“HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN..” ~The Eurythmics

  Well, our weather started going downhill Thursday, about 3PM, and continues it’s pond sucking slide yet today, sucking the warmth right out of middle Texas, interspersed with almost constant rain….Thursday AM was very balmy, humid and warm.  We got our laundry done, then the groceries.  After unloading both into the Hiker (I HATE putting groceries away), I threw lunch at Dennis…Lunch for him was a can of King Oscar sardines and some saltines.  This may not sound like a good lunch to some, including me, but to McGyver it is “smelly fish” Heaven.  Den has always loved sardines.   Back in the day when we had Dirty Harry , the evil Siamese cat that ran our home for 8years, Dennis would always let Harry lick out the sardine can before I zip locked it into 3-4 bags and threw it in the garbage…At any rate, Thursday it was soooo warm and humid, we sat outside under the awning doing puzzles until about 2:30PM.  A cool front was predicted to go through later,(front?..more like a brick wall), and I was actually looking forward to it.

So about 2:45PM, I decided it was time for my shower and nightly transformation into Maxine…complete with attitude and apparel.  I noticed it getting quite dark and stormy looking across the lake, but McGyver told  me it was just some rain coming in..to go ahead and get in the shower.  See how I conveniently blame McGyver for this? .   About 10 minutes later, just as I was into the first verse of my song,  hair soaped up, hitting my high notes…I noticed some slight rocking…then banging,  our door slamming, some profanity, commotion coming from under my feet…more slamming and cursing and door slamming.  Holy Schlamoly, the wind was rocking our Hiker like crazy…Pullllllease God, do NOT let me end up 5 campsites down, lying el nudo in a puddle with nothing but my “smartass” to show for it!! 

About then, McGyver came stomping into the bedroom, announcing that we ALMOST lost the awning , and the wind was like a gale outside…That storm came up so fast, and Den was trying to close windows, roll up the awning, pick up lawn chairs and stow things below…all by his lonesome …Plus, the temperature had dropped about 30 degrees.  I noticed this when I stepped out of the shower and froze in place….Thus was the beginning of high winds all night long, thunder and lightening, followed Friday by more of the same…followed today by..(you guessed it ), more of the same without the big winds..

Above are the last photos we took outside…Wednesday…

Was this Cardinal mooning me …or giving flipping me “the bird”??

So, yesterday, Dennis and I sat around inside, doing computer work, reading, doing puzzles….I even watched some golf with Dennis.  They were golfing in Miami at the Doral..in the sunshine…and the warmth…and Tiger was playing.  Normally, I don’t pay much attention to golf on TV.  I have tried hitting some golf balls, but never succeeded in actually hitting any. (  I really should consider this when gardening.. I could just trying to hit some golf balls where we want to plant our veggie garden back home…It could be faster than roto-tilling..)  Anyway, the golf game became very entertaining when one of the golfers ended up in the water…literally..

Good thing this guy has “lots of balls”…(did I just say that?)

So, here we sit today…

Feels like we are in the movie “Groundhog Day”…I guess I need to realize how lucky we are to have the Hiker.  There are people who pulled in here Thursday night, and many are families in Pop-ups.. They set up in the rain and the terrible winds, sat all day yesterday in the rain and winds, sat all day today in the rain…and on, and on, and on…Keeping kids busy in a little camper for 2 consecutive days would have my head spinning and me spewing green vomit…Those parents need a standing ovation, and I will give them one ..if, and when they finally come out of hiding.

Monday is suppose to be sunny and 80 degrees here.  That figures, as we will be leaving for Jefferson, TX, one of our favorite spots.  We have been there before,…but…THIS time, I come armed with a book called “Ghosts of East Texas and The Piney Woods”, by Mitchel Whitington…Thanks to my Ya Ya , Mary who picked it up at a book signing by the author (yes, it is signed)…I plan to visit one of the places in Jefferson we haven’t been to yet..the Jefferson Cemetery…. to research “Diamond Bessie”…more about her later…(How is that for a tease???)

We will be incommunicado Sunday night until Monday night…or…we will be floating up I-35, paddling out the window of the GMC..All you kids in the truck may want to grab life vests or rubber rafts…and practice the song “Singing In The Rain”….This goes for our new followers, Eldon and Jeannie.  These two each have their own blogs, which makes for double the fun…They are full-timers, engaged, zipping along in their Tiffin motorhome to new adventures…OK, all of you in the truck, when McGyver says “SHIFT” (NO,  KENNY, I SAID “S-H-I-F-T”!!), EVERYONE MOVE OVER!!  

