Home Again

The bad part of coming home from a trip is that you have to undo all the loading that was done to get the trip started. And of course, there is the cleaning......

On the inside, I got most of the cleaning done before we left the lake yesterday. But I still had to finish dusting and then sweep and mop. Did I mention that the fifth wheel has a central vac system? Sweet!

And then there is the outside cleaning. When we got back from Texas, Max had cleaned the front of the trailer to get off the worst of the bugs, road grime, and sea spray.

But after living 5 days under the trees at the lake, you can't believe how much tree sap covered the darn thing. Heck, I left my phone laying on the picnic table for a bit. And when I picked it up, the darned screen was covered in specks of tree sap!

So we spent the morning washing and hand drying the outside, starting at the top. You can see how high up Max is when he climbs up there!

And now the trailer is safely stowed in storage.... Awaiting our next adventure. (here's a hint--we are headed out again for the fourth of July).

Already looking forward to the next trip!

Cheers,

Dr J

Roughing It

Okay, so as many of you know, I'm not typically a "camping" kind of girl. In fact, my idea of "roughing it" is when they don't leave a mint on my pillow! Grin.

But I have to admit that I can get used to this. For one thing, the GUYS often cook. Sweet! Here are Ron and Robbie cooking breakfast yesterday morning. And last nite? The guys cooked baked potatoes and steaks on the grill. And this morning will be pancakes and sausage cooked on the griddle outside. I'm loving this part of camping!

Cheers,

Dr J

Adventures on the Lake

Our best friends, Ron and Judy, have a magnificent Cobalt boat. Fortunately they are good with hauling their free-loading friends around it it! Grin. So despite the wind, we set out on a trek around the lake. Following close behind were Ron's brother and sis-in-law, Robbie and Nancy, in their boat.

We decided to head over to the local "party cove". If you aren't familiar with El Dorado Reservoir, it is the combination (many years ago) of Lake El Dorado and Lake Bluestem. One of the by products of combining the two lakes into one giant reservoir is the submersion or partial submersion of LOTS of trees. And in order to get to party cove, you have to thread your way carefully thru an old tree line. And despite Ron's best piloting efforts, we hit a tree very hard.... Hard enough that we headed back to pull the boat out of the water to check it out. Fortunately, the hull was just fine. Isn't this a beautiful boat?!?

Unfortunately, Robbie and Nancy (and their kids) didn't fair as well. As they started back thru the tree line, their had hard enough hits that it stripped out the propeller. They were able to limp along for a while but the wind and waves overtook them and they ended up grounded along the shore. Unfortunately, they also ended up having a couple of pretty good dings to the hull as well, as Robbie discovered later.

By that time, we had hauled Ron's boat out the the water, checked it for damage, and then put back in. Then we had to go gas up and search for Robbie and Nancy. We ended up towing them back to the boat ramp. Hauling a dead boat onto a trailer is quite an adventure!

After they were on the way, we hauled Ron's boat out again.... And he discovered that one of his propellers was slightly bent as well! Darn those trees!

We did end up on a good note for the day as we all trooped to town for Mexican food and margaritas. That helped. Grin.

Oh and I couldn't resist this pic of Judy and one of her Westies, Izzy. They make me smile.

Cheers,

Dr J

Look What We Found!

We've gone camping and look what we found..... Babies! Grin.

Actually they are Ron and Judy's grand kids..... Kruz and Harleigh. Kruz is 2 1/2 and a real handful! Harleigh is 6 months and a happy, bouncy baby.

Certainly makes for an entertaining afternoon!

Cheers,

Dr J

Home and Away

Well, we made it home on Sunday evening......  just in time to unload the fifth wheel, mow the lawn, and then reload for another trip!

The drive from Dallas on Sunday was pretty uneventful.  I even drove for a while!  It feels a fair amount different with 10 or 11 thousand pounds trailing the truck!  Fortunately I apparently did well as Max didn't leave any permanent dents in the seat or floor as he "tried" to help.  grin.  He's a very patient man!

