Yes, we made it home late Wednesday night. My estimated arrival time from my last post was only about an hour off.... And yes, it was a very long day.
We had a great time on our TGA. And yes, we will do it again. We have a nephew graduating from college in May at A&M Galveston, so that will be a great adventure. And then we have a niece graduating next December at A&M Galveston, so we'll get to spend another Christmas in southern Texas (hopefully we'll have golfing weather next winter in Texas). And our RVing friends are already talking to us about spending the 4th of July week at Tablerock Lake. We will have plenty of opportunities to hone our trailer living skills.
But for now, it is good to be "home sweet home"!
We are settling in and getting back to our routines. It took me most of yesterday just to get everything unpacked and back in its usual location. And the laundry! Egad, who'd have thought that so much could stack up! As you know, we visited the RV park laundry facilities a couple of times on the trip, but there is still a couple of days worth of washing. Ugh.
The girls are also happy to be home. Although, it is kinda hard to tell with creatures that sleep 22 hours a day. Gabi loves to run when she is excited or playing so now she has the space to do it.
And we will have another adventure coming up at the end of January. We are starting a major remodel project on the house, so I'm sure that I'll have lots of things to say. And will hopefully keep you laughing just a little during the gray days of winter.
Cheers!
Dr J
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
The Loooong Drive
We are rapidly approaching the end of our grand adventure. We spend part of yesterday and early this morning packing up and cramming stuff back into the truck. None of us bought a whole lot down here, but it seems like our stuff has seriously multiplied in the past three weeks! Despite the volume, Max was magically able to get everything in either the roof bag or the way back.... While still keeping a small spot open for Mom. Grin.
We buttoned up and hooked up the trailer one more time. No swear words. Dang, we must be on our way to being pros at this.
We drove back the Boerne (pronounced Bernie) to drop it off. No dents, no dings, no accidents. Yay, we get our deposit back in full!
And now we've headed north for the loooong drive home. I have it figured that by about 10 this evening, we will have Mom safely at her house and we'll be headed back to ours. Finally. We've had a great time but I think we are all ready to be home in our own beds tonite.
Cheers!
Dr J
We buttoned up and hooked up the trailer one more time. No swear words. Dang, we must be on our way to being pros at this.
We drove back the Boerne (pronounced Bernie) to drop it off. No dents, no dings, no accidents. Yay, we get our deposit back in full!
And now we've headed north for the loooong drive home. I have it figured that by about 10 this evening, we will have Mom safely at her house and we'll be headed back to ours. Finally. We've had a great time but I think we are all ready to be home in our own beds tonite.
Cheers!
Dr J
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Small Town Texas
Another beautiful day in Texas! The weather has finally cleared here in the South. It was a sunny, gorgeous day to spend wandering around in a small town on Monday. So we did!
Mom, Rochelle, Kaitlyn, and I loaded up and went to Gruene. It is pronounced "green". I know, weird. The population of Gruene is approximately 20. That is small! But New Braunfels has grown around Gruene so it is encapsulated within a city of about 58,000.
The town is now a historic shopping and entertainment area. There are many quaint shops, bars, and restaurants in restored buildings. We were aiming for lunch in a local tea room, but alas, it was closed! So we settled for some very good sandwiches at a place called Mosie's. Yum!
Then we wandered and shopped. One cute kids store had a huge "angel duck" in front. So Kaitlyn agreed to pose for a pic........
And one shop had a huge, gnarly old tree in front that was adorned with enormous wind bells. They made lovely gonging noises in the breeze!
We finished the evening at the Phillips where Roy and John made an awesome gnocchi dinner. I really gotta get home and back to the gym to work off some of these calories!
Another blue sky, sunny, mild day has started this Tuesday in Texas. Of course, the weather has cleared right as we are preparing to go home. Drat! One of these winters, we will actually come to Texas and have 70 degree weather the whole time.
Today is the day we start trying to cram all of our stuff back into the truck in preparation for the looooong drive. Should be a long day.
Cheers!
Dr J
Mom, Rochelle, Kaitlyn, and I loaded up and went to Gruene. It is pronounced "green". I know, weird. The population of Gruene is approximately 20. That is small! But New Braunfels has grown around Gruene so it is encapsulated within a city of about 58,000.
The town is now a historic shopping and entertainment area. There are many quaint shops, bars, and restaurants in restored buildings. We were aiming for lunch in a local tea room, but alas, it was closed! So we settled for some very good sandwiches at a place called Mosie's. Yum!
Then we wandered and shopped. One cute kids store had a huge "angel duck" in front. So Kaitlyn agreed to pose for a pic........
And one shop had a huge, gnarly old tree in front that was adorned with enormous wind bells. They made lovely gonging noises in the breeze!
We finished the evening at the Phillips where Roy and John made an awesome gnocchi dinner. I really gotta get home and back to the gym to work off some of these calories!
Another blue sky, sunny, mild day has started this Tuesday in Texas. Of course, the weather has cleared right as we are preparing to go home. Drat! One of these winters, we will actually come to Texas and have 70 degree weather the whole time.
Today is the day we start trying to cram all of our stuff back into the truck in preparation for the looooong drive. Should be a long day.
Cheers!
Dr J
Monday, December 26, 2011
Leveling
Not all RV parks are created equal, we've discovered. Aside from a significant variation in the allocated space per site as well as the amenities, the actual flatness of the site can vary significantly. We discovered that here in the San Antonio RV park.
I mentioned that, when we arrived in San Antonio, Max had to go on a Walmart mission to get some blocks. Thought you might like to see the result.....
This site slopes off seriously front to back. He ended up using the entire package of plastic blocks to get us level. The result is that the trailer is a lot bouncier as you move around through it at this site.
