I Found Them

In my last blog I mentioned how much I love springtime in Texas and all the wildflowers.  So today we left Fort Worth on the first leg of our journey south.

We weren't down Hwy. 281 very far when we had to stop for

these guys to make it across the road.

  It was about this time that we really begin to see the

Bluebonnets in more than just small patches.  The further we drove the

the more we saw.

We also came across this

crazy yard art.

By this time, we were getting hungry and discovered that we were

close to Llano, which means that we were close to

Cooper's Barbeque, one of Mark's favorites.  I chose chicken and Mark chose brisket and we got some goat ribs to try.  Much to my disbelief, they were really good.  I would definitely get them again.

For those who have never been to a Cooper's....you chose your meat directly from the big smoke pit, then it is weighed inside.  Potato salad, coleslaw, and dessert are extra, but you can have all the beans you want, they are included in your meal.  Loaves of bread are already on the tables.

After a great lunch, it was time to get on towards our destination for the next couple of days...

Fredericksburg.  We made our way down main street and on to

the RV Park.  We set up without any trouble, grabbed jackets, and cameras and headed to the

Wild Seed Farms.  Wow...we saw

one red poppy...

two red poppies...

three red poppies...and then we saw

  a whole field of red poppies!

And fields of

red and pink poppies and

rows of yellow, while, and orange poppies!

But only in Texas will you find

Red, White, and Blue bonnets!

Yes, today, I found the wildflowers I came in search of and enjoyed everyone of them.  It is definitely Spring time in Texas!

Looking Forward...

We always enjoy being in Fort Worth with family, but we are always ready to get back on the road to continue our great journey.  And, that time is here.

One of the things I enjoy most about Spring are the beautiful

wildflowers that bloom along the highways.  So, on Monday, we are going to make our way down through the Texas Hill Country to Fredericksburg where we are planning to spend a couple of days.

From the Hill Country, we will head to

Retama Village in South Texas where we stayed this winter.

Since leaving there, we have discussed what a great place it was and how much we enjoyed the facilities and meeting so many great people.  And, after being away from there and after much discussion...yes, no, maybe, should we, should we not, why would we want to...we have decided to purchase one of the RV lots in Retama Village.

So, with that decision being made, we will be closing on the property next week and spending a few days with Sarah and Richard, the current property owners.  We are both pleased with our decision and look forward to using it...sharing fun times with both friends and family.

After taking care of business and enjoying the

pool for a few days, we will be making our way across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to Red Bay, Alabama.

Once we have settled into Camp Red Bay, we will again attempt to have Tiffin fix our front a/c unit before the warranty is out.  In addition, I want a little cabinet work done...adding a shelf here and a shelf there, plus I would like to have some inside step covers made.  And, then, when we have had enough time at Camp Red Bay, we will make our back to Texas.  By this time it will be time to get on with summer plans...and

This summer our plans start on June 1...we will be taking Caden and Koutney to the Yogi Bear Lone Star Park in Waller, Texas.  This will be their summer trip, only a one week trip, but for two year olds they will think they have been on a big trip.  We will return them to Fort Worth and have about a week or so to re-group, and be ready for the next trip with Andrew, Lauren, and Zachary.

We are planning to go Northeast with the highlight being The Statue of Liberty, but these plans are in jello right now.   These three have traveled with us every summer for most of their whole life and I promise that wherever we go with them will be a great time and not soon forgotten.

Looking on down the road...we have reservations to attend Nick's Rally in Elkhart, Indiana the end of August and the Escapade Rally in Goshen, Indiana in September.  After which, all plans are in the planning stages and will fall into place as that time rolls around.

In this lifestyle, it is great to be able to take one day at a time and plan and re-plan, but it is nice when that plan falls into place and we watch it unfold.  And, as always, we hope we get to meet up with those we know, and look forward to meeting those that God has yet allowed to cross our path.

See you in a campground soon!

Just Catching Up…

Wow, the days since I last posted have been busy ones.   And, even though we aren’t out traveling the highways and the byways, we have had a lot to keep us busy.

So, let me see…we arrived home on Easter Sunday in time to enjoy

all the grandkids.  They had a great time with their

  confetti eggs.  The action got a little wild between

brother and sister.  It was all in good fun, but when it was all over, it was time to

clean up the mess.  And, while Caden did the clean up…

Kourtney was counting and making sure that all of her confetti eggs were still in one piece.

What a good day we had with the kids.

Then,  Monday came and it was time to get on top of the chores.  We also were looking forward to seeing Weldon and Sandy come in town for a few days.  They needed some service work at Camping World.  It was really great to spend some time with them.  We visited, we shopped, we ate, and we visited some more.  And, first thing we knew the week had passed by and it was time for them to return to their home base in East Texas.  It was so nice to have them here and fun to get caught up with old friends.

It was then the weekend again and more grandkid fun…there was gymnastics, soccer, baseball, and hockey.  Wow, I think we covered them all!

