April 30, 2013

April 30, 2013

It was cold this morning when we got up, and the temperature didn’t get much higher as the day went on.

Bill did some errands this morning, and Michelle went a couple of places this afternoon, but I stayed home all day.

I have a long list of things to do while I’m here in Loveland, but nothing got marked off today.  Bill has a list, also.  I think he made some progress.  I’ll have to get busy or people around here might get the idea that I’m a lazy bum.  I am!  I just don’t want others to know.

Michelle made a quilt for Matthew, but it needs the binding put around the edge.  That’s a job that I can do for her.  It won’t be hard, but it will take some time.

At dinnertime tonight, it started raining.  It wasn’t fiddling around about it.  The rain was really coming down.  And the temperature was dropping.  The weather channel predicted snow for tomorrow.  I’m voting for it, but Bill is voting no!  I hope I win!

April 29, 2013

This morning, when we left Walmart at 8:30, we drove west for seven miles to the Wildlife Museum.  There was a Geocache Adventure Maze set up on the second floor.  The purpose of the exhibit is to introduce people to geocaching, using GPSs, and things like that.  Although the event had a GC number to register the find, it was mainly for “newbies.”

As I was entering the museum area, a little cottontail rabbit hopped across in front of me.  Then, as I came out by another door, it hopped back across my path.  I peeked around the corner of the building and there the bunny sat, being very still.  I took a picture.  Both times I saw the rabbit there were other people around.  He must be use to people in his “yard.”

As we drove through Denver on I-25, we were in the middle lane.  A utility trailer hauling concrete blocks blew a tire.  We heard a very loud noise and pieces of tire came flying at us.  That was a new experience for us...one we don’t want to be involved in again.

As soon as we got to Michelle’s house, she and I went to get Joey and Hapa.  Dwaine had an appointment, so we got to bring the pups to Michelle’s for the afternoon.

Everyone met at Michelle’s for dinner.  Ron grilled hamburgers and Michelle prepared the slaw and baked beans.  Oh, yes!  We had French fries, too.  It was fun to all sit around their table together.  Just wish the rest of the family was here.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 76---Geocaches, 1---Critter sightings, 1 cottontail rabbit.

April 28, 2013

We didn’t leave Lamar until after 9:00.  We had a relaxing morning, watching  an episode of The Lawman while we were eating breakfast and then changing to the Weather Channel.  It showed all of Mississippi being in rain today. 

I remarked that the only weather concerns we have had were the morning we left Brent’s.  By the time we went through Vicksburg the rain had stopped.  It has been dry since then.  Bill’s comment was “Mother Nature is waiting for us in Loveland.”  Their forecast is for snow on Wednesday.

We stopped in the small town of Kit Carson, Colorado.  We found four caches before Bill decided it was nap time.  When he finished “inspecting the insides of his eyelids”  we ate lunch, then got back on the trail.

We stopped at Flying J in Limon for fuel, propane, and to dump the holding tanks.  With that expensive task out of the way, we took I-70 west for several miles before turning onto Hwy. 86.  On the map it looked like a shortcut to Parker, our destination for today.

Let me fill you in on shortcuts to save fuel.  This one didn’t work out that way.  We went up hills and down hills, the highest being 6,600 feet.  

The road went through ranch land and forests.  We saw lots of horse and cattle ranches.  We were even treated to a family of small prairie dogs scurrying to safety by the side of the road.  It was a pretty drive, but hard on Bill. 

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 187---Geocaches, 4---Critters sightings, prairie dogs.

April 27, 2013

We left Amarillo at 7:30 this morning.  To get to Hwy. 287 we had to go through downtown Amarillo.  Add road construction to that and you can imagine how long it took us to get out onto open road.

Soon after crossing into Oklahoma (Honk, honk! Yahoo!) we saw  our first wildlife...antelope.  There were seven of them, standing not too far off the road.  Two of them were very tiny.  I’d guess that’s the spring crop. 

Before long, we did our state line routine for Colorado.  The first town was Campo in the Comanche National Grasslands.  As we drove into the tiny town I saw a flock of prairie chickens.

We parked at Walmart in Lamar in time to find a couple of geocaches.   One of them we had looked for the last time we were here.  Two others avoided us completely.

We spent the evening watching the NASCAR race.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 218--Critter Sightings, antelope and prairie chickens--Geocaches, 2.

