Weeks three, four, five and six. Now we’re in Texas (it’s a big state)Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida
Wednesday, January 13, 2009 Holiday Villages of Medina, Bandara, Texas
We’re back to one of our clubs. It’s a bit off the beaten track, 8 miles or so. Not much happening at this park, but it’s OK, we are here because it close to San Antonio.
This morning, Thursday, I went to the clubhouse to check my email then headed to San Antonio and the Alamo. The TomTom got us there, in a round about way. I should have brought my computer with the Trips and Streets program. The weather was rainy and foggy, very foggy and it was rough driving. The rain lifted a bit when we got to San Antonio.
We made it to the Alamo and enjoyed touring it and the video presentation. Carl knew quite a bit about the Alamo, he was the #1 Davy Crocket and Jim Bowey fan of 1958!
Then we went to the famous San Antonio Riverwalk. It’s touted to be the Venice of the West (I might have made that up). I thought of it as Pier 39 with water running through it. It’s not actually a “river”. It’s more like a long, narrow pool. We had lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack and the waitress told us they just finished cleaning it yesterday and they empty it to clean it. It’s only 4’ deep, or so. The water was kind of murky, like the Mississippi, not clear like the American River. We did see a fish in it and some ducks. It was mostly eating establishments on both side of the river. Our lunch at Joe’s was good. Then we walked around San Antonio, kind of getting lost like we usually do. We found the “Market Square” and Carl was hoping for fruit and vegetables. It was gift shoppie type vendors. I did buy a Texas charm for my bracelet.
The TomTom got us back to the freeway heading back to the campground, but….it was not the same directions as the road signs. We followed the TomTom and geez, it was so confusing. It took us on roads that cars shouldn’t go on and it kept saying “turn around when possible” whenever there was a curve in the road. I should have brought my computer!
We made it back, safe and sound and Hattie was ready to go for a walk!
After dinner we headed to the hot tub for some relaxation. The hot tub was really hot, so our soak was short and sweet.
Friday 1/15/10. It rained non-stop all last night. I got up a few times and looked outside to see if it had flooded. You always hear about trailers getting washed away in Texas and I was afraid we’d be one of them. No worries. We were safe.
We stopped in the town of Bandera on our way out of town. I was able to find a CD with some of favorite cowboy songs; Don’t Fence Me In, Back in the Saddle Again, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, etc. for my video. An enticing sign lured us into a restaurant in Bandara for bbq lunch. It turned out to be an all-u-can-eat and we did our best. The barbecue was better than Ribs and Things but not as good as Everett & Jones and a far cry from Carl’s.
We’re tootling down the highway, headed for Rockport, listening to Cowboy music and me writing on the computer when Carl said we’ve lost all power in the RV. I unplugged my computer, turned off the radio and didn’t know what to prepare for. Losing the power meant losing steering and brakes but Carl gently maneuvered the RV to the side of the road. Thank God for Texas’s flat, straight roads. We don’t know what happened. Everything seemed to be fine. I guess it was just one of those scares we have on our trips. Like the time one of the wheels on the Saturn locked up, and when the slide slid out, and all the times I bring the wrong clothes for the weather. I was nervous the rest of the trip, so a nap was out of the question. Someone was watching over us.
Then we saw an armadillo. It was dead, fresh but dead, but we saw it.
We’re really living on the edge. We were moving on down the hwy 37 and took the exit to Rockport. The road was closed, due to flooding. We took the frontage road and were going to hop back on the freeway down the road. There were areas of standing water, but you could see the yellow line in the middle of the road, so we felt safe. Then, there was an area of choppy water, like the bay, so we decided to unhook the Saturn and back up the 4 or so miles. Along came a Texas Department of Transportation and they said the choppy water was OK to pass as long as you go slowly. Whew! So we did and snaked our way back to Hwy 37. We’re on the right path and then some truck rocketed a rock at our windshield, now we have a star on it. We’ll have to get it fixed in Rockport.
