Addition to the new Barn

Sherri and I heard the alarm go off this morning but did not move. She did turn over after several minutes and turn the thing off. We did not need to get up this morning so we just laid there for the longest time. Finally her phone started beeping...the battery was running low. OK we both decided to get up and start our day.

I went in and made the coffee and Sherri wrapped up in a blanket on the coach. It was actually cold this morning. After getting the coffee started I went over and turned the heat on. The thermostat said it was 60 inside so I put it up to 68. As soon as I hit the button it came on and before I could get settled in my chair with my coffee it was HOT.

I'll have to say one thing...we have a good heating system in our new home. Mater-a-fact we have two heaters in here. One heater in the front and one in the back and if they both kick on it gets hot fast.

This morning we are waiting for our man to get here to add some front panels to our barn. This will close the front in about 10 feet leaving us a 20 foot opening for a door. We will have to wait on the door but it will be ready when ever we come up with the funds to do it. Also on the back for the barn we are getting the gable lowered about 3 feet. This will block some of the morning sun off of us in the summer months if we are here.

If we are here is really what we don't know...We are not sure what months we will be staying here. I am not partial to staying in the summer because of the heat! The spring months you have the bad weather...maybe the fall months will be our best time to stay?? No mater what months we choose we will have to stay here at least 4 or 5 months a year to replenish our money for travel time. It is 9:03 and still no one has showed up to do the work? Hopefully they will show up...

Somewhere in Time

And they did...

Well we are back in Louisiana again! I think I just might move over here as long as we are coming here every week. We have several days here this week and then next week we are scheduled to come back here for one more week.
Sherri and I both were up early this morning but did not get off as early as we had planned. We had several items to get done before we headed this way. Clothes had to be washed and packed in the Jeep and that took some time. We had to have a cup of coffee too and then before we knew it was 10:00 am.
On the way to Louisiana we had to stop off in Longview and get the title for our truck and send it to Florida so the new owner can get his plates. It did not take long for them to sell the truck and trailer down there. Well I hope the new owners enjoy it as much as we did.
We stopped along the way to get some gas and eat a snack. We only took 30 minutes out of our drive time to complete this and then it was back on the highway.
We arrived here about 6:00 pm and hooked up with some of our co-workers for dinner. We ate at the Outback Steak House and enjoyed a real good meal. We left there and returned to our hotel for showers and some quality time on line.
Soon we climed into bed for some well needed sleep...for tomorrow will be back to the old grind...at work...

Somewher in Time

Our Kansas Family

 

Our Kansas family...

After working all day here I returned to the Hotel room to read some emails and visit some of my friends traveling around the country. One of the emails we received was one from our Son and his family in Kansas City. Brice and Jodi have two boys Evan and Brant. These boys are very special in our lives but we don't get to see them as often as we would like.

Brant was born 2 years to the day and just a few minutes apart from Evan his older brother. Now that is what I call family planning. We have not been able to attend the boys Birthday's due to our job schedule but this year we have made it our goal to get to Kansas for their Birthday no matter what comes up.

Brice did get to come down last year for a family get together and he brought Evan with him. We enjoyed their visit and it was good for Evan to meet his southern family. Evan is the same age as Kris so they had fun playing with each other. I hope that they will remain close over time. Family is real important to us and we all spend as much time together as possible.

My boys and my special little girl

Gruesome Twosome 

Dad keeping watch out as kids go wild...

My boys take a break from the action

Thanks for the pictures Son...keep them coming so we can follow our boys as they grow...

Somewhere in Time

Storms Storms and more Storms

 

Several times during the night the weather alarm kept going off telling us about storms coming in from the West. One line after another would come by and drop some rain and the wind would blow the lightning would split the night and the thunder rumbled all around.

It was quite a night of alerts...and when it was time to get up we both made our way into the kitchen to fix some coffee. We sat down and enjoyed our first cup and looked out the window at the low hanging clouds and the rain that fell off and on for some time.

Soon it was time to get dressed and start our day. We had several projects to get finished before we packed up and left for Louisiana. Yes today is the day we drive back to work. We really did not want to go but we knew that we had to. Sherri finished the wash and I finished cleaning the Jeep and loading all the luggage.

We went ahead and ate some lunch before we took off. It was a 4 hour drive and we planned on eating dinner in Monroe when we arrived. A little lunch before we left would tied us over until we arrived...

