Mar 28th - Sat - to Mesa AZ
Another long day - about 6 hours. Got an early start due to gaining an hour moving to Mountain Time Zone. We are in Valle Del Oro RV park where we stayed in Nov 07 before heading to Mexico. It is a PA park and they give you half off the weekly rate - unusual and appreciated. We had stopped for a big Subway sandwich for lunch and weren’t starving for dinner so we went for a bicycle ride after setting up, relaxing for a while and looking after emails. We passed a woman riding the other way and both of us immediately realized we should know her. Luckily, her name came right to me and I was able to call to her. It was Diann of “Diann & Rick” from San Carlos, Mexico. Small world phenomenon again!!
Diann & Rick came over for happy hour(s) and we enjoyed chatting and a buddy burner. It was late when they left so we just had a sandwich for dinner and shortly after headed for bed.
Mar 29th - Sun - Mesa AZ
Arizona does not go on daylight savings time so we gained another hour yesterday which meant Dolly & I were awake very early this morning. I moved to the couch to read and not disturb Terry. Of course he woke up as soon as I left the bed.
We headed for the “Mesa Marketplace”, an undercover market, fairly early and had breakfast there before spending a few hours wandering. There are 5 rows each ½ mile long so we got in some exercise. When we got back, Terry cleaned up the truck and I spent too much time trying to get rid of a stupid folder that opened every time we booted up the computer. Finally succeeded and then worked on emails again - everyone that I contacted yesterday got back to me!
After an early dinner, we went to a bulletin board and marked on a park map all the park models for sale. Then we rode our bikes to check them out - 24 in all - so we got some more much needed exercise.
The weather was beautiful - warm with a slight breeze.
Mar 30th - Mon - Mesa
After coffee this morning, we went to say goodbye to Rick & Diann. Turns out they are moving just a few miles away and staying for another week. They picked up a coupon at the marketplace for a week for $75. I think we will go back to the market on Friday and see if we can find the same coupon and take advantage of the good price and enjoy the warm weather a little longer.
After breakfast, I did several loads of laundry while Terry cleaned the 5th wheel. Found a water dispenser to fill our gallon water bottles for 25 cents each as the park water is a little blah.
I searched the internet to find a store to purchase some Working Hands hand cream as Terry’s heels are really dry, cracked and sore. Drove about 5 ½ miles to a store that said they sold it and had some in stock only to find just one jar. I wanted another to send to Theresa and was able to find more at a Lowe’s store less than a mile from the RV park. Also made a grocery stop so we could have a spinach salad with a nice steak for dinner.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Mar 25th to 27th - Big Bend to Deming NM
Mar 25th - Wed - to Big Bend Ntl Park
About a 4 hour drive today to Stillwell Ranch RV park just outside Big Bend park. Lots of desert, not as many cows as I expected, possibly because of the drought in Texas. We were told a couple of times about higher gas prices in Marathon but passed barely accessible service stations in Fort Stockton and didn’t stop there. Mistake! Diesel was $2.39 in Ft Stockton and $3.09 in Marathon!
A group of people were sitting on the front porch of the office when we drove up in Stillwell RV park. The owner suggested that since we were so close to the sites we might as well pick one, set up and come see her when we were done. We weren’t sure how long we would stay so she opened a “charge account” for us and told us to pay when we left. We could also put items from the small store and gift shop on our tab.
As well as our air card not working, now our phones are not working either. The store has “unofficial” wifi available if you sit on the front porch which I used to post my blog. Then I discovered that I could get the signal in our rig as we are near the office.
Terry set up our satellite and we tried to help a neighbor get his going by finding coordinates for him. At 7 there was a music program in the museum. Our immediate neighbors (a couple) sang and played guitars very well. The guy that we helped with his satellite also joined them in a few songs. It was his birthday and someone had baked a cake so we got to enjoy that as well.
Mar 26th - Thurs - Big Bend Ntl Park
Spent the day in the park today. Packed a lunch and headed out just after 9. It is 34 miles from the RV park to the main headquarters in the park - a lot more desert and some interesting mountains. From there we went to the Chisos Basin which is, as the name says, a basin in the midst of large mountains. There is a view through “The Window” to the flat land beyond the mountains. Next a drive to Santa Helena right on the Rio Grande River on the south side of the park. We stopped at several view points and took short walks but nothing very long or ambitious. The Santa Helena river joins the Rio Grande in a canyon with very high, sheer limestone walls. We were going to return by a different road but after driving about a mile of a 12 mile gravel road we decided to turn around and spare ourselves and the truck all the bumps and dust.
We stopped at a viewpoint to have our late lunch and returned to the park. Including the short lunch break, from Santa Helena to the RV park took nearly 2 hours - it is a very large park.
The only blooming plants that we saw were lots of yuccas and ocotillos and blue bonnets along the road.
Our wifi signal disappeared this evening as another large unit parked beside us and blocked it.
Mar 27th - Fri - to Deming NM
We decided last night that we would leave today rather than spend another day in the park as the weather is supposed to get quite cool. We also decided to head for the Phoenix area rather than explore more of New Mexico. Northern NM is expecting very cold weather and snow and we have been in the southern part of the state. We are in search of warm weather, preferably without wind. Deming is about half way so we are at the Low Hi RV park for the night.
We put in a long day of driving today. About 7 hours elapsed with only a few short stops. We spoke briefly at a rest area with a couple from New York and they were going to drive until they got out of Texas!
Hwy 90 from Marathon until it meets I10 east of El Paso is a very good road. Hit lots of traffic in El Paso.
We saw a huge (probably a couple of miles long) orchard of some kind - maybe pecans? - along the highway and then many more orchards of the same kind but not as large. Forgot to ask at the RV office what they were.
It did indeed cool down today. Quite a change from 80’s yesterday to 50’s today. Terry has been sneezing and has a constantly runny nose - I think it is some type of allergy rather than a cold. He has not had allergies in the past but may be developing some. I fed him some Claratin and made an early dinner as we did not stop for lunch. Spent quite a bit of time on emails, now the blog and will post it and then get to relax with a book for a while.
About a 4 hour drive today to Stillwell Ranch RV park just outside Big Bend park. Lots of desert, not as many cows as I expected, possibly because of the drought in Texas. We were told a couple of times about higher gas prices in Marathon but passed barely accessible service stations in Fort Stockton and didn’t stop there. Mistake! Diesel was $2.39 in Ft Stockton and $3.09 in Marathon!
A group of people were sitting on the front porch of the office when we drove up in Stillwell RV park. The owner suggested that since we were so close to the sites we might as well pick one, set up and come see her when we were done. We weren’t sure how long we would stay so she opened a “charge account” for us and told us to pay when we left. We could also put items from the small store and gift shop on our tab.
As well as our air card not working, now our phones are not working either. The store has “unofficial” wifi available if you sit on the front porch which I used to post my blog. Then I discovered that I could get the signal in our rig as we are near the office.
Terry set up our satellite and we tried to help a neighbor get his going by finding coordinates for him. At 7 there was a music program in the museum. Our immediate neighbors (a couple) sang and played guitars very well. The guy that we helped with his satellite also joined them in a few songs. It was his birthday and someone had baked a cake so we got to enjoy that as well.
Mar 26th - Thurs - Big Bend Ntl Park
Spent the day in the park today. Packed a lunch and headed out just after 9. It is 34 miles from the RV park to the main headquarters in the park - a lot more desert and some interesting mountains. From there we went to the Chisos Basin which is, as the name says, a basin in the midst of large mountains. There is a view through “The Window” to the flat land beyond the mountains. Next a drive to Santa Helena right on the Rio Grande River on the south side of the park. We stopped at several view points and took short walks but nothing very long or ambitious. The Santa Helena river joins the Rio Grande in a canyon with very high, sheer limestone walls. We were going to return by a different road but after driving about a mile of a 12 mile gravel road we decided to turn around and spare ourselves and the truck all the bumps and dust.
We stopped at a viewpoint to have our late lunch and returned to the park. Including the short lunch break, from Santa Helena to the RV park took nearly 2 hours - it is a very large park.
The only blooming plants that we saw were lots of yuccas and ocotillos and blue bonnets along the road.
Our wifi signal disappeared this evening as another large unit parked beside us and blocked it.
Mar 27th - Fri - to Deming NM
We decided last night that we would leave today rather than spend another day in the park as the weather is supposed to get quite cool. We also decided to head for the Phoenix area rather than explore more of New Mexico. Northern NM is expecting very cold weather and snow and we have been in the southern part of the state. We are in search of warm weather, preferably without wind. Deming is about half way so we are at the Low Hi RV park for the night.
We put in a long day of driving today. About 7 hours elapsed with only a few short stops. We spoke briefly at a rest area with a couple from New York and they were going to drive until they got out of Texas!
Hwy 90 from Marathon until it meets I10 east of El Paso is a very good road. Hit lots of traffic in El Paso.
We saw a huge (probably a couple of miles long) orchard of some kind - maybe pecans? - along the highway and then many more orchards of the same kind but not as large. Forgot to ask at the RV office what they were.
It did indeed cool down today. Quite a change from 80’s yesterday to 50’s today. Terry has been sneezing and has a constantly runny nose - I think it is some type of allergy rather than a cold. He has not had allergies in the past but may be developing some. I fed him some Claratin and made an early dinner as we did not stop for lunch. Spent quite a bit of time on emails, now the blog and will post it and then get to relax with a book for a while.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Mar 20th to 25th - Bowie to Big Bend Ntl Park TX
Mar 20th - Fri - Bowie
It takes a long time to catch up on 45 years but we continued trying to do so this morning while I did a couple more loads of laundry. Then Theresa took Terry & I to town to see her store (Heartland). It is wonderful with a great mix of candles, purses & wallets, house wares, greeting cards, decorative home items, soaps & lotions, etc. We went to a small Italian restaurant for a good lunch, picked up one grocery item and headed home. Leftovers for dinner so Theresa didn’t have to work so hard!!
Theresa’s brother Bob (and Terry’s cousin of course!) drove today with his daughter Renee from Denver, Colorado. They stopped in Wichita Falls TX to pick up Theresa & Bob’s mother Millie who is Ella Mae’s (Terry’s Mom) sister-in-law. Got that??
They didn’t arrive until after 8 and then there was another round of reminiscing.
Theresa & Tom have 2 cow dogs that do not like small animals such as cats and Dolly so I have to be really careful when I take her outside. I tell the dogs to go back to the house and Dolly really gives them heck.
Mar 21st - Sat - Bowie
I baked quick Danish biscuits for breakfast today and we chatted the morning away. After lunch, we got out the Skip Bo cards so Theresa could teach Terry, me and Renee how to play. It is a fun game that we will be adding to our game cabinet.
Even though we were all full from a good spaghetti dinner, I made Blackberry Dumplings for dessert which everyone enjoyed.
The wind continued today. I could not live where there is so much wind.
Mar 22nd - Sun - Bowie
The “girls” (me, Theresa, Millie & Renee) went shopping today. First we stopped by Theresa’s shop and each bought a few items. Then we went to WalMart to get some spring blouses for Millie. Of course, Renee & I found a couple of items also. Bob was having a problem with his car so Terry drove him to town for a water pump and Tom was working up some ground to plant more sprigs.
Spent the rest of the afternoon sitting at the side of the house out of the wind and enjoying the sun. Dinner, TV, pictures on the computer and watching a cow starting to have a calf filled the remainder of the evening.
Mar 23rd - Mon - to Big Spring TX
The wind was very strong & gusty all last night, rocking the 5th wheel and causing Terry & I to get very little sleep. We packed & hooked up and went for a last cup of coffee with the relatives. After hugs all around, we were on the road just before 9.
Our route took us south & west. The wind was mainly from the south so we bucked a head wind but that feels better than getting rocked by a broadside wind. We originally planned to stop in Abilene but Terry wanted to get a bit further west to get out of the front which was moving east and causing the wind.
We are at the Texas RV Park in a HUGE drive-thru site - must be 90 feet long. There are 4 foot solid wood fences between the drive-thru sites so they buffer the decreasing wind. In fact, I would call it a breeze now.
We angled SW to Hwy I20 when we left Bowie so we would miss Ft Worth traffic. Good roads. We passed quite a few large horse ranches with lovely (expensive!) fences and impressive entry gates. Also many herds of goats. Cheese? Meat? Lawn mowers? From Sweetwater to here are lots of wind turbines.
Mar 24th - Tues - Big Spring
Spent quite a bit of time on the computer last night trying to get connected to the internet until we finally realized that we must be in an area without broadband service which means phones but no internet.
Took our time getting going this morning and then went looking for a liquor store and a library. The county where Theresa lives is dry so we shared our alcohol store with everyone and needed to replenish. Reasonable prices at the liquor store and then on to the library where we found that the wifi connection is though the same company as here at the park for $9.95 for 24 hours - we passed on that offer. WalMart for some groceries, topped up on diesel ($2.11) and headed back to the park.
After lunch our neighbor came over to share some information about Big Bend National Park which is where we are going next. Spent a nice, lazy afternoon with a little exploring, cleaning up the truck and just relaxing.
Mar 25th - Wed - Big Bend National Park
Just a quick entry, will do the rest later. We have sit on the office porch to get wifi so will just post my blog and complete & post this later. Also do not have cell phone service so don't be worried if you try to call us in the next few days.
It takes a long time to catch up on 45 years but we continued trying to do so this morning while I did a couple more loads of laundry. Then Theresa took Terry & I to town to see her store (Heartland). It is wonderful with a great mix of candles, purses & wallets, house wares, greeting cards, decorative home items, soaps & lotions, etc. We went to a small Italian restaurant for a good lunch, picked up one grocery item and headed home. Leftovers for dinner so Theresa didn’t have to work so hard!!
Theresa’s brother Bob (and Terry’s cousin of course!) drove today with his daughter Renee from Denver, Colorado. They stopped in Wichita Falls TX to pick up Theresa & Bob’s mother Millie who is Ella Mae’s (Terry’s Mom) sister-in-law. Got that??
They didn’t arrive until after 8 and then there was another round of reminiscing.
Theresa & Tom have 2 cow dogs that do not like small animals such as cats and Dolly so I have to be really careful when I take her outside. I tell the dogs to go back to the house and Dolly really gives them heck.
Mar 21st - Sat - Bowie
I baked quick Danish biscuits for breakfast today and we chatted the morning away. After lunch, we got out the Skip Bo cards so Theresa could teach Terry, me and Renee how to play. It is a fun game that we will be adding to our game cabinet.
Even though we were all full from a good spaghetti dinner, I made Blackberry Dumplings for dessert which everyone enjoyed.
The wind continued today. I could not live where there is so much wind.
Mar 22nd - Sun - Bowie
The “girls” (me, Theresa, Millie & Renee) went shopping today. First we stopped by Theresa’s shop and each bought a few items. Then we went to WalMart to get some spring blouses for Millie. Of course, Renee & I found a couple of items also. Bob was having a problem with his car so Terry drove him to town for a water pump and Tom was working up some ground to plant more sprigs.
Spent the rest of the afternoon sitting at the side of the house out of the wind and enjoying the sun. Dinner, TV, pictures on the computer and watching a cow starting to have a calf filled the remainder of the evening.
Mar 23rd - Mon - to Big Spring TX
The wind was very strong & gusty all last night, rocking the 5th wheel and causing Terry & I to get very little sleep. We packed & hooked up and went for a last cup of coffee with the relatives. After hugs all around, we were on the road just before 9.
Our route took us south & west. The wind was mainly from the south so we bucked a head wind but that feels better than getting rocked by a broadside wind. We originally planned to stop in Abilene but Terry wanted to get a bit further west to get out of the front which was moving east and causing the wind.
We are at the Texas RV Park in a HUGE drive-thru site - must be 90 feet long. There are 4 foot solid wood fences between the drive-thru sites so they buffer the decreasing wind. In fact, I would call it a breeze now.
