Life's Little Adventures

Hidalgo Pump House

2012-02-18T09:01:00.001-06:00

The other day we took a short drive to the town of Hidalgo, along the Mexican border, to visit the Hidalgo Pump House Museum and World Birding Center.

I had read that some Monk parakeets had been hanging out there the past couple weeks, and thought it would be fun to see our first parakeets in the wild. The grounds are small but nicely landscaped with flowering plants to attract birds and butterflies. There is no fee to enter the gardens but it was $2 to take a tour of the old pumphouse museum.

This steam-powered pumphouse was built along the Rio Grande in 1909 to pump water into the Rio Grande Valley for crop irrigation. The engineering was quite impressive for it’s time. The city of Hidalgo has done a nice job of restoring it and gives daily tours.

An old gas pump.

One of the steam engines. They were originally powered by mesquite wood, then crude oil, then natural gas.

One interesting tidbit we learned was that a major flood in 1933 changed the course of the Rio Grande and moved the river a half mile from the pumphouse. That meant having to dig a channel to bring in water to the intake pipes. Guess that’s why It was replaced by an electric powered pumphouse on the river not long after the flood and shut down.

We didn’t see many birds on the grounds but did run into our neighbors, Tom and Carol, who are serious birders. They told us where the Monk parakeets were building a nest, just a couple blocks away on top of a transformer.

Here is one of them working hard at getting the nest just right.

It seemed like a strange place to build a nest, but the house it was in front of had a pile of twigs and branches sitting out by the street, so they had easy access to some nice building material.

Mexican Dental Update

2012-02-16T09:58:00.001-06:00

We paid our quarters to cross the bridge into Nuevo Progreso again on Monday. Jim also put a couple nickels into the hats under the bridge, which is the only panhandling you see in Progreso.

Dr. De la Rosa’s office is in a little shopping center in the middle of the first block of town. He’s not the only dentist in this plaza.

The oral surgeon from Reynosa, Dr. Velazquez, arrived a few minutes after we got there. He looked to be about 18, and spoke little English. Dr. De la Rosa laughed and said they call him the “Baby Doc”, but he is actually 34 (still a baby!) and does lots and lots of dental implants so not to worry. After a couple of equipment malfunctions before the procedure started, Jim almost got out of the chair and backed out, but he did go through with it, and has done well so far. Very little discomfort the first two days, just took some OTC naproxen. He got a bit of a scare when one of the sutures fell out the day after the surgery, but Dr. De la Rosa said not to worry, just come back on Saturday to have the other suture removed. He is taking antibiotics to prevent an infection, and so far so good.

I am still having some tooth pain off and on and Dr. De la Rosa wanted to do a nerve conduction test to help determine which tooth is causing the problem. The new machine he ordered hadn’t arrived yet so if the equipment is there I will get the test on Saturday when we go back. If not, I will probably go to another dentist for a second opinion before I have a root canal done. Nothing is ever easy.

Hasta la vista!

It’s Valentine’s Day

2012-02-14T08:29:00.001-06:00

Just had to share some cat pictures taken by Cory Raymond, one of the volunteers at Cinderella Pet Rescue. She had a little party for the furry critters and it looks like they all had a great time.

Jim almost took Muffy (not pictured) home yesterday. Can’t take him to Cinderella anymore!

Pets on Parade

2012-02-11T19:37:00.001-06:00

After 6 days of clouds and off and on rain, it turned out to be a beautiful morning for the Bentsen Palm Village annual Valentine’s Pet Parade. All proceeds go to Cinderella Pet Rescue in Mission, so of course we volunteered to help.

It was a dollar to enter your pet, and a dollar to place a vote. Jim and I were in charge of selling homemade baked goods, and we took in over $100. There were also hot dogs, chips and drinks, plus homemade doggie treats. This was the first year they sold hot dogs and decided 80 would be plenty, but judging by how quickly they sold out, we could have used quite a few more.

After registration, all the pets paraded around the clubhouse circle twice, so people could get a good look and place their votes. Dogs came in all shapes and sizes and all kinds of costumes.

These two birds were the only non-canines in the parade.

I thought this guy was pretty spiffy.

But the winner was….

Do you think she was embarrassed to have to dress up like this?

It was fun and for a good cause. We haven’t heard yet how much money was raised, but Cinderella can sure use the help.

On a less pleasant note, I took Quincy to the vet Wednesday for blood work to see how his kidney disease is progressing. Luckily at a much slower rate than Oreo did, but his numbers are gradually getting worse. Also his potassium is low so he now has to take a supplement for that. At least it’s something that can be put in his food so we don’t have to pill him. We sure hate it for the little guy but at least he’s eating well and seems to be feeling good, still jumping up to places he shouldn’t be!

And on a totally unrelated note, we’ve been back to the state park several times looking for the bobcat, but yesterday spotted two coyotes near the same place. They were much more skittish of us being close by and quickly ran off.

We also saw a woman who looked like a serious birder looking at something in this tree through her binoculars.

Since we couldn’t see anything we asked her what she was looking at. She laughed and said it wasn’t a bird, but a rather interesting clump of prickly pear cactus that was growing on a branch in the top of the tree. Don’t you just love nature?

Mexican Train and Mexico Revisited

2012-02-08T09:05:00.001-06:00

One of the burros at Cinderella Pet Rescue. Anyone need a new pet?

We ended up not going to South Padre Island for the Kite Festival Saturday. There was a front moving in and severe thunderstorms predicted, but as usually happens when you try to second guess the weather, it turned out to be a nice morning with the rain arriving much later in the day. Sorry we missed you, Bill and Cindy! It was a great morning for a bike ride, though.

Sunday’s high was only 51 degrees! What a change from the low 80s we’d been enjoying. Don and Dorothy went to the flea market and bought Mexican Train dominos so they taught us how to play on Sunday. It was a lot of fun and now we can join in with the regulars if we want.

Monday was Cinderella day. The cats were no worse off from their ear mite treatment ordeal last week.

Yesterday we went back to Progreso, Mexico for dental appointments. Now that we’ve been a few times it’s no big deal walking across the border. Our friends Paul and Marsha from Where’s Weaver blog recommended Dr Fernando de la Rosa. They did a great post about their recent appointment, with pictures of Dr. de la Rosa and his office. You can read about it here, since we didn’t take any pictures. Jim was evaluated for his implant, and Dr. de la Rosa called and spoke with the oral surgeon from Reynosa. He will be here Monday so Jim has an appointment at 3 for the implant. He feels much better about it after spending over 3 hours at the dentista’s office yesterday.

I also was examined by Dr de la Rosa and he adjusted my bite since I was hitting hard on a couple back teeth and have been having some aching in my jaw. He took a couple xrays and is concerned that one of my teeth has a small crack and the root may be going bad, which could be causing the discomfort. Of course that means a root canal, which I really don’t want to do, but he is going to do another test when we go back Monday. If I need it done I definitely want to get it taken care of while we’re here, rather than risk an abscess and an emergency trip to a US dentist for a thousand dollar root canal somewhere down the road.

We both really liked Dr. de la Rosa. He took lots of time with both of us, is very personable, speaks fluent English, and even spoke Spanish to me for a good while (slowly) so I could practice. We would definitely recommend him if you’re looking for a Nuevo Progreso dentist. And it’s an adventure trying to find his office. Next trip over we’ll take some pics.

Kayaking and Other Things

2012-02-02T22:32:00.001-06:00

It’s been a busy week so far, with two mornings spent at Cinderella Pet Rescue. Monday is my normal day to go, then yesterday Jim and I both went and helped treat the cats for ear mites. There were 7 volunteers and we managed to clean out ears and treat 26 cats. Unfortunately we were unable to get 4 of them due to bad behavior on the cat’s part. It wasn’t for lack of trying on our part, though, and some of the volunteers including Jim came home with lots of scratches, even though they wore gloves. We also cleaned and disinfected both cat rooms and all their scratching posts and toys, and replaced the old bedding, rugs, towels and blankets with clean ones.

This is the newest rescue, a feisty little kitten found alongside a busy road by one of the volunteers. He’s getting along well with the older cats.

We take a long bike ride or walk just about every day, and managed to see the bobcat for a second time around the same place, same time of day. He must have a route he travels so we’re hoping to spot him again.

Being a mile or so from the Mexican border, the Border Patrol has a big presence here. They are always parked just outside the gate of the RV park or in the state park. In fact one day on one of the trails in the state park we had a border patrol officer jogging towards us carrying his huge automatic weapon. As he ran by he said “nice day for a jog, isn’t it?” After the fact, Jim wished he’d taken a picture but at the time we were a bit startled and didn’t think of it. A couple days ago driving back from the grocery store we saw our first illegal apprehension just down the road. They apparently caught someone in the sugar cane fields near the Rio Grande. Looks like a good place to hide but they are always on the lookout. At night we frequently hear the helicopters searching around the area. It’s a different world here.

There is a state veteran’s cemetery we ride through along one of our bike routes. I just liked the look of all the headstones.

Yesterday Don and Dorothy surprised us by arriving almost a week early and joined us for Margarita hour at the clubhouse. Sounds like they’ve had a great trip so far since leaving Montgomery last month. Tonight we had happy hour at Ray and Sue’s in honor of his and their neighbor’s birthdays. Always lots of laughter.

We started off the day with kayaking on the resaca in the state park. Bentsen Palm Village has 6 kayaks that can be used by park guests. On Monday mornings, Steve, the kayak guide, takes groups to the Rio Grande River. On Thursdays he takes a group to the resaca in Bentsen State Park. The resaca is a horseshoe shaped body of water that used to be part of the Rio Grande, but no longer connects to the river. It was a warm but cloudy morning and we enjoyed paddling along looking at birds. We saw lots of cormorants, egrets, kingfishers and a hawk. We learned it’s very difficult to stop and look at birds through binoculars or try to take any pictures from the kayak since you don’t stay still when you’re stopped in the water.

This is the peninsula in the middle of the horseshoe. It’s privately owned land but it can be rented out for picnics and events.

We went back to the state park this afternoon looking for the bobcat but we were a bit too early. We did see lots of colorful altamira orioles, though.

If the weather holds out we’re planning a trip to South Padre Island for the Kite Festival on Saturday. We’ll also be making another trip to Mexico next week since Jim has finally decided to start the tooth implant process. After two months here we still aren’t bored, which is pretty unusual for us. Guess it’s because we’ve been fulltiming now for over three years and although there are still lots of places we want to visit, we don’t feel quite the urgency to move on like we used to.

Quinta Mazatlan

2012-01-27T20:52:00.001-06:00

No, we didn’t go back to Mexico, it just sounds like it. During our visit to Estero Llano Grande State Park, we talked with a gentleman who recommended that we not miss Quinta Mazatlan, an estate and birding center now owned by the city of McAllen. Last evening they were having a birding program by nature photographer Luciano Guerra, so we arrived early to have time to wander the house and grounds and hopefully see the green parakeets that come to the area.

There were many bird feeding stations but it was quiet and we only saw a few chachalacas hiding in the bushes, no parakeets.

This guy had the feeders all to himself.

And this cute little rabbit nearly ran right up to us on the trail.

Giant butterflies among the palms.

And the 1935 house was beautiful, very luxurious for it’s time. This is the grand hall where the program took place.

Tiles around the windows.

An antique piano.

And even a Roman tub.

It’s been fun learning more about birdwatching but we will probably never become serious birders. I can’t stop and be still that long. The other day at the state park the volunteer told us a woman came from South Padre Island to see the Clay Colored Thrush that’s been hanging around the park. She waited four hours and the bird never showed up. The next day we rode our bikes into the park and stopped for a minute to see what was at the feeders. There was the clay colored thrush! Guess the poor woman came a day too early.

Another First

2012-01-24T23:01:00.001-06:00

As we were taking a walk through Bentsen State Park late this afternoon, we spotted this bobcat at the Resaca Vieja trail head. First time we’ve ever seen one in the wild. It slowly walked off into the woods as we approached. I watched it with the binoculars while Jim tried to get a picture. What a beautiful creature.

Speaking of creatures, yesterday was Cinderella Pet Rescue day, and this crazy cat was climbing the rafters. It gives me great pleasure going there and interacting with the cats. Just wish we could find good homes for them all.

A beautiful end to the day.

Always Doing Something

2012-01-22T23:06:00.001-06:00

Seems like we are always doing something, and by the evening I don’t feel like writing a blog post but I need to catch up. I got a belated birthday present the other day. While at the laundry room we saw a for sale sign for a Nook Simple Touch. One of our neighbors bought it in December but decided he wanted a color Nook, so I now have my very own e-reader. I really like it, and so far have taken 2 bags of books to the “library” here at the park. I still have one more spot to clean out and by the time I get rid of the rest we should have lots more storage space and be much lighter. And no more books falling on our heads when we open the overhead storage!

They had an open house at Retama Village Friday afternoon. Retama is a development adjacent to Bentsen Palm Village RV Park, where you can purchase a lot for your RV which includes a coach house, or glorified shed. Many people were showing off their coach houses for the open house, so we had to go take a look. Most have the interiors finished to use as extra living space, containing small kitchens, bathrooms, and comfortable sitting areas with TVs. They were all impressive, and looked larger than their 12x24 size.

This is one of our favorite RV lots. They have an oversized lot and did some beautiful landscaping.

Also in the open house was a New Horizons 5th wheel. It was 41 feet long and cost $187,000. Quite lovely inside! If you get the F450 truck needed to tow it, you’d have over $240,000 invested. Certainly not for everybody but it’s fun to dream.

I’d like to see us get that many people in our Lazy Daze.

Yesterday we attended a program at Bentsen State Park given by Seth Patterson, a conservationist and nature photographer. He had some great photographs and interesting stories to go along with them. We really enjoyed it.

Today we took a ride to Estero Llano Grande State Park, with a stop along the way at Don-Wes Flea Market. It was pretty windy and dust was blowing like crazy so it was a short shopping trip. We didn’t go to Quartzsite this year but between the dust and all the usual junk for sale we felt like we were there!

Estero Llano Grande is a wonderful state park, part of the World Birding Center. With a lake and several ponds, there are lots of birds to see, and plenty of trails to hike.

