Good Eats and Dominoes With Our Friends

 

This morning I woke up with Sherri’s alarm going off. It was a work day for her and she had to be up and ready by 7:00. The store she is working at is just down the road from the motel here but leaving early means getting home early. She was in the shower by the time I got the steam up to get out of bed. I had showered the night before so that I would not be in her way. I got my clothes on and sat down at the computer to post on my journal.

Again I would like to thank everyone for the comments on my entries. I enjoy telling ALL in my post and I hope that I can live up to the kind comments that I get each and every week. Today’s post as the title reveals is about our meeting up with the Hatch’s and their wonderful family. Not often are you invited to spend time with a family and be entertained the way we were. This was especially nice being that we are in a place far from our stomping grounds and family and to be with people that treat you as if they had known you all your life!! How great is that!!

John called me about 3:00 Wednesday to see if we had made it OK. He asked me if Sherri and I would like to go out to eat with them and I accepted with the stipulation that I would have to see how Sherri was feeling when she returned from work. I told him that I would call him back as soon as I had the chance to speak with her. Sherri of course was ready to go and so about 4:30 John pulled up in front of the motel in our chariot. I was not sure if it was them…the windows in the van were dark and I could not make out who was inside. I was cautious approaching the vehicle…remembering what John had told me about this neighborhood not being the best in Jackson. I could see masked people jumping out of the van and abducting Sherri and I….and we would miss getting to go out to eat with John and Bridget!
As things would have it….it was them and we climbed in safely. Inside the van was Harold… John’s brother…his wife Sandie…John and Bridget and Sherri and I took the honors of the middle row of seats….did I say it was a van?

The ride to the restaurant was long…I at one point asked John if it was in Mississippi. They assured us that it was just ahead and sure enough shortly we pulled into the parking lot of the “Azteca Mexican Restaurant”. We had a wonderful meal and a real good visit with all. To top it all off John bought all our meals! Thanks John and Bridget for such a fine meal at a unique restaurant.

Unique may not be the correct adjective for the restrooms at this restaurant. At one time…I believe John told us that they were outside but the owner had put a roof over them to combine them with the rest of the building. Now that would have been a first for us…going outside to potty at a restaurant. I am glad that they had corrected that before we arrived You still had to part the Mexican blankets in the doorway and then step over the lower half of a wall to go to the hallway that led to the restrooms. They were located on the left of the hall about two steps up in height and upon entering them you found one potty and a sink. Far be it for much of a line to form outside…it could be trouble. The food was good and that is all that counted.

On the way home someone mentioned dominoes and asked if Sherri and I would like to play. They were all headed over to Bridget’s Mom and Dad’s house to play Mexican Train and wanted us to go with them. I asked Sherri if she would like to do that and she agreed it would be fun as long as I got her home in time for bed…being that she had to work the next day. John dropped us by our Motel to get our truck and then we followed them. It was just a short drive to the house and we were greeted by Bob and Marcy….who by the way are the greatest people you would ever want to meet. They welcomed us into their home with open arms and then whipped the fire out of us at dominoes. We had a ball…learning how to play this new game and laughing at all the goings on around the table. We had to set up two tables to accommodate all the players. We had dominoes scattered all over both tables and trains coming off at all angles…WOW I was having trouble keeping up with who had played last. Marcy and Bob would hand there domino to John to lay down for them…seeing as how they could not reach the train…John would play the domino and then I would play thinking it was John’s domino….and my turn. I must have played out of turn 20 plus times before I got the hang of it. Sherri got mad cause I kept laying doubles down and she could not play…then she could not get a train going and then well you get the picture. To top it all off Sandie put me down as “Stinky” on the score pad. She said she had misunderstood what they were calling me…maybe she did or maybe they were all calling me that??? I didn’t care…we were having so much fun that it really didn’t matter what anyone called me. Later I think she changed it to Joe Stinky Speedy…which really made me feel better….HE HE.

What a night it was! We had to excuse ourselves after they whipped up on us…it was about 9:45 when we started our good-byes and about 10:00 when the truck pulled out of the driveway.

On the drive home Sherri …once again commented on how nice it is to have friends all over the USA…that are so much like family. Our dreamer friends are so special to us and we can’t wait to meet up with more of them….

Somewhere in Time.   

What a Trip

It was still overcast when my eyes could focus enough to see out the window. I was in the kitchen making coffee and trying to see what time it was on the clock in the entry. It takes a while for me to clear my vision in the mornings and this morning was no different. Sherri was up taking inventory of all we packed yesterday to make sure she had all she needed. I too had packed up all my goods for the trip away from our home on wheels. I don’t like staying in motels but I know in some cases we have to and this was one of them.

