The Pond. It was at the end of this berm that we nearly made friends with the Alligator pictured below.
Another quiet day following the usual procedures of walks and breakfast. Nothing much going on or anything to see during the walk as it is Sunday and there are very few kids here. It is mostly an Adult Park not by design but just how things have worked out with travelling Construction workers and a lot of older campers. We did spend some time in the Dog Run with the usual results, Sandy enjoying the smells and Mikey sticking close to me before we headed back to Miss Daisy for breakfast. Today is cloudy with light rain showers and enough wind that I had to retract the canopy so that it would not get damaged which also meant that I needed to bring in the wicker couch cushions to save them from getting a soaking. I had to find space for them so I put so them on the bed which is a great place for this type of temporary storage. The Park is very quiet with no activity at all.
Later in the afternoon as it was Sunday, several families were out walking, many along with their dogs and there was much more activity around the park. Mikey, with his usual position on the passenger seat of Miss Daisy when he knows other dogs and humans are around, greeted them all with his loud barking until told to “quiet down” which he does although somewhat reluctantly. It’s nice to see the extra activity in the park.
Above are a few of the pictures that I have taken so far. Several have already been included in other blogs but are worth repeating
I am beginning to think that putting out the seed and humming bird feeders is a bit of a waste of time. So far, I haven’t seen a single bird of any variety even come close to investigate. There are a few larger birds around especially by the pond where the Egrets feed but I guess we are too much in the open for the smaller birds as you can see from the picture above. Most of the trees are of the larger variety and there are not many of them. so they do not provide much shelter for the smaller birds.
The evening walk was much more entertaining as I got to meet several of the other campers either sitting outside their RV’s or out walking. I even met a gentleman dressed up as the Gringe from the Dr Seuss storybooks. Sandy just greeted him as a normal person and Mikey did his usual thing, hiding behind me. I guess he is getting ready for the upcoming fancy dress parade to be held here at the end of the month which, unfortunately, we will miss.
The rest of the evening was spent in the usual way, food and then television. I was disappointed that the English Premier League games were not on until I remembered that it was International Break week when the Premier League suspends its games to release the players about once a month so that International Teams from various countries around the world can play each other usually for the World Cup qualifiers and other competitions.
Hard at it but the pile is not getting much smaller.
Today was another of those days when we woke up late. The beauty of that is that it really doesn’t matter unless we do happen to have something planned that requires early rising. On those days, which, by the way, are few and far between, I set the alarm clock just to be sure. The only problem with the late start is the sun is high by the time we get out for the first walk of the day and it is already a little warm, especially here in Texas. We did a short walk around the park but I could tell that Sandy wasn’t that interested and as she is the one that dictates how far and how long we walk, we returned to the RV for breakfast for them and coffee for me. We had nothing planned or anything that needed my attention so after cleaning up, I settled down in front of the computer to do my usual thing of writing in this blog.
As I glanced out of the window, I noticed an empty RV site and remembered that last evening, I watched lights around that RV. I put it down to having to drain the tanks or something similar but a little later, they drove out hauling the RV with them. I thought it strange that they left so late as it was around 10:00 pm and dark out. Usually, most RV’ers pull out in the daylight to arrive at their next site in time to set up before it does get dark but I guess these campers must have had their reasons. Don’t envy them having to set up somewhere in the dark but wish them well.
The heavy equipment is hard at work but the huge pile of dirt does not appear to be getting much smaller. At this rate, it will not be gone before I leave here. Looking around, I can’t believe how empty this park is as it really is a nice resort. Many of the campers are permanent residents or at least for an extended period of time like the lady I was speaking to in the Laundry room a couple of days ago whose husband is building something close by. During the day, most of the RV’s show no sign of life and it is not until the evening that things begin to pick up a bit. There are also a few that are parked here long term with only the occasional visits from the owners. I suppose that if you can afford it, parking the RV at a park is just as good as putting it in storage somewhere.
It was another of those lazy days which we spent working on the blog before heading out for the evening walk. This time I headed for the Dog Run and let them off their leashes and they actually did walk around and smell out what had been there before them. We finished walking around the park and back to Miss Daisy for the evening and followed our usual practice of food for us all and a glass of wine while watching Midsomer Murders, an English murder series on TV in lieu of a soccer game as I had watched all ten of last weekends games. This sure is a lazy life…
10/09/2021
Showing their pretty faces.
Another late rising day. Good job I don’t have anything that I need to worry about that is affected by the clock as we have no plans for today. I have looked up a couple of Parks that are nearby that we will try out next week. No need to go when the park may be crowded as today is Saturday. This morning, we did our usual walk around the park and only saw one other dog taking it’s owner out for her walk. Probably because we were late reporting for duty, I mean walk. The dogs didn’t care just happy to be out and about and smelling all of the wonderful overnight aromas. I received word that the pool was opening today at noon time. I might wander over to take a look but won’t go swimming. Not really my thing. Not that I have an aversion to water, it’s just not my sport. Besides, you get your hair wet…Actually, that is not quite true as I toyed with the idea of buying a canoe to add to our entertainment but the more I thought about, I realized that I do have a fear of open water So that idea went out of the window.
I looked on line for the next campground just in case I have trouble in locating one with room for my RV. After all, winter is coming on and the snowbirds will soon be heading South. I went back to RV Trip Planner and picked one out and called them to make a reservation. It is named Rock’n E RV Park and is located in a place called Coldspring, about a 100 mile trip. We will leave here the morning of the 18th of this month. Again, I have booked for a week and if it works out, we probably can extend our stay.
I went to the office as they had texted me that I have a package, probably supplements that I ordered online. They had been forwarded on from my mail service, PostNet at my request and only took a couple of days. Pretty good service. I also stopped by the new pool to take a look as it had just opened earlier today. A couple of the residents were using it and it looks very nice and will be even better when they finish the bar which adjoins the pool, unfortunately not by the time I leave. Not sure I am missing anything pool wise as most of the female residents are pretty overweight as are a couple of the men who live here that I have seen. The park is pretty empty and quiet through the week with not too many people out and about. Most of them are probably at work.
The rest of the day was spent in tidying up Miss Daisy, trying to make it look a little less crowded and jumbled. Of course, all I really did was move the mess into the cupboards and out of sight. I never really addressed the issue of sorting things out and putting them in appropriate places. I would have to label those places after that so I could find the stuff when I needed it as my memory is really bad. Even though the RV is small, everything seems to get lost somehow or is not where I thought it was or expected it to be. Oh well.
We finished off the day with our usual walk around the park. The heavy construction workers have a couple of days off for the weekend although others were working on the Bar. Different crew for a different project. Today being Saturday meant a whole new batch of English Premier League football to watch which is what we will do as we eat our evening meal and until we go to bed.
The new pool which has just opened and the bar still under construction.
A pano of some of the park taken from the dog run.