We ran into our neighbors at the visitor center, and being avid birders they marked our map with places along the trails where we would see certain birds.

Here are some of the highlights. The pictures aren’t all that great but we got to see several birds for the first time. Besides the usuals like cormorants, egrets and hawks,

We saw our first black crowned heron.

Roseate spoonbill.

And our favorite, a common pauraque. Look closely at how well it blends into the ground. It is nocturnal and sleeps on the ground during the day. Had it not been pointed out to us we would have never seen it.

A closer look.

There are also alligators in one of the ponds. We spotted this big one on the other side.

I liked the part about yielding right-of-way on the trails. They really didn’t need to tell us that!

We would highly recommend a visit to Estero Llano Grande if you’re in the Rio Grande Valle. We will probably go back again while we’re here.

And finally one of the very friendly burros at Cinderella Pet Rescue. We have to walk through their area to get to the kitten room. They were disappointed when we had no food for them. Need to bring them carrots tomorrow.

A Good Day

2012-01-17T22:30:00.001-06:00

Jim with Charlie, one of our favorites.

Last week one of our neighbors turned 60. In honor of her birthday she rode her bike 60 miles. She challenged me to ride 57 miles on my 57th birthday, which was today. So this morning we started out with the group breakfast ride. 24 of us rode about 7 miles to Las Cazuelas, an authentic Mexican restaurant in Mission. Mexican breakfast food consists mainly of eggs, cheese, and meat, but they did have oatmeal, which was pretty soupy, but better than nothing. On the way back to the park, several people were talking about going for a longer ride, and 5 of us ended up doing 23 miles. That meant 34 more miles for me today. We stopped home for a bite to eat, then got back on the bikes and rode another 20 miles.

Still smiling after almost 40 miles. We stopped here to peek through the gate of a mansion that takes up an entire block.

We had to get back to the park by 3:00 because I didn’t want to miss the produce vendor that comes every Tuesday afternoon. We filled our bags with grapefruit, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, avocados, bananas, plums, and a jicama, all for $10. So much better than the stuff at the grocery stores.

I told Jim since I was only 14 miles shy of the 57, I just had to go finish the ride, which I did. And I felt pretty good when I got done. It was such a lovely day, mid 80’s, sunny, just a slight breeze, perfect for a long ride.

Capped off the day with dinner at BJ’s Brewhouse. They started in Chicago as a deep dish pizza place, and when we ate lunch there a couple weeks ago we had pasta, so we just had to go back and try the pizza. Excellent! They even have whole wheat crust. And their beer is great. Birthdays aren’t such a bad thing!

A Peaceful Week So Far

2012-01-11T22:01:00.001-06:00

All’s been quiet with our musical neighbors this week. Thanks for all the comments. At least we know we aren’t the only ones who think they’re out of line for playing outside. After much thought, Jim has decided if they have another jam session he is just going to talk to the guy alone before going to management. Hope it won’t come to that. For all we know, someone else complained first.

Sunday we rode our bikes around Bentsen State Park again. It was an active day for the birds. They especially seem to like these feeders with peanut butter in the holes.

These big, noisy chachalacas are so funny to watch.

But we especially got a kick out of this bicycle riding dog. Her name is Maggie, and she will only wear the glasses while they’re riding. Needless to say, she’s had her picture taken many times.

Jim went to Cinderella Pet Rescue on Monday to help me with the cats. He only found three he wanted to take home. They really liked his shoelaces.

Yesterday we met fellow bloggers Paul and Marsha of Where’s Weaver for lunch at BJ’s Brewhouse. They’re spending a couple months at a nearby RV park, and have been fulltiming for over 2 years with their cat, Bella. I knew we’d hit it off since they were cat people! We had a great time talking with them, and hope we can get together again before we leave the area.

Jim is really getting into these PVC projects. We stopped at Home Depot yesterday after lunch so he could buy more to build a bike stand. Maybe now the wind won’t blow them over. It might be challenging finding a spot to store all these things he’s made when we get ready to leave, but they’re nice to have. And he only cut his finger once today while working on it.

We took another bike ride this afternoon. We’ve found a couple nice golf course communities we can ride to and get in a good ten to twenty mile or more ride without having to go on busy roads. That’s one reason we really like it here.

And tonight was Margarita hour at the clubhouse, always a good time. We ended up sitting around outside and talking with fellow Lazy Daze owners Bill and Tina from Maine, who came in over the weekend for a 3 week stay. We had met them once before in Albuquerque in 2009. That makes four Lazy Daze here in the park now. And we found out this week our friends Don and Dorothy from Montgomery will be here next month. We just may come back here next year, too.

What Would YOU Do?

2012-01-08T08:22:00.001-06:00

Our next door neighbors moved in after Christmas, nice couple from Missouri. He’s a musician, and plays guitar on Tuesdays in the clubhouse jam session. Thursday after lunch we hear “mike check”, guitars tuning up, then country music (not our favorite). It is at this point we realize it’s coming from the site next to ours. Jim’s immediate reaction is to go to the office and see if we can change sites. I, being more level headed, suggest we wait and see if this is just a one time thing or a regular occurrence before we make waves. We go off on a bike ride and they’re finished when we get back.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon. We rode bikes for a few hours and it was such a pleasant day we were looking forward to coming back and sitting outside to read. As we approached our site there is another jam session taking place. And this is amplified music, not just acoustic, so the sound can be heard all around the park. Several people bring chairs to sit and listen. We just get more irritated, go inside and shut the door. Jim decided he would talk to the guy later, but as he sat and fumed he decided to go to the office and talk to the manager. She was already gone for the day, so now he’s trying to decide how to approach the issue. Are we wrong to think this is inappropriate?

What would YOU do???

Since I didn’t take photos of the band, I’ll post a couple more cat pictures from Cinderella Pet Rescue. I haven’t learned all their names yet.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

2012-01-05T19:59:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we put the bikes on the car rack and drove 20 miles east to Santa Ana NWR. There is a paved 7 mile road to ride (no cars allowed) and lot of trails to walk. Too bad the website didn’t mention that biking wasn’t being allowed at this time due to construction. The volunteers said it could be another month or more, and they weren’t too happy about it, either.

This is a semi-tropical forest along the Rio Grande, with beautiful Spanish moss hanging from the trees. There are several small lakes and one of the trails went along the river for a short distance. This is another popular birding area, and we saw kiskadees, hawks, ducks and grebes, and several other birds we couldn’t identify.

We had fun climbing up to the 25 ft high swinging rope bridge, and the adjacent 40 ft observation tower.

Didn’t get a picture of the tower but this is what we saw from it.

Also saw this tree with big berries or nuts. Not sure what it is.

Jim didn’t take many photos since there were lots of mosquitoes and we had to walk fast to keep them away. Even I got bit several times whenever we stopped. If they open the park for biking before we leave the area we would like to go back. We’ll be sure to bring the bug spray next time.

On another note, Jim got creative and built a ramp for our sewer hose, using a piece of plastic gutter and PVC for the supports. Much cheaper than the accordion-like plastic support you can buy and doesn’t look too bad.

I went to Cinderella Pet Rescue Monday and spent a few hours with the cats. This guy Sylvester is my favorite so far. He wouldn’t leave me alone and was sitting on my lap when I took his picture.

I can’t remember this cat’s name, but Jim liked the picture so I will share it.

We’ve been riding bikes almost every day and Jim is very happy to be on a recumbent again. And we love our new binoculars. Today at the state park we ran into one of our neighbors. They are serious birders and have $2000 binoculars! Carol wanted to see ours and she let us look through hers. I was almost afraid to touch them, since I tend to drop things a lot, but we both tried them and couldn’t really tell a huge difference although there must be. After looking through ours she said they were very nice for entry level binoculars. There were lots of birds today and we finally got to see the black-vented oriole that’s been hanging around. Didn’t get a picture though, since it only stayed a few seconds. Besides Jim needs a much longer zoom camera for good bird photos. Maybe one if these days.

On The Rio

2012-01-01T11:10:00.001-06:00

We spent New Years Eve afternoon on a pontoon boat tour of the Rio Grande. It was partly cloudy and in the upper 70s, a perfect day out on the water. The park has a very nice pontoon boat, and Doug, one of the work campers, is the captain of the boat and takes people out for tours several days a week at $10 a person. There isn’t much along the river since this is mostly agricultural land.

Sugar cane, which will soon be harvested.

We saw lots of birds. Herons, kiskadees, ospreys, hawks and others.

There was a big flood a few years ago, which damaged most of the structures on the river.

A restaurant on the Mexican side.

Pepe’s on the US side. Apparently it was a very popular place.

The Riverside Club, which rebuilt after the flood.

Mexico has a lot of nice parks on the water.

And this place which was supposedly built by a drug cartel, but was taken over by the government and renovated after the flood.

Back to the US side, local history says President Zachary Taylor spent some time here during the Mexican-American War.

Chimney Park RV Resort. Some sites are on the river but it didn’t look that great.

After 3 hours on the river we arrived back at the park. There is a palapa on the water, and some of the people staying in the RV park had a big cookout, which everyone was invited to. We stopped by to watch them play some silly game.

Last night we watched a movie, then around 10 poured a glass of our Mexican B&B, and took a walk around the park. There was a dance at the clubhouse (we didn’t go), and it sounded like they were having a great time. Since it was sold out, a group of people had dinner, music and dancing at one of the several palapas. We stopped and talked to some people there, and strolled around looking at Christmas lights. It was so pleasant we brought Quincy out and sat outside for awhile. Somehow we even managed to stay up until midnight, something we haven’t done in years.

2011 wasn’t our best year on the road, with Jim’s gallbladder surgery in January, cataract surgery in March, and Oreo’s illness and death in August. We did have some good times, though, visiting with friends and family back east this fall. We’re hoping for a better 2012 and we wish everyone a happy, healthy New Year!

Cinderella Pet Rescue, Mission, TX

2011-12-30T18:49:00.001-06:00

Pick me, no, pick me! Aren’t they cute?

A number of people who winter at Bentsen Palm Village are volunteers at Cinderella Pet Rescue, a no-kill shelter just a few miles up the road from the park. Since we decided to stay until March, I thought I would like to volunteer to help with the cats. I went there today for the first time with a couple other volunteers who work with the dogs. I met Cory, the Friday cat volunteer, and she showed me what they do. Not too difficult, just check to see the cats have plenty of dry food and water, give them some canned food and clean the platter after they eat, scoop litter boxes, check the bedding for “accidents” and replace it with clean ones. The most important part of the job is to just spend time playing with and giving attention to the cats. Something I love to do!

I’d like to get Jim to come with me but he has such a soft heart when it comes to cats he’s afraid he’d want to adopt one.

Cat food always tastes better on a silver platter.

There are lots of dogs looking for good homes, too. Here are the volunteers taking the dogs out for a walk and some socialization.

Wouldn’t you like me to come live with you?

There are also horses and chickens. And like all animal shelters they are in need of volunteers, supplies and money.

I’ll be going back on Monday, which will be my regular day, since they had no Monday volunteers. I’m really looking forward to it.

Are You An eBookaholic?

2011-12-28T19:47:00.001-06:00

I had to share this email exchange Jim had with our friend Debbie who got a Nook a few months ago. They make me laugh! Maybe some of your can relate. I still have bags of paperbacks to get through before I embrace this technology.

Hello, I am Jim and I am an ebookaholic and I can't stop. Please stop me before I download again.
Prior to getting the Kindle I thought I had researched the whole ebook thing but I had no idea there was all this free stuff out there. That book link I sent you to Hurt Machine, just finished it and it was an excellent book, in my opinion.
But I already have so many I am having a hard time keeping track.
I think I like managing my library with Calibre rather than Kindle PC software but not completely sure about that yet.
With the internet, pizza delivery and now this just call me Jabba. Thank God for Gayle or I would only see the outdoors through the windows and when I have to dump the tanks.

Her reply:

Hi Jim! I'm Debbie, and I'm an ebookaholic too! I now have so many books downloaded that I need to live to be 100, or simply devote entire days (several per week) to doing nothing but reading...AND I CONTINUE TO DOWNOAD!!

Having the Nook I don't know anything about the Kindle software, but I do prefer Calibre to the B&N Nook software.

You have Gayle to make you stand up and move, and I have Elliot (that’s her dog) (although he's a bit less bossy - which is said with total love for Gayle).

Gotta go - I need to download Hurt Machine right this very minute!

Jim’s final reply:

Gonna start a 12 step program. Will get back to you, got to download some books on the subject.

So guess where we went the other day? To the wonderful new library in McAllen, where I checked out a couple Spanish books and Jim picked up two DVDs, and also signed up for a library card so he can download more ebooks!

He did get his bike fixed and is so happy to be back on a recumbent. Between reading and riding his bike, it’s gonna be really hard to get him to work on the things around the rig that need taking care of.

Back To Mexico

2011-12-27T23:02:00.001-06:00

Jim had his final dental appointment in Nuevo Progreso today, so we put our quarters in the turnstile and hiked across the International Bridge.

It was a beautiful, sunny day in the 70’s, so after his appointment, which went well, we walked the streets and did some shopping. Jim got some Rx sunglasses a couple years ago in Palomas, MX, but after his cataract surgery in March he wasn’t able to use them anymore. He took them to a couple US optical shops but was told they were special order because they were curved lenses, and one shop gave him a price of $300 just for new lenses. Since he only paid $75 for the frames and lenses in Mexico, that was out of the question. The first place we came to today quoted him $45, and they even checked his prescription, which was pretty comical. I ended up trying to explain to the guy in Spanish how to do the exam, as he just would ask Jim if he could see when he put up different lenses. Anyway, he is able to see with them, and they had the lenses made in a half hour. Hard to understand why they couldn’t do it in the US.

We also bought some B&B liqueur for $21 a liter, an amazing price, even after adding another $3.75 that we had to pay to the state of Texas after crossing the border.

While Jim was having his crown put on, I walked the streets and took some pictures. Nuevo Progreso is such a colorful town, and the streets were bustling with tourists, mostly Americans like us.

Lots of pinatas.

