Thursday, November 29th - FLY's Big Adventure

This morning, we got MA's sister, Francis Louise (FLY) and her friend, Eula Mae, packed into the coach. I strapped the wheel chair to the rear platform of the Jeep. Because of her weak legs, we have to take very special care when getting FLY into the coach. The six steps can be tough enough with good legs! But, we got everybody in and situated.

We left Monroe at 8:30am and headed east. Greenville, South Carolina, ready or not, here we come!

We stopped just into Alabama at the welcome center and MA grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for the four of us. So far, everything has been going fine. Francis Louise has been able, with help, to get to the bathroom while we are moving down the road.

At Birmingham, we turned northeast on I-59 toward Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since things are going so well, we are going to take the longer, scenic route to Ashley's home. The drive thru western North Carolina is VERY scenic and FLY will enjoy seeing that area.

We stopped for the night at K-Mart in Ft. Payne, Alabama. We ate dinner at the Cracker Barrel next door and then settled in for the night...MA, FLY and Eula Mae to the front area to watch TV and me to the bedroom to watch the COWBOYS! Da Boys are now 11-1 after beating the Green Bay Packers last night. To all of you who missed last night's game because you don't have the NFL network, I am sorry. It was a great game!

Wednesday, November 28th - Goodbye to Hix's

We reluctantly said goodbye to our dear friends, Terry and Sylvia. They promised that when they go to Florida early next year. that they would contact us to see if we can join them or they might drop by to see us in South Carolina.

We drove the 335 miles to Monroe, Louisiana and parked at Wal-Mart for the night. Tomorrow, we start the big adventure of taking MA's sister, Francis Louise, with us to Greenville, SC.

Tuesday, November 27th - Belgian Waffles!

Last night, Terry asked MA to make her Belgian waffles. Being good guests, we agreed. This is a pic of MA and Sylvia in their kitchen.

After breakfast, MA and Sylvia went shopping in Van Alstyne and Sherman. Terry and I ran some errands and then visited with his mother and Aunt Opal who live next door to each other in Van Alstyne. These are two delightful ladies!

Sylvia prepared her famous lasagna for dinner with a little help from Mr. Angelo. Then we watched a DVD that Terry rented.

Monday, November 26th - To Van Alstyne, Texas

Several times in the recent past, Newmar Kountry Klub friends, Terry and Sylvia Hix, have made the mistake of inviting us to their home north of Dallas, Van Alstyne, Texas. Well, today they got their wish! We drove the 85 miles from Mansfield to Van Alstyne. Their beautiful home combines the warmth of a cozy cottage with professional office space leased out to various companies. They also operate a storage facility right here on the property.

After lunch we visited and Sylvia and MA bought the fixin's for MA's "famous" Belgian waffles. I just KNEW that Terry had an ulterior motive for inviting us...the waffles!

For dinner, Sylvia made a southwestern soup and jalapeño corn bread that was terrific! Then we watched Dancing with the Stars. We all tried to predict the judges' scores. Marie's "7's" were too high in our opinion. I think Helio will win...MA thinks Mel deserves it - in reality, Marie will probably sneak in from all her fan support.

Sunday, November 25th - Lazy Day

This morning, we got up to a cold and drizzly morning. Last night, Jackie invited MA and I to join her and John at the 9:30 service at their church home, St. Barnabas Methodist Church in Arlington. We visited with Jackie's mother, Josie, prior to the service. We both enjoyed the singing, fellowship and the sermon.

After church, we went to John and Jackie's home for the afternoon. Jackie fixed grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and tortilla soup for lunch. Jackie is preparing a pictorial DVD for John's upcoming retirement party in January. I was able to help out on some of the file transfers and annotating some of the pix. Later in the afternoon, their son, Jeff, came by to visit. Jeff and Melissa are expecting their first child in late January - a baby girl!

Later we met at Spring Creek BBQ in Mansfield for some great ribs, beef, ham and sausage...Texas style.

