I slept late not having any particular reason to get up early and as usual, went out for the first walk of the day. We wandered around the park and met Daniel who was busy on his mower tearing the place up. He drove off quickly concentrating on the job in hand which I knew he wanted to complete, and we continued walking. We were on the top road of the park, and I thought that Sandy would continue down the hill as she usually does but she turned into the main gate instead. Neither dog had done their business so with a few gentle tugs on the leash, I persuaded her to continue down the hill. The extra walking did it and both of them did their thing. The whole morning exercise routine is all about them doing their business… 

Back in The Caboose, I read the world news while eating a bacon sandwich and drinking that all important morning coffee. When I lived in England, it was all about the first cup of tea to get us started but I quickly adapted to the American custom of drinking coffee. I still drink tea but at other times of the day. Maybe the coffee has more caffein for that extra morning kick? Or, then again, it is probably just another habit that we fall into. We could probably drink a glass of water and it would do the same thing and might even be more beneficial. It wouldn’t taste as good though. 

I sat and thought about what I should get up to for the rest of the day. The most pressing thing is to empty Quatro of everything and now that I have a storage space, there is no excuse left to put it off any longer.With those thought shooting through my brain, I harnessed up the dogs and loaded them into the Jeep along with the three empty packing boxes that I had available and we drove the short distance down the hill to where Quatro is parked. 

I tied the dogs to the carryall so they could watch without being in the way and went about the business of moving stuff from the RV to the Jeep, some in the three packing crates and the rest all thrown willy-nilly either into the car or onto the carryall. 

It was hot and tiring work, and I really felt my age, making trip after trip. I think that moving all that remains can be completed in one more trip, thank goodness.  

I drove back to The Caboose and parked the Jeep on the grassy area at the rear of the RV and began unloading the carryall into the new storage box. I was not too particular in what went in or in what sort of order. That can be worked on later when I get around to sorting out what to keep and what to either give away or trash in the dumpsters as I whittle down my worldly goods to almost nothing.  

Funny, the amount of “stuff” that we collect in our lifetime. Obviously, at the time of obtaining whatever the object was, it was considered important but now with both a different lifestyle and much smaller accommodation, so much of the stuff is no longer needed and is surplus to requirements. Garage Sale, anyone? More like Salvation Army…What is the saying, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. 

I moved the car to its usual parking spot and decided that enough was enough for one day and locked it. I can move the contents tomorrow as there is always, tomorrow. 

As if we had not done enough walking for one day, we went out one more time around the park before sitting outside, listening to an Audiobook and drinking a small bottle of wine. 

All in all, a very tiring but productive day. I need one more trip and I think that we will be through with cleaning out Quatro. 

Written 03/27/2023 Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

I was up and about early, and we went out for that first walk. We wandered around noting that there were a lot of kids here for a baseball tournament. This group was much better behaved than the last ones and much quieter too. We ran into Daniel who was walking around with Remington and just checking that everything was OK and chatted for a couple of minutes. He continued walking and we headed back to the RV where I fixed our breakfast and coffee for me. 

I had a bunch of pictures that I had taken with the new Galaxy phone, transferring them first into Photoshop where I worked on them and then into the computer storage for later use. Incidentally, on our walk yesterday, we got to see the donkeys and the lone zebra who hangs out with them. 

I sat and worked on the blog for a bit and then decided to go outside and spend time finishing up the work on the storage cabinet but before I could do that, I searched around to find the screws that I was going to install. 

First, I worked on the shelf which I had already cut to size and found where the screws had to go by measuring and marking the outside of the unit. As the shelf is only ¾ inch thick, there was no room for error and a couple of the screws had to be reset due to my incompetence. Incidentally, I had to pull the unit back out of where I had it standing in order to get to the screws. 

I finally got the shelf secured and moved the unit back into place before concentrating on screwing the entire unit down onto the base that I had built and already installed. The front two screws were no problem as I could reach them, but the back ones gave me more trouble. Not in the actual screwing but in getting down low enough on my hand and knees to get to them. The old body protested loudly as I carefully lowered myself down and into the back of the closet. 

I got the two screws installed accompanied by much bad language but felt better for it. Old age does have the benefit of learning a lot of cuss words…Then came the problem of getting upright and after much more cursing and groaning, I finally succeeded. 

With the cabinet secured, all that was left was to build a step to cover the black tank hose pipe inlet which was located directly in front of the cabinet doors. With the lumber I had bought the day before, I constructed a small step and attached it to the base of the storage unit to prevent it moving. Unless, I have a major sewage problem, that end of the line will remain connected. Now, I have a solid base to get inside the cabinet to load in boxes and such without scrambling over sewer hoses which would get damaged if I inadvertently stepped on them. If I get really energetic, I might even re-adjust the hoses so that they are completely under the framework and come out the side. Maybe…

Pleased at the end result, the next step will be to finish unloading Quatro of everything in it and moving it all back to The Caboose so we can go ahead with the sale. Not today though. 

I had left the dogs tied up in the front of the RV and they could watch me working from underneath the unit. Now, it was their turn, and we went out for another walk. It had really warmed up and I even sweated a little as we wandered around. As usual, we stopped to chat to anyone who was willing to talk, especially if they had a dog. One couple, who we had met before, Larry and Crystal, I learned are here full time. They have a young large dog that is still a puppy and we spent time making friends. Mikey did not want anything to do with it and even Sandy was a bit taken back by the puppy’s enthusiasm. 

We continued wandering around the park and out onto the outside road before returning to the RV where we sat outside, drinking wine and watching the world go by until it started to get dark, and it was time to go back inside. 

All in all, a very productive day. 

Written 03/26/2023 Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

Taken with my new Galaxy phone camera from about a quarter mile away. It is still not at maximum focus.

Another day, another dollar as the saying goes except in my case, I do not get paid to do anything.  Be great if I did. We wandered around on that first walk although it was raining, the fine misty type that very sneakily, gets you wet. The dogs did not care, and I had a waterproof poncho on, so I did not care either. We passed a couple preparing to pull out and I wished them a safe journey and grabbed a bag of their trash to take to the dumpster for them. We were going to be walking past it anyway. 

I used to wonder where the campers all go when they leave but nowadays, not so much as my urge to travel has been satisfied. The people I met yesterday were from Michigan and they are heading back there on Saturday. 

After breakfast and coffee, I sat and read emails along with the world news. I do not know which is the worst, depressing world news or junk mail. The sun has replaced the drizzle and I turned my attention about what to do today. 

I knew that I wanted to build a base for the storage unit and had already bought most of the lumber for it. The book of assembly directions for the storage unit listed the size of the base and made it easy to know what size lumber to buy. Nothing was longer than 4 feet and fitted nicely into the Jeep. 

I dug out my tools, a battery driven saw and the same for the drill plus a square and a couple of other things and went to work. An hour or so later, I had the base assembled and ready to be installed in place. After putting away all of the tools, I called it a day and took the dogs out for a walk to reward them for being so patient. As I worked, I had them tied up to the steps so they could watch. 

Daniel stopped by as he had been away, working. Malinda had already left to be with her mom who was due for surgery, so I think he just needed someone to talk to. I spent time with him chatting away about nothing in particular and then he left. 

We continued with our walk both inside and outside of the park, running into a couple of other campers with dogs. I stopped to talk to one older couple who were very enthused about the park. We wandered around with emphasis on wander as we went wherever Miss Sandy’s nose took us. 

On the way back, we passed BJ and Peggy’s RV. Daniel was sitting outside with them chatting and drinking a beer and they offered me one which I gladly accepted. This was Daniel’s cue to leave as he was expecting his daughter’s family to visit and wanted to be home when they arrived. 

I sat there for 30 minutes or so chatting to the ladies who have led very interesting lives. We swapped stories for a while, and I declined the offer of the second beer and went back to The Caboose, all of 30 yards away where I spent time on the phones and figured out how to download the pictures from the Galaxy into the computer. I worked on them getting them ready to use in the blogs. The camera is amazing and the distance it can take pictures as though they were up close is out of this world. 

It was late when we got back from visiting although, I was not keeping track of time. The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way except, I got engrossed in watching another new series I found, and it was almost 1:00 am before I went to bed. 

Written 03/24/2023 Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com   

The Adventures of an Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, Henly, TX. Saturday 03/25/202

The Donkeys and the lone Zebra taken today.

Following my early morning going to bed, I did not wake up very early and it was almost 10:00 am before I crawled out. We wandered around on a bright sunny morning meeting several other campers walking their dogs. A couple stopped to chat before we went on our way back to the RV for breakfast. 