New Orleans Pharmacy, just one of many. Not sure what is on the upper floors.

A bar and tattoo parlor right next to a dentist.

Colorful plaza with numerous dental offices just after crossing the border.

The nice thing about Progreso is the town appears to have outlawed begging on the streets, so you don’t get followed or accosted by kids asking for money, which happened in the other border towns we’ve visited. The only place you see them is under the bridge where they call out for change, which is much easier to ignore. Again, we felt perfectly safe, and the Mexicans seem happy to have us there and leave some of our dollars in their country.

Adios for now.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T08:56:00.001-06:00

I was hoping to have some great photos from our pontoon boat trip on the Rio Grande that we were scheduled to take yesterday. Unfortunately after a beautiful, sunny day in the 70s on Thursday, the clouds rolled in and yesterday our little thermometer never got above 51 so they cancelled the trip. We were actually supposed to go last week but the prop broke on the boat. Hope it works out for next week.

Our new binoculars are great and we’re enjoying watching the birds. We walked on a trail in the state park we haven’t done before but didn’t see much.

One of the many oddly shaped mesquite trees.

We’ve been hoping to see some javelinas, but the park was damaged by a flood a year ago and it apparently killed most of them.

A kiskadee and woodpecker were happily sharing this feeder.

In the spirit of the holidays we decided to give bingo another try last night. One of the work campers seated next to us had a thermos sitting on the table and offered us some of his ‘coffee”. It had dark rum in it, and was certainly a good drink to warm us up and make bingo a little more fun. We lost again so I doubt we’ll go back.

Tonight is a Christmas Eve social, everyone is to bring a desert. We are definitely going to attend that, but we’re skipping the turkey dinner tomorrow. We’re just planning on a quiet day with another pizza for dinner.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Toys

2011-12-21T09:15:00.001-06:00

So Jim loves his Kindle Touch and has over 100 books on it already. And he hasn’t paid a penny for any of them. Isn’t the internet wonderful? Now if I will just let him have more time to read them all…

The binoculars arrived a couple days ago. This is the first time we’ve actually bought any, as the other 3 pair we’ve owned were given to us by my dad. After retirement he worked in a sporting goods store and could never pass up a bargain, which he passed on to us. We’ve donated 2 pair to Goodwill as they were not suitable for bird watching, and the last pair recently fell apart . So much for bargains. We had no idea binoculars could be so expensive, but after reading reviews from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, we chose these “budget priced” Bushnell Nature View 8X42, at $99. After one walk to the state park to check out the birds, we are very impressed with the clarity, although they are a bit heavy. Nothing a few more dollars and a different carrying strap won’t take care of.

There must be at least 8 people with recumbent trikes and other recumbent bikes around here, so Jim has been very envious since we arrived. After we committed to staying through February, and his back has been bothering him riding the upright bike, he decided to look for a used recumbent, and found one north of Austin, TX. The guy agreed to meet us in Pleasanton yesterday, about 215 miles north of Mission, and they swapped bikes. Jim got rid of his old bike, and now has a Rans V-Rex, with no money changing hands. Other than the long drive, it couldn’t have been an easier deal.

We got back yesterday just in time to get some Texas red grapefruit and a bunch of other fresh veggies from the produce vendor that comes to the park on Tuesday afternoon. Then Jim wanted to ride his bike some before dark. He noticed some chain noise, and with about 2 miles to go on the way back, he shifted and somehow the chain jammed up. While trying to get it fixed, one of the idlers that guides the super long chain broke, so I had to ride back and get the car. He called the guy he bought it from and he happened to have a spare idler, which he is supposed to send today. So now Jim is without a bike until the part arrives. I think it will be fine once he gets it repaired as otherwise it seems to be in good shape, but he is disappointed that he won’t be able to ride for a few days.

Quincy even got a present this year, a cat warming pad, which I’m hoping will replace the box that he’s been sleeping in on the couch now for months. It just arrived yesterday and so far he seems to like it, but then I could set a newspaper on the couch and he would lay on it for days.

We Moved But Didn’t Go Far

2011-12-15T19:24:00.001-06:00

In fact, we’re just 12 sites away from our first site here at Bentsen Palm Village in Mission, TX. Last week we decided to ask about staying another month or two, but were told there was a waiting list. They left us with the impression that there wouldn’t be a chance of getting a site. After talking to several people, they suggested we make pests of ourselves in a nice way and go to the office often to check for cancellations. They took our name a few days ago, and then yesterday said they had a site for us for January and February. We thought we’d be moving the first of January but since the site is open now they said it would be easier for their record keeping if we just went ahead and moved now, which we did.

A Texas Tortoise.

It’s funny since we usually avoid private RV parks, but we really, really like it here. We just feel very comfortable and are enjoying the new experience of getting involved in activities and meeting people. Now we understand why many people leave the cold northern states and Canada and stay 4 to 6 months in the same park every year. We are already thinking we’ll come back next year.

Finally got a not very good picture of a Kiskadee.

After spending the past three winters in southern New Mexico, Arizona, and California, we came to realize it isn’t very warm in those states during the winter. Plus we were tired of the wind and blowing dust in the southwest, although we love the desert scenery and mountains. So it was south Florida or south Texas, and here we are. The Rio Grande Valley isn’t very scenic, but we are in a great location for walking and biking, the park is lovely, the people are friendly, and it is a mainly younger, active group of people staying here. And yes it gets windy here, too, but at least you can go outside without eating dirt.

The other day when we thought we’d have to leave on January 1st, we drove around the valley looking at other RV parks with fitness centers. We found two that were okay but more expensive, but most of them were awful in our opinion. So we’re happy to be here awhile, and hope to use the down time to get some things done.

The serious birders have some big lenses on their cameras.

Lots of Christmas lights at our neighbors across the street.

Santa already brought Jim a Kindle and I’m getting new binoculars. And we’re wearing shorts in December! We’re happy campers.

Projects

2011-12-09T09:32:00.001-06:00

Staying in one place for awhile always gives us (well, me, anyway) the urge to get some projects done. I’ve been trying to get Jim to build a clothes drying rack out of PVC to hang on the ladder for a couple years now. He even got a copy of a plan from a fellow RVer we met ages ago, but whenever I mention it or come across the paper with the plans on it, he always has some excuse why he doesn’t want to attempt it. Might have something to do with his lack of confidence in his ability to do things like that, since they usually take much longer than anticipated, and involve some sort of bodily injury.
Fortunately, the drying rack turned out to be an easy project. After looking at several here at the park, we decided how much PVC and how many elbows we’d need, went to Home Depot, got our pass for the woodshop (after signing a release), and got to work. They have a wonderful woodshop here at Bentsen Palm which anyone can use, and it is supervised by volunteers so if you need help with any of the equipment, someone is always available.

The finished project, no fingers were lost, not even a scratch (with those power tools, you never know!)

I forgot to mention last month when we were in Pensacola, I finally got Jim to install a small computer fan in the refrigerator. We’ve been using a fan from Camping World but it didn’t blow much air, and we’ve gone through lots of D batteries the past few years. He was apprehensive about doing it since he had to wire it into the light. He drove our friend Don crazy emailing him with questions about how he installed his, since he kept thinking when the door was closed the fan would shut off, just like the light does. Don finally told him to just do it and see what happens. Well, to Jim’s surprise the fan stays on, and it blows much more air than the one we had. And no more buying batteries. He just zip tied it to the top rack above the light so it’s not in the way.

They also have a nice craft room here, and a sewing machine for anyone to use, so I bought some fabric to make new kitchen curtains. May as well take advantage of everything we can, but that project is on hold for a rainy day.

On our walk last evening in the state park, a birder was looking at something through his scope, so we walked over to see what it was. There was a beautiful red-shouldered hawk in a nearby tree. He let us look at it in the scope, which was great. Unfortunately our little 18x zoom didn’t do a great job.

Time to go see if I can find something else for Jim to do. Since he’s saving so much money on his tooth, he ordered a Kindle. Once that gets here I will probably have a hard time getting him to do anything!

Nuevo Progreso, Mexico

2011-12-06T20:56:00.001-06:00

We had an uneventful trip to Mexico this morning, 35 miles to the International Bridge which connects Progreso,TX to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. Parking on the Texas side is $2 and there is a 25 cent fee to get through the turnstiles both entering and leaving Mexico.

The Rio Grande from the very impressive covered pedestrian bridge.

Entering town.

We had to walk about a block and a half to the dental office of Dr. Mustre, passing probably a dozen other dentists, pharmacies, shops and street vendors along the way, all trying to lure us into their place of business. When we walked in we were surprised to see a nearly full waiting room. I counted 25 chairs and there were only a few vacant seats. Jim struck up a conversation with the woman next to him, whose husband was having his teeth cleaned. They have been going there for years and were very pleased, which made Jim feel less apprehensive.

As it turned out, all went well, Jim’s tooth was prepped and a temporary crown put on, and he has to go back on Dec 27 for the permanent one. They said if it comes in sooner they will call, but as busy as they are he doubts that will happen. While he was being worked on, I went next door to the orthodontist and got a new upper retainer made, which I picked up 45 minutes later.

It was a very cold (barely 50), gray, windy day, so we just walked up and down a couple blocks and looked around in some shops. I love the colorful Mexican pottery and glassware they sell, but it’s heavy, breakable, and we have nowhere to put it. Jim’s mouth was still numb, and the few restaurants we passed didn’t have anything on the menu we would eat anyway, so we didn’t spend much time. If the weather is better when we go back we will do a bit more exploring. Nuevo Progreso is definitely the cleanest and nicest border town we’ve been to and we felt perfectly safe.

I always get depressed when we go to Mexico because years ago I was fairly fluent in Spanish. Now I barely understand a few words when I eavesdrop on conversations. They speak way too fast!

Hasta luego….

Immersion in Bentsen Palm

2011-12-04T21:38:00.001-06:00

Our backyard.

So we’re here at Bentsen Palm RV Park, might as well act like a Winter Texan and get involved. Yesterday morning I helped decorate the clubhouse for Christmas. I always liked decorating our house and yard, but now it takes me about 3 minutes to put up the few things we have room for. I had fun and met some nice people.

Last night we played card bingo at the clubhouse. We met some more nice people but probably won’t be doing that again. The woman sitting beside me was pretty funny. She said next week she was going to drink more before she came! I had to agree with her. Maybe if we had won it would have been more fun, but it was pretty boring and it cost us $4.50.

Tonight was pizza night. We sat with some of the people we played bingo with last night, and met some others on our walk home. It’s a friendly bunch that stays here in the winter and we are really enjoying ourselves.

We got the Lazy Daze washed, which always makes me glad we don’t have a bigger rig. Worked out a couple times in the fitness center, which felt good. Also been doing some biking. Rode around the state park yesterday and the 5 mile paved Mission hike/bike trail today. For all we’ve done it feels like we’ve been here a lot longer than 5 days. And looking at the national weather, we are glad to be here. It’s been in the low 80s and not too humid. Perfect shorts weather, which makes Jim happy. And Quincy is always happy, just too big for his new favorite box.

More bird pics from yesterday. Female golden-fronted woodpecker. Thanks to Judy and Martha for identifying it.

Love the green jays, they’re everywhere.

Finally got a good look at a couple of Altamira Orioles, such beautiful birds.

Tuesday we’ll be driving to Nuevo Progreso for a Mexican adventure. Jim found a dentist there who came highly recommended by other RVers, so he is having his broken crown replaced for $170. Sure beats the $1,050 our old dentist in Pensacola was going to charge. He figures how bad can it be? The crown that cracked was put on by a Palm Desert, CA dentist 10 months before it broke. Can the dental care in Mexico be any worse? Guess he’ll find out soon.

Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort, Mission, TX

2011-12-01T22:50:00.001-06:00

We got off to a late start yesterday due to someone leaving a dishpan full of water in the sink, which went all over the kitchen, including into the converter, when Jim pulled away to hook up the car. After turning on the generator and using the hair dryer to dry things off, everything seems to be working properly.

That was our third water event in three days, the first being when our old camera (with the broken zoom) fell out of my jacket pocket and into the toilet at the Padre Island Visitor Center. Luckily there was only water in the bowl when it fell in, so I took out the battery and SD card and after a couple days it seems to be working. Funny thing, the zoom is now working again!

The next day on the boardwalk at the birding center, Jim took the new camera out of it’s case and dropped the case in the water. Since it’s neoprene and floats, Jim laid down on the boardwalk to try and get it but he couldn’t quite reach. He found a stick and since my arms are longer I finally was able to get it with the stick, and managed not to fall into the water myself. Hope that was the last of our water adventures.

It was almost four by the time we arrived at Bensten Palm Village RV Resort in Mission, TX. When we checked in we were told Wednesday was Margarita night, and to stop by the clubhouse at five for a drink. We were sure ready for one, and spent a nice hour chatting with some of the work campers and park manager. They told us about all the activities going on in the park and things to do in the area. So far we are very glad we decided to come here. Thanks to our friend Pam for telling us about it.

Although the sites are close, they are more spacious than many RV parks we’ve stayed at, and the landscaping is very nice. We have a huge field behind us, which was full of cattle yesterday, but they were nowhere to be seen today. We’re paying $560 for the month, plus electric. Not inexpensive but one of the nicest private RV parks we’ve stayed at next to Jojoba Hills, the Escapees park in CA.

Today we washed the car, tomorrow we do the rig. They allow you to wash your RV and car once when you arrive and again before you leave.

This afternoon we got our free pass from Guest Services and took a walk to Bensten-Rio Grande Valley State Park and the headquarters of the World Birding Center, right next door. What a great place to walk, bike and bird watch.

We got to see several birds we’ve never seen before, like these Plain Chachalacas. They are as big as chickens.

We saw quite a few Great Kiskadees but they wouldn’t pose. These beautiful Green Jays were more cooperative.

Not a bird, but fun to watch anyway.

I’m sure we’ll be spending lots of time in the state park while we’re here.

When we got back our neighbors from Ontario invited us for a beer, since Jim helped him fix a flat on his bike this morning. We had a nice time talking with them and look forward to meeting some of the other people staying here. Maybe at bingo Saturday night. We’ve decided to come out of our shells and join in while we’re here. We’ll see how that goes!