We also enjoyed getting back to our home church.  It is always nice to visit and worship with our long time friends.

WHAT….it’s Monday already again?  And, time for me to rise, shine, and head out for Jury Duty.   It has been a long time since my name came up for this community service.  Here in Texas, jurors are picked by a lottery system from your driver’s license.  So, it is just the luck of the draw…and today…almost 500 of us lucky folks gathered at the Tarrant County Court House and waited and waited.

Finally, my name was called to join a pool of 60 of those other lucky folks.  We were sent to a Criminal Court where the final 12 would be chosen to hear a case of Capital Murder.  After all day of questions, recesses, questions, and more recesses, the 12 were named and the rest of us were released from our duty.  So, at almost 6:00, I called Mark to come to pick me up.  It was a long day, but very interesting.

Yesterday, Mark had his annual visit with the doctor and got a see you next year report!  That is the kind of report we like.

I was not as fortunate with my appointment with my orthopedic doctor.  He indicated that my broken collarbone was not healed and I would need to return next month for an additional x-ray.  It doesn’t hurt and he said it would just take time and if in 5 or 6 months it isn’t healed, then we would discuss surgery.

There was also a dental appointment for me…my regular cleaning, etc.

We also got our taxes done, and yikes, no deductions this year so we got to pay back a little money.  We discussed a few options with Paul, our taxman, and we are in the process of looking into a few options.

With all of our appointments behind us, we are now working on summer and fall plans and anxious to get back out on the road.

Stayed tuned to how those develop.

An Easter Blessing Just For You!

As Mark and I reflect on what Easter means to us…we want to take time to wish each of you a blessed day!

He is Risen!

San Antonio….A Great Good Friday!

Early yesterday, we

pulled out from the Last Resort, leaving Rockport behind to head North.  First, we made a stop at Freightliner where we finally got

the recall part installed for the adjustable brake pedal.  We didn’t have to wait too long, and soon we were headed up Highway 37.

All along the way, we enjoyed the

beautiful Texas wildflowers that bloom along side the highways.

It wasn’t long until we fell in behind

Bob and Molly and Mac and Lynette.  We followed them until they turned off for a fuel stop and that is where we waved bye to them.  You guys have fun in Bourne…and we hope to see you soon.

We continued on and made it through San Antonio without any trouble and on to the

Stone Creek RV Park in Schertz.  Deb and Rod were not far behind us and settled in on the row just behind us.

After we all rested up from the travel today, we headed out to a great little Pizza and Sandwich place.  We then all called it an early evening.

Today, we were up early.  I made waffles for the four of us before we loaded up and headed out for a self guided tour of the San Antonio Missions.

First stop was at

Mission San Jose.  This is were the visitor center was located and

Deb and I got the official date stamp for our National Park Passport Book.  In addition, we got a stamp for each of the mission churches.

Once we had our books stamped, we were off to see each of the churches.

This is San Jose, it

was founded in 1720, and it is best known of the Texas Missions.  One of the things that caught my eye was this

beautiful window.  It is known as Rosa’s Window.

Next was

Mission San Juan.

This

mission was originally known as San Jose de los Nazonis in East Texas.  In  1731, it was moved to it’s permanent home on the San Antonio River’s east bank.  The fertile farmland soon made it a regional supplier of produce.

While here, we enjoyed

a back trail that took us down by

river.  We enjoyed lots of

beautiful flowers.

We were also entertained by

this little lizard, and this

little lady bug, as well as

this bee who was busy about his work day.

Well, we had to get on about our day as well…so it was off to

Mission Espada.  This mission was

founded in 1690, and was also moved from East Texas in 1731.  It looks nearly as remote now as it did in the mid-1700’s.  This mission was known for teaching the Indians a trade.  Men learned  blacksmithing, carpentry, masonry, stonecutting, and cloth weaving.  It was the only mission that made bricks.  These trades were a boon to San Antonio’s post-colonial growth and the mission’s artisans’ influence can be seen all through the city of San Antonio.

I so enjoyed all the beautiful

flowers that were planted around the grounds of the mission.  And, yet another beautiful

window.  Ellie, the windows are for you!

Last on the mission trail was

Mission Concepcion.  This mission

was transferred from East Texas in 1731.  The church looks essentially as it did in the mid 1700’s.  This church is being

resorted to show the beautiful designs that have faded away.

This concludes the missions that are listed on the National Parks Mission Trail, but we wanted to visit one more.  And, that was

Mission San Antonio de Valero.  Better known to us as The Alamo.  It was founded in 1718, and was the first mission on the San Antonio River.  And, we know the rest of the story!

By this time, it was mid-afternoon and our waffles had long since left us, so we headed to Market Square

and located

La Margarita where we enjoyed a great Mexican food lunch.  Afterwards we made a quick stop by Mi Tierra’s

bakery for a few goodies.

From here we decided it was time to head back to Schertz before things picked up pace…as San Antonio is the site of

a little weekend basketball.  LOL!

What a great day and how special it was to tour the missions on Good Friday.