We finally arrived and settled in. The rain is supposed to subside. Our fingers are crossed.
Friday, January 15, 2009 Bay View RV Park, Rockport, TX
Our spot is one of the better spots, muddy, but not a lake. We settled in and tried to take Hattie for a walk but the wind scared her so just kicked back. I called Richard and Irishka to let them know we were in town. We’ll meet tomorrow and I can’t wait.
This morning (Saturday) they had $1.00 cinnamon rolls and a craft fair at the clubhouse so we were all over that. We missed the rolls, oh well. There was a man selling the Delorme trip program similar to our Streets & Trips but he made a program with all the clubs mapped out. What a great idea. It had ROD, RPI, C2C and tons of others, so we bought it. He loaded it on both of our computers then I had to leave to meet with Richard and Irishka. I hope I don’t suffer from buyers remorse.
We made it to R & I’s around 2:00. It was wonderful seeing them. They have a beautiful brand new house in Corpus Christi, you know, Corpus Christi, the birthplace of the Whattaburger. We were able to meet their pride and joy, Blackie, their white fluffy dog. We chatted for a while then went out for lunch at their favorite Mexican restaurant. Corpus Christi is known for it’s Mexican restaurants and seafood, not barbeque like we’ve been looking for.
After lunch we headed to the marina and pier and to check out the replica of the Niña. Cousin Margaret called and we all talked to her. Wish she was with us! Then back to R & I’s house for more chatting and reminiscing and making plans for tomorrow.
Rosie called while we were driving back to the camp. She’s getting ready for the wedding. It’s getting close and I’m getting excited ‘bout seeing my sisters.
Today (Sunday) is a much over due laundry day. Hattie and I took a walk up to the laundry room and found the four washers empty. Yeah! I drove our dirty clothes back to the Laundromat and filled all the washers. Everything was clean and folded by the time Richard and Irishka came over. They brought Blackie and the two girls got along marvelously. After the usual sniffing, they ignored each other, but it’s all good.
We went for a walk around the camp, swatting mosquitoes. We enjoy each other so much, that at the end of the day, I am high with giddiness. We have plans to meet again before we move on. I know I’ll be sad when we leave.
I played with the new map program and I’m not to happy with it. I think the program Dave made is a good idea, but still in the idea stage. I’m hoping it’s just a learning curve on my part.
Carl and I went to the “Big Fisherman” restaurant for dinner. Well, we won’t suggest that place to Richard and Irishka.
Today (Monday) we checked out the beaches in the greater Rockport/Fulton area. We found a great beach but they did not allow dogs. Well, shucks. There was a small patch of beach that dogs were allowed, but it was shallow, nasty, foamy and stinky and we didn’t want Hattie in it. We walked around the touristy area for a while then went back to the campground for lunch. Dave, the DeLorme Map guy, came over to try to load the program in Carl’s computer. It won’t work and I’ll deal with it when we get home.
We met Richard and Irishka at Landry’s in Corpus Christi for dinner. They were a tad late; Richard went over the bridge by mistake. He always goes over the bridge my mistake. Good thing they don’t charge toll!
We had a wonderful dinner and visit. We laughed so much my chest hurt. They made this part of our trip the best part yet!
Video for your viewing pleasure
Tuesday - The fog really set in today. It was thick and warm. What a concept.
After breakfast we headed to Mustang Island to check out their beaches. Driving through town I noticed the most popular businesses are “car washes”. I swear, almost every block there is a car wash. Hmmm. Maybe they’re trying to tell us something.
We stopped at the post office to see if the package Chris sent had arrived, and it did. Yeah. We got Carl’s meds, spices, travel brochures and the wedding invitation from J&A.
