I'm baaaaaaack!

The trip to Texas is now history. On Sunday the 13th, Terry drove me down to Nita's and I spent the night there so we could leave there around 7:30 a.m. Otherwise I would have had to get up much, much earlier to make the hour-and-a-half drive down to where they all live. The goal was to get better sleep, but that didn't happen. Nita had me sleeping in the loft upstairs. Next I will opt for the theatre room which is dark, dark and quiet. They have a grandfather clock which chimes every 15 minutes and I was awake and ready for each chime after 2:30 a.m. Grrrrrr. I was ready to throw it out the window!

But I was ready to go on time. LOL I started out driving Dad in their car and Nita drove Mom in her Jeep. When we got to Indianapolis, we left her Jeep at the airport so when we came back a week later, it would be waiting for us. We made that connection fine, except Nita had to take the shuttle back to the parking lot because she had left her lights on. LOL A little OCD in the family never hurt anything. . . like sister, like sister. At least now I have someone with which to share my affliction.

We drove with the help of Nita's GPS and made it to Blytheville, Arkansas, the first night. Found a lovely Comfort Inn. We got Mom and Dad settled in, then we went to get them some takeout. Once they were fed and getting relaxed, Nita and I walked across the parking lot to a Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed a Margarita and a meal. It was very good. And I got a very good night's sleep that night, so I was good to go.

I started driving and drove a good part of the day Tuesday because there was a lot of rain. I don't mind driving in it and Nita said that was okay with her. We stopped at a Western Sizzlin' restaurant for lunch and that was quick and very good. Later in the day, Nita took over and continued the drive into Nacogdoches, Texas, where we found another Comfort Inn for the night. Once again, we went and got Mom and Dad some takeout and got them settled in their room. Then we went out to Subway and got some soup and salad.

Wednesday morning I took the wheel once again. We were just over 100 miles from Houston. Mom and Dad haven't gone through Houston in a couple years because they got confused the last time, but I wasn't worried. I drive Phaeton Place down through the middle of the city, so I was sure I could negotiate a car. We got to the 'burbs about 10:00 a.m. which turned out to be a good time to run through Houston. We just had to stay on 59 and it was a piece of cake. Traffic was good and moving and we made it through in about 20 minutes. Before we knew it, we were headed out of the city toward Victoria. We stopped at Buckee's for fuel and to browse and use the restrooms. It was a good, relaxing stop for everyone.

Nita took over from there and we continued on, thinking of where we could have lunch. I decided it would be fun to take them to Mumphfords BBQ in Victoria, and so we headed there. Trust me, it doesn't look like a place you would want to have lunch, but the food is excellent and even though it was packed when we got there, we found a table to sit Daddy down and the rest of us stood in line. Since the food is already prepared, the line goes very quickly. It was lunch time and lots of people in there were on their lunch hour. We placed our order and in a short time our food was in front of us. It was excellent as usual. A big thanks to The Texan and his wife for taking us there the first time. Great food and a great atmosphere. We sat at a table with some state troopers.

Nita continued the drive and brought us into the valley. We arrived at our place about 5:30 p.m. We were glad to get here, but the drive was really quite nice, even though Nita and I would have preferred to take it a little slower and spend an extra night on the road.

I immediately opened our Texas room. This is precisely why we built it and it was great. We made a short WalMart run that night and Nita and I bought breakfast and lunch stuff for us. That way we could get up and have breakfast and later lunch without being a burden on Mom. It worked perfectly. The Texas room was very comfortable for us. We had our bed, a kitchen for cooking, laundry and a full bathroom and TV!! Very comfy.

I met the neighbors who are already there or who stayed through the summer. It was a little mini-reunion. We were amazed at my cactus! Oh my! They have done so well over the summer. The flat bladed bushes were planted just this spring and were basically just 1 or 2 paddles I stuck in the ground. I guess you don't plant cactus unless you're SERIOUS! Woot! The "twins" are taller than me now and have several arms. "Red," my poinsettia has grown bushier instead of being all spread out. She doesn't have any red leaves yet, but that will change. I am anxious to see it all once again when we return in another month or so. There was a interesting bird nesting on the ground. We never did see any eggs or any little wee ones around. Does anyone know what kind of bird she is?

We spent several days getting Mom and Dad all tucked in and groceries bought, and played cards every night. It was great fun and we all had a good time.

All too soon, it was time to say our goodbyes. Since we had to get up at 3 a.m. to get to the airport at 5 a.m., we said our goodbyes the night before. It was hard to leave Mom and Dad, but they are where they want to be. We are glad they can still be there as well. Our flights were very smooth, both from McAllen to Houston and Houston to Indy. The little Jeep was patiently waiting for us upon our arrival in Indy.

We have been busy finishing up things here and getting the last minute packing done. We have been having some trouble with the motorhome furnaces. The back gas furnace won't light. It did yesterday, but conked out overnight. That is the furnace that heats the lower bays with the water tanks, so we have to have it looked at. Probably just bugs in the pipes.

Our plans are to leave the frozen north on Tuesday. It is cold up here now and we have seen snow and freezing rain. NOT to our liking, that's for sure.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Off we go. . .

We finally got the fall round of doctor appointments out of the way. We are back living in Phaeton Place and heading over to the condo every day working on getting an apartment ready to lease. The good news is that it is almost finished. Have to mop the floors. The carpets are being cleaned today. Yesterday we signed the lease. Whoo hoo. We actually had two good candidates this time which is very unusual. But one stood out a bit better than the other, so we were able to make a decision quickly.

We are having everything reappraised and, of course, our tenants worry that we are selling. Actually, we continue to get slammed on property taxes by the county who have our assessments ridiculously high. Getting a qualified appraisal should help with that and help us get the assessment where they need to be and thereby reduce our property taxes. The problem is that raising the rent is not a totally viable option because then they raise the taxes due to the increased rent. . . has to do with the "multiplier" they use. I have a hard time understanding it all and I'm sure they don't understand it either. So we are doing what we can on our end.

Mom and Dad have decided they will no longer make the drive to Texas on their own, but they are willing to let someone else drive them. Sister Nita and my niece were planning on it, but logistics proved difficult for my niece, so since we have some time before we head south, Terry told me to volunteer. So next Monday, Nita and I will be driving Mom and Dad to Texas. We will fly back the following Monday. I am not looking forward to leaving Terry, although he has been doing well. He will have the dogs with him, of course. He will probably go back and forth between the house and the motorhome.

I have my bag packed and will not be taking a computer. That will be a new experience for me. But I do have a new smart phone, so I can check my mail and FB, although I don't like to post on it because of the ridiculously inadequate virtual keyboard. Hah. But I will be able to stay in touch.

Once I get back, we have a week before we head south. Still not sure if we are going to Virginia or Florida first, but I'm sure we will know by then!

Till next time. . .

Dale