Moved to Hickory Creek

Sherri and I woke up Monday morning and while setting out on our porch we decided to head West to Hickory Creek to stay while I go for my VA exams. I have to go and have a stress test…upper GI and the old Tunnel Tour done this week.

Staying at the lake in East Texas adds quite a bit of miles to the trip in and back from the VA in Dallas. We chose to get all our laundry done and pack up so we would be able to leave Tuesday for Hickory Creek.

We love the COE park at Hickory Creek. We have met so many of our “Dreamer Friends” here over the past years and have always enjoyed our stay here. I know that this time will not be so enjoyable due to the fact I have to drive to the VA Hospital for test but when we come back I have a nice quiet time here to relax.

We arrived Tuesday around 7:00 pm. We stopped by the dump on our way to the site dumped and set out some trash. Our site was waiting for us…thanks for Recreation.gov! Sherri backed me in without too much problem and once again we were settled. We now have a new view out the windows and what a view it is We have trees here and the shade is a welcome thing! As hot as it has been a little shade helps keep us cool.

Wednesday morning Sherri and I were up at 5:00 am to get ready for my appointment at the VA. We left a little late but the GPS said that we would be there in plenty of time. Sure enough we had time to spare when we pulled in and parked. We had to walk several blocks to the clinic and the temps had already gone up.

I checked in at the desk and soon was called into the clinical area to start my procedure. IVs…AHHHH I am not real high on getting stuck with needles but that was the only way this could be done. They jabbed at me several times and I soon realized this must be the first time Duggie Houser had ever done this. I really don’t think they ever got a good connection in my vein because every time they put more solutions in my IV it would hurt something awful!

Well 5 hours later Sherri and I walked out of the Hospital and headed to the house. On the way there we had an idea. Why not just keep heading north up 35 to the Windstar Casino? We had a little money left over so we did just that and spent the second half of the day up there playing and having fun.

We returned home after a quick stop at Wally World. Time to shower…relax and catch up on the computer. I have one day reprieve and then it will be time for the Tunnel Tour. That should be an interesting entry…

Somewhere in Time  

Always Something To Do

I was reading one of our good friends journal entry today and one of their readers mentioned that it was good to know what “Fulltime” RV ers do other than travel and sited see. That got me to thinking that we (Fulltimers) do have a lot to keep up while we are on the road.

Being on the road full timing is not all beautiful scenery. Some of the time you have to do laundry…wash the car…clean the carpet…wax the furniture and the list goes on. Yes we have to up keep our homes and transportation just like  Stix and Brix folks do. I need to change the oil and filter on my generator soon. I have a list of things that must be done in a timely manner so as to keep things running smoothly.

I will have to say that many of us don’t have to mow the lawn or rake the leaves but we have other things that take up our time. No matter what we have to do this life is better than all the houses…apartments…condos and the like that others have. We get tired of the scenery out the front window we move and get a new view. You never worry about bad neighbors…most RVers are great people and you have so much in common with them.

I know that when we have stayed at parks in other states we have met the most interesting people. People that have traveled all over the USA and are so helpful in letting you know where to go and not to go. We have had many memorable travels due to a fellow RVer letting us know about trails or sites to see that we would have never know about just striking out on our own. Yes we have things to do... but doing them is much more gratifying living this lifestyle than when we had to keep up a house.

Keep in touch here and I will let you in on some of the things I have to do to keep us moving forward…

Somewhere in Time  

   

AHHHH Rain

 

How sweet the sound…

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the Barn roof. Yes R A I N….rain! Texas is getting rain this morning and I was just laying there enjoying the sound.

We are back in Texas after a two week trip to Arkansas. We stayed at the City Park in Pine Bluff…Saracen Park…which by the way is a beautiful park. They do not have 50 amp, however but if your there in the cooler months of the year you wont need it. Our site was number 48 which was total shade…no satellite…but great Verizon coverage. We could have chosen an open site for the satellite but with the extreme heat we opted for cool instead.

 

 

Now we are back at the lake here outside of Wills Point. I have doctor appointments at the VA for my yearly physical. I am not one to go to the doctor for every ache or pain but I do get my physical once a year to see how many more years I have left. My doctor has told me on every visit that I should lose some weight and every time I return I have gained or stayed the same. I guess I need to do something different to try to lose weight but most of the requires not eating as much! Bummer!

 

OK so we are back at the lake and it is time to catch up on the wash and the chores that have been left undone. The yard mowing I do not have to worry about…the yard is dead! Both my new trees I planted are dead and what little remains alive is near death now. Maybe this rain will help but I doubt it.

Our next big adventure appears to be southern Louisiana. We may be going down that way for a month. I love the southern part of Louisiana but I know it will be hot. Maybe if they put it off long enough it will have cooled off by then. There are many places down there that I have not seen yet so we are planning some great adventures down there.

Until then we have to ride out the rest of this month in the Texas heat! This rain today gives us a reprieve for a while so we can do a few things here to get back on track. We plan on going into McKinney today to visit Sherri’s brother and see their new swimming pool. You would know the day he invites us over to swim it rains. Now don’t get me wrong we need the rain but really Mother Nature?

