Becoming Texans

Monday, October 9, 2017

Yesterday I mentioned that we had taken a drive around Lake Livingston and I would post some pictures.  This  very large reservoir/lake is about 12 miles from here with trees right along the edges.  Lots of homes along the water with docks and covered marinas jetting into the lake as well as a large KOA campground right next to it. 

  Lots of small manufactured and large homes sitting amid large grassy plots in one area, a gated community in another and lots of other homes interspersed among the trees close to or right on the water.  With the weather still so warm (in the low 90’s), there were a few boats and jet skis out on the water as we drove over the bridge.  

I spied this old run down house next to the road with its wood siding, overturned resin chairs on the porch and rusted metal roof.  It is still  inhabited as there were several cars and trucks in the driveway.  I love old beat up places as they make interesting pictures.

Today was the day for us to change our residence to Texas and start changing all our business addresses as well.  What a headache making all the calls and emails.  The worst was trying to get new rates for medical, prescription, car and RV insurances.  With one company I spent over an hour on the phone trying to get rates and change our address.  Only a few more to do tomorrow, mainly those companies (government offices and banks) that take off for Columbus Day.  Hopefully tomorrow we can go to the DMV,  get our car and RV registrations done and new plates and I can get my drivers license.  Ron must take a written and driving test since he has to get a special license to drive the RV.  (I no longer drive the RV.)  Not sure whether he can get in the driving test without an appointment.  If not, hopefully, he can get this done in Kerrville when we return.

Signing off for now, Y'all.

Journey to Livingston

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Friday we left Kerrville for Kyle where we will stayed overnight to see our grandchildren play in the high school marching band and to get in a quick visit with my daughter.  The band was great and the new uniforms up to date and smart looking.  We will return on the 20^th and 21at for a fund raiser dinner, another football game and a chance to hear the band perform again .  Don’t get to see the kids much during October as they have competitions on the weekends and are so busy going here and there.  Hopefully in November and December we will have a chance to visit when they are around.

We left yesterday morning heading to Livingston with the intention of staying at the Elks Lodge in Huntsville, about 160 miles north and east of the Austin area.  Arrived at the Elks to find it was down a narrow dirt road, the grounds were grassy but very bumpy and lumpy and the only sites available were 15 amp.  You can’t get the A/C on with that.  After some consultation, we decided to try Plan B which was a private campground in the area.  We were informed they were full due to some events going on in Huntsville today so on to Plan C with a phone call to the Escapees Park in Livingston (50 miles further on) to see if we could check in a day early.  With an answer to the affirmative, we drove on, checked in and set up. 

The set up in itself was not the easy one we expected at an Escapees Park.  The grounds here are well trampled gravel with lots of dirt in between from all the rains they have set next to a grassy area with a picnic table.  After several tries at finding a more level area within this nice long spot, putting wood blocks under the front wheels and adding pads under the front jacks, we finally have things level but our entry steps required our little step stool to get to the bottom step.  Whew!  It was not an easy setup in the low 90’s temp with high humidity. 

Our dinner plan was to eat at a local family restaurant.  It too was an entertaining experience.  The restaurant was very pleasant and food good home style.  As we waited for our food and ate our meal, we were entertained by the couple sitting behind us.  The lady was quite elderly and may have had some dementia and he was either her son, grandson or nephew in his late 40’s who apparently had been in prison and was awaiting a court date with a judge for perhaps another visit.  He kept telling the lady about conditions at the prison, about not having salt and pepper and sugar, only having a spoon to eat with that he was responsible for washing it each day over the toilet (gross) and keeping track of it, that breakfast was at 3:30 in the morning and lunch at 2:00 in the afternoon and about who could or could not visit him based on whether they had warrants for arrest, tickets, etc.  The poor lady just could not seem to understand and kept asking questions and suggesting that the prison should let him attend church, have special Sunday clothes, etc. With no first hand experience, we were not sure how much of what he said was actually true.  What a hoot!

Tomorrow we will post a few pictures from the area and our visit to Lake Livingston, a large reservoir in the area today.

Settling In

Thursday, October 5, 2017

We arrived here at Buckhorn Lake RV Park in Kerrville, TX where we stayed last year in November and are settled, sort of, in the same location as last year where we overlook the creek and bridge shown below.  Nice to have a view of something instead of other RV's.  This is one of the reasons we like this particular part of this resort.  Our weather has been so so with much rain and high humidity but also some sunshine.  Well, let’s face it, this is Texas in the fall.   

We are very happy to be here once again and really do feel at home in this Park and the town of Kerrville.  Have already been to the Elks Lodge, where people are so friendly and welcoming and even remembered us from last year.  I have found a new hairdresser and nail salon and have already spent money at tbeen  twice to the local crafts store (equivalent to Hobby Lobby).  Ron has not been out yet to the golf course due to the weather but hopes to get out there in the next week.