Sherri is only working two days in Jackson and we decided to leave the RV at Hickory Creek COE. Originally we had planned on taking it to our place… I could see no advantage of dragging it to our lake lot in the pouring down rain and having a chance of  getting it stuck out there. I still had not had the time to hook up the electric from the pole to the barn so that too would not be an easy task in that kind of weather. So we opted to leave the RV at Lake Lewisville and just drive in the truck to Jackson for the the two days.

We left out a little later than we had planned. The clock on the wall said 6:30 when we pulled out of the space and got out on the road. We had planned on eating breakfast at Diamond Jacks Casino in Shreveport which is about half way for us. They serve breakfast for 1/2 price to seniors until 10:30 Monday thru Thursday. This meant that we could both eat a breakfast buffet for $4.50 each. And I can pack away a lot of groceries at a buffet so the price was right up my alley.

OK so we got on the road at 6:30…this gave us about 3 hours to get there which would not be any problem for me. But as things would have it the gods were not in our favor on this trip to breakfast….

First rattle out of the box after about 45 minutes on the road Sherri had to make a pit stop….no problem…found a McDonalds…stopped…Sherri was in and when she got out she could not find the truck….she went out the back door and I was standing at the front door waiting on her. This was my first chewing out…for not being where she wanted me to be. She did find me and we were on our way once more.

About 25 minutes down the road Sherri started screaming…She undid here seat belt and got up out of her seat turned completely around in the truck and while standing between the windshield and the front seat started pointing and screaming. Needless to say I was a little rattled. “Stop the Truck” “Stop the Truck” Her orders rang out  between the screams.

Meanwhile…I was trying to maneuver my 70 MPH missile off the highway without killing us and all the people around us. She finally was able to get out the words “Big Brown Spider”….then more screams and more orders about getting the truck stopped. More orders were given…kill it…get something and kill it. I finally saw the spider….yes it was a man eater alright…I got the truck stopped… got out…took a Kleenex grabbed the behemoth spider between my thumb and index finger and tossed it out on the side of the road. I tossed it well off of the road as not to cause any other cars from running over it and maybe flipping or damaging their bumpers on impact. I also took time to reassure Sherri that there was not a nest of these man eaters in the truck and that this one was probably working this truck my himself.

Soon I was allowed to continue on our journey…time was getting shorter for that omelet at Diamond Jacks. We were about an hour and a half from the greatest breakfast on earth when up ahead all I could see was tail lights coming on….did someone else have a spider in their car? The closer we got the more I could see that we were going to be in big trouble with this traffic jam. Time was of the essence and we were coming to a dead stop. This lasted for about 15 minutes…thank heavens we were not that far behind the wreck and it had just happened so we managed to get on around it in short order.

AHHH life is good and it looks like me still might make it to the buffet before they shut er down. Then up ahead once more I spotted an unsettling sight. The clouds were getting darker and starting to dip down with the weight of the rain in them. Then the clouds started to let loose all the rain which they had been storing for some time. It rained so hard that it was hard to see 50 feet ahead even with the windshield wipers on ludicrous speed. How was this going to play into getting to the buffet on time. I never let up on the gas peddle…I did all the right things and low and behold we made it to Diamond Jacks in one piece and the buffet was ours for the taking.

After our breakfast we headed on East to Vicksburg and the Ameristar Casino…where we played for some time without winning much. Sherri decided that we should try the Diamond Jacks down the street and so we left there and tried our luck at that casino. Long ago we had been here when Diamond Jacks was the Isle of Capri. They had the best dinner buffet we had ever had…so when we got through gambling there we tried it out. If you are ever in Vicksburg you have to try the buffet out at Diamond Jacks….believe me it is the best. The dinning room has a window from one end to the other overlooking the Mississippi River and all the barges going up and down…..and the food is the best ever!!! I cannot say enough good things about this Casino….and I won money there too.

Well we made it on in to Jackson Mississippi that night about 8:30. Got our motel room and settled in for a quiet evening. Soon we were off to sleep and dreaming about…

Somewhere in Time  

Rain Postponed the Plans

Last night I must tell all the chatters I was blown off the air in a thunderstorm! I was chatting along and all of a sudden my Internet connection went away and never did come back until this morning….

This morning I was wondering if the sun would ever rise. I laid there and looked at the clock on the entertainment center in the bedroom and it said that it was 6:30 but no glimmer of light outside. What is the deal? I finally  got up to see if maybe the clock was wrong but soon found out that the sky was cloudy and it was really trying to rain some more. As I mentioned in my opening statement last night was a blast of thunder and quiet a bit of rain. We need the rain around here for sure but it would be nice if it was spread out over the month and not all in one week.