April 26, 2013

Bill started today’s journey early this morning.  I slept until 7:30 and then rode in the front seat, wrapped in a blanket like Squaw Woman.

The countryside was flat with oil wells, wind generators, cattle, and not much else.  The farmers were growing winter wheat, so the landscape was very green.

We stopped at a Rest Area to empty our trash.  The sign at the entrance cautioned us to “watch for rattlesnakes.”  Squaw Woman stayed in the motorhome while Brave Bill went to the dumpster.

We had lunch at a Rest Area west of Memphis.  No, we aren’t in Tennessee.  We’re still in Texas.  And, yes, there was a rattlesnake warning, also.

We parked at the Amarillo Walmart for the night.

Mileage for today, 300

April 25, 2013

April 25, 2013

Bill was behind the wheel at 6:15 this morning, heading for Texas.  I was snuggled in bed getting a few extra z-z-z-zs.  I heard him honk the air horns as we went across the Texas state line.  I gave a half-hearted “yahoo” from the back of the coach, but he didn’t hear me.

In Longview, we stopped for breakfast and to fuel the MH.  Soon we were back on the road toward the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  We could hear In-N-Out calling our name!

Today was the opening day of the Bush Library in Dallas.  There were five presidents coming for the occasion.  It makes me wonder...how many gallons of fuel does it take to get Air Force One off the ground.  According to my Air Force source (who shall remain nameless in case this computer is being hacked into) it takes 1,000 gallons of fuel to get a fighter jet in the air.  It must take a whole lot more for AF1 to get the President aloft.

I would say if planes flew on hot air, there’s enough of that in Washington, DC to fly every plane in the country, but you might say I was rude.  Or there might be those who might say I was overly honest.  Whatever!  I also wonder if “everyone” has to stand in a long line because air traffic controllers are being furloughed.  My grandmother would have said “what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,” which translates to “everyone should be treated equally.”  Somehow, I don’t think that applies to these five ganders.

Michelle called to see if there were going to be road closures because of a Presidential visit.  I-25 has been closed in Denver twice because of that.

Well, we got to In-N-Out with no problem.  Yea!!!

Traffic wasn’t too much of a problem except in the downtown area of Ft. Worth and then it was a bit dicey.  Soon we were at Walmart in Decatur.    There was one cache in the parking lot.  That was it for the day!

Travel totals:  Mileage for today, 298--Geocaches, 1.

April 24, 2013

It was raining hard this morning so we delayed our departure.  By 10:30 the rain had let up considerably, so Brent helped Bill hook the Honda on, we said our goodbyes and headed West.

By the time we got onto I-20 the rain was really pouring down, but had quit just before we got to Vicksburg.  It was noon when we crossed the Mississippi River into Louisiana (Honk, honk! Yahoo!).  The river was very full, but not to flood stage yet, it didn’t seem.

We stopped at the Sam’s Club in Monroe for a few supplies.  My card wouldn’t work so I went out empty handed.  That’s the most economical trip I’ve ever had to Sam’s.

We drove on to Minden and parked at Walmart.  On the way in to shop we found a cache not very far from the motohome.  That’s our second for today.

Today’s Travel Totals:  Mileage, 205---Caches found, 2.

April 23, 2013

This will be our last day at Brent’s.  Tomorrow, we plan to “hit the road.”

I asked Brent to choose a place to eat lunch.  We drove toward Jackson.  If he had put a blindfold over my eyes and lead me in to his choice of eating places, I would have known where we were.  Cool Al’s.  The way that I would know was because I stuck to the floor.  After just a few steps inside I had sticky shoe soles.

We like to eat there because the food is excellent.  For several years in a row, their hamburgers have been voted the best in the Jackson area.  Their kitchen is clean (I think), but the rest is questionable.  The chairs and tables are old, but wiped.  It isn’t a fast food place.  A sign at the counter states that you can expect a 20 minute wait for your food.  I haven’t ask how they pass health inspections, but I don’t think I really want to know.  It is an experience!

We got back home in time for me to get Coleson and Sara from school.  Since it was my last day to drive them home, we went to Sonic for treats.  

Brent cooked a really good dinner...a shrimp and pasta dish and crab salad.  Oh, I’m going to miss that boy for more than one reason.

April 22, 2013

I had a couple of errands to do today.  Brent said he would drive me around to the different places.

