Today is My Birthday

 

Got up this morning and did not feel any older than I did when I went to bed. How great is that! I had to get ready to go to work this morning…so made the coffee and took a shower and got ready. The plan was to pull out about 6:00 and sure nuff we did just that. It is still cold here so we had to ready the house for cold temps while we were gone. Much the same as you stix and brix you have to get everything in order so it does not freeze up before you get back.

We arrived in Tyler and started our project which did not take too long. We headed on to Longview…Hallsville and finally Marshall Texas were we finished out the day. From there we went to Shreveport got our motel room and went to eat with all the gang. We ate at the Cracker Barrel and was it good. We all discussed our diets and how well they were working out. You really believe that I know.

I have to lose 30 pounds no ifs…ands…or buts about it. I have to shed this weight and get to where I can tie my shoes and see them while standing. I have a long row to hoe but I know I can do it. I quit smoking years ago so I know I can do it if I just give it a try.

Yes this is my Birthday and I had all but one child call me today. I wont mention which child did not call me. I really had forgotten it was my birthday until Sherri reminded me on the way the Tyler. I don’t celebrate birthdays any more…I just put it behind me and think young. I thank the Lord every birthday for letting me live this long. It has been a wonderful life and even if it was taken from me tomorrow I would have to say that it was a great trip with lots of memories…

Somewhere in Time

Going to Kemp

This is the entrance to the RV park here on I 20. Not a bad park… at $375 a month…wish it was in Arizona

Well this morning we woke up with temps in the teens. Yes it is 19 degrees out there now and the RV inside is 68 degrees. Yeah…for the inside… the outside, however is frozen and we are getting close to being out of water. I checked the tank after filling it yesterday and we are down to a 1/4. I should say down to a 1/4 after our baths this morning.

You’ll have to excuse the pictures…Sherri was driving and I just had to snap them as fast as I could…better than the ones I take while driving.

This is the laundry room

All the road signs in the park are Interstate signs…I 20 row D.

Got some reflection in the window…but this is the view out back. When it warms up I’ll come up with some better photos.

OK we should have enough until the temps get up into the 50’s this afternoon. Well that is what they are calling for so all we can do is hope. We have to leave in the morning for Tyler and then on to Shreveport for two days. We do need some clothes for those days.

This morning we are headed to Kemp Texas to do a soup rack and then we are going to check out some camp grounds on Cedar Creek Lake. We must  get back early enough to see is the water has defrosted. I will have to fill our fresh water tank because I have to disconnect the water again tonight. The temps are suppose to fall into the low 20’s upper teens. GEEE I hope this comes to an end soon.

We left for Kemp at 6:00 am and arrived at the store about 7:00 am. It did not take us long to complete this project and we were on our way to the CVS pharmacy to spend some of Sherri’s CVS bucks she had earned. Then it was on to Lowes to return some brackets I had bought some time back that were the wrong kind.

When we arrived home we found the water still frozen and I began to worry about taking a shower. I did not want to shower up at the club house…It is too cold to drive up there and shower! I want to shower in my shower. We ate lunch…sat down and watched All My Children…we both took a nap and then Sherri woke me up to let me know that the water had broke lose. Thank heavens.

I went out and filled our tank and then hooked the water up to the RV. Man I sure am glad I got that done. Now we will unhook everything in the morning when we leave. We wont be back here until Wednesday or Thursday night. I think the oil heater will keep the place warm enough. The temperatures are not suppose to go below freezing the rest of the week.

Tonight we will watch a little TV and chat some and then get to bed early. We have to be in Tyler at 8:00 am so we have to leave here by 6:30.

Everything has worked out today… work completed…good lunch…great nap…water defrosted…life is good here…

Somewhere in Time

 

Frozen up

 

With the dump valves frozen we had gray water coming out the overflow. Man this is going to be a mess!

We were  up and planning our day out at 6:00. We drank our coffee and talked about the plan for next week. Part of that plan was working on where we would be going for work. Where… was laid out for us in our schedule that we had received online. We now know where we are going so we have to plan where we will be located so we can go to those places.

We start our week out close to our new location. We are staying at the I 20 RV Park just west of Canton Texas. We will be here for the next month while we work on assignments we have. From Van to Kemp to Shreveport we will be working out of this RV park. Yes can you believe that they would send us to Shreveport? You know what is in Shreveport…Yes casinos.

We will get to stay in a hotel when we go to Shreveport so that is another thing we are working on this morning. We have to line us up a reservation before we head  that direction. More than likely we will stay at the Holiday Inn.

We finished our coffee and our planning which included making sure they had room for us at the I 20 RV Park. One phone call confirmed that a site was available for us to park in. We are presently at Tawakoni State Park with a 2:00 pm check out time. We have to get moving so we can be ready by then.

