The Wrap Up

Well the big day has finally arrived for both the future actress and the major leaguer.  It is Friday and the afternoon kicks off with a much anticipated second theatrical presentation.  As previously stated this play has a lot more action and singing with fewer lines.  Think in terms of ‘The Three Stooges’ and you will have a point of reference.

Granddaughter is playing the part of Alice Minion in ‘Minions’ Revenge’, an original presentation based upon the ‘Despicable Me’ movies.  The script, choreography and practice all happened in the space of four days with the presentation on the fifth day.  This camp was partially responsible for testing, putting into action, improvising and creating the characters during the week.

Again I had a hard time understanding the words (most of the actors are very young and have a high frequency voice which is hard on an old man) and the songs.  I did pick up on the fact that the Minions have a very limited vocabulary and the word “banana” is used a lot.  In fact, a real banana will set off frenzied activity to take the banana from each other.  I guess that explains why the minions are the color of a banana.  Here are a couple of pictures of the troupe in action.  Alice is the one with the big bow in her hair.

Alice Minion aka Kenzie

Opening Scene with 3 Minions

Exit Stage Left

Finale Dance Number

Again we were entertained by an energetic group of thespians.  The play and the costuming was the most outstanding accomplishment for the actors and there were a lot of proud parents and grandparents in attendance.

After leaving the theater performance, we headed to the ballpark in Sherman.  This is the regional tournament for the next to oldest grandson and our first chance to see him and his team in action on this trip.  This team is a 11 and under team which is made up of only 11 year olds. 

We have watched this group of young men play together as a team for several years now and develop into quite a baseball machine.  They have about 5 or 6 very capable pitchers, which is extremely unusual for this age group and out of a team of 10 players.  Defensively they are solid and not easily rattled when playing under pressure.  Example: An overthrow by the catcher to first base on a pickoff move to try and catch the runner being lazy looked like a disaster.  However, the right fielder was moving into position behind first base, picked up the overthrow and fired it to second base where the shortstop was covering and tagged out the runner as he tried to steal on the overthrow.  Not many major league teams accomplish this type of play, turning lemons into lemonade.

Anyway, we make it to the field and are pleasantly surprised to find the weather is once again cooperating.  We have partly cloudy skies with a gentle (for Northeast Texas) breeze that keeps it just right temperature wise to have a wonderful evening of baseball.  The grandson’s number is “1” and that is what he is tonight.  Playing catcher, he guns down a couple of steal attempts at second base, bats 100% with some very good hits into right center, has a couple of RBI’s along with scoring 3 or 4 runs himself.  We could not be prouder of him for an excellent game tonight.  The team performed just as well, winning the game under the 10 run rule after four innings.  Another win on Saturday night guarantees a trip to the State Tournament.

Okay, it is Saturday and the teams are on the field.  Interestingly, the game begins very strangely.  The opposing team’s pitcher is walking batters and before the next at bat is completed, the walked batter steals second, then third and finally home.  One of the players doing this is the grandson because he is the second batter.  The score is about 3 or 4 to zero before the first hit of the game occurs and there is no one on base when the batter gets a hit.

Regardless, this team is no match for the mighty Cardinals this night and never even scores a run.  Grandson is great once again.  This time at bat, he never strikes out and laid a textbook bunt down the third baseline that is not even fielded for a throw to first.  He starts out as catcher and tags a runner out for a double play at home.  He pitches for an inning retiring all the batters he faces and the team once again 10 runs the opposing team.  They are going to the State Tournament and the dogpile on the field speaks for itself.

Number 1 aka Kaden playing catcher

Number 1 playing pitcher and it is a Strike!!!

Number 1 scoring from third base

Number 1 receiving his trophy

Number 1 happy (and dirty, but very happy)

Melissa Cardinals 11's ready for next challenge at State Tournament

We had a great week with the grands and enjoyed a swim and pizzafest with them this Sunday afternoon.  It is our last day with them and we will miss them.  The activities we enjoyed were so entertaining.  We will see them again at a baseball tournament in a couple of weeks but it is not the same as visiting them at their home and becoming part of their lives for a time.  We treasure the time shared and hope it will always give them great memories of Gran and Bibi.  Maybe they can go with us sometime and share an Adventure in our Adventurer.  That would be awesome!  Well take care, we will post our next adventure soon.

Just plain Frozen.

The burgers and swim party had to be postponed due to thunderstorms and rain in the area.  We will try again tomorrow.  Instead, we gathered at the land-based house and watched the movie Frozen for the evening’s entertainment.  A cute and fun story that showed me the play the other day had all the essential elements included from the movie.  Made me appreciate the effort put forth by our granddaughter even more as we realized Princess Anna is one of the main characters in the movie.

