Sights and sounds around town. . .

On Thursday we attended our last Rock 'n Roll Jam at Enchanted Valley Ranch. It was the best we had been to. There were some very good singers and excellent musicians. Even the "not-so-good" singers sang better than usual. One of the guitarists likes to play instrumentals and we like to hear them. I planned to upload the file of him playing "Pipeline," but it was too large, so I will try to link it to a web file. There was a new player this week. He played the tenor sax and sang and was very good. He also sells tapes of his music.

We went out and ran errands yesterday. I had to get a new passport picture taken and we got that done. Terry bought some plastic pipe so he could make some carriers for our front windshield mask and the side window masks. He was happy with what he got and made some nice carriers that will protect those items.

Every day we work at completing yet another job in closing down our place here. So many people are putting their places up for sale. There are all kinds of park models, RV lots and and trailers for sale with/without canopies, some are single lots, some double. A lot of the Canadians are wanting to sell out because their dollar is not as strong against the US dollar right now. Also, as they get to be 70, they say their health insurance supplements are much more expensive and they cannot afford to be without it. They pay as much as $7000 a year for supplemental coverage, so even if they sell their places cheap, they aren't spending that money every year. I'm telling you, if you are interested in a place in the Rio Grande Valley, they can be had reasonably in a nice park. Our yearly fees are $250, that's all!

One of the residents in our park has planted Texas Bluebonnets in their side yard. They are actually a wildflower, but I think the state flower of Texas. You can easily see them alongside the roads in the spring.

Yesterday on our way home, we saw what looked like a park model being towed up in front of us. As we got closer, we realized it was not a park model but an actual home! Well, I use that term loosely. I'm not sure why anyone was bothering to move it because it looked like it should have been torn down, but who are we to judge. At any rate, I'm sure it cost more to move than it was worth. The driver had to snake around under the stop lights which were lower than the home, but they were getting the job done!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Winding Down!

The weather has just been plain crappy here in the valley this winter. I tried to be optimistic thinking nothing could be as bad as last year, but this year ran a close second. . . no, I would say it tied for first with last year. I know we shouldn't complain because it is worse up north, but we choose to come down here to have nice weather all winter and that just hasn't happened.

So what does one do when the weather is bad? Well, we don't get out much that's for sure. I started going to a Friday afternoon sewing group. Sometimes there are new projects shared that you may wish to create, or sometimes you can do your thing alongside others doing something else. I started crocheting ruffled scarves. I have tried to get someone to show me how to do these with no luck. So I looked it up on the internet and made my own. What's funny is that after I got some finished, then people were willing to tell me what I did wrong. LOL Thanks. But I have perfected my work and know how to get the result I want now. I made some arm knitted cowls earlier in the year and some of the ruffled scarves.

My latest project has been bags. Some people use them for beach bags because they have a mesh bottom and sides so they would be good for that, but they can be used for anything. They really aren't hard to do and I can make two in one day, even taking time to fix lunch. Here are the ones I have made.

 

It has been fun making these, but I have put everything away now. Time to concentrate on what needs to be done here before we leave in three weeks. There were some other quilt projects the girls did this year and I didn't do those, but I got the patterns, so I may try those next year. They are simple projects if you have the patterns and instructions.

Mom and Dad are doing okay. Daddy is still in a lot of discomfort from his back and no one has been able to help with that other than to give him pain pills. Then he sleeps a lot. We have been to a couple of the dinners over at the hall.

Terry and I have been going to the rock 'n roll jam over at Enchanted Valley Ranch this year. It's pretty good. They have some really great musicians and we love to hear them play. While they don't play rock (or our kind of rock) exclusively, it is much more palatable that the country jam they have at our park. At our park anyone who thinks they can sing gets to and some of them are so terrible. I don't understand people who are comfortable with getting in front of a crowd and proving they have no rhythm and can't carry a tune. But we have enjoyed the rock jams. Next week we are going to Canyon Lakes which also has a rock 'n roll jam. Should be fun. There was a couple who just left this morning and being here for a month. They are from Illinois and he is a rocker! He plays in a band, has most of his adult life and he is really good. He played at some of the jams we went to and then one night he came over and gave us a private concert. He is really good and we enjoyed his music.

We are leaving here March 23 and headed to Houston to see my cousin Jim. From there we will head to Florida to see Brandon, Megan, Brynlee and Jax and then on to Virginia to see Tom, Jocelyn, Ronan, Aenea, and Pepper. After that we will be headed to Indiana for doctor appointments.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Life in the S L O W lane. . .