We've also noticed a difference in the pad. On either side of us are the really big bus RVs. They actually have paved sites. Ours is gravel. Guess we aren't heavy enough to qualify for pavement. Grin.
We do have a nice concrete patio with a picnic table just outside the door. Unfortunately, today is the first time we've seen the sun, so it hasn't gotten much use.
Off to do some more "small town visiting" for the girls..... And the movies for the boys.
Cheers!
Dr J
I mentioned that, when we arrived in San Antonio, Max had to go on a Walmart mission to get some blocks. Thought you might like to see the result.....
This site slopes off seriously front to back. He ended up using the entire package of plastic blocks to get us level. The result is that the trailer is a lot bouncier as you move around through it at this site.
We've also noticed a difference in the pad. On either side of us are the really big bus RVs. They actually have paved sites. Ours is gravel. Guess we aren't heavy enough to qualify for pavement. Grin.
We do have a nice concrete patio with a picnic table just outside the door. Unfortunately, today is the first time we've seen the sun, so it hasn't gotten much use.
Off to do some more "small town visiting" for the girls..... And the movies for the boys.
Cheers!
Dr J
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to our family and friends! We hope your holidays are blessed.
Menger Hotel lobby tree......
Christmas tree in the town square of Fredricksburg......
Along the Riverwalk in San Antonio........
Cheers!
Dr J
Menger Hotel lobby tree......
Christmas tree in the town square of Fredricksburg......
Along the Riverwalk in San Antonio........
Cheers!
Dr J
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas Lights
We've observed that among RVers, some people decorate for Christmas a little......
This RV is two units down from us. In case you can't tell from my picture taking capabilities, they have net lights spread across the windshield of their RV. And they've wrapped a nearby tree trunk in lights.
And some RVers decorate a lot.......
This unit is right at the entrance to the RV park. I believe that you could read a book by the light that their display throws off!
And then there is our attempt at Christmas decorations......
Our festive Santa clips adorn every curtain tie back in the trailer.....
And our Christmas tree is lovely, even though it is a mere 4 inches tall. Hey, it has a flashing lighted interior and floating sparkles inside, like a snow globe.
And to think that all the past years, I've hauled out 3 or 4 full size trees as well as the associated decorations! Grin.
It just goes to show that decorating for Christmas can be festive no matter the size of your space.
Cheers!
Dr J
This RV is two units down from us. In case you can't tell from my picture taking capabilities, they have net lights spread across the windshield of their RV. And they've wrapped a nearby tree trunk in lights.
And some RVers decorate a lot.......
This unit is right at the entrance to the RV park. I believe that you could read a book by the light that their display throws off!
And then there is our attempt at Christmas decorations......
Our festive Santa clips adorn every curtain tie back in the trailer.....
And our Christmas tree is lovely, even though it is a mere 4 inches tall. Hey, it has a flashing lighted interior and floating sparkles inside, like a snow globe.
And to think that all the past years, I've hauled out 3 or 4 full size trees as well as the associated decorations! Grin.
It just goes to show that decorating for Christmas can be festive no matter the size of your space.
Cheers!
Dr J
Friday, December 23, 2011
Cooking in a Travel Trailer
A couple of you have asked how we are doing with cooking in the trailer. I have to tell you that it is very nice to be able to fix our own meals. We get very tired of eating out when on vacation. It is a relief to come back to our own space and fix food just as we like it.
We always have breakfast and mostly lunch in the trailer. Anything from scrambled eggs and sausage to cereal and toast.... Or from pb&js to grilled cheese. One morning we decided to have muffins for breakfast. Max mixed up some yummy streusel muffins and popped them in the oven. They were supposed to take 20 minutes or so. It ended up actually taking twice that time... And I even kicked the oven up 50 degrees! Clearly the temp on the oven knob and the actual temp inside the oven aren't the same. Grin.
As for dinner, we have eaten in some. I dug out the crockpot and made a great stew one night.
But we also eat dinner out or at the Phillips. Tonite we tried a Mexican restaurant just around the corner from the rv park. The locals told us that any restaurant with the word "Jalisco" in the name means that it is a family owned and operated place. The one we went to this evening was Taqueria Chapala Jalisco. Oh. My. God. It was good! And the prices were very reasonable.
Dishes in the rv are another matter. We didn't want to bring all the stuff to stock a kitchen with us, so we rented a "kitchen kit" from the rental agency..... Plates, bowls, silverware, pans, etc. After the first day, we quickly switched to paper plates and bowls. Yep, that required yet another trip to Walmart. Grin. There is so little counter space in the trailer that I was having to do dishes quite frequently. And there isn't a dishwasher built in. Dang it.
After using the rental skillet to make scrambled eggs the first time..... And then spending a fair amount of time scraping the stuck on egg from the bottom of the pan, we decided to invest in a skillet of our own. Yep, that resulted in yet another trip to Walmart.
We've learned a lot about living, and cooking, in a very small space. I wouldn't give up my big kitchen permanently. But for travel, this has worked very well.
Cheers!
Dr J
We always have breakfast and mostly lunch in the trailer. Anything from scrambled eggs and sausage to cereal and toast.... Or from pb&js to grilled cheese. One morning we decided to have muffins for breakfast. Max mixed up some yummy streusel muffins and popped them in the oven. They were supposed to take 20 minutes or so. It ended up actually taking twice that time... And I even kicked the oven up 50 degrees! Clearly the temp on the oven knob and the actual temp inside the oven aren't the same. Grin.
As for dinner, we have eaten in some. I dug out the crockpot and made a great stew one night.
But we also eat dinner out or at the Phillips. Tonite we tried a Mexican restaurant just around the corner from the rv park. The locals told us that any restaurant with the word "Jalisco" in the name means that it is a family owned and operated place. The one we went to this evening was Taqueria Chapala Jalisco. Oh. My. God. It was good! And the prices were very reasonable.