We angled SW to Hwy I20 when we left Bowie so we would miss Ft Worth traffic. Good roads. We passed quite a few large horse ranches with lovely (expensive!) fences and impressive entry gates. Also many herds of goats. Cheese? Meat? Lawn mowers? From Sweetwater to here are lots of wind turbines.
Mar 24th - Tues - Big Spring
Spent quite a bit of time on the computer last night trying to get connected to the internet until we finally realized that we must be in an area without broadband service which means phones but no internet.
Took our time getting going this morning and then went looking for a liquor store and a library. The county where Theresa lives is dry so we shared our alcohol store with everyone and needed to replenish. Reasonable prices at the liquor store and then on to the library where we found that the wifi connection is though the same company as here at the park for $9.95 for 24 hours - we passed on that offer. WalMart for some groceries, topped up on diesel ($2.11) and headed back to the park.
After lunch our neighbor came over to share some information about Big Bend National Park which is where we are going next. Spent a nice, lazy afternoon with a little exploring, cleaning up the truck and just relaxing.
Mar 25th - Wed - Big Bend National Park
Just a quick entry, will do the rest later. We have sit on the office porch to get wifi so will just post my blog and complete & post this later. Also do not have cell phone service so don't be worried if you try to call us in the next few days.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Mar 17th to 19th - Lake Whitney to Bowie TX
Mar 17th - Tues - Lake Whitney
A couple that parked next to us in San Antonio had told us about a bakery in West with “the best” cinnamon rolls. We had actually gone through West on the way to Whitney. So we had to take a drive to get breakfast at the bakery. They have many varieties of rolls - I stuck with cinnamon/raisin and Terry had raspberry/cream cheese. We should have just split one roll! They were large and DELICIOUS! Well worth the drive. Also had to try the kulachi (another type of dough with sweet or meat filling) so we got a ground sausage and a pecan/cream cheese to go.
Stopped at a car wash and got diesel before taking a different route on the way back to go around Lake Whitney - nice lake and scenery. At the service station, the guy filling up beside us was from Spokane. He said he was also staying at Lake Whitney and Terry assumed at the same park as us. He wasn’t there so we drove to the state park to see if we could find him. We could not get in to look for him without paying the $3 each entry fee. Since we weren’t even sure if he was there, we didn’t go in.
We checked to see if anyone was catching anything in the indoor fishing area - very slow. We were sitting outside and Terry decided that the 5th wheel needed some cleaning. So we took a bucket and some cloths and cleaned it as far up as we could reach which was fine as the top was not dirty.
Barbequed dinner and had a quiet evening.
Mar 18th - Wed - to Bowie TX
We tried not to leave too early this morning as we didn’t want to hit rush hour traffic going through Ft. Worth on our way to Bowie which is north west of Ft. Worth. (The pecan kulachi was great for my breakfast!) Terry has a cousin (Theresa & husband Tom) who lives there and whom he had not seen since they were kids. We have been exchanging infrequent emails for about a year and trying to figure out if a visit would work into our route - and here we are.
We arrived about 1:00 and immediately started catching up on the last 45 years with Theresa. Theresa & Tom live on a cattle ranch, have another ranch in Oklahoma, Tom works as a pipe fitter and Theresa has a gift & antique store in Bowie. We took a break from chatting to set up our 5th wheel on their front lawn.
Theresa had told us that she would be making us dinner so I could just kick back.
Before we knew it, it was 10 o’clock and time to let them get to bed as Tom heads to work at 5:30.
Mar 19th - Thurs - Bowie
We finally wandered over to Theresa’s house about 10 and took along some laundry to take advantage of her offer to use the laundry facilities. We drank coffee, chatted, did laundry, watched the “hours old” calf in a field right by the house and had lunch before Theresa took us on a tour of the ranch on her 4 wheeler. They grow Bermuda grass for pasture and hay. They recently bought equipment to harvest & plant “sprigs”. The “sprig digger” is pulled over an established Bermuda grass field, digs up grass roots and throws them into a wagon. The ‘sprigger” then plants the roots in a bare or partially bare field. With a little rain (much needed in a lot of Texas), the newly planted field can be used for pasture within a few months.
Terry & I made a quick trip into Bowie to WalMart for a few items and then spent a couple of hours on the computer showing Theresa photos and jokes. She uses dial up for the internet so I put some jokes & pictures on a CD and loaded them on her computer. When Tom got home from work and then got back from clearing some land, we had him in tears laughing at some of the jokes.
Theresa cooked a great dinner for us again and we “thanked“ her by showing Alaska pictures until their eyes crossed!
A couple that parked next to us in San Antonio had told us about a bakery in West with “the best” cinnamon rolls. We had actually gone through West on the way to Whitney. So we had to take a drive to get breakfast at the bakery. They have many varieties of rolls - I stuck with cinnamon/raisin and Terry had raspberry/cream cheese. We should have just split one roll! They were large and DELICIOUS! Well worth the drive. Also had to try the kulachi (another type of dough with sweet or meat filling) so we got a ground sausage and a pecan/cream cheese to go.
Stopped at a car wash and got diesel before taking a different route on the way back to go around Lake Whitney - nice lake and scenery. At the service station, the guy filling up beside us was from Spokane. He said he was also staying at Lake Whitney and Terry assumed at the same park as us. He wasn’t there so we drove to the state park to see if we could find him. We could not get in to look for him without paying the $3 each entry fee. Since we weren’t even sure if he was there, we didn’t go in.
We checked to see if anyone was catching anything in the indoor fishing area - very slow. We were sitting outside and Terry decided that the 5th wheel needed some cleaning. So we took a bucket and some cloths and cleaned it as far up as we could reach which was fine as the top was not dirty.
Barbequed dinner and had a quiet evening.
Mar 18th - Wed - to Bowie TX
We tried not to leave too early this morning as we didn’t want to hit rush hour traffic going through Ft. Worth on our way to Bowie which is north west of Ft. Worth. (The pecan kulachi was great for my breakfast!) Terry has a cousin (Theresa & husband Tom) who lives there and whom he had not seen since they were kids. We have been exchanging infrequent emails for about a year and trying to figure out if a visit would work into our route - and here we are.
We arrived about 1:00 and immediately started catching up on the last 45 years with Theresa. Theresa & Tom live on a cattle ranch, have another ranch in Oklahoma, Tom works as a pipe fitter and Theresa has a gift & antique store in Bowie. We took a break from chatting to set up our 5th wheel on their front lawn.
Theresa had told us that she would be making us dinner so I could just kick back.
Before we knew it, it was 10 o’clock and time to let them get to bed as Tom heads to work at 5:30.
Mar 19th - Thurs - Bowie
We finally wandered over to Theresa’s house about 10 and took along some laundry to take advantage of her offer to use the laundry facilities. We drank coffee, chatted, did laundry, watched the “hours old” calf in a field right by the house and had lunch before Theresa took us on a tour of the ranch on her 4 wheeler. They grow Bermuda grass for pasture and hay. They recently bought equipment to harvest & plant “sprigs”. The “sprig digger” is pulled over an established Bermuda grass field, digs up grass roots and throws them into a wagon. The ‘sprigger” then plants the roots in a bare or partially bare field. With a little rain (much needed in a lot of Texas), the newly planted field can be used for pasture within a few months.
Terry & I made a quick trip into Bowie to WalMart for a few items and then spent a couple of hours on the computer showing Theresa photos and jokes. She uses dial up for the internet so I put some jokes & pictures on a CD and loaded them on her computer. When Tom got home from work and then got back from clearing some land, we had him in tears laughing at some of the jokes.
Theresa cooked a great dinner for us again and we “thanked“ her by showing Alaska pictures until their eyes crossed!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Mar 14th to 16th - San Antonio to Whitney TX
Mar 14th - Sat - San Antonio
Still cool & drizzly but we figured we better go downtown anyhow. We found a parking garage and walked to the Buckhorn Restaurant and Museum which I had seen in a brochure. There is also a Texas Ranger Museum so we got a combo ticket and spent about 1 ½ hours going through them & the gift store. The Texas Ranger museum is a little dry with a lot of reading necessary. It included Bonnie & Clyde’s car with all the bullet holes from their final showdown with police & rangers. The Buckhorn museum is an amazing collection of all sorts of things - stuffed animals (American, African & others), stuffed bird & fish displays, saddles & other tack, spurs, chairs made from horns & hides, historical dioramas, bronze busts, “old West” rooms (jail, bar, etc), oddities (2 headed calf, antler anomalies) and other bits & pieces to numerous to mention.
We went next to the RiverWalk which is very nice. The city has built bulkheads along the river with pathways on both sides. A man-made canal was added to extend a sharp turn in the river into a complete loop. You go down steps from the street level to the RiverWalk and there are multiple foot bridges over the river as well as car bridges which are also accessible by stairs. We took a half hour boat tour for an overview and some history. It was drizzling a bit when we started but not enough to ruin the tour.
Headed back early as Louise had invited us and another couple over for dinner. We met Ron & Gail when we were in Sarasota for New Years.
Had a great dinner and then went to “Casino Night” in the park. They gave everyone a dish of 50 chips and 5 tickets which you could deposit in bags for your choice of 5 gifts in a drawing. You then gambled (21, poker, horse racing) and bought more tickets with your winnings. You could also buy these tickets and tickets for a $250 credit card. The first ticket drawn was for an MP3 player and Terry won it!! Guess who gets to figure out how to load music on it?!
Mar 15th - Sun - San Antonio
We went back to downtown San Antonio this morning. I tried to talk Terry into taking the bus that stops right in front of the park but when it was at least 15 minutes late we both said “to heck with it” and took the truck again. We parked near the Alamo historic site, saw a line again and went to the RiverWalk via a large shopping mall. We found a restaurant serving a buffet brunch and had a lovely meal sitting outside on the second floor balcony of the restaurant. Handy since the buffet was served on the second floor!
We were wandering along the RiverWalk when a small parade of boats/barges went by in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. There was a band, a bagpipe group, 2 groups of young girls dancing Irish dances and a couple of rag-tag groups which were both dragging bags of green dye in the river. On the way back to the truck, we finally got into the Alamo grounds. I am not a huge history buff and was not impressed with this attraction. Might have been more interesting if we had waited in the line to enter a building that we never did know what was in there - possibly a film?We went for a bike ride on a biking/walking trail that follows the river for several miles. It goes to a mission not far from the park but we did not find it before we were ready to turn around and check the trail out the other way from the park. There were quite a few “ups & downs” that wore both of us out.
Mar 16th - Mon - to Lake Whitney TX
We said farewell to Doug & Louise this morning. Our just over 4 hour trip turned into 4 ½ hours as an accident on the freeway caused us to sit for ½ hour waiting for it to clear and then for the traffic to get moving. We listened to the CB and truckers were saying the back up was 7 miles long.
We are at the Lake Whitney Marina & RV Park - PA park northeast of Waco. Nice quiet park but Terry is out right now (8:15 pm) trying to figure out why we have no water. The only faucet that we found was on the side of a mobile home beside us and we did have water earlier. He just came back and we have water from another tap that he found somewhere.
The marina has an indoor fishing area where you can fish for free when you stay in the RV park. We walked down to watch for a while and chatted with a couple from a nearby town who leave a trailer here for weekend use. Only a couple of keeper perch were caught - we may try it out tomorrow.
We went for a walk around the rest of the park which is spread out over a large area. Lovely weather! Sunny and warm.
Still cool & drizzly but we figured we better go downtown anyhow. We found a parking garage and walked to the Buckhorn Restaurant and Museum which I had seen in a brochure. There is also a Texas Ranger Museum so we got a combo ticket and spent about 1 ½ hours going through them & the gift store. The Texas Ranger museum is a little dry with a lot of reading necessary. It included Bonnie & Clyde’s car with all the bullet holes from their final showdown with police & rangers. The Buckhorn museum is an amazing collection of all sorts of things - stuffed animals (American, African & others), stuffed bird & fish displays, saddles & other tack, spurs, chairs made from horns & hides, historical dioramas, bronze busts, “old West” rooms (jail, bar, etc), oddities (2 headed calf, antler anomalies) and other bits & pieces to numerous to mention.
We went next to the RiverWalk which is very nice. The city has built bulkheads along the river with pathways on both sides. A man-made canal was added to extend a sharp turn in the river into a complete loop. You go down steps from the street level to the RiverWalk and there are multiple foot bridges over the river as well as car bridges which are also accessible by stairs. We took a half hour boat tour for an overview and some history. It was drizzling a bit when we started but not enough to ruin the tour.
Headed back early as Louise had invited us and another couple over for dinner. We met Ron & Gail when we were in Sarasota for New Years.
Had a great dinner and then went to “Casino Night” in the park. They gave everyone a dish of 50 chips and 5 tickets which you could deposit in bags for your choice of 5 gifts in a drawing. You then gambled (21, poker, horse racing) and bought more tickets with your winnings. You could also buy these tickets and tickets for a $250 credit card. The first ticket drawn was for an MP3 player and Terry won it!! Guess who gets to figure out how to load music on it?!
Mar 15th - Sun - San Antonio
We went back to downtown San Antonio this morning. I tried to talk Terry into taking the bus that stops right in front of the park but when it was at least 15 minutes late we both said “to heck with it” and took the truck again. We parked near the Alamo historic site, saw a line again and went to the RiverWalk via a large shopping mall. We found a restaurant serving a buffet brunch and had a lovely meal sitting outside on the second floor balcony of the restaurant. Handy since the buffet was served on the second floor!
We were wandering along the RiverWalk when a small parade of boats/barges went by in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. There was a band, a bagpipe group, 2 groups of young girls dancing Irish dances and a couple of rag-tag groups which were both dragging bags of green dye in the river. On the way back to the truck, we finally got into the Alamo grounds. I am not a huge history buff and was not impressed with this attraction. Might have been more interesting if we had waited in the line to enter a building that we never did know what was in there - possibly a film?We went for a bike ride on a biking/walking trail that follows the river for several miles. It goes to a mission not far from the park but we did not find it before we were ready to turn around and check the trail out the other way from the park. There were quite a few “ups & downs” that wore both of us out.
Mar 16th - Mon - to Lake Whitney TX
We said farewell to Doug & Louise this morning. Our just over 4 hour trip turned into 4 ½ hours as an accident on the freeway caused us to sit for ½ hour waiting for it to clear and then for the traffic to get moving. We listened to the CB and truckers were saying the back up was 7 miles long.
We are at the Lake Whitney Marina & RV Park - PA park northeast of Waco. Nice quiet park but Terry is out right now (8:15 pm) trying to figure out why we have no water. The only faucet that we found was on the side of a mobile home beside us and we did have water earlier. He just came back and we have water from another tap that he found somewhere.
The marina has an indoor fishing area where you can fish for free when you stay in the RV park. We walked down to watch for a while and chatted with a couple from a nearby town who leave a trailer here for weekend use. Only a couple of keeper perch were caught - we may try it out tomorrow.
We went for a walk around the rest of the park which is spread out over a large area. Lovely weather! Sunny and warm.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Mar 10th to 13th - San Benito to San Antonio
Mar 10th - Tues - San Benito
We went for a drive south and east today - through Brownsville to South Padre Island. We were warned that there might be lots of traffic because of kids on spring break but things were pretty quiet. We walked out to the beach - not many people there but it was very windy and not a great beach day.
We had lunch and headed back. We chatted with Glen & Bonnie while I was putting some bread pudding in the oven and I invited them over later for dessert. I also made a vanilla sauce (recipes from the internet) and I think it turned out great.
Mar 11th - Wed - San Benito
Glen & Bonnie headed for home (Louisiana) this morning - the park is really emptying out. I did a couple of loads of laundry while Terry washed the truck & the 5th wheel. I made breakfast for lunch and then we went to the pool for a while. The wind let up a bit today but there was enough to make you feel cool when you got out of the pool even though it was probably in the low 80’s.