Padre Island National Seashore

2011-11-29T19:37:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we took a 25 mile drive south to Padre Island, which at 70 miles long is the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world. It looked like a beautiful day for a walk on the beach, until the volunteers at the visitor center warned us about the dead fish. That nasty red tide is still causing problems along the Texas Gulf Coast. In fact a couple days we were both coughing when we walked and rode our bikes. After the big front came through this weekend and the winds shifted to the north, we haven’t noticed anything, but it sure did a number on the fish.

We walked a couple miles and as far as we could see there were thousands of dead fish. Luckily the tide was out and we could walk closer to the water to avoid them. And since they just washed up the day before and it was cool, there was no smell (yet).

The volunteer told us to look out for a rare fish, which she had marked with a cross in the sand. It’s called a stargazer, since it’s eyes (and mouth) are on the top of it’s head. All the better to see and eat other little unsuspecting fish that swim over it as it’s buried in the sand.

We think this is the top of a Portuguese Man Of War jellyfish.

For some reason, our beach here on Mustang Island near Port Aransas hasn’t had any dead fish washing up on it. That definitely spoiled the beauty of Padre Island for us.

Today we took a bike ride and went back to the birding center. Still haven’t seen a Roseatte Spoonbill, the official bird of Port Aransas. And we were hoping to see an alligator. Didn’t see either of those, but we did get to watch this nutria eating the sawgrass. He was kind of cute, but the sign said they are very destructive.

Also what we think is a cormorant. There were lots of them in the water.

And turtles upon turtles. Look closely or click to enlarge the image.

And one of our favorites.

We leave here tomorrow for Mission, TX, where we plan to spend the month of December.

Hanging Out in Port “A”

2011-11-27T18:18:00.001-06:00

Port Aransas began as a small fishing village but soon became a major seaport and tourist destination. Port “A” takes up the northern 8 miles of the 18 mile long Mustang Island, and Mustang Island State Park takes up the southern 5 miles. It’s a nice place to spend some time, a very laid back beach community but not overly built up.

We spent one day riding our bikes around town and stopping at several of the bird watching areas. Most of the wetlands are dry because of the drought this year, so there wasn’t much to see. There is a permanent pond at the Leonabell Turnbull Birding Center, though, so we got to see lots of ducks. There are two alligators that live there but they were hiding.

We’ve seen more birds in the pond behind the campground and at the University of Texas Wetlands Management Center adjacent to the park.

Another day we walked into town to sit by the channel and watch the ships and dolphins. Not a single ship came by while we were there but we did see some dolphins. The nice thing is we can see the tops of the big ships going by from our site, since we are facing the channel.

Yesterday we needed some groceries and decided to go to Corpus Christi to shop and visit the South Texas Botanical Gardens. It was a bit disappointing, again mostly because of the drought, but we saw some beautiful flowers and resident animals. This iguana was especially handsome.

And we enjoyed talking to the birds.

And speaking of birds, today we braved the wind and cold temperatures (it barely got to 60 with 30mph winds) and went for a short walk. These guys were patiently waiting to catch the slow drip from the water faucet.

It’s supposed to get in the 30s tonight, and low 60s tomorrow. Quite a change from our first few days here in the 80’s.

Happy Thanksgiving From Port Aransas, TX

2011-11-24T10:56:00.001-06:00

We had a short drive of 60 plus miles yesterday to Port Aransas, passing one RV park after another as we neared Rockport. Having read about problems with red tide, (a toxic algae that kills fish and irritates the eyes and throat) on the beaches, we weren’t sure we wanted to be near the coast, so we stopped in Aransas Pass to look at a couple RV parks near the bay. Boy, were they depressing! Jim decided as long as we could get electric he would rather stay on the beach and if the red tide got bad we could just hang out inside with the AC running. Mustang Island State Park was booked, but I.B. Magee Beach Park had plenty of sites.

We didn’t realize getting here meant another free ferry ride but we’re getting to be pros at it now. This one is less than a five minute ride and they have it down to a science getting vehicles on and off. So we are staying on Mustang Island for a week, behind the dunes but just a short walk under the park office to the Gulf.

This is a no frills kind of place, but we do have water and electric, and they have a dump station and a really nice new office and bathhouse building. The weekly rate is $150, or $25/night. The sites are fairly large so we aren’t staring at the side of another RV, and we are protected from the wind here. I like it. This is our backyard.

We took a long walk on the beach and nearby jetty yesterday afternoon. Lots of ships going in and out of the pass and lots of birds.

The water is pretty but after spending a month at Pensacola Beach, the brown hard packed sand isn’t very appealing. It is much easier to walk on, though. Or drive on if you wish.

This morning I got up and went for a walk on the beach and around the campground.

Discovered a boardwalk around a marsh and pond just behind our site.

I think this will be great location to explore the Port Aransas and Corpus Christi areas. And we didn’t notice any effects of red tide on our walks so far. The lady at the office said it can change daily with the wind, though.

I asked Jim the other day what he wanted for Thanksgiving dinner, and I was not surprised to hear him say pizza. So I am making a whole wheat roasted veggie pizza and no crust pumpkin pie. Bet you wish you were dining with us today.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Anahuac and Port Lavaca, TX

2011-11-21T21:37:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we drove 180 miles, the majority on I-10, to get to Trinity Bay RV Park in Anahuac, TX. It is a Passport America park, full hookups and cable for $17.50. It wasn’t bad and not far from the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, which we planned to visit today. When we got out to unhook the car, the mosquitoes attacked both of us immediately. I’m not usually bothered by them, so we knew they must be bad.

I talked Jim into spraying down with Off and taking a walk around Ft. Anahuac Park, adjacent to the RV park. It was getting dark, but very windy, so the bugs stayed away. Saw this sign on one of the roads going to the water. Not exactly sure what it meant, but Jim figured it was to keep 4WDs off the dirt/grassy area when it’s wet.

There was an elaborate, well lit fishing pier and a good road to take a long walk on.

We wanted to visit the Anahuac NWR to meet Judy, of Travels With Emma blog fame. She is volunteering at the refuge and offered to take us on a tour. With the plentiful mosquitoes, and the threat of severe thunderstorms for tomorrow, we decided to skip the refuge and move on today. Hate we didn’t get to meet you, Judy. Maybe next time.

It was another long drive for us today, 210 miles, taking the longer scenic coastal route to avoid going near Houston. We got to take the free Galveston Island Ferry, funded by TxDOT.

The 2.7 miles takes about 15 minutes, and was a nice smooth ride. Like the ferry we took on Lake Erie in August, we were jammed in pretty tightly.

Took this out the back window.

We had views of the water from much of the drive today. What struck us as odd on Galveston Island was there were lots of newly built beach homes on pilings with cattle ranches just across the road. A little different than Florida!

There is also a lot of oil industry.

I found a city park in Port Lavaca, Lighthouse Beach RV Park and Bird Sanctuary. Unfortunately i couldn’t access the website due to being blocked by the computer as an attack page. The most recent RV Park Review was from Jan 2011, which said the rate was $20. We pulled up to the entrance station and the volunteers said to go pick a site and they would come around to collect. There was no sign with campsite rates. We selected the last waterfront site next to the day use parking, which has a nice view.

When the camp host finished getting my information, he said make the check out to the City of Port Lavaca for $70 for the 2 nights we plan to stay. $70??!! That is now the record for the highest price we’ve ever paid for a site. At least we’re on the water and we have full hookups with cable. Next time I will be sure to make a phone call or ask before we set up. Live and learn!

There are other amenities as well like this nice boardwalk for bird watching just behind our site, and a couple washers and dryers at the clubhouse, which we need to make use of tomorrow. And so far no mosquitoes.

Acadiana Park, Lafayette, LA

2011-11-20T08:21:00.001-06:00

We were happy to find Acadiana Park Campground, a city of Lafayette park in a nice neighborhood not far from downtown. There is water and electric at the site, and a dump station, for $13 a night. And there aren’t many people here, even on the weekend.

About 15 miles west of crossing the Mississippi, we came to the long, long I-10 bridge over the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest swamp in the US. We’ve driven it several times before, but never checked to see how long it is.Turns out it is 18.2 miles, making it the 14th longest bridge in the world. It crosses over bayous,swamps and marshes, and is actually very scenic.

As we neared our campsite we saw a new body style Lazy Daze, and got to meet the owner, Trecil, who’s been full timing for a year in his 2010. He is heading to Florida along the route we just came from, and had spent some time in Texas, where we are going, so we swapped campground ideas and talked about full timing and the joys of early retirement.

On Friday nights in the spring and fall there is a free concert from 6-8:30 in downtown Lafayette at Park International, a fenced park with a huge stage. This week it was the Tab Benoit Band, and it turned out to be a great concert. He is an excellent blues guitarist, playing a range of music from blues to rock to Cajun and a little country. We haven’t been to a concert in a long time, and it was really an enjoyable evening. Of course, we don’t get out much!

Somewhere near Baton Rouge Friday on our way to Lafayette, the windshield got hit by a rock, so we had a nice chip with star shape cracks radiating from it, Jim called Safelite, which was 7 miles from the campground, and they were open Saturday morning, although they don’t do mobile repairs on Saturday. That was fine, we just drove the rig there and got it repaired before it got bigger and necessitated a whole windshield replacement like we had to do a couple years ago in Utah.

Yesterday afternoon we hiked the 3 miles of trails in the park. There is an elaborate boardwalk system and a nice nature center.

The trails were covered in fallen leaves, but there was still some fall color in a few of the trees. We were surprised we weren’t being bothered by bugs. It turned out to be a very pleasant place to spend the weekend.

Our plan today is to stop in Anahuac, Texas.

Davis Bayou Campground, Ocean Springs, MS

2011-11-18T09:56:00.001-06:00

We spent the past two nights at Davis Bayou in Ocean Springs, MS, part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. The Mississippi Gulf islands are only accessible by boat, but there is a small area of National Park on Davis Bayou, on the mainland. It’s a very nice campground, lots of trees, a great area to ride bikes and walk. And it’s only $8 (water and electric) with Jim’s senior pass! Not sure why we never camped here before when we lived in Pensacola. Guess living so close to the beach, we were always wanting to head to the mountains and forests.

After we got set up, the camp host came by, and Jim walked over to the office to get a trail map. A couple pulled up on bikes, and asked if I was Gayle. He said he read the blog that morning and figured we would be staying here. It was John and Ellen, and as it turns out I had read their blog in the past, which apparently he no longer writes. After Jim came back we chatted for a few minutes about their upcoming plans to volunteer for the NPS in Georgia and South Carolina. Sorry we didn’t get to talk with them longer, but we were all getting eaten up by no-see-ums.

We then got out the Off, sprayed down and went for a walk around the park and the bayou before the sun went down. I’m sure not liking these short days.

Yesterday morning I made a run to Wal-Mart, just a mile or so east of the park entrance, while Jim did some backing up on the computer. After lunch we went for a bike ride around Ocean Springs. There is a bike route around town, and although there are signs, we managed to miss some and were glad to have had the map. We ended up riding over 18 miles. Ocean Springs is a beautiful area, with a historic downtown full of galleries, shops, restaurants, and lovely old homes. Except for some still vacant lots along the water, there is no other evidence of the damage it suffered in 2005 from hurricane Katrina.

We rode past this tree with a sign on it. Guess they figured the age by the circumference. It was huge, but there were lots of others just as big.

After leaving downtown, we followed the route to the beaches, which took us to the Biloxi Bay Bridge. The original bridge had been destroyed by Katrina, and this new six lane structure replaced it, partially opening more than two years after the hurricane. All six lanes opened in April 2008, including a wide bike/pedestrian lane.

I found this photo of the damaged bridge.

And the new super structure, 1.7 miles long.

When we realized we could ride over it, we set off for Biloxi. The last time we were there after Katrina, the Grand Casino’s main gambling structure was about a mile down the road on the other side of the water. The casinos all had to be built on the water, so they were all washed away. When the state realized how much revenue they were losing, they changed the law to allow them be on land.

Remnants of the old Grand behind the blue fencing. The casino is now across the road in the hotel. That’s the Palace Casino and hotel in the background.

The Hard Rock was just about to have it’s grand opening when Katrina hit. Looks like they are back to normal now.

Biloxi is certainly not the bustling place it used to be, since now there are only a handful of casinos. All the small ones on the water, some of which were actually on boats, were destroyed and haven’t been rebuilt. I’m sure the economy has a lot to do with that.

We had an enjoyable couple days here, but we’re moving on to Lafayette, LA for the weekend.

Rainbow Plantation, Summerdale, AL

2011-11-15T20:10:00.001-06:00

We drove a whole 48 miles yesterday to Summerdale, AL and the Escapees Rainbow Plantation, our first time there. It’s a no frills kind of place, parking just on the grass, but they have full hookups and allow you to wash your vehicles. After a month on Pensacola Beach, the car and LD were covered with salt spray, so they desperately needed to be washed.

Today we went to Foley, less than 10 miles from the park, and visited the Railroad Museum. For some reason it was closed this morning, but the Model Railroad Museum in the back was open and running.

It is quite impressive! A group of volunteer train buffs, the Caboose Club, designed and laid out the display over the course of two years. They did an excellent job building this 1950’s “community” around the model trains.

The detail was amazing, like the traveling circus.

And a fire being extinguished. It’s definitely worth seeing if you’re in the area, and it’s free.

We also went to the Tanger Outlet Mall, just south of Foley. When we lived in Pensacola we shopped there a couple times a year. It’s a huge mall, and we usually find some good bargains. Spent a total of $44 and each of us got a pair of jeans, I got a pair of shorts, and Jim bought a jacket. Not bad.

Tomorrow we’re planning another short drive to Ocean Springs, MS. It feels good to be back on the road.

The Blues

2011-11-14T08:25:00.001-06:00

We had a very nice last weekend in Pensacola. Had visits from several friends and coworkers, and Don and Dorothy came down from Montgomery in their Lazy Daze to see the Blue Angels Air Show. They got the site next to ours, so even though we didn’t go out to NAS with them, we got to spend some time catching up.