Saturday, November 24th - to Arlington, Texas

We drove over to Berri's home to say goodbye to Tony, Amanda, Berri & Colin. We will see Berri next week in Greenville, SC.

It was a very cold and rainy start to the day. We packed up and left our Lake Georgetown campsite at 1:00pm. The drive to Arlington (165 miles) took longer than usual because of the rain and very heavy traffic on I-35. We arrived at Wal-Mart in Mansfield, Texas around 5pm. After resting for a bit, we drove up to my brother John and wife Jackie's home. The four of us went to a hibachi dinner in Grapevine. Later, we drove to the Gaylord Texan hotel complex, also in Grapevine. This is a massive facility with at least three giant atriums. There is an ice sculpture display contained within one of the buildings. It is cooled down to 9 degrees. We had to put on special thermal coats for the tour.

Friday, November 23rd - Inner Space Caverns

Today, Berri, Colin, Tony, Amanda, MA & I visited Inner Space Caverns in Georgetown. The cave was discovered in 1963 when they were surveying prior to the construction of Interstate 35. The cave was interesting but, this pic is the prettiest thing I saw in that cave.

Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

We drove over to Berri & Colin's home around 10:00am and MA began cooking the turkey. She fixed sausage dressing which she stuffed in the bird. Also carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce. WOW! It was great! MA, Tony, Amanda and I settled in front of the TV to watch the (now 10-1) Dallas Cowboys whip the NY Jets. Later, Pecan pie and French silk pie topped off the day.

Wednesday, November 21st - Cold Front & Cookout

Tony and his friend, Amanda, arrived safely this afternoon. We planned a cookout here at our campsite beside Lake Georgetown. Great idea - unfortunately, the weather did not co-operate. Whereas we have been having 70-80 degree days and 50 degree nights, a cold front swept thru the area this afternoon, turning the 80 degree day into a 40 degree evening with 40 mph winds. So much for sitting outside.

Berri & Colin, Berri's friend, Nicole and her daughter, Meagan, Tony & Amanda and Newmar friends Troy & Carol who unexpectedly camped here, joined MA and I for hamburgers cooked on the grill. Well, the ONLY outside part of the evening was the cooking on the grill. We had 10 people in the coach! It was COZY but, not crowded.

Tuesday, November 20th - Got a Reprieve!

Late last week the work campers here at Cedar Breaks Park at Lake Georgetown told us that because of the Thanksgiving holiday reservations, that we would not be able to extend our stay here beyond the 14 day limit. This morning, while preparing to relocate to Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, the same work camper stopped by the campsite to tell us that there had been three cancellations and that we would be able to stay here until our planned exit date, Saturday, November 24th. That is great news!

Sunday, November 18th - Lazy Day

This morning we drove to south Austin and went to the 11:00am service at Fellowship Church - Austin. Bob Reed is the pastor. In 2000, Bob and his family stayed at our home in Austin for three months when they first arrived in the Austin area. He was starting his new job as youth pastor at our church at the time, Fellowship of the Hills.

After church services, we got to visit with Bob and Sue and their four kids, Brianna, Chase, Brice and Seth. What a beautiful family!

We then went to lunch at one of our favorite places, County Line BBQ on Bee Caves Road. We sat outside on the terrace and overlooked the Barton Creek area of Austin.

We drove up to Berri & Colin's home where I planted myself in front of their 46" HD TV and watched the Cowboys squeak by the Redskins. Colin had bought steaks so, after the game, I grilled steaks for everybody.

Unfortunately, Monday night will be our last night at the Cedar Breaks Park on Lake Georgetown. The Corps of Engineers has a 14 day limit to the length of stay. Other times when we have stayed here, over Christmas, etc., they allowed us a 14 day extension. This time, however, they are already overbooked for the Thanksgiving holiday week-end. Tuesday morning, we will have to pack up and move. Plan-A involves relocating to Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. They do not take reservations - 1st come, 1st served so, we should have no problem getting in on Tuesday. Plan-B is to utilize Wal-Mart and/or Cracker Barrel. We need to park for four nights...thru Friday night.