Mar 12th - Thurs - to San Antonio TX
Lots of empty highway - empty of traffic and anything interesting to look at - on the 4 ½ hour trip to San Antonio today. We took a highway (281) that paralleled the one (77) that we took down. We found out from Glen when we in San Benito that the 60 mile stretch on Hwy 77 without a service station was one side of the famed King Ranch.
After setting up and having a late lunch, I dealt with too many emails and then we went out for diesel and groceries - story of our life! The people that we met in Sarasota for New Years (Doug & Louise) are in this park and went to the office before we arrived to arrange for us to have a spot near them. They were busy today so we will see them during the remaining 3 days that we are staying here.
A cold front came through and the temperature dropped a lot last night and stayed cool, rainy and breezy today. The River Walk is a huge “must see” in San Antonio so I hope the weather improves so we can enjoy it.
Mar 13th - Fri - San Antonio
Doug & Louise came over for coffee and banana bread that I baked yesterday. Since the weather was cold and rainy, they were doing laundry & cleaning so we headed for a flea market. It was a disappointment since more than half of the stalls are only open on Sat & Sun. Since we were north of town, we continued on to find a Costco, grazed our way through the food demos, had a hot dog and came back. Terry fixed the cord on our plug-in cooler while I worked on the computer.
We joined Doug & Louise for happy hour and “suddenly” it was 8 and we hadn’t had dinner. So we all walked across the road to a Mexican restaurant where we had fajitas for a very reasonable price. Back to Doug & Louise’s MH for a nightcap.
We went for a drive south and east today - through Brownsville to South Padre Island. We were warned that there might be lots of traffic because of kids on spring break but things were pretty quiet. We walked out to the beach - not many people there but it was very windy and not a great beach day.
We had lunch and headed back. We chatted with Glen & Bonnie while I was putting some bread pudding in the oven and I invited them over later for dessert. I also made a vanilla sauce (recipes from the internet) and I think it turned out great.
Mar 11th - Wed - San Benito
Glen & Bonnie headed for home (Louisiana) this morning - the park is really emptying out. I did a couple of loads of laundry while Terry washed the truck & the 5th wheel. I made breakfast for lunch and then we went to the pool for a while. The wind let up a bit today but there was enough to make you feel cool when you got out of the pool even though it was probably in the low 80’s.
Mar 12th - Thurs - to San Antonio TX
Lots of empty highway - empty of traffic and anything interesting to look at - on the 4 ½ hour trip to San Antonio today. We took a highway (281) that paralleled the one (77) that we took down. We found out from Glen when we in San Benito that the 60 mile stretch on Hwy 77 without a service station was one side of the famed King Ranch.
After setting up and having a late lunch, I dealt with too many emails and then we went out for diesel and groceries - story of our life! The people that we met in Sarasota for New Years (Doug & Louise) are in this park and went to the office before we arrived to arrange for us to have a spot near them. They were busy today so we will see them during the remaining 3 days that we are staying here.
A cold front came through and the temperature dropped a lot last night and stayed cool, rainy and breezy today. The River Walk is a huge “must see” in San Antonio so I hope the weather improves so we can enjoy it.
Mar 13th - Fri - San Antonio
Doug & Louise came over for coffee and banana bread that I baked yesterday. Since the weather was cold and rainy, they were doing laundry & cleaning so we headed for a flea market. It was a disappointment since more than half of the stalls are only open on Sat & Sun. Since we were north of town, we continued on to find a Costco, grazed our way through the food demos, had a hot dog and came back. Terry fixed the cord on our plug-in cooler while I worked on the computer.
We joined Doug & Louise for happy hour and “suddenly” it was 8 and we hadn’t had dinner. So we all walked across the road to a Mexican restaurant where we had fajitas for a very reasonable price. Back to Doug & Louise’s MH for a nightcap.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Mar 7th to 9th - San Benito TX
Mar 7th - Sat - San Benito
We headed out this morning to Mission to go to a lunch & comedy/music show. It actually didn’t start until 12:30 but we wanted to try to find Bob & Karen from Chewelah who had camped across from us in Foley. Karen had emailed us with the name of the park in Alamo where they were going to stay but we weren’t sure when they were arriving. When we drove into the park, a sign on the office said they were closed on the weekend so we just started driving up and down the roads and finally found them. We had a nice chat with them and carried on.
Our destination, The Chicken House Opry, was 6 miles off Hwy 83 and Terry was sure we were not on the right road as it got pretty trashy with graffiti on any paintable surface. But we found it and were parked behind a large, metal building. In front was another building with a semi-enclosed area serving lunch - BBQ beef sandwich, beans, pickles & a drink - for $5 for both of us. Tickets for the show were $20 per couple and included a CD (which we have not played) for the first 100 couples.
There were comfortable theater seats in the building, a rustic stage and a curtain made out of mismatched blankets. The show was very enjoyable. Apparently the “cast” was rehearsing and moves to Branson MO in April to start doing a show there. There were corny jokes, better jokes, skits, a comedian and many good singers. The drive was just over 40 miles each way but it was definitely worth it.
We stopped at a grocery store on the way home and by the time I put away groceries and meat, we had a late dinner.
Getting to places beside the freeway can be very frustrating. When you see a store and take the next exit, you are generally past the store and on a one-way frontage road which does not allow you to get back to the store. You have to go to the next exit, turn under the freeway, drive along the one-way frontage road on the other side until you are one exit past where you exited, turn under the freeway again and access the store from the frontage road. You basically have to know & take the exit before you see the store.
Mar 8th - Sun - San Benito
I looked after email and we chatted with our neighbors before leaving to check out a flea market. It was OK but smaller than we were used to in Ft Lauderdale & Naples. I wanted one food item so we tried without luck to find a smaller grocery store. Finally I said “forget it” and we came home for a late lunch.
We figured it was time to refill our buddy burners so I cut one of our large candles and started melting wax. Terry started to cut the remaining piece and I said “if you break my knife I’ll have to kill you and if you cut off a finger I’ll have to kill you”. The words were not all out of my mouth when the knife went right through the candle and, of course, he cut his finger. Actually, 2 fingers! One badly but didn’t require stitches. He kept pressure on until the bleeding finally stopped and a couple of tight bandaids fixed him up.
Glen & Bonnie came out so we had to tell them all about buddy burners - Bonnie figures she needs to make one. By the time we had all the burners filled, it was time to fix dinner and shut down for the evening.
Mar 9th - Mon - San Benito
Did some chores this morning and then joined Glen & Bonnie to go to Mexico. There are safety concerns in the border Mexican towns right now but Progreso is considered safe so that is where we went. There are lots of armed police right at the border crossing and in the streets.
We parked in a large lot and walked across. It costs 25 cents in a turnstile to get into Mexico and 30 cents to get out. We wandered along quite a long street of stores and sidewalk vendors, entering a few stores and heading for a restaurant & bar frequented by Glen’s cousin and her husband and friends who joined us. We enjoyed a few margaritas and snacks and then all headed back. Bought a few items on the way back so we didn’t have to carry them the whole time. There was a short line through customs, another line to pay duty on liquor and then we all stopped for an ice cream cone on the US side.
Still windy and hot so we watched TV and snoozed before making dinner. Glen & Bonnie came over and we had no problem visiting until 10. I have a hard time with the daylight savings time change and am not ready to sleep at night - will be happy when my body gets adjusted
We headed out this morning to Mission to go to a lunch & comedy/music show. It actually didn’t start until 12:30 but we wanted to try to find Bob & Karen from Chewelah who had camped across from us in Foley. Karen had emailed us with the name of the park in Alamo where they were going to stay but we weren’t sure when they were arriving. When we drove into the park, a sign on the office said they were closed on the weekend so we just started driving up and down the roads and finally found them. We had a nice chat with them and carried on.
Our destination, The Chicken House Opry, was 6 miles off Hwy 83 and Terry was sure we were not on the right road as it got pretty trashy with graffiti on any paintable surface. But we found it and were parked behind a large, metal building. In front was another building with a semi-enclosed area serving lunch - BBQ beef sandwich, beans, pickles & a drink - for $5 for both of us. Tickets for the show were $20 per couple and included a CD (which we have not played) for the first 100 couples.
There were comfortable theater seats in the building, a rustic stage and a curtain made out of mismatched blankets. The show was very enjoyable. Apparently the “cast” was rehearsing and moves to Branson MO in April to start doing a show there. There were corny jokes, better jokes, skits, a comedian and many good singers. The drive was just over 40 miles each way but it was definitely worth it.
We stopped at a grocery store on the way home and by the time I put away groceries and meat, we had a late dinner.
Getting to places beside the freeway can be very frustrating. When you see a store and take the next exit, you are generally past the store and on a one-way frontage road which does not allow you to get back to the store. You have to go to the next exit, turn under the freeway, drive along the one-way frontage road on the other side until you are one exit past where you exited, turn under the freeway again and access the store from the frontage road. You basically have to know & take the exit before you see the store.
Mar 8th - Sun - San Benito
I looked after email and we chatted with our neighbors before leaving to check out a flea market. It was OK but smaller than we were used to in Ft Lauderdale & Naples. I wanted one food item so we tried without luck to find a smaller grocery store. Finally I said “forget it” and we came home for a late lunch.
We figured it was time to refill our buddy burners so I cut one of our large candles and started melting wax. Terry started to cut the remaining piece and I said “if you break my knife I’ll have to kill you and if you cut off a finger I’ll have to kill you”. The words were not all out of my mouth when the knife went right through the candle and, of course, he cut his finger. Actually, 2 fingers! One badly but didn’t require stitches. He kept pressure on until the bleeding finally stopped and a couple of tight bandaids fixed him up.
Glen & Bonnie came out so we had to tell them all about buddy burners - Bonnie figures she needs to make one. By the time we had all the burners filled, it was time to fix dinner and shut down for the evening.
Mar 9th - Mon - San Benito
Did some chores this morning and then joined Glen & Bonnie to go to Mexico. There are safety concerns in the border Mexican towns right now but Progreso is considered safe so that is where we went. There are lots of armed police right at the border crossing and in the streets.
We parked in a large lot and walked across. It costs 25 cents in a turnstile to get into Mexico and 30 cents to get out. We wandered along quite a long street of stores and sidewalk vendors, entering a few stores and heading for a restaurant & bar frequented by Glen’s cousin and her husband and friends who joined us. We enjoyed a few margaritas and snacks and then all headed back. Bought a few items on the way back so we didn’t have to carry them the whole time. There was a short line through customs, another line to pay duty on liquor and then we all stopped for an ice cream cone on the US side.
Still windy and hot so we watched TV and snoozed before making dinner. Glen & Bonnie came over and we had no problem visiting until 10. I have a hard time with the daylight savings time change and am not ready to sleep at night - will be happy when my body gets adjusted
Friday, March 06, 2009
Mar 3rd to 6th - Rockport & San Benito TX
Mar 3rd - Tues - to Rockport TX
The RV park in Beaumont had a continental breakfast for campers so we joined Billy & Lauri before we all headed out. There were make-it-yourself waffles in the shape of Texas, bagels & cream cheese, cereal, fruit, orange juice & coffee. Nice way to start the day.
We didn’t have a definite destination in mind so I browsed through books and finally made a reservation for a couple of nights at a PA park (Circle W) in Rockport. It is not a great park with mostly long term residents but it will do for 2 nights. We unloaded the bikes and rode around the park before sitting and enjoying the sun for a while. It was windy and cooled down the minute the sun went behind trees so we moved inside, had dinner and relaxed with TV and a book for me.
The highway goes right through Houston which is a very large city. There were as many as 7 lanes of traffic so we were again very happy to have Wanda doing an excellent job of navigation. We later drove past many huge, flat, planted fields that we finally figured out were cotton.
Mar 4th - Wed - Rockport TX
Terry got in a cleaning and organizing mood this morning and attacked the storage box in his truck. He ended up with some space so he moved his heavy fishing tackle box from the front storage of the 5th wheel into the truck. Then we decided that we could move a few items and also move the heavy generator from the same storage compartment into the truck. Since fishing poles were going under the bed, I finally persuaded Terry to toss some slacks that we have been packing around the whole time and have never been worn. Now we have to find a Goodwill to get rid of the clothes.
I made a nice big breakfast (for lunch!) and then we took a drive. We made a loop down to Corpus Christi, drove past some lovely big homes on the water, went across to Padre Island, drove north on Mustang Island, drove on the beach, took a free 5 minute or less ferry ride back to Aransas Pass and then north back to the park.
We had seen a sign advertising T-bone steak for $3.99/lb so had to stop and get some for dinner. It was pretty windy to barbeque but Terry moved the barbeque around and cooked a nice dinner.
Mar 5th - Thurs - to San Benito TX
Another “just over 3 hour” drive today to the southern tip of Texas. There is one section with no service stations for 60 miles that is very “nothing”. Also lots more cotton fields, quite a few cattle and very flat.
The lady in the RV park office had just left for lunch when we arrived so I made a sandwich for us while we waited for her to return and check us in. Sunny & hot but lots of wind. We requested a parking spot that Terry thought might shelter the door side from the wind - helps only a bit. After setting up and visiting with the next door neighbors (Glen & Bonnie), we went for a drive in nearby Harlingen which is quite a large city. Happened upon a Big Lots store where Terry finally found a kettle to melt wax for our buddy burners. I have used my double boiler in the past but I am tired of cleaning it afterwards.
After dinner we went to the clubhouse to play Card Bingo which we had first played in Mexico Beach. Terry & I each started with 10 quarters (use 1 each game) and then he pulled out a dollar to buy more quarters. He was going to change more than a dollar but I suggested he wait since one of us was going to win and sure enough, after using the 4 quarters, Terry won a game and then won another one so we ended up with 2 more dollars than we started with. Good thing since the laundry is piling up!
Mar 6th - Fri - San Benito
Had to wait for washers to free up but got the laundry done this morning after visiting with Glen & Bonnie again. Very warm but still windy so we went driving again. Stopped at an info center to get a local map and other brochures, found a St Vincent de Paul to drop off the clothes and it turned out to be closed and drove a short way down the freeway to San Benito which was an uninspiring small town. We turned at a road to turn around to get back to the freeway and there just happened to be a clothing donation box on the corner of a service station. Got diesel at $1.94 and then discovered we could have paid $1.89.
We sat and chatted with Glen & Bonnie again. I was going to make hamburgers for an early dinner until I discovered that I didn’t have any hamburger in the freezer. Glen & Bonnie were going out for dinner so we joined them to go to a barbeque place.
Then they were very brave and accepted an invitation for coffee and pictures. They left about a half hour ago after their eyes crossed from all the pictures!! They are from northern Louisiana and have the lovely drawl to prove it.
The RV park in Beaumont had a continental breakfast for campers so we joined Billy & Lauri before we all headed out. There were make-it-yourself waffles in the shape of Texas, bagels & cream cheese, cereal, fruit, orange juice & coffee. Nice way to start the day.
We didn’t have a definite destination in mind so I browsed through books and finally made a reservation for a couple of nights at a PA park (Circle W) in Rockport. It is not a great park with mostly long term residents but it will do for 2 nights. We unloaded the bikes and rode around the park before sitting and enjoying the sun for a while. It was windy and cooled down the minute the sun went behind trees so we moved inside, had dinner and relaxed with TV and a book for me.
The highway goes right through Houston which is a very large city. There were as many as 7 lanes of traffic so we were again very happy to have Wanda doing an excellent job of navigation. We later drove past many huge, flat, planted fields that we finally figured out were cotton.
Mar 4th - Wed - Rockport TX
Terry got in a cleaning and organizing mood this morning and attacked the storage box in his truck. He ended up with some space so he moved his heavy fishing tackle box from the front storage of the 5th wheel into the truck. Then we decided that we could move a few items and also move the heavy generator from the same storage compartment into the truck. Since fishing poles were going under the bed, I finally persuaded Terry to toss some slacks that we have been packing around the whole time and have never been worn. Now we have to find a Goodwill to get rid of the clothes.
