Ronan has arrived!

The kids arrived Saturday around 5:30, so we got to visit with them a little bit before they headed on down state to Grandma Mary's. At 8 months, I thought he might be afraid of us, but he wasn't. I took him immediately to see the duck at the pond near Brandon's front door. He is curious about all things and especially Uncle Brandon's red beard! Hah. He kept feeling Brandon's face with his little hand. There must be something about the red hair, because his Daddy has a beard too.

We each passed him around and let him unwrap some presents. I had sent his Christmas stuff earlier since they were going on a trip, but I had to have SOMETHING for him to unwrap, so I got him a couple rattles. . . things he could use in the car. He is becoming more vocal and likes things that make noise. . . what baby doesn't?

Today we are headed down to Lake Worth to see them at Grandma Mary's where we will have Christmas dinner. She graciously invited us down to be with the kids on Ronan's first Christmas.

The house hunt continues. Yesterday we kidnapped Brandon and dragged him around for hours looking at 23 houses on our new list. We have quit looking in Palm Bay and are concentrating our search on Melbourne. The neighborhoods are much better and don't seem to have the water problems they have in Palm Bay.

The Pace household wants to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Till next time. . .

Dale

House Hunting in Melbourne!

Well, that about sums it up! That's all we've done since we got here, besides a little Christmas shopping for each other. We already went to the bank and Brandon is pre-approved for a loan. That was easy. All those lectures about saving/spending money with a goal seemed to have worked. We have been searching on the internet for houses in specific areas with his required features. Then we print out the data sheets, color code them, then Terry plots them on his Delorme Street Atlas program and we print out the maps. Then we plan our route and do drive-bys. Many we have elminated that way. Once the weekend gets here, Brandon will go with us and we will show him ones we think are "worthy" of visiting in person. It seems to be working this way, but man, oh man, am I tired of it already. So today, I will be calling a real estate agent and telling her what we are looking for and give her a couple we would like to go through.

Things are really quiet here in Enchanted Lakes. A lot of people here work, so they are gone every day. Not a lot of mixing around like you get in our park in Texas. They do have activities here, but we are pretty busy at the moment. They are some really pretty Christmas decorations which I will have to get pictures of and post, so check back later tonight or tomorrow.

Daughter Jocelyn, hubby Tom and grandson Ronan and grand-dog Jericho are headed down here today from Virginia. They are going to Lake Worth, about 2 hours south to spend Christmas with Grandma Mary, Tom's grandmother. I have never met her, so we are going down for Christmas dinner.

Well, must get ready to take off again, so take care.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Just in Time!

We are here in Malabar, Florida, at Enchanted Lakes, our home for the next month. We met our son last night. He brought 3 of his friends and we had a cookout. We had a lot of fun before they took off for some nightlife. Ours consisted of an early bedtime after having been on the road for 4 days.

We arrived and got settled in just before the storm we were supposed to have. Fortunately, we didn't have much down here. It is quite breezy out there, but having been in Texas for 5 weeks, we are conditioned to that. It is wet out there as well today, but not raining hard. There was a warm front colliding with a cool front last night that was supposed to give us some nasty weather followed by a cool down, but it is still "shorts" weather outside. Hopefully that will continue.

I guess we were ahead of the weather front as we made our way down here yesterday as there was some tornadic activity around the panhandle after we came through. Glad we were in front of it. It would catch up with us at night as we came across Texas, but we got ahead of it once we started heading east on I-10.

Fortunately the drive was uneventful. I was driving on Friday when an 18-wheeler was passing me. His nose was almost even with mine when I heard what sounded like a gunshot. I am always wary about running along side of trucks due to blowouts. I had just started to glance in my side-view mirror when I heard the pop and looked at the precise time the tire on the rear of his trailer exploded. Fortunately the rear of his trailer was just behind the SportTrac, so when the tire blew, it actually flew out behind the little truck. Whew. I pulled over as far as I dared in my lane and picked up my speed as the trucker was instantly aware of what happened and eventually reduced his speed and pulled over when I was clear. Fortunately he only slightly wobbled with the trailer, so all was well. That is how I hoped it would all happen. A front tire would have been another story.