So far, it has been a nice quiet and peaceful day getting up around the usual time then doing what we do every morning, walks and then breakfast. The few chores related to this life style are minimal when we are parked and usually consist of emptying the black and grey tanks every few days. Depending on how bad they are, very occasionally I might need to sprinkle fire ant killer on any mounds that may pop up overnight as they can be nasty little buggers and they really hurt when they bite not only me but also the dogs. I have also put up the Shepherds Crook and hung both humming bird mixture and seed in the hope of seeing maybe a few birds of both kinds but so far, not a single one. Come to that, there are not many small birds around anyway, maybe not enough cover for them as we are pretty much out in the open. We are surrounded by trees and woods but they are long way off.
This sure is a lazy life compared to my previous existence. When I owned the house and had the ponds, there was always and I mean always, something that needed doing and most of it essential that it was taken care of. I might have been able to put it off for a day or two but in the end, it just had to be done, whatever it was. Now, I pretty much pick and choose what I want or need to do. On most days, it usually consists of any or all of the following. Walkies, feeding me and the dogs, more walkies, RV maintenance as described above, reading and catching up on emails and such, writing in my blog, occasionally going to the store or the office, laundry, more walkies, working on and posting photographs, more feeding me and the dogs, listening to Audiobooks and even more walkies. At the end of the day after the last walk, we usually sit outside with a beer and take in the sounds and the sights, acknowledging any other campers that walk or drive by with a wave or a verbal hello with my dogs barking at their dogs, their own version of a greeting, I guess. I did talk to one of my neighbors whose RV suddenly disappeared only to find out that he had roof problems and it was in the shop and was going to be there for more than a week. He said he was staying with friends and stopped by occasionally to check on his outside stuff that he had piled up on his site, including a generator.
That is one of the problems of this life. Our RV is our home and if for any reason it does require work that means an overnight or longer stay in the shop, then we have to find alternative places to live while the work is ongoing. In my case, it will mean staying in a Hotel or Motel that takes dogs, which might be a problem. I hope we never have to find out. Some repair shops allow the owners to actually stay in the RV’s while they are parked in the shop. From where I sit at the table, I have a view out of three sides of the RV although, apart from the heavy equipment, there is generally not much to see or that changes very much except for maybe the occasional car or truck or someone walking their dogs.
The bird feeders. The steps in the picture are for the RV with the leaky roof.
We went out for the afternoon walk and were immediately attacked by a veritable swarm of mosquitos. I turned back around and found the bug spray and covered all of my exposed parts. before venturing back outside. It appeared to do the trick although there is always that one or two very determined or very hungry ones that ends up getting squished by the back of my hand. We explored some areas around the pond that we had not walked before but I am reluctant to walk in the long grass for fear of snakes so those sort of walks were very brief. We stuck to the park roads for the remainder of the walk trying to walk on the shady side of the park as much as possible. Back in the RV, I spent time looking at the local parks to see if any of them had trails and may have located a couple. I might try them out in the next couple of days.
The day ended as it it normally does with food for the dogs and then me followed by a glass of wine and watching the television.
Today is Sunday the first day of the week although most of us like to think that Monday is when things really begin probably because our work days are akin to starting off the week to continue through for at least five more days and for some maybe more work on Saturday to add to the score. The average man will spend his time working so that his family and himself will not go wanting and buy the things that he thinks he needs and he and his family will have a good life as he cares for his kids and his wife. That is the way life is supposed to go but as we all very well know that life does not always go this way and on any given day something will happen to change all of this and instead of married bliss and kisses and love and all things nice life will have us make sacrifice. We steal a day off and call in sick for the extra time with kids and the wife as life is way too darn short to spend it all working with no time to resort to fun and games and being together enjoying the outside and out in the weather soaking up the sun and living a life just you and the kids and your loving wife. For many people a five day week of work and toil is what we seek so we can spend the other two doing what we like to do In my long life I had many jobs each one a progression of the last so that with each passing day would show an increase in my pay and by the time that I retired at sixty seven I thought I had died and gone to heaven as no longer did I have to drive and do a job from nine to five. Instead my time is now my own to do with as I please and it should be known that I spend it living in my RV and touring around this great country the work I do is now for me and for keeping my RV clean and in good shape as we travel the country from State to State. Long gone are the nine to fives and the five day week that took my time and instead now there are twenty four hours to do as I wish enjoying the flowers and walking the trails along with my pets my constant companions and my best friends yet. Hopefully we’ll spend our time together to live out our lives whatever the weather and when Nature decides it is our time we’ll cross that Rainbow Bridge in line not Sandy in front and then Mikey and I but instead together walking side by side. I can only hope.
A partial panorama of the park. Lot’s of vacant sites.
The sun was shining and it was going to be a beautiful day here at St Ives as we took our morning walk around the park. The mechanical monsters were hard at work moving around the still wet and soggy dirt and as I watched, a tractor trailer came in with a large dump truck on board. This is an onsite dump truck especially for moving the piles of dirt around. I wondered what they were going to do with the huge pile they had excavated and I guess I will soon find out if I stay here long enough. Interesting watching all of these people earning a living doing the same things that I did in the early years of my working career. I loved operating and being around heavy equipment and spent several years of my life working pipeline construction in England, my home country.
I have been thinking about our next move and now that we have located a town nearby with all of the necessities that I need, we will stay here through the 17th of this month. I needed to do laundry anyway and also dispose of a bag full of garbage as I made my way towards the Office where all of those things are located. The laundry room was on a combination lock and was very clean with 4 washers and 4 dryers so I set a wash going and then walked to the dumpster to dispose of my trash. before returning to the Office to make the necessary arrangements to stay longer. I knew it wouldn’t be a problem as the Park is only about half full, many of whom are long term residents working in the area.
Back in the Laundry room, I waited for the wash load to finish and an older lady came in to do her laundry. We started to chat as we waited and I learned a lot of her RV life. She was married to a construction worker who was building a store in the area and she told me that they travel around all over following his work. Another much younger lady came in and joined in the conversation which helped pass the time as we waited for our laundry to do it’s thing. It’s interesting to hear their different stories and their reasons for the RV life.
With the laundry folded and put away for another week and the site reserved, it was time to go walking again. Even though it has cooled off a little, it is still in the mid eighties with enough humidity to be uncomfortable especially as there is not a lot of shade in the park. We made a couple of circuits not seeing anything out of the ordinary before returning to the RV for the night. A Park employee on a mower, stopped to warn me about the ‘Gator but I told him that I had already met the big fellow. He claimed it to be eight feet long which is may well be as I was in a hurry to take the picture and get the hell out of there that I didn’t pay that much attention.
With food for the dogs, food for me and a glass of wine we finished the evening in our usual way watching soccer on the TV.
Is this 8ft long? One of the Staff members thinks it is having seen it himself.