Not much going on down here in the valley. We have had some warmer days, but we always seem to revert back to colder temps and/or rainy days. . . sometimes both. One day we are sitting out under the canopy in shorts and the next day we are inside in sweats with the heat on. Will it never end?

Yesterday (Sunday) we had Mom and Dad over for lunch. I had a roast with gravy, mashed potatoes, roasted sweet corn, broccoli and rolls for dinner and flan for dessert. They seemed to really enjoy it. We had our meal in the Texas Room because it's easier for Daddy to get in there than in the motorhome. And there is more room, so he is more comfortable. After lunch, Mom and I washed the dishes and got everything put away, so that was nice. Eventually they headed back home to watch the SuperBowl game and we stayed home and watched a movie, "Jack Ryan - Shadow Recruit." Good movie. We don't watch any games of any kind so the movie was a good choice.

We sprung a leak in our air bed on Friday night, so had to change that out. I always keep a spare mattress in the closet, so we were good to go. Just had to change sheets, etc., but it was time to do that anyway. Saturday morning we hopped into the golf cart and went over to Enchanted Valley Park right behind ours for garage sales. It's more fun than anything else, but I did pick up a few things. I'm a sucker for Christmas baskets and I found two, so bought those. Also found a neat wallhanging for $4 so bought it and we hung it above the table. I think it really looks good there.

I am starting to work on my fun projects now. . . scanning pictures, cross stitch, sewing, etc. I've got our taxes done. . . just waiting on taxes documents so I can send stuff in.

Till next time. . .

Dale

What a difference. . .

Yesterday the temps actually got up to 70 which was way nicer than it has been. It has been cold and rainy down here in the Rio Grande Valley, but still not as bad as last year. We have been running through a lot of propane and electricity, though, that's for sure. We keep heat in the Texas Room all the time because we spend a lot of time over there. And we keep the motorhome heated as well, mostly with propane because the heat pumps are so noisy under the canopy.

With the warmer weather yesterday, there were so many people out walking and riding their bikes, there were traffic jams in the streets. On my! I got the dogs out more yesterday because they really like being outside. Today is another cold day and it has started out wet, so that is going to be the rule today and tomorrow and then warmer temps return. It will be more in the "normal" range from then on. . . at least for the 10 days I can see on the weather site. Still better than what we would have if we were back in Indiana. And it is easier trying to keep warm when it is 40 than if it were -10; I try not to complain.

I have started working on our taxes for last year. I have a computer I use just for that and when I booted it up the other day it gave me lots of errors. . . same as before which is why I stopped using it, but it never locked up on me. Now it was locking up every 15-20 minutes and would require pulling the battery and unplugging it, then putting it back together and restarting, only to do it all over 20 minutes later. Not going to be able to get my tax stuff done if that keeps happening. I can't just use my other machine, because it is a Mac and my one bank does not communicate Quicken files to a Mac. Get with the times, Interra! So I have to have this one running in order to download the data and work it up.

So. . . I finally got smarter and rebooted in safe mode. I went in and uninstalled multiple programs I knew I didn't need. . . mostly games. And I no longer use McAfee, opting for a free antivirus since I only fire this computer up once a year, so I got rid of it. I rebooted and it has been running well ever since.  Good for me. I worked all day yesterday and got some stuff printed out and some other work done on the apartments. It isn't hard work and the computer makes it easy, but I have some sorting through records, etc., and it just takes time. I want to be ready to send it all off when I get my tax documents from everywhere. Having sold two houses this year will certainly cause some stress, but we already know about how much and part of it has been paid, so we are ready for that. We took the sales documents to our tax person this fall, so she already has that part worked up. It will be a lot easier when we finished selling off the apartments and no longer have that paperwork to do.

Mom and Dad's car has been in for service and hopefully will be done this week, so when it is, we will take them to go get it. I see eating out in our future! We don't go out often as it's hard for Terry's low sodium diet, but we do sometimes splurge!

Till next time. . .

Dale

We are ready!

We are ready for warmer weather, that's for sure. Shades of 2014 are clouding the horizon. That ol' North Wind just keeps blowing and when it does. . . we are in for cold, cold weather. Of course, it's not as bad as up north, back in Indiana or anywhere else north of I-10! So we try not to complain, but it is colder than we have come to expect down here. At least it's dried out for a few days here, but that is supposed to change as well, dipping into the 40's for the high Thursday and rain on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Yuck!

