Saturday April 25, 2015-Bay Colony RV Resort

We made plans to attend our good friends, Ted and Donna's 50th Anniversary this afternoon. The ceremony was held at the St.Anthony's of Padua Catholic church in the Woodlands with a reception dinner after at Rico's Mexican Grill which is just around the corner and also in the Woodlands. It's been awhile since we have had to deal with the Houston traffic on a weekend. It took us over 2 hours to get to Rayford, exit 19 to exit 73. gotta love those Houston drivers...!

They invited 50 friends and family members to their celebration, including two of their three daughters, some of their grandchildren, their brothers and sisters and many other family members. We rode over with Tommy and Susan, who are staying at Rayford and saw old friends Rick and Brenda who are now living in Memphis. It was good to see them and catch up a bit since it's been several years since we've seen them. 

The food was good but the poor waiter that worked our banquet room was waaay overworked! He was kept very busy taking care of us and as far as I could tell, he made no mistakes. Other than drink refills, chips and salsa and other incidentals he did very well. 

Unfortunately we were not able to stay for the cutting of the cake but it looked beautiful and we were told that it would be delicious. Our drive home took just under an hour, and the pups were glad to see us.

So long.

Tuesday April 21, 2015-Bay Colony RV Park

We took it easy today, recovering from the travel day. Well, not really, but we did lay around a lot today. Tyler had a root canal and we made a stop at their house to check on him. He was surprised to see us, so that was fun. He thought we were still out of state but we showed him we were here. He was fine and not in any pain.

Cameron had a ball game tonight in Texas City, a treat for us because all his other games have been way off and we had to drive to see him play. Unfortunately he didn't play until the last inning of the game. This team was not too much of a threat so the coach wanted to get some other players a chance to get some game time in.

Cam got a thundering hit to the outfield to get on base. He stole second base and advanced to third before the opposing pitcher walked him in for a score.

Scoring run #14! His team won the game 17-0. As I said,not much of a threat! He plays again Friday night and we'll see the game.

So long.

Monday April 20, 2015-Moving Day-Alamo Fiesta RV Resort to Bay Colony RV Park, Dickinson

We were up pretty early this morning to get an early start on what should be a good travel day. The temps were in the low 50's this morning but by the time I went outside to get started, they had started to rise. There were just some high clouds in the sky, so things were looking good. 

I visited with others that are leaving this morning and we still pulled about 9:30. We had some slowdowns along Hwy. 46 at Bulverde and in New Braunfels because of traffic construction but we made it through okay. We only stopped once at the rest area near Luling. It was a rather long stop but we took care of the dogs while there too so it was worth the extra time. We only have about 240 miles to go today and we continued on down Interstate 10 at a good pace. There were no traffic issues through Houston and we pulled into the park about 2:20, right on time. We had reservations so check-in didn't take long except for a long application with information on it. 

Set-up was a breeze today but the stupid Carryout antenna is giving me trouble again. It will pick up a good signal but won't lock in on it. I plan on making some calls to see what I can find out about this problem. Wish me luck!

It's kind of nostalgic, staying again in Dickinson. We haven't lived here in a long time. I'll let you know how it goes.

So long,

Sunday April 19, 2015-Alamo Fiesta RV Resort

Well, here we are at the end of another rally and our last one for the spring. 

More folks arrived on Thursday and 18 of us went to eat at the Hungry Horse restaurant here in Boerne. We all had plenty of good home cooked food and all left very satisfied. We came back and several played dominoes in the rally hall. 

Friday morning I met Tom in the rally hall early for coffee. He bought a new large coffee pot, so we broke it in this weekend. I thought we did very well with estimating the amount of coffee in the pot and everyone enjoyed it. 

Stella and I drove over to New Braunfels to visit Grandma Willie Mae. We had a very nice visit before taking her out to eat at Mamacita's Restaurant and Casino for some delicious Mexican food. We enjoyed our time with Grandma and wish we could have stayed longer. 

We came back to the park and had our meet and greet ice cream social. Blue Bell is a great way to break the ice with new people to rallies. Again, a good group played cards and dominoes after the M & G but I came home with my bad back. 

Saturday morning we all got together for a breakfast of breakfast burritos furnished by the local Ron Hoover RV store in town. The food was good and best of all, IT WAS FREE! Free is always good!!!

We had our potluck dinner Saturday night and as always, it turned out great. So many good cooks... gotta love a potluck dinner. One more night of dominoes and cards topped the night. The rally has been a lot of fun and we will be sorry to see it end.

About half of the rally-goers left this morning but the rest of us hung out. After seeing everyone off, we all went home to rest up and got together for supper later in the evening. Some had leftovers, some had hamburgers, we went out with Pat and Elaine to eat one more time at the Hungry Horse. We came back home and many of us watched the American Music Awards show on Tom's new outside entertainment center. I can see where one of these could come in handy at times. We may get one on our next trailer. 

Everyone soon adjourned to the hall for more dominoes for the last night because we all will be leaving tomorrow. We will be heading to Dickinson for the first time in five years. It will be funny to say we're living in Dickinson again.