We had some interesting experiences with campgrounds. In Biloxi, Mississippi, there is still very little left of what was once a great visual experience. Most of the old stately homes along the coast are gone, some rebuilding is being done, but a lot of ocean front land is for sale, the owners not planning on rebuilding. That is really sad. There are very few campgrounds, but we found one . . . Fox RV "resort." Hah. That's a laugh. It's a FEMA village. Over 100 sites, but most are still taken up with FEMA trailers. Sites were too short to park our 40'er plus our truck. But we couldn't use the receptacle on our site because it was hanging out of the box, so we plugged into the one that was directly behind ours and parked our truck behind us. So we took up two sites, but they couldn't use one anyway. The pool was no longer used, the liner hanging off the sides down into the pool. The park was not trashy, but some of the units in there for the long term were. I think once people surrendered their FEMA trailers, they went out and purchased old run-down travel trailers and parked them in there.

We did a driving tour of Biloxi. We had been there 20 or so years ago with the kids, and very little is recognizable. They have done a tremendous amount of cleanup. Having seen other hurricane devastated areas, it was clear that in the two years since the hurricanes hit, they have cleared a good part of the rubble away. The beaches are gorgeous, but there was no one on them. Not many people/tourists. Several casinos are built. I suppose those draw more tourists and money than most businesses. We couldn't find any remains of the campground where we had stayed years ago. It may have been gone long before the hurricanes, however. We passed by Bouvier, Jefferson Davis' home. In fact, our campground was directly behind it. What a state that was in. It was ravaged by the hurricanes, but is being lovingly restored. I think the library was totally lost, but the main house is there and they were working on it. We toured that when we were here before.

Friday night we pulled into the Madison Campground. Don't bother ever stopping here. It is a former KOA and at one time would have been a beautiful campground. The pool was overgrown as was the tennis court, the miniature golf, the campground itself, etc. The building was in disarray from years of neglect, eaves falling down, etc. We were the only overnighters, but there were permanent sites rented. Some of the electrical boxes had been knocked over, there was no maintenance. The campground was adjacent to the Deerwood Motel which looked to be in very good shape. It is a combination motel/campground. It is sad to see what used to be a really nice campground being so totally neglected. However, our electric did work and we got a good night's sleep.

Not sure what we are doing today. Brandon wanted to bring his motorcycle over and work on some lighting, but it is raining and windy, so that will have to wait. I'm sure, however, that adventure awaits!

Till next time. . .

Dale

Head 'em up, move 'em out. . .

Today we roll. Headed for Florida to see son , Brandon, and hopefully help him find a new home. He has been in Florida for 4 years. He has changed jobs and decided to stay right where he is at. Melbourne is a beautiful place and unlike a lot of Florida. They have had some hurricane winds in recent years, but nothing like other parts of the state. He is close enough to the ocean to always have a breeze, so few bugs and moderate temperatures. We are excited for him and anxious to help him find a place.

We also will be seeing our grandson, Ronan, who will be with his Mom and Dad, our daughter and son-in-law, Jocelyn and Tom. Tom's grandmother Mary lives about two hours from Brandon and we have all been invited for Christmas dinner, so we are going. Ronan is seven months old, so this will be a first. Also, it has been years since our children have been together with us for the holidays, since one lives in Florida and one in Virginia and we lived in Indiana. Fortunately, our lifestyle permits us the luxury of traveling to see our children. Otherwise, our visits would be much fewer. Jocelyn did manage to get Ronan to sit still for Santa, but he wasn't too happy about it. Hah.

We sure hate to leave the RGV. The doctors have decided not to do surgery on Dad. He has a few things that complicate what they wanted to do and since the aneurysm is not at the point where it must be repaired, they are not going to do anything except monitor it. So, we have decided to move on to the next adventure.

We did take Mom and Dad out to Hidalgo to see the city lights. The entire town gets involved in light displays and every park and many houses and city buildings are lit up. I thought we saw everything there was to see there. However, many of our RV.netter friends have taken the horse-drawn carriage tours and the tour guides give a history of the town along with the light viewing. I think next year we will take Mom and Dad there for the tour. The lights were beautiful and always enjoyable. They add more displays every year.

We will miss what is becoming the weekly RV.net gathering at the Horseman Grill and Saloon to see our favorites, 12-string Tim and Sharon. I'm sure our friends will manage to keep the gathering going and we will be back next year to enjoy the music once again.