Mom's laptop bit the dust. When she tried to turn it on earlier this fall, it would not power up. I'm at a loss with laptops, but Terry's not afraid to try anything. He has torn his various machines apart and even my old Gateway and managed to fix most problems. So he decided to take on the project. He ended up replacing the ram, motherboard, CPU and the battery. It could be just the battery, but it was UNDER the motherboard so he didn't want to tear it all down and replace the battery, then find out something else was bad. He got all the parts off E-bay for less than $40 total and he fixed it! It's up and running again. We still need to update the browser, but she is back to playing cards again! Because of the browser issues, we can't easily get to her email, so a phone is still best if you want to talk to her.

Terry and I had to run Mom and Dad's car to the Ford dealer in Edinburg this morning for service, so it was a good excuse to eat out for breakfast! We ate at the 107 Cafe and it was pretty good. It's a nice little restaurant and everyone was very friendly.

We came on home so we wouldn't miss the propane guy. We need to fill up again in the motorhome. We use more gas because running our heat pumps is extremely noisy under the canopy, but we have been running the back one just to save a bit on propane.


While we have been home, our neighbors across from us were getting their roof re-coated. The guy running up and down the ladder did not have a belt on and when Terry looked out, he got almost a FULL MOON!!!!! Haha.  Didn't seem to bother him, but it only got worse as the morning rolled on. I don't see how he kept from falling as his pants were down so far, but he left in one piece. Ho ho.

Yesterday we went over to Enchanted Valley, a neighboring park in our system. They had the Gold Wing Express playing. This bluegrass group is comprised of a Dad and three sons. The boys' mother was a full blooded Creek Indian who died 15 years ago and they pay tribute to her and their Indian Heritage in their routine as well as all veterans. They play bass, lead guitar, mandolin, dobro and banjo. Steve, the banjo/dobro player said he first started picking the banjo at age 10, 33 years ago. They are all exceptional talents. It was a very good performance and I would encourage all who enjoy bluegrass to see them if they are in your area. They are in the RGV till mid February, but they also play in Branson. You won't be disappointed.

Last night we were treated to a much nicer "moon" shot. There were clouds, but the moon shown through and it was quite beautiful.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family. We had a great dinner with Mom and Dad. We entertained them once again in our Texas Room. It really is nice to have a fully functional apartment, even if it is small. But we have an oven and a cooktop and a refrigerator, so we can cook and heat up stuff. And even though the sink is small, Mom and I manage to do the dishes in it. And Daddy can move from the table to the sofa easily and watch the fire and the television while we clean up. And best of all, there is no hassle with crowds like over at the hall. They jam so many people into the room that you are constantly getting squished by somebody trying to get by you down the row. It's always a good time, but very hard for Daddy.

So we opted for a quiet dinner, just the four of us and the girls, who played with their kongs filled with treats! Dad especially liked watching them flip the kongs to get the goodies!

Yesterday, Saturday, was the day for me to take down decorations. I've got a list of stuff I wanted done and I didn't get it all done, but I did get that finished up. Our outside tree lost a string of lights and you can't just remove that string, you have to change the lights. All the lights on the strand were scorched, so Terry replaced every bulb to see if it would work. That did the trick, but we didn't have white lights, only multicolored, so now we have a tree with white lights top and bottom and flashing multicolored in the middle. LOL But it was an experiment to see if it was worth saving and it was. So last evening we braved Walmart and bought lots of lights on sale to replace the multicolored ones. We will wait to do that next year when we take the decorations out, but at least we have a plan. I put everything away except for my new little candle Terry got me for Christmas. I had seen it in the Texas Methodist Hospital gift shop while Terry was having surgery. I really liked it but couldn't bring myself the pay the price. I found it on line a few dollars cheaper and he bought it for me for Christmas. Score!

So the Texas Room is back in order with plenty of space. We will probably do something for New Year's even if it's just us. Mom and Dad have said they aren't celebrating, but they would probably eat some goodies if I took them some. We won't go out anywhere. The girls are doing really well with the fireworks. . . they used to be scared of the noise. . . sometimes even thunderstorms. But over the year they have become accustomed to sounds and they don't seem to be bothered by them anymore. Nonetheless, I don't like leaving them as they no doubt derive comfort from having us in close proximity.

I have been trying to do some crafty things. I made the wreath I posted about last week. I also have been doing some crocheting and knitting. I'm not making much yet, but I have been successful nonetheless. I made a two cowls using "arm knitting." It is knitting, but no needles, just your arms. LOL It does work and there are patterns for blankets, etc. They also do "finger knitting." I haven't tried that yet. I'm trying to do things with my hands because my fingers and joints are becoming arthritic and I want to keep them moving. I also made a ruffled scarf. Don't know if that is the name for it, but here is a picture. This used a wide "mesh" yarn that is really pretty easy to work with. Then I saw some "lace ruffle" scarves at a craft show and the lady told me where to get the stuff. She offered to teach me how to do it, but I found a youtube video that was surprisingly very well done and I made this last night. My big project now is to determine how to change the gauge of the ruffle and made them a little shorter. I'm having fun with it anyway!

