Rain,Rain, Go Away....

Well, it has been raining for 2 days, on and off. This is exactly what they DON'T need down here. We leave here Wednesday and have to call ahead to make sure campgrounds are open...according to our friend, Catfish Jones, a whole bunch are closed due to flooding...

I took a couple photos Friday when the weather was great. I got one of the dogwood and Den took one of the wisteria..that would be a weed amongst the wisteria.







We found out that these Arkansas natives have all the answers...When they camp they throw a rope up and over a tall tree branch, then put a flood light in a bucket and pull it up...I call it their bucket light and almost everyone has one..Some even hang out their laundry..hmmm...we DON"T do that!!
One last picture ..of Dennis cooking our baby back ribs on his homemade tripod over our open fire....We have made some of the best BBQ ribs on the planet!!!!I will blog from a new spot..wherever it may be...after Wednesday!

We Are Evacuated and Moved!

Yesterday a Park Ranger knocked on our camper door and told us they were evacuating our campground, Loop A. We weren't surprised..we had been watching the water rise every day and were glad to oblige. We move up into a tree area of Campground Loop B. Today we took a ride on our bikes and took a few photos.

Here is the loop road..now under water..













This is the campsite that is right next to ours...










They also closed the main road into the park...the bridge was almost under water...This presents a small problem...the only other way we know out of the park has a very steep railroad crossing, not one we would want to try to take our camper over...We have until next Wednesday to figure this out.



This picture is of the little walkway to the swim dock.










The pine trees are in full bloom and Dennis is having quite a problem being outside in the wind and the tree pollen...If enlarge this next photo, you can see the greenish stuff flying thru the air!!













This WAS our path we walked through the woods!!















We are all settled into our new spot amongst the trees....and love it!!

Easter With Old Friends

Well, I hope everyone had a great Easter...We had a visit from some old friends who live in Dallas, Bob and Donna Kendrick...(and their dog, Sadie). Bob was the Best Man at our wedding almost 39 years ago and a best friend of Dennis in his "wilder" years...before he met me! They worked together at Caterpillar for a while until Bob moved to Dallas to work for Bell Helicopter, which he and his wife just retired from.

Dennis and Bob use to trade their cars,(Bob had a 67'Camaro and Den had a 67'Chevelle). Of course they were all decked out with hot mufflers, etc. They use to trade cars and drag race each other...(and you thought Dennis was a mild mannered quiet guy!!).

At any rate, they arrived Easter Sunday from Dallas to see us about noon. They came bringing supper..crockpot Sante Fe Stew and cornbread!! We sat outside around our fire and had some beer and Margaritas. I had made some pizza dip, and cut up some cheese and sausage. It was about 62 degrees and sunny..perfect. We had a great visit and it sure was nice of them to travel the 3 hours to visit "lil 'ol us".
Bob and Donna left about 6:30PM and went to spend the night at a La Quinta just up the interstate. They headed home this morning...a "flying trip"!!!! We hope to see them again next winter.
When Den and I got up this morning the lake had risen quite a bit..It is now precariously close to our satellite dish...see the photo!! We are keeping an eye on it!!




Today we got some groceries and did our laundry...about as exciting as it gets for us old farts...but we love this life and it sure keeps our BP down!! Later!!

STORMY DAY IN TEXAS!

Well, we drove from Georgetown to Texarkana yesterday ,about a 6 hour drive..The night before we left we had some pretty bad storms in Georgetown, but not as bad as North of us. We did get a lot of wind and tons of rain. On the drive yesterday there were some big Interstate signs blown over near Dallas on I-35 and a lot of roads flooded and closed..but the interstate was open. Now today I hear of more flooding up in Southeastern Arkansas and also Missouri..
We pulled in here yesterday and this lake, Wright Patman, is as high as we have seen it...I took some photos by our camper.

We arrived yesterday about 2PM and it is a good thing we have reservations...this place is PACKED! There are very few "Winter Texans" here...mostly it is locals and their kids, dogs, grills, smokers, shelters, campers, boats, etc., etc... Easter is a big deal down here for families who have a camper (and most here do!)












The ducks are confused. They are paddling around the trees and walking up into the grass by our camper feeding. Dennis says they are called "Coots"..the old saying "takes one to know one" comes to mind....I ,also being one, should also have known their name..
We got an email from Bob and Donna Kendrick. They are coming from Dallas to see us on Easter Sunday, so I hope the weather cooperates. One good thing, if it rains, we have a great RV to entertain in....just use the remote and we have a fire in the fireplace.
Den is outside doing Sudoku..I DO NOT do that stuff! Den says it is a game of logic which explains why I hate it.I pride myself on being ANYTHING but logical!! I will blog more when something exciting happens...or maybe I will just ramble on and on about nothing, which is basically what I usually do!!!

An Exhausting Day For 'OL DEN!!

This is just a short blog entry to show what Den did today...He made another spinner!! The first one he had just made last week was a 2 tiered and really neat..


