A New Week In a New Place

We woke up this morning with Sherri’s alarm going off at 5:00 am. She is working in Ruston Louisiana this week until Friday. I prepared the coffee for brewing last night before we went to bed so all I would have to do this morning is flip the switch. That was done and before long we were sipping fresh brew and watching the sun come up over the lake out our back window.

We are staying at Lincoln Parish Park about 3.5 miles north of Ruston. I would highly recommend this park if you are ever in the area. It is set around a small lake  with most all the sites backing up to the lake. They are a little tight but if you are handy at backing in you should not have any problem. For those of you that like pull through sites they have several of those also. We have electric 20 30 and 50 amp at the post and we also have sewer. The electric is reading good so we have no problem running both airs. The sites are mostly shaded but we are getting good satellite signal and the Verizon card is working great.

There are so many trails here to walk also. The woods are full of trails for bike and hikers. Around the lake is a service road to walk on. I will let the kids ride around that today. Maybe they will get good and worn out so they will take a nap this afternoon.

Upon arrival yesterday we got set up and then took the kids down to the lake for a short walk. When we got down to the road we noticed a man on the far end setting on the  ground and waving a white rag in the air. It appeared that he was injured in some way so we headed in that direction. When we arrived at his location we found that he had fallen from his bike at one of the hills and had injured his leg and arm. We got closer and recognized him to be a park security guard. He was checking the bike trails for bikers and when he tried to negotiate a jump he hit wrong coming down and hurt his leg and cut his arm. He had managed to get in contact with the park manager by the time we arrived on the scene. I helped him down to the service road and went back and got his bike. Soon the manager arrived in the park truck and we loaded him and his bike in the truck and he was on his way to the emergency room at the local hospital.

We returned to our RV and got settled in for the evening. Showers were in order for all. The humidity is so high now that you don’t spend much time outside and you are soaking wet.

That is about all the excitement for this our first day here at Lincoln Park. Today will be filled with riding around the lake and exploring the park with the kids. Tune in tomorrow for more news which I will gather here…

Somewhere in Time  

Moving to Ruston

Today is hitch up day. We are headed to Ruston Louisiana where we will be staying at Lincoln Parish Park

It is located just north of Ruston off. Sherri will be working there for the week and I will be in charge of entertainment for the G-Kids. They have a swimming beach there fishing and hiking trails so maybe between all that I can keep them happy.

It is about an hours drive to there so we will check out at 11:00 am and start our journey East. Check in time there is 4:00 so I hope that they let us check in when we get there. We will see I don’t really want to set around and wait but then if we have to we will make do.

We got all our laundry done yesterday which to no surprise took the better part of the morning. Sherri washed some of the clothes in our washer and I ran them down to their dryers. Between the time this was all going on we fixed the kids some lunch and I took them swimming.

Over all this park is OK for a overnight and maybe a couple of days tops. It is not a kids park and starting real soon it will be restricted to just us old folks. We will probably not be back here again with or without kids.

My next post will be coming from Lincoln Parish Park so until then may your day be filled with joy and fun places to see…

Somewhere in Time

Here In Shreveport

This is Saturday morning and the coffee is made and I made my way to the computer to post. We had an uneventful trip here except for the potty stops with the kids. With the motorhome we never had to stop except for me. Sherri would take the kids to the potty while I drove on down the highway. When they found out that they could go to the bathroom while we were driving they had to go every few minutes. By the time we got to our next stop the tanks would be full.

 

With only one stop we made it to Shreveport by 5:30 and got checked in to the Tall Pines RV park. This park is located on 70th street just off the Industrial Loop. This use to be a KOA but it sold out and now the new owner is trying to change it over to an all adult park. They told us when we made our reservations that they had no accommodation for children  and that they soon would only accept 55 plus. So this park will be off our list when the children are with us. It is really not all that great of a place anyway.

We took the kids to the pool as soon as we got settled. We found the laundry room and mapped out our Saturday. Kids will swim and we will wash clothes. This will be the first opportunity that we have had to wash clothes in two weeks. It will cost about $20. to get caught up at this point. It sure makes a difference when you have children traveling with you.