Today it is raining and has turned colder. We've had two days of 80's and sun and now are back to 40's-50's and rain for a few days. So it's a good day for inside jobs, like defrosting the refrigerator. I also am going to try and bake myself some gluten free bread. All my last attempts ended in the trash can, so this time I bought some Pamela's bread mix. I haven't been disappointed with any other Pamela's mixes or products, so perhaps this will work. I have everything I need, so I hope this will be successful. I think today would be a good movie day too! Time to watch those couple dozen movies we have hidden away!

The year is almost over. I wish you all peace and a Happy New Year!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Better batten down the hatches!

Wind is nothing unusual here in the Rio Grande Valley. We normally enjoy a light breeze most of the time. We love this breeze. Surprisingly, it almost always has a "cool" feel to it. That is strange indeed when you have temperatures in the 80's and you have this cool breeze. If the breeze stops, though, it is hot and you will have bugs. So we like the breeze because we have no bugs! But it does promise to be challenging with winds in the 25-40 mph range and gusts up to 50. We've even heard we may have gusts up to 60. Certainly hope the canopy can weather that. I'm sure it will. I don't get nervous about it anymore. The first year we put it up, Hurricane Dolly hit the shore and we had winds of over 40 mph and she never gave up, although other awnings in the park were lost. So I think we're good. We have already secured most of our outdoor stuff, i.e, chairs, etc. I have an outside lit Christmas tree that I will bring in. I noticed the other night it has a string of lights out, so I will try to see if I can track that down.

Terry and I went out last night and looked at more Christmas lights. We went to four parks in our little compound here and saw quite a few displays. Love the golf cart ride!

 

 

Today I am going to get some preparation done for Christmas dinner. I need to make my jello salads and sweep the Texas Room, then I'm good. Terry said he has more presents to wrap, but I am done there, so we are good.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Holidays Approaching!

Since we got back from Houston, we have been doing some odd jobs. Our rear gas furnace went out in the motorhome and Terry has been researching what the problem is. He ordered parts and one day last week they arrived. He pulled the furnace, installed the new part, and it works! So glad he is handy like that. Not much he can't fix, but some stuff he won't tackle. This involved a new circuit board and he got the job done.

I have decorated for Christmas. I put up an outside tree and an inside tree and then some of my plastercraft decorations I made years ago. I have several small manger scenes, my favorite, displayed

in the Texas Room. Last Friday I joined some ladies for a class on wreath making. We made wreaths out of zip lock bags. It was easy, but it did take a lot of time. . . well, I was able to start it in the class and finish it that evening. I bought some decorations the next day and today I got it decorated. I thought it turned out very well.

I've finished my Christmas shopping. Did it all on line. Not Christmas shopping like I remember when I was younger, but more palatable in today's world. I miss shopping in the downtown area when it was cold and snowy. . . going from store to store. . . looking for bargains. Sometimes Mom and Dad would take us downtown and park on Main Street and "people watch." That was a favorite pastime when we were little. Downtown is still there, but the stores where we used to shop are no longer there. So we are all ready for Christmas. The presents are all wrapped and under the tree. The dogs have plenty to keep them occupied Christmas morning and new beds to crash on! They are spoiled, but so, so sweet.

We are hosting Mom and Dad again for Christmas dinner. We are having turkey again, but this time we bought a cooked hickory smoked turkey. Hope it's good. We just have to warm it up. We aren't having as big a dinner as we had for Thanksgiving, but it will be good anyway. We have already shopped for the groceries, so we don't have to go out for anything this week.

There are quite a few places decorated for Christmas in our park, although some of the other parks do more. I will take some pictures later when we go look. I took Mom and Dad once, but it has been colder the last couple days, so we haven't been out. But it should warm up again. Even when it is cold here, it's still in the 60's, so I'm not complaining! Just making an observation.

Till next time. . .

Dale

All is well . . .

The appointment went well in Houston with Dr. Doyle. He agreed to see Terry once a year so for now we are going to be seeing both his Indy doctor and the one in Houston. Best of both worlds! His incision has healed nicely and he is not having any issues. They interrogated the device and everything is working like it should.

We had an unexpected problem as we got in to Houston and that was Butterscotch. She got sick and was having trouble keeping food down and if that wasn't bad enough, she was having the "other" problem that follows along with the upset tummy. I spent two nights sleeping on the couch with her so I could take her out when she needed to go out. Monday we decided we would have to try and find a veterinarian in Victoria where we were planning on stopping for the night.