But today he outdid himself and made a 2way spinner with 3 cans...and yes, that is a bottle of water used to weight each one....



It was 90 degrees today and after such a tiring morning, this is what I spotted when I peered out from the rear window of our camper...and I just couldn't resist..By the way, he is relining in MY chair!!! As of this moment he has no clue I took this photo....I JUST LOVE SURPRISES!!!!

Lake Georgetown..Great Weather/Great View

Hello from Lake Georgetown, TX...We arrived here yesterday (Wed.) about 11:30AM and found a great spot high on a bluff overlooking the lake..I thought it felt familiar and after checking my log I found we were in the exact same spot last year. A little "old timer's disease" kicking in. Now I know why we liked this spot!

We overlook the lake, sitting high on one of the bluffs which has limestone cliffs. Right across the lake from our campground is another Army Corps campground. It is lucky we had made reservations...they tell us they are booked up this weekend.
I took a few photos to show how nice it is here.


This one is a view from our back window.


I was glad to be back in the trees,(some might say I've had my head in the trees for years), so I had Den help me hang a million bird feeders. It took the birds about 24 hours to find the feeders....and one black squirrel about 5 minutes!!

This is an integrated campground with black and red squirrels..I haven't see a black squirrel since we were up in Niagra Falls. I do know there are some armadillos here in the park too. They are sooo cute. They look like little armored cars with tails and no guns.
We love this area because you can gather firewood and it is mostly Cedar..The smell of a Cedar fire in the evening is heaven. I told Dennis to save some to carry home to our fire pit on our deck and burn our crappy Illinois wood here.
Today was cloudy and humid and we needed a few items so I suggested driving about 5 miles into Georgetown to do some "shopping". Dennis grimaced visually, but he figured if he went along he could monitor my spending..NOT! We had a gift card from Target that we got from our kids for our anniversary we wanted to use and I also had a gift card for Kohl's and needed new walking shoes. I have worn 3 blisters on my feet wearing my old ones..there is almost no sole left. We walk 2 miles every day but Sunday..This isn't so much to be healthy, but so we can justify our evening cocktails and late night meals.
We used part of the Target card to replace some rope lights we use for night lighting around the camper. I also got a mini food processor to use in the camper.
I drug Dennis through Hobby Lobby,(he was a Hobby Lobby virgin), Tractor Supply, WalMart, HEB, Kohl's,Pier I(another virginal voyage for Den), and Target. He is plumb wore out. Men just can't do it. I told him it takes years of practice!

Well, right now it is about 3PM and the sun is coming out. Tomorrow it is suppose to be 90 degrees here and sunny. We haven't run our air yet, but it could happen tomorrow if there isn't a breeze..mind you..I am NOT complaining about hot weather!!
We will be here one week then off to Texarkana, which is in the Northeast corner of Texas and further North...I start getting crabby when the camper turns North..but, we won't venture into Illinois until we are sure it is spring!! More later...

A Few Texas Tidbits

Well, it has been a couple windy and cool days down here, but I will not complain after watching the weather channel and the waves of snow up North. Friday we drove about 5 miles to the town of Fischer to pick up our mail. A good friend,Barb Otto, has graciously accepted the task of picking up our mail from the Sandwich Post Office and sending it General Delivery to us when we light somewhere for a couple weeks. I must say that she probably has had her hand slapped a few times by the postal people and she deserves hazardous duty pay!!
The town of Fisher is population about 20 and I took a photo of the post office, such as it is called. I never actually SAW the delivery donkeys pull up, but I suspect they were out back eating hay.
After we left Fischer, we drove into the town of Sattler, where we do our laundry. We were not there for laundry, however, but to check the local Ace Hardware to see what they had for wire for Dennis's little project of windspinners...I mentioned them in our last blog. We now have sharp edged cut up beer and pop cans of assorted colors and sizes jammed in every cubby hole in this rig. To finalize his projects we now need to find some galvanized steel wire..OK..the kind they use for electric fences. So we are on a mission now. Den checked out the hardware store and yes, they had some, but he thought them too expensive. Hmmmm...He knows they have it at the Tractor Supply store in New Braunfels and we go into New Braunfels for groceries tomorrow, so I see another possible stop in our future.

To make sure our trip to Sattler wasn't a complete waste of time, we had to stop at the local VFW for a cocktail.(See photo) We have been here before and it is a great little place full of local people..The only problem I have with it is that you have to slice through the smoke to find the bar. They only serve beer and wine, but you can bring in your liquor of choice and they give you set ups...I, for one, am content with a glass of wine, and of course Dennis doesn't know a beer he doesn't like.
We struck up a conversation with a man and his wife seated next to us who lived on what they call the "River Road", which follows the Guadalupe River to New Braunfels. He was a "good ol boy" who had retired from the local Fire Dept. after 30 years. He also mentioned that he owned an old firetruck and about 10 other vehicles in various stages of repair. Oh, yes, I think we have driven by his house on River Road..the one looking similar to Yingling's on Rt. 34 at home..but, he was great fun to talk to and we always seem to meet characters. He probably left thinking HE had met some real characters...which he had!!