So, we are on the road at 8 a.m. today. Hope the wind is at our backs today! Stay safe, friends and family, and I'll post again on down the road.

Till next time. . .

Dale

I love this Bar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Horseman's Saloon and Grill in Weslaco, Texas. What a great place. We joined about 20 other RV.netters last night around 4 because that is when the entertainment starts. Twelve-string Tim and Sharon. What a duo! And what a hoot! They played for 4 hours, taking only 2 short breaks. The bar looks like a barn and inside there is a bar, tables and chairs, a dance floor and a stage.

We were greeted outside by 12-string Tim himself. He always looks on the web for hits to his website and his name and had been reading up on our thread about activities, etc., in the Rio Grande Valley. Talk about doing your homework. You get an A+ from the teacher, Tim. When we arrived he asked if we were with the RV.netters. What a surprise. I'm impressed. He handed us brochures and business cards and leis with their contact information on them. We chatted and got our picture taken with him. He has a website: http://www.12stringtim.com/

Inside we waited for most of the rest of our group before ordering. Then at 4, Tim and Sharon started their show. What a great time and great entertainers. Tim plays twelve-string guitar and Sharon accompanies on a synthesizer. In their repertoire, they must have thousands of songs including, pop, oldies, ballads, rock, parrothead songs, etc. They have something for everyone. And along with the songs, Sharon dresses in character and engages the audience in lively participation. They take requests from the audience and they played all our favorites, which included the Winter Texan Song. In fact, there is a sign hanging up that says, "Welcome Back, Winter Texans." Thanks 12-string Tim and Sharon for a great evening and exceptional entertainment. We plan on going back. Our only regret was that The Texan himself wasn't with us, having pulled out for Mexico earlier in the week. Oh well, there is always next year!

Now to bring you up to date on other matters. We haven't left the Valley yet and not quite sure when we will. My Dad has an aneurysm that needs to be repaired. It is not an emergency and we aren't sure when they will do the surgery. We are awaiting some new test results as it looks like they will be putting stents in the leg arteries as well. So we are waiting, waiting, waiting, on the medical community to let us know when this will happen. If it is before Christmas, we will stay and wait and make sure all is well before heading out. If they wait to do it after Christmas (and we will know by the 12th), we will go to Florida for the holidays with the kids, then come back to Texas.

In the meantime, we are just enjoying the fantastic weather of the RGV, the Rio Grande Valley. Warm, hot days, and cool nights. Just about perfect in my book. I have won $10 each of the last 2 weeks at Bingo! If I wasn't already retired, I would be tempted to quit work and just play Bingo. There is a game every night in one of the parks. I have finished up the inside shades for the motorhome front windshield. They really cut down on heat transferrence.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Grandma and Bailey

Grandma taking Bailey, the Scottish Terror, for his daily walk. When she comes over in the morning, he is just not content until they have gone for their walk. She cannot stand to see the disappointment in his eyes if she doesn't grab his leash.

Till next time. . .

Dale

RV.NETTERS doing what we do best!!!!

Meeting, greeting, eating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It just doesn't get any better than this! We met up with fellow forum-busters at Gonzales Burgers in Donna, Texas, for lunch today. You really have to have specific instructions on how to get to this place, because the address actually puts it on the other side of the road. The beige building has NO markings or signs of any kind, there is no parking lot and the windows are dark tinted so you cannot see inside. They said their sign blew down in the hurricane of '67 and they never bothered to replace it. Hahahahaha. Like . . . what's the rush anyway???? BUT. . . we made it. We ordered burgers (as big as your plate), fries and onion rings. . . yum, yum. Great food.

There we met up with Don and Mary (DonP), Ed and Becky (Hoops), Bob and Barb (Fox & Bear), Paul and Karen (Kbix), Roger and Alicia (HappyTrailsRVing), Bob and Betsy (The Texan) and yours truly, Terry and Dale (Teacher's Pet and dapace). So much fun and conversation. We had so much fun talking about what there is to do in the Valley, places to eat, shop. . . where we've been. . . where we're going, etc. We stayed for a couple hours total and then left as more people came, surrendering our seats to other diners.