I knew that I should empty the tanks and went about performing this task. The valve handle to the blackwater tank needs replacing and I had to work just a little harder to open and close that valve because of not much to hang on to. I need a new handle, another thing to add to my list. 

I sat and read world news (depressing) and then trashed as many emails as I had received before writing for a bit. I looked around for something else to do and ended up going back outside to work some more on the cabinet. This time, I installed the new base and levelled it up and then very carefully so as not to disturb it, I worked the heavy cabinet back onto it and set it into place. 

 I searched through my supplies and discovered that I was out of the wood washers that I needed to anchor the cabinet to the base I had just installed. I also wanted to build a platform to cover the black tank inlet which is located directly in front of the cabinet as there is not much room to stand when loading and unloading. 

This required another trip into town to find the extra lumber and the screws to anchor it all together. As I was also out of some groceries, I combined the two tasks into one trip and stopped at HEB after The Home Depot. 

Somehow, the day had slipped away from us …again, and after getting more help than I needed to put the groceries away, I harnessed up the dogs and we went out walking. By now, it had warmed back up and the temperature was in the high 70’s and I found myself working up a sweat as we wandered around. 

Daniel had returned and we stopped to chat for a bit. He was walking his dog, Remington who gets along great with both of my dogs. 

On our return, I thought about the work that I still needed to do on the cabinet but decided that it would keep until tomorrow. Instead, we sat outside listening to an audiobook for a while drinking a small bottle of wine and just watching the world go by. What a life. 

Written 03/25/2023 Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

I got up at a reasonable hour for us and harnessed up for that first walk of the day. It was gloomy outside with moisture in the air without really raining. It had warmed up and the chill was no longer there. We walked around for a bit before returning for breakfast.  

I did the usual email thingy and answered a couple that I considered important enough to require an answer and trashed probably 90% of them. Then I turned my attention to the phones and spent the next four frustrating hours trying to get them to work the way I wanted them to, without much success, I might add. 

Angry at myself for not being able to figure things out, I took it out on the dogs by making them go out walking as I needed to clear my head. They, of course, did not mind one little bit as they live for the walks. We wandered around and then came back to sit outside. 

I noticed that Jeanette had returned to pick up her remaining things and she stopped by to say goodbye, giving me a hug at the same time. We may never see each other again as she gets on with the next part of her life and I wish her nothing but the best. Ships that pass in the night…There have been many in my lifetime. 

I continued to sit for a while until it began to chill off and then we went walking one more time. One of my neighbors has a very young puppy that literally falls over himself with excitement of seeing other dogs. He is more than a match for Sandy who backs off from his exuberance. 

Back in the RV, we sat for a while drinking a small bottle of wine and eating potato chips. Before it cooled down enough to head back indoors where the A/C was blowing up a storm. I turned it down and it shut off as we will need heat later this evening as it cools down. It appears that the cold front has passed through, and I hope it was the very last one for this year. 

I sat down and completed the blog for today before spending the rest of the evening in the usual fashion. All in all, a very quiet day. 

Written 03/22/2023 Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

I woke up cold and guessed that the heaters had run out of propane. I tried to lay there but just could not get warm and as both dogs were laying on the spare blanket, gave up on the sleep idea and crawled out of bed. I took a long hot shower to warm up and then put my track suit on to go outside and switch the gas bottles, a two minute job. It was cold out and I was glad to get back inside and dress in my regular clothes. 

We harnessed up and went for a quick walk just around the top end of the park, but it was cool enough to be uncomfortable, so we headed back indoors where the heaters had done a good job of warming the RV up. I made breakfast and that all important coffee to get me started although the cold wind had already done the job of waking me up. 

I turned to the world news, and it was as depressing as usual, and I checked my emails. There were a couple that needed attention and one that I thought I recognized but when I clicked on it, was warned NOT to open it as it was too risky. That one was quickly trashed after reporting it as spam. I got to thinking about many of the emails I receive from different camping writers and RV Travelling news and although, they are sometimes helpful with good information, they are not really something I will be needing in the future. Maybe, I can lower the amount of mail I get by unscribing from these. 

I have definitely decided to sell Quatro as I am no longer interested in driving around and visiting other campsites. I am very happy here at this park and have finally found an RV that has about everything I need, making it easy to settle down in one place for the rest of my days or at least, as long as I am able. The urge to travel has been satisfied. Which will take, one more old man threat off the roads, except for the odd local trip in the jeep. 

I got to thinking about storage and lack of space to put everything when I finally complete cleaning out Quatro. I remembered the next door ladies and their large storage box and the huge unit that Malinda and Daniel have that holds a full size refrigerator and started to look it up on line. Daniel had mentioned that he got his unit from Ace Hardware, so I looked for the closest one which was miles away in Austin. The same App showed me that The Home Depot also carries similar storage boxes. Without further ado, I jumped in the car after telling the dogs I would not be long and made the short drive into Dripping Springs. 

Needless to say, I went in the door on the Construction end of the store and looked in all of the wrong places and could not find what I wanted. Then, swallowing my pride, I asked one of the employees for aisle information to which he directed me to aisle 2 which was outside in the Garden Section. At the time, I was in aisle 43, way off base and completely at the wrong end of the store. Still, part of my exercise routine is walking in these large stores. 

I wandered over in right direction and finally found what I was looking for. There was a large selection and I spent time deciding which one would be a good fit. I already knew how much space there was to install the unit so that cut back a lot on the choice. I finally narrowed it down to one particular sized unit and pulled the large box down onto the floor. Finding a flat cart, I realized that I really needed help in loading it and wandered around, finding an employee walking the floor of the Garden Nursery. With her help, we loaded the large box onto the flat cart, and I paid for it at the register. 

She pushed it out while I went to find my car which, of course, I had parked way up at the other end of the car park. She was still waiting for me and helped to load it into the Jeep. It just fitted in the space. 

The drive back was uneventful, and I was thinking of the assembly and such.  Incidentally, I had bought the inevitable Latte and took a few sips on the way to the park. When I arrived back, I harnessed up the dogs so they could sit and watch as I unloaded the box and at the moment, Daniel and Malinda arrived walking Remington and wanted to know what was in the box. 

When I told them, they at once got to work unpacking, identifying and then assembling the new unit. It took well over an hour to do this but as they had experience having assembled their own unit, knew a couple of tricks to make it go smoother. I sort of hovered around and held this or fetched that and sometimes, digging a tool out of my collection but really, did very little in the way of assembly. They both did all the work. 

With the unit assembled we moved it to its location in between the slide outs where it is almost hidden from view and set it up with levelling blocks. All that is lacking is a couple pieces of 2×8 for an interior shelf plus a padlock but other than that, it is ready to go. 

I thanked them profusely and I have learned better than to offer to pay them as they both got very indignant when I did. They went on their way back to their RV and I took the dogs out for the last walk of the day. They had invited me over for a beer which I did after putting the dogs back inside. 

My next door neighbors, B.J. and Peggy came over and joined us and we chatted about a lot of nothing, regaling each other with stories of our adventures. The weather had turned cold and even though I almost sat in the fire ring, I could not warm up. Malinda brought me out another jacket and it helped a bit but, In the end, I had to go back to The Caboose where I could get warm. 

We went out for one more short walk and then adjourned inside in the warmth of the RV sitting in front of the fire with the heaters going full blast. 

All in all, it was a very interesting day and I have made a good decision to stay here permanently. 

Written 03/18/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

We got up at a reasonable hour and went out walking the park. It was another nice sunny day although the wind was still a bit cool. We wandered around as we usually do, saying hello to whoever we met along the way. Sandy insisted that we hit the outside road, but I managed to steer her along the bottom road instead until she reached the spot where we could get back into the park. Depending on the weather, the outside road has less protection from the wind. Like a good girl, she led us back to the RV with Mikey and me just following along behind. 

We ran into Daniel who was out mowing the grass and he stopped to chat and for Sandy to say “Hello” to him. She even jumped up on the mower to do that. Mikey just hid behind me as he usually does. 

Back in the RV, I fixed myself some breakfast and sat down to catch up reading the world news before turning my attention to the blog which I worked on for a bit. The computer keeps dropping the signal, which is so frustrating, and, in the end, I decided to take the thing into Austin to the Best Buy located there. 

I packed everything into the Jeep and said goodbye to the dogs before driving off to Austin. The trip was uneventful, and we made good time. My first stop was at my Bank where I obtained a new bank card replacing the one that may have been hacked. The replacement was supposed to have been delivered in the mail but for some reason, I never received it, so they cancelled that one as well.