At the top of the “virtual” list was lunch!  Brent chose Fannin Market.  Before Ed opened his restaurant, we ate at Fannin’s quite often.  Now we seldom go there.  Brent thought this would be a good day for a token visit.

Next, we returned a pecan cracker to Ed.  It was an antique and didn’t do as good a job as the new one we bought.  With it, Bill can clip the ends off and then crack the shell.

After paying Brent’s water bill, we went to Hobby Lobby.  I was in need of a picture frame.  Brent has had them cut some mats for him.  He knew the ropes, so to speak.  It was really great having him take charge of the process.  It took about 30 minutes to get the work done.

By the time we finished everything, it was time to get the kids from school.

I was in charge of dinner tonight.  I didn’t think Brent could survive on “toast as a hot meal,” so I fixed Texas Soul Food.  The pinto beans cooked all day in the Crockpot.  About an hour before we wanted to eat, I made cornbread, and fried some potatoes.  Lori’s homemade relish (called chow-chow) topped off the meal.  Both of the guys complimented me on my cooking.  I hope they don’t expect it to happen very often.  This was a rare occasion!

We spent the evening watching Dancing with the Stars and relaxing.

April 21, 2013

At 10:00 this morning, Bill, Brent, Coleson, and I went to the Waffle House for breakfast.  They were very busy and we had to wait for about 15 minutes.  

There were plenty of people working, but as luck would have it, we had a novice waitress.  She was not young, and it might have been her first day.  She spilled a cup of coffee all over our table.  Brent and Coleson have very quick reflexes.  Only a little splashed on Coleson and none on Brent.  Thankfully, it didn’t come on our side of the table.  Bill and I don’t move nearly as fast as the other two.

Brent orders the same thing when he goes there and he rattled it off to the waitress, as he always does.  She stopped him and had him tell her very slowly.  

Bill and I ordered biscuits and gravy.  I ask for the gravy to be on the side and she said that was the way it came.  No...that was not the case.  I thought she was going to faint when she realized that it was not the way I had asked it to be.  I assured her that it was OK.

Coleson just ordered a side of bacon.  She combined two plates that the cook had left there so Coleson had quite a pile of bacon.  We all helped him eat it.

Bill and I watched the NASCAR race from Kansas.  It was a good race with a lot of passing.  There were a couple of wrecks, but nothing very serious.

When the race was over I went into Brent’s to watch the last half of the Lakers-San Antonio basketball game...the first in the playoffs.  

Just as the game ended, Polly called to say she was coming to get me for a visit.  She and I visited for a couple of hours before going back to Brent’s to eat his delicious pot roast dinner.  Yum, yum!

I enjoy talking to Polly.  She has had an interesting life and has a great husband who works on an offshore oil rig.  We never run out of things to talk about.

April 20, 2013

At noon, Brent came to the motorhome to see if I wanted to go to Brent’s Drug in Jackson.  It was featured in the movie, The Help.  It has been in business for nearly 70 years and is very popular with the locals. 

They are known for their milkshakes.  I ordered chocolate, my favorite flavor.  Their special flavor for the week was sweet potato.  I wasn’t brave enough to try it.  I was disappointed in myself.  Today I just didn’t have any culinary adventure in my soul.

Just around the corner from Brent’s Drug was a bakery that has a reputation for their baked goods.  We went in, but didn’t see anything “to brag about,” so we left having made no purchases.

I took a long nap when we got home.  When I woke up, Brent had gone to Robyn and Wesley’s house, so Coleson and I went and sat in the backyard for a visit with them.  Mike and Amy were there, also.  Robyn and Wesley live two houses from Brent.

The weather was beautiful today, but a bit chilly.

April 19, 2013

During the night we had over 2” of rain.  Plus lots of wind, lightening, and thunder.  It was quite a storm.  This morning it was much cooler than the past few days have been.

Since it was Friday, we went to Ed’s for lunch.  They had a big crowd today.  As usual, the food was very good.  I think I must sound like a broken record.  

We are planning on leaving Brent’s house sometime next week, and we will miss Ed’s good food, as well as Brent’s.  I haven’t had to make Bill toast, which is my version of a hot meal, for several weeks.  Wow, this is great!