Dishes in the rv are another matter. We didn't want to bring all the stuff to stock a kitchen with us, so we rented a "kitchen kit" from the rental agency..... Plates, bowls, silverware, pans, etc. After the first day, we quickly switched to paper plates and bowls. Yep, that required yet another trip to Walmart. Grin. There is so little counter space in the trailer that I was having to do dishes quite frequently. And there isn't a dishwasher built in. Dang it.
After using the rental skillet to make scrambled eggs the first time..... And then spending a fair amount of time scraping the stuck on egg from the bottom of the pan, we decided to invest in a skillet of our own. Yep, that resulted in yet another trip to Walmart.
We've learned a lot about living, and cooking, in a very small space. I wouldn't give up my big kitchen permanently. But for travel, this has worked very well.
Cheers!
Dr J
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Sunshine and Shopping
After all the rain overnight, we woke up to sunshine! Okay, we woke before the sun came up (thank you, Gabi), but we DID have a beautiful blue sky, sunny day. 70 or so degrees today here. Yes haw! Now I know you are probably thinking that we finally unearthed the golf clubs and got out to play. Nope. It was still to squenchy to play. Yes, squenchy is a word. I know, because I just made it up! Grin.
Anyway, a gang of us decided to make the trek to the San Marcos outlet malls, about 45 minutes north of San Antonio. Man, that place is HUGE!
They actually have two outlet malls that run together along I35. When we arrived in the late morning, it was like a ghost town there, with lots of parking. We'd shop in one area and then move the car down the lot for some more shopping. By early afternoon, the concept of moving the car for convenience was out of the question. The parking lots, all of them, looked something like this. Yikes!
Despite the parking lot situation, it didn't seem that crowded. Did I mention that place is HUGE!?! There were tons of people there by the time we left and you could still navigate around the sidewalks and stores fairly easily.
We shopped until Max reached his limit. Okay, maybe just a little past his limit. Grin. Then it was time to head home. That really tried our patience. Good grief, the traffic here can be awful. There was a point on I35 (a 70 MPH freeway!) where it looked like a parking lot. Ah well, at least we don't have to deal with that everyday.
Despite the challenges, we bagged quite a few bargains. Now we just have to figure out how to cram it all in the truck to get it home!
Cheers,
Dr J
Anyway, a gang of us decided to make the trek to the San Marcos outlet malls, about 45 minutes north of San Antonio. Man, that place is HUGE!
They actually have two outlet malls that run together along I35. When we arrived in the late morning, it was like a ghost town there, with lots of parking. We'd shop in one area and then move the car down the lot for some more shopping. By early afternoon, the concept of moving the car for convenience was out of the question. The parking lots, all of them, looked something like this. Yikes!
Despite the parking lot situation, it didn't seem that crowded. Did I mention that place is HUGE!?! There were tons of people there by the time we left and you could still navigate around the sidewalks and stores fairly easily.
We shopped until Max reached his limit. Okay, maybe just a little past his limit. Grin. Then it was time to head home. That really tried our patience. Good grief, the traffic here can be awful. There was a point on I35 (a 70 MPH freeway!) where it looked like a parking lot. Ah well, at least we don't have to deal with that everyday.
Despite the challenges, we bagged quite a few bargains. Now we just have to figure out how to cram it all in the truck to get it home!
Cheers,
Dr J
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Rain, Rain Go Away!
Sitting here listening to the rain patter on the trailer roof makes me think that now would be a good time to tell you about life INSIDE a trailer. Because aside from a trip to Costco (I sure wish we had those in Wichita!), we spent the day indoors.
What I want to know is who the heck sets the prices for doing laundry?!? Because whoever it is must be REALLY proud of their washers and dryers! Granted, it has probably been 25 years or so since I've used coin operated equipment. And then I was paying 25 or 50 cents to wash and the same to dry. But now? Cripes, they want $1.25 to do a dang load of wash and the same for a load in the dryer. Really?!? One roll of quarters gets you two loads.
Oh, and you get the opportunity to sit in the laundry room for a couple of hours. While the one here at the rv park isn't awful, it IS still a laundry. Not the best way to spend an afternoon but necessary nonetheless.
And on a grey, cold day like today? Well, probably the best way to spend the time.
Cheers!
Dr J
What I want to know is who the heck sets the prices for doing laundry?!? Because whoever it is must be REALLY proud of their washers and dryers! Granted, it has probably been 25 years or so since I've used coin operated equipment. And then I was paying 25 or 50 cents to wash and the same to dry. But now? Cripes, they want $1.25 to do a dang load of wash and the same for a load in the dryer. Really?!? One roll of quarters gets you two loads.
Oh, and you get the opportunity to sit in the laundry room for a couple of hours. While the one here at the rv park isn't awful, it IS still a laundry. Not the best way to spend an afternoon but necessary nonetheless.
And on a grey, cold day like today? Well, probably the best way to spend the time.
Cheers!
Dr J
New Baby!
Congrats to our best friends, Ron and Judy! They have a new grandbaby... Harleigh Ann West. Isn't she lovely?!!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Remember the Alamo!
Today was a great day to revisit the sites that we had seen many years ago.... When Roy and Rochelle first moved to San Antonio. So we went downtown to visit the Alamo and the River Walk. Yes, I know, the Alamo doesn't change. It HAS been there for a couple hundred years -- give or take. Regardless, it never hurts to refresh my scanty memory when it comes to our nation's history. And yes, the river doesn't change either, but the shopping sure does! Grin.
We stopped first at the Menger Hotel. It is a beautiful old historic hotel and was all decorated up for the holidays. It is rumored to be haunted but the ghosts weren't rattling around while we were there. We did get a great pic of Mom next to one of their soldiers.