We left Houston Tuesday morning at the crack o'dark so we could make the stops we wanted and get in early enough to see a vet. We originally planned an appointment in the afternoon, but we got into the campground around 10:30 and I called the vet's office. They told me to bring her right in. So I drove the 4 miles over to the Victoria Animal Hospital and we were seen right away. They were very nice there and they were recommended by the campground host, so I am very glad we went. By this time, Butterscotch was definitely feeling poorly, but she was very cooperative with the doctor. She wasn't dehydrated, but clearly had some intestinal bug. The doctor gave her two shots, one for nausea, and one an antibiotic for the bad bacteria. She also gave her some oral meds which she is still on. She was clearly feeling better by the evening, but I could not feed her at all that day. Fortunately she did eat the next day and she is pretty much back to normal.

Because we were able to see the vet early, we were able to still make our rendevous with our friends, Jan and Wes. They are fulltimers as well and are members of our "Class of 2005" fulltimers. They spend the winter in Aransas Pass, Texas, and had been to Victoria for a doctor's appointment. We met them at Mumphord's Place, a BBQ joint in Victoria. Our friend, "The Texan," took us there a couple years ago and we have to go everytime we are in town! Jan and Wes enjoyed it as we did and we got to sit and visit for quite some time before they had to head back south and we returned to the motorhome and a recovering dog!

We are now back in the valley on our lot and plan to be here for a couple months, well, maybe four! So now we are getting things cleaned up and our Christmas decorations up, etc. We are enjoying warmer weather this year than we had last year and we are soaking that up!
 
While I was driving the other day, Terry snapped this picture of our girls. They are behind the driver's seat in front of the one slide. It forms a little cubbyhole back there and we put one of their cushions back there. They both like it and sometimes we find them both there!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Back to Houston

We really do like Houston and we lived here for three months 4 years ago while Terry underwent treatment for prostate cancer. That was successful. He didn't have surgery because of heart issues, but had the proton beam radiation. Thank goodness for choices today.

We will get into Houston later this morning or early afternoon. I have been up since 4 a.m. Grrrr. I hate stinkbugs. I had awakened and while laying there trying to get back to sleep, I felt something crawling on my arm. I jerked (my usual response to unknown creepy crawlies), then jumped up and got my little flashlight I keep at my bedside. Sure enough, there it was, so I ran to get a kleenex, but couldn't find it when I got back. Not to be outsmarted by a stupid bug, I kept looking till I found him and quickly grabbed him and did the quick flush with him. Ugh. I hate those things. So there's no getting back to sleep after that stimulus, so here I am blogging a bit later. Quick note:  I keep a flashlight bedside so if I have to get up during the night, I don't step on the dogs laying at the end of the bed. Butterscotch is the same color as the carpet and the flashlight has saved her getting stepped on multiple times!

We are in Houston for Terry's followup following his new ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator commonly called a pacemaker/defibrillator) placement two weeks ago. We commonly call it his "super deluxe auto a$$ kicker" because if it goes off, that pretty much sums up what it does. The previous device had used up its four years of battery life, but fortunately for Terry, it never "administered appropriate therapy." Tomorrow he will get the itchy tape off and a quick incision check then he's good to go.

Tuesday we head back south the the Rio Grande Valley with a stop back here at Gateway to the Gulf RV Park in Victoria, Texas. We are going to meet some other fulltiming friends who will be there for a doctor's appointment. Whoo hoo!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Getting ready to roll again. . .

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with Mom and Dad yesterday. I had fixed all my side dishes in disposable pans, so clean up would be quicker. We had turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green bean casserole, dressing and rolls. Then Mom brought cranberry salad, a relish tray and deviled eggs. We didn't make big portions of anything, so we wouldn't have so many leftovers to eat, but it was still a lot of food. It was all good, except the dressing was a flop. I pretty much know why. Next time I'll try my regular recipe. After dinner, we watched TV for awhile and just visited. It was a great meal and a great time with my parents. I really cherish these times with them.

Today I decided to get the Christmas tree put up. I was worried about whether or not I had enough time to decorate since it was already 1:30. By the time I finished the tree I looked at the clock and it was 2:30. Hahahaha. So I got more decorating done inside the Texas Room, but didn't put anything outside yet.