We also found out that the next play will be based upon the Despicable Me movies.  The part our granddaughter is rehearsing for now is one of the minions, in fact, the head minion in the movie.  There are less speaking lines but more action and a couple of songs that she has the lead singing part.  This will be interesting to say the least.  I cannot wait but more on that later after the big day arrives.

Wednesday has more rain and thunderstorms so the burgers and swimming have been postponed for yet another day, much to the dismay of the budding actress.  Gran and Bibi were summoned this morning by mama to help with taxi duty.  All three grandchildren had dentist appointments this morning and two had to be fed and carried to camp afterward in locations thirty miles apart.  Due to the timing, mama would not be able to get both to camp on time without some grandparent help.

We volunteered to meet her at the dentist office and retrieve one of the campers, feed him and get him to camp on time.  Mission accomplished but not without some interesting moments for Bibi.  While he was eating in the back seat of the car as we traveled, he calmly announces there is a lizard in the car.  Bibi is immediately struck with the thought; ‘this thing might make a move for my leg if I am not watchful.’  The rest of the trip to camp was interspersed with Bibi's questions about where is he now, has he moved, etc. etc.

I think our young camper was quite ready to head to camp by the time we arrived at our destination, since he was out the door and running inside before the car fully stopped rolling.  But he did not get away quick enough as he had to give one last update on the whereabouts of this lizard.  I took Bibi (and the lizard) back to the RV park so we could plan our strategy on how best to extract the unwelcome guest in the car.  I asked her if she wanted me to get him out and the response was I do not want him in the car any longer.

So a plan was devised using a stick, broom and towel as tools/weapons in the extraction process.  The back doors were opened, me on one side and Bibi on the other.  The lizard was located and prodded with the stick to make sure he was alive and well.  He did not appreciate the invasion of his space and immediately took off which left the extractors frantically following and chasing his movements with the broom and towel in an attempt to keep him from hiding under the seats.  Fearlessly, Bibi actually made the extraction as the lizard paused momentarily on the floor in front of her.  With a flick of the wrist, the towel made contact and the lizard found himself flying through the air only to land on his feet on the ground outside the car.  Mission accomplished!!!  …and Bibi is breathing normally once again.

As an aside, while we were traveling between dentist office, burger place and Melissa to deliver our camper, we noticed a school bus parked in a parking lot next to Chick-Fil-A.  Name of the school district prominently painted on the side of the bus: Paradise ISD.  Somehow, I think a survey of the students in that school district would dispute the name and show they are open to changing it.

We finally got to have a burger and swim party tonight.  The elements and the schedules finally aligned to create a perfect afternoon/evening to get together.  The only hitch was a faulty LP gas regulator for the portable grill.  It was locked into an open position and would not shut off the flow of gas.  Since the little bottles (unlike their bigger cousins) do not have a shutoff valve, then this situation makes grilling impossible as there is gas escaping from the moment a bottle is attached with no way of lighting or turning off the flow after it is lit nor adjusting the flow.  So a hunt began at Lowes, then Home Depot and finally threw in the towel at Academy to find a replacement for the portable grill.  These big box stores only carry the portable grills as a unit with no parts but have plenty of parts for the bigger cousins.  Guess we will research online to find a replacement part. 

To cook the burgers, two of us loaded up and went to the land-based home and used the bigger cousin to cook the meat.  After they were cooked, we loaded back up and returned to the motorhome to enjoy the (finally cooked) burgers.  We also enjoyed celebrating with the son-in-law his 40^th birthday.  He really does not look a day over 40.  We enjoyed a good time sitting outside, visiting and watching the Rangers lose another game.  This is the first time in a long-time they did not have any activities to prevent them from enjoying each other and the visit.  But it is short lived as tomorrow; we will attend another matinee presentation and then make our way to the baseball diamond that evening for the start of the younger grandson’s regional tournament.  More on this later, until then be safe and adventurous.

Frozen Baseball?

This excursion is all about the grandkids.  Our first stop is the theatrical debut of our granddaughter.  She is attending drama camp this summer and seems to be flourishing in the environment.  She came home from the first day and announced to mama she is one of the lead characters in a play based upon the recent Disney film, Frozen. 

Proud mama texted us to let us know what was happening along with the statement, “Oh my, there are a lot of lines to learn by Friday.”  The camp is for one week and the kids are assigned their parts, they practice and then present their performance all in the space of one week

.