Our friends Rick and Anne live on the Sound near the Bob Sikes bridge to the beach. They wanted to take their boat out to watch the Blues, and invited us to go with them.

The crew.

It was a beautiful but cool day, and we anchored close to NAS. Of course, not being on the base you don’t get to see the planes close up, but the Blue Angels made several passes over us. Jim was trying to get some pictures but our 18x zoom doesn’t quite get it. Plus being on a rocking boat makes it hard to hold the camera steady.

We weren’t the only ones out there, but it was nothing like the summer boating crowd that comes out for the Pensacola Beach show.

Fat Albert, the Blues support plane. No, he didn’t hit the lighthouse.

The Blues.

Besides watching the planes, we got to see a bunch of dolphins and pelicans. Anne tried her best Dolphin Whisperer routine, but they wouldn’t come over to the boat.

They are plagued by pelicans on their dock, and it takes some serious hosing to get the huge piles of droppings off.

Today we are making our way west, but only as far as Alabama. We have really enjoyed our stay in the Pensacola area, and want to thank all our friends for sharing their time, homes and meals with us this past month. We’ll try not to stay away so long next time!

Global 1200 and Other Stuff

2011-11-09T08:13:00.001-06:00

It’s back in port so we finally got a close-up view. That is one huge ship!

We’re hoping the ship will go back out to sea while we’re here and that we won’t miss it this time.

The 3 mile bridge across the bay, connecting Pensacola with Gulf Breeze. You still have to cross the much shorter Bob Sikes Bridge to get to the beach.

We sort of took the day off on Monday to just hang around the beach, go for a bike ride and a walk, and do some things around the rig we’ve been neglecting.

This little guy tried to hitch a ride with me.

Yesterday was busy in a good way. We met Gary and Terrie for breakfast at Panera, then visited with our former neighbors Kelly and Cindy (sorry we didn’t get to see the kids, especially Abby).

I even got to play on their rope swing.

Then we went to the Humane Society to see Monie, Jim’s coworker who is now the volunteer coordinator there. She took us on a tour, and at first I wasn’t sure I could stay. When I looked in the cat room and saw several black and white cats, memories of Oreo came flooding back. We adopted both him and Quincy from there years ago. I finally got a grip and just sat on the floor and played and petted all the cats roaming around. They actually have a pretty good life there, and the volunteers and employees treat them well. We felt more sorry for the dogs, since they were all large, like pit bulls, that will most likely never be adopted, although many of them probably have a better environment there than they had in some of the homes they came from. Recently we changed some of the beneficiaries on our investments to Best Fiends Animal Society and the Humane Society of Pensacola. We figure most of our family and friends are financially comfortable anyway, and the animals need our help more.

Last night we met Randy and Sunarree at Laguna’s Grill at the Boardwalk on the beach. We had a great evening of stimulating conversation discussing traveling and trying to solve the world’s problems. Thanks, guys!

Today it’s lunch with Jim’s brother, a phone interview for a possible volunteer job in California, and who knows what else. We need to get out of Pensacola soon so we can rest!

A Walk on the Soundside

2011-11-08T07:15:00.001-06:00

We have mainly been walking the trail or the Gulf side beach, but the other day we decided to walk along the Sound. There are several paths off the main trail to get to the water. There was a brisk north wind blowing, causing whitecaps in the bay. There are always lots of interesting things to see.

This is one of the biggest jellyfish we’ve ever seen.

For perspective.

We’ve still been busy visiting with friends and eating out too much. Sunday we took Jim’s old recumbent bike back to Mark, much to his dismay. He tried to sell his old bike while we’ve been here but no luck. Good thing, since I couldn’t keep up with him on the recumbent, anyway. Both Jim and Quincy will miss it.

Fort Pickens Tour

2011-11-06T21:47:00.001-06:00

Although we had both been on tours of Fort Pickens many years ago, the only thing we remembered was that Geronimo had been held prisoner there, so we decided to take one of the guided ranger-led tours offered each afternoon at 2.

The fort was built from 1829-1834 using 21.5 million bricks and slave labor. As you can imagine, brick making was a big industry in Pensacola during that time.

The archwork construction was amazing, with reverse arches under the floor to offer support.

They had this one exposed so we could get a better idea of how it was constructed.

Stalactites from the limestone in the mortar where water has seeped through over time.

Interestingly, no cannon or gunfire took place at Fort Pickens until the Civil War in 1861, one of the few southern forts to remain in Union hands.

And yes, Geronimo was housed as a prisoner there in 1886.

It was a great history lesson, and the ranger, Mike, who led the tour did an excellent job. We would highly recommend it.

Another Day At the Beach

2011-11-02T08:52:00.001-05:00

In addition to sand and water, we’ve seen lots of butterflies.

A copperhead snake. I never saw it until Jim yelled at me to stop. Yikes!

Many different birds.

The Global 1200, a pipe laying vessel that just recently was in the Port of Pensacola for maintenance. This is zoomed out to the max.

Shells.

And as always.

Done with Doctors

2011-10-31T10:18:00.001-05:00

We each had our last doctor’s appointments on Friday, so barring any unforeseen medical emergencies, our next two weeks in Pensacola will be spent visiting friends, doing a few things around the RV, and enjoying the beach.

For those of you not familiar with the Pensacola area, we are actually staying on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. West of the last beach condos it’s about 5 miles to Fort Pickens. Being on such a narrow strip of land, the road frequently gets washed out by hurricanes and tropical storms. In fact, they considered not rebuilding it after Ivan in 2004, but eventually did.

The campground and fort are on the wider part of the island on the lower right. Pensacola NAS is directly across the sound from the west end of the island.

Being back in the area as tourists has been fun and interesting. Friday night we met Jimmy and Paula for pizza and beer downtown at Hopjacks . A few years ago it was never very crowded, but downtown Pensacola has changed for the better and is really hopping, at least on the weekends. We’re glad to see that happening. In fact, considering all the places we’ve been to the past few years, Pensacola is really quite nice. Except for the summer heat, humidity, bugs and hurricanes!

After all the running around we’ve done the past two weeks, we decided to spend the weekend just hanging around the campground. It was very windy, especially on Saturday, so we just took some long walks and experimented with the new camera. There is a nice couple mile trail that goes through the other campground and then on to the fort. Always something to see.

This camera has a cool feature where you can pick a color to highlight, which makes the rest of the shot black and white. Out near the fort we saw lots of yellow wildflowers, so Jim picked yellow. The center building is actually red brick. It’s an interesting effect.

Last night we were visiting with Harry and Mary, the Lazy Daze owners from Wyoming. We looked over and saw this.

Then it got even better. What a great way to end the day.

New Camera

2011-10-27T20:56:00.001-05:00

After our daily doctor’s appointments (today we both saw the dermatologist to get a few things removed), we picked up our mail and the new camera. It was getting late by the time we went for a walk this evening, but Jim played around and took a bunch of shots.

Turtle head in the water.

Fort Pickens.

The highrises of Pensacola Beach way off in the distance.

NAS Pensacola across the inracoastal waterway.

Different camera settings. Lots to learn.

Taken in the dark with the infrared setting. Pretty cool.

Not to keep everyone in suspense, but Jim’s colonoscopy went fine, and he is clear for another ten years. The prep was different this time and not quite as bad, and they used Propofol (the drug that killed Michael Jackson) for the procedure, which left him feeling pretty normal afterward and with no amnesia. In fact we went for a 12 mile bike ride yesterday afternoon and then over to Gary and Terrie’s for dinner. I figured he would sleep most of the afternoon!

Friends and Food

2011-10-25T20:18:00.001-05:00

It’s been great being back in Pensacola and meeting up with our old friends. Thursday night we met Gary and Terrie at Ozone, our old pizza haunt. Gary and Jim were roommates when we first met, and have been good friends for many years. Gary plays guitar in a Celtic band called Sweet Prospect.

Friday night we met Mike and Candy, Rick and Anne, and Jimmy and Paula for dinner at Carraba’s, then went downtown to Gallery Night. Gary’s band was playing at one of the galleries, so we looked in a few shops and listened to some nice music. Unfortunately Gallery Night has grown into a giant street party, with Palafox Street being closed off for the evening. It was about as crowded as Bourbon Street in New Orleans, which isn’t really a good thing.

Saturday our old recumbent bike friend Mark from Ft. Walton came over with his new wife Sheve. He brought Jim’s favorite bike, a Reynold’s Z-Bone, which Jim sold to Mark before we left. Jim was involved in a big crash in September ‘08, the last time we rode with our bike club, the Blackwater Cyclists. Luckily Jim wasn’t hurt but his bike was pretty broken up. Mark, being a machinist, bought it from Jim as is and repaired it so it was rideable again. He was nice enough to let Jim use it for a few weeks while we’re here.

Sunday Mike and Candy came out to the beach and we rode bikes, then that evening we went to dinner at Randy and Sunaree’s house for Randy’s birthday. They are excellent chefs and we had a wonderful Spanish meal of tapas, paella, and flan for desert, complete with candles.

Much to our surprise, two other Lazy Daze came into the campground this week, a couple from Wyoming and another from Germany, who just picked up their new LD from the factory in California the beginning of September. They are visiting friends and relatives around the country, plan to store the RV in Phoenix next month for the winter (their daughter lives in Flagstaff), and come back from Germany next May for 5 months of travel in the states.

Yesterday we met Jim’s brother, Travis, for lunch at the Florida Pizza Kitchen. When we got back and were getting out of the car, our neighbors across the street asked if we were Jim and Gayle. Turns out they read our blog and have recently been on a similar route as ours. Small world!

We’ve been trying to do long walks and bike rides in between all our going out to eat, and the weather has definitely cooperated. If you want to visit the Gulf Coast of Florida, Alabama, or Mississippi, October is definitely the month to come.

And the sunsets are spectacular.

The new camera is in but we didn’t pick up mail today. Jim’s been home prepping for his colonoscopy tomorrow. Glad it’s him and not me!

Pensacola Beach

2011-10-21T08:20:00.001-05:00

It’s been a whirlwind week, with multiple doctor’s appointments and visits with friends and former coworkers.

Dinner at Rick and Anne’s. From left, Jim, Jimmy, Paula, Anne, and Rick. We stayed out until midnight and haven’t laughed so hard in a long time!

We finally decided on a camera, which will arrive next week. We’ll be here at Fort Pickens Campground on Pensacola Beach at least until November 11, and may stay longer. With Jim’s senior pass it is only $10 a night, and at this time of year you can stay 44 days. Can’t beat that!

Just a few pictures from our walks. Hope they will look even better after we get the new camera, a Nikon Coolpix S9100.

Fort Pickens Campground, Pensacola Beach, FL

2011-10-17T22:03:00.001-05:00

We had reservations beginning today at Fort Pickens but after talking to our friend Candy the other night we decided to arrive in the Pensacola area a day early and spend the night in Mike and Candy’s driveway. They live in Milton, FL on Mulat Bayou, just across the I-10 bridge over Escambia Bay. We had a lovely spot to park, but had to go around back to see the water. Not that we were complaining given the price!

Mike’s 83 year old mom, whom we dearly love, even came from Crestview to see us. She still plays golf and travels and seems much younger. She is on the left talking with Candy. The indoor shots I took of everyone didn’t turn out.

They have a great location to watch the sunset over the bay.

This morning we went to pick up our mail at American Home Base. On the way there we drove by our old house. We are so glad we don’t have that yard to keep up anymore, and it looked like the new owners aren’t doing a very good job. It was a constant struggle to keep the grass growing.

Since Mike took a few days off work, he went for a bike ride with us when we got back, and we finally made our way out to Pensacola Beach later this afternoon. We got a very nice, shaded site, of which there aren’t many due to all the tree damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004. This is how much of the campground looks.

Jim’s brother Travis came by after we got set up and I went and did some laundry while they visited.

Tomorrow morning we each have a doctor’s appointment, then we’re visiting our former neighbors in the afternoon, and meeting some other friends for dinner. Looks like we’re going to be busy here.

Paul B. Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

2011-10-15T17:32:00.001-05:00

We drove another 100 miles yesterday to Hattiesburg and a stop at Paul B. Johnson State Park. This is familiar territory to us, as we’ve stayed here quite a few times over the years when we lived in Pensacola.

Since we were last here close to four years ago they have added sewer hookups to all the sites and it is only $20 a night. We are in the newest campground right across the street from the lake. Many of the sites have nice views of the water.

Today we went to Hattiesburg to ride bikes on the Longleaf Trace, a 41 mile Rails-To-Trails paved trail that starts at the University of Southern Mississippi and goes to Prentiss.

The first couple miles go over and under several bridges and underpasses, but then it becomes rural, wooded, and shady, with very few people. We rode 15 miles to Sumrall and decided we better turn around. When we had our recumbents we would come here and easily ride 50 miles, but on upright bikes we’re just not as comfortable so 30 is about our limit.

It was a beautiful day but no pictures. Too busy riding!

Lefleur’s Bluff State Park, Jackson, MS

2011-10-13T18:42:00.001-05:00

After another 140 mile drive yesterday we arrived at Lefleur’s Bluff State Park in Jackson, MS, actually within the city limits about a mile from I-55. Consequently you can hear some traffic noise and a train but it’s tolerable. We got a site on the small lake for $18 a night with water and electric. The only downside is a 1.5 mile dusty gravel road into the campground.

Quincy’s enjoying the view.

There are lots of egrets and herons around the lake. We had never seen an egret in a tree before.

Yesterday afternoon we walked some of the trails. It’s very swampy and we had to walk fast because the mosquitoes were loving the taste of Jim.

The park is on the Pearl River, which had some nice sandy banks to pull up on if you were in a canoe or kayak. We had to walk even faster at this point as it was thundering and getting ready to storm. We got back just as the first drops were falling.

I saw that we were only five miles from Mellow Mushroom, so last night we went out for pizza to celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary, which was Sunday, Jim’s upcoming birthday next Sunday, and our 3 year anniversary (Oct 6) of being homeless. We liked our spot and view at Maumell Park so much we didn’t want to go out on Sunday. Instead Alan and Marilyn brought their wood over and we had a great fire under the moonlight by the river. .