I made a nice big breakfast (for lunch!) and then we took a drive. We made a loop down to Corpus Christi, drove past some lovely big homes on the water, went across to Padre Island, drove north on Mustang Island, drove on the beach, took a free 5 minute or less ferry ride back to Aransas Pass and then north back to the park.
We had seen a sign advertising T-bone steak for $3.99/lb so had to stop and get some for dinner. It was pretty windy to barbeque but Terry moved the barbeque around and cooked a nice dinner.
Mar 5th - Thurs - to San Benito TX
Another “just over 3 hour” drive today to the southern tip of Texas. There is one section with no service stations for 60 miles that is very “nothing”. Also lots more cotton fields, quite a few cattle and very flat.
The lady in the RV park office had just left for lunch when we arrived so I made a sandwich for us while we waited for her to return and check us in. Sunny & hot but lots of wind. We requested a parking spot that Terry thought might shelter the door side from the wind - helps only a bit. After setting up and visiting with the next door neighbors (Glen & Bonnie), we went for a drive in nearby Harlingen which is quite a large city. Happened upon a Big Lots store where Terry finally found a kettle to melt wax for our buddy burners. I have used my double boiler in the past but I am tired of cleaning it afterwards.
After dinner we went to the clubhouse to play Card Bingo which we had first played in Mexico Beach. Terry & I each started with 10 quarters (use 1 each game) and then he pulled out a dollar to buy more quarters. He was going to change more than a dollar but I suggested he wait since one of us was going to win and sure enough, after using the 4 quarters, Terry won a game and then won another one so we ended up with 2 more dollars than we started with. Good thing since the laundry is piling up!
Mar 6th - Fri - San Benito
Had to wait for washers to free up but got the laundry done this morning after visiting with Glen & Bonnie again. Very warm but still windy so we went driving again. Stopped at an info center to get a local map and other brochures, found a St Vincent de Paul to drop off the clothes and it turned out to be closed and drove a short way down the freeway to San Benito which was an uninspiring small town. We turned at a road to turn around to get back to the freeway and there just happened to be a clothing donation box on the corner of a service station. Got diesel at $1.94 and then discovered we could have paid $1.89.
We sat and chatted with Glen & Bonnie again. I was going to make hamburgers for an early dinner until I discovered that I didn’t have any hamburger in the freezer. Glen & Bonnie were going out for dinner so we joined them to go to a barbeque place.
Then they were very brave and accepted an invitation for coffee and pictures. They left about a half hour ago after their eyes crossed from all the pictures!! They are from northern Louisiana and have the lovely drawl to prove it.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Feb 28th to Mar 2nd - MS, LA, TX
Feb 28th - Sat - Picayune
Some chores this morning including putting dinner in the crock pot and then Terry & I went back to the Hollywood casino in Bay St Louis (Terry was bored!). Not much change in our (bad) luck but Terry did get back $20 when we had to leave so he didn’t have a chance to lose it.
The reason that we had to leave was that we had invited the others to dinner since we are going separate ways tomorrow. I made a chicken/black bean/corn/salsa main dish, Carie brought hummus and rice and Lauri made salad with shrimp so we had a great dinner.
Mar 1st - Sun - to Kinder LA
We left this morning without a definite destination - we just had to stay in Louisiana for one night to get the last state on our map. While we were driving, I found an RV park beside a casino (Coushatta) just north of Kinder that advertised “pay for one night, get one night free”. Can’t turn down free so we got off I10 and stopped for diesel before getting to the park. Terry noticed that the tires on the right side of the 5th wheel were almost touching each other. When he had a look, he could see a bent bracket holding the rocker arm that holds the springs.
We checked into the very nice RV park and got a phone number from them for a welder in Kinder. Of course we didn’t expect to contact anyone since it was Sunday so we left a message and went to the large casino. I think our negative mental state because of the 5th wheel acted on the slot machines as we didn’t do well at all! Back in the rig we had a choice of 3 terrible programs on TV so I finally got my pictures sorted out, labeled and ready for the internet.
Across the lower part of Louisiana on I10 are many miles of elevated highways (“bridges”) over swampy areas. As we traveled west, more green in grass and trees started showing up along with lots of yellow flowers.
Mar 2nd - Mon - to Beaumont TX
It got very cold last night (heavy frost on the hood of the truck) and we ran out of propane in one tank so Terry had to go out and switch tanks so we could warm up the rig enough to get out of our nice warm bed. The welder called back just after 8 and said to come in at 10. I had time to finish posting pictures to the internet. It was about 10 miles away and even with careful driving we were there early but he was ready for us.
They had to remove the tires to work on the part and the lug nuts were difficult to remove - glad we didn’t have a flat on the road somewhere. I sat in the truck and read while the work was being done and kept seeing dollar signs as each half hour passed. They finished just after noon and Terry got a very pleasant surprise when he asked how much he owed - $80!!!! Terry gave him $100 and said thank you very much!
We decided not to go back to the casino for our free night and headed for Texas. Billy & Lauri were going to stay for 2 nights in Beaumont so we called the Gulf Coast RV park and joined them.
The weather is still cool and breezy. The forecasters keep promising that it is going to warm up - I guess it will sometime!
Some chores this morning including putting dinner in the crock pot and then Terry & I went back to the Hollywood casino in Bay St Louis (Terry was bored!). Not much change in our (bad) luck but Terry did get back $20 when we had to leave so he didn’t have a chance to lose it.
The reason that we had to leave was that we had invited the others to dinner since we are going separate ways tomorrow. I made a chicken/black bean/corn/salsa main dish, Carie brought hummus and rice and Lauri made salad with shrimp so we had a great dinner.
Mar 1st - Sun - to Kinder LA
We left this morning without a definite destination - we just had to stay in Louisiana for one night to get the last state on our map. While we were driving, I found an RV park beside a casino (Coushatta) just north of Kinder that advertised “pay for one night, get one night free”. Can’t turn down free so we got off I10 and stopped for diesel before getting to the park. Terry noticed that the tires on the right side of the 5th wheel were almost touching each other. When he had a look, he could see a bent bracket holding the rocker arm that holds the springs.
We checked into the very nice RV park and got a phone number from them for a welder in Kinder. Of course we didn’t expect to contact anyone since it was Sunday so we left a message and went to the large casino. I think our negative mental state because of the 5th wheel acted on the slot machines as we didn’t do well at all! Back in the rig we had a choice of 3 terrible programs on TV so I finally got my pictures sorted out, labeled and ready for the internet.
Across the lower part of Louisiana on I10 are many miles of elevated highways (“bridges”) over swampy areas. As we traveled west, more green in grass and trees started showing up along with lots of yellow flowers.
Mar 2nd - Mon - to Beaumont TX
It got very cold last night (heavy frost on the hood of the truck) and we ran out of propane in one tank so Terry had to go out and switch tanks so we could warm up the rig enough to get out of our nice warm bed. The welder called back just after 8 and said to come in at 10. I had time to finish posting pictures to the internet. It was about 10 miles away and even with careful driving we were there early but he was ready for us.
They had to remove the tires to work on the part and the lug nuts were difficult to remove - glad we didn’t have a flat on the road somewhere. I sat in the truck and read while the work was being done and kept seeing dollar signs as each half hour passed. They finished just after noon and Terry got a very pleasant surprise when he asked how much he owed - $80!!!! Terry gave him $100 and said thank you very much!
We decided not to go back to the casino for our free night and headed for Texas. Billy & Lauri were going to stay for 2 nights in Beaumont so we called the Gulf Coast RV park and joined them.
The weather is still cool and breezy. The forecasters keep promising that it is going to warm up - I guess it will sometime!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Feb 25th to 27th - Picayune MS
Feb 25th - Wed - Picayune
After I caught up our blog, we went casino hopping today. First to the Silver Slipper in Bay St Louis. You have to wind around to the coast to find this casino - it is very isolated but lots of people were there. We received a coupon for a half price buffet so we immediately had a very good lunch. We got $10 on our player cards - it took a while for me to lose mine and an additional $5 and Terry to lose his and an additional $10 - pretty cheap entertainment.
Then we headed back towards Biloxi and hit the Treasure Bay Casino where we got nothing on our card and weren’t really impressed with the casino so we did not stay. Next was the Island View with $10 each on the card - I lost mine and Terry added $10 and still came out with nothing! In Biloxi we went to the very large Beau Rivage Casino. It belongs to the MGM chain where we already had a players card so we did not get a promos on the card. We each spent a few more $ and decided we were burned out. We hit I10 to come back.
There are miles of beaches along Hwy 90 which is the road we took along the coast. There is a lot of road rebuilding still going on to repair hurricane damage and there are lots of foundations that have not been used for new buildings. Near Biloxi, some of the remaining tree trunks have been cleverly used by chainsaw carvers.
Gary & Carie took their 5th wheel into town for new tires today so we stopped by for a short happy hour to find out how it all went.
Feb 26th - Thurs - Picayune
Waited for the laundry room to empty out and got the wash done this morning. Went with Gary & Carie to Dirt Cheap and Treasure Hunt stores as I had seen an alarm clock that I thought would suit their needs. Then we all went to Bay St. Louis to the Hollywood Casino where Gary & Carie signed up for player cards and got their $25 credit for slot play. Carie put $5 into a machine, hit a bonus and cashed out $26 so she was a happy camper - or should I say “happy gambler”? Terry & I started playing a couple of machines that we hadn’t played before and we actually came out $10 ahead which is unusual for us lately. I will mention that my winnings covered Terry’s losses! Carie took her winnings up to $41 and Gary made a whopping 14 cents.
All 6 of us got together for happy hour which again was inside due to the weather cooling off so quickly when the sun goes down.
Feb 27th - Fri - Picayune
Pretty quiet day. Computer stuff including giving Lauri a quick Word lesson, shortened a couple of pairs of jeans, sewed some hanging tabs on towels for Carie, Terry cleaned the truck and Billy kept us updated on tornado warnings in some counties to the north of us. We took a short drive to Louisiana to buy lottery tickets, got some lunch and picked up a few groceries. Back in time to join everyone in Billy & Lauri’s rig for happy hour. The weather was warmer and we could have sat out but it seems like the warm weather also brought out bugs, especially no seeums.
After I caught up our blog, we went casino hopping today. First to the Silver Slipper in Bay St Louis. You have to wind around to the coast to find this casino - it is very isolated but lots of people were there. We received a coupon for a half price buffet so we immediately had a very good lunch. We got $10 on our player cards - it took a while for me to lose mine and an additional $5 and Terry to lose his and an additional $10 - pretty cheap entertainment.
Then we headed back towards Biloxi and hit the Treasure Bay Casino where we got nothing on our card and weren’t really impressed with the casino so we did not stay. Next was the Island View with $10 each on the card - I lost mine and Terry added $10 and still came out with nothing! In Biloxi we went to the very large Beau Rivage Casino. It belongs to the MGM chain where we already had a players card so we did not get a promos on the card. We each spent a few more $ and decided we were burned out. We hit I10 to come back.
There are miles of beaches along Hwy 90 which is the road we took along the coast. There is a lot of road rebuilding still going on to repair hurricane damage and there are lots of foundations that have not been used for new buildings. Near Biloxi, some of the remaining tree trunks have been cleverly used by chainsaw carvers.
Gary & Carie took their 5th wheel into town for new tires today so we stopped by for a short happy hour to find out how it all went.
Feb 26th - Thurs - Picayune
Waited for the laundry room to empty out and got the wash done this morning. Went with Gary & Carie to Dirt Cheap and Treasure Hunt stores as I had seen an alarm clock that I thought would suit their needs. Then we all went to Bay St. Louis to the Hollywood Casino where Gary & Carie signed up for player cards and got their $25 credit for slot play. Carie put $5 into a machine, hit a bonus and cashed out $26 so she was a happy camper - or should I say “happy gambler”? Terry & I started playing a couple of machines that we hadn’t played before and we actually came out $10 ahead which is unusual for us lately. I will mention that my winnings covered Terry’s losses! Carie took her winnings up to $41 and Gary made a whopping 14 cents.
All 6 of us got together for happy hour which again was inside due to the weather cooling off so quickly when the sun goes down.
Feb 27th - Fri - Picayune
Pretty quiet day. Computer stuff including giving Lauri a quick Word lesson, shortened a couple of pairs of jeans, sewed some hanging tabs on towels for Carie, Terry cleaned the truck and Billy kept us updated on tornado warnings in some counties to the north of us. We took a short drive to Louisiana to buy lottery tickets, got some lunch and picked up a few groceries. Back in time to join everyone in Billy & Lauri’s rig for happy hour. The weather was warmer and we could have sat out but it seems like the warm weather also brought out bugs, especially no seeums.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Feb 22nd to 24th - Picayune MS
Feb 22nd - Sun - Picayune MS
We were finishing a few chores when Billy & Lauri arrived at 11:30. The park had messed up the sites and were parking them on the original site on the entrance road. Terry helped get that all straightened out. After Billy & Lauri set up and had lunch, we all went to the nearby Super WalMart for a few groceries. Shortly after we returned, Carie & Gary showed up.
We had an early dinner and then Carie & Gary came over to watch the Academy Awards which we normally don’t watch. Lauri was the one who definitely wanted to watch them and we have the satellite set up so knew we would get them. But Lauri wasn’t feeling up to par and they could pick up the show with their antenna so they ended up staying home.
Feb 23rd - Mon - Picayune
We all went to New Orleans today to check out the city and the Mardi Gras celebrations. We stopped at a visitor center and got some good advice for parking and a recommendation to stay for a couple of parades this evening rather than attending parades tomorrow. Today is actually “Lundi Gras” (Fat Monday) and tomorrow is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) so tomorrow will be much more crowded.
We found the parking lot with no problem and choked up a bit at the $20 cost for all day. Carie & Gary were riding with us so we got a break and split the cost. It was a short walk to the French Quarter and we headed for Bourbon Street. The French Quarter is very old and mostly not refurbished. Many buildings on the side streets appear to be uninhabited. Bourbon Street was very interesting with people on balconies throwing beads to people on the street. The street was closed to all but delivery trucks and you can walk around anywhere in New Orleans with booze in plastic cups.
We stopped at a little place eatery with courtyard seating. I tried jambalaya and Terry had gumbo. For the $7.99 price each we would not order it again! After lunch we continued walking and ended up at the river (Mississippi of course) where a lot of the buildings appear to be rebuilt. We enjoyed a beer at a microbrewery and then walked and shopped some more. One parade started at 5:15 and the second at 6:00 from a spot outside downtown so we decided to have dinner before the parade. We were on Canal Street just out of the French Quarter and ended up at a Chinese restaurant where only Billy had a meal that was really enjoyable.
We ended up waiting until 7:30 before the first parade finally started coming down Canal Street. Of course we were standing and all our feet were getting tired. Again, floats were very nice and “throws” (beads and stuff) were plentiful. There were not huge crowds and we felt very safe with a large police presence. There was about a 20 minute wait before the second parade which was Krewe Orpheus and one of the larger parades with celebrities. 3 of the very large, tall floats included Josh Groban, Joan Rivers and Jim Bellushi. The signature float of Krewe Orpheus is a multi car train - very impressive. Quite a few of the floats had small trailers behind with 4 rotating spotlights. I should get pictures posted soon.
We had positioned ourselves for a short walk to the vehicles and headed there after the second parade. On the way we saw parking advertised for $30 and $40 so felt better about our rate. Wanda directed us quickly to the freeway and an easy 40 minute drive back.