We took the ferry to Mustang Island, a short jump across the estuary. The town is called Port Aransas. It’s a real beach town, lots of seafood restaurant. We found the State park, paid our fee and settled in. The beach was long, flat, hard sand and Hattie loved it. She ran after her ball in the Gulf of Mexico and went wild. Tomorrow she’ll be pooping Gulf of Mexico sand. It was foggy the entire time and we both got so wet from the humidity. We stopped for lunch at a little joint called Castaways. We shared an oyster po’boy. It was delicious. Then we took the ferry back to Arnasas Pass, the town on the other side of the estuary.
We stopped at Great Cuts and both got haircuts and then to the produce market. Best haircut I’ve ever had.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 Gulf Coast RV Park, Beaumont, TX
We had a full day of driving today, going through Houston’s maze of freeways. We didn’t get lost, no thanks to me. Even with all of my directional devices, I still can get us lost.
Our new RV park, the Gulf Coast RV Park is right on the freeway – easy on, easy off. It’s just for a couple of days. We went to town to see what there was to see. Well, it was dark and rainy so we just headed back to the park. I had a belly ache so I went to bed. Was it the licorice I bought at the Dollar Tree? I threw them away, just in case.
Thursday – We awoke to a beautiful, sunshiny day and my tummy OK. The park serves a continental breakfast so Carl went over and grabbed a couple of sweet rolls while I checked my emails.
We headed to Port Arthur to see the sights. We stopped at the Gulf Coast Museum. It was very interesting. Fact: Janice Joplin, The Big Bopper, to name a few, are from Port Arthur. We checked out the riverfront area and boardwalk. The town is still in shambles from Hurricane Ike. The boardwalk is gone, building and homes boarded up and businesses closed.
Still in the quest for the best BBQ in Texas, we headed for Tony’s BBQ, recommended by the docent at the museum. It a hofbrau-ish and was good. We then checked out the theater district, Crescent Street. The bars and restaurants are only open Fridays and Saturdays.
Driving through the area we came upon beautiful colonial mansions right next to boarded up shanties.
Later in the evening, after a wonderful chat with Heidi, we went to Fat Mac’s BBQ (still on the quest) for dinner. Again it was good. When the server delivered our meal, she said, “this one’s on me ‘cause you had to wait”. We don’t think we waited long. Maybe we misheard her? We went up to pay and she said “thanks for coming” so we gave her a big tip.
We brought a tidbit from both BBQ restaurants for the pets, so they love us!
I finished my “Visit with R&I” video and posted it on YouTube. It’s so good, with Roy Rogers singing “Don’t Fence Me In”.
Friday, January 22, 2010 Passport to Leisure, Robert, LA
We got up in time this morning to take advantage of the breakfast at the clubhouse. We made waffles.
I emailed my video link to those that aren’t privy to Facebook and I received a lot of compliments. It bounced back from Richard, so I called him got the new email address and chatted. Now I miss them again.
When we arrived at the park, much to our surprise, we had arrived at Jellystone Park. There was Yogi and Boo Boo to greet us along with Ranger Smith. There is a waterslide, game arcade, snack bar, pool, all the fixin’s for a great family retreat. But, alas, everything was closed and there was just a bunch of oldies, like us, but older. I’m sure it’s a full of kids in the summer.
Saturday – We had plans to meet up with Karen Newcomb who is working in Hattiesburg, MS right now. We drove through what looked like the bayou, over Lake Ponchetran into the town of New Orleans. We stopped at the visitor’s center and picked up a map. We found a parking garage and the attendant offered to detail the Saturn for $20. The car was filthy and full of dog hair, so we jumped at the chance. I wanted to clean it before we got to DeFuniak Springs anyway.
We met Karen at the Café Du Monde, a New Orleans landmark. We had beignets and coffee for “lunch” then toured the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. The three of us were great tourists. We hit the shops, listened to some street music and ate an early dinner, Carl and I had our first taste of Louisiana oysters. Yumm
Sunday – We were awoken by a thunder, lightning and rain storm last night. This morning was bright, sunny and fresh.
