Boondocking Fever

What a night of chatting we had. Dee and I started off early with no one in the room but her and I and then it was like the bottom dropped out and we had tons of folks chatting. Great chat...we went from Yoville to actually chatting about RVing. I know there had to be some surprised people that came on....We were talking about where we were and where we were going!!!

As I sit here posting and looking out the windows in my Arizona room...people are leaving out. Yes they are going places...and I am just sitting here watching them go. I always wonder where they are headed...South .....North...East....West. It is so cool to think that not too long from now I too will be leaving out to go somewhere.

Sherri and I have still not figured out where we are headed when we get ready to go. We still have to ready our camp so we will have a place to return to when we do leave and come back. It will take us the rest of this month to do that so we are not looking too much past that plan yet.

We have a culvert to put in...driveway...electric to get hooked up...fence to build ....deck....yes there are many items on the list that have to be completed before we head out to parts unknown.

Well to the topic of this Journal today....Boondocking. I know many of you get the shakes and start to sweat when anyone mentions that word. You have to understand I cannot stay in these $30.00 a night campgrounds all the time and I will have to cool my wheels in a free campsite or a fairly cheap one every once in a while so that when I do have to stay in a full hook up site that is costly I can. I just want to be prepared for such a stay so I wont be without the necessities of life...namely electricity. Sherri and have practiced this here at the RV Park we are stationed at during the punishment phase of my life. We see how long the black tank will last before dumping it. We go on the fresh water tank as long as we can and see how long the grey water will last before dumping. All this to get an idea of how long we can dry camp at any one time. It is important to know in case for some reason you should have to do this.

We use to stay in the parking lots of casinos for days. Once we stayed in Bay St. Louis Miss. for a week without dumping and used our fresh water. We had room to spare when we did leave. We paid a campground near by to dump our tanks and then we were off again. This was a cheap place to stay to say the least and we had fun doing it. We only ran the generator for a short time just to cook in the microwave oven and to make coffee.

Anyway to get back to Boondocking we want to try it out and get the feeling of being off the grid for a while. I want to go to Quartzsite for a couple of weeks and try it out. I really want to experience the wide open feeling you get not being crammed into a small RV site with no room to move around in. I want to walk out my door and have the whole desert scene to hike in without worrying about getting hit by another camper going to work. I have seen the pictures Doug and Joan http://www.mytripjournal.com/ourdream&i=1 have posted on their journal and it is so beautiful. I can't wait to see some of the sunsets out in the deserts...unlike the ones here where you see it over the freeway.

Well we are planning to head out to Arizona sometime in the winter of 2010 For right now we are staying this January in Rockport at the Last Resort with John and Brenda and then we might head out to Q in February...this is all in jello as we all know but this is just my plan for now.

Some have mentioned also that the cost of the Last Resort is higher than other CG's around Rockport. Does anyone have any ideas on the cost of others and if they are as nice. You know I like the most bang for the buck so I am not apposed to changing my reservations to put money in my pocket. I will be looking around to see what is out there and if anyone has a better plan let me know so I can make a change if I have to. The idea is to be with all of you and Sherri and I don't care where that is as long as we can afford it.

OK nuff said there. If anyone else has the urge to head out to Q in February or if you will be there in February let us know. We are really interested in trying that out.....

Somewhere in Time

Easter 2009

Well our Easter was not spent on the road as many of yours was. We follow all of you around the country and see all the places you are on this 2009 Easter and we wish you all the best ever. Our Easter was spent at my oldest daughters house with the grand kids having a wonderful time. We went over about 12 noon to eat and visit with all and see the grand kids Easter presents and the eggs that they had colored the night before. What a great time they had coloring eggs and did a good job too. It does not seem that long ago that we colored eggs for our children...my how time flies the older you get.

OK enough about the past....We had a great meal of BBQ chicken and beans with a great salad that Sherri whipped up. Sherri is the worlds greatest cook as far as I am concerned....maybe too good if you have seen me I am living proof of too much good food over time. We did have a great time and a great visit with the kids. Ellie had her boyfriend there and he seemed to enjoy the days festivities. Ellie is the second grand child in order of birth...she is 18 years old now and that must make me somewhere in the forties....HE HE ...No word of a lie eh.

We left about 3:30 and headed to Sherri's brothers house so she could catch a ride with him to Longview Texas for the work week. She was not at all happy about leaving but I can understand I have to return to work also. This will soon pass.

