Wednesday, December 31 – Happy Birthday

I always devote a journal to a member of my family for their birthday, and since ED feels like family to us

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ED !!

“and 120 more”

Monday, December 29 – The Lights

Well it’s been 4 weeks full-timing for us. We are not liking this, we are loving it!!

We are so relaxed and free to do whatever we want. Whether we are out and about or just sitting in the rig, it’s a wonderful way to live.

Unfortunately we are going to have to do some work camping. We spent some time yesterday posting our resume on Workamper News. Hopefully we can find something for the summer 2009 in a climate that's not too hot.

At 2:30 we met Ed, Marilyn, Jerry and Kit for an afternoon of shopping, then dinner and the lights of Hidalgo.

We followed them to McAllen for some shopping in a downtown area with lots of shops full of all kinds of stuff. Kind of made you feel like you were in Mexico. Then we went to Texas Road House for our meal.

The food was good and the company was outstanding. We then all proceeded to the town of Hidalgo for their Festival of Lights.

They did a whole section of the 12 days of Christmas, only I didn’t get pictures of that.

This whole display of lights were quite impressive. I can’t imagine the time to put them all up and take them down.

Once we were finished enjoying the displays we headed home to the boys. They needed dinner and to be walked. We relaxed the rest of the evening.

This life is tough, but I think we will manage.

See ya down the road.

Sunday, December 28 – Cooler Weather

The high temps today was around 63. I really like this type of weather although the sun could come out a little.

We sat around most of the morning. We were meeting some of our friends at a burger place at noon, after they had gone to church, called Wallbanger’s

It is like a Fuddruckers and everyone enjoyed their hamburgers, except me. I of course got a grilled chicken sandwich.

After that Jesse and I went into Target for socks and then to Lowes for supplies. I am going to make myself a clothes line that hangs on the ladder to the RV with the help of Dan.

Then we went to Camping World to pick up an on/off switch. The other day the water heater was not heating the water with electric, so we had to switch to propane. Jesse thought it might be this switch. He will get around to testing it some day. Can't do everything in one day must spread it out.

After all our shopping we were back at the Kram-a-lot for the evening. We watched TV and just relaxed.

See ya down the road.

Saturday, December 27 – Visitors and Fish Fry

Yesterday we drank our coffee while catching up on blogs and emails.

Then I gave Jesse a much needed hair cut and bathed Mr. B.

I decided to put together the ingredients for my salmon cakes and let it sit in the refrigerator for awhile, then got the kitchen cleaned up.

Jesse and I worked on our resume’ and tried to get it posted to workamper. I should say that Jesse dictated and I typed. Only I could not get it to post the way I wanted it to and then ran out of time.

I went to get a shower and dressed for the gathering, but I left my robe on and curlers in to fry the salmon cakes. As soon as I was done frying we got some unexpected visitors, so I ran to the bedroom to put my clothes on.

Chuck and Kathy stopped by to say hello.

I don’t know if you remember the story of our meeting. We met them while we were both in Livingston this summer getting our RV’s inspected and registered. We told them about the RV-Dreams rally and they called Howard and Linda and were able to attend.  We also saw them again in Colorado.

They had just come from visiting South Padre Island decided to drop in. They are staying west of here about 40 minutes, it was a very nice surprise. We had plans for the day but promised to get together soon.

Before they left our expected guests arrived and we made all the introduction.

Fred and Jo Wishnie

We were able to visit with them for a few minutes before we left to go to Gordon & Juanita’s for the fish fry.

Now they, Gordon and Juanita, did not know we were bring the Wishnie’s so it was a very nice surprise for them. They had gotten to know them this past summer while they traveled in Alaska.

He are some pictures from the Fish Fry

Our Host

Our Hostess

Last, but not least, sweet little Boo Boo

A good time was had by all! :~)

We will see ya down the road.

Friday, December 26 – Holiday over

With Christmas behind us I decided to take down the decorations.

Jesse helped me get the totes from the basement then he went off with Ed on some errands.

Went he returned I had everything boxed up. I was also baking a turkey breast for dinner. The RV became really hot inside with the oven on, so I opened all the windows and doors. That didn’t help much but a little.

He was hungry, so I heated the leftover french toast for breakfast. He helped me put away the totes and then took the boys to the dog park.

While he was gone I dusted and vacuumed our house on wheels. I continued to prepare our meal for the evening consisting of turkey, stuffing, yams, gravy, cranberry sauce, broccoli and wine.

Sorry the lighting was not very good.

Here’s a better one of Jesse

After dinner Jesse helped me clean up and we relaxed for a while.

We took the boys for a walk and checked the mail.

Hurray! my new Texas license had come so we stopped to let Ed and Marilyn know I could now go to Mexico. We are planning a trip for New Year’s eve day.

Back at the homestead we watched TV and continued to relaxed until bed.