On Saturday we are heading back to Houston because Terry has to have his incision checked for his ICD and at the followup they we check to make sure the device is continuing to deliver the proper treatment for him. We are taking Phaeton Place and stopping in Victoria on the way up for a night and then will drive on in to Houston on Sunday. We will be staying at Lakeview this time. We will head back down to Victoria on Tuesday and will stay the night there. We will be meeting up with some friends who have to be in Victoria for a doctor's appointment, so we invited them to lunch at Mumphord's BBQ. Can't wait!

Once we get back down here, things will pretty much be back to normal which means relaxing for the next couple of months. We didn't get our "bling" out yet because we knew we would be leaving to go back to Houston. So we will be doing that when we return. The weather has been pretty good since we arrived. We have some cool nights, but it is warm during the day and coats have not been required.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Settling Down for the Winter!

We did finally leave Houston. We had an appointment on Monday, the 17th, with the doctor. We found him on Medtronic's website. They have a site called "Traveling with Medtronic" for people who have Medtronic devices. Everyone we talked with had nothing but good things to say about him. He is a younger doctor, so hopefully he won't retire on us. We met with him and he went over everything in his charts and then said he would be happy to make the changeout of Terry's ICD. So the nurse came in and scheduled it for the following day! Whoo hoo! I will say that normally these changeouts happen quickly because one's life is in the balance. But it is nice to be treated so very well by the doctor and his staff.

As luck would have it, on Monday night with cold temperatures in Houston, our rear furnace went out. Grrrrr. It wasn't critical in that we didn't have to worry about the holding tanks freezing, but we weren't able to easily heat the bedroom. So I dug out our little electric space heaters for the last night we were there. Terry did some troubleshooting and determined that the thermostat was bad, so he called PPL Motorhomes a few miles away and they had one in stock. So we hopped in the car and drove to PPL to get it. Terry was able to install it and now we have the heat pump, but still no gas furnace. So at least we have heat and once we are completely settled in at our place, he will tear the furnace apart. He's determined that it's the control board in the furnace, so he will be able to do that.

Tuesday afternoon we headed over to the hostpial at 1:00 for his arrival at 1:30. He got checked into his room and then it was a constant parade of nurses and technicians doing what they do. While we were waiting my cousins Jim and Pat arrived. They visited with us before Terry went to surgery and Pat brought some knitting so I could learn how to knit! She has really been special for teaching me. I have been trying to learn crocheting and knitting and she's the only one who has offered to spend time teaching me this craft. She and I had made some scarves using "arm knitting." I had learned how to do it at an FMCA rally and I had already made one, but I had forgotten how to do it from start to finish. I had bought yarn for two more scarves, so we each made one. It was a fun project for two cousins!

Terry left about 3:45, so we three went to the cafeteria so I could get something to eat. We had a nice visit and then headed back up to the room to find out that Terry was done and would be coming back to the room soon. The doctor came in and talked with me and told me everything went well. Then the Medtronic tech came in and said all was well and they set up this device exactly like the old one was set up. I was glad for that, as I don't like them messing with stuff that works the way we want it to. LOL Many thanks to Dr. Doyle and his staff for a great experience. We have to go back next week for a followup and we decided to take Phaeton Place. We will take a few days for the trip

The following day, Wednesday, we left and headed to the valley. Terry was feeling well, took a total of two pain pills (1/2 at a time) and was able to navigate for me. We stopped for the night in Edinburg. We were only about 40 miles away from Mission, but we didn't want to drive in after dark and we wanted to be rested up. So we stopped at Valley Gateway RV park. The hosts were very friendly and the park was not very full, so we got a pull through and didn't have to unhook. We could have, but I didn't want Terry causing any discomfort in his chest.

Thursday morning we drove into our park and got settled. Since we plan to leave Saturday to go back for Terry's checkup, we aren't getting all our "bling" out on our lot. But once we get back and Terry get released, we will be able to get some things done.

One thing I am planning is having Mom and Dad over for Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow! I had invited them a couple weeks ago. It's hard for Daddy to go over to the hall for dinner and I thought this way he would be in more comfortable surroundings. We are having it in the Texas Room and I have everything ready, I think. I got the turkey and ham ready to roast tomorrow. I made my side dishes and they are in the refrigerator ready to go. I made a Pecan Bar dessert that is done. Tomorrow morning I just have to bake and do the mashed potatoes, which Terry has volunteered to do. So we're good! It's going to be a good day tomorrow!

A few weeks ago when we left Zachary, Louisiana, we crossed the new bridge over the Mississippi at St. Francisville. We had been up there when the ferry was running, but had never seen the new bridge. So I've included a picture of that new bridge!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Time Stands Still . . .