We signed up for the 1:00 Honey Island Swamp Tour in Slidell, LA. We arrived around an hour early, but we really didn’t know where we were going so we gave ourselves extra time. There were around a dozen tourists on the boat giving everyone ample room. Our tour guide, Capt’n Jack, warned us that the West Pearl River was the highest it’s been in years because of the recent rains and we might not see an alligator. I said as long as we see one, I’ll be happy. We toured the swamp seeing a little wild life; some turtles, a raccoon, and a few snowy egrets. We went through an area that Capt’n Jack said usually has ‘gators and to keep our eyes peeled. Well, guess who found one? Moi! Yes, Moi! It was small, but a bonafide, swamp swimmin’ Louisiana alligator!
We stopped at Sonic’s for lunch. I can check that off my bucket list!
Everybody is all in an uproar about today’s football game – Saints vs. Vikings. We don’t get it on our TV so we’re doing laundry.
The Saints came marching in. They won the NFL playoff against the Vikings and will be going to the Super Bowl. You’re welcome!
Monday - We wanted to go to the Gulf Coast today and the closest was in Mississippi…so we checked out of Jellystone and headed to a Coast to Coast park in Pass Christian, Mississippi.
Gas was $2.36 at Walmart in Waveland Mississippi, wow! That’s the cheapest we’ve found. We have not paid anywhere near the $3.00+ we pay at home. If it wasn’t for the rain, heat, wind, humidity, tornados, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, etc. I’d so move here!
We stopped at the Five Star Resort in Pass Christian, MS, a Coast to Coast park. It was still early so we grabbed Hattie and headed to the Gulf. The beach was beautiful, a long, narrow strip of white sand. We had the beach to ourselves.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Sunset King Lake Resort, DeFuniak Springs, FL
We left the RV park at Pass Christian at 10:00, early for us ‘cause I couldn’t wait to see Rosie & Fred.
Our ride was good. Our only faux paux was missing our exit and having to go 10 miles to the next exit. Who puts exits 10 miles apart?
The park is very nice, paved roads, cement patios and grassy areas. Hattie remembered Rosie and Fred and we had a great homecoming.
We headed to Enterprise, AL to check out the venue for the rehearsal dinner and ended up at Pop’s Oyster Bar for dinner. It was delicious. Justin met us there. Yeah!
Wednesday – Today we took a ride around the greater Samson -DeFuniak Springs area in Alabama and Florida landing at a Dollar Tree. We had lunch at Po’ Folks. I just love that down home southern cooking. Rosie and I worked on the Bingo centerpieces for the rehearsal dinner and printed and framed old pictures of Justin for the wedding.
Thursday – Rosie and I drove to The First Baptist Church in Samson to help Ashley and her mother Nett assemble the programs and make the favors for the wedding. We had a great assembly line and it did not take much time. Rosie and I were going to head right to the Pensacola Airport to pick up Maggie but decided to swing by the RV park since we were driving right past it and do a few things. . . good thing we did, Maggie called us and said she was stranded in Dallas, weather related, shit! James and Jenessa arrived from Fargo via Atlanta so at least part of us made it. We hung around the camp and tried to take a nap waiting for Maggie’s call. We received good news and bad news that she might have to stay the night in Dallas or she was on the wait list, but I must admit, no tears from Maggie until I mentioned them. We finally got word that she got on the plane, and would be in Pensacola at around 10:00. Rosie and I dashed out of our RVs and with the help of Susan, the TomTom lady, we arrived with time to spare. Finally, the plane from Dallas arrived; Maggie called us with the good news. Rosie said “Great! We’ll be there in 15 minutes” and then surprised the hell out of her with our “Official DeFuniak Springs Welcoming Committee” poster. It was all good.
Friday – We were supposed to be at the church to help make table decorations at 8:30. Rosie made it 8:30 central time, me and Maggie 8:30 pacific time. We helped for a while then Maggie and I bowed out and went back to the park. We picked up Carl and went to DeFuniak Springs for lunch and Walmart.