We and the other proud family members attended the 3 PM matinee performance, the only time this particular cast and venue will be presenting Frozen.  And there she was, our granddaughter in the part of Anna, the frozen princess, all dressed in white and quite beautiful.  Now my ears are not what they used to be so I could not hear all the dialogue but could tell she had practiced her lines faithfully and knew when to speak and when not to speak.

Princess Anna on the left, next to the strange carrot nosed character

For you see, part of her lines included silence while she was lying on the floor frozen.  Very important to remain still and silent during this time to provide the illusion you are frozen.  She nailed it!  She must have used me as her real life example to emulate for this particular part of the production.  Anyway, I did catch her line as she was unfrozen, it was ‘What happened?’  A very proud moment for Gran and Bibi.

Oh no!  Princess Anna is Frozen!

All thawed out and everyone is glad to see the Princess again.

I was greatly impressed with the performance and as a finale to the show, all the actors did an improvisational routine to the famous song in the movie.  I need to see this movie so I can find out what is going on because there are wolves and winds and all kinds of characters.  Of course, with my hearing issues I could not pick up on the story line other than the fact my princess Anna granddaughter was frozen then thawed out during the course of the story.

She did very well especially considering the amount of family that showed up to watch her performing for the very first time.  I think she might have been a tiny bit nervous but it did not show.  We found out she is attending a second iteration of drama camp this week.  We are all anticipating another rousing play this coming Friday.  As of this writing, we do not have character assignments.

A star is born - Or is that a HAM????

The second part of the trip involves the oldest grandson and baseball.  His All-Star team is competing in the Regional finals which are held in his hometown this year.  We are very thankful for that and also for the great weather.  It has not been too hot and humid, which is very unusual for the baseball games during this part of the year.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the fields in very good shape even though there have been a couple of mornings of rain.  By noontime the rain stops and then a gentle breeze dries out the ground so that by game time, there are no mud puddles to negotiate, either by the teams or by the fans.  Impressive!

He played Friday night and the team won.  He pitched the first three innings of scoreless ball (yep he did) and then moved to catcher.  By winning, the team received a Bye for the next round.  His three innings allows him to pitch every day.  If he pitches more than three innings, then he cannot pitch the next day.

Look the runner back to second base.

...and the delivery.  Another Strike - YAAAAAYYYY!!!!

In the second game, he started as pitcher again.  This time one run scored and his team led as he moved from pitcher to catcher once again after three innings.  This time, however, the pitchers behind him and the batters did not do as well as the first game because the team lost the lead and ended up losing the game 13 to 10.

In the next game, he started once again and was not quite as sharp as the previous two nights with two hits.  He still pitched well enough to keep the team in it, although as he left the mound after three innings their team was behind this time.  The team never got it together during this game and ended up losing thus being eliminated from the tournament finals.

I am very proud of him and his performance.  He had many good hits and a couple of innings where he was personally responsible for all three outs.  Example: two strikeouts and catching a pop up for the other out.  At the end of the tournament, he received an award for the Most Outstanding Pitcher during the tournament.

Holding his plaque for Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Tournament

Not to be outdone or forgotten, our other grandson will be participating in his regional tournament with his All-Star team this next weekend.  We will give a report later about him and his team’s efforts.  So there will be more to tell later.

Lucky for us, there is a RV park situated right in their hometown which is convenient to all these activities. We have stayed here often enough that the long-term residents and hosts recognize us now and accord us all the hospitality we could ask for.  Tonight at the RV park, we will be having home cooked hamburgers and relaxing while the kids swim in the pool after a very busy weekend full of activities.

Until the next posting, be safe and be well.

Celebration of Full Timing

Well here we are at the lake.  We have joined some of our friends in celebration of one couple’s declaration of freedom.  They have made the move to a full-time lifestyle in a RV.  This is their first official week of living ‘on the road’ and we are here to support and provide enforced R&R.

For you see, this decision was made some time ago but not acted upon until a deadline was looming.  As it turns out once they began the process it was speeded up somewhat by an estate sale specialist opening.  They either had to get things ready and out of the house in less than 2 weeks or wait several more months for an opening.  They opted for the 2 week time frame and it nearly did them in.

As an example, we were treated to a Yogi Berra type statement from Sophie.  After working so hard to vacate the premises, get things into storage by looking at everything in their land based home and then load up the new rolling home, you can kind of see why she would be a little off during the first day or two.  She was explaining very carefully the operation of the sleep number type bed and how to find the correct setting for a restful night of sleep.  Well obviously she had not had enough restful sleep as she exclaimed,” when you get it, you got it” talking about the correct air level setting on the bed.

Thank goodness, the sense of humor did not suffer from the same exhaustion factor.  Everyone had a good laugh and release of endorphins which helps everybody feel much better.  Here is a picture of the crew, minus the camera lady (Beverly) as she captures a small moment during the trip.