And yes, I was serious about heading out again.  We leave today for a long weekend at ElDo lake.  The temps are predicted in the 90s.  Nice, as our friends have a boat.  But it will be windy so who knows if we'll actually get onto the water.  We'll see.

More about our lake adventures as the weekend goes on.

Cheers,

Dr J

Moving North

Just when I think that we are getting to be old pros at this, we pull a bone-head stunt. But more on that later.....

Today we moved north, starting the journey home. Rochelle and Roy brought Mom to Lake Travis this morning. We were mostly loaded up by the time they arrived. Last night i was dreading the the load up process. But I'm actually surprised at how smoothly the process goes. So we were on the road and headed north by about 10.30 this morning. We stopped for lunch just north of Waco. It is sooooo nice to be able to fix our own food and eat in our own space. Not that I don't enjoy fast food. It just gets really tiresome over and over.

We had packed everything away after lunch and headed up the road when Mom asked if we had shift off the fan and closed the vent. Oops! I had turned on the fan when we arrived at the rest stop to try to cool off the interior. And then we forgot to shut it off. And the next rest stop wasn't for another 50 miles. Unfortunately when we got there, it was closed. So we drive the rest of the way to Denton with our vent on top of the fifth wheel wide open. Fortunately, despite the wind, no damage was done. Whew!

We are staying at the same RV park that we stayed at on the way down a week and a half ago. And we are one spot over from that original stop. It is a real pretty and wonderfully shaded park. Here's what we look like all setup for the evening.

Tomorrow we load up and drive home. While we love being on the road, it will also be nice to get home.

Cheers,

Dr J

Meandering Thru the Hill Country

Today we spent some time just meandering through the East side of Hill Country. What a beautiful way to spend a hot, sunny afternoon. Our first stop was Driftwood (population 1583). In several places throughout our guide book, the author raved about a BBQ place just outside of driftwood -- The Salt Lick. Oh. My. God. That author was correct. Their ribs, brisket, and sausages were fabulous. This is the pit where they create the magic.

I really needed a nap after the meal, but we forged on.

Our next stop was in Wimberley (population 2626). The main purpose for visiting this little town was to go see the Wimberley Glass Works. Unfortunately all the glass blowers were at lunch while we were there. Bummer. So I had to console myself with shopping in their funky little downtown area. Grin.

We struck out at our next couple of stops too. I wanted to find the town square for a little town called Dripping Springs. But all we managed to see was the urbanized area that is now considered a bedroom community to Austin.

Next we drove to Hamilton Pool park. This is located out in the sticks, at the bottom of a box canyon. It is supposed to be a gorgeous (and large) swimming hole, fed by a spectacular waterfall. But we struck out because of the recent rains. Apparently that causes the bacteria levels to be so elevated that no contact with the water is allowed. And here we are with all of our swimming gear! That's what I get for not calling first. Ah well.

We ended the day by driving out along Mansfield dam to get a better view of Lake Travis. We convinced the park ranger to let us in for a few minutes without paying the day fee. And then got run out by another park ranger because we were parked too close to the boat ramp. Wry grin. Some days ya just can't win! I did manage to get a few pics before we fled. This is the back side of Mansfield Dam.

And this is the water side of the dam.

This next pic is for our friends, Ron and Judy. Judy, you would freak if you had to back the truck and boat trailer down this ramp. It is very long and VERY steep!

With all the rains last week, they say that the level of the lake has risen 5 to 6 feet. But they still have a loooong way to go in order to get it back to full. See all the land out in the middle of the water? That is supposed to be UNDER water by quite a bit. I'm guessing that navigating this lake in a boat might be kinda tricky.

And so we come to the end of another adventure for the Johnson's. Rochelle will bring Mom to meet us tomorrow morning and we will start the journey home. The nice thing about traveling with a fifth wheel (among many things!) is that we don't make the loooong drive all in one day. Yay!

Cheers,

Dr J

Austin and Avery Ranch

As I mentioned in the last post, we spent yesterday afternoon in Austin. Of course it is much too large, with waaaaay too many things to see, to do it justice in one afternoon. So we concentrated on one area..... SoCo, or South Congress Avenue. It is several blocks south of the capital. And of course, the Austinites LOVE their University of Texas Longhorns. So much so that you see the burnt orange from the University everywhere! We saw this house along SoCo. Couldn't resist sharing a pic.