See ya down the road

Wed, Thurs-December 24 & 25- Food, Friends and Fun

Wednesday Xmas Eve

We were up and doing the usual routine. Early morning I baked some chocolate chip cookie bars to take to the brunch today. Then we just relaxed until time to get ready.

So that the french toast casserole would be hot, I baked it just before leaving.

The brunch was much fun, lots of good food and laughs.

Here let me show you;

Food included scrambled eggs, french toast, grilled salmon, pasta in a pot, ham, fruit, biscuits and gravy.

Sausage wrapped in waffle mix then grilled on an iron.

And of course no brunch would be complete without mimosas.

Heinz, Pat, Kit & Gordon

Dan, Ed, Irene, Jesse, & Marilyn

In line to get our food

Jerry, Jesse, Sue, Carl Juanita, & Pat (you also see the top of Marilyn’s head and some of Irene)

Ted, Dan & Ed just enjoying the sunshine.

After we ate we played the game Catch Phrase again - What fun we had.

Everyone broke up around 2:00 and went to their own rigs. There was a choir service at 7:00 pm that Jesse and I attended. Sue was singing and we wanted to support her.

Once home we watched some movies that Ed had lent us until bedtime.

Thursday Xmas Day

We were up at the usual time and got our coffee, then let the boys open their gifts 1st.

Buddy was hiding-He is camera shy!

All three of our companions

Jesse and I opened our stocking and then we talked with our loved ones in Maryland and Colorado.

The group met us at at the end of our street to ride our bikes to the Christmas dinner served in the Rec hall. The food was very good and we all had more then we needed.

My dinner plate

Ed and Marilyn Jerry and Kit

(That’s Irene in the background)

Sue & Ted Dan & Pat

Juanita & Gordon Irene & Heinz

Carl & Linda

After we ate our meal and visited a while we went home to take the boys for a walk.

We were all invited to meet at Ed & Marilyn's for Margarita’s at 4:00. I brought chips and salsa, but no one was hungry.

Once that broke up Ed invited Jesse and I in to watch a video of a safari he went on in 2006.

It was a very nice day, although very different from any other Christmas day we have had. I am glad that we have such nice friend to spend this time with, since we are not with our families.

See ya down the road

December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas

Happy Hanukkah

Our hope is the Love,

Joy and Blessings of the Season

bring you Peace

Tuesday, December 23 – Special Day

31 years ago today I met my best friend and lover. Jesse and I met at a Christmas party and have been together ever since.

I made us some breakfast and then a few chores. I prepared the casserole for tomorrow’s brunch, it sit all night in the refrigerator then gets baked the next day.

Jesse needed to hang our name plate and we rearranged some furniture.

We got cleaned up and out the door we went in search of a new pair of tennis shoes for me. They have outlet stores right down the road a few miles. They were very busy as you might imagine 2 days B 4 Christmas, but we didn’t mind, we were in no hurry.

I had planned to go to the New Balance outlet, but we saw a Naturalizer outlet and decided to look there. I purchase the 1st pair I tried on! :~)  I have always had good luck with Naturalizer’s.

When we returned we hung out at the Kram-a-lot for a while, then decided to go to Fat Daddy’s for a sandwich. We decided to ride our bikes down to E&M to find out the time we were going to see lights tonight.

My tires needed air, so Jesse said lets ride to the air station here in the park. Have you tried riding a bike with flat tires? Not easy.

When we got to E&M they were over Heinz and Irene’s having a drink and they asked us to join them. Soon Kit and Jerry also joined us and we had good conversation and laughs.

Kit invited me to tour their motor home. It is very bright with their pickled wood cabinetry. They have made several modifications for their life style and it looks GREAT! Thanks Kit for the tour.

We asked if anyone wanted to join us for a sandwich and agreed to meet at Fat Daddy’s at 6:30. It was Ed, Marilyn, Kit, Jerry, Gordon, Juanita, Jesse and I, Heinz and Irene had other plans. We all enjoyed our meal and conversation and after dropping E&M back at their rig we retired to ours for the night.

 

By the way the light tour was called off for tonight and we are planning it for the 29th along with dinner and shopping, can’t wait!!

See ya down the road

Monday, December 22 – Shopping, Baking & Games

The weather was the same windy, cold mid 40’s.

Jesse decided to go Christmas shopping and I baked cookies. I even lit the oven by myself (1st time).

Once I had everything cleaned up I got a shower and dressed.  Several of us were meeting at 1:30 in the library building for snacks & games.

I forgot the camera, but if you go to Kit and Jerry’s blog they have a few. Heinz, Irene, Ed, Marilyn, Jerry, Kit, Dan, Pat and Jesse and I played Catch Phrase, which was lots of fun. Then we played Balderdash and I was very impressed with everyone's imagination (lying) skills. :~)

We had a wonderful time playing and laughing with these friends. Jesse and I just met two of the four couples we played with, but already it is so comfortable to spend time with these fine people.