Saturday, November 17th - Sandra Bullock's Restaurant

This evening we took Berri and Colin to dinner to celebrate their 7th wedding anniversary which is tomorrow, November 18th. We went to a very trendy restaurant in downtown Austin. The Bess Bistro is owned by the actress, Sandra Bullock. The dinners of halibut, shepherd's pie, chicken and bratwurst pasta were excellent!

Congratulations to Berri and Colin!

Friday, November 16th - Painting Finished!

We got to Berri's home around 11:30 and immediately started the final finishing of the kitchen/Breakfast Room areas. The good news - we did not make a mess; the better news - we finished before they got home from work; the best news - they LOVED it! MA actually lined the edges with the darker green, splotched with dark green and again with the lighter green to give the walls some depth. MA is a creative genius!

Thursday, November 15th - Trial Balloon

I wanted to take a pic of MA showing off her pearly whites after the dentista Mexicano finished with her. She loves the work he did. The only side effect seems to be a greater yearning for Tequila and margaritas. Now, I ask you, does this look like a 60-year old woman?

After lunch, we went back to Berri's and, along with Berri by phone, decided to continue the Kitchen/Breakfast Room painting with the second shade of green that Berri selected. We all realized that this was a risk because no one was "in love" with this color. The problem has been to find a shade that is not too dark but also goes with her walnut cabinets and the speckled green counter tops. As we finished up the first coat, MA and I were feeling that this was going to look very good, not spectacular. Then, MA hit on a decorator's brainstorm. The first coat was dry in many places and she got an old sponge and started dabbing the dark green (used earlier for four niches) over the lighter green. The small area that she "splotched" looked spectacular! We anxiously awaited Berri & Colins arrival home from work. They both liked the solid green and LOVED the splotched green! When we get thru, I will take a couple pix and post them. MA comes thru, YET AGAIN!

Wednesday, November 14th - Painting

As I have previously posted, we offered to help Berri and Colin with decorating their new house. Last December, we helped them move in and set-up for Christmas. This year, we are painting some of the accent features of this very cute home.

Today, we painted the "niche" in the family room. Because it, along with the entire interior, was painted with a "Santa Fe" beige color, the niches would not stand out. MA and Berri decided to paint them in green (Entry Hall & Dining room) and blue (Family Room). Here is a "before" and "after" of the Family Room. The actual blue is darker than the pic shows.

While I concentrated on the Family Room niche, MA taped the Kitchen and Breakfast Room areas. The paint that they picked out for the Kitchen and Breakfast Room area turned out to be too "minty", too light, for the desired effect. So, when Berri got home from work, she and MA went back to Home Depot to darken it. They also picked up a second color of green. When we painted a small area, we were all uncertain of how to proceed. So, we came home (to the coach) and will sleep on it and look at it tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day.

Tuesday, November 13th - Kicking around Austin

After a weekend of watching LSU and the Cowboys keep their momentum going strong, we have reverted to our former lives an handy man and handy woman. MA had suggested to Berri that the various "niches" that were built into their interior walls would stand out more if they were painted in contrasting colors. Berri & MA picked out the colors and bought the paint on Sunday. Yesterday, MA & I painted four of the entry hall, dining area and living room niches.

Tomorrow we will paint again in the kitchen where we will paint window casements and walls with a blue to contrast with the light beige on all the other walls.

Thursday, November 8th - Quiet Day

We left the bed & breakfast just before the 11:00am checkout time and stopped for an Einstein bagel before heading home. Just out of curiosity, we stopped in the Akea store in Round Rock. It was a very large store with a prescribed path that wound in and out, up and down the furniture aisles.

I changed the oil in the generator and fixed a couple little electrical things.