Brent, Sara, and I went on an adventure this afternoon.  We drove east into the Jackson area, (I think,) to a consignment store named Repeat Street.  It was a upscale thrift store.  There were lots of clothes, as well as a big furniture and furnishings area...some antiques and some not.  It was a great store to wander around in.  We had a good time and all bought several items.

At 6:00, Bill and I went to visit friends, Paul and Debbie.  With them, we always have a lot to talk about.  We spent about 45 minutes catching up, continued visiting over dinner at Penn’s, and went back to the house to chat some more.  Whee, that was a whole bunch of talking! 

Paul is an engineer for Nissan so there was lots of “car talk.”  One of their son’s is trying to break into the professional music business.  He has made a lot of progress since we last saw them.  So if you ever get a chance to hear the Chad Wesley Band, do so!  It is always good to spend time with special friends.

April 18, 2013

We had threatening clouds and lots of wind most of the day.  And the weather reports all day long have said the storm was headed our way.

I went to Walmart for some groceries before I collected Sara from school.  Brent had taken Coleson to a doctor’s appointment.  His test results all came back OK.  They thought it might be stress related.  

Sara asked her father a question and his answer referred to me as “old and senile.”  I tried to put him in time out like I did when he was little, but I couldn’t manage it.  He’s way bigger than me now, but I threatened him, anyway.

Tonight Willie was chewing on his left paw.  Brent checked him out and found a tick burrowed in between two of his toes.  I guess Willie might have to be included in my tick report for this summer.  Last year I had the dubious honor of winning the tick count.  So far Willie is in the lead.

The wind blew very hard tonight.  At 9:00 rain started to fall...really hard.  And there was lightening to the south.  The thunder was distant and I hope it stays there.

April 17, 2013

April 17, 2013

While Bill changed the oil in the generator and changed the fuel filters, I continued straightening things on the inside.  More fun and games for both of us.

Brent and I went out to lunch.  Bill was too tired to go with us.  We went for Mexican food.  It was good and we had lots of time to talk.  We both will be glad when football season gets here.  Brent hopes the Broncos will play the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.  Then he can give his siblings a hard time when Seattle wins.  Why is he so sure his team will win?  I can see the battle lines being drawn now!

It was Sara’s night to be here.  Coleson's night was last night.  It is fun to have “one on one” time with each of them.

Sara and I went shopping for a couple of hours.  That’s always a fun thing for us to do together.

April 16, 2013

I spent some time this morning “shoveling” out the motorhome.  When we stay one place for awhile we kind of spread out and don’t stay as tidy as we do when we are on the road.  Today I took care of most of the odds and ends.

Brent, Bill, and I went to Ed’s for lunch.  The special today was pork chops.  They also had peach cobbler, one of my favorites!  And for all of you rice eaters, they had rice and gravy as one of their sides.  It must be a Southern thing.  Brent won’t even try it.  I think it is rather good.

Before going home, I went to Verizon while they went to Lowe’s.  Not long after we got home, it was time to get Sara and Coleson from school.  I volunteered!  There is usually a long line of cars, so I like to go a little early.  I sit and work on puzzles on my iPad.

Tonight I watched TV with Brent and Coleson.  I had my head on a pillow on one end of the sofa and Coleson did likewise on the other end.  We shared a blanket in the middle.  He was wiggly at first, but when he got warm and snugly he went to sleep. 

April 15, 2013

April 15, 2013

Today was an important day for these two wanderers...our 53rd wedding anniversary.  I told Bill there were 3 rings involved in a marriage...the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and the suffering!  Actually, I think we have weathered the ups and downs rather well.  

And please remember that today is income tax day!  Ugh!

Bill and Brent worked really hard today.  They replaced the radiator in Brent’s car.  It was a difficult job, but they finished at 5:30.  They were both exhausted, but very glad to have the task out of the way.

This morning I walked about a block to Polly’s house.  She is a friend of Brent’s and now my friend, too.  We visited for about 2 1/2 hours.  Brent stopped by on his way home from the auto parts store to get me.  He needed me to pick the chidren up at school.  That involved stopping at Sonic for treats.  Do you think I am a grandkid spoiler?  I certainly hope so!

The two guys were way too tired to take me out for an anniversary dinner, so in keeping with our tradition of fancy dining on this special day,  I went to Taco Bell for three 5 layer burritos.  I think we just added to our “anniversary practice dining” list...Burger King and now Taco Bell.  I wonder what excitement next year will bring.