I had to take a picture or two of this pop up camper parked next to us...What an ingenious invention...A Pop Up Camper with a built in porch!! I'm sure the guy jury rigged this "little piece of heaven" himself, and I , for one, was jealous!! He should make em and sell em...ONLY IN TEXAS!!

We leave for Georgetown on Wednesday and I will blog more from there, unless I find more "fodder for my folly" and can't resist sharing it...Later...The Campin Caves

Wind, Sun and Cub Scouts...Quite A Week!!

Well, we have been here one week today..Mostly our weather has been really nice. We have had some wind, which is normal when sitting right on a lakefront. Mostly it has been pretty sunny. I have been adding to my wrinkles every chance I get..at my age ,(soon to be 60), no amount of Regenerist cream is gonna help...maybe leather cleaner. I LOVE the sun and I make no excuses!
Last weekend we were invaded by the Cub Scouts from Austin. There were about 18 tents in various spots around us, with little rugrats everywhere...eating hot dogs, poking sticks in fires, fishing, and, in general, being little boys and causing me to miss my own two grandsons.
I had to laugh ...At one point, in the shelter right next to our camper, a scoutmaster,(complete with khaki shorts and scout shirt with badges), was instructing the little darlings in "safe" pocket knife etiquette..They all had their knives in their hands,( a frightening scene reminiscent of the movie "Chucky"), and I was ready any minute to see some blood. They all had to repeat in unison "I will never under any circumstances THROW my pocket knife"..Oh God, I hope NOT!! "I will not RUN with my knife in my hand"..OK.."I will always make sure the blade is folded down when I pocket it"..DUH! After the class was over and they were dismissed by the scoutmaster they took off running in every direction, and I wondered how many needed first aid when they got to their respective tents.

We have had some pretty sunsets over here this weekend, when the time changes,we will probably actually be witnessing the SUNRISE because it will then do so at 8AM.
We have run into a few of the same people from time to time, and yet another couple we had run into last year and this year at Falcon Lake was here. Dennis socialized a bit with them while I was doing a rub on our ribs for dinner. They are from Wisconsin, but we forgive them. They travel with 2 dogs in a fifth wheel similar to ours...really nice people.
..
Dennis is dumping our tanks today. Instead of connecting to our truck and hauling the camper to the dump station, he is enlisting the help of what they call the "honey wagon", which sure DOESN'T haul honey!! This involves dumping our tanks into it, being careful not to overflow, and driving it behind the GMC to the dump station I have helped him, but the "being careful not to overflow" really bothers me...something I don't want to be witness to, so I opt to stay inside until he is done...I make pretend I am vacuuming..he doesn't suspect.



After Dennis did the dumping...did I just say that?...it was lunchtime and then sun time. I plopped my body in my chair and Dennis watched a little stockmarket on CNBC...I had been after him to check his bloodpressure lately..( he use to run very high,but not lately) and I saw him sitting at our table doing just as I had suggested. I really did not suggest he TAKE it while watching the stockmarket report...what the heck was he thinking?? As it turned out, to my surprise, it was 120 over 64..the man must be comatose.
I forgot to mention that we are parked next door to a gentleman and his wife that were here in January. They are from Minnesots and easy to remember because they travel in a little Casita and he makes wind spinners out of pop and beer cans..He hangs them all around their camper and picnic shelter..kind of reminds me of the craft show at the fairgrounds. Our friends, Wayne and Ronae, have one spinning around their picnic table at their campsite..I think he sells them, but I never asked.
This soon became an obsession with Dennis, who was determined to figure out how the guy made them..but without asking. That would be too easy. Imagine Dennis's chagrin when he saw them packing up and moving this morning! Not to be deterred, he took off on his bike this afternoon and went to find out how they were made by scoping out Wayne's. He was gone for about 1 hour and came back smiling, asking for scissors, tape and paper..Oops..one problem..we threw all of our pop/beer cans in the dumpster this AM with our garbage. Pretty soon I spotted Dennis headed toward the dumpster with a long wire we use to pull out our awning..OH NO...He ISN"T!!! Yep, Dennis is going dumpster diving for our garbage. Sure enough, he came back with our bag, dug out the beer cans and grinned like a true homeless person.
Very shortly, after borrowing my eye pencil (which I haven't used since we left home..make up doesn't happen for me when camping), he had made a template and was cutting beer cans with scissors. I think the scout class on knives may have been a good one for Den to sit in on. At any rate, as I speak, he is sitting in his little chair like a patient in a mental institution, busily working on his beer can wind spinner..And here is a portion of it
..Hey...maybe I should book him a booth at the craft show...it could help pay for diesel fuel!!
Well, time for a shower and a cocktail. Tomorrow is suppose to turn rainy and cold, so I have planned a crockpot sausage stew and a movie by the fire...Even rainy days can't ruin our good time camping...Oh, did I say camping?..This is RVing..soooo much different...More later.