This campsite at Cedar Breaks Park on Lake Georgetown is a beautiful location. We are probably 50 feet from the bluff overlooking the lake. The park is about half full or less - will probably get more traffic on the week-ends.

Wednesday, November 7th - MA Hits the Big 60!

For the past 30 days, ever since we planted ourselves in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas for dental work and Jeep overhaul, MA has said that the LAST place she wanted to spend her 60th birthday was the Valley. She wanted to be with family. And here we are in the Austin, Texas area, celebrating MA's 60th birthday.

I fixed MA her breakfast request, hot oatmeal - easy enough! Then I got out one suitcase and told her to pack for one night. We packed up Gypsy's bed, dish, etc. and dropped her off at Berri's house for her overnight stay. Then I surprised MA by taking her to Austin's Inn at Pearl Street, a very nice bed & breakfast near the Capitol and the University campus. Take a look at their website...it is a very interesting place to stay. I had reserved the "Far East" room for our overnight stay.

We napped and killed time until 6:30 when we dressed for dinner. I told MA that Berri and Colin along with Ashley & Javi, wanted to treat us to a nice dinner at Reed's Supper Club - which is TRUE. What MA did not know was that four VERY close friends would also be there to surprise her. John and Dian Sustek, friends from our days in Connecticut drove in from their home near Houston. Sue and Bob Reed, friends from our Austin days, drove up from their home in Kyle, south of Austin. This had all been set up weeks ago with Berri's help.

Colin greeted up outside the supper club and led us upstairs to the table where everybody started singing Happy Birthday to MA. She was absolutely surprised and delighted! Ashley and Javi sent 60 yellow roses and MA was thrilled! Being born in Texas City, Texas, MA IS our "Yellow Rose of Texas".

It was a wonderful dinner. The Reeds and Susteks knew each other when Bob was the youth pastor at their church in The Woodlands, Texas. Bob is now Senior Pastor at The Fellowship Church in south Austin.

Tuesday, November 6th - Ghosts in the Coach?

We had a comfortable night at the Cracker Barrel in San Antonio. The temperature dropped during the night and the winds picked up. We left windows open and several plastic cups were blown off the kitchen counter.

Our usual routine when we dry-camp at a Wal-Mart or Cracker Barrel, is to locate our driver side along the perimeter of the parking lot, allowing us to open the two driver-side slide outs. That is exactly what we did when we parked at the Cracker Barrel last night.

This morning, I wake up and go to make coffee. The driver-side front slide is retracted AND the passenger-side slide is extended! What the heck! When MA wakes up, I ask her if she has been sleepwalking? Nope, not that she remembers. I began to get a bad feeling because two of our friends, Ken and Jan, had one of their slides retract unexpectedly (due to a bad switch, I think) and it broke a table and dumped a laptop computer. I was VERY concerned.

I called Newmar customer service and told "Joe" about the slides. Joe immediately told me that Newmar is aware of several instances where 1, 2 or all 3 slides have unexpectedly moved because of extraneous RADIO WAVES. This satisfied me. the chances of TWO switches going bad at the same time did not make sense. Radio waves makes sense to me. I was relieved BUT will make sure that we don't leave chairs reclined or tables extended that could be broken if a slide out unexpectedly retracts.

We drove on up to the Austin, Texas area, setting up our camp at Cedar Breaks Park at Lake Georgetown, about 14 miles from Berri and Colin. We had about a two hour visit with them and then settled in for the night.

Monday, November 5th - Final Trip to Mexico

That's right! We got the coach 90% ready to leave, all the slides in - only the electric hook-up still attached to the coach. Then, at 1:45, we drove over to Progreso and walked to MA's dentist. He was thru with her in about 10 minutes - enough time for one $1.35 Corona (up from $1.25 due to the arrival of the "Winter Texans"). We returned to the USA and to the RV resort, unhooked the electrical and hooked up the Jeep and away we went - driving north to our overnight stop at Cracker Barrel in San Antonio.