The Motley Crew at Work

This particular escapade into the wilderness is to allow David and Sophie some decompression time as they begin a new, exciting chapter in their lives.  I for one am jealous and will anxiously await an opportunity in the future to do the same thing.  The other couple with us, Sam and Brenda, have already been down this road and are now back in a land based home while maintaining close contact with current and former RVing friends.

During the trip we have been bird watching and taking pictures of birds with cameras.  Which there have been many unusual sightings.  Brenda had her bird books which have just about every species of fowl known to exist today.  Anytime a new bird that could not be readily identified showed up in the camera lens or spotted through the binoculars, a frantic search in the reference guides ensued.  A Pileated Woodpecker was spotted as well as the often overlooked, very rarely seen in East Texas, Hairy-Breasted, Knuckle Dragging, Spoon Beater Orange Tanger from South America.

During one of the camera episodes, a flash went off while taking a picture of a dead tree with several holes in it.  Later it was discovered a pair of eyes in one of the holes reflecting the flash from the camera.  Upon further investigation, it was determined to be a raccoon.  Not only a raccoon, but apparently a colony or family of coons are living in this tree.  Thus ensued a nightly coon watch regimen with assigned times to each of the campers taking their respective turns to watch for the emergence of the nocturnal masked marauders.  But to no avail, they are obviously smarter than we are or they waited until we retired before venturing from their cozy tree home.

A rousing dulcimer and guitar picking session provided a chance for us to learn a new song, ‘Eight Miles to Louisville’ which is actually an old song.  I am thoroughly enjoying the fact that my bride is learning to play the dulcimer.  Not only is she learning to play the instrument but playing my favorite songs which are traditional acoustic or bluegrass tunes in the process.  What a wonderful time sharing one of my favorite activities.  This led to a discussion about taking a trip to Mountain View, Arkansas where this very activity takes place on Friday and Saturday nights at the town square.  YES!!!!!  Can’t Wait!

Now it is true we eat well when we are on the road and this trip is no exception.  Typically we cook our own meals but there are those times we sample the local cuisine.  This trip is no different.  We found a great place to have lunch and the price is right.  Take a look at the offerings posted on their sign (see the picture below) and you will see why we just could not resist.  As Grandpa Jones used to say on Hee Haw, “Yum, Yum!”

Welcome to life on the road.

We had a visit from a couple of friends while at the lake.  Bart and Joy showed up to view the ‘new’ home.  While visiting, Bart announced he is taking Joy to Wyoming this summer.  We visited Bart last summer while traveling.  Bart takes an annual trip each year back to his boyhood home.  He also is going to take Joy to Colorado to visit her daughter.  Then with a wink of the eye, Bart said he is full of surprises and to stay tuned for more surprises to come.

Another visitor was David’s brother, Dennis.  Dennis is recovering from major surgery and brought his new ride out to show to David and Sophie.  He spent one night and enjoyed a hamburger meal with the crew.  For some reason, he decided to bug out before lunch the next day when we told him about our new find and plans to eat lunch there again.  Not sure I understood everything he was muttering under his breath as he drove away but I did catch something that sounded like, "you gotta be nuts.”

It is Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer and there is a large influx of campers showing up at the lake.  We are truly enjoying the sights and sounds of all the folks and looking over each rig as it shows up.  It appears RVing is alive and well.

And a visit on a holiday weekend leads to a time honored tradition among RVers.  That is the watching of the dump station rituals and long waiting lines for your turn to perform the required duties.  As the exodus of RVs proceeded today, we were treated to a plethora of sizes, shapes and of course techniques at the dump station.  One lady, awaiting her husband's command performance, decided to take a stroll in our direction where she found us lined up (one even with binoculars) intently staring at the participants.  Her comment, "you look like you are watching a parade."  Indeed, we had the best seats in the house.  We even decided to use a stop watch to gather comparison data as to the average time required to dump motorhome tanks versus fifth wheel and trailer tanks.  What a glorious time was had by all.

Now on a much more serious note, we also paused to reflect today to remember those who gave their all for our freedoms.  We are aware that freedom is not free.  We also remember all those who have served or are serving in our military.  We appreciate everyone and their service.  Until next time, be safe.

Continuation of the new Adventurer Saga

When I last posted, David and I had just returned from our trip to PA to purchase and drive back to TX an Adventurer for him.  This post is more or less a continuation of the journey since he and Sophie have been busy as beavers getting the coach all tripped out and personalized just for them.

