It was a dull, cloudy and cool day when we went out for that first walk. We ran into Daniel and Sonny, and they invited me over to have coffee with them in the break room. I put the dogs back in The Caboose and wandered over and spent the next 20 minutes enjoying their conversations and company. 

Back in the RV, I fixed breakfast, this time without the usual coffee as I had already drunk that and watched as one of the campers in the temporary section pulled out. He is the one with the two well-behaved hound dogs. I wished them a “Safe Journey” as they left to places unknown. 
 
I did a quick check of emails and ignored the world news completely figuring that if something drastic had happened, I would already know about it. Instead, I got ready for the drive into Austin where I had an appointment with my Audiologist. One of my hearing aids had gone bad and she had sent it away for repair. 

The drive in was uneventful and my first stop was at Walmart’s on the way in to exchange the tire covers I had bought a couple days ago. I found some of the proper size for my wheels and hurried out of the door.  

My Audiologist’s office is on the same road, Ben White Blvd in Austin. I was getting ready to park the car and waited as a female driver finished parking and got out. The trouble was, she was halfway across two parking spaces which are at a premium in this particular parking lot. Usually, I just shake my head in wonderment but this time, remembering the last time I was here and trying to park, which took forever finding an empty space, I rolled down the window and politely but in a loud voice, asked her to park her car properly and to think of the next person looking for a spot. 

I think I surprised her as she looked up startled and quickly said that she would move it and park it correctly. I did not wait to find out if she did as I moved on and found another parking space. I entered the lobby and walked towards the elevators just as she walked through the main doors. Needless to say, I did not hold the elevator for her. Some people… 

The Audiologist, Rita, met me at the front desk and went with me back to her office which was no bigger than a large cubicle and fiddled around working on both hearing aids. Finally, she hooked me up to them and ran a few tests. We both agreed that they were now OK, and she disconnected me from the testing gadget. 

We discussed new hearing aids as mine apparently are several years old, and the insurance company will no longer cover them. The cheapest new ones are around $2000.00 each, compatible with what I paid for the original ones and then they go up from there as different tweaks are added. It is not like I need new ones as mine are now working perfectly well. 

I thanked her and left the building, jumped in my car and headed back to Henly. I stopped at Starbucks and this time bought a different drink, the first change for me since coffee was invented. The drive was uneventful, and the new drink tasted good. Traffic was light and I made good time. I stopped at the Home Depot in Dripping Springs and looked at the outdoor lumber that I needed to build a hand rail to the steps. I ended up buying two 4 x 4 posts and a bag of Ready-Mix concrete. 

Back at The Caboose, I unloaded my goodies and then opened the door to be met by my two little friends ready and raring to go out walking. As we had no place specific and not in any hurry, we just wandered around, literally often back tracking on ourselves. Distance, to them was not as important as all of the wonderful smells they encountered. 
 
We finally went back indoors, and I spent the rest of the afternoon playing catchup with the blog. Around 6:00 pm, I wandered over to the Commons Area as Daniel had given me an invitation to join him and members of his family to a dinner. I met his Son and Daughter-in-law and his Grandson. Incidentally, the Son is a veritable Giant of a man who spends his spare time working out and lifting weights and it shows. The rest of the group comprised of a couple of campers and their respective wives.  

We had a Barbecue meal with all of the fixin’s and I even got to bring a plate home with me. It was an interesting couple of hours listening to the stories and banter going around. They did not forget about me as the only outsider and tried to include me in the conversation as much as possible.I was very grateful to be included in this family group party. 

The party eventually broke up and I carried back with me, a plate of food to be consumed at a later date. We, the dogs and I, spent the evening in the usual way. 

Written 02/24/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com