From there, I went to Best Buy. The Best Buy that I normally visit is on the South side of town and was not too far from my bank. I walked in and explained my problem and the young man did a couple of things like cleaning the thing and pushing a few keys. Saying that it was all he could do, He gave me a couple of suggestions to follow. 

I went back to the Jeep and prepared to leave the parking lot. I had to wait for traffic to pass before I could get on the road and for some reason, the woman in the car behind me kept honking her horn. I was getting ready to get out and tell her what I thought but there came a break in the traffic, and I drove off instead. Stupid woman. What did she expect me to do? Drive out in front of the moving lines of cars? 

I drove to Far West Blvd to my mail service and retrieved my mail which they had ready for me. I am supposed to call ahead and let them know I was coming although I have yet to figure out why. It is not like I have so much mail that it will take an hour to put it together. Luckily, there was nothing of major importance, so we attempted to head back to Henly. Unkown to me, there was an accident on Mopac further down and the traffic was bumper to bumper and stop and go with more stops than go’s. It took forever to make the ten mile trip. Like most humans, my thoughts were about me and how inconvenient and unfair, not to mention frustrating, to be held up like this. Instead, I should have been thinking about the poor people that had been involved in the accident and hoped they were all OK.

We finally passed the accident scene and it did not appear that bad and hopefully, there were no real injuries. In any accident nowadays, there are always the fake ones…We drove on stopping at Starbucks for that inevitable Latte to arrive back at Henly.

Back at the RV, as I did not have any groceries, the dogs could not help but were more than ready to go on walkies. We harnessed up and walked around chatting to anyone who wanted to talk before returning to write in the blog.  

This time, the computer behaved and did not keep reloading as it had done before so I guess whatever the Geek Squad guy had done, was working. The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way although I did have trouble trying find another series to watch after “Farscape”. Incidentally, that show had the strangest ending with both of the main stars getting obliterated. Goodbye, The end…

Written 03/15/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

The Adventures of an Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, Dripping Springs TX, Day 106, Thursday 03/16/2023

Again, I awoke early and even though I tried to go back to sleep, gave up and crawled out to face the day. It was cloudy and overcast outside and not very inviting at all. The bed was a much nicer prospect, but I resisted the urge to climb back in and put on my clothes instead. We wandered around after making our usual trip to the dumpster with the daily offering of trash. It was cold out and I was glad of the jacket I had sensibly put on. 

We wandered around going this way and that with me pointing us in the general direction of where I wanted to go, which incidentally, is not the same as Miss Sandy. She always has other ideas, and she can be really determined. After pulling on the leash for a bit, she will plonk herself down unless I let her go her way. Of course, if there is any danger then I take over. Otherwise, it is all a part of the fun of walking the dogs. Occasionally, Mikey will try to dart off but generally speaking, he takes his cues from me. 

We only ran into one other person dog walking and steered clear away from them as they appeared reluctant for us to approach. Owners know their dogs and their capabilities and as a responsible dog owner, I try to read the doggy language that any other dog that we meet, presents. Most are friendly after the first contact but there is always that one… 

It was a dull, cloudy and overcast day with the prospect of rain, and it was not very inviting to be outside at all. We adjourned back inside of The Caboose for that most welcome coffee and breakfast. Today, it was a giant Burrito which I shared with Sandy. Mikey is very fussy and must be in the mood to take any handouts and Sandy usually finishes his off. That girl will eat almost anything. 

Following the meal and the all-important coffee, I read the world news and then turned my attention to emails. It is getting harder and harder to decide which are genuine and which are scam. After being hacked a couple of times, I try to err on the side of caution and usually trash anything I am not sure of or, if there is another way, will run a separate check to see if they are the genuine article but only if they look important or familiar. 

Then it was time to work on the blog. I was not sure if I could continue to write in Word as I usually do as it had been playing up but whatever the Geek Squad guy did yesterday, it appeared to work, and I was able to do just that. I like Word because it makes corrections and suggestions as we write although some of the latter are a bit far-fetched to my English brain. 

With the blog caught up as far as I could go, I looked around for other things to get up to. Yesterday, I watched Brighton and Hove Albion play and they won the game 1-0 with my Great, Great Grandson, Solly March scoring the goal. Boy, was I proud. 

I decided that one of the Humming Bird feeders needed replacing as one of the two that I have, the bird rests have broken off and there is no place for the Hummers to settle. They are very good at hovering and drinking but do not stay as long as when they can settle to drink. I jumped in the car and headed to the closest store which in my case is Tractor Supply. I wandered around taking much longer than necessary to make my purchase but eventually got out of there. They have so many wonderful things but alas, I have no place to put them anymore. 

The drive back was short and quick and after harnessing the dogs so they could be a part of what was going on, I went about the task of filling the feeder and rehanging it on my bird set up. Now, all I have to do is wait for the Hummers to arrive. 

We went out walking again as it is something the dogs both need and enjoy. I like to meet the different tenants and try to chat with them as much as possible. Invariably, they will introduce themselves but unfortunately, unless I write it down, my name recall is zero. 

Daniel invited me over to drink a beer with them. When I arrived, Remington made friends with me and licked my hand, and I said hello to Kerry who was also sitting with us. She is a long term resident who I have met many times. We sat and chatted and watched the kids play. One was learning to ride his bike and the parents had just taken his training wheels off. He and his mom went out in the field so he would not get hurt when he crashed as he did several times. It kept us amused but he pretty much had it under control as we watched. We were lucky enough to watch a big moment in that little boy’s life. 

I drank a couple of beers and as I mentioned in an earlier blog, I can no longer tolerate booze like I used to, so I made my excuses and went back to take the dogs out walking again to clear my head. We wandered around and then went back inside for the evenings meal. I found a new series to watch but the Jury is still out whether it is worth my time. 

Written 03/16/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

The view from my window as I write.

We got up early and took a shower. Along with a change of fresh clothes, I felt ready to face the day. The first thing was to walk the dogs and we wandered around meeting other dogs and people along the way. That first walk is for the dogs to do their thing rather than to strive for any distance. 
 
Back in the RV, I fixed the usual coffee and breakfast before settling down to catch up with the blog. I wrote a letter to my friend B.J., the real one not the new next-door neighbor and discussed my thoughts on Quatro. I think that I have pretty much decided what I will do but having someone else’s opinion always helps. I value her advice very much.

Again, we have nothing planned and played it by ear, as the saying goes. Sandy was being a bug which usually means that we need to go out walking and we harnessed up. When we got out of the door, both her and Mikey made a beeline for the waterbowl I have set outside for them and drank for a while. I went back inside to check and their water bowl was empty. No wonder Sandy was being a bug. The poor little girl was thirsty and her only way of telling me was to both look at me with those big brown eyes and be a bug at the same time. I usually check the water bowl but missed it this time.

As we were already harnessed, we wandered around the park anyway, which incidentally, is full of several new RV’s arriving yesterday and today. We ran into Malinda and stopped to chat to her before moving back to the RV. 

We sat outside for a while, but the temperature was 88 degrees, and it was way too hot to stay out there for long even in the shade. We moved back inside, and the dogs found their spots and curled up and went to sleep. I was tempted but unless I am not feeling well, I have an unwritten rule that says no daytime naps along with no daytime television unless it is an importnt soccer match.

Instead, I worked on the blog until we were caught up and posted the latest one. I looked around for something else to do and remembered that I could not find the batteries that I had stored somewhere safe. So safe in fact, that I cannot find them. That got me searching again, looking in the same places that I searched before but to no avail. There are no other places to search in this rig.

I harnessed up the dogs and we walked back down the hill to Quatro. I searched high and low but was unable to find the battery box. That got me thinking about that rig and although much of the contents have been moved to The Caboose, there is still quite a bit that if I sell the RV, will need to be transferred. It might require me getting one of the large outside storage boxes. 

With all these thoughts going through my mind, I locked up Quatro and we walked back up the hill to The Caboose and settled down outside to listen to an Audiobook. It was a bit early to be drinking wine, so I settled for a spritzer instead. We sat there just watching the world go by until it was time to go walking again. 

The park is pretty full and there are a few RV’s that have young baseball players in the family that are here for a Tournament. Overall, they are well enough behaved and the only time to worry is when they start throwing that damn baseball around in the park instead of going down to the field. Both Daniel and Malinda get after them when they start doing that. 

The evening was spent in the usual way. I watched Brighton and Hove Albion and Solly play with him helping score one of the goals. Skillful player, that young man. Makes me feel very proud.