Then it was on to the Alamo. Re-reading the history was very sobering. It is an amazing place.
And here are Caroline and Kaitlyn testing out how comfortable one of the cannons are.
And the lovely Phillips girls posing in front of the wishing well that is in the Alamo compound.
The River Walk is famous for its holiday lights. This year is a bit different. In the past, the colorful lights would be "dripping" from the trees, swaying in the breeze. Just beautiful! This year they switched to LED lights and wound them around the trees. Still beautiful. And unfortunately, my pics don't do it justice.
All in all, a good day to revisit the past!
Cheers!
Dr J
We stopped first at the Menger Hotel. It is a beautiful old historic hotel and was all decorated up for the holidays. It is rumored to be haunted but the ghosts weren't rattling around while we were there. We did get a great pic of Mom next to one of their soldiers.
Then it was on to the Alamo. Re-reading the history was very sobering. It is an amazing place.
And here are Caroline and Kaitlyn testing out how comfortable one of the cannons are.
And the lovely Phillips girls posing in front of the wishing well that is in the Alamo compound.
The River Walk is famous for its holiday lights. This year is a bit different. In the past, the colorful lights would be "dripping" from the trees, swaying in the breeze. Just beautiful! This year they switched to LED lights and wound them around the trees. Still beautiful. And unfortunately, my pics don't do it justice.
All in all, a good day to revisit the past!
Cheers!
Dr J
Monday, December 19, 2011
Decent Weather Someday in Texas, Maybe
The original plan (good suggestion, Lori) was to go to Boerne today... To poke around in the market/historic district. Unfortunately the weather decided not to cooperate, 'cause we had yet more rain this morning. In fact, we got so much rain overnight and this morning that we had a small rivulet running in the yard beside our trailer. So that put the kibosh on meandering around in the great outdoors.
So instead, a gang of us went to the mall. I know, I know.... You are thinking that we are all crazy! But it wasn't too bad or crowded -- thank goodness!
And the good part is that I got to go to the Apple Store. We don't have one of those in Wichita. Dang it. After spending about an hour asking questions, I'm convinced. My next pc will be an iMac. Can't wait!
We finished the evening at the Phillips house where Rochelle made Alton Brown's Harvest Stew. It has sausage, kale, potatoes..... And it is SO yummy!
The Phillips menagerie entertained us. Remington is Caroline's beautiful (and big!) cat.
Oops! Someone left the toilet seat up! I told Caroline that she could start calling him "racoon butt". Grin.
And Sasha, the lovie dovie dog. Check out the wild curls on her forehead.
Tomorrow, we might even actually see the sun. But at least we aren't in Kansas where it is snowing right now!
Cheers,
Dr J
So instead, a gang of us went to the mall. I know, I know.... You are thinking that we are all crazy! But it wasn't too bad or crowded -- thank goodness!
And the good part is that I got to go to the Apple Store. We don't have one of those in Wichita. Dang it. After spending about an hour asking questions, I'm convinced. My next pc will be an iMac. Can't wait!
We finished the evening at the Phillips house where Rochelle made Alton Brown's Harvest Stew. It has sausage, kale, potatoes..... And it is SO yummy!
The Phillips menagerie entertained us. Remington is Caroline's beautiful (and big!) cat.
Oops! Someone left the toilet seat up! I told Caroline that she could start calling him "racoon butt". Grin.
And Sasha, the lovie dovie dog. Check out the wild curls on her forehead.
Tomorrow, we might even actually see the sun. But at least we aren't in Kansas where it is snowing right now!
Cheers,
Dr J
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday in San Antonio
Can't resist showing you one pic from Caroline's grad party last nite..... Here she is enjoying some of the scrumptious desserts. It was a great evening and she had a lot of people show up to congratulate her!
This morning was housekeeping time around our trailer. It took us probably 1 whole hour to clean this place from top to bottom! Definitely easier than cleaning our 3 story house. (And yes, I HAVE actually cleaned it myself --- once or twice!). Even though it didn't take very long, it did reinforce my appreciation for our regular cleaning crew at home.
Of course, the girls had to supervise. So, this afternoon they are exhausted!
I'm not sure why I even brought their dog bed as they have staked out the couch as their spot. And should we decided to sit on the couch to watch tv in the evenings, there is much grumbling by the pups about us interrupting their, oh maybe, 3rd or 4th nap of the day!
Cheers!
Dr J
This morning was housekeeping time around our trailer. It took us probably 1 whole hour to clean this place from top to bottom! Definitely easier than cleaning our 3 story house. (And yes, I HAVE actually cleaned it myself --- once or twice!). Even though it didn't take very long, it did reinforce my appreciation for our regular cleaning crew at home.
Of course, the girls had to supervise. So, this afternoon they are exhausted!
I'm not sure why I even brought their dog bed as they have staked out the couch as their spot. And should we decided to sit on the couch to watch tv in the evenings, there is much grumbling by the pups about us interrupting their, oh maybe, 3rd or 4th nap of the day!
Cheers!
Dr J
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Moving Day
We are getting to be old hands at putting together and hooking up the trailer. We had it all done and were on the road by about 10:30 this morning. It was interesting that as we were unhooking the trailer, several of our bean bag baseball friends stopped by to visit. I'm thinking that going around to visit with people who are outside is one of the pastimes of rvers. Grin.
Anyway, we drove back to San Antonio to celebrate Caroline's graduation with a party this evening. The drive was fairly uneventful right up until we got to the spot that Betty (our GPS) said was our destination -- and nothing. Oh crap. It's not like you can turn our rig around on a dime (or even a half dollar, for that matter).
So Max continued on slowly while I called the RV park. Apparently we were concentrating so hard on where the road turned (randomly, I'd like to add) that we totally missed the park. Sigh.