I thought I was the first up but then I noticed that Sherri was also up and moving about. I made the coffee and we both migrated to the living room to sip and chat about our plans for tomorrow. We are heading to Mississippi for the week and we were taking inventory of our clothes and other items that we planned on getting ready. Sherri’s dryer is out and she can only wash in the RV so she is having to air dry all the clothes after she washes them. I guess I will have to do some washing when we get to Jackson…which by the way I don’t mind doing.

The rain kept coming down and we had to re-adjust our plan. We had planned on dropping the RV off at the lake lot and then driving to Jackson. Sherri has a motel reservation there and it would be cheaper than hauling the RV all the way to Mississippi. Well not knowing if the county had put in the culvert or if the lot was dry enough for us to pull the RV on…we decided to extend our stay here at Hickory Creek until next Saturday. Well the space that we have is rented for Friday and Saturday of next week so that means we have to find another spot here that is open from Monday until Saturday. Luck was with us and we found a 50amp spot just around the corner and we pulled over there and reset up for the week. It wont cost us any more to stay here at $9. a night VS us pulling the trailer all the way to the lake and having a chance of getting stuck and not being able to put in the electric due to rain.

OK so now we leave out in the morning come rain or shine and we hope to be in Shreveport by 8:30 for the senior breakfast at Diamond Jacks. I love the omelets there and all the trimmings. Doncat… http://rvdaydreams.blogspot.com/ if your up and going call me and we can meet there for breakfast.

John Hatch…. http://travelsofjohnandbridget.blogspot.com/  emailed me and said that he wanted to meet us sometime while we are there and Squawmama http://adventureswithtassie.blogspot.com/ is staying at a COE park not too far from there so we will be busy trying to meet all these Dreamer Friends. I can’t say for sure we will ….Sherri is the one that is working so I don’t make plans until she is good with them.

I got the grey tank dumped in the new sewer caddy. Took me two trips but I goter done..and we should be set for the days we will be away.

We head out in the morning. I will post our progress tomorrow so stay tuned….

Somewhere in Time

Walking and Enjoying the Lake

 

Living with 30 amps is not what I like to do. As hot as it has been we need two AC’s going all the time…but on 30 amps there is no way.

We ran the bedroom air last night and turned the living room off. I put it as low as it would go and found out that it does get cold! I guess we could have hung meat in there last night. I have to been cool when I sleep…being the bear that I am requires cold temps to get me to sleep.

I really overslept this morning…it was 6:30 when I rolled out of bed! Yes I know that is late for this guy. We always try to get up early so we can enjoy as much of the day as we can squeeze out. This morning was no different…we had to have our coffee and then it was time for our walk. This park has the nicest trails to walk. They are all paved and wind their way around the entire park. We spent a big part of the morning walking all the trails and discovering the surrounding woods.

Where did everyone go? Man this place clears out fast on Sunday.

Some high dollar living across the lake from our site

This is our front yard. Not bad for a poor boy.

This is a real nice calm cove to launch the boat in. Maybe when we come back here I will have more time to do some boating.

We started off not too far from site #20 and headed off to see what there was to see. We saw many rabbits and squirrels and birds of every kind….lizards that Sherri would squeal “Snake”. No dear just a lizard. They do not have any attack snakes at this Lake. When you are on a paved path you can pretty well tell if there is a snake waiting to attack you. I don’t think that comforted her much but she did calm down some.

Early morning is about all the time you have to walk and enjoy the trails. Sherri and I both can’t wait until fall gets here and even winter will be nice here. Until then we will just have to put up with this hot weather.

Well tomorrow morning we hitch up and head to Mississippi. We have to be in Jackson on Tuesday. Sherri works there Wednesday and Thursday and the rest of the time we are off to see the sights. We want to go down the Natchez Trace and see what we can find. More on this adventure….

Somewhere in Time

Picking up the Trailer

I did not sleep soundly last night. Staying in a motel room is not my thing but it is a necessity this week due to the trailer being in the shop and Sherri working here in West Texas. It was about 6:30 when I heard Sherri get up and head to the shower. I was still tired but I knew I had to load the truck up and get ready for that 11:00 check out.

We got dressed and gathered up all the stuff that I would not need between then and the 11:00 check out time. I would have to stay in the room until Sherri returned from work and if it was after 11:00 then I would have to check out and wait in the lobby. I left some food and drink and the computer in the room and then I went down to eat some breakfast.