I could tell they were pushing way too hard by the daily reports of how much work was being done and needed a break (not to mention my wanderlust was gaining on me as well) so a trip to a nearby lake and Corps of Engineer park seemed to be the perfect solution.  After all, just how much work can you do sitting by a campfire and telling tall tales?  They also wanted a short trip, close to home before heading out for longer journeys to make sure all systems are go and ready.  Sort of a shake down cruise if you will to address any forgotten items and to learn the right buttons to push at the right time (as opposed to the wrong buttons at the wrong time).

So begins our epic tale of four couples with their motorhomes who have all agreed a bit of relaxing time at the lake would do everyone some good.  David preceded me to the campground and when I stopped at the entrance shack to let the attendant know I would be looking for a spot in the non-reservation area and then come back to pay, I found out for sure that David was already there.  The attendant asked me if I was with that 'other fellow' and I told him I was.  The attendant then told me the 'other fellow' had not been back up to pay yet and needed to do so promptly.  He expected someone to take care of business expeditiously and did not want any trouble or freeloading.  I told him I would seek out the 'other fellow' and see if I could 'jack him up' and get him to come back and pay for his stay.  After looking at me through a half cocked head and squinting eyes, the attendant reluctantly allowed me to enter thinking he might have another 'fare thee well' type camper on his hands.

David and Sophie's new Adventurer

Upon arriving in the campground, we easily find our friend who is still busily trying to get settled in and we pull into the spot next to him.  After I get out and talk to him, I find out the delay in returning to the previously mentioned gate attendant has to do with pushing the right buttons at the right time and the electrical connections at the campsite.  It seems the slides on the motorhome were not working as intended when he first arrived.  Now for those who are unaware, this particular model has a Master Switch with a key that keeps the slides from being activated when it is turned to the off position and the key removed.  It seems that during the process, Sophie has turned the key to off, and David has not realized it when trying to activate the slide mechanisms.  This is even as Sophie, realizing there is something amiss, asks David repeatedly, "does the key need to be in the 'On' position?"  For several minutes there is this back and forth between them about the position of the key when finally David realizes the key is not in the 'On' position as he thought he had left it and voila the slides magically operate as intended once the key is back in the 'On' position.

Now I do not want to mock this situation, but have we not all been in this position before?  This is a classic case of missed communication.  You are not hearing what I am saying and you are not saying what I know you are saying.  I would be willing to guess that everyone reading this can relate to the scenario and recall many of these events throughout their lives.  Anyway, the equipment functioned as intended after communication was re-established and meaning of words reconciled to each other's statements.

I mentioned that Bibi was going back to the entrance gate to pay and after relating the story of my adventure with the gatekeeper, would David like to ride with her to pay too.  He did and so we both have our reputations restored as men of our word and not just a couple of freeloaders.  David refrained from telling the campground host about the electrical connections he discovered.  The other part of his delay had to do with getting the electricity to work.  Being new to the coach and having installed a surge protector, David was unsure if the lack of electricity was on his end or the campground facility.  Anyway, to make a long story short, the campground receptacle had a loose part not allowing a complete connection and thus no electricity.  Again the coach functioned properly once the problem was diagnosed and addressed.

So with a few bumps and fitful starts, our camping was off to a great beginning.  The next day our other two couples arrived to join the party.  Sam and Brenda along with LA and Jean showed up to begin sharing and enjoying each other's company during our stay.  We had a short jam session when Brenda and Beverly got their dulcimers out and I got the guitar out to play and practice a bit.  Then we had Taco Soup for dinner. Afterwards, we all settled down by a nice campfire and viewed the Rangers baseball game on the outside TV while roasting marshmallows on the fire.

Roughing it - Watching Rangers Baseball by the Campfire

The next morning dawned brisk and clear with the promise of plenty of sunshine.  We had a communal breakfast of sausage muffins compliments of Brenda.  Some of our crew are early risers while others do not understand how much daylight they are burning by sleeping so late.  By the time breakfast arrived, I was already to the point of starvation and almost too weak to bring the muffin to my mouth.  But luckily I pulled on my deepest strength and managed to down some nourishment which quickly restored me to my normal blustery self.

Since this was Easter week, the weekend is expected to bring many folks to the campground.  Indeed starting Friday we saw a major influx of people as the campground began to fill up.  By Saturday, it looked as if the place was at capacity with just a couple of empty spots located here and there.  Of course, with a full campground the age levels multiply and the noise levels too.  Everyone around us seemed to be enjoying the wonderful springtime weather.  As for us, we had another enjoyable evening by the campfire watching another Ranger game on TV, this time at David and Sophie's spot.  Because there was so much joy and merriment in the campground, I had a hard time sleeping.  In fact, it benefited me for you see, Brenda made sausage muffins for breakfast again.  But this time, she caught me sleeping.  It was certainly a surprise for her to find me answering her knock on the door with my bedhead hair standing straight up in my sleep pants rubbing my eyes to get the sleep out.  It was certainly nice to have breakfast in bed that AM as I am not normally treated to such royal treatment.