10/06/2021
Life is settling into a routine as it usually does. In our case it is waking up at whatever time my body decides that it has had enough rest, going through the usual morning ablutions and then walking the dogs for as short or as long as Sandy decides we need to go. Normally, I hate bossy women and she is one of the bossiest… Seriously though, she is the one exception as I don’t hate her. Just the opposite in fact and I really do value both her and Mikey’s devotion and companionship. Following our breakfast routine varied by whatever strikes my fancy, it is time to settle down in front of the computer and go through my emails most of which are just newsy items accompanied by a lot of junk mail. I get very few emails from friends and associates except for the couple of really good friends that I have left. That is what happens when you hit the road as you tend to leave that past life behind you. I noticed the same thing when I quit playing football, soccer to you un-initiated, that I soon lost contact with all of those dozens of friends who I kicked on a regular basis every weekend. Still as long as I stay in touch with the important people in my life, that is really all that matters. With emails out of the way at least for a while as they are a never ending string of information all day long, I turned my attention to my blog to catch up on each days events as I keep track of our adventures. Not sure how many people follow the blog or read my stuff but as I only write for my own satisfaction, it really doesn’t matter that much. I will always write as long as I can and have a story to tell. At least it keeps my brain active and goodness only knows, it is getting more and more forgetful.
From my window, I can see the excavator working on a huge pile of dirt. They have the one dump truck that they brought in a day ago which I mentioned previously so it is a slow process. Somehow, I will be very surprised if they move that small mountain before I leave here on the 17th.. This Park is going through several different expansions and they have very grandiose plans for it. Eventually, it will have room for 137 RV’s plus additional entertainment, things like a swimming pool and spa, a Bar, a bocce ball court, a volleyball court and even an 18 hole golf course. I don’t know why there are not more people here as it is but maybe because it has just reopened and the word hasn’t got out yet. They are always busy around the park with mowing and such goings on all of the time.
Taking a break
We have no major plans for the day except for walkies which Sandy is already bugging me about. I keep telling her that she needs to adjust her interior clock as it doesn’t read the same time as mine and after all, I make the decisions. Well, most of the time. Following our stroll around the park, just as we usually do, we ended the day with dinner for all of us. Maybe not the same food as I didn’t fancy eating a can of dog food although I guess it probably would not harm me but I don’t really want to find out. As it happened, I had cooked up some Pork Chops coupled with green beans making a very satisfying meal followed by a glass of cheap wine, TV and then to bed.
Today, just for a change, it was not raining when we woke up so we reverted back to our normal custom of walking just as soon as I had showered and shaved and completed all of my normal morning ablutions. We did not walk on the berm by the pond preferring to leave any Alligator sightings to later in the day and maybe when I have my big camera with me. Of course, if I am that prepared, we will not see the Alligator. Instead, we took a short stroll around the grounds before returning for breakfast and coffee. It’s hard to keep track of the days when there is no reason to but I figured out today was Sunday because all of the other campers were home. My next door neighbor was having his truck worked on by another camper who lived just across from us who, by the sign on his truck, was a travelling mechanic. Very useful to have as a neighbor.
We have nothing planned for today so I sat at the computer and worked on the pictures that we took yesterday. I was especially proud of the Alligator pictures as I didn’t really expect to see one. I completed yesterdays blog and decided to put a temporary hold on posting past copies of my old poetry for a while to get better caught up with the current blogs and to make them more recent for the readers. At least until I run out of things to write about and then I can always resort back to reposting the poetry.
I took the dogs for a walk as Sandy was just being a bug and wouldn’t leave me alone. Not sure if it was a potty signal or just her wanting to get out and about. Whatever it was, we harnessed up and were ready to leave and as I was locking Miss Daisy’s door, Mikey started hopping around as did Sandy and then me and then I discovered that our entire entrance was covered with fire ants. We quickly moved on with me brushing fire ants from my legs and boots and the dogs rolling in the grass and biting their legs and feet. Both of them found every puddle and wet grass they could as we headed for the Dog Run where I let them off their leashes only for them both to find yet another puddle to lay down in. Poor things must have been bitten all over. We finished our walk which included walking around the pond without getting close to the water and headed back to the RV.I took a short drive to see what was down the opposite direction from where I came in but the only thing I found was a gas station which had a Subway attached. Nothing wasted as I bought a sandwich for dinner this evening but could not find any fire ant killer. Tomorrow maybe when the stores are open. After all, today is Sunday. I need to add that to my supply of things to carry with me all the time although this is the first time that we have been bothered by them. It came on to rain, again, and I mean hard. It just fell out of the sky. It was raining so hard that there was a steady stream of the stuff pouring off the awning.
We had no plans for the evening so we all ate our evening meal and settled down in front of the TV to watch football.
Monday 10/04/2021
The rain has stopped and the sun is shining. Needless to say, the humidity is very high which we discovered on our first walk of the day. I counted the RV’s that are parked here and there are a total of 27 on a campsite which is set up for around 80. They are also working on making the park even bigger by adding new sites with a total capacity of around 132. There are several large industries scattered around which I noticed on the drive in, oil and gas refineries and such so maybe they are looking for permanent tenants for the people working there. Talking of working on the site, the area where they have the heavy equipment is extremely wet with the recent rains and I wonder about its stability even when it is “dried” out as it is basically very heavy clay/loam. The workers are back at it again today playing with their Tonker Toys. As I watched, they brought in another heavy ‘dozer and loaded out a smaller one. They also removed a roller which I imagine, is absolutely useless on the wet ground.
Watch where you walk.
I need to start thinking of whether to stay here for another week or move on. The internet is really good and our exercise comprises of walking around the park which gives us about a mile or so per day depending on the number of circuits. They have a really nice Dog Park but that is basically a waste of time as both dogs just sit down in the grass.
I needed to locate a grocery store other than the gas station and found that there is an HEB in Alvin which as it turns out has a population of close to 30,000. I made the drive in for about 9 miles and discovered a very nice little country town with everything I wanted including the aforementioned HEB with a gas station, a Home Depot and even an ATT store although the latter did not have just what I wanted. Finally, the big win of the day was the discovery of a Starbucks, manna from heaven, as I had not had a latte for two weeks or more. Saved a lot of money though as those things are expensive. Oh yes, I bought ant killer. I also stopped by a tire shop not for new tires but to see if they knew where to plug in the gadget that Allstate had forwarded on to me that needed to go in the Jeep. It is a system whereby I only get charged for miles driven as the Jeep spends a lot of time just sitting. The gentleman I spoke with very obligingly installed the unit which was just a plug in job and I thanked him very profusely for his time and trouble. Now to see if I really do save money on car insurance.
The drive back was uneventful and I was greeted at the door by two little dogs who desperately wanted to “go”. I quickly harnessed them up and off we went exploring and checking on the work that the dozer work crew had performed. Did not get to see an Alligators but I never walked out on the berm either. The sites are drying up as the rain appears to have disappeared for a while and walking around the park was much easier with not having to constantly drag Sandy out of the puddles. That girl loves to get wet and dirty. Mikey, on the other hand, stays comparatively clean and dry, obviously not the water lover that Sandy is.
We finished the day in our usual way, eating the evening meal and then settling back with a glass of wine to watch the English football.