We must plan another outing soon, as The Texan(s) are going to be headed to Mexico in another week.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Winter in the Valley

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Wednesday we had 100 degrees here during the day, but when I let the dogs out later it was down to about 77, very comfortable. When we awoke on Thanksgiving Day, it was 55 outside. Now today it has not been much above 50 and has been misting all day.

We went to the hall for Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday with Mom and Dad. We had a beautiful dinner with really good turkey, ham, dressing and everything else you normally find. We came back to our warm motorhome afterwards and didn't really venture out the rest of the day.

Now today it is really a miserable day. . . 50 and getting colder and misting. Terry is sick. He has been sick for a couple days but much worse today. Fortunately I was able to run to Walgreen's to pick up some prescriptions, so I got him some other stuff and I think it is starting to work. He has slept in the recliner the last two nights so he doesn't cough so much. While I was out, I bought the ingredients for a fruitcake. . . I know, I know. . . who eats fruitcake. But if you ever tasted Terry's Uncle Bill's fruitcake, you wouldn't be laughing right now.

I did get out and walk by myself this morning, and this afternoon we both took naps. Ah, such is the life of a retired soul.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Peace in the Valley

Finally, after having caught the county planner in a lie, I persuaded him to get his job done so we could have our meter installed. It was either that, or I would have to start the entire process over again and I think he decided he didn't want that. Whatever the reason, he faxed in the permits and Monday of this week we came home from Mexico to find our meter installed. Terry did one last check on his wiring and plugged us in. Oh my. . . . it has been really hot here and we manage to stay cool enough, but we could only run our one air on Dad's 30 Amp. Now we are running everything including the washer/dryer and doing well. Water and sewer were put in earlier in the week.

We were a little concerned about going to Mexico as some other people in the park said the lines to get back were 5 hours long the other day. Mom and Dad always go early. . . like 8 a.m. We shopped around and picked up a few little things. I wasn't really interested in a lot, but I got some numbers to put out front since our lot number is no longer visible. Mom said people come around to paint them, but I haven't seen anyone so far. It took us an hour to get out of Mexico this time.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. I hope you all enjoy your day and take time to reflect upon the many blessings we have. We are going to the hall for dinner at 12:30. I am taking Bok Choy salad, cranberry salad and Texas Sweet Potatoes. Most everything is ready. I just have to bake the sweet potatoes and chop up the bok choy. Mom and I went over earlier to help set up.

It was very hot today. Registered 100 degrees. Very hot in the sun, but tolerable in the shade with a breeze most of the day. It was still hot and muggy at 7 this evening, but I just went out with the dogs an hour ago and it has dropped probably 20 degrees. Tomorrow's high is something like 57 degrees. Brrrrr. I'll still take it, though.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Road Trip!

Yesterday after fighting with the County Planner hopefully for the very last time, we decided to go on a road trip. We packed Mom and Dad in the car and took off to find The Texan, a fellow RV'er who is manning a gate at a large ranch with oil and gas wells. Since he cannot leave, we thought we would look him up and confirm our dinner date for Sunday afternoon at Pepe's on the River.

Suffice to say that the two GPS's we use don't realize that 16 Mile Road is a COWPATH. . . and not a very good one at that. We drove 16 miles (hence the name) to 490 and made it to the gate which is on a paved road that is easily accessed if we had just gone east instead of west to begin with. Ugh.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Progress!

Well, we had progress today. We thought since no one came yesterday to start on the water/sewer lines, they would probably come today. Started by getting things put back in place in the motorhome and getting things swept and cleaned in the ritual we do every time we move. The plumbers came at 9:30 and by the way they started working, we figured we'd be done by 1-2:00. Not to be. The workers started digging while the head honcho left. They got done digging by 11 a.m. and sat and waited for 1 1/2 hours until the head honcho got back. He picked them up and they took off for lunch. They got back and put in most of the water lines. Then the HH left again and was gone for 1 1/2 -2 hours. He had to get more parts. He finally arrived back around 3 I think and they laid the sewer pipe, put in the spigots and tested them. All is well. Finally got around to filling in the trenches and put the gravel back in place. By 4:30 they were paid and gone and we moved Phaeton Place back in position. You really cannot tell much difference except that the sewer hookup is there and we have a couple water faucets on the sides of the pad.