April 14, 2013

There was a thunderstorm that hit a little before 4:00 this morning, followed by a steady rain until about 11:00.

Bill and I went for an early practice lunch at Burger King.  Tomorrow will be our anniversary and we haven’t practiced much lately.  

From BK we went to Walmart to stock up on a few things for our new frig...ice cream and things like that.  A few of the necessities of life.

We hadn’t been home long when Brent came to see if I wanted to see go with Sara and him.  Of course, I never miss a chance to go!  We drove to Jackson.  Close to a very large hospital is a restaurant that specializes in Greek food.  I had a soda and a small cup of black bean soup.  

Afterwards, we drove through some of the old neighborhoods to see the large old homes.  Most of them were well maintained with beautiful landscaping.  We also went to the old area of small shops, including Brent’s Drug Store, which were all in the movie, The Help.

It was a fun afternoon. 

April 13, 2013

Bill went to Home Depot this morning to get our new refrigerator.  Brent’s next door neighbor, Mr. Bill, took Pa in his pickup.  Brent was there to help with the unloading and unpacking.  They removed both doors before attempting to get it into the motorhome.  

Bill and Brent were very tired when they finally got it in place.  Bill plugged it in and it got cold very quickly.  Our inverter should be here Monday and once it gets installed that project should be finished.

At 4:00, we went to Mike and Amy’s for a crawfish boil.  It was a party for Mike’s 30th birthday.  There were about 40 adults there, a dozen kids, and four or five dogs.  Things never got dull. 

Amy had hired a DJ and the music was very loud.  It rocked the backyard. One of the next door neighbor’s, who is disgruntled about some things between the neighbors, called the police twice.  I have to admit it was loud, but it was the middle of the afternoon.  Had it been at midnight I would have agreed with the complaint, but I think there were “sour grapes” involved.  

Bill came later, after a well deserved nap, but he didn’t stay long. The music was way too loud for him. 

Brent took a picture of the officer handcuffing me and sent it to his sisters with the caption “Our mom the rebel!.”  Meredith was the only one who responded.  Her comment was “I knew it would happen sooner or later.”  So far, the other sibs haven’t chimed in.  Maybe they are out trying to arrange bail.

I came home at 8:00.  Bill and I watched the NASCAR race from Texas.  That was a great way to end a very busy day.

April 12, 2013

A beautiful day today with a clear blue sky...Yea!

Bill spent the morning removing the old refrigerator.  Two guys came and carted it off for us.  They sell some of the things they pick up and take some to a scrap metal place.  On their truck was a router that they let me have.  I’ll take it to Dwaine.  If he decides it is something he can’t use, there’s always Habitat, my favorite thrift store.

We went to lunch at Ed’s.  As usual, the food was good.  I had also discovered that there was a cache hidden somewhere on the property.  We were able to find it without too much trouble.  On the way home, we stopped at Lowe’s.  The two B’s shopped and I chose to stay in the car.

I spent most of the afternoon working on geocaching things.  Bill was very tired from all of the tugging and removing the frig.  I had trouble getting him to rest.

Brent made a great dinner...chicken, potatoes and onions sliced very thin and baked in foil, and fresh corn.  I can’t help it and I know I’m repeating myself, but he is a wonderful cook.

April 11, 2013

Rain greeted us this morning and hung around most of the morning.  Luckily, no tornados were predicted.  One hit Mississippi yesterday, but it wasn’t close to Brandon.

“Sara patrol” involved getting her up and making sure she stayed up.  All went well until Grandpa discovered her lunch didn’t make it into school with her.  He took it back to her.  We’ve become rusty at the school thing over these past few years.

Coleson had his colonoscopy this morning, and was groggy for part of the afternoon, but perked up later in the day.  They will get the results early next week, hopefully.

Sara and I went to Sonic for special treats after I picked her up at school.  Coleson liked the things we brought him...a watermelon slushy and mozzarella sticks.  He was a happy camper.

Bill and I went to Home Depot and purchased a refrigerator.  We’ll pick it up Sunday or Monday.  He also ordered the kind of inverter we will need to run the new frig.  It should be here by Monday.  Then Bill and Brent start the job of installing both new things.  That’s when the fun begins!

April 10, 2013

Still no storm...yet!

Today, Coleson was doing the prep for his colonoscopy.  As part of his “entertainment,” we watched a movie, Cars 2.  He spent quite a bit of time on the computer, too.