It was raining when we woke up so we had to put off our morning walk for a bit. I knew we had plenty of time as all of the outside work had been completed yesterday. Instead, we ate breakfast and stored away most of the things and by then, the weather had cleared up to where we took our final walk around this beautiful park. I would have liked to have stayed longer but the cost of the additional internet was killing me.
I went through the usual process of unhooking all of the utilities and raising the jacks. It’s wonderful just to push a button and everything just happens all by itself. The miracles of modern technology. With the RV ready to roll, I drove it onto the street before hooking up the Jeep. This time it went much smoother with the exception of getting the lights to work which I eventually did. And then with one last walk around the site, we were off saying goodbye to a very pleasant stay and to all of the deer that watched us leave.
Needless to say, the radio/screen in the RV did not work neither could I get the new Galaxy Tab Lite to bring up the maps to the one I had already preprogrammed so as usual, we settled for the iPhone which never fails. It’s only problem is the small screen but with the voice commands, we were able to follow directions and after a two hour uneventful trip on straight, flat and I must say very boring roads we arrived at the new campground at St Ives in Alvin. They had had a lot of rain which I noticed on the drive in with lakes, ponds and rivers full to overflowing. In many places, the land itself was flooded and I passed a lot of houses who now had small lakes in their backyards. I wondered if this was going to be a problem for us at the new site.
The check in process was straightforward helped by three very willing ladies and I was assigned site 37. Upon driving in, the first thing I noticed was that my site was virtually under water from all of the rain and as there were a lot of empty sites around, I started to take a look to see if I could find a drier one. We actually ended up in site 36 which, comparatively speaking, was fairly dry or at least did not have standing water. The RV’s are not parked close together but it is nice to not have neighbors on at least one side although my other ones on the other side are a good distance away. They are a young couple who I saw the next day. Have not met them yet.
Setting up was a piece of cake and it wasn’t long before we were settled inside. I took the dogs for a walk just so they could stretch their legs and do their thing before we went back inside and settled in for the evening. Then I remembered that I did not have any milk for the morning coffee and knowing we had passed a gas station not too far back, made the quick trip to it and made a few purchases, one of which was a latte out of a machine that although I drank it, tasted more of syrup than coffee. That was a mistake. I could not get the internet to work as planned and had to resort back to my Netgear system vowing to talk to the owners first thing in the morning.
10/02/2021
After a good nights sleep, we awoke around 9:00 am to yet another rainy day. For going through most of the summer without too much of the wet stuff, we have sure made up for it these past few days. We settled for breakfast and real coffee for me and by then, it had stopped raining although remained a dull overcast day. We walked around the park for a bit and said hello to a couple of the tenants before returning back to the RV. The office had responded to my internet complaint giving me the proper password which worked. I quickly tuned off the Netgear unit so as not to burn up any more gigs just in case I might need them later. I also had received a package which I had forwarded from PostNet, my mail service, to this new park. It is a Milewise unit from Allstate, my insurance company that records the actual driving time and charges me accordingly. It is supposed to save me money as the insurance is adjusted by the amount of miles it is driven. We’ll see. Now all I got to do is install it in the Jeep and hopefully save money on my insurance.
It is a very grey day and we have yet to see the sun and so far, all I have done is sit here and write which I suppose, is not a bad thing. Better than wasting time watching TV which I very rarely do during the day although I do have a couple of chores like unload the Jeep and set up the wicker couch and table and stuff like that. Actually, I am waiting for the site to dry out a bit before doing that particular job.
The sun finally showed itself so just as planned, I went out and unloaded the Jeep setting up the mat, the wicker couch, the table and finally a couple of other mats for the door. While I was at it, I stuck the Shepherds Crook in the ground, which incidentally pushed in with no effort due to the soggy ground, and hung up both a humming bird feeder and a seed feeder. Be interesting to see if there are any birds of any description that come and use it. Later in the day, we went out for a walk around the park trying to avoid the standing water that Sandy just loves to walk through. She can get wet just by walking in the grass which she does as there are many more exciting smells there than on the road.
The berm that that we walked
Our walk took us around the park and on the way, we passed the dog park where a lady with her two dogs were sitting and enjoying the sun. I waved but kept walking until I reached the pond with the signs to “Beware Alligators and Venomous snakes”. Yeah right I thought, snakes maybe but Alligators, not so much. The pond has two berms that stick out into the water which are actually drainage pipes covered with dirt so we wandered along one of them to get closer to the water. All of a sudden, a movement down by my feet caused me to jump back and there was an eight foot alligator slithering towards the pond. I am very careful on keeping a close eye out on where we walk but I didn’t see this guy until I almost stepped on him. Needless to say, we made a hasty retreat for a couple of feet so that I could take pictures before getting back to dry land and wondering at the great moment that we had just witnessed. An Alligator, a real live Alligator in it’s natural surroundings even if it was only eight feet long. I guess the signs don’t lie after all.
The 8ft Alligator at the end of the berm
We continued on our walk and I wiped the dogs off before letting them back in the RV. Incidentally, BJ and myself after much discussion going back and forth, have finally come up with a name for the RV based on the movie, “Driving Miss Daisy” and I have officially named the RV, “Miss Daisy”. There was some talk whether it should be Miss or Ms. but being from the old school, I won that argument and settled for Miss. Hey, it’s my RV so my choice.
We sat outside making use of the newly installed couch, me with a beer, the dogs taking in the smells and sights for a while before heading back in first to feed them and then to feed me. I find food although a necessity, to be a relatively unimportant part of my life and am happy to conjure up something, anything to eat. Definitely not into grilling or barbecuing and such as many campers are. With the TV working well on the park’s WIFI, I was able to enjoy watching football of the British kind as my Great, Great Grandson, Solly March, living my dream while playing for Brighton and Hove Albion against Arsenal, only for it to end in a 0-0 tie.
And so ended our first full day at this campground.
I think that today was the most frustrating one that I have had in a long time. Following a walk with the pups and then a leisurely breakfast, I settled down to read emails, answering any that require an answer and then work on the most recent blog of our current events. That was what I had planned but fate has a way of messing up any plans that I may have. The best laid plans of mice and men etc. The walk and the breakfast part went very well. Heck, I would really have to be in a bad way to mess up walking the dogs and making breakfast for all of us. No, my troubles started when I sat down in front of the computer to review the most recent batch of emails just in case there might be one that is either different or very interesting or maybe even from my good friends that stay in touch with me. Those are the ones I like the best and I always try to respond with a longer message. No, what happened is there was no internet of any kind, nothing, nada. I knew what the problem was that I was out of gigs of service but this time around was that no matter what I tried, I could not connect and log in to add extra gigs as I usually do, for a price of course.