“We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up.”  ~Phyllis Diller

Who IS/WAS Del Webb, Anyway??"

Yesterday, McGyver and I drove through Del Webb’s Sun City Texas, which is just about 5 miles from here.  What this amounts to is lots of homes, big, small, fancy, some more austere,…and some areas are like little cookie cutter homes, all looking just about the same..AND, obviously most of us “older adults” like golf…I’m not sure how many  courses there were, but Sun City is called a “golf cart” community….





…and you had better keep an eye peeled because they have the “right of way”, even on the roads ….Literally EVERYONE has one of these little buggies…Boy, it sure would be nice to jump in and drive down Center Street to the local pub back home in Sandwich.I  have a feeling I would get stopped by one of Sandwich’s “finest”, and end up in the Sandwich Hoosgow!!



I’m not sure if they had one continuous huge golf course, or one for every neighborhood..but, as I said, golf is the big attraction here…not for me, but McGyver does swing a club now and again…(even though he swings like a Gorilla). These houses all had very nice well manicured lawns.  I ‘m not sure if that is a perk, or you take care of your own yard…At any rate, the Cave Dwellers would be black listed the first time they lit a fire in a fire pit and turned up “Honkin’ On Bobo” on I-Tunes…not to mention my ensembles!..Could you just imagine the first time a next door neighbor caught a glimpse of me on a quiet prim and proper Texas evening??…Moi….in my Tweety happy pants and Mickey Mouse beverage mug???  “YOU TWO ARE OUTTA HERE!!”
OK…WHO is or was Del Webb, anyway??   “He was a real person and he is no longer with us.  Webb was born in Fresno, CA, the son of Ernest G Webb, a fruit farmer, and Henrietta S Webb. Webb dropped out of high school to become a carpenter's apprentice. In 1919 or 1920, Webb married Hazel Lenora Church, a graduate nurse. In 1920, Webb was a ship fitter.  At the age of 28, he suffered typhoid fever, and as a result moved to Phoenix, AZ to recover.
In 1928, Webb began his namesake company which was a construction contractor. He received many military contracts during WWII, including the construction of the Poston Relocation Center near Parker, AZ. Poston interned over 17,000 Japanese-Americans and at the time was the third largest “city” in Arizona. Webb was associated with Howard Hughes and played golf with Hughes, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope,  and Barry Goldwater.
A lifelong baseball fan, in 1945 Webb and partners Dan Topping and Larry MacPhail purchased the New York Yankees for US$2.8 million. After buying out MacPhail in October 1947, Webb and Topping remained owners of the Yankees until selling the club to CBS in 1964.
In 1948 Webb was contracted to build 600 houses and a shopping center called Pueblo Gardens in Tucson, Arizona. This was a prelude to Sun City, Arizona, which was launched January 1, 1960, with five home models, a shopping center, recreation center and golf course. The opening weekend drew 100,000 people, ten times more than expected, and resulted in a Time magazine cover story.
Webb also developed a chain of motor hotels under the “Hiway House” name, 'formal' hotels called "Del Webb's Towne House", and built the Las Vegas Flamingo hotel for Bugsy Siegel.   He later owned his own casinos, the Sahara and The Mint in Las Vegas, and the Sahara Tahoe at Stateline, NV.Webb was elected to the Gaming Hall of Fame in 2000. The Del Webb Middle School, named in his honor, opened in Henderson, Nevada in 2005.
Webb died at age 75 in Rochester, Minnesota, following surgery for lung cancer, less than two months after Topping’s death.”…NOTICE HOW I SNUCK IN A HISTORY LESSON ON Y’ALL?? ….I’M A BIG SNEAK..GET OVER IT!!
I took a walk through the Cedar trees looking for rocks yesterday afternoon.  Of course, I also hung my camera around my neck.


I need to figure just how many rocks I can stash away in the Hiker without compromising the fuel mileage!
I have always had a desire to have a couple gargoyles to place in the front of our home….Don’t ask me why, I just like them…I think it was just after watching the movie “Ghostbusters” that I got this urge..Well, here in Cedar Breaks, we have our own “dark” messengers looming near…


He sits on the big rock on the cliff behind our Hiker…watching us, and trying to intimidate us with his “wing action”….Dude, you got a face only a mother Vulture could love, seriously…
…and just WHO was he bowing to anyway??  The DARK powers that be????  Maybe I don’t want to know…
Well, that does it for Wednesday’s vaguely textbook-like blog…I took you through Sun City, (sneaking in some history),  on a walk hunting rocks, and the grand finale was Darth Vader dressed up like a Turkey Buzzard Black Vulture (thanks Judy)..Yep, this blog segued so fast it could snap your neck..