Mom had invited us for supper since Phaeton Place was all closed up. It was great for us to be able to go "out" for dinner. We got the motorhome moved back and most everything set up before time to eat. We are just relaxing this evening and watching CSI.

Yesterday we had about the hottest day since we have been here and then today we had the coolest. I think it made it to 70, but it has been quite chilly all day. I imagine the workers were much more comfortable digging that trench in the cooler temperatures.

Hopefully tomorrow we will get our electric meter installed. . . but I'm not holding my breath.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Birdie, birdie, can you see the birdie?

We have a nighthawk nesting on the ground between two units here in the park. Just a stone's throw away from our lot. At first I thought it was injured and was going to take it to the birding center, but it flew away when I got too close. A neighbor has been watching it and said it is a nighthawk and that they nest on the ground, like killdeer. So far I haven't seen any eggs, but I'm guessing the eggs would blend in well with the stones, considering you can hardly see the bird.

In other news. . . oh, yeh, that's right. There isn't any . . . Well, let's just say the wheels of county government turn sssssssslllllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooowwwllllllllllllyyyyyyy here in Hidalgo County. What a fiasco. We were told to "keep on 'em" when we applied for our permits over a week ago. It was supposed to be done the next day. I finally called a week+ later and was told to come in at 2 p.m. and pick up our permits. Hahahah. What a joke. So we went. After having to wait the required half hour, we get called into the office only to sit and watch the planner fill out all the paperwork. So I'm guessing this is how it works:

1. Go to the office and fill out the paperwork.


2. Your permit never gets acted on.


3. Out of desperation, you call. . . .


4. They check to see how long you have waited for your next day permit.


5. If it's 10 or more days, you just MIGHT get called in and get to watch them fill out the info.


6. THEN you have to wait for the inspection you thought was done 10 days before.


7. By this time, the power company has called to tell you the reason they didn't come to install your meter was because you didn't have the STINKIN' permit.


8. Grrrrrrr.

Good news. Called the plumber. Said we didn't have our permit yet. . . He said. . . . I don't need no permit. Yayayayay!!!!! They start tomorrow.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Home on the Range

We left Austin on Friday last week and made it down to the RGV (Rio Grande Valley) by 4:30 that afternoon. A very nice drive on red roads with no problems. We got parked in short order on the lot behind Mom and Dad.

We have really been busy this past week as we have officially bought the lot from my parents and are busy getting the services, i.e., water, electric, and sewer installed. That seems to be a joke around here. We applied for the permits, which they told us we would have the next day. That was Tuesday and we still haven't seen them. Called back once and no answer. That's the other joke around here. . . phone numbers. Nobody answers their phone, and sometimes they put it over on fax so you end up with that whiney sing/song in your ear. Terry did all the electrical wiring, but we cannot get the meter installed without an inspection. But once that is done, all Terry has to do is hook up three wires and we are good to go.

Yesterday when I checked about getting the water meter installed that they told us would be done Tuesday, they said it would now be next week because they had to dig. (Big surprise there?) We weren't home 10 minutes and the backhoe arrived along with three workers. It took several hours, but by 4:30 we had our water meter, so now we have to call the plumber. We aren't leaving here until this is all done. Certainly wouldn't want to look forward to starting this entire process over next year when we come down. Ugh.

Good thing we have time. Meanwhile, the weather is beautiful. Warm during the day, but with a breeze. If you stay in the shade you are very, very comfortable. The sun is a little hot. We have been walking every day. Today Terry and I went to "patio" sales in two neighboring parks. Got some new reading material and a couple shelves for the cabinets. I really do love the weather here and these Martin Ranch parks. They are all connected so you can walk, bike or run the golf cart up and down all the parks.

Mom and Dad's passports came in the mail, so they are all ready to go to Mexico. They can't wait to try them out. We hate to go away during the day in case the inspector comes, but the weekends should be pretty safe. May do that tomorrow.

Bailey has been enjoying walks every day and Neal gets to ride in the stroller. He is very content to do that. He sits up, but very still. If we stop to visit, he lays down. They are such sweeties.

We played Bingo the other night. Mom won the first game, so she was pretty happy. Dad went along and played with us, but he and I didn't win anything.

We are just enjoying the weather and visiting with Mom and Dad. Plans are to leave here shortly after Thanksgiving, but we aren't leaving until all the utilities are in place.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Austin, Texas, and #1 Son Brandon!