It was about 12:00 when I stepped outside to get ready to move. I checked the water and found that it was frozen. Well that dashed the idea about dumping the black water…which by the way was really not that full. I decided to go with the gray water and get it dumped. You know I have electric dump valves on the Carriage…so when I found out that the dump valves were frozen I freaked out! Now what? Well I came to the conclusion that it was useless to try and defrost them here at the State Park. We had to get going so I said that I would work on this problem when I got to our new site.We went ahead and got everything ready to leave…hooked up and pulled out.

We arrived at our new park about 45 minutes later…big move. We stopped at the office and met the camp host who was looking for us. With the weather so cold they told us to just follow them…get parked and then come up later and register. I thought that was a real nice offer…with it being so cold. We did just that and followed them to the site and parked with very little problem..

We got backed in and I got most everything set up and then found out that the dump valves were frozen! Oh please let the temperatures get warm before I go crazy.

 

At least I got the truck cleaned out inside. The outside looks awful but then what can I do.

The problem did not start until I got everything set up and started to try and dump that gray water tank. The dump valve was frozen solid. Needless to say I was upset about this but what do you do when the temps are well below freezing. We decided to go to the grocery store and get our supplies and wait until tomorrow for some warmer temperatures.

When we arrived back at the RV I just had to try one more time to get that gray tank to drain. Success at last…persistence paid off. We have an empty gray tank now and are good to go. I will not shut the valve off this time. I will leave it open and let the gray go away. I have a short hose on my sewer so I don’t have to worry about it freezing up overnight.

Well we are set here…just going to wait out this cold snap to go away in the next couple of days and then we can  get back to normal living…

Somewhere in Time

Man is it Cold Here

 

This morning we got up and the first thing I did was…No I did not make coffee…I went to the weather station to see what the outside  temps were. My gosh!!! It is 19 degrees out there…that is cold!! OK now I have to go and make coffee. First things first here…they said that it would be in the teens this morning and sure nuff it is there.

Sherri and I have to go to work this morning for a short while and then back here to set around the rest of the day. We plan on doing nothing until we get it all done. If we don’t finish today then we will finish up tomorrow. It is hard to finish doing nothing but we will give it our best shot.

We got ready and headed out to work…my gosh it was cold out there. We ran the truck for about 10 minutes so that we could stand to set there while it finished warming up. We drove down to the gate here at the park…which was locked and I got out to open the lock. I tried the combination that they gave us but it did not open the gate! Wow this is not good. I looked at my watch and it said that it was almost 7:00. Well they open the gate at 7:00 so we opted to wait them out and let them open it.

It was not more than a few minutes and the Ranger showed up at the gate and opened it up with no problem. I asked him what the combination was and what he used was one digit off from what the office had given me. Thank heavens it was not an emergency exit we were taking. One digit could be the difference between life and death. I told the Ranger to tell those desk clerks they need to be more careful when writing down those codes. Like it was going to do any good.

OK so we were on our way about 7:00 and we would be finished by 12:00. Good deal more time to explore the area. We drove for a ways and then we decided that we were hungry so we stopped off at the Chili’s for some lunch. We had a good lunch and then we were ready to call it a day. It was just too cold to get out and take pictures or go hiking so we just pointed the truck back home.

We got home about 2:00 and as I was driving down to our site I noticed the ice that had formed on the branches of the trees down by the water. The sunlight hitting it made it glisten like a diamond. After we got parked I took the camera down to the shore line and got some pictures. It did not take me long to realize that I was cold…too cold to be out on a photo shoot. I packed it in and was real glad to get back to the RV and the warmth inside.

We pack it in here tomorrow and head for our new home. We will be staying south of here which will put us closer to our next job. I really dread packing up tomorrow and hitching up in the cold weather. That is life on the road however so I must get it done and wish for warmer weather…

Somewhere in Time

First Day On The Job

We were up early and made our coffee…I had no plan on drinking mine until I hit the road. We got ready and then pulled out headed for Paris Texas. We had to put in some soup racks up there and then we were going to explore some around Lake Fork.

We arrived at the store only to find out that we did not have all the equipment there to do the job so we had to rearrange our plan. We decided to head south to the next store on our list and see if they had all we needed to install the new shelves.

Quitman Texas was where the store was located and sure enough they had all we needed. We got that done real quick and had time left to explore some RV parks along our route. We enjoy driving through different parks to see what they have to offer. Sometimes we find future places to stay when we are in the area that have amenities we enjoy.

Getting to travel the 4 state area has opened up many new areas to stay in and do fun things in. We have started a new hobby since we have been doing this. When we travel we try and go the back roads that are not normally traveled by sight seers. We are taking pictures of old towns…the buildings and the older houses in that area. So far I really like the results of many of our travels and we have come up with some interesting pictures.

