We came across a large buck standing on the other side of the fence and for the longest time, as we watched, he just stood there not moving. I took a couple of pictures as we walked on, several steps apart and they both appeared to be the same and then I noticed in the second picture, the buck has lifted one leg. We moved on as I am sure did the buck. The beauty of Nature and how anyone can shoot and kill such a magnificent creature, is beyond me. 

Christmas Day and we awoke to a bright, cheerful and sunny day and it was below freezing. The water inside the RV was still frozen although it did make some attempt to flow when I tried it and the pump at least is working. Obviously, it needs to thaw out a lot more before we find out if there is any damage. 

We went out walking and the temperature was just above the freezing mark, and I had foregone the long track bottoms that I have been wearing and was in my usual attire of shorts and a jacket. As I did not feel cold, we walked around the park and down the road for a bit, but we did not see any other campers out and about. All indoors opening their Christmas presents, no doubt. 

Back in Quatro, I fixed breakfast which I shared with the dogs and then settled down to read the World news followed by emails. I received several wishing me seasons greeting which pleased me enormously and grateful for those people for taking the time to remember this old man and his dogs. 

We had nothing planned for the day mainly because we did not have any wheels plus with-it being Christmas Day and all, nothing would be open. On the other hand, it is a good thing that the employees get time off to celebrate Christmas with their families. 

I spent some time tidying up Quatro before we harnessed up and went out walking Henly Loop, this time almost all the way to the other end where it is more residential. Normally, we stay away from here as the traffic is much busier but just as I hoped and expected everyone was indoors. See the pictures above.

We finished the walk and adjourned inside of Quatro and sat around, listening to an Audiobook. Well, I listened, and the dogs zonked off in their respective spots, Mikey next to me and Sandy on the other recliner. 

Time passed and I took the dogs out for the final walk of the day. It was beginning to cool off again as we wandered around the park. There is a light overnight frost in the forecast. Altogether, we covered almost 2 miles for the day, a good days walking. 

The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way although I did manage to complete the last episode of “Deliverance”. I thoroughly enjoyed that series. The English Premier League returns again tomorrow. Hooray. 

Written December 25, 2022. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

The Diary of an Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, Dripping Springs, TX Day 26, Monday 12/26/2022 – Boxing Day in England.

Last Years frost

We got up at a reasonable hour although, still without running water and making do with the bottled stuff. Clean my teeth and splash some on my face and that was the extent of it. Lots of body lotion and deodorant for the rest of me. Still, it really does not matter that much as I am not planning on being close to anyone else and those that I do encounter are in the same boat as me. The dogs do not care as they are well used to all my scents and smells. 

We went out for a walk around the park enough to get some exercise, just wandering around. Every time Mikey and I were ready to head back to the RV, Sandy would take off in another direction. This happened several times until I had to get firm and direct her to where I wanted to go, which was back to the RV. 

The temperatures were climbing all the time and this cold front is expected to be over by tomorrow morning. Hopefully, the tanks and pipes will quickly thaw out and we will see what damage if any, or if we are very lucky, has not occurred. In the meantime, we continue with bottled water although, if I do not get my Jeep back in the next couple of days, we will be out of it. All part of the toils and tribulations of living in an RV which make life interesting, to say the least. Incidentally, I have been saving the empty bottles which I will refill as I need to now that the water is back on. 

The Christmas Holiday season is over for another year although we do still have the upcoming New Year’s Eve and then New Year’s Day to celebrate. To me, these are more important as they stand for a new beginning to another year but then again, I am not much of a religious person, anymore. On the plus side, the English Premier League returns with lots of games over that time period. 

Talking of games, I suddenly realized that it was already tomorrow and that the games were already here and without further ado, we watched Wolves versus Fulham. Then I started to watch the first half of Brighton versus Southampton, a local derby from my neck of the woods. Brighton is also the team that my Great, Great Grandson, Solly March, plays on. 

At halftime, with Brighton leading 2-0, Sandy started giving me “The Look” which indicated that she had to “go”. With a big sigh, I turned off the TV and harnessed up the dogs and we went out walking and managed to cover a bit over 2.0 miles for the day before returning back to Quatro where I decided to look at whatever frost damage I might find. 

I hooked up the water hose and turned it on and water came out everywhere, much to my alarm. I turned it back off and then inspected the damage. There are two filters inside the RV and both of them are in the outside plumbing compartment and have both frozen and split. One is easy to replace as it is only the filter that is damaged but the other is more serious. This one has a filter placed inside a plastic housing which is a part of the plumbing system. This housing has split and has fallen off and needs to be replaced.  

There was nothing I could do except disconnect the hose, again…and then when I got back inside, I made the call to James, the travelling RV mechanic who texted me back that he is on vacation and will not be back for a week. The situation is further aggravated by not having the Jeep, although, with water at the outdoor spigot, I can refill the plastic bottles to save on buying more. That must have been one hell of a freeze to cause that much damage inside that compartment and these filter units are not the sort that can be covered, insulated or even drained. I should have taken them off completely as the water was shut off. Hindsight is a wonderful thing…

Giving up on the water problem for the day, I adjourned back inside of Quatro and let my frustrations disappear as I finished watching the Brighton game with Brighton coming out the winners and Solly involved in one of the goals. So proud that he is my great, great grandson and living my dream.

Written December 26, 2022. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com