Last week we left cousin Gary's and traveled to Paragon Casino in Marksville, Louisiana. We had been there years ago and we weren't disappointed. It's a beautiful campground and very well laid out. The sites are all 75 feet long, so you can pull in and take your time unhooking later if you like. It is full hookup with 50 amp and is a Passport America Park. We camped here for $11.23 a night. WOW!!!! We stayed two nights and went to the casino. The first night we didn't score anything, but we made up for it the next day. We aren't serious gamblers, but it is fun to play a bit.

When we left Paragon, we drove down to I-10 by way of Coushotta and the Red Shoes Indian Casino. We had lunch in the parking lot and spent about an hour playing the slots. Not as lucky here, so didn't stay long.

We drove on to Beaumont, Texas, and spent the night there. On Monday morning, we drove on in to Houston and are in the South Main Street RV Park. We went to the medical center and dropped off some documents of Terry's to the doctor we hope will change out his ICD. The battery is nearing the end of its life and it has been signaling every day now. We could go back to Indianapolis, but who wants to do that in this cold and blustery weather. We hoped to be able to find a doctor here who would change it out. Terry called and talked with his office last week and they said they could see him this week and change it out the next day. Apparently she hadn't done her homework because when we went to the office to get the paperwork done, they didn't know about any appointment. Isn't that the way it always works? So he has an appointment for tomorrow at 2 p.m. We are hoping that the doctor will change it out yet this week, but we will just have to wait and see. If he can't do it this week, we are shooting for sometime after Thanksgiving. We are ready to get down to the valley.

The weather here was nice when we got to Houston, but has been nasty since then. It got cold, but I'm sure everyone reading this knows that as it got cold over most of the country. . .EXCEPT for Florida where Brandon is. I saw on Facebook the other day where they declared it "HATE FLORIDA" day. LOL Once it got cold here, then it started to rain. So that has been nothing short of miserable if you have to be out in it.

A big plus being here in Houston right now though is that my cousin Pat is visiting her brother Jim so I get to see her. I first saw her last spring when she was visiting Jim. It had been about 40 years since we had seen each other. They lived in another state growing up, so we only got to see each other every summer, but she was always my closest cousin. We are the same age and always enjoyed each other. Still do. She has been helping me with some of my "yarn" projects as she is quite the accomplished knitter. Her Mom, my Aunt Ginny, was a great knitter as well and passed that on to her children. Pat and Jim are flying back to Oregon for the holidays, but we may get to see them again before we leave.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Cousin Gary's in Zachary, Louisiana

We arrived here at Gary and Jo's yesterday afternoon and got set up in the back yard. We have 50 amp and water, so all the comforts of home. We are just visiting with family this trip, so just trying to get in some family time.

Cousin Shirley, Gary's sister, is here from Mississippi so it's like a little mini reunion! Jo had a big sale of clothing, jewelry, bags, etc., at their house here on election day. She did quite well and will be doing another sale at a friend's house on Saturday down in Golden Meadow. We will probably head out tomorrow so we don't get in the way of their trying to leave. Gary is headed south to get his one boat. He had to have some engine work done and then he is putting it up for sale.

Those of you familiar with Wally Gator will be glad to know he is still alive and well. Gary, Terry and I headed out in the four-wheel drive golf cart. We headed over to the pond and we didn't see him in the first one, but as soon as we drove up to the pond and called, he came swimming over from the far side. Gary had some chicken parts which Wally was less than happy over, so Gary started throwing him fish pieces. He liked those. Gary couldn't get him to come up on the bank. He just had his head out of the water. He apparently is comfortable with Gary, but doesn't like strangers. . . LOL. Okay by me. He is about seven feet long from what we can tell. I got some pretty good shots of him today. At one point he would float and arch his tail up out of the water. I've never seen that before and not sure what it means. We didn't get out of the golf cart, though. . . no need to take a chance on getting too close.

After visiting Wally, we took a ride out on Gary's acreage to see where they have deer stands and just to look at the fields and woods. It was a neat ride and we enjoyed seeing old homesteads, etc.

It's supposed to get colder again tonight. Man, I wish we could have warmer days. Not sure where we are going tomorrow. It looks like we are going to be able to get Terry's ICD changed out in Houston. We are in contact with a doctor there and has requested some records to be sent from Indy. Hopefully that will go well and they will get the information they need. If they do, we may be able to get the device changed out next week. Will just have to wait and see.

Till next time. . .

Dale

A brief respite. . .

We decided to stay here another night. I needed to get some laundry done and it's been awhile since we have been here. We are still getting up way to early since the time change, so by 10 a.m. I had the house picked up, the dogs walked and fed and three loads of laundry done. So off we went.