We leave here tomorrow for an overnight visit with my daughter and family in Kyle (about 90 miles) taking in the football game where our two grandkids will be playing in the marching band then on to Livingston where we will begin the process of becoming domiciled in Teas with our mail, car registrations, licenses, voting, etc.   This will be through Escapees which is an RV organization we belong to and has much to offer the RVer in terms of benefits.  We hope to only be there for a couple of days and will complete the rest of the process here in Kerrville.   We think Kerrville might be our permanent home once we decide to quit RVing full time, but who knows until that actually happens. 

We should be settled back here once we arrive back next week but will spend a few weekends off and on with the kids over the next three months including Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is nice to be close by to spend time with the family who have always lived so far away.  Wish my son lived closer as Virginia is soooo far away.   However, it was nice to see Bill recently in Albuquerque for his Dad’s surprise birthday party. 

Yesterday we had quite a thrill when the bird below flew into our creek and spent a bit of time there.  We think it is an egret, stork or a whopping crane.  Not sure which since we are not bird watchers.  Beautiful bird as you can see from the picture.  

Signing off until we return from Livingston next week.

Moving On

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Our month in Albuquerque is up and tomorrow morning we leave here for Kerrville, TX where we will spend the next three months.  Hopefully, I can send out more blogs about our time there and some of the things we will be doing.    

Ron and I both got a good bill of health from our doctors here though Ron has a continuing dental issue that will be resolved when we return in April of next year.  We plan to continue our lifestyle of traveling in the RV and doing all the right things to keep us in good condition and enjoying life. 

We enjoyed our visits with family and friends as always.  Everyone we visited is also in good health and we enjoyed catching up on all their news and exchanging information about our travels.  We returned to Albuquerque in time to participate in a surprise 80^th birthday party for my former husband.   My son Bill was here from Virginia for the event and spent part of the week with us as well.  It was great to see him since it has been 2 years since we were back in Virginia and will be another two before we are there again.  Wish his wife and girls could have been here as well.  Daughter Laurie could not attend as she was tied up with setting up an Emergency Operation Center in San Marcos, TX due to the hurricane and flooding in Houston.  Fortunately, they did not have to open the doors as people were sent into downtown Austin.  We missed her being with us but will see her in the next week or two in Texas.

We also spent some time with Ron’s son Kent helping him clear out his Mother’s house since she passed away in August.  Sad time for him (an only child) having to deal with all the details of settling an estate.  We are happy he has his finance with him to share the load and for support since we are so far away most of the time.

We will be on the road to Kerrville for the next three days arriving there on Wednesday.  Looking forward to our time there again this year and to meeting up with another couple we met there last year as well as another couple who reside there in fall and winter that we met in Washington this summer.  Plan to do a few day trips to other communities we have not visited before as well as several trips over to daughter Laurie’s house to watch our grandchildren play in the high school marching band and for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  Hard to believe both kids are in high school already.  Kaylee graduates in June and Garrett just started his freshman year.

Signing off for now.    

Albuquerque

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

  

We arrived in Albuquerque on Thursday, August 24 staying at the Elks Lodge for one night moving to the KOA on Friday for a month.  My son Bill arrived around 10 p.m. from Virginia staying in town until Tuesday, August 29.  My daughter Laurie from Texas was due to arrive on Friday, but due to the Harvey Hurricane hitting the golf coast of Texas and parts further inland, she did not come.  While her home  just south of Austin had only rain and so far no flooding, plane travel was questionable and she also works for emergency preparedness and worked all weekend at the EOC in San Marcos.

 Both kids were to be here for a surprise 80^th birthday party for their Dad held on Saturday.   We missed having Laurie here but had a nice visit with my son whom we have not seen for two years.  We will see Laurie in October when we are in Texas for October through December, God willing and there is space for us at our resort at that time.  In previous years, many of the campgrounds and resorts neighboring communities have housed evacuees in HUD trailers until they could return home.  This may be the case this year as well though Kerrville (where we are going) is quite a ways distance from the Houston area. 

For now we are comfortably set up in our back in site under a nice big tree which shades the RV a part of the day in our still rather warm days here.  This afternoon we had a real gully washer with pea size hail and rivers of fast moving water flowing in front of the RV and also behind us in the street outside the campground.  Lots of thunder, but no lightening and considerable wind.  It lasted about 30 minutes.  Since we have seen very little if any rain all summer, we enjoyed watching the storm.  This is still the monsoon season here so we will probably have more of these afternoon rain storms. 

Next week we begin our semi annual doctor visits and hope to get together with friends and family in town.

On the Road

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

It is Tuesday, August 22 and it has been a week since I wrote a blog.  Just not much to report from our end. 

We left Baker City, OR last Tuesday and spent two nights at the Elks Lodge in Caldwell, ID about 25 miles west of Meridian. The bar tender in the Elks recommended a local restaurant just down the street called Mr. V’s.  It is a local owned restaurant and serves Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.  The restaurant has been locally owned by the same family for 29 years.  They certainly found the right formula for staying in business.  Our meal was great and we recommend it to anyone traveling through the area.  It is also just off the freeway. 

On Wednesday evening we had dinner with Ron’s nephew who lives and works in Boise. Nephew John met us at Big Jud’s in Meridian which is basically a hamburger place.  Great burgers, Tater Tots and Onion Rings. 