I guess I better shut up for now and get to those chores. I always find more to do when I get busy…

 

Somewhere in Time

Exploring the State Museums

One of the many old homes we saw along the way.

A slight glimmer of light was coming in through a crack in the shade. I knew it was not headlights so it must be the sun coming up over the River. We are in Saracen Park here just north of Pine Bluff. Today we head out to Little Rock to visit some of the State Museums there. We have about an hour drive. We planed out the trip so that we would go to each museum in the order of there position we mapped out. This would save us some time and miles. The kids have passport books that the parks stamp here showing that they visited the park. They are excited that they will add 4 new parks to their list today.

We arrived in Little Rock about 2:00. It was 104 degrees at that time and it felt hotter as we walked from the car to the first museum. We were visiting the Little Rock War Museum. It is located in the old Armory located just south of town. There is a lot of Civil War history here in Arkansas. The Civil War…World War I and II as well as Korea and Viet Nam are all represented here at the museum.

We also visited the Agricultural Museum in Scott. Something I had never seen was how they use to Gin Cotton. The old equipment housed here in the museum was really interesting to see. It was a laborious process back in those days to produce cotton fibers for clothes.

From there we went to the old State House Museum and studied all the exhibits there. A lot of information about Arkansas and Little Rock was housed there…most of which did not interest the kids…but they got their stamp and they were happy. The gift shop set us back a few dollars but it was well worth the money. 

It was getting late when we left the State House Museum so we headed out to find a place to eat. McDonalds topped the list of places to dine so McDonalds it was. After eating it was time to make the trip back to Pine Bluff and the RV park.

We really had a wonderful day filled with a lot of informative exhibits. It is amazing the amount of history you can find in places that most tourist never frequent. We have learned more about this part of the country visiting the smaller towns and out of the way places on our adventure…

 

Somewhere in Time    

Railroad Museum in Pine Bluff

 

After pouring our coffee we sat out on the patio with all our tourist information we had gathered up. There were several places in Pine Bluff that we wanted to visit. One of these places was the Railroad Museum. This was located just down the street from Serecan Park and it houses many of the locomotives from days gone by. Not only the old locomotives are stored there but many of the retired newer switch engines.

 

This car is marked with the year I was born

I tried driving one to see if it handled like the Motorhome

I would think the control panel would be a little more sophisticated than this

 

Kris finally agreed to stand on the front of the locomotive if Maw stayed close by.

This is the switching center for Little Rock to Texarkana.

The Museum was great but keep in mind…there is no AC!

We had a very enjoyable visit to this museum and it was free. They are open from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Monday thru Saturday. If you are in the area and like trains this is a must see.

Next we headed down town to see the murals on on the buildings. They have over 15 in town on the sides of buildings and they are something to see.

    

   

It was a fun day and we got to see so much of the town we never knew existed.

Next we headed over to the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame. This is located in the Civic Center around back.

 

Kris enjoyed playing on the stage…maybe he will be an entertainer…

 

Somewhere in Time

Serecan Park

This is the airplane simulator which was fun to ride in

Kris enjoyed the Game Warden’s boat that he drove

They had many animals on display

And fish too

And last but never least the Souvenir store where the real money comes out.

 

Well I want to let you know that Arkansas is not missing out on the 100 degree weather this year. We were 112 the other day and I don’t see any cooler temps coming our way. We are fortunate that we have a shady spot here at the park and we do get a breeze off the river so not all is bad.

We are headed over to the Nature Center down the street. They have an aquarium and many other exhibits to see. This will be a great place to be while the temps soar into the 100’s again today. They also have a walking trail that you can view many types of birds and butterflies. I think the walking trail will be an early morning thing and then retreat into the Nature Center to see the inside things.

We arrived at the center and parked not too far from the main entrance. We walked about 100 foot of the trail and decided that it was too hot so we went straight to the entrance and went inside. They have many stuffed animals there and reptiles of all sorts. The aquarium is under renovation so it was not much to look at. They did have some very large catfish and carp.

One of the exhibits was an airplane simulator that took you on a flight over the Arkansas River basin. It flew over different areas and explained the changes that have been made over the years. Another simulator was a Game Warden boat that took you out on the lakes and showed you what the Wardens do everyday to preserve the wildlife.

Overall the tour was enjoyable and we stayed cool. That has been the key here lately is to stay cool and have fun at the same time. We have not been able to set out on the patio and enjoy the outdoors. They have deer at this park that graze in the open areas in the cool of the morning but you don’t see them after 9:00 am. I myself stay in the shade after 9:00!

Tomorrow is the Railroad Museum and that looks like a lot of fun. I don’t think it is in the AC so this will be an early morning tour for sure. Old trains fascinate me…being that I use to travel by train as a young boy. This will give me the chance to travel back…

Somewhere in Time   

More Hot Weather

 

 

 

 

I could hear trucks going down the road this morning as I laid there in bed. This was an indicator that it was late and that I needed to get up fix coffee and get something done before the sun gets up and heats everything up!

I did just that but Sherri had already beat me to the coffee fixin and she was in on the computer. I fixed mine and we both retired to the screen porch outside.