Feb 24th - Tues - Picayune
A relaxing day today to give our feet a break. Lazy morning, a breakfast sandwich and then we headed out to go somewhere. I wanted to explore Picayune so we drove in the direction that we thought the town would be and we were surprised at how large it is. We HAD to stop at a store called Hudson’s Treasure Hunt. It turned out to be a large, clearance store where you had to go down each aisle as things were not strictly segregated and organized (this is an understatement!). One whole end was devoted to fabric & crafts, the other end to clothes and in between a bit of everything else. Kind of a flea market in one store - we felt right at home. After wandering around for quite a while, we ended up with some powerful little magnets for our board and some automotive light bulbs! Then we had to stop into the “sister” store across the street (Dirt Cheap) which turned out to be basically more of the same.
Filled up with diesel at $2.09 a gallon, we could get used to that price. Terry wanted to take advantage of the sunny day to barbeque so we stopped at WalMart for some pork chops and also picked up a bulb to repair a brake light on the truck. We were just finishing our early dinner when Carie stopped in to invite us over for a drink. Billy stopped in for a few minutes to report on their return trip to New Orleans. He said there were lots of people and they decided early that they would leave before dark.
We were finishing a few chores when Billy & Lauri arrived at 11:30. The park had messed up the sites and were parking them on the original site on the entrance road. Terry helped get that all straightened out. After Billy & Lauri set up and had lunch, we all went to the nearby Super WalMart for a few groceries. Shortly after we returned, Carie & Gary showed up.
We had an early dinner and then Carie & Gary came over to watch the Academy Awards which we normally don’t watch. Lauri was the one who definitely wanted to watch them and we have the satellite set up so knew we would get them. But Lauri wasn’t feeling up to par and they could pick up the show with their antenna so they ended up staying home.
Feb 23rd - Mon - Picayune
We all went to New Orleans today to check out the city and the Mardi Gras celebrations. We stopped at a visitor center and got some good advice for parking and a recommendation to stay for a couple of parades this evening rather than attending parades tomorrow. Today is actually “Lundi Gras” (Fat Monday) and tomorrow is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) so tomorrow will be much more crowded.
We found the parking lot with no problem and choked up a bit at the $20 cost for all day. Carie & Gary were riding with us so we got a break and split the cost. It was a short walk to the French Quarter and we headed for Bourbon Street. The French Quarter is very old and mostly not refurbished. Many buildings on the side streets appear to be uninhabited. Bourbon Street was very interesting with people on balconies throwing beads to people on the street. The street was closed to all but delivery trucks and you can walk around anywhere in New Orleans with booze in plastic cups.
We stopped at a little place eatery with courtyard seating. I tried jambalaya and Terry had gumbo. For the $7.99 price each we would not order it again! After lunch we continued walking and ended up at the river (Mississippi of course) where a lot of the buildings appear to be rebuilt. We enjoyed a beer at a microbrewery and then walked and shopped some more. One parade started at 5:15 and the second at 6:00 from a spot outside downtown so we decided to have dinner before the parade. We were on Canal Street just out of the French Quarter and ended up at a Chinese restaurant where only Billy had a meal that was really enjoyable.
We ended up waiting until 7:30 before the first parade finally started coming down Canal Street. Of course we were standing and all our feet were getting tired. Again, floats were very nice and “throws” (beads and stuff) were plentiful. There were not huge crowds and we felt very safe with a large police presence. There was about a 20 minute wait before the second parade which was Krewe Orpheus and one of the larger parades with celebrities. 3 of the very large, tall floats included Josh Groban, Joan Rivers and Jim Bellushi. The signature float of Krewe Orpheus is a multi car train - very impressive. Quite a few of the floats had small trailers behind with 4 rotating spotlights. I should get pictures posted soon.
We had positioned ourselves for a short walk to the vehicles and headed there after the second parade. On the way we saw parking advertised for $30 and $40 so felt better about our rate. Wanda directed us quickly to the freeway and an easy 40 minute drive back.
Feb 24th - Tues - Picayune
A relaxing day today to give our feet a break. Lazy morning, a breakfast sandwich and then we headed out to go somewhere. I wanted to explore Picayune so we drove in the direction that we thought the town would be and we were surprised at how large it is. We HAD to stop at a store called Hudson’s Treasure Hunt. It turned out to be a large, clearance store where you had to go down each aisle as things were not strictly segregated and organized (this is an understatement!). One whole end was devoted to fabric & crafts, the other end to clothes and in between a bit of everything else. Kind of a flea market in one store - we felt right at home. After wandering around for quite a while, we ended up with some powerful little magnets for our board and some automotive light bulbs! Then we had to stop into the “sister” store across the street (Dirt Cheap) which turned out to be basically more of the same.
Filled up with diesel at $2.09 a gallon, we could get used to that price. Terry wanted to take advantage of the sunny day to barbeque so we stopped at WalMart for some pork chops and also picked up a bulb to repair a brake light on the truck. We were just finishing our early dinner when Carie stopped in to invite us over for a drink. Billy stopped in for a few minutes to report on their return trip to New Orleans. He said there were lots of people and they decided early that they would leave before dark.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Feb 18th to 21st - Foley to Picayune MS
Feb 18th - Wed - Foley
Another flea treatment for Dolly and I did some online research for tips on how to get rid of the darn critters. One suggestion was DAILY vacuuming so I figured I could handle that. Got it done just as Billy & Lauri came to pick us up for the day’s outing. We started a loop through Pensacola and went to the Gulf Islands National Seashore to walk and pick up sea shells. The sand is so fine that it squeaks when you scuff your feet in it. Back along the coast to Gulf Shores and then continued along the coast until we ran out of road and backtracked to Gulf Shores and headed north. Stopped for a cool beer since our dinner destination does not serve beer. Then we stopped at a store called “Old Time Pottery”. We had driven past it several times and wondered why there were so many cars in the parking lot. I saw in a brochure that it was a home furnishings store so we stopped to check it out. It is huge! Silk flowers, baskets, outdoor furniture, rows of chair pads, seasonal decorative items, dishes & kitchen ware, bath towels, bedding, knick-knacks and even some fishing items - to keep men interested I guess.
We introduced Billy & Lauri to Lamberts (throwed rolls) for dinner and all brought enough food home for another meal.
Feb 19th - Thurs - Foley
We determined that I messed up when we checked in here and paid for one less night than our friends will be here. Our spot is already taken and we don’t want to move for one night. If we hook up we will move rather than take another spot in this park. I called our next spot in Mississippi and there was no problem getting there a day early.
Carie & Gary arrived when we were sitting out enjoying the sun that finally was warm enough - and the rig provided a wind break. We all sat and chatted for a while, then we and Lauri & Billy fixed leftovers for a late lunch/early dinner as we are all going to another Mardi Gras parade tonight.
At 5 we all crowded into Gary’s truck and followed a neighbor to Daphne where they knew a good place to park for parade viewing. It was pretty cool and the parade didn’t start until 6:45 so we just visited with new friends and tried to stay warm. The parade was shorter than the previous one but there were fewer spectators right where we were standing so we all got lots of beads, stuffed toys and moon pies.
We drove through downtown Fairhope on the way back to show the others the wonderful lighted trees. Everyone was suitably impressed!
Feb 20th - Fri - Foley
Terry & I organized and packed up some things for our move tomorrow and then went for diesel and a few groceries. Then we dug out a couple of old clubs for Gary and we went golfing with him. We did 20 holes as there was a backup on the first hole when we went around the second time so we played 8 & 9 while the others got out of our way. The weather was perfect - warm and breezy.
Next we all went over to Billy & Lauri’s for happy hour. Lauri made dinner for all of us and then we were going to go to another parade. We decided to skip the parade as it was too cold so we went inside for dessert and concerts on CDs.
Feb 21st - Sat - to Picayune MS
Left at 9 for a 3 hour drive to Picayune, Mississippi. We bypassed Mobile AL and Biloxi MS on Hwy 10. We may drive back to Biloxi next week. The CampClubUSA sites here are right on the road into the park and we would have been separated so we decided to pay a bit extra with a weekly rate and get sites in the interior of the park and all together. Of course had to make phone calls to check with the others and finally got set up about 1:30.
Checked email, fed the dog and set out for a casino in Bay St Louis about 30 miles from here on the coast. We had a really good Rueben sandwich at a coffee shop there and played the slots for quite a while on the $25 that they put on our new players’ club cards. Back home to relax (and blog).
Good fuel prices here - unleaded in Picayune is $1.59 and one station in Bay St Louis had diesel at $1.95.
Another flea treatment for Dolly and I did some online research for tips on how to get rid of the darn critters. One suggestion was DAILY vacuuming so I figured I could handle that. Got it done just as Billy & Lauri came to pick us up for the day’s outing. We started a loop through Pensacola and went to the Gulf Islands National Seashore to walk and pick up sea shells. The sand is so fine that it squeaks when you scuff your feet in it. Back along the coast to Gulf Shores and then continued along the coast until we ran out of road and backtracked to Gulf Shores and headed north. Stopped for a cool beer since our dinner destination does not serve beer. Then we stopped at a store called “Old Time Pottery”. We had driven past it several times and wondered why there were so many cars in the parking lot. I saw in a brochure that it was a home furnishings store so we stopped to check it out. It is huge! Silk flowers, baskets, outdoor furniture, rows of chair pads, seasonal decorative items, dishes & kitchen ware, bath towels, bedding, knick-knacks and even some fishing items - to keep men interested I guess.
We introduced Billy & Lauri to Lamberts (throwed rolls) for dinner and all brought enough food home for another meal.
Feb 19th - Thurs - Foley
We determined that I messed up when we checked in here and paid for one less night than our friends will be here. Our spot is already taken and we don’t want to move for one night. If we hook up we will move rather than take another spot in this park. I called our next spot in Mississippi and there was no problem getting there a day early.
Carie & Gary arrived when we were sitting out enjoying the sun that finally was warm enough - and the rig provided a wind break. We all sat and chatted for a while, then we and Lauri & Billy fixed leftovers for a late lunch/early dinner as we are all going to another Mardi Gras parade tonight.
At 5 we all crowded into Gary’s truck and followed a neighbor to Daphne where they knew a good place to park for parade viewing. It was pretty cool and the parade didn’t start until 6:45 so we just visited with new friends and tried to stay warm. The parade was shorter than the previous one but there were fewer spectators right where we were standing so we all got lots of beads, stuffed toys and moon pies.
We drove through downtown Fairhope on the way back to show the others the wonderful lighted trees. Everyone was suitably impressed!
Feb 20th - Fri - Foley
Terry & I organized and packed up some things for our move tomorrow and then went for diesel and a few groceries. Then we dug out a couple of old clubs for Gary and we went golfing with him. We did 20 holes as there was a backup on the first hole when we went around the second time so we played 8 & 9 while the others got out of our way. The weather was perfect - warm and breezy.
Next we all went over to Billy & Lauri’s for happy hour. Lauri made dinner for all of us and then we were going to go to another parade. We decided to skip the parade as it was too cold so we went inside for dessert and concerts on CDs.
Feb 21st - Sat - to Picayune MS
Left at 9 for a 3 hour drive to Picayune, Mississippi. We bypassed Mobile AL and Biloxi MS on Hwy 10. We may drive back to Biloxi next week. The CampClubUSA sites here are right on the road into the park and we would have been separated so we decided to pay a bit extra with a weekly rate and get sites in the interior of the park and all together. Of course had to make phone calls to check with the others and finally got set up about 1:30.
Checked email, fed the dog and set out for a casino in Bay St Louis about 30 miles from here on the coast. We had a really good Rueben sandwich at a coffee shop there and played the slots for quite a while on the $25 that they put on our new players’ club cards. Back home to relax (and blog).
Good fuel prices here - unleaded in Picayune is $1.59 and one station in Bay St Louis had diesel at $1.95.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Feb 15th to 17th - Foley AL
Feb 15th - Sun - Foley
It rained last night but cleared mid morning. Terry cleaned some nasty black streaks off the front of the 5th wheel and cleaned the truck while I did some stuff on the computer and a little cleaning. I found a branch in the bushes, fastened it to our front stabilizer and hung our Mardi Gras beads. Not sure what else to do with them!
We made a quick grocery run and our Chewelah neighbors (Bob & Karen) were sitting out when we got back so we went and chatted with them for a while. We split for dinner and I asked them to come over afterwards. We ended up talking nonstop until nearly 11. It turns out that Karen worked in a hospital with the wife (Diane) of the guy (Marv) who took us fishing in Alaska. Not only is this another amazing “small world” coincidence but the fact that the conversation happened to lead us to this discovery is incredible.
Feb 16th - Mon - Foley
There is a little laundry room here with 2 washers & 3 dryers. To use them, you reserve a 2 hour slot and pay $7 to use the machines for as many loads as you can do in that time. So I did laundry today from 11 to 1. I was able to start a bit early and my last dryer load overlapped with the next person so did 5 loads.
Then we loaded an empty propane tank and found the Ace Hardware recommended by a neighbor. Drove through a huge outlet mall but didn’t find anything that we had to look at. A little more sightseeing and then we stopped at Lambert’s for an early dinner.
Lambert’s is “the home of the throwed rolls”. A server walks around with a tray of freshly baked, warm, large dinner rolls and throws them to whoever wants one. Just put your hand up and he will accurately throw a roll from near or across the room. Items on the menu are served with 2 vegetable sides (a wide selection to choose from) and then there are “pass arounds”. Servers constantly go around with fried potatoes & onions, deep fried okra, black eyed peas, macaroni & tomatoes and apple butter & molasses for the rolls. You can munch on deep fried okra and rolls while you decide what to order and the other pass arounds are placed on your plate - as much as you can eat. Take home boxes are automatically provided. Terry had a hamburger steak that I swear was close to a pound of meat so a good portion of it is in the fridge for lunch.
Shortly after we got back, a neighbor delivered some fresh shrimp that I had ordered - 4 pounds for $20. So I had to clean them and freeze some.
I have been moving pictures on the computer to make them easier to find and figured I was past due to back them up. I spent too long trying to get it to work and finally found on an internet Picasa forum that there was a problem with the program. I had to uninstall Picasa, remove a file and reinstall Picasa from the internet. Then I finally got my backup done.
Feb 17th - Tues - Foley
A hair stylist comes to the park on Tuesdays so I took advantage of it to get an overdue haircut. While I was getting my hair cut, Terry decided it was nice enough to play golf so he went and got our clubs. Then I had to send him back to exchange my Crocs for shoes more suitable for golf. So as soon as my cut was done, we hit the golf course. It was pretty busy but we didn’t have to wait too long on any hole. We were a couple of holes into our 3rd round and Terry hit a bad shot just as Billy & Lauri drove in so we decided to quit.
Lauri also needed a haircut so I went up with her and worked on a jigsaw puzzle while she was getting her ears lowered. I had asked Billy & Lauri for dinner and none of us had had lunch so we decided to have an early dinner. Didn’t take me long to make shrimp & mushroom fettuccine, cabbage & apple slaw and garlic toast.
After dishes were done, we all got in our truck so we could show them around the area a bit - Foley, Corelle store at the outlet mall and Gulf Shores. We all figured it was long enough since lunch/dinner that we would enjoy ice cream so we drove miles before finally finding a place and having dessert.
It rained last night but cleared mid morning. Terry cleaned some nasty black streaks off the front of the 5th wheel and cleaned the truck while I did some stuff on the computer and a little cleaning. I found a branch in the bushes, fastened it to our front stabilizer and hung our Mardi Gras beads. Not sure what else to do with them!
We made a quick grocery run and our Chewelah neighbors (Bob & Karen) were sitting out when we got back so we went and chatted with them for a while. We split for dinner and I asked them to come over afterwards. We ended up talking nonstop until nearly 11. It turns out that Karen worked in a hospital with the wife (Diane) of the guy (Marv) who took us fishing in Alaska. Not only is this another amazing “small world” coincidence but the fact that the conversation happened to lead us to this discovery is incredible.