OK so we have to work a few hours a day…we still take time out to go and see some things around and learn more about the towns…the people and the history of those places we travel.

I hope in the upcoming journals to let you know more about these places and provide some pictures we have taken….

Somewhere in Time

No Work Today

 

Last night Sherri called the stores that we were to work in this morning to find out if they had received the equipment that we were to install. They said that they had not received it yet but that they might get it in on the next truck that would arrive in the morning.

OK so this morning Sherri called once more to see if the items had arrived and found out that they had not. Well that meant that we did not have to go into work today. We had to come up with a plan B for this day. Not to worry we could rearrange our day to work something out. Plane B turned out to be do nothing and enjoy it.

You would have been amazed at how we pulled it off. We sat around all day and played on the computers and then went over to the barn and did a load of wash. Left there came back home and I stained the bun feet and put them on our bench. We have a bench at the dinning room table instead of the two chairs that came with it. It gives us much more room when we have people over.

I took the old legs off the chest and put on the brackets. I then stained the bun feet to match the woodwork in the RV. When the stain had dried I put on a coat of sealer and then after that dried I screwed the finished legs to the chest. It all turned out to our liking.

 

Our bench is about to get new legs.

First the stain had to go on. I don’t know if it dried or froze on but it worked

Next the sealer had to go on. This was inside so it did dry.

Bun feet attached and it looks OK. Not bad for a cold day project.

I have many more projects to get done but with the cold weather I cannot work outside. I did get our tank filled with water and drained the holding tanks before it got too cold. I usually have to wait until about 3:00 to do this…that being the warmest time of the day. Tomorrow night will be a different story all together. The temps will be dropping here and when that happens we will not be going outside. We will be on internal water supplies and not drains hooked up. This will be a first for us and we will have to see how this unit does in that cold of temps. I hope this is the last year we spend in cold weather.

Filling up the 112 gallon fresh water tank took some time but at least we will have some water during the cold temps. We have not used much propane during all this cold. Our electric heaters have kept the RV real toasty and we don’t pay for the electric here. We do have two full 40 lb bottles on board so if we need it we will have it.

Well tomorrow we will see if our supplies are in and if so we will be working tomorrow…this will be my first day on the job! We will see how that goes and I will let you know…

Somewhere in Time

Home Alone

 

Back to the alarm again. Sherri has been off for the last two weeks for the Christmas and New Years Holidays. We have both loved it but it had to come to an end today. She was up at 5:00 and sat down for her one and only cup of coffee before getting ready to leave. We had a short time to visit and then she was off.

This is the first time in a long time that I have been here alone. I really wish she did not have to work but she wants to secure enough funds to finance here health insurance for the next two years. This is one of the reasons that I am going back to working part time. I want to expedite the process so that she can be in a warmer climate next winter.

The work we do will not be that bad and the hours are no more than work camping would be. Beside all that we still get to travel to places…see and do things that are fun…and make money while we do it. We hope that it will be for just one more year and then we can head off to a climate more suitable.

I mentioned above that this was one of the reasons that I decided to go back to work. The other reason was so I could be with Sherri and not have to set at home by myself every day. That gets old after some time and I like to be out and be doing something. This will give me the opportunity to be the worker and not the boss. You see Sherri will be the boss on the job and at home…what more could a guy ask for.

I spent part of the day trouble shooting my outside porch light. Both the step light and the overhead light stopped working. I checked the switch and it is working so all I can figure out is that it must be in the line going to the light. Both bulbs appear to be good…I will try changing one of them out and see what happens.

The RV is dirty from all the snow and ice but until it warms up I am not going to work on cleaning it up. I started to today but the temps are not going up so I am not going out. I guess I will spend some time catching up on all my journals and emails. That should take me…

Somewhere in Time

Sunday and Headed to Irving Texas

 

 

Sunday morning and we are up drinking coffee and warming up in front of the fire place. It is cold outside this morning but not near as cold as it will be tomorrow and the rest of the week. We are still here at the Lake and the wind coming off of the water is making it seem colder than it is. We are both wishing we were headed down south to the valley to enjoy the warm temps.

Sherri has to return to work tomorrow and we are thinking about what all we have to do between now and then. We still have some wash to do but that can wait a while longer. We really need to go to Fry’s and pick up our other computer. It is not easy sharing a computer when we both use them all the time.

The plan was made to go to Irving and pick up the computer and take back some Christmas gifts that did not work out. We don’t like to have to go all the way into to town to do this but we have no other options. 

We got our showers…dressed and we were off to the big city. The drive was about an hour and a half. The traffic was not bad being a Sunday and all. We breezed right on in to the store turned in the loner we had and went back to the Service Dept. We had out computer in record time…with no wait…here again being Sunday not too many people out to pick up computers.