We drove across I-10 to Bay St. Louis and then drove down to the coast and traveled the road along the water. The road is done and quite a nice drive. The beaches look fantastic with really white sand just begging to be walked in. It was a bit chilly on the shore, so we didn't do that, but instead I took pictures of the houses that have been rebuilt since the last set of hurricanes. There was so much devastation and you certainly can tell that there is a lot missing, but it all looks pretty clean and inviting. Businesses are coming back and there are quite a few restaurants. We had lunch at the Blue Crabhouse restaurant. I had the crab claws and Terry had a sandwich. We did take the bridge across to Pass Christian. This bridge was knocked out by Hurricane Katrina. It took a year and a half to rebuild and reopen the bridge. Also damaged was the railroad bridge that passes along a short distance away. I have pictures of that bridge after the storm.

After lunch we continued our drive and took some pictures of the carvings that were done after the storms. Trees along the road were stripped of their bark and leaves and died, so artists carved animals in them and then stained and sealed them to preserve them for a long time. They are beautiful and a testament to the building back of the devastated areas. There are probably dozens along the coast there, but I only got a couple of shots. They are worth taking the drive to see.

Tomorrow we hope to head to cousin Gary and Jo's. We aren't sure if they are there in Zachary, Louisiana, or if they are at their fish camp. We shall see.

Till next time. . .

Dale

On the road. . .

We hated to leave the kids in Melbourne, just as we hated to leave the kids in Charlottesville. We only visit them twice a year and we actually stayed longer this time than we usually do. The kids are at difficult ages to leave. They know us well now and they interact with us so much that we really enjoyed our time with them and stayed as long as we could. My parents are already in Texas and waiting for us to get there. They are 89 and 90 this year and we want to get there and keep them company for the winter.

And there is the other business of Terry needing a surgery. We are going to try and get it done in Houston, I guess, but we still have to make the necessary contacts. He has an ICD (internal cardioverter defibrillator) and the device is nearing the end of its life. Once the battery sounds the alarm, it continues to sound every day at the same time and will continue for three months. So we have 90 days to get it changed out. Since it is imbedded in his chest, it requires a surgical procedure to remove. . . they can't just put a couple of AAA's in it, they have to change out the device itself. That's kind of a scarey thing, because he has done so well with this one, but I'm sure there is something newer and better to replace it. Both his cardiologists in Indianapolis are gone. One retired and one left for greener pastures. So the cardiologist we saw last month had never seen him before. He indicated we could go anywhere to have the device changed out and we didn't need to come to Indy. Terry doesn't really want to go to Indy in the winter, so we have been researching medical centers and using Medtronic's website to learn about centers we might try. Really a difficult decision to make. I think we are going to call upon our contacts at Houston who we met during his cancer treatment and see if we can hook up with someone there. Wish us luck.

We spent one night in Lake City on the way across Florida. Then we moved on to Holt, Florida, because we wanted to investigate the mail forwarding leg of Passport America. They were open at 8 this morning and we were there to talk with them and get information about their service. The reason we are considering this is because our mail forwarder in South Dakota was sold in January and our address is going to change. We are thinking that this might be the time to change as well, but still not sure about this. So we will continue to study and peruse the materials they gave us. I don't think we will make a change yet, but we do have some options.

Today we drove through Pensacola and Mobile, continuing on to Mississippi. We saw a police chase in the eastbound lanes. They actually had cars to the left and behind the guy and it was obvious they had him boxed in. Later on when we stopped for lunch, they were stopping the traffic heading eastbound because of the police chase. We were glad we were going the other way. On the bridge across the Pascagoula River, there was a car on fire sitting in the narrow lane off the driving lanes. Smoke was rolling from under the hood and he was getting things unloaded from the trunk. A pickup truck behind us stopped to help him. There were no emergency personnel around.  Now we are north of Biloxi and after we got setup today, we went down to the casinos. We played around a bit, lost some and won some and probably broke even in the end. We were sufficiently entertained. They are making progress on rebuilding the area after the hurricanes of a few years ago, but I sure do miss those big, old majestic houses. There are a few houses rebuilt and some refurbished, but gone are most of the mansions. I want to get out my old pictures I took right after the storms to see how it all compares. Glad to give them some of my money to help in the rebuilding process.

We will continue on west tomorrow hoping to spend a day or two with Terry's cousin at some point. Then Houston to see my cousin who helped us survive cancer treatment. He is having some health challenges of his own and we want to see him. And we will try to touch base with a doctor to do Terry's surgery.

After that, we are off to Texas and will get into our spot in the valley before Thanksgiving. It's been a busier than usual trip for us, with visiting kids, cousins, new doctors, etc.

Till next time. . .

Dale