Sherri left at 7:00 and I came on back to the room. I watched some TV and played on the computer. I had a chance to look up some things and read some emails. I would like to take this time to thank all of you that comment on my journal each day. I enjoy writing my journal and it does me good to see that people do read it.

Sherri got back about 11:15 and we checked out of the motel. I called Explore USA to see how they were coming with our trailer and was told that they were replacing a drive motor on the bedroom entertainment slide and that it would take them about 4 hours to get it finished. Sherri and I decided to go eat lunch and then make a run through the mall. We might even catch a show at the cinema located in the mall. We drove from Decatur to Lewisville and went to Cristina’s Mexican Restaurant and had lunch. Then from there to the mall to look for me some more shorts.

After failing to find any shorts on sale we decided to walk down to the theater to see what was playing and found it to be closed up. I guess they are out of business or there are no shows left? Oh well by this time it was getting close to the trailer getting ready so we just left from there and went to the dealership to check on their progress. They had everything done but they had forgot to change out my dump switches in the service bay. We had to wait on that to get done and while waiting we just walked around and looked in some trailers.

View out our Arizona room side. That is the lake in the background.

View out the back window…nothing but forest…and lots of privacy

Side back view of the road we came in on. We have lots of shade here and good Verizon Air Card. Lucky to get a spot at all this late in the week.

They finished up about 4:30 and we were hooked up and on our way. We had stopped at Hickory Creek COE on the way to the mall and secured us a site. We were glad that we did that because by the time that  we got out of the service bay and arrived at the park they were just about full. We would have had to take the dregs if we had not pre-registered. Our site is #20 and it is OK…but it is only 30 amp! Oh me only one AC at a time here and we have to be careful not to overload. We are just inside the green so we will eek through this weekend and then we have to move on.

That is about it for today….

Somewhere in Time

The Adventure Continues

 We ate at the Texas Cafe next door to the Petrified Wood Gas Station. If your ever in Decatur this is located on Business 287. Prices are reasonable and the food is good.

Last night I was up and down with an upset stomach from eating 10 lbs of fried shrimp. I really was up and down but I did not eat 10 lbs of shrimp….close….but not quiet that much. Sherri too was not feeling good last night. We ate Chinese yesterday but I don’t think it was bad…I think we just ate too much. After the Chinese food we stopped and Braum’s and ate an ice cream cone. I had chocolate almond and Sherri had a hot fudge cone. OK maybe it was the fact that we gorged ourselves that made us sick??

We got up about 6:30 and got ready to go downstairs to eat breakfast. Sherri had to get ready for work and I just had to get ready for breakfast. We arrived at the buffet about 7:00. I had a waffle and Sherri had a bowl of cereal.

About 7:30 Sherri caught a ride with Rick and Becky and left the truck with me. I decided it would be a good time to get the oil changed so I looked up the nearest Dodge dealership and took the truck there. I got right in and in about 1 hour I had new oil…new air filter and a new fuel filter. I felt so clean!

Before leaving for the Dodge dealership I told the maid to please tidy up our room. Yesterday I just got fresh towels but today we needed trash emptied and more toilet paper. When I returned everything looked real spiffy.

Sherri just called me and she is finished at work and Becky and Rick are coming by to get me to go eat. I have already eaten but I will go and have some desert. Better get ready for their arrival…more later.

OK so I ate more than desert! Can I help it if these people are trying to make me obese!…Maybe more obese. We went to the Texas Cafe which is next door to the Petrified Wood Gas Station. Yes and I had to go back and take one last look at the cabins and their garages…HE HE I know I can’t get a car in them. I ate a salad and drank some water and I am about to pop. Tonight I will have to eat something light. We will see what tonight has to offer up…

Somewhere in Time

Decatur Adventure

The Texas Tourist Camp and Petrified Wood Gas Station stand like relics from that by-gone era on the east side of Decatur, an old Chisholm trail town.

This morning when I heard Sherri moving about I opened my eyes and wondered where in the world I was. I had forgotten that we were now in the motel room and not the RV. That is always a surprise when you wake up in a new place.

I got up and saw that Sherri was getting ready to head down stairs to the breakfast bar. We had planned on meeting some of the other employees down there and have breakfast before they all went to work. I hurried to get myself ready and then we both went down to eat. Rick and Becky were already there having their breakfast and we got ours and sat down to visit. Sherri works with the nicest group of folks you could ever meet and we enjoy eating and visiting with them all.

Soon it was time for Sherri to leave for work and we went back to the room to get her keys and then she was off for the day. I settled down to make a plan for the afternoon when Sherri would return. We also have to work in dinner and surely a Wally World run.