We arrived in Austin Monday afternoon. Brandon had arrived earlier in the day, but was at work. In his job, he troubleshoots software issues as a consultant for his company and is here for the week. He really likes his work and does it well. He will leave tomorrow afternoon and fly back to Florida. He will leave in two weeks and fly to Ottawa to work with a bank there. He is looking forward to the job, but thinks he will hate the cold weather. Heh heh

We took him out to eat at the Salt Lick. It is about 25 miles outside of Austin in the country and about the greatest BBQ place we have been to. Just awesome.

We have been doing some sightseeing while we have been here, but I must say. . . the traffic here really makes you want to stay home. They do not have a beltway around the city, so everyone has to go through the middle of town to go anywhere. We thought about going to watch the bats at the Congress Street bridge, but last night they were having a Halloween party downtown and had the streets closed off. Figured we would get good and lost and the Garmin would probably just give up, so we didn't do that. This is nearing the end of the time there are here. . . they will migrate south soon, so there may not have been a lot to see.

We are in the Austin Lonestar RV park. It is a passport park and they give you two free pancake breakfasts EVERY DAY! We will go one last time tomorrow morning before we head out. The park is really pretty forested, but the keep the trees and bushes cut back so they don't interfere TOO much. They really could cut back a lot more, but it is passable. Our site is plenty long enough but not too wide. This is an old KOA. You can tell by the telltale A-frame entrance building. But it is clean and the people are super nice. Where else can you camp in the state capital for $17 a night for FHU's?

Tomorrow we leave for the RGV. Don't know if we will make it down there tomorrow or not, but we will try. Mom and Dad arrived last evening, so they are waiting on us.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Rainbow's End

We arrived at Rainbow's End in Livingston, Texas, on Friday and will be leaving here Monday. We are headed to Austin tomorrow as Brandon, our son, will be arriving there shortly before noon. He is there on business for his company, Novell; and since we were nearby (heh heh), we thought we would mosey on over and spend at least an evening or two with him. I am anxious to see him. It's always good to see your kids. Our two live in different states, 800 miles apart, so it's not easy to see them. But it is wonderful that our children are doing well with their lives and getting along "without mom and dad," living independently and enjoying themselves, their family and friends.

We have been checking out the local food establishments in Austin to see what is really good. If any of you readers can recommend a good restaurant, let me know. We plan on going to "The Salt Lick" one night as it was recommended by some fellow campers at Kinder.

We are in the Escapees park in Livingston. This is a really big place, but it isn't all campground. A good portion of the lots are deeded lots and apparently you are allowed to build anything you want on your lot. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of restrictions. We are in an area that hasn't seen a lawn mower for quite some time. Neal is having a lot of trouble walking in the tall fescue. I put the dogs' mat out, but with the really long grass, it looks and acts like a feather mattress for them to walk on. There really isn't much definition to the campsites, no pad to park on, etc. I am surprised that it isn't maintained better. I went to do laundry and it wasn't what I expected. The floor needed mopping and the trash can was overflowing. There were lots of magazines that had been dumped there and apparently one person never came to pick up their clothing. A pile of clothing had been folded and was laying in the corner of the folding table. There were no roller carts like one normally sees in laundromats. There is another area for campers where we had stayed before and I would have asked for that if I had seen this site before we got back here. Just not what I expect from a business which is supposed to be for the RVer and particularly from the park which is their national headquarters. This is the second time we have been here and things have not changed in those 4 years. There are some properties here for sale and for big prices, too; but I wouldn't want to live here.

Yesterday we went out 190West and drove around Lake Livingston a bit. It is a very large lake and it was a beautiful day. Today we are watching the race and getting some housecleaning done.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Bragging a bit!!

I was browsing through some new pix my kids sent me and I just wanted to brag a bit. First up is first born daughter, Jocelyn, with first born grandson Ronan.

Next is first born son, Brandon, with his baby. Hee hee.

Till next time. . .

Dale

My Apologies to the People of Georgia!

If we were headed that way, we would do what we could to help. We were in Tunica last week and while there, we had several rainstorms that were over one inch at a time. They badly needed the rain, but not like Georgia. Now we are sitting here outside Baton Rouge and we had a soaker yesterday with flash flood warnings. I see that New Orleans got hit pretty hard, like 8 inches of rain! I'll see what I can do to send it to the Peachtree State. Hold on!