At home we walked the boys. I heated leftover tuna casserole for dinner and we just relaxed for the rest of the evening. By the way Jesse has been doing the dinner dishes each night.  Thanks honey, it means a lot to me to have you help!

Not sure what today holds, but we will

See ya down the road.

Sunday, December 21- Shopping & Lazy Day

I made coffee and the bed while Jesse walked the boys. Then I got a shower and dressed. I quickly wrote a blog for yesterday, then left to pick up Marilyn at 8:30. We were going to Wal*Mart to do our shopping. We both needed to get preparation for our Christmas Eve Brunch at Pat and Dan’s.

Being with Marilyn is such a pleasure, she has such a wonderful spirit and is really fun. We were both in line checking out only to find that we couldn’t purchase the wine and beer we had in our basket, because you can’t purchase alcohol on Sundays until after 12 noon.

While we shopped it had gotten very windy and the temperature dropped dramatically.

I dropped Marilyn at her rig, and Ed came out to help with the bags. Then I drove to our rig, only to find Jesse and the boys not there so I had to get everything in the house by myself.

After all the groceries were put away I started a load of laundry. While I was gone Jesse figured out the traveling washer problem. When they installed the unit they did not remove the shipping brackets. Jesse removed them and it works wonderful!!! The rig still shook some during the spin cycle but the unit did not move from its place and I didn’t have to hold it!!

I did a few craft/sewing projects then Jesse and I watched a movie. It was windy, cold and rainy outside so it was a good day to just hang out.

Ed called to find out if we wanted to borrow some movies he had and said we needed to do something tomorrow, that we could not just sit around for two days. We agreed.

I made tuna casserole and biscuits for dinner.

This life is so wonderful, it’s Sunday and we don’t have to go to work tomorrow. We have been full-timing for 3 weeks now and we have begun to realize how much we are gonna like it.

See ya down the road.

Saturday December 20 – PINK, GONE

We started the day with breakfast at the Rec Hall with E&M. They picked us up at our place at 8:00. To our surprise Ted, Sue, Dan and Pat were also there so we all shared breakfast together.

After a while Gordon and Juanita showed up. After we ate and visited for a while we were off to the Flea market. There were many booths and we all managed to find a few things to purchase.

Jesse bought bike parts, Ed bought chamois, Marilyn and I bought air plants and tee shirts.

The big purchase of the day was made by Jesse and I:

 

We have been wanting one for sometime and the time was now. This cost us $47!! The man does it free hand using a router and does it in 15 minutes. Can’t wait for Jesse to put is up.

Yesterday while we were having the rig washed, Jesse decided to ride my bike and broke it. Something to do with the gear shift thingy spinning into the wheel. Anyway he decided it would be best to return it because it wouldn’t shift now.

So off we went to Target. They were very busy (it was the weekend before Christmas) but we made quick work of returning the PINK one and now no more PINK. My newest bike is dark blue and silver. (pictures later)

We called Kelsey to sing Happy Birthday to her and she was getting ready to have 20 friends over for a party. WOW to be 15 again

We just relaxed for the rest of the day. We had our own happy half hour and then I made shrimp and spaghetti in the left over red sauce.

Until later

See ya down the road.

Saturday, December 20th -

 

Happy Birthday Kelsey

 

We love and miss you much!!

Friday, December 19 - Chores

I will start with last night.

We all rode our bikes and went to a program and the Rec Center call Razz-Ma-Tazz. It was a choir group of 18 high school students that sang and danced and was very enjoyable.

There are 14 of us from right to left Kit, Jerry, Ed, Marilyn, Me, Heinz, Irene, Gordon, Juanita, Pat, Dan, Ted and Sue. Jesse is of course taking the picture.

After we all went to our respective homes on wheels for the night. Jesse and I walked the boys and watched a little TV.

Today we got done some of the things we have been putting off. Being retired now we don’t want to do too much in one day.

I gave Bayer and Buddy a bath. While I was doing that Jesse wiped down the truck. Then we set up the grooming table and we gave them both a much needed hair cut. I must say they both look pretty good, and I know they feel better.

After that Jesse and I showered and I made us some lunch. About the time we were finished the guys came to wash and wax our rig. They did an awesome job and it looks so much better. It only took them about an hour at the cost of $100.

While everything was drying we walked down to see what E&M were up to. We sat and had a drink with them while talking and making plans for tomorrow.

For dinner we grilled chicken and I made some roasted potatoes with this garlic seasoning and rub Marilyn gave me to try. Thanks Marilyn we enjoyed them very much!!

We are enjoying our time here in the valley very much the people are so friendly.

We will see ya down the road.

Thursday, December 18 – Visit the Golf

Today we went to South Padre Island.

It reminded us very much of Ocean City, Maryland.

Our 1st stop was for lunch at Dirty Al’s

It’s not fancy but has very good fried shrimp baskets.

Then we walked around to see the Pelicans. We actually saw one dive for a fish in the water.

Then we were off to the beach

Ed & Marilyn

Gordon, Juanita and Bodie

You can drive your auto on the beach, although we did not today, but plan to go back another day to do this.