We finally got checked in and pulled into our space. Then it was time to unhook and level things up.
NOW I understand why RVers hang at Walmart so much! We've been to Walmart in San Angelo (twice), in Kerrville (three times), and now for the first time, approximately 1 hour after we arrived in San Antonio! Sheesh.
Why all the dang trips? It seems like you ALWAYS are needing something for the trailer. This time, it was because our front levelers wouldn't reach the ground. So Max went to find blocks to stabilize us.
We are quickly acquiring a sack of various RV accessories. Grin.
It all turned out and we are settling in for a week in San Antonio.
Cheers!
Dr J
Anyway, we drove back to San Antonio to celebrate Caroline's graduation with a party this evening. The drive was fairly uneventful right up until we got to the spot that Betty (our GPS) said was our destination -- and nothing. Oh crap. It's not like you can turn our rig around on a dime (or even a half dollar, for that matter).
So Max continued on slowly while I called the RV park. Apparently we were concentrating so hard on where the road turned (randomly, I'd like to add) that we totally missed the park. Sigh.
We finally got checked in and pulled into our space. Then it was time to unhook and level things up.
NOW I understand why RVers hang at Walmart so much! We've been to Walmart in San Angelo (twice), in Kerrville (three times), and now for the first time, approximately 1 hour after we arrived in San Antonio! Sheesh.
Why all the dang trips? It seems like you ALWAYS are needing something for the trailer. This time, it was because our front levelers wouldn't reach the ground. So Max went to find blocks to stabilize us.
We are quickly acquiring a sack of various RV accessories. Grin.
It all turned out and we are settling in for a week in San Antonio.
Cheers!
Dr J
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday in the Hill Country
We played baseball today!
We had decided this morning that we were going to take the day off from touring and hang close to Kerrville. Shortly after our epic decision, we had a tap, tap, tap on the trailer door. One of the park hosts stopped by to invite us to participate in their Friday afternoon baseball game.
Okay, it WAS only bean bag baseball. But sheesh, it was fun!
The premise is.... Each player has three small bean bags to chuck at a board. The hole you hit indicates your play -- 1 base, 2 bases, 3 bases, home run, or out. And if you miss with all three bags, you are out. It is harder than it looks!
Here's Max, demonstrating his throwing form.
And this is the board we threw at. Note the chairs behind the board. They are first, second, and third base. You have to set there (if you are good enough to get a hit) while your teammates throw.
Oh, the average age of the players was probably about 65. Grin. But that didn't make any diff! This is a look at Max's team. Yep, spouses got put on diff teams. I was on the "Young Guns" team. Max was on the "Golden Oldies" team.
We played two 9 inning games and the total score of the two was 24-21, with the Young Guns as the victors. Yes haw! Max had many hits and a couple home runs. I managed a few hits and one solo home run.
Honestly, I never dreamed that we would participate in something like this. But I'm so glad they invited us as we both had a great time. What a wonderful way to fritter away a grey afternoon!
Cheers!
Dr J
We had decided this morning that we were going to take the day off from touring and hang close to Kerrville. Shortly after our epic decision, we had a tap, tap, tap on the trailer door. One of the park hosts stopped by to invite us to participate in their Friday afternoon baseball game.
Okay, it WAS only bean bag baseball. But sheesh, it was fun!
The premise is.... Each player has three small bean bags to chuck at a board. The hole you hit indicates your play -- 1 base, 2 bases, 3 bases, home run, or out. And if you miss with all three bags, you are out. It is harder than it looks!
Here's Max, demonstrating his throwing form.
And this is the board we threw at. Note the chairs behind the board. They are first, second, and third base. You have to set there (if you are good enough to get a hit) while your teammates throw.
Oh, the average age of the players was probably about 65. Grin. But that didn't make any diff! This is a look at Max's team. Yep, spouses got put on diff teams. I was on the "Young Guns" team. Max was on the "Golden Oldies" team.
We played two 9 inning games and the total score of the two was 24-21, with the Young Guns as the victors. Yes haw! Max had many hits and a couple home runs. I managed a few hits and one solo home run.
Honestly, I never dreamed that we would participate in something like this. But I'm so glad they invited us as we both had a great time. What a wonderful way to fritter away a grey afternoon!
Cheers!
Dr J
Thursday in the Hill Country
The weather here continues to, um, be dreary, with off and on rain as well as wind. Makes it pretty dang chilly! I was thinking of other descriptive words, but decided to spare y'all the curse words. .
So we decided to head back to Fredricksburg. Our first stop was Der Auslander for lunch. Good German food! Brats, Opa's sausage (spicy!), spatzle. Yummy! And no, we haven't OD'd on German food yet.
Then it was time to spend the afternoon in a museum -- much to Max's dismay. They have a museum complex here called the National Museum of the Pacific War. It is awesome!
The complex starts with the Admiral Nimitz museum. This is what the building looks like.
I know, you are thinking, huh?!? A museum about the Pacific War and Admiral Nimitz!?! In Texas?!? WTH??? Well apparently Admiral Nimitz's family settled this area and the building you see above was a hotel that they owned. And of course, Admiral Nimitz was central to the Pacific War.
As I said, this is a complex. Next up was the Walk of Honor.
This is an outdoor area that has thousands of pavers and plaques honoring indivual soldiers, units, and even ships from WWII in the Pacific arena. At the end of the walk, they have a fountain that features a ship screw from an Essex Class aircraft carrier. Very cool!
Next up was the Plaza of the Presidents. It features information on 10 consecutive presidents that served in WWII, from Roosevelt to Bush.