Tonight was the night for the rehearsal and dinner. Maggie, Carl and I did not go to the rehearsal but straight to the dinner in Enterprise. Then the weather turned on us. It was so dark, so rainy and driving was scary. Susan the Tomtom lady, got us lost a few times; sometimes I wonder what she’s thinking. We were supposed to pick up balloons at the Dollar Tree on the way but we were to afraid to ask Susan any other directions. We finally made it, Carl doing a wonderful job of driving, and set up the checker card center pieces on the tables.
The wedding party arrived at around 8:30, also battling the storm and I must say, the dinner was delicious. Braso Brazil, fyi, and worth the drive. Well, going home, we followed James, Jenessa, Rosie Fred and it really stormed then. It scared the shit out of me but James and Carl did a marvelous job of keeping us safe and on the road.
Saturday – Today was the big day. The wedding party had to be at the church at 10:30 so the rest of us, me, Maggie, Carl and Jenessa left at 1:00. The Bride and Groom looked lovely and it was such a nice ceremony. The reception, immediately following, was nice and the food was good. Maggie and I had the honor of taking care of the Groom’s cake. I don’t think they’ll ask us to do that again, our slices were very avant-garde, to say the least. But it tasted good.
Jenessa caught the bouquet. Yeah! Maggie, Carl and I went back to the camp and prepared our dinner of left-over reception food. Delicious!
Sunday – Rosie, Maggie and I planned on a Swedish Smorgasbord for our new relatives on Sunday, after Church. We prepared all the fixings, shleped it up to the Members Activity Center, set everything up and had a wonderful lunch with our old relatives. But again, we had fun so it was all worth it and we had leftovers for dinner.
Monday – Today is the day I have not been dreading. Rosie and Fred left for New Port Richey, Florida in the morning. Carl and I will be seeing them soon on our travels and then I took Maggie to the Pensacola Airport, first checking the weather in Dallas. We planned on finding the fun part of Pensacola, and we sort of did. We found the Dollar Tree and Maggie was able to pick up some crap she had been looking for. We had lunch at the Beef ‘O’Brady, the same place we ate with Carl but different city. We were afraid to get far from the main road.
And Carl is sick. I think it’s the flu or a cold, and that makes me sad. I did the laundry after I got home. The pet’s bedding needed cleaning.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, Ochlockonee River State Park, Sopchoppy, Florida
This morning I readied us for our departure from DeFuniak Springs; I dumped the RV, unhooked all the hookups, attached the Saturn and drove for most of the trip. It was a good drive, dry, flat, straight. We stopped for lunch at a small town called Apalachicola and shared a oyster po’boy, now a family favorite. We also picked up some local shrimp to cook for dinner.
We arrived at the state park, losing an hour, but still light and took Hattie for a walk. It’s a nice park, lots of trees & sandy beaches along the river. We’re looking forward to staying at other Florida state campgrounds.
Wednesday, Feb 3, 2010 Winter Quarters, Lutz, Florida
Carl is feeling pretty good now, still has a cough. We headed to our next stop close to Rosie and Fred. I’m hoping to be able to cancel some of our stay and move closer to their park, we’ll see.
We arrived at the park, found our spot and headed to Rosie and Fred’s park. We decided to go out to dinner, me and Rosie following Fred and Carl and poof! We lost them at the first turn. After driving around the greater New Port Richey area, we finally found the restaurant, Bonefish. Fred and Carl were no longer there, since we never showed. Rosie called Fred at their RV, yelled at him and they drove back to the restaurant and joined us.
Thursday – Fred had to work so we picked up Rosie and headed to the Sponge Docks at Tarpon Springs. It’s a fun area, made famous by Greek sponge fishermen, now has lots of shops selling natural sponges. I bought one as an object de art. We grabbed a couple of yuros for lunch and went on a cruise to view the birds and dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. We saw so many birds, including the long billed curlew, pelicans, cormorants, herons, egrets, big and small. And we saw dolphins dancing in the water. Rosie was the official co-captain and I was beaming with pride.
We had dinner at our RV and took Hattie for a walk around the park.