While at Randy's house Sherri received a call from our youngest son, Brice, wishing us a Happy Easter...thanks son for being so kind to call your Mom and I...it means a lot to us when our kids call and just say Hi. Someday you all will enjoy hearing from your children and will know the feeling that we have.

After talking with Brice Sherri handed me the phone so I could say HI to him and send kisses to my other two grandsons and when finished I stuck the phone in my pocket...not thinking that this was Sherri's phone....that's right I did not think about it until I left and got down the road about 5 miles...Had to call Randy and tell him what I did and turn around and meet them at the QT where they were getting gas. Oh well I do things like that all the time...Sherri usually catches me but not this time. All was exchanged and taken care of. Sherri and Randy were off on their trip East and I headed West to Carrollton.

I got home about 5:30 and fixed me something to eat. Sherri called me about 8:00 when she arrived and checked into her motel room. She was not too happy with her accommodations but said she could put up with it for a few days. I know she does not like being in motel rooms while on the road...she likes being at home. Anyway we talked for while and then she had to head out to eat and I had to jump on chat. She did not join us last night but maybe tonight she might.

That brings us to the end of our Easter here in 2009. Hope everyone out there had a great Easter and I want all of you to stay safe....

Somewhere in Time

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL MY FRIENDS

Well today is Easter Day and the Bunny did not come to see Sherri and I. We are just distraught! I guess we will get past it but I was looking forward to some chocolate eggs! I guess we have been bad this year so we have to wait until next year.

Well I went and did it ....I am a Yoville citizen now. I earned 955 credits my first time on. I feel so wealthy! I went to every ones apartment and left a message to earn coins. I told everyone as soon as I get my pad decorated I was going to have a party and invite everyone there to celebrate. I have a ways to go to get enough money to buy anything. Yoville must be in California...the prices there are out of site.

I will have to wait for everyone to wake up this morning before I know that they see me in town. Am I really talking about this place like it exist??? What has happened to me? I think I have crossed over to the other side now. When a grown man starts believing that he is in another town and these people are really there....it is time to question ones self.

OK being that this is Easter I have to get ready to go to the kids house for the Easter Bunny now I am talking about the Easter Bunny....OH my I think I am losing it. Better go and take a hot shower and get my mind back...See ya in Yoville...

Somewhere in Time

Not Enough Information

Yesterday started out much the same as the day before and the day before that...well you get the idea. I guess it wont be much different when I retire...the days will start out much the same only difference will be I will be in different places. That all being said I have my coffee and I am setting here posting enjoying the free time I have before the long walk to the truck...which will carry me to that place I don't like anymore. Wow that was a mouth full...HE HE.

Well it seems that I did not convey enough information about me trying to find some land to park on. You know we had planned to park on my daughters property but after some deep thought and having been out there several times with the RV Sherri and I could see that we could not afford to stay there for any period of time. Much the same as parking at Wally World...this could prove to be much too expensive on my fixed income. For some unknown reason grand children think that Mawma and Poppa are extremely rich? When staying there they let us know that they need all this stuff that Mom and Dad wont buy for them because they are mean and unreasonable. So....we head down to the store and get them what they want...are you starting to get the picture here? Now if I was still working and had the money to do this I would without a second thought...but that is not the case.

OK now that I have set the stage for you...Sherri and I pondered this situation for some time and decided that distance was the best solution to this foreseen problem. So distance is what we were after. We have been looking for some property to park our home on that will not be so costly. I don't know if any of you have tried to find such a place but it is hard to find anything under 5 acres anywhere. An acre of land in North Texas is averaging about $4,500 dollars a pop. That would put us in the range of $22,500 for a parking spot. Well this is more than I wanted to spend seeing as how I will have to add a water tap and electric boosting that up around $27,000!! Well that is out of the question for this po boy and so we decided to look for lake lots instead.

Now Lake lots run you about the same per acre as farm land, however, you don't have to buy an acre you can cut that down in quarters...making it around $1125 a lot. Now that I can work with...even with the addition of water tap and electric and driveway. So this was the objective to find such a place that we could refuel the budget and enjoy the area at the same time. We looked high and low on line and out at the lake to see what was out there....scary does not describe the horror we found out there. I did not know people lived in these conditions. Sherri was so frightened that she begged me to drive fast out of there and she closed her eyes so she could not see the surroundings! Yes she was more frightened of this than a mountain pass! I could not drive fast enough to get out of the subdivisions from Hell!