Sunday, November 4th - Relaxing Day

After a late breakfast, MA and I went to the pool here at Victoria Palms. Initially, the pool area was almost empty but after we were there a while, started attracting a crowd.

The big thing here is your "noodle".

• What color is your noodle?
• How many noodles does it take to keep you afloat?
• Can I borrow your noodle?
• Don't forget your noodle!
• I forgot my noodle!
• Which one is MY noodle?

After "noodling" around the pool and visiting for several hours, MA & I returned to the coach to watch football and read. Congratulations! to the Cowboys for breaking the Philly jinx!

MA has her final dental appointment in Nuevo Pogresso tomorrow. Initially, the appointment was 8:00am but, a call from the office late last week changed the time to 2:00pm. After that quick trip to Mexico, we will be leaving Victoria Palms RV Resort and the Rio Grande Valley. We mosey up to the Austin, Texas area to be with daughter, Berri and her husband, Colin thru Thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 3rd - 25th Anniversary of...

Yes, today is the 25th anniversary of my 39th birthday! Mary Alice made sure that I felt very special today. She cooked breakfast and a wonderful dinner of beef stroganoff (one of my favorites!) here in the coach. For dessert - another favorite - banana pudding. To top it off, LSU beat Alabama!

I got happy birthday calls from Tony, Berri and Ashley (and Javi, Cammie & Ceci).

It was a special day for me and, as my father used to say, "No, I don't feel a year older - I feel a DAY older".

Friday, November 2nd - Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a three day Mexican holiday to celebrate loved ones who have died. We were invited by Dick and Judy, a couple we met in the swimming pool, to join them and their friends, Claire and Barbara, in traveling into Mexico to the town of Rio Bravo. We left Victoria Palms around 10:30 and crossed the border at Nuevo Progresso where we have been getting dental work done. Rio Bravo is about 30 kilometers inside Mexico.

We parked on a very rocky and dusty side street near the Panteon (graveyard) and joined in the festivities. There were vendors selling real and plastic floral arrangements, sweet slices of palm, trinkets, hats, etc. Everybody seemed very happy but respectful. People brought shovels, hoes, brooms, etc. to do maintenance work at the grave sites. The vaults and headstones were VERY colorful, bright pinks, blues, etc. We walked the entire length of the Panteon and even walked thru it. As you can see by the Kenworth truck adorning this gravesite, they can be VERY creative when placing burial markers. We were told that the deceased, Sr. de la Torre, owned a trucking company and this "headstone" was appropriate to a man of his stature. It was an interesting experience!

Later, we ate lunch at a local restaurant and drove back to the USA.

To re-enter the USA, we had to cross the border at Nuevo Progresso. Because of the holiday, the line of cars to clear customs was backed up around several corners for about one mile. It took us over one hour to get thru customs. While in line, we passed this restaurant in Progresso. Click on the picture and tell me, would you want to eat here?

Yesterday, we picked up a 2nd ding in Jasper's windshield from a flying rock. So I stopped at a repair place in Weslaco and got them repaired for $10 each. Raphael did a fine job and the dings look 90% better and this will stop them from getting worse.

We ate a quiet dinner of fried chicken at the restaurant here at Victoria Palms.

Thursday, November 1st - A Heart-to-Heart with Jasper

Last night, Jasper was feeling great elation to be back amongst the Gang. In a quieter moment, Jasper took me aside for a Father-to-Jeep talk. He told me that early on in his ordeal, he was not certain that he could be repaired to the extent necessary to travel with the Gang. He was very afraid that the Hole in the Wallet Gang would go off and abandon him here in the Valley. He knew that he would be of value to someone down here, but he was not ready to give up his spot in the Gang.

I related to Jasper that we had EVERY intention and desire to get him back to his place in the Gang. Yes, we had some negative, "what if", kinds of thoughts. But we ALWAYS wanted things to work out with Jasper. I told him that he will forever be a member of the Hole in the Wallet Gang.

Jasper had a quiet night and sprang to life this morning!