After swimming for about an hour…in a hot pool by the way…The water had to be 80 degrees. I was really looking forward to a cold dip in the pool and when I got in I thought they had the heater on. Oh well the kids enjoyed it…that is what counted. We decided to go out and eat catfish and Jan’s Riverside Restaurant. Wow was that expensive…but good eating.

  From there we took the trip to Wally World to get some swim equipment for the kids. We also picked up some water and a few other supplies.

After our shopping spree we headed home and got ready for bed. Saturday will be a busy day…me at the pool all day and Sherri at the laundry mat. Maybe something exciting will occur? Stay tuned…

Somewhere in Time

Tuesday Morning Kids Day

\

This is our new site at Bardwell Lake COE Park just outside of Ennis Texas

The Lake is right out the back door. Sherri is taking the kids down to feed the ducks.

Kris and Sarah did not find any ducks at the lake ant were disappointed. Can you tell

They did find some Birds

Mawmaw founds some Poison Ivy and made sure everyone was aware of it’s location.

This is the lake from the back of the RV with the sun setting in the West.

We had to get Kris some transportation so he could keep up with us….How are we going to keep up with him???

With all the help I have each morning it is not easy to post or chat with you…I think you know what I mean

This will be home until Friday when we leave for Louisiana.

Kris Sarah and I would like to say so long for a while and we will see you…

Somewhere in Time

Am I Behind

This was the extent of our 4th of July celebration….

The Fourth of July went out with a bang…Here it is Tuesday and we have moved to Lake Bardwell near Ennis Texas. We have two house guest and things are hoping around here during the day. It is constant entertainment going on and you would think that these two have never been fed three squares a day.

Sherri is up early to get ready for work. She is working in Mabank Texas today and Kemp tomorrow. It is a 50 minute drive to each of these locations from out home base here at Waxahachie Creek COE Park. I went a head and got on up to get her some coffee made. We did have about 10 minutes to set and visit before she had to get up and take her shower get dressed and pull out for work.

I will be in charge today of the food and entertainment which I mentioned was non stop. Sarah has a scooter and Kris has his 4 wheel we bought him at Wally World. He loves it but does not have the peddles down yet. He just scoots along with his feet on the ground?? What is that all about? As long as he is happy who cares.

I can’t believe it has been this long without me posting on the journal. I guess with all the work at the lot and the kids visiting here I have lost all track of time. We spend most of the day in doors due to the extreme heat we are having but I will have to say the last few days have been overcast and the temps have been down in the 80’s.

I did have the opportunity to take the kids out in the boat and we had a real good time. We went all around the cove behind the camp sight and saw many wonderful things. They were happy to get back on land, however, so they could run and play.

They are very active and setting in a boat restricted like that is not their thing. When we can fish out of the boat maybe they will be better….NOT.

Sorry I have been so lax on posting and I will try to correct this. We have a decent signal here so maybe I can get on chat too and visit with you. Until then this is the Activity Director signing out….

Somewhere in Time
 

Our House Guest

I was brought out of my sleep this morning by the sound of rustling in the kitchen. Sherri was already up and fixing coffee. Soon I could smell the aroma of the brew filling the bedroom and I had to get up.

We have a house guest this week. Sarah our grandchild is staying with us for the month. She will be traveling with us all this month and helping me catch fish. She has even said that she will be my second mate on the boat when I take it out.

After picking Sarah up we had to purchase her a new fishing pole and a life jacket. She let us know that the ones that she had would not work on this trip. You know I put up a fight but lost this one. Why do I even try…women always get their way.

This is an entry by Sarah:

I had a whole bunch of fun You wouldn’t believe it.

Sarah and I put the lines out and waited…and waited…and waited

Before we headed to the lake to fish Sarah fixed us a good dinner of hot dogs and chips. She is quite the homemaker!

This is the trail down to the lake from our porch. Sherri told us we had to go first so if there was any snakes she would know before she stepped on them.

We had this small opening to cast out through. Not a lot of room but I guess we can make it work.