Then we went into the George HW Bush Gsllery. OMG, what an awesome place! This laid out the entire story of WWII in the Pacific -- from events/history leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor to the signing of the surrender papers. We spent about 2 1/2 hours in here.... And could've spent even longer! I was so caught up in seeing and reading the story that I neglected to take ANY pics. (i was NOT my mother's daughter during that tour!) It is humbling to read about the sacrifices made there by our troops. While at the same time, it makes one proud of the US armed services.
They also have an area here called the Pacific Combat Zone, a guided tour. But since it is mostly outside, we opted to forgo a visit.
All in all, a pretty darned good afternoon! And yes, Max agreed that this was a pretty darned good museum.
Cheers!
Dr J
So we decided to head back to Fredricksburg. Our first stop was Der Auslander for lunch. Good German food! Brats, Opa's sausage (spicy!), spatzle. Yummy! And no, we haven't OD'd on German food yet.
Then it was time to spend the afternoon in a museum -- much to Max's dismay. They have a museum complex here called the National Museum of the Pacific War. It is awesome!
The complex starts with the Admiral Nimitz museum. This is what the building looks like.
I know, you are thinking, huh?!? A museum about the Pacific War and Admiral Nimitz!?! In Texas?!? WTH??? Well apparently Admiral Nimitz's family settled this area and the building you see above was a hotel that they owned. And of course, Admiral Nimitz was central to the Pacific War.
As I said, this is a complex. Next up was the Walk of Honor.
This is an outdoor area that has thousands of pavers and plaques honoring indivual soldiers, units, and even ships from WWII in the Pacific arena. At the end of the walk, they have a fountain that features a ship screw from an Essex Class aircraft carrier. Very cool!
Next up was the Plaza of the Presidents. It features information on 10 consecutive presidents that served in WWII, from Roosevelt to Bush.
Then we went into the George HW Bush Gsllery. OMG, what an awesome place! This laid out the entire story of WWII in the Pacific -- from events/history leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor to the signing of the surrender papers. We spent about 2 1/2 hours in here.... And could've spent even longer! I was so caught up in seeing and reading the story that I neglected to take ANY pics. (i was NOT my mother's daughter during that tour!) It is humbling to read about the sacrifices made there by our troops. While at the same time, it makes one proud of the US armed services.
They also have an area here called the Pacific Combat Zone, a guided tour. But since it is mostly outside, we opted to forgo a visit.
All in all, a pretty darned good afternoon! And yes, Max agreed that this was a pretty darned good museum.
Cheers!
Dr J
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday in the Hill Country
We spent Wednesday afternoon in Fredricksburg (population 10,782). Not exactly what I had expected, but certainly a lovely place and a fun place to shop! I was expecting that their historic district would be done up in a Bavarian style -- with the painted murals and loads of "fach werk", or gingerbread fret work -- like you see in southern Germany. Instead it was more like what you would see in northern Germany, way less fancy. Nonetheless, it was still beautiful.
We came here to start getting our fill of good German food. We have one German restaurant in Wichita, and frankly, it is lousy.
So we had lunch here.......
Not the best German food we've ever had, but still good.... And WAY better than the place at home! Schnitzel, brats, German potato salad, red cabbage, and sauerkraut. YUMMY!
The town square is all dolled up for Christmas. They have this beautiful (and huge!) Christmas pyramid. I've seen smaller versions of this, where the fan is driven by candles, but never one this big.
They also have an outdoor skating rink setup in the square. Think about that folks..... This is Texas and it was 70 degrees today! Yikes.
And of course, there was the shopping. More quaint shops that Max had the patience for. Grin. But I did manage to get into many of them.
Wednesday evening was spent doing laundry. Nice facilities here at the rv park, but still a laundromat. I'm spoiled. I haven't had to use a laundromat in years.... And I don't miss it!
More fun in the Hill Country tomorrow.
Cheers!
Dr J
We came here to start getting our fill of good German food. We have one German restaurant in Wichita, and frankly, it is lousy.
So we had lunch here.......
Not the best German food we've ever had, but still good.... And WAY better than the place at home! Schnitzel, brats, German potato salad, red cabbage, and sauerkraut. YUMMY!
The town square is all dolled up for Christmas. They have this beautiful (and huge!) Christmas pyramid. I've seen smaller versions of this, where the fan is driven by candles, but never one this big.
They also have an outdoor skating rink setup in the square. Think about that folks..... This is Texas and it was 70 degrees today! Yikes.
And of course, there was the shopping. More quaint shops that Max had the patience for. Grin. But I did manage to get into many of them.
Wednesday evening was spent doing laundry. Nice facilities here at the rv park, but still a laundromat. I'm spoiled. I haven't had to use a laundromat in years.... And I don't miss it!
More fun in the Hill Country tomorrow.
Cheers!
Dr J
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday in the Hill Country, Part 2
We went to Easter Island and Stonehenge today! And you thought we were just spending the holidays in Texas, right? Grin.
We actually spent the afternoon meandering down Hwy 27, starting in Ingram (population 1,937). They actually have some replicas of the Easter Island statues. We had to stand next to them so that you could actually see the scale. Gad, these things are huge! And of course, Max couldn't resist sticking his finger, er his hand, in one of the ears..... Grin.
In addition to the statues, this Arts Foundation/Artist Colony that we visited in Ingram also had a replica of Stonehenge. Can you believe that in all the years I traveled to the UK, I never managed to see the real thing?!? Huh. This is as close as I get, I guess. Apparently this one is about 60% of the original in terms of size.
Our meandering led us through the old town of Kerrville (population 22,000). Not a real bustling old town area unfortunately. But along the way, we ran across a blast from the past. Okay, everyone, raise your hand if you remember Gibson's discount store. My fuzzy memory places it as the pre-cursor to Walmart and Target. Of course we HAD to go in as they advertise and "all new" rv department. Chuckle. Yeah right. It was more of an "rv corner". But it was an interesting and old timey store.