Written 03/12/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

The Adventures of an Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, Dripping Springs, TX Day 102, Sunday 03/12/2023

The brilliant sunrise this morning. Quite spectacular.

BTW, I did not realize that the RV’s windows are so dirty.

I got up to see the sun just streaming in the front window even with the shade down, it was so bright and such a beautiful sight that it prompted me to get up much earlier than I normally do. We went out walking and met several people with their dogs all doing the same thing.  

We were going to turn out onto the outside road but noticed a lady with a very large dog already further up who appeared to be watching us to see which way we went. I took her cue, and we turned back into the park to allow her freedom and privacy on her walk. Obviously, she either did not trust her exceptionally large dog and did not want any confrontations or was afraid that my dogs would start something. In any case, safety and common sense was the order of the day. 

We wandered around the park for a bit, noting that it was very full with only a couple of empty sites and then returned to the RV. I tied the dogs up so they could watch and watered the plants, one of which had flowered. First of many, I hope. I also filled the bird feeders while I was at it, and they are good to go for about a week. Incidentally, we passed several dog walkers and their furry companions on the way. 

With the outside chores done, we went back inside for the usual breakfast and coffee. I made a bacon sandwich to go along with the coffee. The dogs ate the bacon but left the bread on the pieces I offered to them, fussy buggers. Only the good stuff… 

I worked on the blog and some pictures. It is surprising just how long it takes to both write and work on any pictures that I have taken. I have been here so long that it is hard to find any pictures different than the ones I have taken before.  

With the blog all caught up, I decided to go into town. I really did not need that much and had a very short list, plants and stuff to make a hummingbird feed station. I drove in after telling the dogs, I would not be very long and realized that I could probably get everything I wanted at Tractor Supply, which is the first store I reached on my way in.  

I walked in and found a 3 ft threaded rod plus a 1 ft smaller one and the fittings to join them together. I also found bird seed and Hummingbird supplies to complete my purchase. I discovered that Tractor Supply also had plants and I was in my glory. I picked out a few trying to visualize where I wanted them in the grand scheme of things, and I walked out of there after paying $112.00 at the register. Oh well, it will be worth it. 

I drove back to Henly but on the way out of Tractor Supply, had grabbed a Starbucks cold drink for the drive home. The short drive was uneventful, and I arrived back to two very excited little dogs. We harnessed up for a walkabout before returning to the RV.  

This time, I tied them up outside so they could see what was happening and went to work digging holes for the new plants. Altogether, we put 7 new plants in the ground which should just about complete the task. There is always room for a couple more… 

With the planting finished, I turned my attention to the bird feeder. I played around with the parts I had bought but they were a little too tall for me to attach. Just at that moment, Jeff walked by, and I grabbed him and had him tape up the fittings while I held them in place. Thanking him for his help as he went on his way, I finished hooking up the hummingbird feeders. Incidentally, Jeff is looking after Remington, Malinda’s dog, while Melinda and Daniel are away. 
 
With all the outside work complete, I put whatever was left away and went back inside of The Caboose and finished writing the blog. All in all, it had turned out to be a successful day even though it started a bit slowly. We adjourned inside of the RV for the usual evening’s meal for both the dogs and me and watched TV for the rest of the evening, along with that meal, of course. 

Written 03/12/2023. Read my other poems at https://pondblog2011.com  
 

For some reason, I slept late, and it was 10:00 am before I even rolled out of bed. After the usual morning ablutions, we went out for a walk around the park and as is the normal fashion, stopped to talk to anyone we saw, especially if they had dogs. 

When we got back, I spent time watering the plants to encourage them to grow before fixing breakfast and coffee 

I noticed that my next-door neighbors, BJ, and Peggy were working on their RV so naturally, I stopped to find out why. Turns out, they had purchased one of the RV’s that had been parked next to Quatro at the bottom of the hill to have more living space. I know all about that as I have done the same thing over the years. They are both school bus drivers for Dripping Springs Independent School District and are moving to this park permanently and need a bigger and roomier rig.  

At least I will know who my neighbors are in the near future. They plan to sell the Class C they are currently living in. Class C’s are great for moving around as they are small and compact but there is not much room for permanent living. They are the sort of rig that weekend campers like to use, not the full timers…Do not get me wrong, there are some nice Class C’s out there with multiple slldeouts that do offer more living space but overall, space is somewhat limited. 

We had a few outside chores to take care of before just sitting around and relaxing. I listened to the current Audiobook and drank a couple of very small bottles of wine. I am not the drinking man I used to be as even those two small bottles had my head spinning. We sat outside continuing listening to the Audiobook and waited for my head to clear before we took the last walk of the day. 

Back inside of the RV, I fixed us our evening meal and then we watched another Premier League Football game and more episodes of “Farscape”. Incidentally, I am nearing the end of that particular show and in truth, am not too sad about it. The show, for the first couple of years, was fun to watch but the last few episodes have been really weird. The episodes seem disjointed and the stories are not flowing as they should. Luckily, I am coming up to the very last episode which is a good thing. Then it will be time to find something else to watch. 

Written 03/09/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  
 

The Adventures of an Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, Dripping Springs, TX Day 100, Friday 03/10/2023

It is hard to believe that we have been back here 100 days already. Where does the time go? 

I awoke early to a dull and cloudy day with rain in the forecast. As we have nothing planned, it matters not what the weather does. It had already cooled off when we went out walking and I was extremely glad about the jacket I had on as we wandered around and out in the Loop. We did not see anyone else walking, either with or without their dogs. 

Today is one of those quiet days with nothing planned. It is cool and gray enough to stay indoors except for our walks which are a necessity for both the dogs and me. Even Daniel was late getting out and about, which is unusual for him. I authored a poem as I have been amiss in that area lately and have had to use poems from the Archives to post on Saturdays. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it means that my brain is not active which is not a good thing. One way to stall the inevitable onslaught of a failing memory is to keep the brain active as much as possible. That is why my writing is so important, not necessarily to any readers that may follow along, but for my own sanity and longevity. 

As I watched, being the nosy and inquisitive person that I am, my new next-door neighbors, B.J. and Peggy had moved their RV to the site next door which got me wondering why. Then Malinda appeared driving Jeff’s truck and towing an RV which she parked and set up in their site. Turns out that they had purchased one of the RV’s parked in the storage area that was for sale because they needed more room. They had managed to sell their Class C in the same transaction. Both Malinda and Jeff worked hard setting up the new RV for them as the ladies were both away at work. 

As I looked from my viewpoint inside of the RV, Malinda, now joined by Daniel, changed from setting up the RV to removing the broken limbs from the surrounding trees. The frost that damaged the trees left many branches not completely broken off but still hanging making for a hazardous and dangerous situation. Some of these branches are large and heavy enough to cause damage to whatever or whoever is underneath them when they eventually fall. 

This got me wondering about our location although, The Caboose is not actually located under any trees, my new garden is and there are a couple of broken branches just waiting to fall on my new plants. Not much I can do about it except wait and see. 

The pair of them stayed busy for a couple of hours hauling off the branches behind the four-wheeler. When they finished, they both came over to my RV, and we sat talking for a while. The conversation turned to my next-door neighbors who they had been helping. Malinda explained that she had handled the sales of both units and the conversation turned to Quatro. I mentioned that I might be interested in selling it as I was not sure that I wanted to take more trips. 

We spent time discussing the possibilities and Malinda wandered down to get the information from Quatro. When she came back, she started looking at current prices and such. It is not the money as I have enough to last me the rest of my life. I just hate to see a perfectly good RV just sitting when it should be on the road with others enjoying it. 

Quite honestly, I am so comfortable here in this park that I am not sure I want to drive around anymore. As the sole driver, any trips I take are just a blur of highways, cars and trees flashing by. Most campgrounds are pretty much all the same with some better than others. The people are interesting, and it is nice to walk different trails or visit different parks but, in the end, one place may be different than the last, but they are all very much alike. 

We left the conversation with me promising to get back to her when I decide just what I want to do. They left and as we were still harnessed up, we went out for another wander around stopping to chat to whoever we ran into. Most people are friendly and there is only the occasional person that makes no effort to be friends or hold a conversation. Their loss…

Back in The Caboose, we did the usual evening thing food, wine, and television. 

Written 03/10/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

We pass this deer skeleton when we walk the outside road. Someone ran over a deer and the buzzards have done a good job of cleaning it up. Now if only they could bury the bones.

I got up early knowing I had a morning Dentists appointment, and we went out walking around the park. We also walked the bottom road which always, to me, is longer than it really is. I figured it was at least a half mile from one end to the other but, it is only about 1/4 of a mile one way, darn it. I really have no concept of how far a mile is when we are walking. 