Every place we looked that was decent was over priced to the point of absurdity! We were about at our wits end when Sherri's brother Rodney called and said that there was some land available next to him...one lot...and low and behold Sherri's other brother owned it. Yes...all this time looking and right under our noses was one lot that we could buy that filled the bill. They wanted $1500.00 for the one lot...on a paved road...actually located between two pieces of property that Sherri and I once owned! Not a bad location at all and this would be just right for us to park at for periods of time during the year.

Now 1/4 acre is not a lot of land but all we need for our barn...driveway...RV pad and room to stretch our legs. The taxes on this much land would only be about $30.00 a year and we could split the water with Rodney and have our power pole moved from Jennifer's to here for not that much. Life is good and when all is said and done we will have all we need.

OK I hope this clears it up on what we are doing. No I am not going to be a big land owner but I will have a plot of land to squat on when I need to refuel for the next trip.

Speaking of the next trip...Sherri and I are not planning on setting at this location any longer than we have to. We want to stay on the road most of the time but when things get slim we will head back here to regroup....HE HE. Our intentions are to camp cheap and stretch the $'s out as much as possible. This will allow us to be away and not paying money out for a home base that we only use a few times a year.

That is about it for today my dear friends and family. I have about 49 days till lift off and I have so much to get done. I know that we will get it all done but time is slipping away so I best get to cracking....

Somewhere in Time

Where Did Everyone Go

Last night Sherri and I fixed us some good ol New York Strips and they were gooood! We had been putting off cooking outside because the weather has been so so here of late and we didn't want to set outside with 50 mph winds trying to cook. The weather cooperated real well with me while I cooked and we sat down to eat about 7:30....which is a little too late for us but we ate anyway.

After eating I decided to jump on line and chat with all my good friends. It was about 8:00 when I got on line and low and behold there was no one on line??? What is the deal here I asked. Sherri was on Yoville and I asked her if everyone was on there. She told me that Brenda was on there but no one else that she could tell. Well after about 30 minutes of surfing around the net I just decided to sign in and then check back now and again to see if anyone was on. About the second time I slipped over to chat everyone was on there chatting away....HE HE ...come to find out Dee was at the Hockey game and if she is not on then no one is on. Well Dee that makes you the queen of the chat room. I will know from now on if Dee is gone the room will be empty.

Sherri is sending all the information to the title company today to get the paperwork going on the transfer of deed. We will soon be land owners again and masters of our own destiny. I think Sherri will be more at ease knowing that no one will be moving and causing her to leave. She can stay as long as she wants to....that is more than I can say for me....LOL.

Not just a whole lot going on in our lives right now. Sherri and I are going back to Wii and lose some weight. I have been remiss in using it because of the shift change. But next week I go back on the middle shift and should be able to Wii all the time.

I am at work and need to sign off here so I can go get some projects started. I will be back in touch ....

Somewhere in Time

Missing in Action

Yes you are correct I have been missing the last few days...not only from posting but from chatting. I have been busy at work and after work I have had so many projects to get done! Time is growing shorter and shorter here and I just have to get this all done.
Sherri and I took off to East Texas yesterday in search of a plot of land to set the RV on when we are on RR from traveling. Actually this will be the place where we refuel our budget and spend less on diesel and rents. Sherri looked up several possible properties to look at and we put them in the GPS and then yesterday after work we headed out to explore all the possibilities.
We have live out at Lake Towakoni for 30 some odd years and we liked this area so we decided to take a look out there. Well I cannot begin to tell you what we found. After living out there for all these years I never could have imagined that there was areas as B A D as some of the areas we looked at. Now I wont mention any names but believe me these places that we looked at brought back memories of West Virgina coal mining areas. These folks live....well I can't even begin to describe the conditions some of these areas were in. I lived a very sheltered life in that area of the country and never knew it.
We will be rethinking the area we will look in next. I know that many of you are saying...you had a place out there at your daughters land...and you are correct....however with her out of school and now that she and her family may be thinking about relocating Sherri and I better be ahead of that plan if it should come about. This way we would have a place that we could call our own and not have to worry about it being sold tomorrow. Plus the fact that staying next door to the grand kids can defeat the reason we are there to save back money....I think you know where I am going with that.
We will be working on alternative plans today and will surely keep you all abreast of what we find out. Until that time I have to get ready for the punishment phase of my life. I have to finish my coffee and get dressed so that I can head out....
Somewhere in Time

She Made It

I woke up and stumbled around the bedroom trying to find my clothes and headed down to the kitchen to start the coffee. Back upstairs to take my shower shave and get ready for my punishment. Yes work...for those of you that have been away for a while I am still working...now 6 days a week if 4 was not enough...nor 5....they have us working 6 days. I guess 7 will be next and if the government has anything to say about it they would add yet another day so we could

make more money to give them. No No I am not going there this morning.