On Friday we were visited by Bill and Nell.  Nell plays the dulcimer too and joined us for a jam session in the pines.  Now Nell is quite a character and willing to have a good time.  There is one particular song that she likes; however, our group does not play it quite as fast as Nell wants us too.  So somewhere along about the middle of the song, we all speed up to keep up with Nell.  By the end of the song, we are traveling at quite a good rate of speed and some of us are out of breath.  For those of you familiar with the old saying, 'like a mule headed for the barn', you will get a sense of the direction and speed enveloping us.  We had a grand ole time playing our instruments and hoo haaing each other during the session.  We garnered quite an audience from our immediate camping group but the rest of the campers just plain missed out on a fun time.

Beverly, Nell and Brenda on Dulcimer with me on Guitar

Saturday we had to abandon the camp temporarily to attend a wedding.  Our niece, Melissa (Missy), married Cory and we had to clean up, spiff up, put on Sunday go to meeting clothes to attend.  Afterwards, we donned our camping clothes once again and returned to the near perfect blissful rest we were all desperately seeking.  Sam and Brenda had to return due to pressing appointments and responsibilities so we are now down to three couples.

Sunday is Easter and Bibi has decided to treat us to a scrumptious feast.  She said it was an easy meal involving a crock pot and opening up cans and packages.  I told her afterwards, she gets the Cook of the Day award as far as I was concerned.  The only problem I had was trying to sleep while the crock pot cooked the meat all night long.  My senses were on overload during the night as I smelled the various stages of the cooking process.  She gave us a roast, mashed potatoes, green beans with Hawaiian King rolls meal followed by old style homemade Banana Pudding (my favorite kind).  Oh boy!  Afterwards, we all retired to check out our eyelids to see if there were any cracks in them.

Somewhere along the way we got to talking about the movie, 'O Brother Where Art Thou' which is one of my all-time favorites.  As it turns out, it is a movie that a lot of my fellow campers thoroughly enjoy as well. Even if it did not have the bluegrass music and an association with Homer's Iliad, it has some very interesting lines.  If you don't believe me then you are not bonafide.  And no, I did not turn into a Toad.  Gotta watch the movie to learn what that means, so enjoy.

For now that is the update.  But stay tuned, there will be short trip to Melissa, TX soon that is sure to find its way onto the blog.

Pennsylvania to Texas

Where to start on this latest Adventure is a real conundrum for me as I have just spent the last 2-1/2 days sharing driving time with my friend in his 2013 Winnebago Adventurer the 1200 miles to his home so I am a bit tired, sore and a little foggy in the memory.  If you are intrigued, let's begin at the beginning.

David and Sophie have been contemplating a move to full-timing since beginning their RVing ways.  During our most recent trip together to Surfside Beach the decision was completed and plans beginning to crystallize as to how to accomplish the transition to a full time lifestyle.  One of the first considerations was what type of home on wheels would best suit the impending lifestyle.

Having toured the Winnebago factory on another trip and listening to my incessant ramblings about why I thought Winnebago was one of the best at combining quality, comfort selections, most standard features and best value for one's choosing, they have narrowed a search to a particular make and model to transition to for the full time option.  Before this could happen, in David's words, he needed to get some money by selling some things.  The things he were talking about were his 'baby' (his restored Mustang fastback) and their current RV (also a Winnebago Adventurer 2001 edition).

While on the Surfside trip, he located some possibilities, using the internet, as candidates for the upcoming contemplated purchase.  When I learned of the distance to travel to look at, buy and then drive home, I offered to accompany him to assist in transporting a purchase back to Texas.

After returning home, they set about making things happen and happen they did.  Quickly he sold both the Mustang and the Adventurer.  Now came the business of finalizing a purchase.  Here is where the story really 'takes off' and begins to hum right along.

Unbelievably, this could not have been accomplished just a few short years ago but technology has advanced the opportunity to these unbelievable levels.  David contacted some folks in Pennsylvania about a unit they had listed on Craigslist while in Surfside.  Because he was not quite ready to consummate the deal, he asked for and received a positive response to let him know if someone else was wanting to buy the unit so he could make an offer.  It was during this interim time he managed to sell some assets, arrange financing and recontacted the sellers about the unit.