Tonight he came out to the MH and said he was starving.  I showed him some sympathy, but reminded him of the importance of the test he’s having tomorrow.  He said if he felt like it when he got back, could we go geocaching.  I said, “Absolutely!”

Bill and I will be on “Sara patrol” tomorrow.  We are to get her up and take her to school.  Depending on how soon Brent and Coleson get back, we may even fetch her home.  Everyone has cell phones so it is easy to keep in touch.                                                  

April 9, 2013

We had a little rain this morning, but some of the clouds cleared and then we had sunshine. In the afternoon a brisk wind started blowing some threatening clouds in.  Mississippi is kind of like many other places we visit...if you don’t like the weather, hang around for 10 minutes and see what comes up next.

Bill and I went several places this morning...Verizon, Penney’s, a pecan shop, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Since we are no longer in In-N-Out country we decided to go to Five Guys.  They claim to be the best burger joint in the country.  Our burger was good and so were the fries, but not better than In-N-Out, and our meal cost nearly twice as much.

The only way to compare the two as far as business is concerned is to go to Yuma, where they are across the street from each other.  In-N-Out will be packed with customers and Five Guys will have only four or five cars parked there.  I rest my case!  In-N-Out is better!

Tonight we went to Robyn and Wesley’s house for tacos, etc.  It was a nice evening so we sat outside to eat, but before we finished eating a really strong wind began to blow.  So far, no rain yet though. 

April 8, 2013

April 8, 2013

This cloudy, kind of cool morning was a good day to do some refrigerator shopping.  

We went to several places, including Home Depot.  At noon, we were in the area of Miskelly’s, so we went to their snack bar for lunch.  In spite of the fact they don’t sell appliances, we were glad we went there because lunch was good.

Still no decision on the refrigerator project, but we’ll keep at it.

Brent took Coleson to the doctor today for his intestinal problems.  He had a cat scan and will have a colonoscopy on Thursday.  I’ll keep you posted.

Bill and I watched Dancing With The Stars tonight.  When it was over, we switched channels and watched the second half of the National Basketball Championship.  It was a close game which made it fun to watch.  

April 7, 2013

April 7, 2013

We didn’t see much of the sun today, but the temperature was mild, which was great.

We watched the NASCAR race today  It had some exciting parts.  Most of our favorite drivers did well in the race,  but we were most excited about Danica Patrick’s performance.  Because of an engine change, she started at the very back.  At the end of the race she was in 12th place.  She did a great job!

Brent cooked dinner tonight...Mexician food.  He made some kind of chicken and flour tortilla concoction.  It was really, really good.  He is absolutely amazing with some of the things he puts together.

Lori called tonight to tell us when JP will have his graduation ceremony from Sonoma State.  It will be on my birthday, May 11.  That will be two things to celebrate on that day.

May 6, 2013

April 6, 2013

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Mississippi when we got up this morning.  It would have been a great day for caching, but that was not to be.

Bill and I went refrigerator shopping.  Our refrigerator still works, but it is getting less and less efficient.  We want to put in a residential one which will involve a different inverter and some remodeling.  We’ll see if it all comes together!

At 4:00, we went to a crawfish boil at a neighbor’s house.  There were about 30 people there.  I have no idea how many pounds of crawfish were boiled, but it was a lot.  Plus red potatoes, corn on the cob, mushrooms, pearl onions, and Brussels sprouts were all cooked in the same huge pot with the crawfish.  In the second round of cooking, Italian sausage was added to the mix.  The third round had shrimp instead of crawfish.  It was really good.

Oh, yes! There was a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting for desert.  We didn’t leave hungry!  Neither Bill nor I ate many crawfish, but there was so much else to eat that we left with happy tummies!

April 5, 2013

Bill was on the road at 6:30 this morning.  I was there, too, but asleep.  When we went across the Mississippi River into Sippi, Bill honked really loudly.  I roused enough to give a sleepy “yahoo.”  

We pulled into the Walmart parking lot in Vicksburg to eat breakfast, and then continued on to Brent’s in Brandon.

Willie was so excited to see us when we drove up in front of Brent’s house.  He ran to me and then to Bill and then ran in circles in the front yard.  He was as happy to see me as I was to see him.  I just didn’t run circles in the grass.