We returned to the RV for breakfast which, today, was a burrito. It is not that I am a great lover of burritos, but they are quick and easy to prepare. The jury is still out on the taste as that varies from one flavor to another but, it fills the early morning void in my stomach. That and the all-important coffee. The dogs, especially Sandy, like to get tasters of the burrito and I usually oblige. 

Following breakfast and coffee, I read the emails and world news and then decided it was time to leave for my Dentists appointment in Austin. I drove in and then discovered I had gone too far to Far West Blvd where my mailbox is located instead of 35^th Street. I did a quick about turn and headed back. I arrived for my Dentists appointment with minutes to spare and had barely sat down in the waiting room before I was called. 

I only had one tooth to be replaced and that was because the Dentists was not satisfied last week on how it looked and sent it back for additional work. This time, I was only in the chair for ten minutes and was all through with a full complement of teeth. 

From there, I drove to Walmart’s that is on my way home in South Austin. I really did not need very much but still walked out of there after spending $108.00. It does not take much to rack up the cost. I was getting ready to check out at the self-serve checkout when the clerk walked over and proceeded to recheck everything, I had already checked in. For some reason, the register was saying I had not checked something, and I knew that I had not missed anything. I am not into stealing from Walmart’s or anyone else and will always pay my way. 

In the end, after checking my entire cart of groceries for a second time, the clerk let me finish checking out as he could not find what the register was telling him. He was full of apologies and as I knew that he was only doing his job, we went on our way. 

I stopped at Starbucks on the way home, what else, and made the long drive back to Henly where I was greeted by my noisy little dogs who helped me put the few groceries away as they usually do. Mostly by sniffing the wonderful flavors but it is the thought that counts. 

We harnessed up for that a quick walk around the campground and wandered around and hit the outside road before returning inside the park and ending up at The Caboose. I tied the dogs up outside so they could see and be a part of what was going on.  

I had bought a single plant and dug a hole to stick it in. The digging was not easy as the ground is rocky, but I persevered and dug a hole deep enough to plant the solitary Geranium. I need to buy a couple more. While I was in the mood, I decided to use the battery-operated blower that I own, to sweep up the leaves that had accumulated in the front area of the rig and blow them into two very large piles. 

Then my neighbor, Jeff appeared with a rake and a couple of plastic bags and proceeded to load the piles of leaves into the bags. This was a real surprise as I had not expected any help. I immediately jumped in to help him and between us, we loaded out two large bags. At that moment as we finished, Daniel drove up with his 4-wheeler and we threw the bags on it for him to dispose of in the dumpster. A real team effort. 

Technically, I just rent the space for the RV and pay for the electricity as an extra. My site used to be the one that Daniel and Melinda had to use as Park Overseers. When they chose to move just across the way, they offered this site to me which I quickly grabbed as it is away from other RV’s, on the hill and with a splendid view. They had done the initial work of starting the flower garden and all I am doing is revitalizing and replanting it. There is nothing in it for me other than the satisfaction of creating something beautiful for others, besides myself, to enjoy as they walk past. Of course, I pay for the plants which is a small cost to see some beauty. 

The dogs were very patient as I worked and when I was through, we went out for the final walk of the day. We stopped at a couple of RVs for the dogs to sniff butts and such and naturally, I chatted with the owners about camping, this park, and a host of other things before eventually ending back at The Caboose for the rest of the evening. 
 
Altogether, I covered 3.0 miles for the day which included walking around Walmart’s. The dogs, not so much as for them, the quality of the walk is not distance but the innumerable smells they encounter along the way. 

We sat outside for a while listening to an Audiobook and drinking a small bottle of wine and watched the world go by. 

The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way with food all around and then an English Premier League football game followed by more episodes of “Farscape”. 

Written 03/08/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

I got up early by our standards and after opening all the blinds to let the new day in, we harnessed up and strolled around the park running into a couple of people with their dogs, on the way. Most of the time, these dogs are “regulars” and know each other. That does not mean that they do not bark, of course they do as it is their way of greeting each other, usually accompanied by sniffing each other’s rear end. Funny thing, dogs. 
 
Daniel stopped by to look at the paint job and gave me a tough time about it, all in fun of course. He did convince me that it needed another coat and after he left, I slopped on more paint. Really, he was just giving me a hard time and I took the bait and went ahead and painted the railings anyway. I also watered the roses while I was at it. Three out of the four bushes look fine, but the jury is out on the 4^th rosebush. Patience and time are what it needs. 

I went back inside after a busy first hour of the day, what with changing out Propane tanks, painting railings and watering plants, to that hard earned first cup of coffee. I do not know why I say “first cup” as on most days, it is my only cup of coffee. Only when I go into town does that change with a stop at Starbuck’s and that is not a given. Some days, I just do not want additional coffee. 

I read the daily news and checked on both local and world events with the usual depressing results. I have to say that in one respect, I am glad that I am coming to the end of my time here on this earth as I do not care for the direction that humankind is heading. The gap between the old and the young in terms of knowledge and understanding is forever growing wider and is much more pronounced with the modern generation. Sure, they may be clever in many ways but general knowledge about anything, without the use of their cell phone, is nonexistent. 

I turned my attention to the blog and recorded the events so far for today. To the few readers that I have, I am sure it is quite monotonous and very routine, and I suppose it is. But it is the only life I have and am living it the way I want to live. When my only worry for the day is whether I should put on another coat of paint, then I should not complain as my life is fairly trouble free. 

I decided to go into town to the HEB store located there. I needed a few groceries and quickly bought those, but my main goal was to buy a few more plants for our mini flower garden. Last time I bought roses, this time I bought shrub type flowering plants like Geraniums and such.  

Prior to this, I had dropped my taxes off at H.R. Block, the same ones and the same person that did them last year. This year, there should be no complications and I will be happy to break even. Naturally, I had to stop at Starbucks on the way home for the inevitable Latte although I did splurge and buy a flavored drink this time around. 

Back at The Caboose, I put the groceries away helped by my little friends before going outside to start work on digging holes for the plants I had bought. I started on the first one and Daniel stopped by and offered me the use of his posthole digger, which I gladly accepted. Must be, he likes digging holes as he dug 2/3 of them before handing it off to me to finish the work. 

Glad to have the plants in the ground, I watered them leaving the hose extended for future waterings and turned my attention to putting the groceries away helped by my little friends. Then we harnessed up and took a walk dropping off the old pots in the dumpster on our way. We just wandered around the park saying “Hi” to whoever we met before returning to the RV to sit outside, drinking small bottles of wine, and listening to an Audiobook. 

It started to cool off and we went back inside of the RV to write the blog and prepare for the usual evening rituals. 

Written 03/07/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

The bottom road.

Another day, another dollar as the saying goes. In my case, the dollars are usually spent and not earned as I am not gainfully employed anywhere, thank goodness. Been there and done that. Now, I leave the work to others and pick and choose what I want to do with my time. 

I do not know if I had a restless night, but it would not surprise me as when I awoke one time, the dogs were both down the bottom of the bed and the covers were all over the place. I have a new set of sheets on the bed as I described in an earlier blog and for some reason, they are very slippery as they slip and slide all over the place. I think, as I toss and turn with whatever dream and monsters that are chasing me, the sheets are sliding about taking the two blankets with them. Consequently, as I get cold and grab for the covers, I upset the dog’s sleeping routine. The sheets will be better after they get their first wash, hopefully. RV Mattresses are so thick, especially if they are combined with a mattress topper that it is impossible to tuck anything underneath to hold it in place. Besides that, the matress usually overhangs the plywood base it sits on.

I got up and I remade the bed after straightening everything out and we went out walking in the park. Malinda was out with her little dog and all of them had to say hello to each other as dogs do. Rather than touch their noses, they sniff butts. Maybe humans should try that. It would be interesting to say the least. On the other hand, maybe not… 

We returned to the RV for breakfast of a Burrito and coffee for me. Mikey did not eat his piece but instead carried it around, guarding it from Sandy and at the same time annoying her by flaunting it in front of her. Funny little guy. As usual, I read the world news amazed at some of the things I saw in front of me. I wonder if these stories are real as some are so far-fetched that they are not credible. Either that, or some people are more gullible or stupid than can ever be imagined. Maybe both. 
 
I sat, wrote, and thought about what I should get up to. I have a dentist’s appointment on Wednesday, and I really need to get my taxes together but other than that, we have nothing of importance this week that we know of. Life, being what it is, I am sure that will change. 