"Old age is an excellent time for outrage. My goal is to say or do at least one outrageous thing every week."
--Maggie Kuhn

Historic Georgetown, TX..and feeder to The Chisolm Trail.

OK….I’m giving those of you who HATE history the “heads up”…The first part of this blog is just that..You can either speed read through it,  or quickly scroll to the end…Sorry, but it’s who I am..a History Freak!

“In the early years, Georgetown depended on agriculture for their economy.  After the Civil War, reconstruction brought prosperity to Georgetown through cattle, cotton, the railroad and the university (Southwestern University).  Because it was along the feeder route that most cattle drives used, the cattle industry was big business. There were hundreds of feeder trails heading North and one of the main cattle trails ran right through what is now the Courthouse lawn. The pioneer cattlemen drove their cattle North through Texas and would strike the Chisholm Trail at Red River Station, right at the mouth of Salt Creek in Montague Co. into the Indian Territory.”

 

“The railroad arrived in 1878, being financed by many of the town’s leading citizens.  This had a profound impact on Georgetown’s growth. Related industries, such as an oil mill and cotton gin followed.  This new prosperity motivated residents to forsake their log or frame dwellings for more substantial stylish shops and homes.  It was this surge of building and planning, with Victorian storefronts which characterized the pride and elegance of the early settlers and is still evident today in the downtown.  Georgetown was designated a Texas Main Street City in 1982, and a plan to completely restore the business district evolved..Today, the Georgetown downtown historic area is one of the finest collections of stylish Victorian commercial architecture in the State of Texas”.

I love this old fire escape with it’s ornate metal work, made by the Roger’s Fence Company….There are some neat metal sculptures…

 

 

OK….a metal sculpted Scorpion is going a bit far, but it a nice piece of metal workmanship…eh?? I guess you had to be there….

 

 

 

After our great stroll around Courthouse Square, we drove to the local VFW Hall for an adult beverage…We had been here before 3 years ago.  I must explain that McGyver and I seek out either Moose Lodges (of which we are members),  American Legions or VFW’s to enjoy a cocktail with the local people..Not all of the VFW’s or Legions allow non-members, so I always send McGyver in first to ask the “powers that be” if they let the public in..Me?..I sit in the truck, just in case they throw him out…I’m the “get away driver”…Very rarely do we find that we cannot go in.

Why do we search out these places?, you ask…Well, I guess we could go into any “joint”..and have a cocktail..But we find the VFW’s and Legions are very friendly places, having lots great characters, with many great stories to tell.

OK, DENNIS…JUMP OUT AND CHECK THIS PLACE..I’LL KEEP THE TRUCK RUNNING..

Where else can you enjoy a beverage of your choice and be surrounded by so many “heroes”??…and we were again fortunate to meet a great gentleman…He and Dennis struck up a conversation…

This gentleman is a 93 year old WWII Vet who served in the Army Air Corps..(before the US had what we now call The US Air Force, where Den spent 4 years.)..Now, I have no idea what was said, but they talked a while…and Dennis isn’t sure he got this Vet’s name…He probably told Dennis his name, but “hearing well”, especially in a place with back ground noise, is NOT one of  my dear McGyver’s strong points…Sometimes I am better off sitting between Den and whomever he is conversing with , so I can relay to Dennis what is being said…But..then again, this lovely old gentleman “hero” was also somewhat hearing impaired…and so it goes, eh?

After our great time at the VFW, (where everyone was more than friendly to 2 Winter Texans from Illinois), McGyver and I decided to swing by the KFC and pick up an 8  piece bucket for dinner.  Pay attention ..this blew my brain….I walked up to the counter, scanning the prices.  I noticed one bucket of chicken without any sides was $12.99..(a little high, but we were wanting to challenge our simvastatin)…So, I told the nice young man that’s what I wanted, but I wanted all dark meat..I KNOW, I KNOW…WHITE MEAT IS BETTER FOR YOU..BUT WE DON’T LIKE IT, SO THERE!..Anyway, he rang me up before getting the chicken, telling me the total would be $14.00 and change.  Man, I could NOT help myself, looking at him and saying, “REALLY? THAT MUCH.?”..Of course I had to add “Well I guess that is with tax, but it sure seems like a lot for 8 pieces of chicken”.  (Yep, I do have trouble holding my tongue)….So…. this kid says ,“Wait, just a minute..let me see what I can do..”…and he then did a magic trick with the numbers on the register that had me in disbelief… “OK, I found a better deal..all dark meat, right?.(I’m nodding and smiling now)… “That will be $6.45”…HOLY SCHLAMOLY…WHAT JUST HAPPENED HERE??? He proceeded to serve me up an 8 piece all dark meat bucket of chicken (extra crispy) “to go”…and believe me…I WENT!!!  I almost RAN out of there shaking my head …How that tab went from $14 to $6 in a matter of seconds will top my list of “steal a deal”…AND I WON!!!!