Friday we moved on to Twin Falls stopping to have lunch with friends from there before moving on to Rupert, ID Elks Lodge where we stayed for two days on grass, under tall shade trees and right next to the first hole of the golf course owned by the Elks.  Ron played on Saturday and we enjoyed getting acquainted with another RVer also staying at the Lodge. 

Saturday, we moved into Utah stopping in Brigham City, about 60 miles north of Salt Lake City to visit with friends of my brother Gil and his wife whom we met several years ago.  They too are RVers and had just returned from a two week trip to Canada where the smoke  from the Canadian fires was really bad.  The guys and my sister in law played golf on Monday while Sandy and I ventured downtown to a local quilt shop.  Of course, I found the perfect fabric for a project I am working on.  A nice early dinner on the back covered deck finished our visit.   Hope everyone had a chance to look at the Eclipse.  We did not see much, but the temperature did drop but it was not dark in Brigham City.

The rest of this week we are heading back to Albuquerque where we will arrive on Thursday. 

Signing off til sometime next week.  

In and Out of Idaho to Hells Canyon

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

  

This is our last day in Oregon for we leave in the morning for Idaho or so we thought. 

Leaving Baker City we take a drive east toward the small town of Halfway, OR which is again one of those old towns with old buildings and houses and supposedly about halfway to Hells Canyon we guess (though we are not actually sure).  Hells Canyon is our objective for the day.

 Hells Canyon is North America’s deepest gorge  at 7,993 feet.  The byway is actually 218 miles long and takes you through 11 communities.  The Byway encircles the Wallowa Mountains and the route follows the contours of the land from river edge to mountaintop to valley floor.  We will travel but a small portion of this Byway today.

The road we take is Hells Canyon Scenic Byway which is two lane and winds through the hills and mountains with the Powder River running alongside for a while and valleys filled with fields of alfalfa, cattle and farm  houses and barns. This is in contrast to the dry grassy hills and mountains in which these valleys sit.  It is very, very dry here and fire danger is extreme.  

Arriving in Halfway we do our usual drive around to see what is here.  Not too much, but low and behold we do find a very nice quilt shop which of course I cannot resist.  They even have a coffee shop inside where Ron makes himself at home drinking coffee and perusing some free literature from the area while I shop.  I find some fabric for a backing on a wall hanging I have designed and also some Christmas fabric for a couple of Christmas projects I will do for gifts for the family.

Note the price of gas on the sign

Moving along further, we near the town of Oxbow where believe it or not we cross into Idaho and the Mountain Time Zone by crossing the river.  Here the river is the state border for the two states.  

Now this road becomes even more windy as it winds its way around the reservoir to the dam some 40 more miles away.   There is very little activity on the lake but the scenery is beautiful.  Further along the way is a nice campground with a boat launch where we see a few small RV’s and some people using tents.   

About this time we decide that we have had enough of this road, it is getting late and seeing the dam is no longer a priority in our day so we turn around and head back to Baker City once more in Oregon and the Pacific Time Zone until tomorrow.  

Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and Haines, OR

Monday, August 14, 2017

 One of the things Ron and I have been doing in our travels over the past five or six years is to visit Oregon Trail Interpretive Centers to lean more about the people and the reasons so many (350,000 people) traveled the trail to Oregon, California and Utah in the early years of the 1800’s.  While our travels have been mostly from west to east, this year we have actually followed the trail more east to west. 

The Oregon Trail was a wagon road that stretched from Missouri to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, over 2,100 miles of endless prairie, sagebrush, desert, mountains, rivers and wildlife.  Thousands of people, more men than women and children, trekked (mostly walking) with few belongings but much courage and determination.  Death awaited them at every turn not only from accidents, but also from disease and starvation.  These people forever changed the American West.

This Interpretive Center is about 8 miles outside Baker City and I believe is one of the most impressive we have seen with life size displays telling the story of the journey across the country with pictures, videos, journal entries, and artifacts.   Along with the displays, etc., there is an over an hour video which details the entire trip and really gives you an appreciation of what these pioneers endured. 

Watching the wagon trains from afar

Trading with the Indians

Round up in the evening

 Additional displays

An outside display

Returning to Baker City, we turned north on Highway 30.   There are so many small towns everywhere and Haines, Oregon is no different.  We just love seeing the old buildings and learning more about the people who settled these areas.  Haines, OR is no exception. 

Haines was settled in 1885 or 86 and was found along the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company rail line.  Prior to that it was a stage stop.  Today there are a few old buildings and homes

IOOF Building - 1908

1884 Union Pacific Railway Station

Front of Station

and a nice little Memorial Park to the pioneers who settled this town.

Chandler Cabin - 1861

 

Perkins Cabin - 1800's

 This Letter Drop was built to accommodate miners and settlers who picked up mail infrequently.

 The building was built as a utility shed or barn.

Hale Cabin - 1800's

We returned to the RV and a quiet evening in front of the TV.  Today was the first day in almost two weeks that we can take pictures of the countryside and actually get a clear picture.  The smoke seems to have mostly cleared out at least for now.