It was a GREAT day and we are looking forward to going back.

We returned home about 3:15 to rest, as we are going to the Rec center tonight for a program called Razz Ma Tazz.

I will let you know about the show later.

See ya down the road.

Wednesday, December 17 – Gray Day

It was very gray, foggy and drizzled most of the day. We went out in the morning to the post office and stopped by the local grocery store to see if they had whole bean coffee, they didn’t. We have been unable to find whole bean coffee here yet.

Once back home we watched the TV movie about the girl who had a baby in the Wal*Mart. I had read the book, but never seen the movie, I enjoyed it.

I did all the laundry in my washer/dryer, and it came out pretty good. It still shakes the rig quite a lot during the spin cycle.

We walked the boys in the drizzle, which is not at all fun. They get all wet and muddy and it’s just not fun.

At our 3:30 walking we walked up to E&M Mobile Suite 5th wheel to find out what time we needed to be ready tomorrow and they decided to walk with us, so we all walked around together.

We are going to South Padre Island, it’s suppose to be 80 tomorrow and partly cloudy. I can hardly wait.

See ya down the road

Tuesday, December 15 – Warm Sunny Weather?– Bah-Humbug

Monday 15- Jesse had a date with some of the guys to have the truck detailed. It is really dirty. 4 of them took off - Ed in his Ford truck, Jesse in his Dodge truck, Gordon in his Chevy truck Jerry in his Honda CRV

The place did a real good job inside and out and it cost $35 with tip.

While Jesse was gone I took the opportunity to clean the rig. I vacuumed, dusted and mopped floors.

It was only in the seventies but very humid, so I turned on the air in the rig. After my chores and getting me cleaned up I decided to take the boys and walk up to see what Marilyn was doing.

She was looking for some recipes, but joined our walk. We walked over to the dog park. On our way back home around noon Jesse called to see where we were. He was back and the truck looked good!!

He had eaten breakfast out with the guys, so I ate some crackers and cheese.

We then took a trip to the post office. Around 3:30 we were walking the boys again, while we were out the wind started and within an hour the temperatures dropped 20 degrees.

I had planned to grill halibut and salmon for dinner, but I had to bake it instead. I also made scalloped potatoes and zucchini squash to go with it. For desert I made brownies.

We watched TV until bed time.

Tuesday 16 – The wind blew all night and the rain came with it. It drizzled all day and night and it was cold. The high was only in the forties.

At 8:30am Ed called to see if we would like to join him and Marilyn (E&M) for breakfast at Mingo’s. We met them there at 9am and to our surprise Kit and Jerry also joined us. As always it was great conversation and good food.

We all went our separate ways when we left the reataurant. Jesse and I needed to go to Wal*Mart to pick up a few things. We saw E&M there and compared food items in our carts. They were making ham and beans, while I planned chicken chili. Jesse changed my mind to chicken pot-pies, french fries and biscuits.

Once home I did a project on the computer, while Jesse surfed the net on the other. It was a very lazy wet day.

Walking the boys it not fun in this weather at all, although I have to admit, Jesse did most of it today.

I have no pictures from the past two days, so here are a few I will share.

My very PINK bike, have I mentioned I hate PINK!

Jesses’ it’s red.

Our site

Front yard

Our Christmas tree

The boys

Tomorrow we are suppose to have the rig washed and waxed and I have to go to the post office again.

Until then See ya down the road

Sunday December 14 – Church and Pepe’s

Well .. believe it or not …                                                          Jesse and I went to Catholic church this morning!!

We accompanied Ed, Marilyn, Dan and Pat to Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle.

It is very large church and was packed with people for the bilingual 10:30 Mariachi mass. Jesse enjoyed the mariachi music very much.

Afterwards we went to Pepe’s on the River for food and refreshments. We were joined by Ted, Sue, Carl, Linda, Gordon, Juanita, Jerry and Kit so there was 14 of us total.

Pepe’s is an outside bar with a thatched roof that has a band playing all kinds of music and they were quite good.

It is right on the Rio Grande River and a very popular place for the snowbird like our group. Jesse commented that he had never seen so many mature people in a bar like setting before.

There were many more people there then just our group. Many were up and dancing to the music, everyone seemed to be have a good time.

Jesse and I had a great time with our group, they are all fun people and we enjoy being with them very much. During this time of year we can’t be with our family members, so we are thankful to be with our RV family friends.

Today was Jerry’s birthday so we all toasted a birthday wish his way. The band tried to find a birthday song to play for him and settled for “Sixteen Candles”.

Afterward Jesse and I went to Camping World to see if we could get vacuum bags for our built in vacuum. They didn’t have them, so he just ordered them on-line.

We took the boys over to the dog park for an off lease walk, then settled in for the evening.

I did a load of laundry and it was better then the first time after getting some tips from Pat. It still shakes the whole RV during the spin cycle and I still think Jesse needs to do some adjustments to the floor, like maybe a rug.