Don’t ever say that Speedy can’t find some adventure where ever he goes. While surfing the net I found this old gas station/RV park/cabins/restaurant. Back in the early 20’s this place was popping with the main highway going through here. People traveling from Ft Worth/Dallas to Wichita Falls and all points north and West would stop here for the night to gas up and eat and even rent a cabin for the night. All this came to and end in the early 60’s when the Interstates and the main roads all moved leaving the gas station and lunch house far off the beaten path. They say Bonnie and Clyde stayed here once…but didn’t they stay everywhere?? Well it could be you just never know being they ran all the back roads around this part of the country.

Yes this might have been “The Cabin” you just never know. Don’t you think the petrified wood on the outside just makes this place POP! And look the cabin has it’s own garage! WOW your own garage now that is worth renting this place!

Here is the garage…don’t think I could get my truck in there…

Through this gate past many a weary traveler looking for a place to lay down for the night. Behind the cabins was the camp ground. I don’t think I could pull my trailer in this way either. 

You know I pumped many a gallon of gas through pumps like this. Now they are on display…antiques? Notice all the petrified wood stuck on the outside of the gas station.

Now that Sherri she sure is a joker…Had me stand under this sign I didn’t think she would ever take the picture and all the cars slowing down to see what I was doing.

The town was originally called Taylorsville after The Mexican War Hero Gen. Zachary Taylor, but was changed in 1858 to honor Stephen Decatur… Revolutionary War naval hero. The town was platted by early settler Absalom Bishop who became a member of the Texas Legislature.

This is the county courthouse here. I have found that most all the county courthouses in Texas look alike. One would wonder if one guy came along and designed them all? Oh well we just enjoyed looking around this old town and you know something….it did not cost us one dime to look and we had fun doing it. Don’t tell me you have to have a lot of money to have adventures.

Anyone remember these days? If you do your my age and I know how old you are….

One of the buildings around the court house square.

There is so much old stuff around these towns. My goodness you could spend the rest of your life seeing memorabilia within a few miles of your own home. I am so glad the Sherri and I are having this opportunity to travel together and be paid to do it.

Tomorrow I think we will try to find some more sites to photograph. I have been looking for some stately homes in the area but none have come up…so we will just try to find some other adventurous places to visit. Until then I want you all to have a wonderful day…

Somewhere in Time

Arrived in Decatur Texas

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain hitting the roof of the RV. What a wonderful sound it was. We have been so hot and dry here…the rain will cool us off. Then my thoughts went to having to move today to the RV dealership to get our warranty work done. OH NO! I have to hook up in the rain.

Well as things would have it the rain stopped about an hour after I woke up and the cloud cover stayed around to keep the temps down…all is well here now.

We got everything loaded up and all the stuff packed away for the short trip. On top of the usual stuff that you pack away we had to pack all our clothes for the rest of the week. We will be staying in a motel and we need all our clothes and bath stuff.

The trip to the dealership was uneventful and we arrived there about 11:30 am. I checked in with the service department and they went over all the stuff we had to have fixed. Most all the items that we had to have work done on were items that were in need of repair the day we picked up the unit. Being that we live in our RV we made a list of things when we did the walk through and decided to wait to have them fixed after we had used it a while just in case we found some other items. This turned out to be the best idea because we did find some other things along the way that we added to that list and now we can have them all taken care of while we are in Decatur in the motel. I love it when a plan comes together. They should be through with all the work by Friday and that should allow us time to pick up the trailer and move to a new location the same day. We have no idea where that location will be now…but hopefully by Friday it will be revealed to us and we can head in that direction.

 

This is the view off our balcony here at the Comfort Inn. We are located where the West begins here in Texas. The high ground meets the low ground right here. Off in the distance is the low ground.

I am not sure what Sherri’s schedule is today. She may be working anywhere from 4 to 8 hours. She said that she would be calling me to let me know when she might be back home. If she is here early I plan on going on an adventure somewhere. Not sure what kind of adventures there are around here but I bet if I look deep enough on this computer I can find something.

Sherri is looking up her store she will be working at and also trying to find us a place to eat tonight.

OK I guess I better get to doing just that. The cleaning crew should be coming soon also to clean the room and I need to find somewhere to go until they finish. Sure not like staying in our own space. Hopefully there will be something to write about….

Somewhere in Time.

