How about that for a park job?

I managed to sleep until almost 9:00 pm before rolling out of bed and out for the first walk. We wandered around and met a few others including Daniel who was, as usual, bopping around in his 4-wheeler. While we were out, we stopped at Quatro and removed the wheel covers that I have on him to protect the tires from the sun. I put them in the storage area as a safeguard so that if the wind is as strong as they forecast, they will not blow away. The ones on The Caboose are much tighter fitting and should be OK. 
 
While I was outside, I added the 4th rail to the steps as both Daniel and I thought it needed it. Strictly for appearances as it was the very bottom rail. I turned my attention to the crates that I had loaded out from Quatro yesterday and moved them inside of the RV.  

The double bed has a large storage area underneath that also has an outside door for access. I use this to store my toolboxes so that they are in easy reach from outside. 

Inside, the area is reached by lifting the bottom board, that is the bed which the mattress rests on. It is a bit awkward but not overly heavy, but the mattress and covers do add to the difficulty of lifting the unit. I had a 2’ x 2” length of wood about 4 feet long and I used it to prop the lid open while I worked in storing the crates and boxes. 

To make it safe, I attached a 6” wood block to the underside of the bed to act as a stop for the other length of wood that I was using to prop it open. Satisfied that it would hold while I worked on moving the boxes into that space, I completed that task and then went ahead and made the bed using new sheets that I had purchased. These are fancy camper sheets that say things like, “I love camping” and, “There is nothing like living in an RV” or “Camping is fun” and such. Luckily, it will either be dark, or I will be asleep so all these remarks will not bother me. 

With the bed made and the storage taken care of, I looked around for other things to do. Deciding that I was in decent shape for the windstorm that is promised for this evening, I put together my list of groceries and headed for H.E.B. in Dripping Springs.  

The first thing I noticed was in the HEB Parking lot. This was a parking job by somebody that had the rear end sticking out almost half the length of the car across the driveway. I took a chance and filled the vacant space next to this car figuring that unless the driver was completely drunk or blind, they had to go backwards to drive off. This is the second time in just a few days that I have seen examples of terrible parking. The first time I spoke sharply to the lady that parked across two parking spots and she made corrections. This time, the driver was in the store and when I came back out, had already gone. Some people… 

Inside the store, I wandered around and found the few things that I needed. My list was not exceptionally long but I added 4 rose bushes to it which increased the cost quite a bit. They have other outdoor flowers that I will slowly purchase as I make the flower bed presentable, again. 

I stopped at Starbucks for a Latte to drink on the way back to the RV and made the 12-mile drive. Traffic was light and I made good time. The new glasses are doing their thing and tinting up in the sun as needed, making for an extremely comfortable drive. 
 
In the RV, I had a lot of help putting groceries away as I usually do and then we harnessed and walked around the park for just a short walk. Back inside, I caught up on the blog before we went out for the last walk of the day.

I made one final walk around to make sure that everything was battened down. I had bought a case of beer for Daniel but had not had a chance to give it to him so instead, I used it on top of the outdoor couch. It was a very clever idea to use it as ballast, and it will not affect the taste. 

I spent time outdoors digging holes for the 4 rose bushes I had bought. The digging was not easy as the ground was extremely hard, but I persevered and dug holes deep enough to stick the bushes in. That is just a start as I plan on planting more and different flowers. 

Satisfied that we were as safe as we could be outside, we adjourned back inside of The Caboose for the evening meal, and I had no more than put it on the table when the storm hit. The wind was extraordinarily strong and gusty, and the RV rocked from side to side. It started to rain and along with the wind, beat furiously on the RV.  

The storm lasted about 30 minutes with gusts up to 70 mph and then blew through. I put on my jacket and walked around outside but as far as I could tell, we had not sustained any damage. There may be roof damage from the hail, but I will find that out tomorrow. 

I called my friend B.J. to make sure that everything was OK in Bastrop but apparently, they did not get any of the storm at all. By 8:15 pm, all was quiet, and we lived to see another day. 

The rest of the evening was spent watching TV on my laptop as I still cannot get the real TV to work. 

Written 03/02/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com