Just some more shots of the area down by the lake.

Well I called the electric company to get my electric hooked up but they told me that they would not hook it up without a cover on my meter box. Someone stole my meter box cover so I have to get a new one. Oh Boy! that gives me something else to do this week!

More on this story tomorrow. Please forgive me while I go and bang my head against something ….

Somewhere in Time.

 

 

 

Headed to Tawakoni

Our Site at Tawakoni State Park

Today is Monday…a day that use to be dreaded by Sherri and I both…well maybe still for Sherri some times but me it is just another day. This Monday, however, is a move day so it is a little different but we have an adventure today and being Monday does not matter.

I got up at 6:30…yes a little later than usual but we stayed up last night and watched a movie we had recorded. Getting to be a little later keeps us in bed longer in the morning. When our 6 hours rolls around we are up and going without fail. That is another thing when I was working I could be in bed for 6 hours and dread getting up for work…but now no problem.

Sherri got up shortly after me and we sat down to drink coffee and discuss the bed purchase. Everyone that has commented on it have loved theirs and we are thinking that this would be the best one to get. I have to have a firm mattress and Sherri likes a soft one. This seems the best solution to that problem but we just want to make sure before we spend that kind of money. I think we will sleep on it and see….now that is funny…sleep on it.

We are going to have to make a run to Super Target to return a trash can that is too big and get some other things done before we go to the lake…where we have nothing for miles around. That is one of the things that I am not too crazy about…you have to drive 12 miles to get to a town and another 20 to get to a Wally World.

Not much more happening this morning… except the move so I will finish this up on our arrival this afternoon. I hope to be at the lake by noon…we will see. 

First stop was Brookshire’s to gather groceries for our five day stay at the State Park. This takes time when you have not bought food supplies in a while. We followed the list item by item until we had everything and then we checked out and headed to the lake.

Sherri plans out our next few weeks

We arrived there about 2:30….much later than what we had planned on. I got everything set up by 3:00 Then I was off to our lot at the lake. Rodney had his tractor auger so we got all the holes dug for the power pole and our mail box. It was 102 so I will have to say that I was beat by the time I got back to the RV. I did not make the chat room last night I was just too  tired to get on.

Tomorrow I will call to have everything covered and hooked up. I hope that I can get it all done this week while we are here. Come the 4th of July we hope to be staying on our own land.

Guess I will  be calling it a night now. I will catch many of you on chat tonight and the rest of you I will catch…

Somewhere in Time. 

Dump Day

I got up this morning and made some coffee…left my lover in bed…she was sleeping so hard. I sat down at the computer and started to layout my thoughts on today’s journal entry. I do my best thinking in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand. My thoughts went to our budget and how to save money. This got me to thinking about where we stay and how much that cost.

Staying in the State Parks and COE campgrounds is so much cheaper than your private parks…that a poor boy like me just has to take advantage of them. Sherri and I in the past month have stayed strictly at State and COE Parks and have spent very little money on rents in doing so. We did stay at one private park in Louisiana…but it was a Passport America park and we only spent $140 for two weeks there.

Now with that in mind we have decided that our adventures will be centered around these parks and where they are is where we will stay and plan our site seeing trips. You do know that these parks do not offer sewer hook-ups so you have to keep that in mind as you use your facilities from day to day. That is what prompted me to purchase the “Blue Boy”…or in our case the “Grey Boy” so we could relieve our tanks every now and again during our stay.  This was important to us being that we plan on staying the Maximum days (14) and would need to make room for additional shower water and our washing machine water.

Today was the maiden run to the dump site with our grey water. I had to figure out how to dump the tanks into the Tote being that we have the “Drain Master”

http://www.drainmaster.com/

system on our RV and it is not like the drain on most RV and certainly not like the hose on the “Grey Boy”.

Ok so I had to have Sherri hold the “Drain Master” hose on the “Grey Boy” and I had to pick the hose up and walk the grey water down into the tank. While doing so I got some on Sherri…do I have to tell you what she said?? It was not pretty…but then I could have bet you that I would do something to get me in trouble. I am ordering a fixture that will convert our system over to the standard hose system so I can attach the Tote to the grey water dump on the RV.