Somewhere in Time

Easter Egg Hunting

 

Visions of chocolate bunnies were dancing through my head as I was coming out of my coma. Easter is here and the Easter Bunny has dropped off some good stuff for the grandkids that are staying with us. Sherri and I tried not to disturb them when we got out of bed. I made the coffee and then pour it so we could enjoy a cup while we let the kids get a little more shut eye. Really we knew that when they woke up there would be no rest for either of us.

Wake up they did and Sherri made them aware that they had some candy in the kitchen that the bunny had left. Frankie our 3 year old wanted to know why a bunny would come by the house and leave eggs? Have you ever had to answer this kind of questions? Sherri did rather well with answering the question and it seemed to satisfy Franki for the time being.

 

Yes we had a great Easter Egg hunt  and everyone had a chance to hide and find. It took a while for the kids to calm down but they did and we got to eat some of that good food Sherri had put together.

After we ate the kids played some more and we got to visit some. We love to watch the little ones play and make be leave. We all stayed together until it got late and everyone had to call it a night. Tomorrow we all have to get back to the old grind. Sherri and I have to head out to Monroe for the week. The kids have to head back to school and their Mom has to get them ready for that time.

Sherri and I hope that all of you out there had a blessed Easter. Travel safely and come back to see us...

Somewhere in Time

Plenty of Work to be Done

 

Here it is Friday morning and I am trying to get up and make coffee. Knowing that making coffee will be the easiest thing I do all day... still does not make it that easy to get up and get going. We drank coffee and made the plan for the kids coming over. We talked each other up on how we would handle the two for two days! Our fears soon subsided and we were prepped for the coming event. Beds made ready and menus planned out. I think this will work out OK???

I built a fence around the side of our barn and came up a little short on the pickets due to a design change...some of you guys can associate with that so on the way home from the RV service center I had picked up enough to finish the fence and also some more 4 x 4 post for the barn's walls. I put an 8 ft post next to each upright in the barn 2ft in the ground with concrete to help sturdy them. This will help to cut out some of the sway in the gale force winds we get here in March and April. I still need 10 more to complete that part of the project. Digging all these holes with post hole diggers has been a daunting task.

Almost looks like I knew what I was doing.

The fence was a little easier to complete and I think it came out real nice...being this is the first fence I had ever built. It provides us with more privacy from the road. Now we can set out and not feel as though we are on display for the passer bys. Now that we have got this much done to our place we do not dread coming here for the weekend. Before we dreaded coming out here but now we really enjoy our own little campground.

I have to get everything in order today because tomorrow we have our two star borders coming for a two night sleepover. They will stay with us until Sunday and hunt Easter Eggs. Their big sisters and Mom will be over about noon time to eat lunch with us and then take the two little ones home.

Sherri and I both look forward to them coming but know that two night sleepovers can wear us down and leave us feeling sapped...

Somewhere in time

Back to Hays RV

 

We got up this morning and went down stairs to have some coffee. We are headed to Hays this morning to pick up our break system for the Jeep. they did not have the correct switch for it so we had to wait until today to get it. Not real sure how long it will take to get this installed but I am hoping that we will be in and out. I have several projects to complete at the Lake Lot and I would like to get started today.

Not much breakfast in the hotel but at least enough to get us started. We had coffee and visited for a short time and then it was off to Longview.

We arrived there a little late so we had to wait for the Tech to finish up someone that slipped in a head of us. He did get to us and we now have a break in the Jeep. They at first said that it would not work due to the fact the Jeep does not have a plug in that stays on when you turn the key off. We leave the key on when we tow...I guess to release the lock on the steering wheel? The book says we should undo the battery but I can't do that because the pump wont work on the break? I guess I will need to contact Jeep and see what I should do.

Well that is about all that happen on this day. We are back at the Lake parked in our new port and getting ready to relax for a while. Tomorrow I have to finish my fence and my patio cover. We are really settling in here and enjoying our place more and more each day. It will be a good place to come for free rent when not traveling on life's highway...

Somewhere in Time

Good Sam's Club Come Through

 

Sherri and I got up early this morning so we would have time to drink our coffee and visit for just a little bit before we had to pull out for home. We sat in the living room and sipped our coffee and recanted some of the stories we heard last night and laughed as we retold each story. It is so good to attend these reunions and visit with all the family once a year. I hope that next year some of our kids can go with us and meet some of their kin folk here.