We are at Harp Camp in Zachary, Louisiana. Fortunately, our family here doesn't seem to get tired of us and we try not to overstay our welcome. Jo and Gary (Terry's cousin) are the consumate southern hosts. Yesterday we ran some errands in Baton Rouge. Terry had to get blood work done and I took the opportunity to do a little shopping. We were able to see newlyweds, Kristin and Jerrick, Jo's daughter and son-in-law. Also, Ms. Teeter, Jo's Mom, was there. I had worked on her computer the other day and I may have to go back today.

Before we got here, we spent a night in Vicksburg. While there we were able to tour the Union Ironclad "Cairo." If you ever find your way over here, take time to visit the battlefield and the Cairo. Both are impressive and the Cairo is the most intact ironclad in the nation. There are parts of others in a museum in Columbus, Georgia. The Nuesse, a Confederate ironclad, is on display in Kinston, North Carolina. They are unusual reminders of the clash between north and south and the history surrounding their development is amazing. I had read about them for years, but until the other day, never was able to walk into one and try to imagine the life on board. All of the cannon on board are the ORIGINAL retrieved from the Yazoo River. There were hundreds of artifacts preserved in the mud of the river and on display in the museum. The museum is free, but I hope if you go, you donate to the cause of preserving this bit of Americana.

We are leaving here tomorrow and headed for Houston. We are going to Trader's Village and while there, hope to do the Cabella's, etc. BTW, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is a new Cabella's that just opened. We drove down there Sunday with Gary and Jo. Terry found a new metal folding table. He is very pleased with it.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Tunica, Mississippi

We arrived in Tunica Monday afternoon and got set up at Sam's Town. We have three days free camping here as they sent us coupons, plus gave us free "play" money for the slots. Try as I might, you just can't beat free. People are "boondocking" over in the parking lot, but we have full hookups for 3 days for FREE. We actually have 6 nights. . . 3 for me and 3 for Terry, but he doesn't want to stay that long. A man on a mission. Not sure what it is, but it isn't 3 more days here. We have had fun playing. . . not winning much, but not losing much either. They have 1/2 cent slots here. Can you believe it? Wow.

This morning we went to the Horseshoe Casino and had their breakfast buffet. It was very good and there was a large variety of dishes to choose from. We don't plan to eat again today. Hah.

On Monday when we arrived, we had quite a rain shower. It did not storm or thunder or lightning, but we got over one inch of rain. That is good for this area, as they are having a pretty severe drought and some lakes and ponds we drove by are dangerously low. Today (Wednesday) it is again raining. . . not a lot and not storming, but a nice gentle rain. I hope it helps their water situation. We are having some wind--about like strong breezes.

Once we leave here tomorrow morning, we are headed for Vicksburg. We were there four years ago and saw the ironclad "Cairo" at the battlefield park, but were not able to go in. They were re-doing some of the display. So we want to go see it now. It is intact enough to see what an ironclad was really like. We will probably do some other civil war tourist things while we are there.

Right now the dogs are telling me their supper is long overdue. We changed time zones this week and I try to acclimate the dogs gradually, but when it comes to food. . . they KNOW when it is supper time. There just ain't no foolin' them.

Till next time. . .

Dale

On the Road Again. . . . .

We had a busy couple days visiting with family and spending time with Uncle Dan. Terry's Aunt was buried yesterday and one cousin who happened to be there was one I had never met. I had corresponded with her via email when Terry's Mom was in the nursing home. I know Terry had not seen her in over 35 years. It happened that she had flown from Montana to Michigan to visit with a daughter and that was during the time Aunt Obie was in the hospital having heart surgery. They had not seen each other in decades and Sarah was able to visit with her at length just before she died. I'm sure that was special for both of them. Aunt Obie was devout in her faith and was not worried about the outcome of her procedure, describing it as a "win-win" situation.

We hit the road again around 9:30 this morning. It would have been earlier, but we were only planning on driving 230 miles. The campground we had picked out was a real dive and we chose not to stay there. There were others along the way, but no information on them. We are reluctant to "chase" down campgrounds off the road because we have been burned too many times. So we continued to drive and made it all the way to "BoomTown" in Charleston, Missouri. Full hookups sites here are just $12 and quite adequate. Terry is currently snoozing on the couch, the boyz are snoozing in their beds and laundry is being done. I am the lone one awake.