That being said we got the tote hooked to the back of the truck and headed out to the dump….which by the way is just a short distance down the road…thank heavens. All I could see was this tote coming loose and heading the wrong way down the park road and exploding on the bumper of an oncoming truck. Now that would have been a good journal entry…but it did not happen so I will only imagine it every time I head to the dump.

So much for the “Dump Report”

OK let me see this must be the handle…and what is that down that little hole there?

Now Sherri all you have to do is hold  this nozzle  like this while I raise the hose up and drain the grey water into the tote.

OPPS Sorry about that Petunia did I get a little on you there?

Next thing on our radar screen is a new mattress. What does everyone think about the sleep number bed? I think I will go on the Forum and see what others have said. I will see you all down the highway…we leave here tomorrow. Stay safe and come back…

Somewhere in Time.

 

OK What Does This Day Hold

I am up this morning…coffee is made and I am drinking some. Setting here at the computer reading journals that I am so far behind on. I did not realize that I was this far behind in reading. I guess the one week we did not have a good connection and the weeks that we have been exploring got me behind. But this morning I am starting to catch up.

Sherri is still sleeping this morning and I guess I better wake her up. She has not rested real well the last few days. Sleeping in is not our thing…we end up with headaches if we sleep too long. Six hours is about all we ever need and then we feel great the rest of the day.

Also this morning I need to start looking into our trip to Ruston Louisiana. We will be going there week after next. We will stay one week in Ruston and then move North to Heber Springs Arkansas. I think we will spend the week there and then down to Pine Bluff. Sherri has a job in Pine Bluff and we will be staying at Rising Star COE on the Arkansas River. If any one out there has stayed there let me know. It looks nice. The sites all back up the the river and appears I can get my boat in. From Rising Star we will be headed to Kansas via somewhere not sure how all that will work just yet. I will be working on that soon.

But until then we are going to have us a  mess of pancakes and bacon

I did the bacon and Sherri did the pancakes. We did them outside so we did not prematurely heat the RV up inside. It has been 103 here for several days and cooking inside is just out of the question.

 

The sites here at Hickory Creek have fire rings and BBQ stands.

Our site #95 has morning shade and then we catch a piece of the afternoon sun…which is not good.

We finished our breakfast cleaned up the dishes put everything away drank us some coffee played on the computers and then started getting ready for the day.

After our showers we decided to strip the bed and get the laundry together. Sherri looked on the Internet and found us a Washateria  in Lewisville and we were off and running. We found it without to much trouble with “Glennie”, our GPS… barking out the directions. We used our new caddie that I bought at “Staples”. Rolled the clothes right on into the place and got to work. Not a problem….and $6.50 later we were done.

Now it was time to check out Cristina’s Mexican food restaurant…being that we were in the general area…HE HE. I love their hot sauce and chips. Under the new budget Sherri and I fill up on chips and hot sauce and take most of the main course home for later. We order water with lemon and put in two Sweet and Lows and bingo you have lemonade WEEE. We are learning how to make the dollars go further fast now that we are on fixed incomes.

Next we crossed the street and got diesel for $2.45 gal. Then it was time to start back to the Park. When we got back here we took a ride around some of the other loops to see it there were any sites that had better shade in the afternoon. It is 102 here today at 3:00 and with no shade on the west side it gets HOT. We found two or three sites that would be better for the summer months in the afternoon. When winter gets here we will be looking for full sun sites…that will be another story…

Somewhere in Time

 

 

 

Sherri’s Day At The Doctor

Our new site at Hickory Creek Park #95

5:00 am the alarm went off and I was up and going even before I made coffee I was outside unhooking the truck from the RV. I had not done this yesterday due to the extreme heat that is on top of us here. I had extended the legs down to take most of the weight off the truck but left it hooked up until this morning.