We decided to stay in Jackson so we could visit Ride South, a bicycle shop just 8 miles from the park. They have a huge selection of recumbents, which we miss riding, so we wanted to see what was new. After coffee and a bagel at the Beagle Bagel Cafe, each of us buying new walking/trail shoes at an very nice outdoor gear shop called Buffalo Peak Outfitters, which had some good bargains on shoes, and me getting a haircut, we then drooled over all the pretty new recumbents at Ride South. If and when we ever settle down somewhere in a bike friendly area, we will both be going back to recumbent bikes.

The owner told us about some paved bike trails near the store, so we took off on our bikes for a 10 mile ride. We rode through Timberland Campground on the Ross Barnett Reservoir. It is really nice, so we stopped by the office to check on rates for the long term sites. The woman told us there are 200 people on a waiting list for a site, so I guess we can scratch that idea!

Tomorrow we’re off to Hattiesburg for one more stop before we get to Pensacola.

Lake Chicot State Park, AR

2011-10-11T22:33:00.001-05:00

We left Maumelle Park this morning and drove 140 miles southeast to Lake Chicot State Park, near lake Village, AR in the middle of nowhere. It’s a nice enough park but the roads are in horrible condition and we were warned they have an ant problem. Maybe why there is hardly anyone here. We opted for a 30 amp water and electric site for $20 but could have had a lakefront full hookup site for $28, or $31 for a 50amp pull through. I wanted to wash some clothes so we took a site right behind the laundry building. Better than dragging everything to a laundromat.

Went for a walk around the park this evening. The sites on the water were angled so they all had nice views of the lake through the trees.

We saw this egret and lots of cypress trees.

We have a few more pictures from Maumelle Park. We really liked it there, and decided to stay another night. Our site was reserved for Monday so we moved to another one two sites over. It had an even better view and we didn’t want to leave, partly due to the great weather, getting to visit with Terry, and Alan and Marilyn, and the wonderful biking. Also the visits by raccoons and skunks!

We did another bike ride yesterday to Two Rivers Park and rode the trails in the park and across the first pedestrian/bike bridge on the Arkansas River trail.

We passed these really nice homes on the way that are right on the river.

Some scenes from Two Rivers Park.

And the moon over the river last night.

Tomorrow we’ll be in Mississippi.

Maumelle Park, Little Rock, AR

2011-10-08T19:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we moved on to a lovely Army Corps of Engineers campground, Maumelle Park, just northwest of Little Rock. We got lucky and someone had cancelled, so we got a site right on the river.

Our view. It’s much better in person.

Thanks to our blogging friends, Alan and Marilyn, for telling us about this place. They’ve been here a couple weeks and told us to come on down and join them. We are so glad we did. Not only was it nice to see them again, this is a great area.

Yesterday we picked up our mail in the nearby little town of Roland, and on the way back stopped off at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, just two miles from our campground. The mountain was calling us to climb it, and after all the junk we ate at the get together we needed a good workout.

Pinnacle Mountain from across the river.

Although a short trail, less than a mile and half to the summit, half of it was climbing up a rock bed. There were yellow lines painted on some of the rocks or we wouldn’t have been able to navigate our way up.

The views of the Arkansas River and Maumelle Lake from the top were great, but we were a little concerned about getting back down. Luckily we made it without falling.

An old friend from Pensacola, Terry, who used to work with Jim at Nationwide, is in the process of moving to Arkansas. He started his new job last week, and just put a contract on a house in Conway, not far from where we are. He came by last evening and we had a nice chat with him and Alan and Marilyn.

Today Terry joined us for a bike ride from Maumelle Park to the new Arkansas River Trail, a loop that crosses the river several times and goes to downtown Little Rock. It was a great ride, 90 percent of it on a paved trail right along the river. There were only a few places we had to ride on the road but there wasn’t much traffic.

Here are some pictures from our 30 mile ride.

Terry, at the start of the big dam bridge.

A view from the bridge.

The Clinton Presidential Library.

Downtown Little Rock.

An RV park on the river. Just a big parking lot but you can walk across the river on a pedestrian bridge right into downtown.

We are really impressed with the Little Rock area. If we hadn’t planned to be in Pensacola on the 17th we would stay here awhile. Definitely someplace to come back to and spend some time.

Lazy Daze Regional Adventure 2011

2011-10-06T17:33:00.001-05:00

We had a great week here at Sylamore Creek Camp with 20 plus other Lazy Dazes from the Southeast, South Central, and Great Lakes groups. We knew about a dozen people from previous get togethers, and really enjoyed getting to know the others. This private campground was a perfect place, and we were scattered everywhere on the upper level under the trees, and on the lower level down by the creek.

There were four Anniversary Editions like ours (surprising since only about 50 were made in 2006).

Only one newer rig with the traditional paint job but no fake black windows over the cab. Still can’t get used to that.

And the oldest was a 1989. Still looked good!

As most RVers know if they’ve ever attended an RV event, eating and happy hour are two of the main activities. Each region was responsible for one evening meal and one breakfast. Our Southeast group did heavy hors d’oeuvres for the welcome party Sunday night, the Great Lakes group did a potluck on Monday, and the South Central group catered a barbeque dinner on Tuesday. Last night everyone (but us) went to a local catfish restaurant.

We had dinners in a nice pavilion.

And even had a Lazy Daze cake.

One morning after breakfast we gathered for a question and answer session. Anyone who was having problems or questions about their rig got lots of advice and answers from the group.

The weather was perfect the entire week. One morning a group went on a canoe trip down the White River.The rest of the time was free for everyone to either hang around the park and socialize or explore the Mountain View area. We did several hikes, the best being the 4.5 mile White Bluff loop, a mountain bike trail just a few miles up the road. We were the only ones there, and had some nice scenery along the way. It was a good trail but I wouldn’t have wanted to ride it on a mountain bike.

The get together ended today but there are 5 Lazy Daze still here, and we have enough wood for one more fire. Thanks to Dorothy and the other organizers for putting together such a great event.

Sylamore Creek Camp, Mountain View, AR

2011-10-01T22:16:00.001-05:00

After a long, slow 100 miles on winding Arkansas roads, we made it to Mountain View, where we are attending the Lazy Daze Regional Adventure. It is being held at Sylamore Creek Camp, and we got a water and electric site on the lower level right by the creek. There was only one tent here when we arrived but by the afternoon the weekenders came pouring in.

The get together doesn’t officially start until tomorrow but there are already seven other Lazy Daze here. We’ve had a couple nice evenings by the fire catching up with the people we already know and getting to know the others.

Today we went for a hike in the nearby Blanchard Springs Recreation Area. What a beautiful walk along Sylamore Creek.

We walked to the springs, which is a good sized waterfall coming out of a cave.

That trail was only a half mile so we found a longer one along the creek which took us to Mirror Lake, a small fishing lake. The water was incredibly clear.

The small dam.

A former corn mill and cotton gin that was being restored by the CCC. Construction stopped at the start of WWII and was never completed.

Jim had to take a photo of the interesting fire ring we’ve been sitting around. It is a washing machine tub sitting on a wheel rim. Gives off good heat with all the holes in the tub. A really clever idea if you have the space to carry it around.

Crowley’s Ridge State Park, Paragould, AR

2011-09-29T19:00:00.001-05:00

We did another 177 miles of driving today through the very flat boot heel of Missouri into northeast Arkansas, landing at Crowley’s Ridge State Park. We are the only ones here besides the camp hosts. There was one pull through site which we took so we wouldn’t have to unhook the car. In order to pull in the proper way for the hookups we had to go to the end of the loop and turn around. Too bad the turn was too small to make it with the car attached so we had to unhook anyway. Oh well.

We paid $19.62 for the night but at least there is electric and water at the sites. We finally got to rinse off the mud we got all over the car and rig during our off road adventure in Illinois the other day. Tomorrow we plan to get to Mountain View for the Lazy Daze get together. It doesn’t officially start until Sunday but we just want to get there and stay put for a week.

Ferne Clyffe State Park, Goreville, IL

2011-09-28T20:15:00.001-05:00

Another 150 mile drive, and the GPS behaved today. We finally found a little sunshine and are parked at another Illinois state park, Ferne Clyffe, near Goreville, IL. It’s a pleasant campground with lots of trees but the sites are more open, which we like. $20 a night for electric.

There are many miles of hiking trails, so we took the loop around the lake, and the Bluffs Trail on the ridge.

Lots of cypress knees along the lakeshore.

A cave,

ferns and moss on the rocks,

and an abrupt end to the Bluffs trail, due to us going the wrong way.

It’s a very pretty park and a nice place to spend the night.

Fox Ridge State Park, Charleston, IL

2011-09-27T19:13:00.001-05:00

Drove 150 miles today to Fox Ridge State Park, just south of Charleston, IL. Found cheap ($3.28/gallon) gas before we got out of Indianapolis.

The drive was going fine until Daniel (our GPS guy) took us off I-70 with about 30 miles to go to the park. We ended up on county roads that got more and more narrow, and finally about 7 miles from the campground the road turned to gravel, then dirt. As we approached a dry, rocky stream bed, we decided it was time to unhook the car and attempt to turn around. Fortunately there was a spot to turn just before we unhooked so Jim didn’t have to back up for miles on the road. It is nice to have a GPS to rely on, but sometimes I think we need to go back to maps.

The sites here at Fox Ridge are very private and wooded, with electric but no water at the sites, for $20 a night. After we got settled we went for a hike on a couple of the trails. Lots of trees, and lots of stairs, and this was our view from the Eagle’s Nest lookout.

Nothing but more trees.

But it was a good workout. This is our third day of no sun, and we are about at our limit for gray skies. Hope we drive into some sunshine tomorrow.

Busy in Indianapolis

2011-09-26T21:41:00.001-05:00

The main reason we are in Indianapolis was for Jim to see an ophthalmologist for a six month check up after his cataract surgery. Since he has Fuch’s corneal dystrophy, an eye disease he inherited from his mother, there is a chance that someday it may progress to the point of needing corneal transplants. One of the top corneal specialists in the country is Dr. Frances Price, right here in Indianapolis. Jim decided he wanted to see him to become established as a patient in the event that he needs the surgery one day.

After numerous tests, Dr. Price discussed some issues Jim was having, told him he would be a candidate for the newer, less invasive transplant procedure, and said he would like to see him again in a year. At least he didn’t think he was in need of surgery any time soon. He also asked Jim if he would mind being part of a study he was doing, so after signing some paperwork, they did more tests, and said they would send Jim a check for $20 for his participation. Good deal!

The doctor’s office was just a few miles from our friend Doug’s art studio/apartment, so we stopped by to see him. He lives in an interesting old building which was a former sex club. It works well for him since he has about 5000 square feet, plenty of room to work and store his art. His neighborhood is within walking distance of a bunch of restaurants and shops, so we took a walk and had dinner at Moe and Johnny’s. Good food, good beer, and good company. We have really enjoyed reconnecting with old friends the past couple of months.

Tomorrow we’re heading to Illinois on our way to Arkansas.

Riverbend Campground, Noblesville, IN

2011-09-24T22:16:00.001-05:00

After a late start yesterday waiting on the rain to stop, we finally gave up, unhooked, dumped in the drizzle, and drove 180 miles to Riverbend Campground in Noblesville, IN. It’s sort of a strange campground on the bend of the White River, with a lot of seasonal rentals, but we got a nice water and electric site next to a soybean field for $22 a night, the best I could find near Indianapolis.

Our view.

The few riverfront sites available were sandwiched in between other RVs, which wasn’t very appealing, but the river is pretty.

Today between rain showers we walked a few miles on the White River Greenway Trail, part of a 9 mile paved trail starting at Potter’s Bridge, a covered bridge built in 1871 and restored in 1937 and 1999.

Some of the fall color looking through one of the windows in the bridge.

Later this afternoon we took a drive to Carmel, a suburb of Indianapolis just north of town. Our friend Doug, (ex-husband of Ellen, whom we visited in Bloomington last month), is an artist and had an exhibit at the Carmel International Arts Festival this weekend.

We had not seen Doug since he started his new career many years ago and were impressed with his work. He was pleased at the number of sales he made on the first day of the Festival.

Much of his artwork is painted on mortar over wood, so can be displayed outdoors.

We really liked these 3D works that were actually burned. They look much better than the photos.

On the way home tonight we stopped at Trader Joe’s. I always buy too much but it could be a long time before we see another one.

Kokosing Gap Trail, Mt. Vernon, OH

2011-09-23T07:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a better day, no rain, no tooth problems, so we took a 30 mile drive to Mt. Vernon and the the start of the Kokosing Gap Trail. This is a 13.5 mile paved Rails-to-Trails that ends in Danville.

The trail follows the Kokosing River most of the way and there are several railroad trestles with great views of the river. It is mostly wooded with a few areas of corn fields and farms. Very rural and not many people on a weekday.

If you make it all the way to Danville and continue on a couple blocks into town, there is a soft serve ice cream shop, which of course we had to try. It was an enjoyable 27 mile ride. Then we met Kim at Mellow Mushroom last night for pizza and a couple beers. I’m sure we more than wiped out all those calories we burned on the ride.

We had a nice surprise yesterday when we got an email from Mastercard telling us they are sending a check for $185 for our broken camera. It was out of the one year Panasonic warranty, but since we purchased it with our Mastercard, which extends the warranty another year, it was still covered. Jim spent a good bit of time on the phone trying to get the claim filed, but it was worth it in the end. Now we just have to make a decision on a camera.

Another Town, Another Dentist

2011-09-21T18:06:00.001-05:00

It was a rainy day and we had nothing better to do, so Jim decided to break off a portion of a crown while brushing his teeth this morning. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but this is one he had replaced in Palm Desert, CA last November.

He found a dentist about 15 miles from the state park who was able to get him in at noon. He repaired the crown temporarily to the tune of almost $300, but said he needs to have it replaced soon. Jim called and got an appointment to see our old dentist in Pensacola when we are there in October to get a new one made, which will probably be close to another thousand bucks. I was really hoping we were going to get through 2011 without any more big dental bills, but that was wishful thinking.