Feb 16th - Mon - Foley
There is a little laundry room here with 2 washers & 3 dryers. To use them, you reserve a 2 hour slot and pay $7 to use the machines for as many loads as you can do in that time. So I did laundry today from 11 to 1. I was able to start a bit early and my last dryer load overlapped with the next person so did 5 loads.
Then we loaded an empty propane tank and found the Ace Hardware recommended by a neighbor. Drove through a huge outlet mall but didn’t find anything that we had to look at. A little more sightseeing and then we stopped at Lambert’s for an early dinner.
Lambert’s is “the home of the throwed rolls”. A server walks around with a tray of freshly baked, warm, large dinner rolls and throws them to whoever wants one. Just put your hand up and he will accurately throw a roll from near or across the room. Items on the menu are served with 2 vegetable sides (a wide selection to choose from) and then there are “pass arounds”. Servers constantly go around with fried potatoes & onions, deep fried okra, black eyed peas, macaroni & tomatoes and apple butter & molasses for the rolls. You can munch on deep fried okra and rolls while you decide what to order and the other pass arounds are placed on your plate - as much as you can eat. Take home boxes are automatically provided. Terry had a hamburger steak that I swear was close to a pound of meat so a good portion of it is in the fridge for lunch.
Shortly after we got back, a neighbor delivered some fresh shrimp that I had ordered - 4 pounds for $20. So I had to clean them and freeze some.
I have been moving pictures on the computer to make them easier to find and figured I was past due to back them up. I spent too long trying to get it to work and finally found on an internet Picasa forum that there was a problem with the program. I had to uninstall Picasa, remove a file and reinstall Picasa from the internet. Then I finally got my backup done.
Feb 17th - Tues - Foley
A hair stylist comes to the park on Tuesdays so I took advantage of it to get an overdue haircut. While I was getting my hair cut, Terry decided it was nice enough to play golf so he went and got our clubs. Then I had to send him back to exchange my Crocs for shoes more suitable for golf. So as soon as my cut was done, we hit the golf course. It was pretty busy but we didn’t have to wait too long on any hole. We were a couple of holes into our 3rd round and Terry hit a bad shot just as Billy & Lauri drove in so we decided to quit.
Lauri also needed a haircut so I went up with her and worked on a jigsaw puzzle while she was getting her ears lowered. I had asked Billy & Lauri for dinner and none of us had had lunch so we decided to have an early dinner. Didn’t take me long to make shrimp & mushroom fettuccine, cabbage & apple slaw and garlic toast.
After dishes were done, we all got in our truck so we could show them around the area a bit - Foley, Corelle store at the outlet mall and Gulf Shores. We all figured it was long enough since lunch/dinner that we would enjoy ice cream so we drove miles before finally finding a place and having dessert.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Feb 13th & 14th - Foley AL
Feb 13th - Fri - Foley
We needed an oil change on the truck this morning so we stopped at an Express Lube. The staff was the most professional, polite and knowledgeable that we have encountered. We also have sometimes had a clunk in the rear of the truck so we continued on to the Chevrolet dealer just down the road. After a transmission specialist took it for a drive, he diagnosed it as slip splines that needed cleaning and lubricating. They could get us in right away so we walked across the road for some lunch and the truck was completed shortly after we got back. No more clunks!
We drove into Gulf Shores and stopped at Souvenir City just to say we had been there. It is the biggest touristy store that I have seen with the front entrance through a shark’s mouth and the rear entrance through a pirate ship. Then we continued to drive along the beaches and to Gulf State Park which has a long row of little cabins along the water for rent as well as an RV park. As we were returning to the park, it started to sprinkle.
Our lunch was early and we were supposed to go to a Mardi Gras parade with some neighbors so we planned an early dinner. The sprinkles turned to rain and Terry ended up shielding the barbeque with a large umbrella to get the ribs cooked. No parade as the rain continued all evening.
About 4:30 a rig pulled in across the street with a Washington license plate. We spoke just long enough to the occupants to find out that they were from Chewelah (just north of Spokane) before the rain sent them inside.
Feb 14th - Sat - Foley
We planned to take part in a golf tournament today but it rained all night (with lightning & thunder) which created new water hazards on the golf course and expanded the existing ponds. It was still raining at 9 when the tournament was scheduled to start so it was a no-go. We made a trip to Pensacola instead. Wanda found us a bank for some cash and then we continued on to Gulf Islands National Park. Not exactly a beach day but nice to see. More sightseeing and a stop for a late lunch before heading back. We followed the coast for a different route back.
The rain had stopped when we returned so we took a walk and visited with some people. We got directions to go to a Mardi Gras parade in nearby Fairhope so set off shortly after 5. Missed a turn, got hung up in mega traffic going to the parade and lucked out finding a parking spot fairly close to the parade route. Turned out the parade made a loop so we saw the tops of floats over people’s heads a block away and then it came in front of us.
There were huge floats in the parade with occupants throwing candy, beads, stuffed animals, Frisbees, plastic cups and Moon Pies to the crowd. When a horse back rider or float went by, everyone would start yelling and waving their arms to have goodies thrown their way. What fun!! We ended up with 50 strands of beads, 2 cups and 2 Frisbees - and I had the camera in my right hand which means Terry made some good catches.
As soon as the parade ended, we hurried to our truck and got out before traffic got bad. We stopped for a quick hamburger and were home just before 9.
We needed an oil change on the truck this morning so we stopped at an Express Lube. The staff was the most professional, polite and knowledgeable that we have encountered. We also have sometimes had a clunk in the rear of the truck so we continued on to the Chevrolet dealer just down the road. After a transmission specialist took it for a drive, he diagnosed it as slip splines that needed cleaning and lubricating. They could get us in right away so we walked across the road for some lunch and the truck was completed shortly after we got back. No more clunks!
We drove into Gulf Shores and stopped at Souvenir City just to say we had been there. It is the biggest touristy store that I have seen with the front entrance through a shark’s mouth and the rear entrance through a pirate ship. Then we continued to drive along the beaches and to Gulf State Park which has a long row of little cabins along the water for rent as well as an RV park. As we were returning to the park, it started to sprinkle.
Our lunch was early and we were supposed to go to a Mardi Gras parade with some neighbors so we planned an early dinner. The sprinkles turned to rain and Terry ended up shielding the barbeque with a large umbrella to get the ribs cooked. No parade as the rain continued all evening.
About 4:30 a rig pulled in across the street with a Washington license plate. We spoke just long enough to the occupants to find out that they were from Chewelah (just north of Spokane) before the rain sent them inside.
Feb 14th - Sat - Foley
We planned to take part in a golf tournament today but it rained all night (with lightning & thunder) which created new water hazards on the golf course and expanded the existing ponds. It was still raining at 9 when the tournament was scheduled to start so it was a no-go. We made a trip to Pensacola instead. Wanda found us a bank for some cash and then we continued on to Gulf Islands National Park. Not exactly a beach day but nice to see. More sightseeing and a stop for a late lunch before heading back. We followed the coast for a different route back.
The rain had stopped when we returned so we took a walk and visited with some people. We got directions to go to a Mardi Gras parade in nearby Fairhope so set off shortly after 5. Missed a turn, got hung up in mega traffic going to the parade and lucked out finding a parking spot fairly close to the parade route. Turned out the parade made a loop so we saw the tops of floats over people’s heads a block away and then it came in front of us.
There were huge floats in the parade with occupants throwing candy, beads, stuffed animals, Frisbees, plastic cups and Moon Pies to the crowd. When a horse back rider or float went by, everyone would start yelling and waving their arms to have goodies thrown their way. What fun!! We ended up with 50 strands of beads, 2 cups and 2 Frisbees - and I had the camera in my right hand which means Terry made some good catches.
As soon as the parade ended, we hurried to our truck and got out before traffic got bad. We stopped for a quick hamburger and were home just before 9.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Feb 10th to 12th - Foley AL
Feb 10th - Tues - to Foley AL
The 4+ hour trip today took us along the gulf shore on Hwy 98 through Pensacola FL to Alabama. There are miles of incredible white sand beaches and a surprising stretch of sand dunes. Since there is pretty much solid development along Hwy 98, there are traffic lights all the way and it seemed a large number of them were red but it was a nice drive. The route winds a bit through Pensacola but Wanda looked after us just fine.
We are staying at Magnolia Springs Hideaway RV park and golf course. It is small (61 sites) but clean and quiet as the RV park sits behind the golf course. It is a 9 hole, par 3 course that RV residents can play all day for $7. We are staying here for 11 days and I am really looking forward to working on my short game.
We set up the satellite dish and could not get one satellite (119) to come in. Terry just had to roughly place the dish to get the 110 satellite so was really frustrated with 119. We finally decided to call it quits and work on it another day - we do have the 110 channels.
Feb 11th - Wed - Foley
It was very windy this morning with rain forecast for this afternoon so we decided to go check out the Wind Creek casino near Atmore - about 75 miles north of here. On the way, the rain started and was coming down so hard you could barely see the road. It let up a bit before we made a mad dash from the parking lot.
This is a brand new casino with just slots - no table games. Most of the slots are 1 cent which suits us just fine. We played for a long time before I lost my allowance and Terry lost part of his. We were given coupons for a buffet dinner so we ate about 4 and then headed back. Stopped for diesel on the way at $2.15 a gallon.
Feb 12th - Thurs - Foley
We hit the golf course this morning. We walked through the park and started play on the 4th hole. After the 9th hole, we stopped to pay at the clubhouse and continued on with the first hole where we had to wait in line. When we got to the 4th hole, a couple of guys from the RV park joined us and we played through 9 again. There were even more people waiting to tee off on one so we quit and walked back to the RV park.
This is a very small course - the longest hole is 140 yards, most are 80 to 95 and one is 55 yards. The grass and greens are mostly brown and hard packed but it is fun.
We had lunch when we got back and I started to make potato salad for potluck tonight when I found out that I did not have enough potatoes. So off to the grocery store. With the salad partly done, we headed to the golf course again. This time we played 4 & 5 before it clogged up on 6. So over to 8 & 9, then 1 thru 9 and 1 thru 3 which put us back to the edge of the RV park and time to quit.
Dinner tonight was a fish fry & potluck. A guy just down from us caught all the fish (Spotted Trout), filleted & breaded it and had some help frying it for everyone. There was a full house for dinner and we ended up sitting at an extra table with 2 other couples who are also full timers (Steve & Barb and Ron & Barbara) - good food and good company.
The 4+ hour trip today took us along the gulf shore on Hwy 98 through Pensacola FL to Alabama. There are miles of incredible white sand beaches and a surprising stretch of sand dunes. Since there is pretty much solid development along Hwy 98, there are traffic lights all the way and it seemed a large number of them were red but it was a nice drive. The route winds a bit through Pensacola but Wanda looked after us just fine.
We are staying at Magnolia Springs Hideaway RV park and golf course. It is small (61 sites) but clean and quiet as the RV park sits behind the golf course. It is a 9 hole, par 3 course that RV residents can play all day for $7. We are staying here for 11 days and I am really looking forward to working on my short game.
We set up the satellite dish and could not get one satellite (119) to come in. Terry just had to roughly place the dish to get the 110 satellite so was really frustrated with 119. We finally decided to call it quits and work on it another day - we do have the 110 channels.
Feb 11th - Wed - Foley
It was very windy this morning with rain forecast for this afternoon so we decided to go check out the Wind Creek casino near Atmore - about 75 miles north of here. On the way, the rain started and was coming down so hard you could barely see the road. It let up a bit before we made a mad dash from the parking lot.
This is a brand new casino with just slots - no table games. Most of the slots are 1 cent which suits us just fine. We played for a long time before I lost my allowance and Terry lost part of his. We were given coupons for a buffet dinner so we ate about 4 and then headed back. Stopped for diesel on the way at $2.15 a gallon.
Feb 12th - Thurs - Foley
We hit the golf course this morning. We walked through the park and started play on the 4th hole. After the 9th hole, we stopped to pay at the clubhouse and continued on with the first hole where we had to wait in line. When we got to the 4th hole, a couple of guys from the RV park joined us and we played through 9 again. There were even more people waiting to tee off on one so we quit and walked back to the RV park.
This is a very small course - the longest hole is 140 yards, most are 80 to 95 and one is 55 yards. The grass and greens are mostly brown and hard packed but it is fun.
We had lunch when we got back and I started to make potato salad for potluck tonight when I found out that I did not have enough potatoes. So off to the grocery store. With the salad partly done, we headed to the golf course again. This time we played 4 & 5 before it clogged up on 6. So over to 8 & 9, then 1 thru 9 and 1 thru 3 which put us back to the edge of the RV park and time to quit.
Dinner tonight was a fish fry & potluck. A guy just down from us caught all the fish (Spotted Trout), filleted & breaded it and had some help frying it for everyone. There was a full house for dinner and we ended up sitting at an extra table with 2 other couples who are also full timers (Steve & Barb and Ron & Barbara) - good food and good company.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Feb 7th to 9th - Mexico Beach FL
Feb 7th - Sat - Mexico Beach
Haircut and bath for Dolly this morning - still fighting fleas. Then we joined Billy & Lauri for lunch at a restaurant here in Mexico Beach. The recommended Reuben sandwich was nothing exceptional but the waitress apologized for the slow kitchen with a free pitcher of beer and we were sitting outside in the sun so how bad could it be? We wandered along a stretch of little shops and an Ace Hardware where I got some flea spray for carpets and furniture.
When we returned, we put Dolly in the truck and I sprayed the carpets. We sat outside and played Sequence with Billy & Lauri while the sprayed areas dried.
After dinner we went to play card bingo but it turned out that Lauri was misinformed and nothing was going on. So back into our place where we taught B & L a dice game.
Feb 8th - Sun - Mexico Beach
There is a small laundry room here and only 2 washers & dryers are working. I washed 2 loads, threw them in the dryers and put in two more loads of wash before I discovered that one of the dryers was not heating. I spoke to the manager, got my money back and since the load was mostly shirts, hung them on hangers on a line. Then we took the other 2 loads of washed clothes into a laundromat in town to dry. When the laundry was done, we joine Billy & Lauri at the beach.
There is a very long, curved stretch of sandy beach in Mexico Beach. The sand is very fine and soft, lovely to walk on. It was not hot but pleasant to sit, walk and watch water & birds. We drove through town and walked out on a pier where there were several fishermen catching lots of fish.
It seems that it is much less humid here than other parts of Florida but the shirts hanging on the line were not dry when we got back so I put up the rod in the shower to finish drying them.
Feb 9th - Mon - Mexico Beach
Billy & Lauri asked us to join them on a grocery shopping trip to Panama City so we left about 10:30. After shopping, we looked for a place for lunch and decided to check out a place called “Po Folks” (Poor Folks). You could get fried green tomatoes, fried greens, hush puppies, catfish and other “southern” foods. We all went for a lunch special with fried chicken, chicken fried steak, biscuit, gravy & 2 vegetable sides. Way too much food and an overload of grease but good. All this for $5.99.
We drove through historic downtown Panama City - not impressive unless you are into antiques - and then headed back. We put away groceries, packed up some stuff in preparation for leaving tomorrow and went for a bike ride all around the park. Then, since no one was making dinner, Billy & Lauri came over to play some more Sequence. We are all getting better at playing and some games go on for a long time.
Haircut and bath for Dolly this morning - still fighting fleas. Then we joined Billy & Lauri for lunch at a restaurant here in Mexico Beach. The recommended Reuben sandwich was nothing exceptional but the waitress apologized for the slow kitchen with a free pitcher of beer and we were sitting outside in the sun so how bad could it be? We wandered along a stretch of little shops and an Ace Hardware where I got some flea spray for carpets and furniture.
When we returned, we put Dolly in the truck and I sprayed the carpets. We sat outside and played Sequence with Billy & Lauri while the sprayed areas dried.
After dinner we went to play card bingo but it turned out that Lauri was misinformed and nothing was going on. So back into our place where we taught B & L a dice game.