I have to take Sherri to the doctor today and sure did not want to pull the trailer down there by mistake….you laugh but I have seen similar things happen in campgrounds in my 30 plus years of RVing. I once even pulled my electrical cord 12 miles still hanging off the back end of my Motorhome. I could not figure out why all the road crews along the side of the road were running into the ditches waving their arms when I went by. I just thought they were all real friendly.

So I got us detached from out home and I am ready to go before time. I still have to get my Blue Boy out of the truck and see how to use it. I like knowing I don’t  have to be all that conservative with my water usage at the State and COE parks. We have reduced the amount of money we spend on Campgrounds staying in these parks. My original budget was much higher for park stays but if we can keep staying in State and COE parks we should have some extra for Diesel…which by the way is on the rise again.

We got back from the doctors office about 1:30 and I started making some lunch for the two of us. Sherri just ate a baked potato and I had the same with some brisket . HMMM was it good…even in this heat wave we are having. Sure wish I was about 8,000 ft up in Colorado right now. I could use some 4o degree mornings to cool me off. I’m not so I will make the best of this situation. I have to dump tonight now that ought to be something to write about. I know you will all love to hear about that ….and you will tomorrow when I return…

Somewhere in Time

Departing Lake Ray Roberts

This morning the alarm was going off and I just knew that Sherri would turn it off shortly. This did not happen…I waited and it just kept going off so I turned over to shake her from her comma but she was not it bed. The alarm was getting louder so I rolled over  and shut it off.

Sherri was already up and in the bathroom so I slid out of bed and went down to make coffee. By the time I got it going she showed up and reminded me that she could not have coffee this morning due to her Doctor appointment tomorrow so I get all the coffee to myself.

Today is the day that we head to Lake Lewisville to spend the rest of the week. We will be there through Monday at which time we will take the RV by to get some work done on it. We have been planning this for over two months and still have not got it done. We are on the move a lot and stopping long enough to get work done has not been possible. I hope that they can do the few things that we need done Monday so we can move on. We have a full schedule for the rest of this month and on into August. We are going to northern Louisiana…southern Arkansas up to Kansas…back down through Oklahoma…and then?

I have to tell you that we are really enjoying the time and the travel that we have had so far. I know Sherri is working but only 3 days a week and then the rest of the time we have for adventures. We have the best of both worlds and it is working out great. This is a boost for our budget and when I get some time to work it will be all we need to supplement our funds for having fun.

I do hate to leave here for several reasons…One is the lake right out back of the RV…our patio is so nice and my little bird friend will be wondering what happen to his girl friend in the window. This little fellow has been on my ladder pecking at the window trying to make time with the reflection of himself in the back glass. He will have a nervous breakdown when I pull out of here today. I hope he can find a mate before he goes off the deep end.

I don’t know when the little guy has had time to eat? He spends all day long right here trying to get the attention of his reflection. I guess some humans do the same thing and waste their whole life chasing something that is not there.

Well I guess I better get outside and try to get some more waxing done. My friend Mark Hall would be so proud of me for getting my RV waxed so pretty. I have been using his special formula for cleaning and then I have waxed some areas that need it. I will have to say that it is a show stopper for the people here at Ray Roberts. They stop and tell me how good it looks so that keeps me polishing. I kind of hate to hitch it up and pull it down the road today and get it all dirty. Oh well you do what you have to do.

We left out about 1:30 and crossed the dam on the south end of the lake.

These pictures were taken from a moving truck and trailer by Sherri so we did not get the best shots. We are headed West and then South to Hickory Creek COE.

First we had to stop by Camping World and purchase us a Blue Boy. We have been staying in State Parks and COEs a lot and we need to be able to have plenty of holding tank. This will allow us to dump occasionally and not have to worry about the holding tanks…Thanks Fred and Jo for the idea.

OK we got to our new site and backed in with no problem…well maybe some we are a little unlevel but not so much as to change it. I will have to get everything set up tomorrow when Sherri gets back from the Doctors office. I would like to get it all done before it gets too hot.

I do not have a good shot at the southern sky so no TV for now. I will have to see if I can correct this problem tomorrow…my bride has to have her TV. Until then I will bid you a fare the well…

Somewhere in Time