Tomorrow we will make it to Tunica. We have some free campground days at Sam's Town. Heh heh.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Family Time

We arrived at the Kosciusko County fairgrounds in Warsaw, Indiana, around 2:30 p.m. Had a good drive up from Red Bay, Alabama yesterday. Drove the Natchez Trace yesterday and it was beautiful as always. We were on it till almost dusk and I have to say I had forgotten how beautiful the drive is at that time of night. We don't normally travel late in the day anymore and we usually miss a lot. We saw several flocks of wild turkeys with as many as 20+ animals. Saw a small group of deer by the road once. Fortunately they didn't get spooked.

We spent the night at the Cave City, Kentucky, exit off I-65. Got in early enough to get to bed at a decent time, so we had a good drive today. Not a lot of traffic around Louisville, but had more in Indianapolis. Fortunately that is an area we know well, so traffic there doesn't bother us.

This afternoon my niece Kellie came by on her way to the Y for her workout. She is living back home with her Mom and Dad in the same woods where Mom and Dad now live. The woods is about 7 miles south of Warsaw, so this is a good place for us to stay. My parents also stopped by after supper to visit and catch up on our last visit with Ronan. Mom and Dad are going to help with the dogs tomorrow while we are with Terry's family. His Aunt died on Monday and the calling and services are Friday and Saturday. She was a twin to Terry's Mom. So we will be busy the next couple days. Tomorrow is my Dad's 83 birthday and my sister and I are taking them out on Saturday evening to celebrate.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Red Bay, Alabama, then Goshen, Indiana

We are scheduled sometime today for an express bay here at Tiffin's Service Center. Have 3 short but critical things to fix, then we are rolling. We learned this morning that Terry's Aunt died on Monday at Ekhart Hospital. She was his Mom's twin. She had open heart surgery two weeks ago and died of a blood clot. She has been hospitalized since her surgery.

The calling is Friday and funeral Saturday. We plan to stay at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds in Warsaw, Indiana, while we are in the area.

Once our visit is over, we will once again be heading south. I probably won't be posting for awhile as I intend to visit my parents and sister while we are in the area.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Chattanooga, Tennessee and Friends!

We arrived at Chattanooga Thursday afternoon ahead of our friends, Ward and Patty New. We had planned on staying at Shipp's Campground where Camping World is located, but they didn't have two sites together for our rigs. So we went and explored a little and found the Holiday Trav-l-Park a couple miles down the road. We went in and reserved two spots and before we were all set up, Ward and Patty arrived. It was good to see them. The last time we saw them was at the FMCA rally in Perry, Georgia, in March and both Ward and Terry got sick.

The campground here is actually on the site of a Civil War encampment/battlefield and all the roads in the camp are named for officers. The park is right on the Georgia/Tennessee line. the north-south streets are named for Civil War officers. The streets at the north end are named for Union commanders; the streets at the south end are named for Confederate generals. Most of these officers participated in the combat around Chattanooga. The other streets are named for Civil War battles. In a corner of the park stands a monument to the 84th Indiana Volunteer Regiment. The monument was placed there after the Civil War by some of the men of that regiment who became famous for their fighting in the Chattanooga area. I was particularly interested, because I am from (northern) Indiana and had a relative who served in the Civil War. My Dad has his actual military discharge papers. I searched the internet for the Indiana 84th, but I found something even more intriguing. My relative was not on the list, but the men who served in that regiment were primarily from Henry County, Indiana. That is where I taught for 33 years and just retired from two years ago. A couple of the names were names that I recognized. That was really amazing.

We spent time with Ward and Patty, mainly eating out and sitting under the awnings chatting until dark, then moving inside one of the rigs. We parted company this morning and we drove on over to Red Bay, Alabama.

We are now in the Allegro Campground and from what we hear, we will have a 3-5 day wait to get into an express bay. We have a couple things we wanted fixed, like the awning and the driver's sun shade. Then two days ago our electric step refused to come in. Terry had to dismantle it and tie it up. We have blocked out 10 days, so we are in good shape.

Till next time. . .

Dale