So, my only recourse was to call the help desk and see what they could do which ended up a very long process with several transfers of personnel to different departments over a phone line that I could barely hear made worse by the individuals on the other end with heavy Indian accents. They were all very polite and helpful but I really did have trouble understanding them. Three hours later, we finally got the problem sorted out and the internet was back up and running albeit at the cost of an additional $30.00 for 15 more gigs which hopefully will last me until the regular monthly renewal of 100 gigs of service will happen. Altogether, it has cost me $340.00 of additional payment to get internet for the past two weeks. As it is probably one of my few luxuries and for me, a necessity, I consider it money well spent although I hope the next site does have a good internet service so I don’t have to go through this again. BTW, I had to change my password in order to get logged on. The wonders of the Internet. I made a quick run back in to HEB to stock up mainly because I was out of food for my buddies and then we went for a walk only this time, we stayed on the road around the park as the overnight rain had muddied up the trails. For the day, we covered around two and half miles, not bad for just walking the park. At least I was able to watch the football on the TV in the evening.
09/30/2021
One of the trails.
Today, we got up relatively early at 9:00 compared to two days ago when we didn’t wake up until 11:00. It came on to rain just as we were getting ready to go out so we switched our plans and had breakfast instead, waited for the rain to stop and walked for about a half mile. Another RV had pulled in late last night making the second on our street although the weekend is getting close and probably several more will be doing their weekend camping thing. As I sat here and wrote this blog, I watched a couple of deer, a doe and a buck as they fed on the grass right outside of my window. The deer are very plentiful as are the Armadillos as we have seen lots of both on our walks.
Later on, another Motor Home pulled in, this time a very large Class A. I watched as the driver very expertly backed into the site. I guess they had already disconnected their toad as it came along before the Motorhome. I would really like one of those for the additional space but when I was thinking of changing from the 5th wheel, I really didn’t consider one as they are so big and although I have had big rig experience, that was back in the days of my comparative youth and it’s been a long time driving anything that size. No, that is why I settled for my Class C. I had to compromise on space and the layout could have been different but it will do for the rest of my RV’ing days. Maybe I can remodel the living area, take out the sleeper couch and put in a desk, lower the TV to eye level and try for more kitchen counter top space somehow. Who knows.
I wanted to get a jump on tomorrows departure and went ahead and packed away the wicker couch and table onto the rack at the back of the Jeep along with a few other items that I like to carry there. Even though the temperature was only 82 degrees, the humidity was high and it wasn’t long before I was soaked again. I completed all of the outside work and the only thing to do outside is to drain and disconnect the sewer pipes, unhook the cold water feed and finally disconnect the electric line. This one is the first and the last on the list so that the slides will go out and in and the A/C will work which I found out the hard way. Inside, a few things will need to be stored and others items put away and made safe
I drove to the office to get a clean map as I had managed to spill something all over mine and talked to the lady behind the desk about the internet problems. She assured me that “they are working on it with additional towers” and if I come back again, it will be fixed. Yeah, right. I took a picture of the entrance for the blog.
It clouded over and looked like rain so I decided that we should go walking early. We harnessed up or at least the dogs did and took our final long stroll around the park covering 1.8 miles. Along the way, I watched as four deer, all bucks were gathered together. Two were pronghorns and the other two had a full set of antlers so I assume they were older. One of the antlered deer kept trying to drive one of the pronghorns away as I watched. Tried several times in fact. No idea what that was all about as he never bothered the other pronghorn. Such is the mysteries of nature.
Again, with the high humidity, I sweat pretty good. We said hello as we passed by a few neighbors before returning back to the campsite where I took the opportunity of cleaning the windows on the RV cab. It’s amazing how dirty they get when it is parked. I think that even the rain water is dirty as it leaves behind it’s own residue. Not having anything to sit on outside with the wicker couch packed away, I had to come indoors to cool off and drink my beer. Not quite the same but the beer still went down very easily.
We ended the day in the usual way with feeding the dogs then me and watching the soccer on the television. Tomorrow is the big day as we move out once more this time for a hundred mile trip to St Ives RV Resort in Alvin, close to Houston.
The world is really such a beautiful place even though the human race is doing it’s best to make things worse and destroy this Planet from the Universe. But without the help of man Nature has it’s very own plan to combat the problems that man provides in his quest for life as he tries to destroy the planet that he calls home because he believes that he alone rules the Universe. Man in his stupidity does not have the ability to think beyond the current time and for the future does decline the knowledge that he is killing his home because he believes that he alone rules the world and he decides who it is that lives or dies. All of this for power and money a short term goal for in the end there will be no one to pretend they are king of the world as the only ones left will be those like them as for the rest will have disappeared lost in the struggle for life. The decline of the Dinosaurs will return only this time Man will be the goal and because he did not heed the signs will be the one to go into the hole created by the this worlds end just like before when the Dinosaurs disappeared from our shore. Mankind is a stupid race, too full of it’s own self importance and too arrogant to acknowledge there are greater things in the Universe.
A short walk, breakfast and then a fight to get the internet up and running. That was how the day started and to a writer like myself, having a working internet is really important. I think somewhere there must be some sort of weird connection between my decision to move on because of the lousy internet service as today was the very worst it has been so far. It was so bad that I had to jump in my car and drive around the park until I found a spot that allowed me to actually make a connection so that I could pump more money into the system or at least as much as it allows ($30.00 for 15 gigs) which will last me until tomorrow when I will have to do it all over again. That is why I am leaving as I have already spent over $320.00 or so on trying to get service here.
One of the many deer in the park
I returned to the RV after making the connection and completed writing the previous blog before starting this one. I spent time working on the pictures although, the ones taken by my iPhone need very little work, the camera is that good. By the time we had finished this, it was time for walkies as Sandy keeps reminding me. We went on another trail walk and covered almost a mile and a half at breakneck speed until retuning back to sit in the outside wicker couch to cool off and drink a beer. Very relaxing. I got a call back from St Ives, the next park on my list and we completed the arrangements for us to move on at the end of the month. Of course, the first thing I asked them was about their internet which they claim is good. I guess we will see. This time, I have only booked for a week but I can always change that If I like it there. So, counting today, we have four more days left as I drive out on November 1.
09/28/2021 As is our usual custom, we went for a short walk around the park. It is very quiet here with all of the RV’s moved out and just a few along the lake. Following breakfast, I sat and wrote and watched as a very large tractor/mower combo pulled into the area of the trails hopefully to cut down the long grass. I don’t like walking in it as I can’t see any snakes that might be hiding there plus on our early morning walk, it is wet with dew and gets the dogs pretty soaked resulting in them having to get toweled down before we can go back in. Either that or sit outside for a while which we generally do anyway.
I called the new campsite both to confirm that they will accept forwarded packages and then I called PostNet to make those arrangements as I have a package there containing a unit that I would like to get installed in my Jeep. It will save me money on insurance and I will only get charged for miles driven. The Jeep tends to sit a lot often for days on end. At the same time, I changed my allotted campsite to a different one that is on the end giving up shade for privacy. Thanking them very profusely and after them saying they will se me on Friday, I hung up.