While Jim was on the phone this morning we got a message from Kelly, our former next door neighbor in Pensacola who is a pilot for Southwest. He had a layover in Columbus until three today and saw that we were in the neighborhood. Too bad it didn’t work out to meet him for lunch since it is his birthday today.

Since the day was already ruined, after we left the dentist Jim decided he would get a shingles vaccination and we would both get flu shots at a nearby Walgreens. It was all free since we’ve met our out of pocket for the year, and Walgreen’s automatically files the insurance.Told you we shouldn’t have seen Contagion!

We ended up not eating lunch until 3:30, so we are saving pizza for tomorrow night. The weather is supposed to be better and we plan to go for a bike ride, barring any unforeseen dental emergencies.

Alum Creek State Park, Delaware, OH

2011-09-21T07:53:00.001-05:00

We drove 220 miles yesterday to Alum Creek State Park, just north of Columbus, OH. The new tires seem fine although they sound different than the Michelins.

This is a huge campground, close to 300 sites, but there are very few people here. It took us an hour last night to walk all the loops in our section. Luckily they take Passport America Sunday-Wednesday, so we are paying $14 a night for 2 nights, and the full $28 for Thursday. Electric at all the sites but we had to fill our water tank at the dump station. There is a big lake here, but very few sites have any view. Too many trees!

Our friends Dave and Kim, whom we stayed with on Middle Bass Island, actually live just 9 miles from here, so we will be visiting with Kim, as Dave is working in Denver this week. She called last night to tell us there was a Mellow Mushroom Pizza, our favorite, near their house. Guess where we’ll be eating tonight!

Still in Erie

2011-09-19T07:33:00.001-05:00

We’ve had a great almost three weeks here, but tomorrow we’re moving on. It’s been fun visiting with family and friends, and fortunately we’ve had more good weather days than bad.

We even went to see Conatagion the other day, the first time we’ve been to a movie theater in years. It’s a good story, but made us want to run out and get a flu shot when it was over.

We did more walking and biking at Presque Isle State Park. Just a few more pictures.

One of three lighthouses.

Marshy wetlands area.

And a turtle Jim rescued form the road.

Joann took us to Woodcock Creek Lake, about 30 miles south of Erie, for a nice five plus mile hike over the dam and around the lake. We forgot the camera that day. Guess we don’t need to buy another as we forget to bring the one we have half the time.

We visited Aunt Kay a few times. I did remember the camera yesterday.

My brother told me there was a photograph of our parents at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle, which is the state park visitor center. Don’t remember Dad ever mentioning it, so we went to check it out. Had I not known their picture was there I probably wouldn’t have known it was them, especially since the kids are not theirs! It took me awhile to recognize my three cousins. We’re guessing this was taken before my brother and I were born.

Diana, Barbara, Mom, Cyrene, and Dad.

And for a really eye opening before and after, here is a recent shot of my three cousins from the above photo.. Barbara and Cyrene on the left and Diana on the right.

I found out Dad’s headstone had been stored at the cemetery for the past three and a half years, since my brother didn’t pay the money to have it placed. So I took them a check for $85 and two days later it was in the ground. Better late than never, I guess.

Tomorrow we’ll be trying out our new tires across Ohio, working our way to Arkansas for the Lazy Daze Regional Adventure the first week in October.

A Pleasant Surprise and More Presque Isle Pics

2011-09-13T21:20:00.001-05:00

When Jim was researching tire prices last week, one of the places told him to call Michelin and see if they would do anything on the price even though the tires were out of warranty. He called and they opened a file and told him to have the tire place call them once they got the tires off and inspected the sidewall cracking. Apparently the tires looked really bad, or the sales manager did a good job with his description, but they ended up giving us a 50% discount on the new tires. Since Michelin owns Uniroyal, we opted for the less expensive Uniroyal tires, and ended up only paying $600 out the door for six new RV tires. The sales manager said he was surprised since normally they will give a 15-30% discount at most. That definitely made our day!

We’re having such a nice time in Erie we’ve decided to stay another week. The past two days have been sunny and warm, and we did another bike ride and several walks around Presque Isle peninsula.

This week at Sara’s Campground we’ve had an old Winnebago with a new paint job,

an old Superior,

and a truck covered with bottle caps, which appears to be a work in progress.

Yesterday on our bike ride we passed the Lady Kate, a Lake Erie tour boat.

We were pestered by seagulls that wanted our Power Bars.

And rode past the houseboats on Horseshoe Pond. The state leases 24 spots, and they rarely come up for sale as most houseboats stay in the same family for years.

Some are very small,

and others look more like a real house. As a kid, I always wished we had one.

By the end of the week the highs are only supposed to be in the 50’s. All the Monarch butterflies we’ve been seeing may decide it’s time to start heading south for the winter, as we will.

Wildflowers at Presque Isle

2011-09-10T07:54:00.001-05:00

Or maybe just weeds?

No matter, they brightened up another dreary day in Erie.

Presque Isle State Park

2011-09-08T18:07:00.001-05:00

Wish I could say we took the above photo but I found it on Wikipedia. It does give a great perspective of the Presque Isle Peninsula, which we biked around this afternoon.

The sun actually came out off and on today and it was in the 70’s so we had to take advantage of the nice weather. Jim took a few pictures along our 16 mile ride.

The Perry Monument. This one isn’t quite as big as the one we saw on Put-In-Bay Island a couple weeks ago. The ships used in the Battle of Lake Erie were actually built in Erie, which is why the monument is here.

Downtown Erie across the bay. Very deserving of the “Dreary Erie” nickname.

Presque Isle State Park Marina.

And the best part of the ride, a stop at Sara’s diner, just in front of our campground, for ice cream.

Sara’s Campground, Erie, PA

2011-09-07T21:23:00.001-05:00

Since we didn’t want to wear out our welcome, yesterday we moved from our friend’s driveway to Sara's, a campground just at the entrance to Presque Isle State Park. It’s the only campground near the peninsula, so it tends to be crowded during the summer season. As of Labor Day, it honors Passport America, so we’re paying $20 a night with full hookups and cable that works. The best part is that the 13 mile paved trail through the state park starts just next to the campground, so it’s a great place to walk and bike.

After our miserable weekend of the 90’s, the weather changed overnight, and for the past two days now it’s only been in the 60’s, cloudy and windy with occasional rain just like the Erie weather I remember.

We took a few pictures from our walks along the bay and lake.

White caps in the bay, looking towards downtown..

It was much calmer on Lake Erie.

We both went to the dentist yesterday afternoon to get our teeth cleaned, so we got that chore out of the way for awhile.

On the way to the campground yesterday we stopped at a local tire store to get them to check the tires on the Lazy Daze. The sidewalls on the original Michelin tires have had cracks for several years, but they are getting much worse. The guy didn’t try to push new tires on us, but said they should probably be replaced soon to be safe. Since they are 5 years old anyway, we are going to have it done while we’re here. Jim is just researching and deciding which ones we should go with, since we know quite a few people with Michelins who’ve had premature cracking.

Today we did laundry, retrieved something from our friend’s trash that I accidently threw away, and visited the cemetery where my parents are buried. i was stunned that there was no headstone on my dad’s grave. I called the funeral home and they said it had been ordered in August 2007 and should have been placed within 6 months. My brother and sister-in-law came over tonight, so I asked him about it. He said he got some paperwork in the mail several years ago asking him to come in and pay another $75 but he never did it. I think I got the ball rolling again so maybe it will get done one of these years. Family can drive you crazy sometimes! (They have no computer so they never read the blog.)

Family

2011-09-05T07:28:00.001-05:00

We’ve been spending most of our time visiting and camera shopping since we got to Erie. Still haven’t decided on a camera. Is it that we are getting old and can’t make decisions or are there just too many choices these days?

Saturday night we had dinner at Boston’s Pizza with my brother, nieces and one great niece. My great nephew was at grandma’s so we haven’t seen him yet.

Nieces Lisa and Kara.

Lisa and her husband Rick.

Cute almost four year old Alexis, Rick and Lisa’s little girl, with her favorite grandpa, my brother Bob. She was the best kid we’ve ever had dinner with, sat still and colored during the whole meal.

Yesterday we went to a local assisted living facility to visit my only remaining aunt, Kay. When we were here three years ago she wasn’t doing well and I was afraid I wouldn’t see her again, but she’s still hanging in there at almost 89.

This is only the second time I’ve been back to Erie since my dad died in July 2007, and it just doesn’t seem the same here without him, but life goes on.

This afternoon we had lunch with my nieces again, and both their kids. This is Marques, who will be 5 next month. He was only 2 the last time we saw him and has turned into a very cute, polite, precocious little guy. I am impressed with how my nieces are raising their kids, since they still seem like kids themselves.

Then we stopped by my brother’s house to see their two new kittens, which we were so busy playing with we forgot to take pictures of. This is actually the house we grew up in. Dad sold it to Bob and Sue in 1983, a couple years after Mom died. Always brings back good memories going back there.

Erie, PA

2011-09-03T07:44:00.001-05:00

We arrived back in my hometown of Erie, PA late Thursday afternoon after a sleepless night of thunderstorms, which flipped a breaker and caused the inverter to quit working. It was a good learning experience as it turned out to just be a reset switch on the inverter, but it took a few hours to figure it out.

We are now tucked away in the driveway of good friends Joe and Joann, who also have an RV which they moved to let us squeeze in among the plants.

Good thing they have nice neighbors who said it was fine for us to walk through their yard to get out. It’s a pretty tight campsite but the price is right!

And the flowers are lovely.

As is our luck this summer, it got into the low 90s yesterday, way too hot since we can’t run the AC on their 15amp outlet. While Joann and I went to a friend’s house for a birthday drink, Jim stayed home and ran the generator and AC for a couple hours to cool things off. It did get in the upper 60s overnight and is only supposed to get to 88 today. By Monday the high is predicted to be 67, so I’m sure we will then be complaining about the cold.

Birthday girl Denise on left, and Joann, friends since junior high!

Punderson State Park, Newbury, OH

2011-08-31T20:19:00.001-05:00

We drove just about 100 miles yesterday, and are now east of Cleveland at Punderson State Park. Driving through Cleveland we were happy to have our new GPS with the lane assist feature, which shows a little picture of what lane you need to be in for the next exit or turn. Too bad the navigator didn’t quite understand the picture, and we ended up in the wrong lane, which when it recalculated took us through the ‘hood! We were hoping we didn’t have a mechanical breakdown, but made it out and finally into a really scenic neighborhood of huge old homes. The problem was the road was very narrow, rough, and only had a 35 mph speed limit. It was a long last 20 miles to the park!

We got a nice site on the lake, but the trees are so dense it is hard to see it.

Last evening we took a bike ride to explore the park, which has a golf course, lots of cabins, and a lovely lodge and restaurant.

Unfortunately this is not one of the Ohio parks that honors Passport America, so we are paying $25 a night for our site. What surprised us is there are almost 200 sites, 5 with full hookups for $31, and the rest with only 20 amp electric. This is the first time we’ve stayed at a campground that didn’t have at least 30 amp service. We tried the AC and it didn’t trip the breaker, but it is cool enough that we didn’t really need it anyway.

The zoom on our camera is malfunctioning and the lens is scratched, so today we drove to Mentor, 20 miles north, to check out Best Buy and for me to get a much needed haircut. Jim would like a camera with a better zoom, but we got so confused and overwhelmed with all the choices, we didn’t buy anything.

After we got back we hiked a few miles around the lake. We are getting tired of trees and woods, and long for the vistas we were seeing out west. Didn’t see anything interesting on the trail until right at the end when we found these colorful mushrooms growing on a fallen log.

It has been a week since Oreo died and we miss him horribly. Fortunately our other boy Quincy doesn’t seem to be aware that he is gone. Probably because he is getting all the attention now.

Put-In-Bay, OH

2011-08-29T21:38:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we took the Sonny S, a passenger-only ferry, from Middle Bass Island to Put-In-Bay, a village on South Bass Island, and only a 10 minute ferry ride away.

Put-In-Bay is the party island, whereas Middle Bass is the quiet one.

Everyone rents golf carts or walks and rides bikes to the various restaurants, bars, and shops on the island.

It was really crowded, but we went in a couple bars and listened to some live music from the 60’s and 70’s played by a bunch of guys who looked older than us. The crowd wasn’t real young, either.

Then we walked to the Perry Memorial, part of the National Park system. They have a large piece of land on the water with a very nice visitor center and a huge monument, which is currently under reconstruction. Put-In-Bay was the location of the squadron of U.S. naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry, who sailed from the port on September 10, 1813 to fight the British just north of the island in the Battle of Lake Erie.

A view of the memorial from the ferry.

Kim and Dave, with the monument on the side of his head.

We had a very pleasant weekend and left today on the 12:15 ferry. The weather was much better, light winds and sunshine. We were even able to get out and go on the upper passenger deck during the ride.

We are in the front, and there was a big Class A behind us. There were also two large dump trucks and many cars. Kim said she never saw so many large vehicles on the ferry at the same time. Luckily we made to the mainland without incident..

Approaching land. Good thing Jim washed our roof this weekend.

The car was still there when we got off the ferry and we drove a whole 5 miles back to East Harbor State Park to spend the night. I forgot to mention when we were here last week that many of the Ohio state parks honor the 50% off Passport America discount Sunday-Wednesday, so we are only paying $13.50 a night to stay here, a great deal.

Middle Bass Island, OH

2011-08-26T19:01:00.001-05:00

First I would like to thank everyone for the kind comments about Oreo. I don’t know how Jim was able to write that last post, because I don’t think I could have done it for a long time.

We managed to get aboard the ferry yesterday at Catawba, a rather anxiety inducing trip. It was windy so Lake Erie was very choppy and we were squeezed in so tightly the driver’s door was the only one with barely enough room to get out, which Jim did to take a couple pictures. Our mirrors had to be pushed in.

It was a 45 minute ride to go 7 miles, with a cost of $140 round trip. We left the car in one of several free parking areas, since that would have been another $40.