Writing that I needed to get my taxes together spurred me into action and I spent the next hour or so doing just that. Now all I need to do is make an appointment with H&R Block and with the lady that did them last time and we are all set. I called and was told that all I had to do was bring them in and then go from there. Maybe tomorrow? 

I harnessed up the dogs intending to go walking but came across Daniel working on a shoulder carry type blower. A little later, Jeff walked over, and we provided Daniel with as much encouragement as we could as he tried to get the thing to work. We did hold things and such, but Daniel provided all the labor. In the end, even with our combined encouragement, he had to order a new part. I did help Malinda load out a table onto her truck, so my time was not entirely wasted. 

I continued with our walk, and we hit the lane that leads towards Hwy 290. Sandy seemed reluctant and we turned around and came back to the RV where we sat outside, and I listened to an Audiobook and drank my last beer. It started to cool off and we went back indoors for the usual evening’s entertainment and food. 

Written 03/06/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

The unpainted railings

I got out of bed at a reasonable hour, took a shower and then took the dogs out walking. We wandered around the park, stopping to talk to Malinda, who had been away looking after her mother for a week or more. Returning to The Caboose, I opened the can of paint and gave the railings a second coat of the stuff. They look surprisingly good to me so unless Daniel tells me differently, that is the end of my painting.  

While I was out there, I filled the bird feeders and added a couple more of the seed cakes in their holders. The birds really like these cakes. I deliberately spilled seed on the ground for the doves who are ground feeders. While I was at it, I watered the roses I had planted and found a Mourning Dove that had died for some reason. I dug a hole and buried it next to the roses. R.I.P little Dove. Finding the Dove made me incredibly sad. 
 
We went back inside as all the outside work had been completed and I made breakfast, shared with the dogs. Must be, they did not like the Burrito that I had as they turned their noses up at the pieces, I offered them. I ate mine regardless of the dog’s taste. 
 
I sat and wrote catching up with the blog. We have nothing planned for today so will take it as it comes. With today being Saturday, the campground was busier than through the week with many more people walking around or using the Laundry Room. 

I played around with the TV but to no avail. Something I am not doing right so I gave up on that and found some things to do outside. I remembered to close the grey water valve that I had opened yesterday while the washing machine was doing its thing. I could leave it open, but it is useful to help wash out the black tank as needed. 

I received a phone call from Daniel telling me to come over at 4:00 pm as he was going to grill stuff and I was invited along with a few other of his close friends. I took the dogs out for a short walk and then headed over to Daniel and Melindas RV, just across the park from me. Dolores was already there and then Gary and Kerry and later her husband Chris joined us. We sat around talking and drinking beer and there was a world full of stories and yarns and at times, it was like a competition to see who could spin the most extravagant tail. It was all-in genuine fun, and I added my 5 cents worth along the way. 

Between them, they had produced this wonderful meal of several unusual types of Bratwursts served with all the fixin’s and they literally forced two platefuls on me. I was satisfied with the first one but Daniel would not hear of it and so I ate the second Brat and another plate of fixins. I forgot the bun on the second plate. In my mind, a sort of a compromise. I even drank two beers which I made last, and Delores commented on how slow a drinker I was. 

This led to stories of my past and the one and only DWI I had received many years ago. That prompted stories from the others about their own experiences and that is how the evening went. 

It started to get dark, and Delores left. I followed as I had to take the dogs out for their last walk of the day. Overall, a fun evening and I have a few friends at this park. 

I walked back to The Caboose and took the dogs out for a short walk about. By now, it was almost dark, and we walked around the campground and I got to see some of the twinkling lights that many of the RV’s have. I need to walk in the dark more often. 

Back inside of the RV, I fed the dogs and as I did not need to feed myself, turned my attention to the blog. As I wrote, I thought about the people that I had just been mixing with and except for Chris, were all people that I had the most contact with since I have been here. Nice to be accepted among them. 

As the TV is still not working, stupid thing, the rest of the evening was spent watching a Premier League game on the computer. 

Written 03/04/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

The Adventures of an Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, Dripping Springs, TX Day 95, Sunday 03/05/2023

The finished project.

We got up at a reasonable hour and, as we always do, walked around the park and along the bottom road. There were several others doing the same as us either with or without their furry friends. A few of the people are walkers, and they do several laps around. These people dress in shorts and running shoes and really look the part. There is even one young couple who take turns watching the baby while the other does a lap or two. Then they switch off. They are serious about their workout as they exercise with pushups and squats while awaiting their turn to run. Oh, to be young again (but without the baby). 

Working out unless in a group requires a strong attitude of mind. You must want to do it, or the effort is wasted. Generally, those people are driven either to participate in a sport, to lose weight or the desire for a better and fitter body. Back in the day, I was driven by my ability to play soccer which I was particularly good at, so I trained hard to be even better. I worked out until I was 80 years old although I had given up playing due to knee replacement surgery in my left knee when I was 72. 

Then one day, I decided that I had had enough of this working out thing, and I was not going to do this anymore. Just like that, I quit and concentrated on hiking or just walking to stay fit. Which brings us to where we are today. We, me, and the dogs, we try to walk at least a mile or more a day minimum although dog walking is not very productive walk wise. Way too many interesting smells which stop us making any real progress. As the walk is really for the dogs, we go at their speed. Sometimes, we will go to one of the local parks and hit the trails but again, it is hard to cover any distance when Sandy must smell everything of interest to her.  

The last time we went to Reimers Ranch Park, I made the mistake of walking the paths on top of the Riverbank which of course is the most popular trail for those with or without dogs. Consequently, Sandy was in seventh heaven with all innumerable doggy smells left behind and we did not make any distance as she was too busy sniffing everything. 

Back in the RV, I fixed breakfast for me which is an important way to start the day although food just does not taste the same anymore as I grow older. I guess, that like everything else, the tastebuds are also losing their ability to differentiate. At least, that way, I will not overeat. Not much point if everything almost tastes the same… 

I watered the new roses I had planted trying to encourage them to grow. I need to stop in town and get some other plants to complete this little patch of Heaven. I thought about the gathering last evening and was happy that I had been invited although I do need to watch out for Daniel making me eat that second plate of food. 

I spent time writing and working on some pictures I had taken. Occasionally, I would think of something that needed doing in the RV and stop what I was doing at the time and take care of it. We went out for a short walk down to Quatro to pick up a couple of things that I needed. There is not much left in that rig anymore and nearly everything has been moved to The Caboose. I moved all my worldly posessions into Quatro when he was my only rig but as he will only be used for the occasional trip, later in the year and The Caboose is my permanent abode, it made sense to transfer everything. For one thing, why drive around carrying the extra weight? 

I worked on the television as it did not make sense to me that I could not get it working. I was doing everything it asked me to do but it still would not receive a signal. I fiddled around and happened to look at the network I was using on my phone and realized that it had a different password than the one I had been putting in. I immediately tapped in that password and lo and behold, the TV works again. Glad of that as I was tired of watching the English Premier League on my computer. 

Daniel walked by and hollered at me to be at his RV in about an hour as he was barbecuing again. I waved back in acknowledgement and continued with my writing. Knowing that I now had a dinner date or maybe that should read, barbecue date, I harnessed up my little friends and we went out for a walk. 

I was back outside of the RV after returning from the walk and Mikey, my watchdog, started barking. This time,it was my neighbor behind me that had brought me a bowl of fruit. He wanted the bowl back but “No Hurry” and I took it back inside, switched the fruit to a different bowl, washed it and at that moment, Jeanette, my neighbor’s partner, was returning from the dumpster, and I handed the bowl back to her and thanked her profusely for the gift of the fruit. 

At the appointed time, I wandered over to Daniel and Malinda’s RV to be met by their little dog,who quickly made friends with me again. She must bark to let everyone know she is there. BJ and Peggy were there along with Jeff and Daniel handed me a beer. We spent the next couple of hours eating chicken wings and drumsticks with all the fixin’s as everyone, except me, told stories of their travels which included gambling wins and losses at some of the well-known casinos around the country. They all appeared to have travelled extensively and some had even been abroad to other countries. 

My own offerings were insignificant compared to the stories that they all had. My one and only trip to a foreign land was coming to America from England and that was one way. Traveling to Wales and Scotland does not count. It made for an interesting evening. Eventually, the party broke up and I thanked them profusely for inviting me and wandered back to the RV where I harnessed up the dogs and we went walking around the park in the dark and once more, getting to see all the lights. 

The rest of the evening was spent in front of the big TV watching a game and then another couple of episodes of Farscape although for whatever reason, that show is turning weird on me as the writers strive to produce different plots. 

