Buc-ee's Fog and Curling

Well the last time I left you a note, I was deeply concerned about the recent chapstick episode endured on our way back to the beach.  Since this was so heavy on my mind, I forgot to tell about our last stop on the trip back.

Somewhere between Huntsville and Conroe, we decided we needed to get some gas before continuing any further.  We pulled into a small burg, named Madisonville, for no particular reason other than to make a quick stop for the gasoline.  Well part of the convenience store where we stopped has a Subway sandwich shop.  Since we are already stopped and there are a couple of hours driving left, we decide to refuel ourselves as well.  This further leads to taking a restroom break before hitting the road once again.

Well, as everyone knows, the guys have no problem with the restroom situation at any stop.  This is not the case with the girls.  There are the issues of cleanliness, privacy and clientele appearance that must be satisfied before approving the use of a place's facilities.  This poor convenience store failed on all three counts if not more.  So we struck out in search of suitable facilities.  We see a Buc-ee's on the other side of the interstate and head that direction.

Now for the uninitiated, Buc-ee's is a regional convenience store found in South Texas primarily.  It's logo (pictured below) looks like a beaver with buckteeth.  I have always wanted to stop at one to peruse the establishment because they look so interesting from afar.  Here was one that we could not believe our eyes when we topped the bridge and looked into the parking lot and gas pumps.  There must have been in excess of 100 cars and trucks.  Figuring this many people cannot be wrong, we forge onward to check out their facilities.

Buc-ee's Logo used on Signs at their locations

We guys waited in a parking space close to an entrance having already taken care of business whilst the ladies ventured into the melee inside the store.  While sitting there we conjectured on why so many folks had stopped at the store.  Casually watching the comings and goings, I noticed the large digital sign below the Buc-ee's sign.  It would flash various advertising messages to entice those travelers on the road to stop in before continuing their journey.  The one piece of information that really gave me a hoo-hah was the statement: "Two Reasons to Stop at Buc-ee's - - #1 and #2".  (Think about it for a minute - this is the exact reason we stopped)  And as if to confirm the message on the sign, the ladies came back raving about this place having the best bathrooms anywhere we have been before.  Very large (around 20 stalls), extremely clean and spacious inside.  Obviously, not many five-star hotels could compete with what I was hearing.  So the sign is exactly right, 2 reasons to stop!

Upon returning to the RV park on the beach, we have settled comfortably into somewhat of a routine.  A routine that involves walking along the beach.  There is a jetty some distance from us that leads into the Intracoastal Waterway that Bibi and I have set as our goal to walk to and from before we leave this location. David says if he walks down to that, someone will have to come pick him up in the car to carry him back. This may end up being the case for us as well.  We have walked so much that sometimes a planned second walk for the day does not happen due to tiredness and soreness.

The last few days have been marvelous temperature-wise.  An interesting phenomenon is occurring regularly. Because the water temperature is cooler than the ambient air temperature, we have London style fog all the time.  Most of the time the visibility is a half-mile or lower.  This morning, I got up and could not see the fence across the driveway in front of the RV.  This distance is approximately 50 -60 yards.  It makes for an interesting walk by the ocean when you cannot see normal distances.  There is an almost surreal feeling to the environment.  It also messes up your sense of distance since you do not have far off landmarks to mark how far you have gone, you can easily go too far.  Remember, wherever you start from and end up, you have to traverse this distance again to get back to your starting point.

Another interesting phenomenon is happening back at the RVs too.  Since the Winter Olympics are taking place, we naturally are interested in the different sporting activities.  But one 'sport' has evidently captured our collective East Texas imaginations.  It seems daily whenever we get together, the conversation turns to this particular sport and a discussion of the fine intricacies involved ensues.  Now mind you, none of the four adults in this conversation has ever participated in the sport (East Texas is not a hotspot for this sport) let alone even have read the rules associated with the sport.

Which sport you ask, why 'curling' of course.  Curling seems to be the epitome of being bored for so long during winter time, you have to come up with something to do to pass the long harsh winter days since you cannot work outside.  It is some kind of strange combination of bowling on ice and washer competition or horseshoes combined.  Supposedly there is quite some skill involved in putting the 'rock' exactly where you want it to be when it comes to rest.  We are not sure about what is being yelled during the competition because as you know, they participants are not speaking 'East Texas' but using their native tongues from around the globe.  So the purpose of and the information imparted by all the yelling has thus far eluded us as we gaze intently on the televised portions of this sport.

We have discussed everything from the handle on the rock, how the rock is made, what is the purpose of the brooms, why one person tries to hit another's rock versus the person that tries to go around the rocks and everything in between.  Our discussions get quite lively sometimes in discussing these finer details, which I must say is a lot livelier than the actual competition.  Except for those folks with the brooms which are quite lively, everyone else is standing around.  We did find out there are about 900 curling clubs in the U.S. with about 16,000 folks participating in the sport in this country.  Who would have guessed that?

Why this particular activity captures our interest and holds it for such lengthy discussions is beyond each of us.  We cannot explain it, nor escape it.  Every single time a 'curling' event is on, we stop what we are doing immediately and focus all of our attention to every single action and word uttered during the televised portion of the event.  Of course, each time one of us picks up on new information, we discuss it to the 'nth' degree. You would think we are aficionados or something.  Maybe it has to do with our age.  We have noticed a lot of 'shuffleboard' courts at RV parks.  Methinks, curling is just a winter version of this popular fair weather pastime that is played primarily by folks around our ages.  Just saying......

Until next time, may all your curling be done on ice!