Things progressed to the point that a deal was struck (timing was incredible as the couple selling the unit was about to trade it in on another purchase they had located) and arrangements made.  The couple, Jeff and Kristy, were very accommodating and generous to work with throughout the process.  Now they lived and the unit was located in Pennsylvania so David had to figure out how to get there, finalize the purchase and pay for the unit, then transport it back to Texas.  This feat of mental gymnastics consumed him for some period of time and required numerous phone calls and emails to all involved parties.

All the time he kept me posted so I could make my plans to participate too.  I began to be concerned that Sophie might prefer to be in on the trip and I did not want her to feel like I was 'forcing' my way into this adventure.  She assured both David and I that she wanted us to go, saying she trusted David's judgment, which was a nice way of saying, 'you better not mess this up'!

Long story-short, we boarded a flight in Longview on Tuesday to Cleveland, Ohio.  Flying first class is the only way to go these days.  It is nice when you board first and the attendants address you by name and provide a drink while everyone else is boarding the plane and settling down for the trip.  After in the air, you get another libation along with warmed nuts to munch on while your meal is prepared.  Prior to the meal you receive a warm washcloth to clean up your hands before feasting on sumptuous fare prepared onboard the aircraft.  Followed by a choice of a warm chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie.  NICE!!!!

Upon arriving in Cleveland we called the local hotel where our reservations are and requested a shuttle pick up.  A short ten minutes later, we are loaded into the shuttle and on our way to the hotel.  David contacts Kristy to let her know of our arrival.  The next morning, Jeff and Kristy (having offered to pick us up prior to the trip) arrive at the hotel after driving approximately two hours from their home to the hotel at 9:30 and then drive us back the two hours to see the motorhome.  We had a great visit during the drive sharing stories and getting driving recommendations from them about our return trip in the motorhome.

Jeff actually drove us the route we would take in reverse to begin our trek back to Texas.  At one point, we approached and went under an underpass marked with a height of 12' 7".  Knowing the motorhome was listed in the technical specifications brochure as 12' 8", I questioned him about actually attempting to drive the motorhome through it.  His response was sure it would make it, he drove it through there bringing the motorhome to the house.  Soon we arrived at the house and there it was, a shiny new looking 2013 Winnebago  Adventurer.

After perusing it, flipping switches, opening cabinets, and giving the girls back home a tour via facetime (again, technology these days), he immediately received a positive response from Sophie.  After looking and asking more questions, David asks if they can start the generator.  Sure Kristy says and shows him how the procedure works from the main control panel inside the coach.  Unfortunately, it did not start.  In fact, it makes a sickening sound that says, 'no way am I starting today.'  Panic mode begins to set in and Kristy grabs the generator manual from the Winnebago compendium bible of books about the Adventurer and its systems to research possible troubleshooting procedures.  About the same time, Jeff and David hotfoot it outside to open the generator compartment and take the cover off to try and assess the problem issues.  All this while, during each attempt to start the generator, being met with the same response of 'no way am I starting today' sound.

After looking in the battery compartment, someone noticed the main cutoff switch adjacent to the battery compartment was in the 'off' position.  Once restored to the 'on' position, the generator fired up on the first attempt.  I asked Kristy if she was having heart palpitations about that time and had she regained a normal heartbeat to which she assured me all was well when she heard it start.  Tense moments but all were relieved as the issue was not with the generator but with the settings of switches.  This speaks to the complexity of these units and the multitude of systems involved with a motorhome.

After all formalities of purchasing the Adventurer are completed, we wish Jeff and Kristy adieu, telling them to let us know when they are in the East Texas area and promising to do the same when we are in Pennsylvania again too.  We head down the road and our date with the 'bridge.'  Now this is not any old bridge, it is an older version with a much narrower (and shorter) opening since its construction in the 'early' days of autos.  We approach it with much apprehension and consternation (see the picture below).

Bridge with Height Sign

Notice the Narrowness warning on the sign

But all is well, we made it although there were some tense moments for 'yours truly' as we entered the opening.  Approaching traffic created more tenseness as David yielded the space for them to pass we came closer and closer to the side of the bridge.  In fact, I told him we are too close, that is close enough and thankfully he listened.  All I could think of during this episode was Nein, Nein, Nein.  Reminiscent of our German tourist encounter (see earlier posting from South Dakota) on the Needles Highway.  Once we were through, David asked me how close we came, I told him 3 inches and I am not kidding either.  It was close.

Our next stop was at a Wal-Mart for supplies as we made our way south.  We traveled the first day without rain and stopped at Columbus, OH for an overnight stay at a Wal-Mart parking lot.  The next day we proceeded further south and west as we made it as far as Jackson, TN.  This day was an all day rain event with some very intense lightning and rain at times.  I 'cooked' for David at the Cracker Barrel that night and he 'cooked' breakfast for me the next morning at the same Cracker Barrel.