I sat here thinking of the past and our current life and how much it has changed. Now, my time is my own to do as much or as little as I want. There are chores of course, cleaning the RV and taking care of the tanks, laundry and shopping which both involve going into Edna and then of course the walks, without which I would hardly be moving. Sandy won’t allow that to happen of course as she is pretty demanding. Her body clock starts going off about 2:30 for the afternoon walk which is much too early by my standards as it is still pretty hot and uncomfortable out there. I prefer it later in the day when the sun is lower in the sky. So, I tactfully ignore her and don’t make eye contact as that gets her tail wagging and I feel bad at the hopeful look in her eyes. Mikey is much more laid back and nowhere near as demanding. Difference between the male and the female just like in real life with humans. Sorry, just my view on women. That’s why I have been a bachelor for these past 30 years as on some things, I find it very hard to compromise.
My RV, a 2021 Coachmen Leprechaun and my 2017 Jeep Cherokee parked at Texana Lake RV Park
Texana Lake is a huge lake built to supply water for the sake of the residents living around in all of the small and local towns whose people have a water need and damning the river it was perceived a lake would evolve that would provide a supply one that would never run dry.
Not only did it provide the precious liquid on which life depends but it also supplied other things one of which and to this end was the building of Texana Park where campers arrive to spend their time enjoying living in an RV or maybe those who are more inclined to get closer to nature and spend their time in a tent sleeping close to the ground with nothing but canvas all around to shelter them from the sun and the cold but these are the ones who are brave and bold.
The RV dwellers do not live it rough instead they have all of the stuff that they usually have at home electricity water and even a phone to keep them in touch with the outside world so that their life does not get unfurled from the normal living they have had from the start even though they are now at a park.
Why do people choose this life which for most is just respite from everyday living and to get away to relax with nature and to play out in the woods just like as a child when growing up let us run wild with never a care or worry to depress and were all happy in our youthfulness.
Others live this life full time and for them it is a choice that they made preferring a life on the road with maybe a partner to share the load of driving and camping and all that goes along with living an RV life travelling the road to see the sights and staying in campgrounds for the night.
This is not a life for everyone to live if a permanent residence you desire or a larger space in which to grow or a bigger place for your daily attire as an RV even the largest of which is very small compared to a house and there is no room for luxurious things and everything you own must have a need as it takes up space of which little indeed can be wasted on trivial things as it must have a use in order to stay otherwise it just gets in the way.
I really like this RV life but then again I haven’t a wife who maybe would disagree about living in an RV although I do have to say that I have two dogs who run and play every time we go out for a walk and they like to live this life which is probably why I haven’t a wife.
I will live this life until I’m too old to drive around or until I am told that you no longer on your own can be and then I suppose I will have see about living in an old folks home where at least I will not be alone but there will always be a part of me wishing I was still living in my RV.
What is it about this RV life that makes us want to live it in a space so very small we barely can fit in it and yet so many people like to travel on the highway giving up their other one because this has more leeway the bricks and stones and nine to five are more than some can stand and so they live the RV life like something they have planned this life is not for everyone if you want to live and grow maybe close quarters are not for you or if your needs do show because this life requires that you leave behind so much and in the space your earthly things are limited as such and only things you really need can fill the drawers and shelves all other stuff is left behind and only time can tell if you made the proper choice of what to leave behind as wishing you had brought it along is natural as mankind likes to have a lot of stuff to help complete his day this is the way it has always been since man has had his say I really like this RV life as I travel around the country stopping where I want to with maybe some activity or a peaceful site with trees and trails and maybe wildlife too and even a lake or just a pond to add to the view and after all is said and done what does it really answer it’s a place to sleep and eat and drink and shelter from the weather and spend our time with a life sublime doing something that is ageless as we travel the road enjoying our time no worries to deter us.
I walked out in the yard today and took a look around Mother Nature has busy been as plants grow from the ground. Most are small buds so tender yet and require more time to grow But its a start and we all know that Nature can get it wrong. As frosts may still be lurking, damage to create we hope this is not so and it’s too late to spoil the growth that’s started here to give us a good start to have a yard so beautiful a pleasure for all to see with flowers and growth so lush and green makes it all worthwhile to me and others who come to take a look with no yard of their own the pleasure they get from seeing mine brings joy and happiness to define their love of all things green and fresh and Mother Nature at her best.
Today was a little different as we decided that we needed to go into Edna for a couple of different reasons but first we had to go through our normal routine of walkies and breakfast. For the first walk of the day, we just walked around the park as we usually do checking on the RV’s and the different comings and goings. We walked by the Lake and watched the different birds and managed to see yet another Armadillo. The place is teeming with them, well maybe teeming is not the right word but we have seen three different ones already. Generally, when we walk around the Park, we cover between half to three quarters of a mile. We also saw a large amount of deer as we usually do as they just wander around the Park in small herds.. There were even a couple of young bucks, literally, who were practicing their headbutting skills although neither of them had antlers.
Following our usual leisurely breakfast, we sat at the computer checking messages, answering a few, reading the latest gossip and generally staying in touch with the outside world before I decided that due to the non functioning washing machines here at the park, I needed to go into Edna to do laundry and while waiting, grocery shopping at HEB. The trip in to Edna is a straight shot from the campground of about 7 miles which at 75 mph, the actual speed limit, did not take very long. I found the Laundromat via my cell phone and when I pulled up, I was not even sure it was open. it is not a run down building or anything like that but there wasn’t a soul either in the parking lot or inside the laundromat. I tentatively pushed open the door and discovered a vey large space with lots of working washers and dryers with only a couple being used. There was no one on duty neither was there a change machine. I quickly solved that problem as I could see a bank just a block away
Back at the Laundromat, I filled two machines and the set off for HEB again with the use of my cell phone map locater. Actually, it was only a couple of blocks away as Edna is not a very big town with a population of 5600. It was established in 1886. It has this very wide Main Street typical of those seen in the movies of old Wild West Towns. It still has a working train track and I could hear the train whistles as they passed through the town. Even though the HEB is small, it still had everything that I need and a lot more. I even persuaded myself to buy pork chops just to vary my diet as I’m not usually much of a meat eater. I returned to the laundry which had completed the wash cycle and I put it in the dryer and listened to an Audiobook as I waited. The dryers are huge and I was able to put both washed loads into one. The dryer worked by putting in a quarter and then when that ran out, another one and on and on. Actually, I was able to sort the dry clothes out and fold them while the rest was drying. It worked well. Incidentally, my entire cost was $3.00 as compared to $6:50 at Henly.
The trip back was very uneventful and fast. I do like the 75mph speed limits for the roads down here in this part of the State. It is probably because of very straight roads, unobstructed views most of the time and very few cars.. I was greeted by two very excited little dogs who helped me put the groceries and the laundry away and even helped me make the bed, a chore at the best of times and they really didn’t make it any easier. Come to that, neither were they much help. We went out on the evening walk and this time, we chose one of the trails close by and wandered along it until it returned us back to our point of entry. Wandered is not the right word as Sandy does not know the meaning of it. In her mind, everything is a new exciting adventure with so many smells and interesting things along the way all to be done as fast as possible. Me and Mikey, we just stagger along behind hoping that she will get tired and slow down. Altogether for the day, I covered around three and a half miles with the dogs a little less as they did not do the Edna trip.