I have better things to talk about today. Jennifer graduated last night from the Police academy. She was one of 40 some odd cadets that started and one of 15 that graduated. We are very proud to say the least. Her first duty as a police officer was to tell me that I could not park where I pulled up to pick up the family. Oh well I knew I would be the first one to get in trouble.

We are proud of you Jennifer and we pray you will stay safe. What you will be doing is a good thing. Mom and Dad just want you to be careful and come home safe every night...that's what Moms and Dads do

This Jennifer's oldest daughter and she is proud of Mom too.

Well that is it for another busy day in the life of us "Almost Retired" people

Somewhere in Time

House Guest

Well I goter done with the installations and everything is up and running for now. Many have said that what I wrote was funny and I appreciate all the comments but you have to keep in mind it is all true. These things are what make up my life. I guess if it was not for all my problems of getting things done I would be a very boring person. What most people do with very little problem I have a hard time getting done.

I have a house guest this morning and he takes up a lot of my time so I will not be posting much this morning. I hear him now so I must go but I will see ya later....

Somewhere in Time

Cradlepoint Is Now Cradled And Pointing

Yesterday was interesting to say the least. Sherri took me to work and headed out to Wills Point to look at some land out there to park our barn on and RV. We need a place that is ours and is not in the kids back yard. I found out that that is not a good idea. Well I love my kids and want them to love me...but seems like it might be too much on my budget to be so close. Without going into all the details of this...I think you get the idea.

OK so she dropped me off at the office and she headed out to do her thing. We had to get another P. O. B. set up for the mail and do some banking there also....so she had her day planned out pretty well. I on the other hand have this J O B to take care of and being on days means that I have so much more to tend to and watch that I have been cramped on time. I don't get to surf the web like I want to...but then I will have to live with that for a while. Time does go faster at work now that I do have so much going on...maybe this is a good thing.

Sherri got all her stuff done and then called me on her way back to let me know she was back in town and just minutes away from the office. This gave me time to clean my desk off and shut down the computer so I could get ready to meet her out front.

We left from the office and went straight to our favorite Mexican food restaurant to get something to eat. She was tired and so was I and who wants to go home and fix a meal when your tired. We had a great meal and then headed home to relax for the rest of the evening...I use that term loosely for I had to get the Cradlepoint set up so she and I could chat. Beads of sweat starting coming out all over just thinking about setting up the Cradlepoint. Wanting to appear strong at this point I just mentioned to Sherri that it seemed hot in the RV...don't you think so dear?? This would cover up for the sweat pouring off of me worrying about having to read the old instruction book and look like a non-geek. You know us guys like to look like we know what we are doing at all times to impress the ones we love. Like when you're driving you never want to stop and ask for directions because it makes you look weak.

I came up with an idea this time while sweating and shaking with the unopened Cradlepoint box in my hand. Why not start backwards and work forward....Yes that would be different and then I could run into the problems before I get to that step....

So I jumped right in and called the India guy first. I let him go through his spiel of how to fix the problem....which by the way I made up just to hear him mumble...I told him that I could not get it to load up and he said that I needed to luke at the droop dun windew and tell him what I sue. K good buddy...I went through the whole procedure with him....not understanding a word he was saying but just going along and looking at the windows that popped up. Thanks my dear Indian friend you have really got me to thinking now I can go and do it forward this time and see how it does...

Well the proof is in the pudding...last night Sherri and I both were chatting on the Cradlepoint and all is well! I have it now....get all the confusing stuff out of the way before you start so when you do start it is not so confusing. I think I will set up a class on how to install software on computers. That could be a job I do while traveling...just set up my computer to help people get their software...hardware loaded and installed and do it for a small fee. I will need to pick up the Indian accent, however and get that down so they will not be able to understand what I am saying. Actually it will be a money making deal without really knowing what I am talking about. What is the difference....you call the guy from India...he tells you what to do...you don't know what he is saying and you pay him....so why not me...I don't know what I am talking about but it wont matter no one will be able to understand what I am saying anyway!