So long.

Wednesday April 15, 2015Moving day-Choctaw Casino to Alamo Fiesta RV Resort-Boerne TX

We made a very long and uninteresting drive from Durant to Boerne with a stop-off in McKinney for me to grab a whole bunch of Munzees. About 4000 to be more precise. 

The drive itself went well with no issues on the trip. We stayed in a dumpy little park called the Lighthouse RV Park in Melissa. It was pouring down rain when we arrived and due to lots of road construction in the area, we had a hard time finding the park and then it was an absolute mud hole when we got into a site. I guess I can't blame the weather for this, but the park is pretty seedy. 

We changed our route at the last minute-literally- because of road construction in and around Austin. The route we took was out of the way but there was little traffic. It took us almost 8 hours to arrive here in Boerne, but no problems occurred. We did pass another fifth wheel being pulled down the road on the shoulder with a flat tire. Had they been pulled over and stopped I would have stopped to see if I could help, but he had ruined the tire already and probably damaged the wheel, but he continued on toward the next town. Maybe he lived there.

When we arrived, there were 8 other Heartlanders already here. We were tired and just wanted to get set up and rest up. We did visit with our friends for a short time but I was soon in my recliner, recovering from the drive. We'll spend more time with them tomorrow and during the rally.

So long.

Sunday April 12, 2015-Choctaw Casino KOA

As usual, I have fallen behind and must play catch-up. This entry will document the Oklahoma rally (sorry Rex and Stacey).

My lower back and legs have really been bothering me and I can't figure out what has happened. I just know that I haven't been as active in the rally as I normally am, but hopefully it will straighten itself out. 

We went over to the casino for breakfast on Thursday. They don't have the free senior breakfast buffet that the Thackerville casino had but this one is buy one, get one free from a menu. It was good and there was plenty of food and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Another good thing about this casino is the kitchen in the rally hall. It is a full kitchen with pots and pans, a huge ice machine, coffee pots and an iced tea maker/dispenser. 

Rex and Stacey had a fish fry on Friday afternoon and everything went off without any problems. There were plenty of volunteers to help with the cooking and to simply watch Rex frying the fish and we all enjoyed the time together.

We met for hot dogs with all the trimmings at lunch on Saturday. Everyone loves a good old dog! Also after lunch we had the door prizes given out. It was one of those pick a sealed bag and open it. If the next person wanted it, they took it and you got another choice. We ended up with a coffee filter dispenser that Stella wanted, a padded kitchen mat and then someone gave us a stadium seat that I wanted. Nice prizes!
Best of all, we won the 50/50 drawing of $55! You know, we are retired and living on a fixed income! Every little bit helps...

We went out to eat supper at the Road House Bar and Grill for a good selection of steaks and burgers. The food was good but for some reason, our order was lost and everyone was almost done with their meal when ours were delivered. Stella and I both had the chicken fried chicken and they were very good and we brought about half of each order home for another meal.

The rally went off without a hitch, but a lot of hard work by Rex and Stacey. Good job guys!

Sunday morning, we were up and bidding some of the rally-goers so long until the next time. There were about eight of us that stayed over until Monday, so we had a small potluck lunch in the rally hall to polish off the leftovers. We're already looking forward to the fall when we will return here.

So long.

Wednesday April 8, 2015-Moving Day-Center RV Park to Choctaw Casino KOA RV Park, Durant OK

We were up right on time for a moving day, at 7 AM. Actually, my back has been bothering me for a few days and it woke me. I guess when I rattled around in the kitchen I woke Stella, so we both started drinking our coffee and watching the morning news on television.

We had made some good preparation on getting things ready, so it didn't take too long for us to be ready. We weren't in too much of a hurry and were ready to go about 9. We stopped in Gladewater for a quick bite to eat and to stretch our legs but I had to stop again at the Oklahoma Welcome Center just across the border. It was to be a quick stop but I found a lot of Munzees which made the stop a bit longer. I needed the walk and we were still here about 2:30.

We had such a good time with Janie and I wish we had more time to spend up here. I almost forgot to tell you about meeting two 2nd cousins on Monday. Margie Joy and Judy are sisters who live in Nacogdoches. I can't remember the last time we were together with them but it's been a long time! It was good to catch up with them again and we had a nice meal at Newk's in Nac. 

There were lots of folks here for the rally and we visited with some of them before coming back home to rest after the trip. More rally activities will start tomorrow.

So long.

Sunday April 5, 2015-Center RV Park

We hope that everyone had a very Happy Easter!

We have been having a great time visiting with my Aunt Janie here in Center TX. We have spent out time here with her, mostly at her house. We took a drive over to Nacogdoches one afternoon to eat at a place called Newk's Eatery but mostly we've been eating at Janie's house. Stella made some soup one day and Janie contributed some cornbread and it was yummy!

Today, Easter Sunday, we drove over to Tyler to attend church at the Green Acres Baptist Church where we have gone several times in the past. This place is AMAZING and we really love coming to church services here. There is everything from men in jeans to suits and ties; ladies in casual clothes and very  nice dresses, and since it's Easter Sunday, the kids get to show off their new Easter duds. 