 

Hickory Creek Arrival

 I just could not bring myself to roll out of bed this morning. It was 6:30 and the sun was just starting show over the trees to the East. With one giant lunge I rolled myself out of the bed and on to the floor. Pulling myself up I made it down to the kitchen to make some coffee and then showered and dressed. This was going to be a moving day and I had to get my stuff together so I could pull out of here at least by 11:00 am.

Coffee was brewing and I was typing by 15 till 7 and all was well. Sherri was stirring shortly after I sat down at the computer so I saved my post and sat with her to visit and drink coffee. We had about an hour of time with each other before our little buddy came down the stairs and crawled up in my lap. He was ready for some hugs and chocolate milk. He got both and then I turned on the cartoon network and he was entertained for some time.

We messed around for a while ate some breakfast and then slowly  but surely started getting things put away and ready to travel. I headed outside and got all my moving prep done and then started to dump the tanks and stow the hoses and cords. I then backed up to the trailer and locked the hitch in place raised the landing gear and pulled the chocks.

Soon we were off and running down the highway. We made it to Hickory Creek in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. We have one of the best sites in this campground…site number 91. The view from this site is great and it has the “It” factor. If you ever stay here reserve site number 91…but don’t reserve it when I am going there…HE HE

My daughter arrived about 30 minutes after we got set up. Kris was so happy to see her and he was ready to go home. We will miss him in about a week…HE HE

After they left Sherri and I just sat down and looked at each other and then a big grin came over us and we commented how quite it was…GEEEE I could really get use to this. Sherri pulled her computer up to her and I laid back in my recliner and I think you could have heard my eyelids slam shut!!! Wow what a power nap!

OK it is about 6:41 and we are heading out to walk around the lake and take some pictures. I will be back soon and finish this post out

What a view out the back window…this is the “It” Spot…here at Lake Lewisville. We can put the boat in right behind the trailer.

The Arizona room provides a good view of the lake too. Sherri enjoys some alone time on her computer….no kids pushing the keys…

One more view out the Arizona room windows. Man I could stay here a while….too bad we have to leave Tuesday morning.

Pictures say 1000 words….so these should keep you busy until I return…

Somewhere in Time

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Laundry Day

Saturday morning the sun is already up and I am just climbing out of the bed. We are in Canton at the Mill Creek RV Ranch Resort. Really a nice place and the kids love it because of the playground and swimming pool.

Sarah goes home today and we have Kris one more day and then he goes home. Sherri and I will be getting a good rest next week…or I will be getting a rest Sherri has to work. She will only be working half days so she will be able to catch up on some of the things she has had to put off while keeping the kids. I will have to clean the the RV inside and out. With the kids here we have not been able to clean much.

The plan is to take Sarah home and then go out to the barn at the lake. I want to get the electric hooked up to the barn. I have to get it ready to park the RV out there. We hope to stay there some to save some money along. This will allow us to travel more if we can stay out there for a week or so and not pay rent and cut our diesel consumption in half.

We got the culvert in the ditch but it got hot too fast and I did not get to hook up the electric. We had Kris with us and he was not much help….if you know what I mean. He started pulling things out faster than we could put them up. Oh well we did get some things done and then it was time to get back to the AC at the park.

Today is also laundry day and believe me we have plenty to get washed. The kids go through a lot of clothes and towels. They have a nice laundry here so we packed it all up and went over there to get our wash done. Good thing we went when we did because it took us a good while to finish all that we had. While Sherri was washing I took Kris to the playground. Now he is fast and I was worn out very quickly chasing him around the jungle gym and swinging and then down the slide. This lasted for a while and then he wanted to go swimming so I had to take him to the trailer and get swim suits and then back to the pool. Where does all this energy come from? We swam while Sherri washed the clothes. The pool closed at 9:00 pm so Kris and I had to get out and go home to shower. Wow what a long day….Poppa is tired and Kris will not give it up. Finally he laid down with his Maw Maw and passed out.

Sherri and I had a little time to visit and then it was time for us to call it a night. We will be up early to get ready for our travel day. I will return for an update…

Somewhere in Time

Arrived In Canton Texas

The morning was calm after the storms last night. Today was a hitch up and move day. We are headed to Canton Texas. We will be staying at the Mill Creek Ranch Resort for two nights. On Sunday we go to Hickory Creek COE for two nights and then the trailer goes in for repairs on Tuesday morning.

We got off about 10:30 and the trip was uneventful except for all the potty stops we had to make along the way. When they found out that they could go to the potty in the trailer along the way they had to pee every few minutes. As things would have it we would be on the road for 15 hours for a 4 hour trip…This was not going to happen so I had to curtail some of the stops. We made the trip in 4 and a half hours and got parked with no problems.