While eating our dinner, David asked for the Cracker Barrel manager to come over to our table.  The gentleman showed up and David told him we were traveling to TX in an RV and would it be okay to overnight in their parking lot for the night.  Immediately the manager replied, 'No' so David asked him if he knew of any other place close that would allow us to park overnight and again immediately he replied, 'No.' It was at this point, after waiting the appropriate length of time, the manager broke into a very wide grin and said he was just kidding, of course it was okay to stay overnight.  I can see him having a big old hooha in the the kitchen as he shared his little joke with the rest of the staff.  Anyway, he got both me and David with his very serious, I am all business reply of No before letting us in on the joke.

After breakfast the next morning, we proceeded towards home and without any rain to torment us along the way.  The only issue was gusting winds as we traveled the rest of TN and Arkansas to Little Rock.  Once past there, it was smooth sailing and a beautiful sunny day to travel to the home destination arriving 1200 miles, 2-1/2 days later at approximately 4 PM.

All in all, it was a very fast trip of eat, drive and sleep.  No sightseeing or dallying along the way.  We saw lots of things through the windshield but little else.  Dodged construction barrels, waded water, felt the wind slam against the sides, saw more than a few other RVers on the road and a lot of big tractor trailer rigs traversing the highways.  In fact, we saw so many RVs headed in the opposite direction, we felt a lot like a Salmon would feel during the swim upstream except headed in the wrong direction.  We guessed there were a lot of snowbirds returning to their home bases wherever that might be.

A very tiring but satisfying trip.  Now all that remains is to trip out the RV and decide on a destination.  Look out America, here we come!

The 2013 Adventurer making its first Wal Mart supply stop with its very proud new owner.

Last day of our most recent Adventure

Well the day has finally arrived and we always dread it when we have to pack up and head back.  It seems sad the time gets away from you before you have time to do and see everything you had planned before heading out.  Then there are the things you encounter along the way and that adds to the agenda and adventure.  For example, we are driving along on our way to the most recent destination and there to the left of the highway is a huge statue of Stephen F Austin, out in the middle of seemingly nowhere.  If you have ever seen the likeness of Sam Houston in Huntsville, then this is the type of statue standing beside this 4 lane divided highway with no other visible sign of humanity, village or enterprises around it.  Seemed very strange to us travelers why this seemingly deserted location was picked to honor one of the earliest Anglo settlers of Texas who did so much to colonize the state with other US folks like him.

Statue near Angleton on US Hwy 288

So here is what we found out about this statue.  Shortly after the Sam Houston statue was finished, a volunteer group dedicated to keeping the history of Stephen F Austin and the pioneer families' memories alive contacted the artist and commissioned this statue.  It is on land donated by a family nearby and contains a museum manned by local volunteers.  The area was chosen because it is on the coastal  plain near the mouth of the Brazos river.  This is the area where Austin and his first colonists landed and close to where he chose his first homesite.  As we all remember from our Texas history classes, the first Texas capital is just a few miles up the Brazos river at Washington-on-the Brazos.  So it seems appropriate and natural that Stephen is standing and staring at the area now that we understand the history.

So we learn something every single time we head out.  There is simply not enough time to see and do it all. This is where some of the sadness comes from as we leave a place.  But we have had a grand time here at the beach and learned a lot about the area.  We are just about to leave when the place kicks into high gear for the upcoming beach season.  Sort of the unofficial opening of prime time is St. Patrick's Day.  They have an annual parade each St. Patrick's Day that is 'the biggest thing' around here.  I noticed under 'events' in my latest issue of Texas Highways that Surfside Beach made the list with its parade.  Just down the road in Galveston, the big doin's the last two weekends have been Mardi Gras activities.

We have experienced all kinds of weather while at the beach.  From the cold stinging biting rain on the first day here to the off and on again sea fog throughout the stay to beautiful sun shining 70+ degree days and everything in between. We have heard many boat horns from the Intracoastal Waterway as we are situated between it and the ocean on a spit of land known as Surfside Beach.  Last night, in honor of our recent visit to NASA, we watched the immortal Disney classic movie, Wall-E.

It has been a memorable place to be in February and a great time with good friends. We are thankful God has given us safety while traveling and great sights from creation to behold.  Pictures do not do it justice but here is a small sample.

Walking on a cool blustery day

Sandpiper lunchtime

Oil Rig Platform headed out from Intracoastal Waterway

Driving the beach in Betty Boop

Sea Gulls watching everything and staring at nothing  Kind of like us.....

Until the next adventure, we will see you down the road.....