As I mentioned SoCo is several blocks south of the capital, geographically. But I have to tell ya, it is many miles left of center, politically. In fact, it felt a lot like we had been transported back to Berkeley! As evidenced by one of the local head shops. This was one of a few "art cars" fixed outside the shop. It is totally covered with paste gems. Amazing!

And this was the backdrop for a stage in their parking lot. I'm guessing they have some pretty "far out" concerts there. Know what I mean? (wink, wink)

We started today with coffee on the patio -- what a great way to start the day! Today we had a special guest for the occasion.

I had just gotten outside when this goose walked up. And believe me, he wasn't bashful! When Max came out, the goose walked right up to him.....and started wagging his tail, just like a dog. I kid you not! It was the funniest thing. He enchanted Max so much that I had to provide a piece of bread for Max to feed him. And he understood when the bread was gone 'cause he wagged his tail a few more times and then waddled on. Apparently he has the humans around here very well trained!

To round out our day, we spent some time on the links. Its almost a requirement that one must play golf when it is sunny and warm (about 85 degrees), with light winds. So courtesy of Golfnow.com we found an awesome course called Avery Ranch Golf Club. It is a public course just north of Austin. And honestly, it was setup nicer than some country clubs that we've played in the past. It was certainly much cheaper to play than most private courses. This is the view from one of the holes on the front nine.

We also ran into a herd of deer on the front nine. Keep in mind that this is a very urban area. So we were surprised to see so many. And they were tame enough that I was only about 10 feet from this one when I snapped the pic.

We made it through to the 18th hole and were greeted by this view. The pool is an infinity edge pool that feeds into successive smaller rock pools. What a great way to cap a round of golf. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that we both played pretty well! Grin.

So we've completed yet another beautiful day in Texas......

Cheers,

Dr J

Lake Travis and Austin

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we moved from Galveston to the Hill Country. More specifically, we are northwest of Austin, and right next to Lake Travis. This is a beautiful area on the east side of Hill Country. And we are staying at La Hacienda RV Resort. Here is a pic of the entry to the resort.

In addition to some very nice RV sites, they have some darling cottages.

The area is very hilly and heavily wooded.... I mean HEAVILY wooded. So on our drives, we have only gotten glimpses of the lake. And despite the fact that their drought down here is "officially" over, the lake looks to be seriously low. We hope to find the time in the next couple of days to find a way down to the lake. Our resort is actually on a peninsula to the lake, but not close enough to see or walk to. Maybe we will go down to Hippie Beach. No wait.... That is the local nude beach so at our age, I believe we will pass on that one. Grin.

Gabi managed to start our day off with a smile and a laugh.

If you are wondering what the heck she is doing, she is intently focused on a Cheerio that managed to find its way into the heater vent. Guess we will have to get our the screwdriver tomorrow and liberate that Cheerio!

This afternoon we spent some time in Austin. But it is late now and frankly, I'm tired. So I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

Cheers,

Dr J

Moving Day, Part 2

So today is the day that all the Phillips, plus Mom, go home. But first, they had to finish packing up John and Kaitlyn's apartment. We didn't participate in that endeavor but they filled up: John's truck, Kaitlyn's car, and their RV with all of their stuff. I think that Mom just barely had a spot to sit in the RV on the way back to San Antonio. Grin.

We packed up (much less work than the Phillips had!) and headed to the Hill Country. Roy had pointed out that, right on the way to our destination, is a Camping World. So of course, we had to stop! If you have read my posts in the past, you will know that RVers have a rule that they must stop at a Walmart to shop at least every other day. Well, I discovered that the corollary to that rule is that if there is a Camping World around, any RVer MUST stop in. Grin.

After lunch in their parking lot, we went in to SHOP. Here is Max picking out just the right RV cleaner.

and no, he wasn't grumpy.... He just doesn't like to have his pic taken. Grin.