The porch is just about done and when I get the doors up we will put the carpet down and Sherri can buy her furniture. She is looking at buying a table and chairs and maybe some kind of bench with cushions. Our daughter in law had said we could have the one on their back porch but we are not real sure if it will ever make it here. It will be real nice when it is all done. We like to go out in the morning and set on the porch while it is still cool. We get a real nice breeze through there and it is comfortable until around 10:00 am and then it gets too hot to  enjoy. We bought some roll up shades for the East end of the porch that we can roll down to block the sun off in the morning. I put them up and I think they will work well.

Not much happening other than that. We will be working around the barn some  today. I need to weed eat the grass next to the barn and water my poor trees. They are just about to die from all this heat. I have not had to mow for some time and don’t think I will again until next fall when we might get some rain.

By the way sorry I have not given more information on where we stay….I will do better in the future.

Until next time I will sign off here and get to work…

Somewhere in Time

Enjoying the Cool Temps

Sherri has her on desk for make-up

Really nice facilities here

We have room to back in the Jeep

No one can walk off with out picnic table

 

Woke up this morning rested and ready for the new day. I made the coffee and then took my shower. Got dressed and then sat down at the dining room table to post.

Really not much to tell this day…when you have the same routine over and over again. I will have to say that taking the Motorhome with us when we go like this is much nicer than just staying in a Hotel.

We have so much that we could do here at the lake. By the time I get off and get home it is too hot and I am too tired to do anything but shower and kick back in a easy chair. I need to wash the Jeep but that has been put off for some time. I will be off all next week and some of those things will get done then.

Sherri and I had planned on going to Kansas for our grandson’s birthday but things did not work out in our favor so we…once again…will miss their party. I do hope that next year we are in a position to be there. I know I have said that before but with us both working and all the other things that we have to do it is hard to make plans.

This is my two grandsons in Kansas

 

Better get this closed out for now. Tomorrow will bring some news which I will report…

Somewhere in Time

Almost Forgot to Post!

Got to hurry up and get there…

We made it and this is the view out our front window

 

This was a work day for us both and we were up at 5:00. It was so nice waking up here in Arkansas setting beside a lake. The weather here has been hot but we are camped in the shade and it must be 20 degrees cooler.

Sherri Backs me in

I follow her instructions

      

She takes over the controls and levels us up         

   

Sherri what do you think that is? I have no idea Joe. Should we park next to it?

 

We had our coffee and left for work about 6:30. It took about 12 minutes to get there with very little traffic. Worked until 4:30 and then went to El Sol for Mexican food. We met some of our co-workers and had a very good meal.

Sherri dropped me off and went shopping and returned home about 8:30. We had a good day and settled in for the night to get ready for tomorrow…another day

Somewhere in Time

Working on the Patio

I know! I know!…I’ve been busy working around the barn. We have so many things going on that I don’t have time to post on here. Sherri went shopping this morning and I just finished the screen on the patio so I came in to fix me a bite to eat. While I was inside I decided to post. It has become hard to post every day but every once in a while I do get a chance to catch up on what has been going on in my life.

Sherri is leaving for Arkansas next week to work but I will not be going with here this time. I have  some things I have to get done here and there was not anything for me to do there so I will stay here next week. I hope to get caught up on some of the things we have started but have not finished. The patio is one of them and then I have some things I want to do to the Motorhome. With all this it will be good for me to stay behind and catch up on some of my chores.

Week after next I will be going for my physical at the VA. Now it is so much better going to the VA for my health care. Where once it use to take half a day to see the doctor…I get a 10:30 appointment and I am in the doctor’s office at 10:30. I don’t mind going there…well except for the parking. You might have to walk a quarter of a mile to the hospital but you do get in on time.

So much for all that I have some pictures of the patio. Next time I send some I will have it completed. Also I have some shots of the fence in the back yard and the playground that I  brought over from my daughter’s house. It is all coming together slowly but surely…

 

Somewhere in Time

Working on the Screened Room

It was morning and I slid out of bed rather slowly. Sherri and I have been planning on screening in our patio cover…located under the barn. Yesterday I mowed most of the morning so this AM I am rather spent. I made some coffee…poured me a cup and headed out to the patio to see where to start. We have to get an early start on these projects because of the extreme heat we are having this summer. Already we have had 100 degree temps three days in a row. GEEE come on fall weather. I never did like summer.

Sherri joined me on the patio and we discussed where to start. We had gathered all the materials we needed to start and finish the screen process. The carpet and furniture we have not bought as of this date but then Sherri is still deciding on what she wants. We are using the “Screen Tight” System and it is really nice to work with. The best place to start is at the beginning. I got all the needed tools out of the shop and to work we went. We worked until about 5:00 PM and it just got too hot to even breathe.

We have about half the project done and it will be next weekend before we get back on it. We put all the tools up and retreated to the indoor AC and fell into the recliners where we remained until bath time. Sherri did put together something to eat and then we watched a little TV before we headed to the showers and got ready for bed.

We are back in East Texas this next week to work and then we will return to the lake to complete our screened porch…

Somewhere in Time