We watched the Survivor finale and then off to bed.

Until tomorrow….. See ya down the road.

Saturday, December 13 – Bird Walk

We were scheduled to go on a bird walk at the State Park this morning. We met at RV Dreams South Texas Social Directors site (named by Howard and Linda) Ed and Marilyn’s.

Now I am not much of a bird watcher, but I thought it would be nice to get out with some friends and get some exercise, it was suppose to be about 2 hours and it started at 8:30am.

Now for those who know us we are early risers, but we are not usually out of the house this early. Were just sitting around enjoying coffee and our morning routine.

Our group today was Ed & Marilyn, Kit & Jerry and Jesse and I.

Now the bird pictures are for Mitch and Margaret !!!!!

:~)

This was taken through our guide, Kyle’s, spotting scope. This is a bird nesting on the ground that is usually only seen at night.

This was an interesting looking tree Jesse liked.

And another see the berries, no idea what kind.

I also got a picture of a turtle in the water sunning on some drift wood.

After our exercise we went to Mingo’s for some breakfast, which was very good and priced right $12 for the two of us.

When we got home we walked the Boys in the dog park which is very nice.

It has a pond in the middle and a walking path around it.

It became very windy this afternoon and was like that the rest of the day, but in the 70’s.

After a short rest we drove into Harlingen and went to Target to pick up a few things and get fuel.

Once home I made 2 loaves of pumpkin bread and we had chili cheese dogs and pasta salad for dinner.

We watched TV and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Can’t wait to See ya, down the road.

Friday, December 12-Jesse Goes to Mexico

Today I along with 14 of our group went on a bike ride to Cuidad Gustavo Diaz Ordaz Mexico.

We piled our bikes into Ed’s and Carl’s trucks and drove to Los Ebanos, Texas. We rode our bikes through the U.S. border station to the river ferry and took the ferry to Mexico.

Being I don’t have a passport and not wanting to reside in Mexico, I made sure I could return to the U.S. with just my driver’s license and birth certificate. Border patrol gave me the ok. Ginger is still waiting for her permanent TX license to arrive and without a picture ID she would have to sit out this trip :~(.

The ride from Llano Grande was longer than I expected, about 45 miles. The bike ride from the border to the town was about 3 kilometers.

We rode to the restaurant where we would have lunch to let them know we were coming and they said to return at 11:30 and they would be ready for us.

We casually rode around the town just observing the sites, sounds, and smells until time for our reservation.

After a very nice lunch and a few cerveza we headed back to the border.

The ferry loads 3 cars and as many pedestrians and bicyclists as they can for each trip. Not sure what the cars are charged but we had to pay a buck each way per person. While waiting at the border to return to the U.S. we spotted some illegal's entering via a raft.

We all had a great time with great friends. Here are a few more pix of our adventures.

Another great day in the Valley. Hope to see ya down the road, on this side of the border.

Thursday December 11 – Decorating and Cleaning

We had no plans for today, but after getting caught in our sweats yesterday, we decided to get dressed 1st thing so that wouldn’t happen again.

Jesse and I got out the totes with Christmas decoration. While we were at Wal*Mart yesterday we bought a 3’ pre lit tree for $18.

Then Ed called, he wanted Jesse to go into town with him to get a tire fixed on Marilyn’s bike. He also took him to the propane place to get one of our tanks filled. Our 30# tank cost $15 to fill.

When they returned the boys and I walked up to Marilyn and Ed’s with Jesse and he was going to help Ed adjust Marilyn’s bike.

I visited for a short while, then the boys and I came home and started decorating. When Jesse returned he wanted to go into Harlingen, a near by town, that had a bike shop.

I didn’t want to go so he went alone and I continued cleaning and decorating. I also started the red sauce in the crock pot for dinner.

When he returned he had a bike for him and me. He ended up getting them at Target. Mine is PINK, (I hate PINK) but the bike is nice and it’s the only color it came in.

We sat outside for a short while then went we rode our bikes around the park. We stopped and Ed and Marilyn to show off our new modes of transportation.

More friend had just arrived Dan and Pat, so we stopped by to say hello and meet them. They had a new rig and we got a tour. It is beautiful and the kitchen is to die for. Lots of room with a island and dish washer. We were happy to meet them and look forward to getting to know them better in the next few months.

Once back at the rig a made a salad and cooked some pasta to go with the sauce and we had dinner.

Everything cleaned up and the boys walked we settled down for our Thursday night TV shows.

A great day in the Valley!

See ya!! down the road.

Wednesday, December 10th – Tour, Lunch and Shopping

Today started in the usually manner, walking the boys, drinking coffee while reading blogs.

Suddenly we heard a knock at the door. It was Juanita and Bodie asking if we wanted to go to the dog park. It was very winding and cold out, but we bundled up and off we went. We walked around twice. It is a very nice dog park with a huge pond in the middle.