Camping World. Oh. My. God. What a wonderful place to shop! Unfortunately, it is a lot like Sam's in that I can't get out of there for less than 100 bucks. And we certainly held true to that today. As my sister said, they have things that you didn't know you needed!

When we came back to the trailer, I found Ginger (our almost 13 year old puppy) on top of the island!

When we are on the move, the recliners are turned sideways and the rolling kitchen island is stuffed in between them (it is under that blue blanket). Ginger loves to look out the back window when we aren't there. And the recliner had the end table in it, so she couldn't sit there. We figure that she got up in the couch (to the right of the pic), walked along the couch arm, jumped up the back of the chair, and then walked onto the island. And then..... She couldn't figure out how to get down! She's now our old lady acrobat. Grin.

Anyway, once we rescued Ginger from the island, we continued on to Lake Travis in the Hill Country just northwest of Austin. I'll tell you more about that and the RV resort we are staying at over the next few days.

Cheers,

Dr J

Moving Day, Part 1

The thing about having kids is college is that, sooner or later, the school year is over and you have to move them somewhere. So today we started moving John and Kaitlyn. They have been sharing an apartment right next to campus this past year. And they have to be out by tomorrow. But of course, they are going different directions. John will be starting his first post-college job at Aker Solutions in Houston.... But not until July. Kaitlyn will be doing another summer internship at USAA in San Antonio. So we all trooped over to their apartment today to start the moving process. Fortunately both of them were prepared so most of their stuff was already packed. It is amazing what two college students can amass in the course of one school year! Grin.

We loaded up two trucks with stuff for John's new apartment and the guys took them to a storage unit in Houston. While they were gone, the girls took a detour to go to the A&M bookstore. Here's a pic of Kaitlyn in front of the store.

And after a bit of shopping, I am now the proud owner of an "Aggie Aunt" tee shirt (among other Aggie stuff). :) Nothing better!

Moving day, part 2 will happen tomorrow. In the morning we will pack up the rest of their stuff and cram it into John's trick, or Kaitlyn's car, or Roy and Rochelle's RV. Keep in mind, this isn't just "stuff" like clothes.... It includes a fair amount of furniture as well. Should be interesting! Grin. Then all of the Phillips clan plus Mom will head back to San Antonio. Max, the girls, and I will head to Lake Travis for a few days. It is just northwest of Austin. Our intent on this trip is to explore the east side of Hill Country. And the weather forecast is fine. Yay!

Cheers,

Dr J

It's All About the Graduation

Saturday was all about the graduation.... We started the day by waking to another torrential downpour. Actually we woke several times during the night to heavy rains, thunder, and lightning. What is it about us when we come to Texas.....and all the rain?!?! Sheesh! Depending on which weather report you watch, we've had somewhere between 6 and 10 inches of rain in the last two days. Guess they don't have a drought problem here anymore. Grin. Fortunately it cleared off during the graduation ceremony and we ended up with a beautiful and warm day. And of course, John ended up with that precious diploma. Woot!

We followed the graduation ceremony with a yummy lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. (at times like that, we really miss our friends, the Oelkers. Ron and Judy.... The margaritas were really good!). Then Roy, Rochelle, Max, and I tried to take the girls for a walk on the beach. "Tried" is the operative word here. I really thought that Ginger, who is almost 13 years old, would poop out first. But is was Gabi! Roy was walking along with her and she just stopped, laid down, and flopped over on one side. Chuckle. She really made us laugh! We walked on for a little while longer and she did the same thing a couple more times. (shaking head). Good grief. So Max and I turned and headed back to the trailer. We made it almost the whole way before Ginger decided she needed a break from walking. Max ended up carrying her the rest of the way home. Needless to say, the girls enjoyed a nice long nap in the afternoon! For a graduation celebration dinner, we went to a wonderful Greek restaurant right on the water, on the harbor-side of Galveston. It was REALLY good! Definitely gonna be finding the gym at our next stop on this adventure. Here are Ashley (John's lovely girlfriend), John, and Mom at the celebration dinner.