Feb 8th - Sun - Mexico Beach
There is a small laundry room here and only 2 washers & dryers are working. I washed 2 loads, threw them in the dryers and put in two more loads of wash before I discovered that one of the dryers was not heating. I spoke to the manager, got my money back and since the load was mostly shirts, hung them on hangers on a line. Then we took the other 2 loads of washed clothes into a laundromat in town to dry. When the laundry was done, we joine Billy & Lauri at the beach.
There is a very long, curved stretch of sandy beach in Mexico Beach. The sand is very fine and soft, lovely to walk on. It was not hot but pleasant to sit, walk and watch water & birds. We drove through town and walked out on a pier where there were several fishermen catching lots of fish.
It seems that it is much less humid here than other parts of Florida but the shirts hanging on the line were not dry when we got back so I put up the rod in the shower to finish drying them.
Feb 9th - Mon - Mexico Beach
Billy & Lauri asked us to join them on a grocery shopping trip to Panama City so we left about 10:30. After shopping, we looked for a place for lunch and decided to check out a place called “Po Folks” (Poor Folks). You could get fried green tomatoes, fried greens, hush puppies, catfish and other “southern” foods. We all went for a lunch special with fried chicken, chicken fried steak, biscuit, gravy & 2 vegetable sides. Way too much food and an overload of grease but good. All this for $5.99.
We drove through historic downtown Panama City - not impressive unless you are into antiques - and then headed back. We put away groceries, packed up some stuff in preparation for leaving tomorrow and went for a bike ride all around the park. Then, since no one was making dinner, Billy & Lauri came over to play some more Sequence. We are all getting better at playing and some games go on for a long time.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Feb 3rd to 6th - Mexico Beach
Feb 3rd - Tues - to Mexico Beach
Another 3 ½ hour drive today to Rustic Sands CG in Mexico Beach which is less than 20 miles from Panama City on the Florida panhandle. Billy & Lauri got an early start so they were already all set up when we arrived after stopping at a grocery store on the way in Port St Joe. We set up, had a late lunch and went to register since the office was closed when we drove in. It was pretty cool but we went for a bike ride around the park. It is not very big and not full. The pool is not open as the weather has been too cold - costs too much to heat it and not enough people want to use it in these temperatures.
We went next door for happy hour and then had a light, early dinner so we could go to play bingo. There was no one else there when we arrived just before 6:30 - we had crossed a time zone and didn’t realize it so it was only 5:30 here! Billy & Terry played pool and Lauri & I read magazines while we waited for others to arrive. We played card bingo. 4 people sit at each table and deal out a deck of cards which you sort in suits face up on the table. You put in 25 cents for each game. Then one person takes another deck of cards, turns them up one at a time and calls each card. Each person with that card puts it in the center and the first person with no cards wins the round and the money and gets to call the cards for the next round. If there are not the right number of people for 4 at a table, the cards are dealt to a dummy hand and played “for fun”. Terry & Billy each won 4 games, I won one and Lauri won one but had to split the pot with 2 other winners. There were only 10 people playing so it’s not like you won a lot but it was fun.
Feb 4th - Wed - Mexico Beach
Very cool this morning. I took Dolly out and went back to bed!
About 10:30 we joined Billy & Lauri for an outing to Panama City since it was too cold & breezy to enjoy the outdoors. We searched for and finally found a Michael’s craft store - looking for candle wax for our buddy burners. The bulk wax was pretty expensive but we bought a couple of large pillars. Stopped at a Big Lots to get a new computer mouse for Lauri and continued on to Panama City beach. The beaches are beautiful here - very white sand and turquoise water. The access to the beaches near Panama City is limited because of condos, apartment and hotels but there are several public accesses and we didn’t see parking meters that were present in Naples and Tampa areas. We stopped at a Hooters right on the beach for lunch and got a table where we could look out at the gulf - very nice.
On the way back we stopped and bought some Plant City (near Thonotosassa) strawberries. I sliced the berries, made some biscuits, Lauri & Billy came over at 6:30 and we all had strawberry shortcake for dinner since we had a late lunch.
Feb 5th - Thurs - Mexico Beach
Another excursion today - this time back the way we came to Apalachicola. This time we took the scenic loop closer to the coast and saw a lot of houses on stilts near the water. In Apalachicola, we wandered through several touristy shops with very fun stuff. Decided that we didn’t see anywhere that looked good for lunch so continued on to St. George’s Island where we had lunch at Harry A’s - just OK. I finally had a soft shell crab sandwich. They bread and deep fry the entire crab and lay it on the bun with legs and all. Just tasted like a fish sandwich.
We drove the island to St George State Park and decided we did not want to pay the $5 entrance fee just to have a look. As we drove back across the long bridge, I talked the others into stopping on the far side and walking back on an old bridge to check out boats fishing near the bridge. Turned out they were harvesting oysters. The water is very shallow and they use two long poles with rakes on the ends in a pinching fashion to scrape oysters off the bottom and lift them into the boat. Then they pound the clumps apart and put the oysters in bags.
We made a quick stop at a grocery store in Port St. Joe on the way back and found a Salvation Army to get rid of some clothes that Lauri & I sorted out. I had put port roast in the crock pot and had Billy & Lauri over for dinner. Then the other 3 went to play a card game called “Pass the Trash” while I worked on email and posted pictures to the internet in folder 2008 #13.
Feb 6th - Fri - Mexico Beach
Billy & Lauri went to do laundry this morning. I posted pictures to 2 new folders so check out 2008 #14 and #15.
The weather warmed up quite a bit so we rode our bikes about ½ a mile to the beach. Terry thought the sand was hard enough to ride by the water but instead discovered how cold the water was when he took a little spill! Gathered a few shells and just sat and watched the beautifully clear water lap the shore. Still had on long pants and sweatshirts but nice compared to previous days. After dinner, Billy & Lauri came over for more Sequence. Lauri brought guacamole and chips - just what we all don’t need but YUM!
Another 3 ½ hour drive today to Rustic Sands CG in Mexico Beach which is less than 20 miles from Panama City on the Florida panhandle. Billy & Lauri got an early start so they were already all set up when we arrived after stopping at a grocery store on the way in Port St Joe. We set up, had a late lunch and went to register since the office was closed when we drove in. It was pretty cool but we went for a bike ride around the park. It is not very big and not full. The pool is not open as the weather has been too cold - costs too much to heat it and not enough people want to use it in these temperatures.
We went next door for happy hour and then had a light, early dinner so we could go to play bingo. There was no one else there when we arrived just before 6:30 - we had crossed a time zone and didn’t realize it so it was only 5:30 here! Billy & Terry played pool and Lauri & I read magazines while we waited for others to arrive. We played card bingo. 4 people sit at each table and deal out a deck of cards which you sort in suits face up on the table. You put in 25 cents for each game. Then one person takes another deck of cards, turns them up one at a time and calls each card. Each person with that card puts it in the center and the first person with no cards wins the round and the money and gets to call the cards for the next round. If there are not the right number of people for 4 at a table, the cards are dealt to a dummy hand and played “for fun”. Terry & Billy each won 4 games, I won one and Lauri won one but had to split the pot with 2 other winners. There were only 10 people playing so it’s not like you won a lot but it was fun.
Feb 4th - Wed - Mexico Beach
Very cool this morning. I took Dolly out and went back to bed!
About 10:30 we joined Billy & Lauri for an outing to Panama City since it was too cold & breezy to enjoy the outdoors. We searched for and finally found a Michael’s craft store - looking for candle wax for our buddy burners. The bulk wax was pretty expensive but we bought a couple of large pillars. Stopped at a Big Lots to get a new computer mouse for Lauri and continued on to Panama City beach. The beaches are beautiful here - very white sand and turquoise water. The access to the beaches near Panama City is limited because of condos, apartment and hotels but there are several public accesses and we didn’t see parking meters that were present in Naples and Tampa areas. We stopped at a Hooters right on the beach for lunch and got a table where we could look out at the gulf - very nice.
On the way back we stopped and bought some Plant City (near Thonotosassa) strawberries. I sliced the berries, made some biscuits, Lauri & Billy came over at 6:30 and we all had strawberry shortcake for dinner since we had a late lunch.
Feb 5th - Thurs - Mexico Beach
Another excursion today - this time back the way we came to Apalachicola. This time we took the scenic loop closer to the coast and saw a lot of houses on stilts near the water. In Apalachicola, we wandered through several touristy shops with very fun stuff. Decided that we didn’t see anywhere that looked good for lunch so continued on to St. George’s Island where we had lunch at Harry A’s - just OK. I finally had a soft shell crab sandwich. They bread and deep fry the entire crab and lay it on the bun with legs and all. Just tasted like a fish sandwich.
We drove the island to St George State Park and decided we did not want to pay the $5 entrance fee just to have a look. As we drove back across the long bridge, I talked the others into stopping on the far side and walking back on an old bridge to check out boats fishing near the bridge. Turned out they were harvesting oysters. The water is very shallow and they use two long poles with rakes on the ends in a pinching fashion to scrape oysters off the bottom and lift them into the boat. Then they pound the clumps apart and put the oysters in bags.
We made a quick stop at a grocery store in Port St. Joe on the way back and found a Salvation Army to get rid of some clothes that Lauri & I sorted out. I had put port roast in the crock pot and had Billy & Lauri over for dinner. Then the other 3 went to play a card game called “Pass the Trash” while I worked on email and posted pictures to the internet in folder 2008 #13.
Feb 6th - Fri - Mexico Beach
Billy & Lauri went to do laundry this morning. I posted pictures to 2 new folders so check out 2008 #14 and #15.
The weather warmed up quite a bit so we rode our bikes about ½ a mile to the beach. Terry thought the sand was hard enough to ride by the water but instead discovered how cold the water was when he took a little spill! Gathered a few shells and just sat and watched the beautifully clear water lap the shore. Still had on long pants and sweatshirts but nice compared to previous days. After dinner, Billy & Lauri came over for more Sequence. Lauri brought guacamole and chips - just what we all don’t need but YUM!
Monday, February 02, 2009
Jan 29th to Feb 2nd - Florida
Jan 29th - Thurs - Thonotosassa
Cool but warm enough for water exercises. Then we all (Billy & Lauri, Carie & Gary) loaded our bikes to check out a trail about 15 minutes away in the Flatwood recreation area. There are several trails but we picked the paved, 8.4 mile loop. It was cloudy and breezy but a lovely ride. We had packed lunches so stopped midway to eat. There were people roller-blading, walking and running as well as other bicyclists. The only wildlife we saw was a hawk resting on a branch quite close to the trail.
When we got back, Terry took the garbage to the dumpster and continued to ride around the park. It was getting dark so he headed back and arrived just as it started to pour rain. He had to dash out to put a plastic bag on his bicycle seat and then out again to unlatch and close the door as the rain was blowing in onto the mat.
I had strawberries left from Tuesday so I cleaned them and invited Billy & Lauri and Gary & Carie over for strawberries and dip - YUM!! “Life is uncertain - eat dessert first”!
Everyone headed home to make dinner and then we all went to play bingo. Terry won one of the larger payouts for a blackout - $21. Considering it cost us $9.25 to play all evening, that is pretty good.
Jan 30th - Fri - Thonotosassa
Lots of rain last night - greatly needed here. When I heard the rain let up a bit this morning I quickly took Dolly out so we didn’t have to go out in a downpour. I figured it was too cold for water exercise class but when we took the laundry over about 10:30, the diehards were in the pool.
About noon, Billy & Laurie and we went to check out a little restaurant for lunch and had the recommended grouper sandwich. Deep fried fillets on a huge hoagie bun with all the trimmings and a large side of fries. I’m glad I tried it but it was a little too greasy to order again.
Next door was a Price Cutter grocery store that someone mentioned for good meat prices. Wish we had found it sooner - $5.99 for boneless ribeye & New York strip steaks, $2.99 for boneless center cut pork chops, $2.13 for boneless/skinless chicken breasts and .99 for chicken thighs to cook for Dolly.
Stopped at a Bealls for Lauri to check out a sale and then home.
I immediately started boiling the thighs for Dolly as I did not have room in fridge, cooler or freezer to store them whole. Putting away groceries and other puttering and it was time to relax. After such a large lunch, we had soup for dinner. Then we headed to a Western dance here at the park.
There was a self-described “one man band” for the music and he was great. He played a mix of music and the only reason that I didn’t dance every dance was that Terry was dancing with Lauri & Carie. He also had one dance with a lady that approached us and asked if I minded if my husband taught her how to two-step. He tried but she was not a very good student. A guy stopped by and told Terry that he hadn’t seen a man dance with so many women. We even danced multiple polkas nearly to the end!
Jan 31st - Sat - Thonotosassa
Just puttered around getting things ready to leave tomorrow - cleaning, pick up a few groceries, a quick visit to the nearby flea market for shammies that work so well for washing dishes and visiting with a couple of neighbors. Happy hour inside our place since the weather was pretty cool.
Feb 1st - Sun - to Keaton Beach FL
Didn’t take long to unplug and hook up this morning and head north. A 3 ½ hour drive took us inland near Ocala and then back to the Gulf of Mexico to Old Pavilion RV park in Keaton Beach. Billy & Lauri pulled in before we were even done setting up. They left at the crack of 8 am while we were still in bed but they had to stop for propane and gas in their motor home. Billy drove his motor home in next to us so our doors are together and so they can enjoy the waterfront view through their windshield that we see from our back window.
After our lunches, Billy offered to drive on an area exploration trip. Not much here!! Most of the residences are up on HIGH “stilts” of some type - concrete columns, poles, concrete blocks and timbers are all used. A lot are manufactured homes and many put an elevated deck under part of the house. We went back to Steinhatchee which we drove through on the way here - stopped at a grocery store but did not find an appealing bar for a beer.
Lauri asked us to join them for hamburgers for dinner - nice not to cook! And we all watched the Super Bowl which turned out to be a good game.
Feb 2nd - Mon - Keaton Beach
Woke up to light rain so Terry made a quick trip outside to put away the patio chairs and tuck Billy’s chairs under his rig. Enjoyed our coffee & a bowl of fruit looking at our waterfront view. Had a late breakfast and then invited Billy & Lauri over for cards. We ended up playing Sequence which we all enjoyed. The rain had quit and there was no wind so we wandered around outside for a while and then played more Sequence until it was time to split and prepare dinner. Caught up & posted my blog.
Cool but warm enough for water exercises. Then we all (Billy & Lauri, Carie & Gary) loaded our bikes to check out a trail about 15 minutes away in the Flatwood recreation area. There are several trails but we picked the paved, 8.4 mile loop. It was cloudy and breezy but a lovely ride. We had packed lunches so stopped midway to eat. There were people roller-blading, walking and running as well as other bicyclists. The only wildlife we saw was a hawk resting on a branch quite close to the trail.
When we got back, Terry took the garbage to the dumpster and continued to ride around the park. It was getting dark so he headed back and arrived just as it started to pour rain. He had to dash out to put a plastic bag on his bicycle seat and then out again to unlatch and close the door as the rain was blowing in onto the mat.
I had strawberries left from Tuesday so I cleaned them and invited Billy & Lauri and Gary & Carie over for strawberries and dip - YUM!! “Life is uncertain - eat dessert first”!
Everyone headed home to make dinner and then we all went to play bingo. Terry won one of the larger payouts for a blackout - $21. Considering it cost us $9.25 to play all evening, that is pretty good.
Jan 30th - Fri - Thonotosassa
Lots of rain last night - greatly needed here. When I heard the rain let up a bit this morning I quickly took Dolly out so we didn’t have to go out in a downpour. I figured it was too cold for water exercise class but when we took the laundry over about 10:30, the diehards were in the pool.
About noon, Billy & Laurie and we went to check out a little restaurant for lunch and had the recommended grouper sandwich. Deep fried fillets on a huge hoagie bun with all the trimmings and a large side of fries. I’m glad I tried it but it was a little too greasy to order again.