We got there in time to go to Ed’s for catfish dinner.  It was so-o-o good.  We hadn’t had catfish since we left here in early January.

At Ed’s, we saw Amy, one of Brent’s neighborhood friends.  She was having a cookout, with hamburgers and all the trimmings, and we were invited.  It was great to see all of Brent’s friends who are our friends, too.

April 4, 2013

It was cold and damp this morning.  Bill turned on our cataleptic heater which Natalia dubbed our fireplace although there are not actual flames. 

I was very careful as I warmed myself in front of it.  Not so about a month ago.  I was wearing pajamas with loose legs.  Bill said he could smell something burning.  My pjs weren’t on fire, but they were melting!  Yikes!  So if you hear of a fashion revival of hot pants, it was me that started it!

We celebrated Louisiana with a honk, honk, and a loud “yahoo!”  The wildflowers on both sides of the state line were beautiful...huge patches of yellow or orange or white or red.

Our stopping place for today was Monroe, at a Sam’s Club.  We went in for Pizza.  It was colder and misting when we came back home.

Hopefully, tomorrow we will get to Brent’s.

Mileage today...164.

April 3, 2013

It was cold and damp this morning when we left Stephenville.  Betty came by on her break from work and brought a big box of pecans she had picked up at a friend’s pecan orchard.  They are really good.

Our first destination was the In-N-Out in the Fort Worth area.  It will be our last opportunity for our favorite “cult” burgers for a long, long, time.  That’s sad, but we’ll just have to suffer!  (Insert a sigh here, please.)

One way to know for sure that you are in Texas is to count the pickups in a high school parking lot.  If there are more pickups than cars...yup, y’all are in Texas.

We got as far as the Walmart in Longview.  The clouds were thick, but we didn’t have any moisture.  The drive through the Fort Worth-Dallas area was uneventful.  Traffic was moderately lite.  That was great.

Driving through East Texas was pleasant.  The new grass and the leaves coming out were a pretty contrast to to the dark green of the pine trees.

Mileage for today...228.

April 2, 2013

April 2, 2013

Yesterday it was quite warm in Sweetwater. This morning it was 45°, with a mist in the air.  In Oregon we might have called it “mizzle”  (between mist and drizzle).  Or we might have called it “sea dust.”  Whatever it’s called here, it’s cold.

The blue bonnets are blooming by the side of the road.  The Texas state flower is always pretty at this time of year.  They grow wild in lots of places.  Now is their special time!

Part of our trip to Stephenville was through rain with very dark clouds and lightening.  By the time we parked at Walmart the rain had stopped, but the clouds were still dark and menacing looking.

Betty, Bill’s niece, came for a visit.  Her husband, Billy was sick with a bad cold, a cough, and fever so we didn’t get to see him.  We took Betty out to dinner.  It was good to have some time to visit with her.  She has been counting the time until they can “hit the road” like Bill and I are doing.  She and Billy are making all sorts of plans.

It was cold and windy when we came home after dinner.

Today’s Totals:  Mileage, 147

April 1, 2013

April 1, 2013

Another month has rolled around and that’s not an April Fool’s joke.  There’s nothing funny about how quickly the months and years are flying by.

Just a few minutes after leaving Hobbs we crossed into Texas.  I was talking to Meredith and she heard our state line celebration.  She “yahooed” right along with me, but not as loudly as I did.  The people in her office might not have understood.

This part of Texas is very flat, and mostly used for farming and cattle, with an occasional oil well now and then. According to some of the signs around, they are growing cotton, peanuts, and winter wheat.

Michelle flew to San Jose yesterday.  There is a trade show in San Francisco and she will represent the company she works for.  When she got off the plane, the first place she went was to In-N-Out (It runs in the family)...and they were closed for Easter!!  She said that’s just about the worse thing that’s happened to her in a long, long time.  The thought of what she must have gone through is beyond description.

At Snyder, we turned toward Sweetwater.  This is farm country, with hundreds and hundreds of wind generators.  They were all turning.  Ever once in awhile there would be an oil well among them.

Sweetwater is the home of the world’s largest rattlesnake roundup.  It was two weeks ago.  Shucks, we missed it.  Bill doesn’t want to eat rattlesnake.  He just wants to catch one!  I have a king sized picture of that one!  How about you?

Travel Totals:  Mileage, 181---Geocaches, 2---Critter sightings, 8 little donkeys.