I watched as two new neighbors pulled in, one next door and the other across the street. The next door people look like the ones that were here last week but the ones across the street are definitely different ones. They have a 5th wheel which I assume the older people live in and they have also erected a tent for the younger family. When I say younger, I’m talking a husband and wife and a toddler in vey large diapers who staggers around all over the place. It looks like she hasn’t been walking for very long. Plus of course, a dog, a little Dachshund who like all of it’s breed, is very noisy. At least now, for a while, I am no longer the Lone Ranger of the block.
We closed the day out in our usual fashion, feeding Sandy and Mikey first and then me, washing up and putting everything away in its place and watching television before going to bed just after midnight to sleep like a baby.
09/24/2021
Today, we chose another of the trails for our early morning walk and apart from a couple of deer in the distance, it was uneventful. This trail actually bisects the loop where all of the RV’s are parked and is a relatively short walk of about a half mile but enough to get us going for the day. On our return, we did the usual breakfast/dog feed routine before settling down in front of the computer. Another RV has pulled in across the street kind of kitty corner from us. Looks like a single older gentleman with his large dog. He was obviously very experienced as he was set up in no time flat. It’s interesting that so many of the RV people are older men, sometimes with their wives. I guess they are retired like me and no longer need to work and can afford this lifestyle and a life of leisure. BTW, these older guys have no trouble in operating their rigs and backing in and setting up to them is a piece of cake. For obvious reasons, the younger group are just weekenders.
The RV’s started to arrive in numbers as the day wore on with people coming in for the weekend. Many came in RV’s of all shapes and sizes. Several came in to tent camp. Funny, but they seemed to be the noisiest with a lot of shouting and laughter and radios blaring noisy music. I guess that is the nature of tent camping as you quite literally spend most of the time outdoors whereas RV campers can go inside and shut the door.
We walked around the campground for our evening walk just to be nosy and see all of the new arrivals and there were a lot of them. Many said hello as we walked by or their dogs would bark at us which of course set off my dogs. With apologies all round, we would quickly walk away with Sandy looking over her shoulder to have the last bark.
We had no serious plans for anything today. Just to walk, write, work on the pictures and generally laze around. What a life…
We are following a daily pattern which is pretty much the same. The differences are when I go into town for groceries or in my case, a visit to the ATT store. I think I have pretty much exhausted that angle and my only way out is to buy a second Booster. This way, I would get cheaper gigs of service as opposed to my current system of paying $10 for an additional 5 gigs. Either that or move to a park that has decent WIFI. I really don’t want to do that as I really like this park and have been giving it some thought to stay an additional 2 weeks.
Today started off very much like all of the other days with a walk in the mornings followed by breakfast. The actual household chores are very few especially indoors. I have to vacuum out occasionally with my little hand held battery operated unit and make the bed, sort of. Of course there are things like feeding dogs and myself and then cleaning up the dishes. I am not much of a meat eater so I don’t barbecue or grille and rely a lot on packages and cans. One of the bright spots of my current site is that the trash dumpster is just across the road, a small bonus.
Today, for the morning walk, I decided to take one of the trails of which there are several all connected together. We walked under shade of the large oak trees most of the way along a wide pathway for about 1-1/2 miles total. The dogs just loved the new adventure and the new smells although I was very watchful for any snakes along the way. Returning back to the RV, we went through the usual feeding routines followed by a spell in front of the computer to keep up with this blog.
At one point, I started thinking about my current lifestyle comparing to those past years after retiring from my working life. I have always been a very active person both physically and mentally and like to keep myself challenged. As I grow older, my physical abilities have slowed down quite considerably as have my mental capabilities which comes with advanced years and now, I am quite content to sit and write rather than having to be active all of the time. Walking the dogs is about as much as I want to do physically or maybe a longer hike without them is good but I no longer need all of that activity or the need to stay busy. Consequently, this lifestyle suits me just fine.
For the evening walk, I stayed within the park roads walking the big circle by the lake watching and photographing the views and wildlife. That walk is almost a mile around. I think I will start to carry my big camera in the future as it has a telescopic lens instead of using my phone.
09/20/2021
Today, for our early morning walk, I decided that Mikey, Sandy and I needed to take another of the trails, the entry of which is right beside my RV. This one actually interconnects with the one I took last time and made a big sweep for almost a mile before bringing me back to the where we started. Easy walking, lots of shade but still keeping a wary eye out for any crittures of the slithery kind. The only thing we saw was a squirrel and a heron.
My neighbors on both sides that had moved in on Friday both packed up and moved out this morning. I watched them and the have a really good routine either doing individual tasks or helping one another when it required more than one person, like when they stowed their awning. I chatted to one of the couples and they are from Yoakum, a small town forty or so miles from here. Both of these neighbors are regular campers although I’m not sure if it is every weekend. They were telling me that there used to be four couples and now they are down to just two. Neither of them are young so I don’t know how much longer they will keep it going. Great that they have had these memories and friendship over all of these years. I watched them drive away with a certain amount of envy that they do this as married couples and obviously both enjoy it.
I worked on the blog and on the pictures that I have taken getting them ready to be included in the things that I write about.
One of the trails
09/21/2021
I got up early for me and took the dogs out for a short walk. If Mikey had his way, we would walk around the grass outside of the RV and then straight back inside but as Sandy and I both know his sneaky little ways, we make sure that we get going before Mikey realizes that he has lost his opportunity to rebel. We only did a short walk around the block and watched as yet another RV pulled out. I think that I mentioned that I am the only RV left on my street. Feels a bit like the Lone Ranger and kinda scary although this is a gated community. Depending if I stay longer than the end of the month will decide if I ask for a new site. I might anyway to find one with more shade even it it just across the street.
Today, I have no real plans although I am quite sure that I will not spend much time outdoors as it is hot and somewhat humid. Not surprising with all of this water around. Even with the shade from all of these wonderful Live Oaks, it is still very uncomfortable when we are out walking. At least we can look forward to cooler weather as it is now officially Fall. We went out for a longer walk later in the afternoon and took a bunch of pictures which I will work on tomorrow ready to include them in these blogs. We came across an Armadillo that let us get pretty close before he spotted us and dashed off into hiding. We saw a bunch of wildlife, birds, herons, ducks and such on the water by the bridge. Still looking for that elusive crocodile though. This is a very nice park if only the WIFI worked and the washing machines were operating.
I spent most of the afternoon working on the pictures that I have taken, touching them up and adding my watermark. I use Adobe Lightroom for most of this work which can be a very complex program especially if it is not used on a consistent basis which I don’t. Consequently, it took lots of trials and errors before I figured it back out again. Another downfall of growing older. Less memory retention.
Later on in the evening, the weather changed and we had a very severe thunderstorm come through. The lightning flashes were very dramatic lighting up the sky with brilliance but we didn’t get much rain to talk of. The storm quickly passed leaving behind an eerie silence. And so to bed as yet another day has passed.
A Busy little fellow.