Our final stop on the Hwy 27 drive was Comfort, Tx (population 2,805). They had a charming old town area, but unfortunately we were so late in the day and many of the shops were closed already. I did find a place to do a bit of shopping. And I couldn't resist a pic of this pizza place. There is no inside seating... It is a tiny kitchen in a converted gas station. I guess it caught my eye because the outside seating was just so colorful against the steely gray sky.
All in all a good day. Touring these small towns is a real kick.
Cheers!
Dr J
We actually spent the afternoon meandering down Hwy 27, starting in Ingram (population 1,937). They actually have some replicas of the Easter Island statues. We had to stand next to them so that you could actually see the scale. Gad, these things are huge! And of course, Max couldn't resist sticking his finger, er his hand, in one of the ears..... Grin.
In addition to the statues, this Arts Foundation/Artist Colony that we visited in Ingram also had a replica of Stonehenge. Can you believe that in all the years I traveled to the UK, I never managed to see the real thing?!? Huh. This is as close as I get, I guess. Apparently this one is about 60% of the original in terms of size.
Our meandering led us through the old town of Kerrville (population 22,000). Not a real bustling old town area unfortunately. But along the way, we ran across a blast from the past. Okay, everyone, raise your hand if you remember Gibson's discount store. My fuzzy memory places it as the pre-cursor to Walmart and Target. Of course we HAD to go in as they advertise and "all new" rv department. Chuckle. Yeah right. It was more of an "rv corner". But it was an interesting and old timey store.
Our final stop on the Hwy 27 drive was Comfort, Tx (population 2,805). They had a charming old town area, but unfortunately we were so late in the day and many of the shops were closed already. I did find a place to do a bit of shopping. And I couldn't resist a pic of this pizza place. There is no inside seating... It is a tiny kitchen in a converted gas station. I guess it caught my eye because the outside seating was just so colorful against the steely gray sky.
All in all a good day. Touring these small towns is a real kick.
Cheers!
Dr J
Tuesday in the Hill Country, Part 1
Where the heck is the YMCA?!? Many of you know that since Max and I retired, we've become gym rats. We end up at our local Y most every day. So now that we are settled here in Kerrville, I looked up their local Y -- and found two locations. One of them was listed very close to the RV park. Alright! So we set off, with google maps as our guide. We drive right to the location and.... Nothing. No Y. We drove all around where the dot on the interactive map showed the Y. Heck I could see our little dot on the map circling the location. But nothing. Well crap.
So we decided to go to the other listed location, clear across town. Granted, in a town of about 22000 people, "clear across town" is only about 5 miles. Grin. We get to that location, again using interactive google maps, and again -- nothing. Seriously?!?!
So we pull into a grade school that showed the same street address. I went in and visited with the lady in the office (what a nice person she was!). And she said, oh yes, the Y is in a little building behind the school.
So we traipse thru the grade school (I was amazed how quiet it was in there!) and to the Y. Only to find out from the nice lady there that the Y doesn't have in gym facilities in this area. Only after school programs. Argh! Go figure.
THEN we decide that we will go back and try the resort "gym". Yeah right. It is 4 antiquated pieces of equipment stashed in the corner of the pool building. Max tried the treadmill, the bicycle, and the weight machine.... And said, um, nevermid, let's go do something else.
It worked out okay though. We went back, got the girls, and went for a beautiful walk along the Guadalupe River (our rv park sits next to the river). Beautiful view, eh?
More on Tuesday in the Hill Country later today......
Cheers!
Dr J
So we decided to go to the other listed location, clear across town. Granted, in a town of about 22000 people, "clear across town" is only about 5 miles. Grin. We get to that location, again using interactive google maps, and again -- nothing. Seriously?!?!
So we pull into a grade school that showed the same street address. I went in and visited with the lady in the office (what a nice person she was!). And she said, oh yes, the Y is in a little building behind the school.
So we traipse thru the grade school (I was amazed how quiet it was in there!) and to the Y. Only to find out from the nice lady there that the Y doesn't have in gym facilities in this area. Only after school programs. Argh! Go figure.
THEN we decide that we will go back and try the resort "gym". Yeah right. It is 4 antiquated pieces of equipment stashed in the corner of the pool building. Max tried the treadmill, the bicycle, and the weight machine.... And said, um, nevermid, let's go do something else.
It worked out okay though. We went back, got the girls, and went for a beautiful walk along the Guadalupe River (our rv park sits next to the river). Beautiful view, eh?
More on Tuesday in the Hill Country later today......
Cheers!
Dr J
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
&@?#%* Data Plan
Short post tonite. I actually have quite a bit to say and a lot of pics to share from our tour of part of the Hill Country today. Unfortunately, uploading to Blogger - especially with pics - really sucks down the data plan.
So the rest of my dish will have to wait until tomorrow when I can get connected to the wifi. Sorry!
I'll just tease you tonite with a peek at the brochure from our RV park -- Guadalupe River RV Resort. It is an awesome place!
Cheers,
Dr J
So the rest of my dish will have to wait until tomorrow when I can get connected to the wifi. Sorry!
I'll just tease you tonite with a peek at the brochure from our RV park -- Guadalupe River RV Resort. It is an awesome place!
Cheers,
Dr J
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sad Puppy
Well, we made our first move this morning. I think that we are both pretty amazed at how smoothly the "put together the trailer and hook up to the truck" process went. Not even one swear word from either of us. Grin. And we didn't screw up the trailer hookup 'cause it was still behind us when we got here. Whew!
The only stressful time was Gabi's. Somehow early in the drive, she managed to get in the "way back" of the truck.... The cargo area behind the back seats. And of course, I couldn't get to her on the move. And you don't just whip that trailer off the road for a stop without some planning. So she sat back there and cried until we got to a rest stop. This is a pic of her looking at us over the back seat. Isn't that the saddest puppy you've ever seen?!?