Written 03/05/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com

Spring is on the way.

We went out for that all important first walk of the day just wandering around. I made a stop at Quatro to try to find my other Roku stick as I do not think the current one is working properly. We continued around the park before returning for breakfast. 

Daniel stopped by with his leaf blower cleaning up around the campsites after the storm and I mentioned that the soggy box full of beer was his and that I had used it to weigh down the outside couch to stop it blowing away. He thanked me and returned later to carefully pick it up, soggy box and all although it had dried out a bit. 

I started a load of laundry as I was planning on writing in the blog and wanted to be on hand. As it happened, the washer rocked and rolled a bit but was not too bad in the spin cycle, so the blocking is doing the job. The washer has several different settings and I have been experimenting to see which one is best for me. Being a combo unit, I wanted it to wash and then stop before I turned it to dry so that I could add the nice smelly sheets to it.  

I managed to find the right settings to do this, just like in a Laundromat…You know, when you put in the wash and add your quarters and then an hour later, do it all again only this time after placing the wash in the drying machine. My machine is all in one and I do not have to transfer clothes from one to the other or add quarters. It has so many different settings that it has taken me a while and experimenting to find the correct set up for me.  

At least now, with the blocking in place and holding the machine secure, I could throw in the wash and then do something else if I wanted to for an hour or so and not have to be there, just in case! I spent my time writing in between the different cycles. Now if I could only get the TV to work… 
 
We went out for another wander around the park. A couple of RV’s pulled into the temporary sites across from me and I watched as the owners set up. You can always tell the experienced drivers as they have little trouble in placing the rig. The newbies, not so much. Daniel helped guide one of them to the site as the drivers could not get it right and the wife was little help in backing up. Not criticizing as it takes practice to make it perfect as the saying goes. 

After our walk, I hitched the dogs up to the steps so they could watch and then proceeded to paint the new step railings with the stain that Daniel had provided. I also tidied up around the outside to keep the site clean. Jeff walked by and commented on the paint job. Smart Alec… 

We went out for one more wander around before coming back to the RV for the evening’s meals and entertainment. I messed around with the TV but am still unable to get it to work, stupid thing. I ended up watching Farscape on my computer. 

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

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 4^th 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

I awoke very early for me, and we took a quick walk around the park, Daniel and Jeff were both sitting outside of the Laundry Room chatting and drinking coffee when we stopped by. Daniel mentioned that he would come over later to help install the new handrail. We continued with the walk and when we got back to the RV, they were both standing there looking at the fence post material I had bought. 

Without further ado, they both started work on measuring, sawing and generally getting the handrail and posts ready to set. I sort of hovered close by and held this or handed them tools and occasionally getting another different tool from my own toolbox.  

Between the three of us, we installed the posts and top rail and then Daniel added three other middle rails for appearances. I had worried that we did not have anything to mix the concrete in, but they showed me the fence builders’ way which was to fill the hole three quarters full of the dry concrete mix and then top it off with water. Simple… 

Now, all that remains is to get the larger step rock from the lower end of the park and install it alongside the bottom step to make the whole thing wider. I think Daniel wants to shape the top handrail a bit more just for appearance but technically, he owns the steps and handrail, or at least, James, the park owner, does so they can do whatever they want with it. Now, when the concrete sets, I will have set of steps that I can use and feel safe about. 

Daniel and Jeff both left and I went back inside for that coffee and breakfast. The dogs helped me to eat the food or at least, Sandy did. She lives to eat, that girl. I sat and caught up on world events and then I turned my attention to the blog, writing and catching up on yesterday’s and today’s events, at least as far as they have happened. 

With the blog all caught up and posted up to date, I sat and thought about what I should do next. The bird feeder needed resetting as it had gone a bit wonky, and we went outside and worked on it. I actually moved it a bit for more central viewing from inside the RV from where I usually sit and write. The ground was dry and as hard as concrete but with the help of a long screwdriver and many whacks with the hammer, I made a hole that at least was a start for the unit. I placed the thing in place and beat on it a bit more for good measure and then hung the birdfeeders back up, this time, full of bird seed. 

I looked around for other things to do and spotted the few plants that Malinda had planted in need of trimming and went about the process of cutting off the dead growth. I cleaned up the mess and then took the dogs walking to the dumpster to get rid of it. Any excuse to take a walk. When I go back into town, I will buy some more flowers and shrubs to plant. 

I thought about yesterday when the other camper had asked to borrow some wrenches and how disorganized my storage area really is and went back to that one and only storage compartment that we have outside of the RV, Incidentally, it also can be reached from inside as it is the storage space that is located under the bed. I went about shuffling tools by category and putting them in different boxes and returning them back to the compartment. 

Pleased with what we had done so far and with nothing else in mind, we adjourned back to the RV where it was a bit cooler. Then Daniel reappeared on his 4 wheeler and we went down to where the stones were found. I was going to say stored but in reality, it is a junk pile of used stones that for one reason or another, were no longer needed in their original spot. We found one that would work and between us but mostly Daniel, lifted it onto his buggy and brought it back to the RV. 

We set it in place and Daniel mixed the rest of the concrete in his bucket and used it to fill the gap between stones and around the bottom to hold everything together. The whole thing looks pretty good and after the concrete is set, will be a secure way to get onto the RV site. Daniel informed me that it was my job to paint the entire unit and that he would supply the paint and a brush. I did not protest as compared to the heavy lifting Daniel had done, mine was a very light job and surely, I cannot mess that up? 

I still have a bit more work to do on the top rail like round the ends to make them safer before I do the paint job. Again, I thanked Daniel profusely for all of his help but in reality, he is performing maintenance work in his park. From his perspective, the steps and railing are a safety factor although I am quite sure that he was not thinking about that when he helped with the installation. 

We stood by the steps talking and were joined by a couple of other long term residents and stood around chatting for a bit. They had stopped by to admire the handywork and had lots of comments, mostly of the good kind. Eventually, everyone left. 

I took the dogs out for the last walk of the day, wandering around the park which was uneventful, just the way I like it… I noticed that Daniel was sitting outside with his little dog on his lap as we passed by. We stopped more for the dogs to meet and greet as Daniel and I had seen a lot of each other through the course of the day. I was getting ready to leave and he asked me to stop by for a beer after putting the dogs up, which I did. I guess he needed the company as Malinda is away with her Mother. We were joined by another camper and we just sat and passed the time, talking and drinking beer. I get to learn a lot about my neighbors in these informal chat sessions. Now, if only I could remember their names…

Eventually, I left and headed back to The Caboose for the rest of the evning.

Written 02/272023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

I got up very early for me, aware of the fact that our final walk yesterday was around 3:30 pm and that the dogs had a long night of “holding it”. We went out walking not seeing anyone else as we made a couple of loops around the park. Sandy recognizes Daniels RV and when we walk by, is ready to make herself at home as we sometimes stop if he is outside. This time, he was nowhere to be seen so we kept walking after persuading her that he was not around. 
 
Back in the RV, I fixed breakfast and that all important coffee and then caught up with first the world news and then emails. As nothing was of major importance in the world news and there were no equally important emails to worry about except the scam ones telling me that one of my accounts has been closed and to follow this link, yeah right. After having been scammed once and almost scammed a second time, one resulting in having to get new bank account and the other a new charge card, I do not open anything I do not recognize. Usually, the sender’s name or log on ID is what gives them away plus my Malware software. Better safe than sorry which I found out previously at my expense. 

It was a gloomy and overcast day with rain in the forecast and as I watched, a couple of RV’s pulled in. I am very lucky with my site as my closest neighbor, currently the two older ladies that pulled in yesterday, are at least 50 feet away. Everyone else is more than 30-40 yards away, which is a long way in an RV Park where every square foot can make money. I have been some where the slide out is almost touching the RV next door. In my case, I am almost surrounded by trees which gives me more room from the next RV. I personally think that I have the best site in the entire park. 

After writing for a while, I decided to go into Austin to Walmart’s which is now my favorite store. I had a goal in mind and that was to buy a couple more of the tire covers that I had bought the last time I was here. At that time, I did not read the fine print to realize that each package only held two, not four, that I needed.  I arrived after an uneventful but long drive and walked over to the RV section. It took a while to find what I wanted but eventually found them and bought a package to cover two tires. I had previously bought the other two the first time I was here. This was really the main reason for the trip but as usual, I wandered around and found a few other things, including food. 