After church services were over we all met at Cousin Linda and her husband Doug's house for lunch. Everyone brought something and we had a real feast. of course, the kids and grandkids that were there with their spouses are still working and were interested in our travels. 

We are meeting with some cousins that I haven't seen in over 50 years tomorrow. It should be great to spend time catching up with them and I am looking forward to it. I'll let you know...

So long.

Monday March 30, 2015-Moving Day-Coffee Creek RV Park to Center RV Park, Center TX

We were up and going pretty early this morning but we don't all that far to travel today. I had made an appointment to take the trailer to Discount Tire to have the nail in one of the tires checked out. After many hugs and handshakes, we left right about 10AM and made good time to the DT store. I was directed to park beside a boat trailer that was being worked on and was told that ours would be looked at soon. That didn't work out too well. A service truck that picks up all the old tires from the store arrived and was given my parking space, so we were delayed by over an hour. Then there was an issue with jacking the trailer, so another delay. We finally figured out to use the hydraulic jacks on the trailer and got the tire off and found what appeared to be a part of a razor blade that was just barely breaking into the tire and causing a small air leak. It was removed and upon remounting the tire, we were soon on our way. I don't guess I should complain about a free flat repair but I was still aggravated about being delayed.

We made excellent time across I-20 and stopped at a rest area near Tyler for our break. This was the busiest rest area that we've ever been in, with several big rigs being double stacked in the parking areas. Stella fixed us some sandwiches to tide us over until we get to Center.

Remember the last time that we stayed here and I complained about the deep hole in the parking lot? The complaints did some good because the concrete has been repaired and it was easy to get in and parked. I noticed one of the sites with what appeared to be a wifi antenna on it and that's the one that we chose. It proved to be a good choice because the wifi reception has been outstanding. After an easy set-up, we are ready to go. We made a quick trip to the grocery store and called Janie to let her know that we had made it. We made plans to go over to her house tomorrow and turned in. It had been a long day.

So long.

Sunday March 29, 2015-Coffee Creek RV Park

It was much warmer this morning, but sadly it was the departure day for many of our friends at the rally. We gathered in the rally hall for a quick breakfast and got in some last-minute visiting in with those that are packing up today. 

A group of us went back over to the old Palo Pinto because most of the rest had not seen it yet and I wanted to take some pictures. When we arrived, it was closed! Bummer...

Here we are, but outside the gate.  

They have a very nice gate that someone went to a lot of trouble to build. It looks like someone did some excellent work with a water jet or some sort of metal router.

The plaque on the front of the old jail. 

Some of the courtyard and the front door of the jail.

They  have an old "dog-trot" house that is complete with old furnishings.

This old wagon was actually used in the movie Lonesome Dove. The producer went to an old farm and found remnants of the old wagon, but a crew searched the area and found all the metal pieces for the wagon. He then had the wood replaced and built an exact replica from the old parts. I wish I was able to take close up photos to show you. It was really interesting and the back story made it even cooler.

From Palo Pinto, we went back to Mineral Wells but found the Crazy Water store closed. Another Bummer.

After leaving, we tried to go back to the Mexican restaurant where we had eaten the other day, but like everything else, it was closed today.We did find another, the El Paseo restaurant in Mineral Wells. After our meal we came back home to rest and got together later for more dominoes. It was a great way to end the rally!

So long.

Saturday March 28, 2015-Coffee Creek RV Park

We woke to another cool morning today but the weather guessers predicted that the temps would rise as the day went on, and sure enough, they were right! I was able to wear my short pants this morning without discomfort but of course, I just went to the rally hall for breakfast.

We had our big potluck breakfast this morning and it went very well. We had biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, and everything was delicious. It was a great way to start the day!

Later in the morning, we drove over to the Oak Creek RV Resort as a possible replacement for the Coffee Creek park. Coffee Creek has been taken over by a bank since the owners apparently defaulted on their loan. The park is open and being operated by the original people, but under the circumstances, who knows what will happen in the future. Nancy and I talked about it and felt it best to explore other options. Oak Creek looked really good, so she went ahead and booked the spring rally for next year.

We came on back home to hang out with our friends until supper time which was scheduled to be a barbecue dinner provided by Explore USA. When Dave and Nancy went to pick up the barbecue, they learned that no one had ordered nor paid for the meal, so they had to scramble around and pay for the order. They will have to contact Explore to get this straightened out.

Remember the other day when we went to the Crazy Water store in Mineral Wells with Tom and Marti? I seem to have forgotten to mention that we went to the Gibson's Discount store in Weatherford. There are only two such stores left, the one in Kerrville and this one. Both stores are very similar, with an eclectic and huge assortment of items for sale. If you like an old-style hardware store, check out either of these stores.

Back to the present. After supper we played dominoes and hung out with our friends. Tomorrow is the last official day of the rally but we, along with several others will be staying until Monday.

So long.