There was an awesome schooner docked right by the restaurant. And it was framed by a lovely sunset. I know, I know....the pics never do it justice!

Today, the girls get to do some shopping and the guys get to watch tv with their eyes closed. Grin. Happy Mother's Day! Dr J

John Graduates!

And here is the newest college graduate and his proud parents!

A Night and a Day in Galveston

We survived our first major storm in the fifth wheel! This is what the sky and ocean looked like when we arrived yesterday.

And yes, that IS actually the view we have out the back window of the trailer. Sweet! Except that angry looking ocean was a portent of the storm that we were to have overnight. Somewhere around midnight a helluva storm moved through. Torrential rains and really high winds. I mean REALLY high winds. The weather guy this morning said that we had peak wind gusts of 70 mph. Ack! It certainly did buffet the trailer for a few hours. Fortunately the back end of the trailer is facing into the wind so we weren't buffeted broadside. That would have been even more scary! The thunder and lightening started about 2.30am. Of course that woke the girls so they got tospend the rest of the night in our bed. We all managed to get in some sleep, but it was in fits and starts. This morning started off slow but we gained momentum as the day went on We had a great lunch at a place called, appropriately enough, "The Lunch Box" today. It was yummy. Here are John, Mom, and Rochelle waiting for food.

And here are Caroline, Kaitlyn, and Roy awaiting our yummy lunch.

After lunch, John took us on a tour of the Texas A&M campus. If I haven't already mentioned it, the main purpose of this adventure is to celebrate John's college graduation. Here is the graduate next to a huge anchor on campus. Apparently the tradition here is that only seniors are allowed to pass under the anchor. So of course, the proud aunt had to document the moment! Grin.

We capped off the day by introducing Gabi and Ginger to the ocean. Oh. My. God. It was hilarious! Of course, Ginger, our older and wiser dog took a look and basically retreated to the mound of seaweed. But the baby, Gabi, would go out on the sand and then scramble back each time a wave came in. Or.... She would try to eat the bubbles at the edge of the wave. In this pic, she is barking at the wave. Such fun!

A great day in Galveston. And tomorrow ..... An even better day as it is graduation day. Woot! Cheers, Dr J

On the road again.......

As you know, we enjoyed our time last December (in the trailer) enough that we took a leap and got our own fifth wheel setup. We are currently embarked on our first loooong adventure in the new rig. When we picked up our new unit, I was able to squeeze in a couple of exterior pics through the really bad Internet connection we had at the park in Abilene. But some of you have pointed out that I have neglected to post any interior shots of the new unit. So here are a few pics to give you an idea of how we live on the road. This is the kitchen. Compact, but very usable. In the foreground, is a movable island that came with the unit. It is nice.... Not only for the storage, but also for the additional counter space. And you can see, to the right, the steps leading up to the bath and bedroom.

This is a view of the bedroom. We have a queen size bed. Behind that mirror is a closet that spans almost the entire front of the fifth wheel. Next to the closet is a floor to ceiling cabinet. And directly opposite the bed is a chest of drawers with the tv above. And no, I didn't include a pic of the bath, because well, it looks like a bathroom! Grin.

This is a view from the kitchen to the back left side of the trailer. We actually have two recliners at the back of the trailer (you see one of them here). There is a really nice free standing dining table with 4 chairs. And just next to the "dining room" is the larger living room tv. (Sorry, could'nt squeeze that in this pic.)

And then standing in the same place in the kitchen, but looking to the right, you can see the other recliner along with Max and the girls relaxing on the couch.

They've earned some relaxation because we have been on the road the last two days. We left Wichita om Wednesday to head to Texas for our nephew, John, college graduation. We are sooooo proud of him. We drove to Denton Texas on Wednesday and spent the nite at a nice rv park there..... Just north of Dallas. Then we loaded up and drove on to Galveston today. All in all, about 12 hours of driving. Ugh. We are parked at an RV park right on the beach in Galveston. Unfortunately, the wind is REALLY blowing right now, so it is a bit hard to enjoy. Hopefully it will settle down tomorrow and then I'll get some pics of the area for you to see. Until then...... Cheers! Dr J