This is a high end park at $35.00 to $5o.00. The only reason we are staying here is that we have a free night coupon we got several months back. This means we can stay here for $17.50 a night. This is not too bad but at full  price we would not even consider staying here.

After getting hooked up the first bit of business that had to be seen to was getting Kris and Sarah to the swimming pool. I did not swim but Sherri took them in and I watched. They enjoyed the pool and water fall. Kris is doing real well with his swimming.

When the dip was over we came home and got dressed for the run to Wally World. We needed to get a few things. While at the store Rodney and Becky called to let us know that they were on their way to Canton to meet up at the park. We finished our shopping and went back to the trailer. Shortly they arrived and we visited until almost 11:00 pm. We said our good-byes and told them that we would see them in the morning. I needed to get my culvert rolled into the ditch so the county could cover it next week while we are in West Texas.

Not much more to report for today’s adventure. I am sure there will be more to come…

Somewhere in Time

Zoo Day

No alarm this morning. Sherri did not have to go to work and we planned on sleeping in. Sure enough I slept in until 6:00 am…got up made coffee and slipped behind the computer to post before my little house guest woke up. Now you do remember that Sherri and Paris Hilton stayed at the motel last night so I did not have to worry about waking them up. My little buddy had got up during the night and wanted to sleep in the recliner which as a good grandparent I allowed and he laid sleeping behind me while I typed away.

If the slumber fairy allows it I will finish my post before he gets up. I did get the entire journal entry done less the pictures before the phone rang. It was Sherri wondering what time our day would begin. We planned on eating over at the motel breakfast bar that morning and she wanted me to know when it opened and when it closed. I told her that Kris “Was” sleeping but now the phone ringing had woke him up and that as soon as I could get him dressed we would be on the way to pick them up.

Kris and I both got dressed and made our way to the motel for breakfast. We went straight to the room to pick up the girls and then down to eat some waffles and whatever. After breakfast we went back to the room to gather up the girls stuff and back down to check out. During all this I picked up some brochures on the area attractions so that we could plan a day for the kids enjoyment. Sherri got checked out OK and we went back to the trailer to unload their bags and while there we decided to head to Monroe LA to see the Zoo.

Everyone got loaded into the truck and Sherri set the Garmin for the Monroe Zoo and we were off. It is about 22 miles to Monroe from the Park…we had to stop off at the Super-One to get some cash and then we hit Interstate 20 east. In no time we were navigating through Monroe towards the Zoo…one wrong turn correction later we were in the parking lot and unloading the kids. We got our tickets to include the boat tour of the zoo and we were off. We got there before the temps got too bad and the boat ride turned out to be the best part of the whole day. As soon as we got off the boat and started our walk around the temps climbed and we began to feel it. It was not too long into our site seeing adventure that we decided to vacate the zoo and find some place cool to eat at.

Sherri has worked in Monroe before and knew of a Chili’s near by so we made out way there down the Interstate. We ordered and had a wonderful lunch….as wonderful as one can be with a very active 3 year old boy bouncing around. Now at the restaurant all he wanted to see was the little toy airplane hanging from the ceiling in the next room over. Like a good grandparent I promised him if he would act nice I would take him in there to see it. Well he didn’t and I did. OH well what can I say?

Upon completion of our lunch it was time to head back to Ruston and the park for some down time. By this time it was close to 3:00 pm and Sherri and I were about spent. Not only on our strength but our pocket book too. Our budget never included this kind of entertainment or eating out. Friday will not get here fast enough for either of us.

Have you ever noticed when grandparents start wearing down due to the kids they get cranky. Not necessarily with the kids but with each other. Why is that? I wonder how many long-time marriages have been terminated by keeping grandchildren?

We made it home and the kids played inside the rest of the day. They watched cartoons…whoopee! while Sherri played on the computer and I tried to nap. Yes I had my eyes closed but not much sleeping was done.

That evening the storms moved in and we lost satellite signal so we decided to call it a night. By that time both the kids had just about used up all their child powers….which like the Energizer Bunny keeps going and going…and they pasted out before we could really get them to bed.

Sleep tight little ones and I will see you….

Somewhere in Time.

Kris Wants No Part Of The Motel

This was the last work day and therefore Sherri was eager to get it over with. We visited for a few minutes and then she was off to work. I posted my journal entry and pictures and then turned to reading some journals that I had fallen behind on. It was so good to catch up with my friends and what they were up to.

Since I have been watching the kids every day…I find myself further away from my computer and closer to the cartoon network. I told a group of Sherri’s friends the other night how nice it was to set down and have an adult conversation with people. Not having to tell someone not to do this and that and repeating it several times before it was acknowledged! Reminded me of being  back at work. This all will end soon and I will be able to return to a life of relaxation.

