs too and we all had plenty of food.
Friday Stella had her dental appointment in Mexico and Mike and Linda came over and picked us up. We met Ted and Donna and some friends of theirs and all walked across together. Several others had dental work to be done and the rest of us just hung out while they were having their work done. We all met up later and went to one of the local restaurants and had a drinks and snacks and rested up for more shopping. I went by and picked up my new glasses and after shopping our way up the street, we split up with Ted and Donna and their friends and went to lunch at the Red Snapper in Mexico. The food was very good but I was the only one that had Mexican food with the others having shrimp. We all enjoyed our food and conversations with our friends Mike and Linda.
Saturday morning we went to the Don-Wes flea market again. Nothing much was purchased while we were there but we did buy some more grapefruit and oranges. We all met at Martha's Taquieria for lunch and as usual, had great and inexpensive food.
Later that evening, Stella went with Flora and Nancy to see Dale and Gayle perform at the small rally hall here at the park. No one knew that they had performances here but they said that they were pretty good and they enjoyed themselves. I stayed home with the doggies and kept them company.
We'll be leaving here on Monday, going to the Sweetheart rally in Kerrville.
So long.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Sunday February 1, 2015-Cottonwood RV Park
We had a nice day yesterday. Warm and dry weather, The rest of our group here at Cottonwood wanted to go to the Don-Wes flea market again before going out to eat and then to a show at another park. Stella and I didn't need any more fleas, so we stayed home and asked them to call us when they went out to eat. They found a place called Nana's Taqueria in Weslaco and we joined them there. There was a language barrier between the waitress and us and the orders got all confused. We all got what we ordered but our order came out first with the others being delayed to the point that we questioned if their orders had been placed. It all finally worked out and we were all very satisfied with our food. Stella is still on a soft food diet from her dental work and she only ordered a small baked potato, but I shared some of my quesadillas with her and she was satisfied. Several of the others had something called lonches, which seemed to be a cross between a taco and a sandwich that was topped with avocado and tomatoes. It looked very good and if we go back, I may try one.
We then went to the Victoria Palms Resort to see a duo called Bernie and Red. Here is another link to their website. They are a Canadian husband and wife pair who are celebrating their 50th anniversary with tonight's performance. The rest of our group had already seen them a few days ago and said that many of their jokes were the same with a few new ones thrown in. Since we hadn't seen them before, we enjoyed the show.
Today, Super Bowl Sunday, we had a nice get-together at Corbin and Flora's trailer. We had hot dogs with all the trimmings and some delicious beans that Nancy made. Stella contributed her apple dumplings and the meal was complete. We sat outside and watched the Super Bowl on Corbin's small TV set. He set it up using his brand new Jack rooftop antenna and got an outstanding picture, since the game was on a local station. We watched the game but at the half, it started to rain, making everyone scurry around to find a place under the awning. It was getting pretty crowded under the awning so I just came on back home to watch the end of the game, and what an ending it was!
Congratulations to the Patriots for a hard-fought win.
I dread tomorrow and my final dental work for this trip. I have two more teeth to be pulled in preparation for some more work that will be done when we return. There just simply isn't time to get everything done right now. I'll just have to suck it up and get 'er done.
So long.
We then went to the Victoria Palms Resort to see a duo called Bernie and Red. Here is another link to their website. They are a Canadian husband and wife pair who are celebrating their 50th anniversary with tonight's performance. The rest of our group had already seen them a few days ago and said that many of their jokes were the same with a few new ones thrown in. Since we hadn't seen them before, we enjoyed the show.
Today, Super Bowl Sunday, we had a nice get-together at Corbin and Flora's trailer. We had hot dogs with all the trimmings and some delicious beans that Nancy made. Stella contributed her apple dumplings and the meal was complete. We sat outside and watched the Super Bowl on Corbin's small TV set. He set it up using his brand new Jack rooftop antenna and got an outstanding picture, since the game was on a local station. We watched the game but at the half, it started to rain, making everyone scurry around to find a place under the awning. It was getting pretty crowded under the awning so I just came on back home to watch the end of the game, and what an ending it was!
Congratulations to the Patriots for a hard-fought win.
I dread tomorrow and my final dental work for this trip. I have two more teeth to be pulled in preparation for some more work that will be done when we return. There just simply isn't time to get everything done right now. I'll just have to suck it up and get 'er done.
So long.
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