A house we saw on South Bass Island from the ferry. They cut this boat in half and built a house around it. Quite unique.

At least we have a free place to park behind our friends, Dave and Kim’s, house on the island.

We’ve gone for a few walks and a bike ride so far. Although the island is only a bit over 800 acres, we managed to ride our bikes almost 10 miles last night. This is a beautiful place, mainly private residences, with just a couple restaurants, bars, stores, a state park for tent camping only, and an RV park.

Dave and Kim got a couple cute dogs since we last saw them in Columbus three years ago. This is Jake and Ellie.

A few scenes from Lake Erie.

You can barely make out the nuclear power plant on the horizon on the left.

This has been a nice diversion, enjoying time with old friends, having a few drinks and laughing a lot. It still seems very empty coming back to the rig and only one cat.

A Loss

2011-08-24T18:48:00.001-05:00

This is one of life’s little adventures we and I am sure everyone can do without but is unavoidable.

Today, we finally lost our best friend, Oreo. He was as the saying goes a different breed of cat and I mean that in the personality sense. Gayle and I have shared space with quite a few cats in the past nigh on 29 years. Despite what dog owners may think cats are all different, each with his or her own personality.

We loved them all. Some were more of the standoffish variety and some were more people kind of cats, if you know what I mean.

For us, however, he was a cat of a different color. When I picked him out of the carrier at the humane society some 15 or so years ago he immediately draped himself around my neck and purred. He did the same with Gayle, although, he sneezed in her face. He also did it with the air conditioner repair guy who happened to be in our house on a job.

He was the only cat who would come to you when you whistled for him from wherever he might be in the house. While we always had at least two cats at any time he would seek us out to play with him. He chasing us and we him. Him hiding behind a doorway and leaping out at you when you walked by. You get the idea.

He seemed as though he tried as hard as he could to understand what you were saying to him and, of course, we all talk to our friends. He didn’t talk so much to us at first but as he grew older and especially after we started full timing he talked to us a good bit. He liked very much going outside and sitting on the picnic table or a chair we had for him and he would tell us about this quite often nagging us at the door and looking at you with that hopeful expression.

When we traveled in the rig he had to ride in the lap of the passenger whoever that might be.

In other words he was a people cat of the highest order. I don’t want to bore you with all of it as we can only stand so much cuteness.

Of course, he has another buddy who will likely be missing him as well on those cold nights and when he wants to play.

I use to find myself sort of hoping that he would outlive me although I realized that meant an early demise for me because I always dreaded this day.

So, from the blog some of you know he has been sick for awhile but his quality of life seemed good until these last few weeks. It became worse in the last several days although for some silly reason we were hoping he would make it back to Erie with us. The real truth being we hoped he would never die.

But all good and bad things come to an end and so it was today with our friend.

Luckily for me I married well and made at least one good choice in a buddy. He will be truly and sorely missed but never forgotten.

Airstream Factory Tour

2011-08-23T21:00:00.001-05:00

No, we’re not buying an Airstream, but since we were 27 miles from the factory in Jackson Center, OH, we decided to take the tour. Jim realized he forgot the camera while we were driving there, but as it turned out they don’t allow photos, so it didn’t matter. The tour starts in the service center lobby, and the whole building has aluminum walls and Airstream decor. Pretty classy. There is also a store which sells everything from Airstream clothing to Christmas ornaments.

The only thing they allowed us to photograph was the service area, where they had this chopper and sidecar designed by Jesse James. We were told his ex-wife Sandra Bullock has an Airstream trailer, too.

The tour lasted about an hour and a half, and it was really fascinating to watch the workers assembling them from the ground up. It only takes 9 days to build from start to finish. They turn out about 35 per week now, but back in the 60s at their peak they turned out 23 per day.

They are then shipped to RV dealers around the country, so there is no showroom at the factory. We didn’t get to see any that were completely finished, but as much as we like the exterior, the ones we went in felt kind of cramped inside. Guess it’s good we didn’t fall in love with them, since they’re pretty pricey for a travel trailer.

Today we drove about 120 miles to East Harbor State Park, in Lakeside- Marblehead, OH, on Lake Erie. This is one of those giant parks with over 500 campsites. Most of the sites are fairly close and open but we managed to get a shaded, private site. Even though we can hear the boats in the harbor behind us, there are no views of the lake from any campsites.

Tonight we rode our bikes around the park and to the beach. I grew up in Erie, PA and spent lots of time on the beaches of Lake Erie. When I moved to Pensacola I was awestruck by the white sand. I always thought sand was supposed to look like dirt.

We were planning to take the Lazy Daze on a ferry to Middle Bass Island Thursday, but Oreo is not doing well and we aren’t sure we want to be on an island for 4 days where there is no vet. Guess we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

Bicycle Museum of America, New Bremen, OH

2011-08-21T17:42:00.001-05:00

Not only did we get to ride our bikes a couple times this weekend around the lovely Grand Lake area, but we also took a short drive 10 miles south to New Bremen, OH, home of the Bicycle Museum of America. I saw the museum advertised in one of the tourist magazines we got at the park office, and thought about going, but when we got a comment from fellow bloggers at Palms-Americana telling us about it, we knew we had to go. And are we glad we did!

The museum has hundreds of bikes on three floors, and it’s hard to know where to begin looking. We first watched a video on how to ride a high wheeler, or an “ordinary” as they were called. They even have one on a trainer that you can ride, which we did. Not a very comfortable seat, and they didn’t get on them using steps!

I’ll post a few of the more interesting bikes, but if anyone really loves looking at bicycles, you can see all the pictures Jim took here.

One of the first bikes ever built, the 1816 Draisine. No pedals, you straddle it and push with your feet like a scooter. There is a leather cord to pull for the brake.

The Shire Boneshaker, from the 1870’s. I’m sure it was deserving of the name.

An unusual trike.

A 1901 Sled Bike. It has a sled runner for a front wheel and giant studs on the rear tire for use in snow and ice.

Lots of innovative drive trains.

Strange looking saddles.

And just some of the coolest bikes we’ve ever seen.

And if that wasn’t enough, the elderly man who sold us our tickets (only $2 admission, by the way), asked us if we wanted to see some more bikes before we left, and showed us down into the basement. Wow! I think we liked the Bicycle Museum even more than the RV Museum.

Saw this ad for an organized ride coming up in September in Arcanum, Ohio. It’s a timed 30 mile ride. For every donut you eat along the way they deduct 5 minutes off your time. Jim was ready to sign up, even though we don’t even know where Arcanum is!

After leaving the museum we took a walk around New Bremen, where Bremenfest was taking place this weekend. Your usual fair food, amusement rides, and the ever popular mud volleyball.

Glad we came to this part of Ohio. Who would have known?

Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, OH

2011-08-19T20:02:00.001-05:00

Since we were close to Michigan and have never been, we thought we might find a nice spot on Lake Michigan for the next few days. After some research I found that all the state parks on the lake were booked for the weekend, plus they cost $24 a night, and there is an $8 charge for each vehicle. the car and the RV. That’s pretty pricy for a state park, and we didn’t care to see Michigan that badly this time around. Since we only have a week before we go to our friends house on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie, we decided to just move on to Ohio.

I picked Grand Lake St. Marys State Park because it is also on a lake, Grand Lake, the largest man-made lake in Ohio. We got a nice site with a view, and since there is a toxic algae problem, swimming and eating fish from the lake is not recommended.The park decided to charge half price for the summer season to attract some business, so we are paying $12.50 a night with electric.

Today we checked out the town of St. Marys and Memorial Park to take a walk along the old towpath of the Miami-Erie Canal. We forgot the camera so Jim took a few pictures with the phone.

The park has a replica of an old canal boat.

St. Marys seem to be a nice little town. Hope to do some cycling while we are here as the roads are nice and flat and there are some pretty areas around the lake to ride.

Shipshewana Flea Market and Elkhart, IN

2011-08-18T21:06:00.001-05:00

I spent a couple hours wandering the aisles of the Flea Market just after it opened at 8 yesterday morning. It is much bigger than I thought, but not as big as Quartzsite.

They had the usual flea market stuff for sale, along with a farmer’s market, where I bought some excellent tomatoes, cucumbers, and blueberries. I splurged and got a small strawberry-rhubarb pie from a cute young Amish woman. She said it was just baked. We ate it as soon as I got back, just the right size for two. It wasn’t bad, but I was thinking of my mother’s rhubarb pie, and the crust just didn’t compare. I remember my mother using a shortening called Fluffo, (does anyone else remember that?) so maybe that’s why her crust was always so good.

I also bought a package of 6 sponges for a dollar. We got a big kick out of the label. Don’t think I’ve ever seen quite as bad a job of translation!

We then drove 20 miles to Elkhart, IN, which has been called the RV Capital of the World due to the large number of RV manufacturers in the area. We stopped at a couple of RV parts outlets but didn’t buy anything, then spent a couple hours at the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum. It was worth the $8 admission to see all the cool old RVs.

They have done a good job of displaying the RVs but the lighting wasn’t the best for taking pictures. Here are a few but if you have any interest you can see their entire collection here.

Looking down from the second floor.

We liked this 1931 Ford Model AA Housecar, but it must have been a harsh ride.

1937 Hayes Motor Home, with an interesting history.

1954 Yellowstone Travel Trailer, a high end trailer with residential appliances.

Take a look inside.

Star Streak II, another unique motor home with an interesting history.

1929 Pierce Arrow Fleet House Car.

A ‘67 Winnebago motor home.

And finally a 1974 GMC Motor Home. These were built between 1973-1978, and we still see quite a few on the road. We love the look but were disappointed in the interior.

If you have any interest in RVs, this museum is a great place to spend some time. We’re glad we went.

Last evening we went for a bike ride around the beautiful Amish farms surrounding Shipshewana. A nice low traffic place to ride. but you have to look out for the horses and buggies (and poop). We really liked the area. Too bad there are only a few expensive RV parks to stay in or we would have spent more time.

And tonight we are on Grand Lake in St. Mary’s, Ohio. More about that later…

Shipshewana, IN

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We drove 220 miles to Indiana’s Amish country today, an unusually long drive for us. Between the 30 minute traffic delay in Indianapolis, and stopping for gas and lunch, it took us over 6 hours. We are not fast travelers.

Our destination was the Shipshewana RV Park, right on the grounds of the famous flea market, which only takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Since the weather has been so nice, we thought we might dry camp for $12 rather than pay $27 or $33 for the full hookup sites. By the time we got here there we only a few pull through full hookup sites left, so we are paying $33 a night, the most we’ve paid for a campsite since we started fulltiming almost three years ago. But it is just a short walk to the flea market, which I will be getting up early to check out in the morning.

We will probably stay one more night and drive to Elkhart tomorrow afternoon to go to the RV Museum, since the RV parks near Elkhart are just as expensive.

We’re about a half mile to town so tonight we took a walk through the downtown area.

It’s very pretty around here, and fun to see all the horses and buggies, many of them towing small trailers with all kinds of junk in them.

There is one big downside to Amish country, though.

Lake Monroe, Bloomington, and Nashville, IN

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Friday we hiked a couple miles on a nice trail down to Lake Monroe. It is a huge lake and there are many recreation areas with campgrounds, marinas and boat ramps along the shoreline, which is all part of the Hoosier National Forest.

The weather here has been almost perfect since we arrived, other than a thunderstorm last night and some clouds today. It’s been in the upper 70’s to mid 80’s, and getting in the low 60’s at night, which feels wonderful.

Our friend Ellen came over to see our “house” Friday night, then we went out to dinner. We think the last time we visited her and Doug was circa 1992 when they lived in Dallas, but we aren’t positive.

This is a photo from the late 80’s when they lived in Pensacola and Ellen worked for the state with Jim as a probation officer. She is now a children’s librarian, quite a change in careers. (Hope you guys don’t mind I put this in the blog!)

We ate dinner at the Scenic View Lodge and Restaurant, only about 10 miles from the campground. They have a huge outdoor deck with a beautiful view of Lake Monroe. It was a lovely night to watch the full moon rise over the lake, and our vegan waiter recommended a unique pizza for us that wasn’t on the menu. Barbeque sauce, red onions, capers, fresh spinach and candied walnuts. It was one of the best pizzas without cheese that we’ve ever eaten.

Yesterday we picked up Ellen at her condo, which is really in a great setting on a golf course, and drove into downtown Bloomington. She took us to the county library where she works, then we toured the campus of Indiana University.

These are the Sample Gates, leading into the historic Old Crescent area of campus, where a wedding party was hamming it up for the cameras. There is a pretty chapel nearby on campus, and according to a sign there were three weddings there yesterday.

We also walked along a pedestrian/bike trail downtown, which has some interesting sculptures on the trail, like this huge dining table.

We ate a late lunch at The Owlery, a vegetarian restaurant in a cute old house. Our grilled tempeh sandwich was really good, but not as good as the pizza Friday night. Ellen had the coconut Macadamia fried tofu dipped in peanut sauce, which even tofu haters would have to love.

Today we had breakfast at Panera in Bloomington, bought a new GPS at Target, and tried it out on a 15 mile drive east to Nashville, IN. It is billed as an artist community, and it was a really cute town with blocks and blocks of shops and restaurants but it was mostly touristy stuff. All we bought was a bag of Pennsylvania Dutch butterscotch candy, which we thought was funny considering we’re close to Indiana’s Amish country.

We’ve had a great weekend in the Bloomington area, and really enjoyed our time with Ellen. We decided to stay until Tuesday so we can just hang around the park tomorrow.

Hardin Ridge Recreation Area, Bloomington, IN

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We drove about 90 miles today and saw more cornfields than we’ve ever seen before.

We found a nice site with electric in the Bluegill Loop of Hardin Ridge Recreation Area, just southeast of Bloomington, IN. It would be hard to dry camp and get any charge from the solar panels in these deep dark woods.

Took a bike ride this evening through all the campgrounds and down to Lake Monroe. Too bad there are no sites overlooking the lake.

We found out what Indiana does with it’s old Hoosiers.

This appears to be a really nice area and we’re looking forward to seeing our friend Ellen tomorrow and checking out Bloomington.