From there we went to the “Home Store” to look for some chairs and a table. We are thinking about fixing the back of the RV up like some friends of ours have theirs.

 

Yes this is the friends we are referring to. What a happy couple. The Goudelock moved their couch out of their RV and put in couple of casual chairs in it’s place. Sherri likes the way that looks so we are on a hunt for some chairs.

We did not find anything we were looking for but we will keep on looking until we do. With our hunt over we were getting a little hungry so we stopped by Cristina’s Mexican Food Restaurant. Being our favorite place to eat we just had to stop. We really enjoyed the chips and dips and could not finish our meal so they went in a to-go box and we had the rest that night for dinner.

A little TV and then we were off to bed. Not much going on here in the new year but things should start popping…I start to work next week and I know I will have some stories to tell…

Somewhere in Time  

 

 

 

Washday

We were up early and Sherri started gathering up dirty clothes. We finished our coffee and then went over to the barn to start our wash. It had been over two weeks since we washed last so we had our work cut out for us. Sure is nice to have the wash room at the barn. Gee we would be in a laundry mat all day doing clothes and you all know how much fun that is.

I also had some plugs to wire in my shop so I did that while Sherri minded the wash. Slowly but surely the work shop is coming together and soon I will have it all ready for me to work in.

Speaking of working in the shop…I had my first project to do in there today. I made me a shelf for under the desk in the RV. This shelf will be where we can store the printer. We had it in the closet and would have to retrieve it when we needed it. Now all I have to do is pull it off the shelf…place it on the desk and it is ready for use.

It turned out rather well and Sherri was pleased so all is well

I called Fry’s today and they said the computer was ready. We plan on going to get it on Sunday as soon as we can. I sure have missed my computer…Which Sherri and I have had to share for the last two weeks.

I just had to throw in some pictures of my buddies in Kansas. I have not got to see them in over a year and my heart aches. Sherri and I are planning a trip up there as soon as we can shed the job we have to do. Love you guys

Well that is about it for now. We are setting here in this beautiful State Park at Lake Tawakoni and the weather is cold this morning with warmer temperatures on the way. I really need to wash the RV but that wont happen till we can park in our driveway. It is too wet to do that. We just had the gravel spread and it is not packed in yet. I can’t wait for it to be where we can stay there and start saving some money….

Somewhere in Time

Visiting With Dreamers

This is New Years Eve day and we are up early. We did not fix coffee this morning… we’re going to go to  the casino for breakfast. We would just have our coffee there and a real nice hot breakfast and then we could visit with Mac and Netters.

 We all met at the shuttle pick-up and headed over to the casino. We walked to the buffet and found out upon our arrival that they only serve breakfast on the weekend. Well that is a fine howdy do!

We got back on the shuttle and went back to the RV Park where we decided to jump in our truck and go to Gainesville to eat at Cracker Barrel. We got there parked and settled in for a real great breakfast. We enjoyed the company and shared more of our adventures with each other. One thing nice about being away from friends is getting back together and catching up on what all has gone on in our lives.

We finished our breakfast and it was time to head back to the RV’s…hitch them up and head out to our next destination. We said our good-byes with hugs and parted ways for now.

It is hard saying so long for a while but we all know that we will meet again…

Somewhere in Time  

Dreamers Come to Visit

 

We were both up at 5:00 this morning… no coffee just up and got our showers and then got in the truck and headed toward the casino. This morning is free breakfast for seniors here at the Winstar Casino. Yes I said free and we never turn down free.

We found a parking space right outside the front door and pulled in. We headed straight for the buffet area and found that we would be the second in line. WOW is that not cool. We usually get there late and have a long line to contend with. Not this time, however…and the wait was not that long. Before we knew it we were setting down to a great breakfast.

After our free breakfast we decided to play for just a little while. We were both pretty tired of gambling so we cut it short this morning. We left the casino about 9:00 and went home to watch some TV and just relax.

About 10:30 I received a call from Mac and Netters. They said they were in Tulsa and would try to be here about 1:00. I told Sherri and she made me call them back to tell them that we would have lunch ready for them. I did and Sherri got busy making some Chili for their arrival.

Mac called back later and informed me that they would  be a little later due to a fuel stop but that  they would be here. Sure enough they arrived about 2:00 and we just waved at them when they got here. I told Mac to go ahead and get set up and then come over when they were ready and we would eat.

We had a real nice lunch and Sherri served cake for desert. We were all full when we got through and sat down to catch up on what has been going on since we last met.

Later we all  decided to go to the casino and do a little wagering. We caught the shuttle and went over there for about 2 hours and all of us won a little money. Back home there after and called it a night. We made plans to meet in the morning for breakfast and visit until it was time to check out. We are going to Tawakoni and Mac and Netters are headed to San Antonio. Sure wish we were going with them…but then we will…

Somewhere in Time