As soon as we got home Ed and Marilyn came by as promised to take us on a tour of the park and all it’s amenities. Now I have not even had a chance to get dressed. I had on sweats and no makeup, but still off we went.

They took us to get our tickets for Christmas dinner and a Christmas program later in the month. They showed us the 4 pools, exercise room, golf course, library, rec room and craft area.

After our park tour we met Kit and Jerry at Fat Daddy’s Bar-B-Q for lunch, it was 11:15am. We all ordered a sandwich Jesse had a hamburger and I had turkey and the food was very tasty.

We said see ya later to Kit and Jerry and Ed took us on a tour of the shopping areas. We also went to the farmer’s market, where I purchased red, yellow and orange peppers for 50 cents each. I also bought a whole pineapple cored and sliced for $3.00, navel oranges 4 for $1.00 and celery. We certainly know where to go for produce.

When we got back home we got cleaned up and went to Wal*Mart for a few items. Jesse also wanted to look for bikes. Everyone was planning a bike ride into Mexico on Friday.

He didn’t like any of them there and on the way home we stopped and two places in town, but he couldn’t find anything he liked.

Once home we got the groceries put away and I made chicken salad for dinner and we relaxed in front of the TV and computers for the rest of the evening.

We are really enjoying our leisure time.

SEE YA!! down the road.

Tuesday, December 9 – Last travel day until March 1st

We left at 9:30am and arrived at our winter destination Llano Grande Resort at 2:30pm. We traveled 241 miles today and it was uneventful. It was partly cloudy and very warm around 90 degrees.

We did see one of the propellers for the wind turbines being transported and I took a picture. It is really big.

While we were checking in Ed and Marilyn showed up with open arms. We were very glad to see them. They directed us to our site and told us where theirs was and invited us to their place for cocktails and food at 4:30PM.

We got set up, got showers and we were off to meet everyone and I didn’t have to cook. Thanks a million everyone!!!

Left to right-Sue, Ted, Ed and Jerry.

Kit, Linda (behind Kit), Carl, Juanita, Gordon and me.

Last but certainly not least – Jesse enjoying himself.

About 6:15 everyone went to their own homes for the night. At about 7:15PM the wind started to blow as a cold front was moving in, and it blew all night. We watched Biggest Loser and SVU, then walked the boys one last time before going to bed.

Se ya down the road

Monday December 8 - San Antonio Sites

We had a real busy day today and my feet hurt. We walked quite a lot today, but it felt good to get exercise, I just need to find comfortable shoes to wear.

We left home at 11am heading for the Alamo. We first stopped at Chick-fil-A for an original chicken sandwich, mine without pickles and Jesse with.

We made our way to downtown again and parked between the Alamo and Riverwalk in a $6.00 per day self pay lot.

HERE ARE SOME PICTURES


This oak tree was 40 years old when they transplanted it to this location in 1912.

The tree just outside the Alamo


After that we walked over to the Riverwalk. It is very nice and the weather was cloudy about 70, and breezy. There were many restaurants and most had outside seating along the river. We were going to stop and have a drink, but Jesse wanted ice cream and he won.

The river cruises



Once we were done we headed back home, walked the boys and just relaxed. Rod & Deb had not given me their phone number so I emailed them about getting together tonight. Soon after that Rod came knocking at the door and we planned for them to pick us up at 5pm.

They wanted to take us to a place called Rudy’s for bar-b-q.



This place was different. You order your side dishes and then you purchase meat by the pound; turkey, brisket, pork, and sausage. The ribs are ½ or whole rack and all this is piled onto butcher paper then placed in a Pepsi crate. The food was good the ambiance was different, although we enjoyed the food and the company.

Then we went back to the Riverwalk so we could see it lit up for Christmas. It was very pretty and the pictures do not show you that too well.

We decided to take a river cruise and our driver and guide Martin told us the history of the river and the planning of the walkway.

It was late for us (10:00pm) by the time we said our goodbyes and were dropped off at home.

We were so thankful to have spent this time getting to know Deb and Rod and we look forward to seeing them in March in Kerrville.

See ya down the road

Sunday, December 8 - Lazy Day & Meeting new Friends

We started the day as normal, I made coffee, got the boys all harnessed up for their morning walk, washed up and brushed my teeth. Then I made the bed and put on sweats. It was a cool morning at 46 degrees.

I sat at the computer while having coffee and read blogs.

After that I bathed Buddy and Mr. B, while Jesse vacuumed. Buddy likes being outside, so we put their kennel corral in the sun on the concert pad, for him to dry. Mr. B is so little he was almost dry from the towel.

Then I took a shower. After my shower I decided to try out the new washer/dryer. I did a load that consisted of 5 days worth of underclothes, 3 towels (thin towels used for the boys) 2 dish towels and a night shirt. I was quite pleased at the size of the load.