While visiting with some of the family I learned that one of our cousins had called Good Sam's to get a tire changed. I am a member but never had to use them so I was curious to see how fast they came to the rescue. It was about 45 minutes and here they came. The guy pulled up to the MH and got right to work. In no time he had the tire off and the new one put on the wheel and back on the hub. Man I will have to say that it was very professionally done. Some papers were signed but no money changed hands and he was out of there as fast as he had arrived.

45 minutes and the guy was here to change the tire

Wham the tire was off and on the ground

Did not take long and the job was done.

I hope that I never have to have them come out for me but if they do as good a job for me as they did for our cousin then I will keep on paying for the service.

We stuck around until about 10:00 and then packed up...dumped...hook up the Jeep and we were on the road home. It was a 4 1/2 hour drive to the Lake and the wind almost drove me over the edge. I was so glad to pull into my barn when we got there. I was exhausted and ready to rest. Well the rest did not come about. I had to park level and load up the Jeep so we could head off to Tyler Texas for the week. This would be another 1 1/2 drive.

We arrived in Tyler late and checked in. Before we even unloaded our clothes we went out to eat. We then returned to the hotel and unloaded our stuff...shuffled up the elevator and unpacked. I took a nice hot shower and got ready for bed. I could not hardly hold my eyes open after such a long adventure...

Somewhere in Time   

Last Night at Grand Bayou

Once again we woke up to quite. No sounds what so ever. The temps outside had dropped over night and it was real cool inside the coach. I had to get up and turn the heat on so I could warm up some. I then went to the kitchen and made my coffee. Sherri wondered in about the time the coffee was ready to pour and we sat down and went over the menu for the days meal. This would be our last night here and we wanted to cook out some.

It was not too long and Sherri's brother Richard came knocking at the door. He came in to visit with us. We sat there for some time talking and then realized what time it was and we had to break up and get ready for the day.

I went outside and cleaned the patio for the first time today...knowing that I would have to sweep it off several times before the day was over. The wind has been blowing here ever since we arrived. All the little tassels off the pine trees have blown off and fell all over everything everywhere.

We spent the day visiting with family and the visiting turned into story telling that night. We tell all the stories from the days when we were young and when some of our love ones...who are now buried in the cemetery... where here with us. We hope that the younger generation will continue this tradition and tell their children these stories so we wont be forgotten. Our history is important and I want my children and my grandchildren to know about the family.

Here are some pictures of the older generation setting around the camp fire relating the history and telling the stories about how all this came about...

Somewhere in Time

 

Memorial at the Cemetery

This is all of Sherri's brothers... Richard, Danny, Randy and Rodney...Oh and that is me in the middle

I woke up to the sound of nothing outside. No sounds what so ever was coming from outside. It is so quite here that if a mosquito was to run into the window I would hear it. I pulled myself from the bed and went to the kitchen to make coffee. The tile floor was cold and by the time I reached the kitchen I was good and awake.

Sherri was not too far behind me and I fixed her a cup and we both sat down and enjoyed a cup together. She too was amazed at how quite it was here. Soon the fishermen started coming up and down the street going to the docks for the early morning launch. Then we could hear some of our bunch banging around outside and the morning began.

Sherri told me that I needed  to go into town and purchase something to tie the flowers to the ground at the cemetery. The wind the last couple of days here has been gusting so bad that many of the arrangements out there were blown up against the fence.

We all left our flowers and remembered all of those that went before us. Sad not having them around but then we will all be there someday.

We did get all the things we needed at the ACE Hardware and the flowers made it to the Memorial. We all visited while we were out there and made a donation to the Cemetery Committee to help take care of the grass and grave sites.

While there Sherri and I checked out our site to see if we would still fit in it. Hey you know we all end up in the same place sooner or later...

Somewhere in Time

Time on the Grand Bayou

 

Our site was so out of level that we had to run the MH up on blocks before we could let the jacks down

Everyone brought a covered dish

Sherri says this will be a good place to set up

Food Food

And more food

We had plenty to eat and we had a good visit with all the family

We had a good time and and good food. We will all get back together tomorrow and do it again...

Somewhere in Time