Have you got this all down. Now I don't want anyone taking my idea and running with it so please this is between you and I and the India guy who probably already had the idea. Actually this could work for all kinds of instructions...you know the swing set you buy for the kids that gives you a list of the tools that you will need...the list is actually pictures of tools that a Kindergarten child drew. The swing set is also drawn by the same child and the India guy types up the instructions to go along with it. I am setting on a gold mine here...keep an eye on the stock market folks there is going to be a jump when I go public.....

Somewhere in Time

Hello Chatters

Well yesterday was a work day of course and I could not wait to go home. Sherri and I were going to head to the Verizon Store to see about an Air Card. I have been talking about this for some time now and finally made my mind up to get the Verizon AC. Everyone has said that they have one and how good it is. So Sherri and I headed out as soon as I got home to see about what this was going to cost and what they had to offer.

I had been reading about a new AC that just came out that had an antenna attachment and a port for a memory card. It was $75.00 with a $50.00 rebate...not bad I guess??? Well when I got to the store and started shopping around I talked the salesman into giving me a much better deal...like a $75.00 rebate and I would buy it right then and there. When I left I had an AC and no idea what to do with it. You know the old story...installing it....its as easy and falling off a log.

Well after getting home and reading the instructions it all became as clear as mud. I must have been glued to that log cause I never fell off of it? What is the deal...you follow each and every step down the line and then it says the program should load up by itself when you press "next"....NOT. Here is and example of the instructions with this device...

Place the CD in the computer and it will step you through the application. When the DFRT comes up on the GHJT you will see the RTWZ start to Jibulate on the Augustome Torque Butalator. Put the pass code in that you will find in the Battery case enclosure under MIDO unit stabilizer. Put your left index finger in your right ear and twirl around and make monkey sounds while you grab your butt with the other hand. This will upload all the needed software to your Download Gitzerbaldin and then just click on the ICON that is now on your Desktop. If you don't see the ICON on your desktop call this number #$^&*^#%^& and speak to the guy with the Indian accent that you will never be able to understand and get him to walk you through the process once again which is sure to end in total failure. Somewhere along this line of instruction you will fall off that log crying for help from anyone who will listen.

OK now that you have that picture embedded in your mind you can see where I was last night as I worked feverishly to get this loaded up. Yes a call to Dortha was made and she sympathized with me but went to Wally World anyway...Bob and John said it is as easy as falling off a log....there they go with that log bit...I guess they have never seen me sit a log before. As things would have it... through the tears and anguished looks I guess I must have made the computer feel sorry for me and it loaded the software by itself without my help. I am not sure if I am operating this system legally or not but it is up and running. Tonight I get to set up the Cradlepoint....now that should be another journal entry ....

Somewhere in Time.

A Day At Camping World

This morning we were up at 4:30 to get ready for the trip to Camping World. We had to roll up the carpet...literally and hook up the wagon. After coffee showers and Sherri getting her make-up on we were off. The traffic was not too bad that early so the trip was uneventful. We made it about thirty minutes early and had to kick back in the truck until they opened.

While setting in the truck Sherri and I got to talking about what we were going to do while we are waiting for our home to get completed. How about spending the day at the casino? Now that was a good idea...so good we were off as soon as the RV was unhitched and the keys left with our tech.

We arrived at the Windstar about 9:00....on the way in Sherri stopped to read the specials that were offered Wednesday at the casino. What a deal...they were offering free breakfast for seniors. It was good from 7:00 till 9:30 and we had to hurry to get in line before they closed down. Wow...free breakfast and the day at the casino....GEE this is great. We had a great breakfast and I mean they had everything you could hope for.

We ate our breakfast and then we were off to the machines. We did real well...Sherri held her own all day...which lasted until 4:00 and I spent about $6.00 so we had a real enjoyable day. On top of the fun at the casino we stopped on the way to pick up that cheap Oklahoma diesel. We paid $1.98 which is about $.30 less than the stations around us.

So we had a great day and got our house back about 6:00. Loaded it up and headed back to Carrollton. The traffic was a little heavy that time of day but we made it without any incidents. We got set up and back online about 7:30....in time for Idol and some snackes.

Well that about winds it up here....

Somewhere in Time