It was very quiet until it started spinning. I guess it has different spin cycles. The first one wasn’t too bad, just some shaking until it got to full speed and then smoothed out. But when it got to the really fast spin…WOW! Thought the trailer was going to take off. It shook everything pretty violently.

Jesse thinks the problem is the flexing in the laminate floor. He might have to put some carpeting or wood underneath the washer to keep it from bouncing.

Then, as it removed the water from spinning, it pumps it into the drain but there seemed to be some kind of blockage in the vent because it would not drain as fast as it was pumping into the drain and a bit of water ended up on the floor. Jesse is going to have to investigate a solution for that. The rest of the laundry saga was uneventful. Knew it would take a long time to dry and it did. Knew the clothes would be a bit more wrinkled than a regular dryer and they were.

If we can keep it from spilling water I still think it was worth it.

Once the wash cycle was done and it was set to the drying cycle we were off to get my hair cut, it was 2:00pm (Where does the time go?).

We found a Wal*Mart and I got my hair trimmed there, $16 with tip. Afterwards we decided to drive downtown; we drove around for a short while then back to the RV Park.

We knew that Deb and Rod were staying here at the Park and decided to look them up. They invited us in, and we visited for a while and decided to get together tomorrow for dinner. They were very nice folks and we look forward to spending more time with them.

At home, we walked the boys and started dinner. Someone had taken our picnic table so Jesse had to put the grill on the ground. We grilled some sea bass that was given to us from Adam who got it from his son’s other Grandpa who went fishing in Alaska, and caught it. Thanks Ken and Adam it was delicious!! I roasted some red skin potatoes and onions and steamed some broccoli to go with it.

After dinner and clean-up we watched our shows on TV and went to bed.

Tomorrow we plan to go downtown and site see, so I should have pictures for you.

See ya down the road.

Saturday, December 6 - Another Travel Day

It's Saturday and in our old life (a week ago) we looked forward to the beginning of the weekend, now every day is like the weekend!!!!

We left Tye TX, near Abilene at 9:15am. The day started with me looking at the direction wrong and we drove about 15-20 miles out of our way before I realized my mistake. Jesse with his excellent sense of direction, our map, and Miss Money Penny (GPS) had us back on the right path with a short while.

We drove 280 miles and arrived at Braunig Lake RV Resort in San Antonio at 3:20pm. It's a Passport America unlimited stay park. The temp was 70 degrees. We were both so happy to have warmer temperatures. While I was setting up the inside I opened the windows and let the fresh air in, it was wonderful. Finally warmer temps!!!!

We stopped for lunch at KFC along the way and made a few other potty stops. This seems to be a very nice park; I will take some pictures later today.

Neither of us was very hungry, so we decided to just raid the fridge and pantry for something to eat later. We ended up with chips, salsa and cheese. I also baked some cookies for dessert.

I forgot to tell you about the cotton fields we saw. We saw miles and miles of cotton fields between Amarillo and Abilene on Thursday. Neither of us knew they harvest cotton in Texas. Most of the fields were already harvested, but a few were being “picked” when we drove by. They are “picked” by a machine that was being pulled by a tracker.

It was a very nice day and we look forward to having many, many more.

See ya down the road.

Friday, December 5 - Travel Day

We drove from Amarillo, TX to Abilene TX today. We departed at 10:40am at 26 degrees and arrived at 4:30pm at 46 degrees, and drove 282 miles. It was an uneventful travel day which I really like on travel days.

Arriving at Tye RV Park just outside of Abilene, TX I went to the office and paid John our $21.00 fee for the night.

I mixed the leftover rice and chicken with the leftover taco soup (by the way made with ground turkey, not beef) and heated it for dinner. It was quite good.

We are very close to the highway and trains lines. The trains woke us several times during the night, but we were able to get right back to sleep.

We are still in a state of not believing we are actually living our fulltiming life style. Hopefully it will sink in soon. But no matter we are enjoying ourselves and
Will see ya down the road.

Thursday, December 4 - Texas Resident

We woke at 4am very cold and figured out that the propane tank was empty and we needed to change to the other one. Now it was 22 degrees out side, but my sweet guy got up and went outside to change the tanks. And in very short time the house was warm again.

We were able to fall back to sleep after awhile. We finally got up when it got light outside and I started coffee and walked the boys, it was 28 degrees.

I can’t get over how cold it is. We are heading south and I thought it was suppose to be warmer. The high today was 34 degrees, but much less windy.

We sat and had our coffee. After awhile Jesse went out to disconnect the blown out tire and put it in the truck. While he was doing that I got dressed, then he showered and dressed. We walked the boys then went over to the club house to pay for another night.

Then we were off to run our errands. First thing was to apply for a Texas driver’s license. Jesse looked up the directions on the internet. We were looking for the address, but couldn’t find it. There was a court house building near where the Department of Public Safety was suppose to be, so I suggested we ask there and sure enough it was directly behind the court house.

They were not busy and had several stations available so I was waited on right away and out within 15 minutes. Of course I only have a piece of paper for my temporary, and will be mailed my picture license within 4 weeks.