Next door was a Price Cutter grocery store that someone mentioned for good meat prices. Wish we had found it sooner - $5.99 for boneless ribeye & New York strip steaks, $2.99 for boneless center cut pork chops, $2.13 for boneless/skinless chicken breasts and .99 for chicken thighs to cook for Dolly.
Stopped at a Bealls for Lauri to check out a sale and then home.
I immediately started boiling the thighs for Dolly as I did not have room in fridge, cooler or freezer to store them whole. Putting away groceries and other puttering and it was time to relax. After such a large lunch, we had soup for dinner. Then we headed to a Western dance here at the park.
There was a self-described “one man band” for the music and he was great. He played a mix of music and the only reason that I didn’t dance every dance was that Terry was dancing with Lauri & Carie. He also had one dance with a lady that approached us and asked if I minded if my husband taught her how to two-step. He tried but she was not a very good student. A guy stopped by and told Terry that he hadn’t seen a man dance with so many women. We even danced multiple polkas nearly to the end!
Jan 31st - Sat - Thonotosassa
Just puttered around getting things ready to leave tomorrow - cleaning, pick up a few groceries, a quick visit to the nearby flea market for shammies that work so well for washing dishes and visiting with a couple of neighbors. Happy hour inside our place since the weather was pretty cool.
Feb 1st - Sun - to Keaton Beach FL
Didn’t take long to unplug and hook up this morning and head north. A 3 ½ hour drive took us inland near Ocala and then back to the Gulf of Mexico to Old Pavilion RV park in Keaton Beach. Billy & Lauri pulled in before we were even done setting up. They left at the crack of 8 am while we were still in bed but they had to stop for propane and gas in their motor home. Billy drove his motor home in next to us so our doors are together and so they can enjoy the waterfront view through their windshield that we see from our back window.
After our lunches, Billy offered to drive on an area exploration trip. Not much here!! Most of the residences are up on HIGH “stilts” of some type - concrete columns, poles, concrete blocks and timbers are all used. A lot are manufactured homes and many put an elevated deck under part of the house. We went back to Steinhatchee which we drove through on the way here - stopped at a grocery store but did not find an appealing bar for a beer.
Lauri asked us to join them for hamburgers for dinner - nice not to cook! And we all watched the Super Bowl which turned out to be a good game.
Feb 2nd - Mon - Keaton Beach
Woke up to light rain so Terry made a quick trip outside to put away the patio chairs and tuck Billy’s chairs under his rig. Enjoyed our coffee & a bowl of fruit looking at our waterfront view. Had a late breakfast and then invited Billy & Lauri over for cards. We ended up playing Sequence which we all enjoyed. The rain had quit and there was no wind so we wandered around outside for a while and then played more Sequence until it was time to split and prepare dinner. Caught up & posted my blog.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Jan 25th to 28th - Thonotosassa
Jan 25th - Sun - Thonotosassa
With the return of warmer weather, we moved a couple of chairs into the sun this morning to enjoy a cup of coffee. After breakfast/lunch, we joined Carie & Gary for a bike ride around the park and then we all decided to join Billy & Lauri at the pool. But before we went, we cleaned, masked and touched up the rust on the bike rack with spray paint. I guess it’s a combination of 27 months of traveling, humidity and some salt spray in the Florida keys that is resulting in rust.
At happy hour at our place, we all decided that it was time to go for pizza at Ci Ci’s - the pizza buffet place. Gary & Carie have a fold down console in their pickup so they emptied the back seat and we all squeezed in for the ride to Zephyrhills. No one ate too much (yeah, right!!) and we all enjoyed our dinner.
Jan 26th - Mon - Thonotosassa
It warmed up enough (at least 60 by 10 o’clock) for water exercise class this morning. There had been a problem with the pool and it was very warm - 91 degrees!
We had talked about the group going on a canoe trip but we all decided that nearly $50 for a 2 hour paddle was a little pricey so we packed lunches, loaded our bikes in trucks and went for a bicycle ride. We discovered a 6.7 mile trail between John Sergeant county park and Hillsborough River state park so we unloaded the bikes and then took one truck back to the county park so we would ride only one way. The trail was unpaved and had several sections of loose sand so it was a real workout. Luckily, the last 2.2 miles were paved to give us old folks a break. We saw 2 armadillos - one was quite curious and stood up on it’s hind legs to try to see us.
When we got back we all headed for the pool and the hot tub. Then a short happy hour at Gary & Carie’s before parting for dinner.
Jan 27th - Tues - Thonotosassa
After water exercises and breakfast, we and Billy & Lauri headed for Costco. Costco has a liquor store right beside the regular store and the prices are very good (½ gallon Scotch $17, ½ gallon Vodka $12) so we decided to stock up a bit as we don’t know what the prices will be down the road. A quick stop at WalMart and then at a produce stand for some strawberries. Gary’s birthday is today and “the group” will have dinner together at Gary & Carie’s. I made strawberry shortcake so I baked the biscuits and sliced & sweetened the berries when we got home. Also cut up a pork loin that Lauri & I split and washed up romaine lettuce. And it was already time for happy hour!
The weather cooperated so we could sit and have dinner outside. Gary & Carie made a buddy burner so we enjoyed that as well. Very nice dinner and evening.
Jan 28th - Wed - Thonotosassa
Before exercise class, I gave Dolly another bath and flea dip treatment and vacuumed. Only a few fleas left so have to keep at them. I sent Terry to the store so after exercises I could mix up marshmallow & cream cheese dip for the rest of the strawberries. Then the 6 of us set off for Clearwater Beach in Gary & Carie’s truck. It is quite a long drive (an hour). The sand is very white and fine, the weather was warm but windy. We left at 3 and drove to Cody’s Roadhouse restaurant in Brandon to take advantage of the 2 for 1 fajitas again. It was just as good as the first time, most of us ate too much and groaned all the way back to the park.
Terry & I went for a bike ride around all the park roads to settle our dinner a little.
With the return of warmer weather, we moved a couple of chairs into the sun this morning to enjoy a cup of coffee. After breakfast/lunch, we joined Carie & Gary for a bike ride around the park and then we all decided to join Billy & Lauri at the pool. But before we went, we cleaned, masked and touched up the rust on the bike rack with spray paint. I guess it’s a combination of 27 months of traveling, humidity and some salt spray in the Florida keys that is resulting in rust.
At happy hour at our place, we all decided that it was time to go for pizza at Ci Ci’s - the pizza buffet place. Gary & Carie have a fold down console in their pickup so they emptied the back seat and we all squeezed in for the ride to Zephyrhills. No one ate too much (yeah, right!!) and we all enjoyed our dinner.
Jan 26th - Mon - Thonotosassa
It warmed up enough (at least 60 by 10 o’clock) for water exercise class this morning. There had been a problem with the pool and it was very warm - 91 degrees!
We had talked about the group going on a canoe trip but we all decided that nearly $50 for a 2 hour paddle was a little pricey so we packed lunches, loaded our bikes in trucks and went for a bicycle ride. We discovered a 6.7 mile trail between John Sergeant county park and Hillsborough River state park so we unloaded the bikes and then took one truck back to the county park so we would ride only one way. The trail was unpaved and had several sections of loose sand so it was a real workout. Luckily, the last 2.2 miles were paved to give us old folks a break. We saw 2 armadillos - one was quite curious and stood up on it’s hind legs to try to see us.
When we got back we all headed for the pool and the hot tub. Then a short happy hour at Gary & Carie’s before parting for dinner.
Jan 27th - Tues - Thonotosassa
After water exercises and breakfast, we and Billy & Lauri headed for Costco. Costco has a liquor store right beside the regular store and the prices are very good (½ gallon Scotch $17, ½ gallon Vodka $12) so we decided to stock up a bit as we don’t know what the prices will be down the road. A quick stop at WalMart and then at a produce stand for some strawberries. Gary’s birthday is today and “the group” will have dinner together at Gary & Carie’s. I made strawberry shortcake so I baked the biscuits and sliced & sweetened the berries when we got home. Also cut up a pork loin that Lauri & I split and washed up romaine lettuce. And it was already time for happy hour!
The weather cooperated so we could sit and have dinner outside. Gary & Carie made a buddy burner so we enjoyed that as well. Very nice dinner and evening.
Jan 28th - Wed - Thonotosassa
Before exercise class, I gave Dolly another bath and flea dip treatment and vacuumed. Only a few fleas left so have to keep at them. I sent Terry to the store so after exercises I could mix up marshmallow & cream cheese dip for the rest of the strawberries. Then the 6 of us set off for Clearwater Beach in Gary & Carie’s truck. It is quite a long drive (an hour). The sand is very white and fine, the weather was warm but windy. We left at 3 and drove to Cody’s Roadhouse restaurant in Brandon to take advantage of the 2 for 1 fajitas again. It was just as good as the first time, most of us ate too much and groaned all the way back to the park.
Terry & I went for a bike ride around all the park roads to settle our dinner a little.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Jan 21st to 24th - Thonotosassa FL
Jan 21st - Wed - Thonotosassa
It was very cold last night (near freezing) and windy this morning. The cold front is supposed to be leaving in a couple of days which will be great.
Billy & Lauri and we went to a Manatee viewing area that Paul & Vicki had told us about yesterday. When the water is cold, the manatees move to a protected inlet where a power plant discharges warm water. There are viewing platforms, a long boardwalk/pier, an interpretive center with an informational film and a gift shop. Retired power plant employees are hosts and docents. And for a nice change it is free.
We had dug out our warmest jackets and I should have tried to find ear muffs as well since the wind made it pretty cold. There were lots of manatees mostly submerged in the water. They would slowly raise their heads to breathe and slowly roll and go down a bit. We saw a sting ray and schools of large fish (tarpon, we think) off the pier.
Billy had heard about a restaurant (Cody’s Roadhouse) in Brandon that had 2 for 1 fajitas on Wednesday so we had to check it out on the way back. It is a “peanut shells on the floor” and “disposable paper on the table” type of place - very relaxed and fun. We were there at happy hour so drinks were 2 for 1 as well. The fajitas were great and Billy was very happy with his 2 glasses of beer so it was a good dinner choice.
Carie wore a mask to dinner last night as she was sneezing like crazy and did not want anyone else to catch whatever she might have be coming down with. She had a full blown cold today so they were taking it easy.
Jan 22nd - Thurs - Thonotosassa
Cold again this morning so we hibernated until about 10:30 when we joined Billy & Lauri for a drive to Ybor City which is between here and Tampa. It is a National Historic District which still has several hand-rolled cigar companies that were the reason for the growth of the city in the late 1800’s. It is well known for it’s nightlife from Wed to Sat. We visited the visitor information center and wandered down the streets before stopping for lunch. I wanted to sample a Cuban sandwich and figured this would be a good place to do so. The sandwich has ham, pork, salami, cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles, mayo & mustard on Cuban bread which is like a French bread. Then it is pressed and toasted. Good but too much ham and not enough pork & salami which would have made it more distinctive.
We wandered back to the car - still cool but the sun was warm - then stopped at Camping World and a little roadside produce stand on the way back to the park.
After dinner, we and Billy & Lauri went to Bingo. No one at our table won a thing!! Gary now has Carie’s cold so they didn’t join us.
Jan 23rd - Fri - Thonotosassa
Relaxing day today. Did laundry and then took advantage of warming weather to go to the pool.
We have been getting wonderful, huge avocados here and both Lauri & I had the idea to use them for guacamole before they went bad. So we had to force down a couple bowls of guacamole at happy hour!
Tomorrow is an auction and bake sale at the park so I baked a few dozen shortbread cookies to contribute.
Jan 24th - Sat - Thonotosassa
I made a dozen quick danish this morning - 6 for us and 6 for the bake sale. Terry & I delivered the baking just after 9 and took a quick look at the auction items. This is a Chinese Auction - donated items are grouped on sheets of paper on tables with a red plastic cup for each group. You buy tickets (10 for $1) and drop a ticket into any cup where you want the items on the paper. Then a ticket is drawn from each cup to determine the winner of that lot. Any item that we wanted had other junk grouped with it so we didn’t buy any tickets.
At noon, a regular auction started with larger donated items. We attended for a while, took a break for lunch and then went back for a few minutes just in time for a 30 amp cord go for more money than Terry wanted to spend. Went to pick up a few groceries and had happy hour at our place - first with Billy, then joined by new acquaintances Larry & Judy (we met Judy at bingo) and then Gary & Carie joined us for a while.
It was very cold last night (near freezing) and windy this morning. The cold front is supposed to be leaving in a couple of days which will be great.
Billy & Lauri and we went to a Manatee viewing area that Paul & Vicki had told us about yesterday. When the water is cold, the manatees move to a protected inlet where a power plant discharges warm water. There are viewing platforms, a long boardwalk/pier, an interpretive center with an informational film and a gift shop. Retired power plant employees are hosts and docents. And for a nice change it is free.
We had dug out our warmest jackets and I should have tried to find ear muffs as well since the wind made it pretty cold. There were lots of manatees mostly submerged in the water. They would slowly raise their heads to breathe and slowly roll and go down a bit. We saw a sting ray and schools of large fish (tarpon, we think) off the pier.
Billy had heard about a restaurant (Cody’s Roadhouse) in Brandon that had 2 for 1 fajitas on Wednesday so we had to check it out on the way back. It is a “peanut shells on the floor” and “disposable paper on the table” type of place - very relaxed and fun. We were there at happy hour so drinks were 2 for 1 as well. The fajitas were great and Billy was very happy with his 2 glasses of beer so it was a good dinner choice.
Carie wore a mask to dinner last night as she was sneezing like crazy and did not want anyone else to catch whatever she might have be coming down with. She had a full blown cold today so they were taking it easy.
Jan 22nd - Thurs - Thonotosassa
Cold again this morning so we hibernated until about 10:30 when we joined Billy & Lauri for a drive to Ybor City which is between here and Tampa. It is a National Historic District which still has several hand-rolled cigar companies that were the reason for the growth of the city in the late 1800’s. It is well known for it’s nightlife from Wed to Sat. We visited the visitor information center and wandered down the streets before stopping for lunch. I wanted to sample a Cuban sandwich and figured this would be a good place to do so. The sandwich has ham, pork, salami, cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickles, mayo & mustard on Cuban bread which is like a French bread. Then it is pressed and toasted. Good but too much ham and not enough pork & salami which would have made it more distinctive.
We wandered back to the car - still cool but the sun was warm - then stopped at Camping World and a little roadside produce stand on the way back to the park.
After dinner, we and Billy & Lauri went to Bingo. No one at our table won a thing!! Gary now has Carie’s cold so they didn’t join us.
Jan 23rd - Fri - Thonotosassa
Relaxing day today. Did laundry and then took advantage of warming weather to go to the pool.
We have been getting wonderful, huge avocados here and both Lauri & I had the idea to use them for guacamole before they went bad. So we had to force down a couple bowls of guacamole at happy hour!
Tomorrow is an auction and bake sale at the park so I baked a few dozen shortbread cookies to contribute.
Jan 24th - Sat - Thonotosassa
I made a dozen quick danish this morning - 6 for us and 6 for the bake sale. Terry & I delivered the baking just after 9 and took a quick look at the auction items. This is a Chinese Auction - donated items are grouped on sheets of paper on tables with a red plastic cup for each group. You buy tickets (10 for $1) and drop a ticket into any cup where you want the items on the paper. Then a ticket is drawn from each cup to determine the winner of that lot. Any item that we wanted had other junk grouped with it so we didn’t buy any tickets.
At noon, a regular auction started with larger donated items. We attended for a while, took a break for lunch and then went back for a few minutes just in time for a 30 amp cord go for more money than Terry wanted to spend. Went to pick up a few groceries and had happy hour at our place - first with Billy, then joined by new acquaintances Larry & Judy (we met Judy at bingo) and then Gary & Carie joined us for a while.
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