Today is sunny and warm…rain coming in with cooler weather tomorrow, and staying a few days to darken our moods…McGyver and I are thinking of doing a drive through Sun City here in Georgetown.  It’s just up the road from our park…Mind you, Den and I aren’t old people..we just want to see how the old people live!!

“Come gather ‘round me boys, and I’ll tell you a tale,

All about my troubles on the old Chisholm Trail.”

                                                                              ~lyrics from “The Old Chisholm Trail”

Sunny, Lazy Daze Here At Lake Georgetown…

These past few days have been carbon copies…Peeking out the bedroom window, we see a few clouds over the lake, turning to sunshine by 9AM…McGyver and I are becoming lazy butts, not prying our old bodies from bed until about 7:30AM…Back home we are almost always awake by 6AM and out of bed shortly after…Of course, that is probably because of the 2 huge double windows with no shades in our upstairs bedroom, and the continuous sounds of Burlington Northern blasting through our backyard.  It is slowly beginnning to occur to me just how much I enjoy these quiet camping mornings.. and how much I dread the “parade” of train horns back home…I shall be transformed from “Holly Golightly” to “The Exorcist” in a few weeks. I really need to try an attitude adjustment, but it’s hard to do when you can’t hear your TV, or talk on the telephone..Heck, I can’t even hear myself THINK!…oh well.
Like I said, the weather has been 70’s and sunny.  I have been sunning myself daily, contributing to the reason my skin looks  like a worn saddle…But I sure do love the sunshine!!  McGyver has been lighting a campfire every evening, and we have been listening to our repertoire of I-tunes through our surround sound.  (Making sure we don’t scare our neighbors with Aerosmith, The Stones, Uncle Cracker, Van Morrison and Meatloaf…!!

I have my bird feeders hung up and am getting a few Sparrows, a Titmouse or two, and some Chickadees.  I have heard some Wrens (you can’t miss their songs), and also Mockingbirds, who copy every noise including barking dogs..They need to get their OWN act and take it on the road…




We have been walking (sometimes I ride my bike instead) the roads and one of them takes us down by the dam.  This lake is down at least 15 ft. from the drought this year…I’m really glad to have my bike…but even on my trusty old lady bike, this terrain is lots of uphill and very few downhills…Makes for great cardio, but pumping up the hills is a little rough on the bad feet!



I love the twisty Cedar trees here, all knarly…The campground across the lake is vacant for some reason, but ours is filling up fast this weekend.  Tomorrow we are going into Historical Old Georgetown and do some sightseeing.  The “tour” will be followed by a stop at the local VFW to see if they will let us in for a beer and wine….They did 3 years ago when we were here last…But, if the local authorities give them “heads up to my law breaking activities this winter here in Texas.  If that word has gotten out,  we could be turned away at the door.!

You can see how far the lake is down behind those fisherman…The right hand photo is looking North down the cliff side from our camper…

The photo at right was taken from approximately the same place I took the header photo…except in the daylight….What a sunset we had that evening!! I want you to know that I used NO Picasa enhancements for that sunset photo…
I actually took a total of 5 photos of that sunset, and as it turns out, the very first photo I took was the best…but there really wasn’t a bad one in the bunch…Dumb luck!!

OK, so this has been a rather “dry” blog…Den and I have pretty much been vegging out here in the sunshine…Tomorrow we are going to be busy and I will be channeling history from the Georgetown Square and County Courthouse…. Get your pens and paper ready so you can take notes on the history lesson, and please try to limit the potty stops to ONE!!…Also…please refrain from yawning, burp noises, rude comments and fart sounds…THOSE OF YOU WHO THINK THAT’S FUNNY, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE…AND SO DO I!!…THERE COULD BE A QUIZ!!!!

"It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream."

                                             ~ Bern Williams