From there, I went to The Home Depot and bought another 4×4 to complete the railing leading down from the steps. I also bought screws and metal brackets to make everything work. The last stop was Starbuck’s, what else, for that latte to drink on the way back to Henly. 

All in all, a successful trip. When we got back, our first thing on the agenda was a walk around the park and the outside lane before returning to The Caboose where we sat outside and listened to an Audiobook for 30 minutes or so.  

One of my new neighbors stopped by looking to borrow a wrench and I gave him my entire box of tools for his use. He returned them later, grateful that they were of help to him. That is what being neighborly is all about. 
 
We sat around outside drinking small bottles of wine and listening to an Audiobook. I say we, but that probably should be me as the dogs, although sitting outside with me were more interested in my bag of chips than listening to some boring story. Besides, they do not drink wine, thank goodness as that means more for me…

We adjourned back inside of The Caboose for the evening, and I completed the blog. The rest of the evening was spent in the usual fashion with food all around and then watching the TV until it was time to go to bed. 

Written 02/26/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

We got up at a reasonable hour, at least for us. I had dreamed that someone was grabbing hold of my wrist and would not let go and I had fought back. I checked on the dogs who were both sleeping peacefully alongside in their usual spots so at least, I had not been fighting with them. 

I dressed ready to face whatever today might bring. The first thing was that early morning walk around the park. We only saw one other Camper and her dogs which resulted in the usual barking and jumping by both Sandy and Mikey. Luckily, the other lady just smiled at their antics.  

The family with the three kids were doing laundry and so the kids were out and about shouting, screaming and riding bikes all over the park but having a great time. Another group of kids joined them, and a couple of kids snuck into the Lounge, an area that is off-limits to them unless accompanied by an Adult. I turned a blind eye knowing that Malinda was away taking care of her mother and hoping the kids were not wrecking the place. I was not sure if the kids mother was in there with them or not. 

Things quietened down when their laundry was done, and they had all gone back to their respective RV’s. Incidentally, one family lives in a small camper which is not more than 20 feet long, 3 kids, a couple who are teenagers or close and 2 adults. Must be a bit of a squeeze and not much privacy.  

With breakfast consumed for another day, I first repaired a drawer in the bedroom that refused to close. Remembering that another drawer in the kitchen had acted the same way, I checked and found out the reason for the non-closing drawer and rectified the problem. One more thing taken care of… 

I have lots of things to get up to whenever I get around to them, like digging holes, mixing concrete and installing the two posts I just bought. I also need to find a bigger stone to replace the missing one on the bottom steps as the one I have is about 6 inches shorter in length than the others. I have a place for this short stone at the end of the RV site to make a step down from the wall. I can probably find a larger stone from the supply pile down in the other section to complete the steps. 

We wandered down there to look and I measured a few stones and found one stone that would work. These stones weigh up to 100 lbs. and I will get Daniel to bring it up on his buggy later. I continued walking around the park for a bit and stopped at Quatro to get the shovel I had stored there. I will need that for digging the post holes. 

Back at the RV, I located where the holes needed to be and started work. Then I remembered that Daniel said he had a posthole digger and as the ground was getting hard, stopped work pretty quickly. It was no more than 15 minutes later that Daniel and his giant, very muscular son stopped by and took over and in no time flat, they had the holes dug. Daniel promised to stop by tomorrow and finish the work. Incidentally, both Daniel and his son are very experienced post hole diggers proudly telling me about the 123 holes they had dug in one day on a different project. 
 
That left me with nothing to do outside, at least until we set the posts. I have new neighbors, a couple of older ladies who introduced themselves and we chatted for a bit. They went into town, and I sat outside for a while until it started getting a little cool whereupon we adjourned back inside. 
 
I wrote for a while and then started a load of laundry. The blocking system I installed to prevent the washer from moving around appears to be working. I stood close by, just in case, but although the washing machine rocked and rolled and made a lot of noise, it never actually moved anywhere. I did not dare leave the RV for any reason while it was in the wash mode but felt confident that while it was just spin drying, it would be OK and so we went out for the afternoon walk. It was very quiet out around the park and the outside road and altogether, we covered almost 2 miles for the day.  

Back in The Caboose, the rest of the evening was spent in the usual way with food all around, then watching a Premier League game and then a couple of episodes of Farscape before going to bed very late, or early, depending on how you look at it. 

Written 02/25/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

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  

There is a definate art to building these dry stone rock walls as they did not use any mortar to hold them together. A dying art…

I got up early as I knew that Malinda was coming over to work on the kitchen faucet as she had emailed me last evening so we could work out a time. We did a short walk about as the dogs were more interested in smells than walks and they dawdled over everything they came across. It made no difference to me as the morning walks are for the dogs anyway. 

Malinda arrived promptly at 9:00 am and went about the exploratory business of finding out why the pressure is so poor through the kitchen gooseneck faucet. She left for a while and then came back with Jeff in tow to get his opinions of the problem. Eventually, they both left in Jeff’s truck to go into town to try to find the necessary parts. 

They returned a bit later and Malinda installed the new part. It stabilized the pressure and increased it somewhat. They gathered up their tools and left and now all that remains is to replace the motor to the slide out, which is not urgent as I do not plan on pulling it in, probably ever. This is my permanent home now except for when we travel. 

I returned to writing the blog catching up on the interesting day’s events. Another Airstream pulled into one of the temporary spaces just across from me. I watched as the man led out two large hound dogs who are quite obviously well behaved. He also brought out a large double kennel for them and as I watched, each one walked through the door to their respective sides and curled up and went to sleep. He did not close the doors, but both were on long leashes. Sure, they are trained much better than my two mutts. 

I looked around and found a few housekeeping things that I needed to do and when they were done, soon found myself sitting on the couch making a fuss of the dogs. Big mistake as the next thing I knew after I awoke, was that it was time to take the dogs walking. I had managed to doze off in the middle of the day. Guess I must have been tired or lazy or both… 

Still, as we are not on any sort of clock except the few times, we have appointments, there was no harm done and anything I did not carry out today can usually be done tomorrow. There is always tomorrow… 
 
We went out walking later in the afternoon just around the park stopping at Quatro to pick up a couple of items before returning for the usual evening meal and then watching TV. All in all, a very quiet and uneventful day. 

Written 02/22/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com  

The Adventures of an Old Man and an RV. Henly RV Park, Dripping Springs, TX Day 85, Thursday 02/23/2023

Things are just starting to green up this Spring.

I got up early knowing that I had a Dentist Appointment in Austin for 11:00 am. This meant leaving here around 9:45 am at the latest just in case the traffic was heavy. We went out for that first walk but it was uneventful, thank goodness, and soon arrived back at the RV. I had a quick breakfast and coffee and then, making sure that I had everything I needed, jumped in the Jeep for the drive into Austin. 

Knowing that I had that dentist appointment, I made the long uneventful drive in. My Dentist is found about mid Austin, but the traffic was fairly light probably due to the time I was driving long after the morning rush hour. I arrived early and sat outside for a while before going inside. No one likes going to the Dentist although it has come a long way from what I remember as a youth back in England. Nowadays, it is comparatively painless with most discomfort from the amount of time the mouth is wide open especially when the Dentist uses a block to keep it that way. 

45 minutes or so later, I was through although I will have to go back as one of the implants was not the correct size and needs some work. I paid my bill and then drove back to Walmart’s that is located on the SW side of town on the way to Dripping Springs.  

I really did not need much, and it was more of a literal shopping expedition with the thought that I might find something useful. I walked out of there with a few things and a $130.00 bill because I did find those useful items like a couple of seat cushions for my “desk” which is actually the RV table, and the seats are the chairs that surround the aforementioned table. Needless to say. I do not use the table for anything other than a desk and when I eat my meals, they are in the easy chair with my small folding table alongside. 

I stopped at the food counters and bought a few items and of course a couple of small 4-packs of wine. I also bought a set of tire covers for The Caboose to shield him from the UV Rays. I already have some for Quatro that I had bought previously some time ago which are used anytime we park at any location for a given length of time. They are installed now as Quatro is parked for a while. 

The drive back was uneventful except for the stop at Starbucks for a Latte for the ride to Henly. I arrived back to be greeted by my excited little dogs and after they helped put the groceries away, we harnessed up for a walk around the park. Daniel, Jeff and Sonny were sitting outside of the Laundry Room like the three musketeers except these were drinking coffee and not waving swords around. We stopped and chatted for a bit before we moved on with our walk. We stopped at Quatro, and I started it up and let it run for a while just to keep it lubricated. We followed this with a walk around the park before heading back to The Caboose for the rest of the evening. 

Written 02/23/2023. Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com