I awoke and looked out of the window to discover it was a very dull and overcast day and so jumped back into bed just to snooze. Lazy bugger, eventually crawling out when the sun started shining. We went walking wandering around the outside roads, on the way, passing Daniel who was busy trimming the low branches inside the park where they overhang the road and the campsites. We did not stop but just waved to him as we passed not wanting to distract him from the dangerous work.  

We wandered around and then made our way back to Quatro for breakfast. The deer had managed to tip one of the feeders even with my concocted method of stabilizing them and I spent time refilling it and then tried to make them more deer proof. 

Incidentally, the Covid booster that I had on Monday left me with a sore throat and an even more runny nose than usual. My sinuses are very active at the moment. Still better than catching Covid. I posted yesterday’s blog and then looked around for something else to get up to. 

Just for the hell of it, I turned both the inside of the RV and the storage areas upside down in the hope of finding either the missing camera carrier or maybe even the missing glasses. Needless to say, no luck with either. All was not wasted as I did come across a couple of other useful things plus discarded a few others to make more storage room. Incidentally, it is not just about finding more space but also to relieve some of the extra unnecessary weight that we haul around. 

We harnessed up and walked around the park and hit one of the outside roads, walking it all the way to the bottom. When I stand at the top of that road and look down the hill, I swear it is at least a mile long but in actuality, it is only half of that. Just wishful thinking on my part. 

I sat and listened to an Audiobook sitting outside and moving my deck chair to follow the sun. Daniel stopped by and we talked for a while. Interesting chap to talk to. Mikey even went to him but only briefly as his job is to protect me, from behind I might add, at least that is how he sees it. Me between him and any perceived trouble makers. Daniel left and it started to cool off and we went back inside to continue listening. 

All of the inactivity must have made me tired as I started dozing off and had to make myself start moving around to counteract the feeling. Not like I had been exceptionally busy as I had not. In fact, the opposite. 

I turned on the TV and watched a Premier League game which was exciting enough to keep me awake and at the same time ate the evening meal. 

Written January 18, 2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

The Diary of an Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, Dripping Springs, TX Day 50, Thursday 01/19/2023

It was another beautiful morning as we wandered around the park although I had to put on a long-sleeved shirt as the breeze had a bite to it. We ran into Daniel who informed me that he was changing his habits and was going to walk around on the first inspection of the day to get some exercise. Good for him. Someone called him by name, and he rushed off to offer his help and we moved on with our walk. We only walked the park and came back up Henly Loop re-entering by the top entrance before returning to Quatro for breakfast. 

I took care of a couple of chores and for some reason, time was going by slow as it was still only 1:00 pm. I thought about it for a bit and decided that it would be a great idea to go to Reimers Ranch Park and do some hiking. Without further ado, I began to prepare. First though, I did another search for the missing camera belt without any success so it looked increasingly like it would be the chest carrier that I have. The trouble with it is that it is hot as its envelopes both my back and my chest. Neither does it have a water bottle carrier, a necessity for dogs. 

I threw everything in the car, making sure I had all that I needed, and we drove the 25 miles to Reimers Park, this time by the direct route. It is always interesting to drive with the dogs as they vie for the best spot on my lap. Mikey is the smart one and he sits there the minute that he gets in the car. Sandy has still not learned first dibs and so she ends up squeezing into the small space that Mikey leaves her. At least, they have not come to blows, yet… 

They are used to it and if nothing distracts them from outside, we drive fine although I am always aware and ready for any sudden moves. We arrived at the Ranch, and I was checked in by a couple of young people who took one look at me and said $3.00, please. One advantage to being older although I would gladly give up that advantage in a minute if my years somehow decreased. Heck, I would gladly pay full price, whatever that is to be younger again. Oh well!  

It being a weekday, the park was not remarkably busy, and I pulled into one of the parking lots and prepared to walk after strapping on my camera and grabbing one of my walking poles. I can only use one pole when I have the dogs’ leash in the other hand. This time, I chose to walk one of the bike trails which does not run in a straight line but zig zags and winds around quite a bit.  

The regular hiking trails are usually straighter lines, sort of. We had the trail to ourselves as we walked briskly along. Because it was a bike trail, there were very few distracting smells that tended to sidetrack the dogs, especially Sandy and we made good time. Sandy plonked down a couple of times for a rest, so we stopped until she was ready to go again. Mikey did not need to rest but his heart is not really into long walks or hikes and only goes with us because Sandy would have me all to herself, otherwise. He actually is a very fit little guy and trots along with no problems, but you can tell that hiking is not one of his favorite occupations. 

Altogether, we covered a little over 2 miles and will try to build that up by doing more walking there. As we had to come back through Dripping Springs on our way back, the Jeep, all on its own, headed for Starbucks. I, of course, did not stop it and ordered the usual Latte and piece of Walnut cake that was shared with the dogs on the way back to Henly. Not coffee, though. 

Driving down Henly Loop towards the campground, I spotted some deer and a couple of Zebras in the Wildlife Park next door. I have not seen much in there lately and I imagine they are following the grass which is in short supply because it is winter, now. 

I considered that we had done enough walking for one day and we adjourned inside for the rest of the evening. 

Written January 19, 2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com