After that we went to find a place to make copies that I needed to send to Miller Insurance, then post office, and then the real important thing some place to eat. It was close to noon by this time, but we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

Afterwards we went to discount tire. They needed to have a tire brought from their warehouse and asked us to come back at 3pm, it was 1pm. So we decided to go back to the rig. Jesse was very pleased that it only cost $175, because he thought it would cost $250.

Once back at the rig, I walked the boys and we relaxed for a little while. We all then loaded in the truck. I needed a few things at the grocery store, so we tried to find one close and found a Wal*Mart. We left the boys to guard the truck and shopped for the few things we needed. We went to pick up the tire, then home again.

I made taco soup for dinner and then we relaxed and watched TV for the rest of the evening.
We will see ya down the road.

Wednesday, December 3rd- A Windy Day

The wind woke us at about 3:00am and it was making us rock. We were able to fall back to sleep, but it didn’t let up until around 3:00 in the afternoon.

We were in bed until 7:30, as it didn’t get light out until a little before seven this morning.

We decided not to go out today as planned. We only went out to walk the boys and then we had to bundle up in our heavy coats and hats. The wind was about 30-45 mph and the temps were around 34 degrees all day.

I took a picture from the front door of the sun rising and a few of the park from the windows of the RV.

The club house in the back and the bath house and laundry room with FREE washers and dryers in the fore ground!

Another view of the park taken out the window from the computer desk.

I put up some pictures and straighten up some areas. We have to go through our things to make things easier to get to as we brought too much stuff. I am sure I will be getting rid of stuff for awhile until we figure what we need.

I opened a couple cans of soup for lunch. Jesse has been on the computer all day and I watched a lot of TV and just relaxed.

For dinner I baked some chicken and made seasoned rice and green beans. I baked a pumpkin pie for dessert.

We were in chat for a sort while, had dessert and then walked the boys for their final time tonight.

Can wait to see ya down the road.

Tuesday, December 2nd - Short Drive

The boys woke us around 5am; we let them climb up into bed with us, which gave us another hour in the bed. At 6am I got up started coffee and walked the boys, while Jesse stayed home.

We were in no hurry to leave so we both sat and had our coffee and read blogs. After awhile I made us a breakfast of scrambled eggs, corned beef hash and biscuits.

We dressed and packed up to leave. Jesse aired up the spare tire he changed yesterday and noticed the valve leaks. We will have that repaired along with purchasing a new tire to replace the one that blew out yesterday.

I walked the boys one more time then we all climbed into the truck and pulled out at 11:15am. We drove 123 miles for the short trip to Amarillo. We are staying at Oasis RV Resort. It is a very nice park, the fees for full hook-ups with WiFi and Cable for $25.00 per night.

We arrived at 2:45pm as we are now in central time zone. We got set up and I did two loads of laundry at their facilities which by the way are FREE. We also took showers, Jesse went to the bath house. He said it was clean, but took a long time to get hot water. We went to town for some food. We went to Red Robin for a sandwich then back home again.

I am suppose to go and get my drivers license tomorrow, so until then stay safe, and we will
see ya down the road.

Monday, December 1st - FREE AT LAST

Yesterday we continued to pack up our things in the RV. Around 10:30 we stopped so that we could get dressed, as the family was having pictures taken at noon. That took about an hour wait and 20 minutes to take the pictures.

We then went to Texas Roadhouse for our last meal together for a while. It was very nice to have everyone together again.

Once we were back at the house Adam helped Jesse load the heavy items in the Kram-a-Lot. They also loaded the 3 totes full of pictures for Adam to store for us. Jesse and I worked into the darkness so we would only have to clean tomorrow.

Last night we spent the night in the Kram-a-Lot, which was parked in the front driveway, the temps were in the teens, but we were very toasty. Neither of us slept well, not sure why; maybe it was the anticipation of today.

We were up and cleaning the house by 6:00am and we had a few more things to Kram in the rig. The buyer was at the house by 9:00am for a walk through, and all went well.

Then Jesse and I were off the take some more items to Beth. We met her at her work and loaded them in her car. With hugs, kisses and a few tears we said goodbye for now. Afterwards we fueled up the truck. It was sure nice to fill up at a cost of $50 or $2.56 per gallon, instead of $100.

We went to closing as scheduled and everything went just as planned. We are free at last.

We departed Pueblo a few minutes before noon and went south on I-25, then in Raton we went East on US-64. About ½ ways between Capulin and Clayton, Jesse saw something smoking from the Kram-a-Lot and realized we had a flat tire. It was the front tire on the driver’s side. He got out and changed the tire and had us moving again in just under 30 minutes. HE IS TERIFFIC!!!


We are spending the night in Clayton at a KOA. We didn’t look at the mileage, so I will have to report that info tomorrow.

I warmed us some leftovers for dinner and settled in for the night.

We are so happy to be on the road and can’t wait to see ya down the road.