She survived her little crisis just fine. And there were no more attempts to get in the way back for the rest of the drive.
Oh, on the drive, in one of the small burgs, we saw "Andy's Beer Barn.... And Jacuzzis". Interesting concept for a business! Made us both laugh.
We pulled into Kerrville about 1pm this afternoon. Set up ran just like we knew what we were doing. Maybe we ARE getting the hang of this.
We are at a beautiful RV resort along the Guadelupe River. And one of the maintenance guys was feeding several deer in the park area of the resort as we drove by. Of course our screamin' memes scared them away. Sigh. I'll try to get pics tomorrow as it is foggy and rainy here now. I'm trying to stay in the warm and dry trailer!
Cheers!
Dr J
The only stressful time was Gabi's. Somehow early in the drive, she managed to get in the "way back" of the truck.... The cargo area behind the back seats. And of course, I couldn't get to her on the move. And you don't just whip that trailer off the road for a stop without some planning. So she sat back there and cried until we got to a rest stop. This is a pic of her looking at us over the back seat. Isn't that the saddest puppy you've ever seen?!?
She survived her little crisis just fine. And there were no more attempts to get in the way back for the rest of the drive.
Oh, on the drive, in one of the small burgs, we saw "Andy's Beer Barn.... And Jacuzzis". Interesting concept for a business! Made us both laugh.
We pulled into Kerrville about 1pm this afternoon. Set up ran just like we knew what we were doing. Maybe we ARE getting the hang of this.
We are at a beautiful RV resort along the Guadelupe River. And one of the maintenance guys was feeding several deer in the park area of the resort as we drove by. Of course our screamin' memes scared them away. Sigh. I'll try to get pics tomorrow as it is foggy and rainy here now. I'm trying to stay in the warm and dry trailer!
Cheers!
Dr J
Sunday, December 11, 2011
What does the inside look like?
Some of you have asked what the inside of our trailer looks like. Well, it is VERY cozy, but also pretty comfy. Here's a look at our living space. Keep in mind that this is a 25' trailer......
This is our gourmet kitchen. Okay, maybe efficiency kitchen is a better term. It actually works pretty darned well, but I won't be cooking a multi-course Christmas dinner in it!
And this is the living room. It is also known as the dog bed.
And this is the bedroom. Yep, to get around the bed, you have to walk sideways. Imagine the challenge in putting on sheets. Ack. And it definitely isn't a premium mattress. If I were inclined to visit a chiropractor, I'm guessing now would be the time. Grin.
And this is the dining room. Our only slide is here.... And boy are we glad for it!
No, I didn't include the bathroom, 'cause well, it's a bathroom. Besides, I couldn't get an angle to actually get a photo.
So that's our living space for 3 or so weeks. Nothing is more than 5 or 6 steps away. Close, but comfy.
Cheers!
Dr J
This is our gourmet kitchen. Okay, maybe efficiency kitchen is a better term. It actually works pretty darned well, but I won't be cooking a multi-course Christmas dinner in it!
And this is the living room. It is also known as the dog bed.
And this is the bedroom. Yep, to get around the bed, you have to walk sideways. Imagine the challenge in putting on sheets. Ack. And it definitely isn't a premium mattress. If I were inclined to visit a chiropractor, I'm guessing now would be the time. Grin.
And this is the dining room. Our only slide is here.... And boy are we glad for it!
No, I didn't include the bathroom, 'cause well, it's a bathroom. Besides, I couldn't get an angle to actually get a photo.
So that's our living space for 3 or so weeks. Nothing is more than 5 or 6 steps away. Close, but comfy.
Cheers!
Dr J
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Graduation Time
This is the WHOLE reason we set out on TGA. Our lovely and smart niece, Caroline, graduated from college today. Woot woot! Yahoo! Yea! We are so proud of her.... A bachelors degree in 3 1/2 years is quite an accomplishment.
And of course her parents are also very relieved, erm, I mean, very proud of her!
As for the rest of the day? Caroline took us on a tour of the Angelo State campus. It is a lovely place.
And I thought that I'd hit the bonus round when I found 2 empty cabinets in the trailer! Now I can bring more stuff from the truck and cram it in here. Grin. It doesn't exactly feel like home as yet, but we don't necessarily want to run screaming away either. Guess that is a good sign.
The weather has been cold and misty/rainy. This is TEXAS for god's sake ..... It is SUPPOSED to be warm here! Ah well, guess the golf clubs will continue to live in the back of the truck for now.
Oh, and, if you want to be notified every time I post an update, just click on the follower link in the bottom right of the screen. You can "follow" my blog and be alerted when I update.
You can also email and text me with questions.... And more importantly, encouragement! (Ron and Judy.... We really appreciate you guys sending us encouraging texts!)
Cheers!
Dr J
And of course her parents are also very relieved, erm, I mean, very proud of her!
As for the rest of the day? Caroline took us on a tour of the Angelo State campus. It is a lovely place.
And I thought that I'd hit the bonus round when I found 2 empty cabinets in the trailer! Now I can bring more stuff from the truck and cram it in here. Grin. It doesn't exactly feel like home as yet, but we don't necessarily want to run screaming away either. Guess that is a good sign.
The weather has been cold and misty/rainy. This is TEXAS for god's sake ..... It is SUPPOSED to be warm here! Ah well, guess the golf clubs will continue to live in the back of the truck for now.
Oh, and, if you want to be notified every time I post an update, just click on the follower link in the bottom right of the screen. You can "follow" my blog and be alerted when I update.
You can also email and text me with questions.... And more importantly, encouragement! (Ron and Judy.... We really appreciate you guys sending us encouraging texts!)
Cheers!
Dr J
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)