Friday – This morning Carl and I adjusted our reservations for the rest of the month. We had a blank spot – this might be our Walmart time.
We went to TECO (Tampa Electric Co.) Manatee Viewing area, adjacent to the Big Bend Power Plant. We were able to see the manatee’s swimming and playing in the warm water the plant releases. There were stingrays jumping out of the water and sharks spinning out of the water. Fun. It rained like crazy. We stopped for a burger for lunch. Fred came to our RV after work and then we all went to dinner at an Italian place across the street from our park.
Saturday – Today is our last day with Rosie. She has to go back to Minnesota on Sunday morning.
We drove to Rosie & Fred’s for breakfast then headed to some of Fred’s favorite haunts in the area. Our first stop was the FMCA rally. It was so windy there, I was afraid the tent would fall on my head. Then we went to a big flea market. There were also fruit and vegetable stands, so we picked up a few items. We stopped at Cody’s for lunch/dinner then dropped Rosie and Fred off at their rig with plans for them to come over later on.
We had little brownies that I made and strawberries for our evening dessert. I was sad for Rosie to leave, but we still have Fred for another day.
Super Bowl Sunday – Fred picked us up in the morning and we headed to Parkesdale Farm in Plant City, Florida’s strawberry capital. We had strawberry shortcake and strawberry milkshake, shared. It was a big fruit stand so we also picked up some fruit. Our next stop was Lazy Days RV; part campground, parts, service and RV sales. We looked through many RV’s and I’m so happy to say, I didn’t see anything I like better than mine. We headed to the Crab Shack in Tampa for dinner. When we got there, the chef was leaving, saying it was closed for football. Holidays! We went back to our RV and had smoked salmon for dinner. I was sad for Fred to leave, but tomorrow we’ll see Dee and Anthony!
Monday, February 8, 2009 Dee & Anthony’s Place, Manatee River State Park, Bradenton, Florida
We arrived at another beautiful Florida State Park. The spaces were secluded from one another and white sand surrounded the area, but enough of that. I couldn’t wait to see Dee, Anthony and John, aka Grampy, Dee’s father. We took Hattie because they are dog friendly people and Hattie could play with their puppy Honey. We arrived in the early afternoon. Their home is beautiful, finely decorated as only Dee could do. We got right back into the swing of the good old days – chatting non-stop. The dogs got along well and simply ignored each other. This time Hattie was the alpha, but in a good way.
Dee prepared a delicious dinner of pork roast, salad and potatoes. We continued our chat for a while then headed back to our park.
Tuesday – Today Dee and Anthony, with Honey in tow, took us to Myakka River State Park to see the River Canopy and go on the river boat tour. This time we did see alligators, lots of alligators, big ones and small ones. We stopped at Bob Evans for pie and coffee then went back to Dee’s. Carl and I went back to our RV to pee and poo Hattie. We all went to one of the family favorites, an Amish buffet. It had a gift shop and I couldn’t believe it. Everything was made in China or India or Fairfield, California. My image of the Amish was tarnished, but hey, the food was good.
Wednesday – We checked out of the State Park and checked into the Tara Preserve Campground commonly known as Dee’s yard. She warned all of her neighbors so we wouldn’t get towed and she wouldn’t get thrown in jail. This was actually one of our better spots, dinner included, but no hook ups.
Dee, Anthony and us toured the greater Bradenton area, hitting the hot spots of Bradenton Beach, Siesta Keys, Anna Maria, all in the greater Tampa Bay Area. We stopped for lunch at the Siesta Keys Oyster Bar. We all had a bowl of clam chowder and Carl and I also had some
oysters. The clam chowder was the best I’ve ever had, that we’ve ever had!
Thursday – Today was check out day. Hattie is so used to being at Dee’s house and gets excited when I say “Let’s go see Honey!” Dee made us a wonderful breakfast and I was sad to go. Now we’re heading to the Keys, accommodations unknown. Yikes.