We spent all day yesterday inside…only a short period of time when I took Kris out to feed the ducks…that had found their way back to our patio for the morning meal. I guess once you feed them you have them every morning until you depart the premises. One hot dog bun and we had to close the soup kitchen…Kris wanted to  empty the cupboard out but I would not allow that.

We did get in another good nap about 4:00 pm and then Sherri returned home about 5:00. The house was mess to say the least. I had not had the time to clean anything with the two dragging out stuff faster than I could put it up. OK it can be cleaned later we had to plan dinner and pack up to stay at the motel. Yes Sarah had never stayed in a motel and she wanted us all to stay the night there just so she could tell everyone that she had stayed in one.

We ate at the Log Cabin again and once more the food was very good…service a little slow but food good. You know when you have little ones waiting on food and they are hungry…slow service is not an option. Kris twisted and turned and wanted to walk over and see the moose head mounted on the wall. OH please bring the food please!

Finally the food arrived and the day was saved. We ate and I took Kris over to see the moose head and all was well once more.

We took them then back to the motel to swim and spend the night. The swim went real good but when it was time to get ready for bed and spend the night there Kris would not have any part of that. No way…No how….No time was he going to stay in a motel room…He wanted to go back to the trailer and would not settle down until I took him back. So as things would have it I took Kris back to the trailer and Sherri and Paris Hilton stayed at the motel.

I got Kris to bed but he woke up about 4:00 in the morning and wanted to sleep down in the recliners. There was no way to calm him down except take him down to the recliner with his blanket and pillow. I had forgot what a simple life I use to have. Soon this will all pass and I will be longing for his return….

Somewhere in Time

Oh My Is It Friday Yet?

Sherri’s alarm was going off and I was trying to find it but she had it on her side of the bed. The whole time it was going off I kept thinking to myself….please don’t wake the children…please don’t wake the children. Why…you ask…I need a few minutes to drink my coffee and ease into the morning without my two buddies climbing all over me.

Lucky for me they slept right through it and I was able to make it down to the kitchen and put the coffee on and set down at the computer to post. Before my post I had to check on the availability for us to stay at Hickory Creek park on Sunday night and Monday night. We also have to make reservations at Mill Creek Ranch in Canton for Friday night and Saturday night so we can drop Sarah off in Wills Point. Mill Creek Ranch is located in Canton Texas and from what I can tell is a nice park. I will give you a complete run down on it come Sunday night.

We will be leaving Hickory Creek Tuesday morning and going to Explore USA to drop the trailer off for some warranty work. We have a door between the kitchen and the bathroom that has a broken keeper latch at the bottom. It was broke when we picked the trailer up in December of last year and it and a few other items had to be ordered and shipped to Denton’s repair facility. Those parts came in months ago but we have been on the road and unable to schedule any time to leave the trailer to get them replaced. Now that we will be going out west we can leave it there and we will stay in motels until Friday of next week when we can retrieve it and head east to Arkansas.

We have many places to go and see in the next three weeks. No moss will grow on us for some time. We were very fortunate to get site number 91 at Hickory Creek for Sunday night. It is a supreme site that you must try to reserve if you are staying there while in the Lewisville Lake area. It backs up on the lake and is in full shade most all of the day. It is a shame that we have only two days to stay there but I am sure that we will have the chance to reserve it for a longer period of time later in our adventures.

Yesterday was filled with feeding the ducks and riding around the lake with the kids. This is such a beautiful area to stay in. I love the kids but I can’t wait to stay here some day just Sherri and I.

Most of the day was spent indoors watching cartoons and then I was allowed to watch the History channel for a while. Kris finally laid down with me and took a nap! I slept too for about and hour and a half…Was that nice. Sarah played on the computer while we both slept. We ate some lunch and then watched more TV. Soon it was time for Maw Maw to return from work and we got ready to eat and go swimming at the motel pool. We stopped and ate at the Log Cabin Grill and Market on Hwy 33. We all had a salad with chicken and it was tasty. Then it was time to go swimming.

I did not swim but Sherri took the kids in and they had so much fun. Several of the people that work with her met us at the pool and we all visited while the kids swam. Two hours at the pool and we were ready to go home. We turned in shortly after our return to the trailer.

What an adventurous day this has been…I am sure it will all start over here shortly…I hear my little buddies rustling around in the next room. I need to brace myself for the fun and excitement that is about to spill into my life here….

Somewhere in Time