09/22/2021
We got up late this morning for no other reason than not waking up and no reason to have to and following the usual procedure, went walking with the dogs. This time, we headed down the road towards the bridge. With no other RV’s on the street, we are able to wander around wherever the dogs (Sandy) take us as we are not invading anyone else’s space and needless to say, it is not in a straight line. Anyone watching would think I was drunk or something as Sandy pulls us this way and that as her nose catches yet another interesting smell. Mikey and I, both mere males, follow along very meekly behind as just like most women, she rules the roost in our house. I took my big camera with me this time and got some great shots which I worked on when we got back to the RV. It took a while, several hours in fact to get the photos where I wanted them adding my Postmark as the last thing. Now I have a good supply of pictures to add to the blog and will continue to take more as I wander around.
The one major drawback to this Park is their lack of a working WIFI which, as I have mentioned before, is costing me almost $10:00 a day because of having to buy extra gigs of service for my ATT Booster which supplies service to phone, computer and TV. This may be the one reason that I have to move on even though I really like it here.
Most of the day was taken up with working on photos and then going for the evening walk which this time was towards the lake where there are several RV’s, probably 15 or so parked. Certainly a lot more than on my street where I am the only one. This is such a nice park that I imagine, the lack of WIFI service is one of the deterrents as most people do research before booking into any campground and WIFI, or lack of, is usually a very big factor.
09/15/2021 Departure from Rockport and Arrival at Texana Park
Daisy at Texana
Well, today was a very interesting day. I got up relatively early for me just so that I could get an early start on the road. We did the usual walkies and breakfast and then I went through the final stages of getting ready to move which basically consisted of storing things inside the RV so they wouldn’t shift while travelling. It take’s me longer to hook up the Jeep than it does to get the RV ready for the road but I finally managed it and with a last look around, drove out of Rockport Resort RV Park. We left around 11:00 am. This is a very nice park with a lot of long time residents but it does not have much in the way of trails. BTW, I never did reach the Gulf seashore.
The trip was actually uneventful and was a pretty straight shot and took almost 2 hours. Horribly boring countryside, very flat, not many trees and come to that, not much traffic. I passed several oil refineries belching out smoke and flames and finally arrived at Lake Texana and this park. Trip was almost 100 miles. I had to use my phone as a mapping system but it worked pretty well. Maybe not so much if there were a lot of twists and turns and changes of streets but this one was a straight shot.
This used to be a State Park and now it is handled by LNRA- Lavaca-Navidad River Authority. I stopped by the office and squared away before driving to my allotted site which I immediately disliked, did a U-turn back to the office and asked for a different site. The Park is almost empty and they have over 250 park sites but I guess many are reserved for weekenders as the person I was dealing with only had a dozen or so open sites. I chose a different one with a partial view of Lake Texana which is within walking distance. So far, I have no close neighbors but that will change come the weekend I expect as those weekend warriors come in..
Setting up was a piece of cake with a quick back in after unhooking the Jeep and the push of a button to level the rig. Hooks ups were close by and easy and in no time flat, the A/C was running, cooling the place down. We took our first walk around the park venturing close to the lake to take a look. Lake Texana itself is huge as is this park. It is actually comprised of two separate but adjoining parks, Brackenridge and Texana Park which is the one we are in. The campsites are spaced well apart from each other with lots of grass and many trees providing shade and cover.
There are deer all over the place in all shapes and sizes causing Mikey to have a fit when he sees them. There are also signs up to watch out for snakes and crocodiles. Hope I get to see both although at a distance. So when we are walking on the grass, I have to keep watch just in case. We did get to see an Armadillo when we were out walking but I didn’t get a good picture with my phone. I need to start carrying my big camera with me with the telescopic lens. My site is almost next door to the trail entrance. Couldn’t be any better.
09/16/2021
This time, I don’t mind him being there…
This was a very strange day as I didn’t wake up until 10:30 and when I did crawl out of bed, I felt like crap. I took the dogs out for a walk and then went back to bed I felt so rotten. I got up later in the evening to take the dogs out and feed them before feeding myself, the first meal of the day feeling a lot better but still a completely wasted day. No idea why I felt so bad.
09/17/2021
Today, we were up bright and early for us which actually means waking up around 8:30 or so. I am sleeping really good so it must be that I have a clear conscience and that this outdoor life is good for me. Our first trip of the day with the dogs was towards the lake and on the way, we discovered another trail leading back to our campsite which we explored. It brought us out just below where we are camped. We all had our leisurely breakfast although in the dogs case, it is wolfed down in 10 seconds flat. They get more enjoyment licking out the food cartons than the bowl of food so nothing gets wasted.
I watched as two new neighbors pulled in. I have yet to meet them although it appears that they know each other and I imagine they are regulars here. Both are older couples and the men look as old and decrepit as I am but they still are able to do what is needed in setting up camp. Both are hauling regular hitch trailers and both had no trouble in backing up although to be fair, they did have wives to assist in the backing process, directional wise. If I had a companion to help, I probably would have kept Eagle Two for the extra room but it is no fun in setting up alone.
Internet here is a bit of a problem as the park doesn’t have WIFI or at least, one that is working. Consequently, I am having to rely on my Netgear booster which works well but is expensive to purchase extra gigabytes of service. It costs roughly $10.00 to watch a movie. Still, needs must. I drove into Ganado, a small little town but it has an ATT store which was serviced by just one person. She was very knowledgeable and had the fastest thumbs of anyone I have ever seen on a cell phone and tablet. I wanted to buy a tablet that I could use in the RV until such times that I can get the radio unit fixed. Something a little bigger than my phone. I waited at least 30 minutes while she dealt with a young couple who couldn’t make up their mind and eventually, directed her attention to me. After purchasing the tablet, I talked to her about my internet problem and the fact that I am burning through gigs of service at an astounding rate. The Netgear unit comes with a 100 gigs of service for $55.00 a month. Extra gigs can be purchased at five at a time for $10:00. I figured out that 5 gigs lasts about two hours, enough for one movie. I didn’t have this problem back at Henly because they had a good working internet service. She offered some advice and fiddled with a few things so we need to see what happens.
The drive back to the park was uneventful and fast as the speed limit on most of the roads is 75mph with hardly any traffic. It was late when I got back and the gates were closed. I forgot to bring the passcode and had to make a call but I couldn’t get the gate to open. Luckily for me, a car pulled up behind me and a young lady got out, punched in the code and without a word, got back in her car. I thanked her anyway and drove back to the RV to take two very excited little dogs out for their evening walk.
09/18/2021
Lake Texana
We got up late for no reason other than we slept good and took the dogs out for their early morning walk although by that time, it was 10:30am. I decided to walk one of the trails which was close by and we covered around 1-1/2 miles by the time we got back. It was uneventful but enjoyable although I am much more aware of what might be on the ground in front of us. There are a whole series of these trails all interconnected so we have a few to choose from.
One thing we noticed is that there are quite a few more RV’s and several tent campers filling the spaces. Most people so far are pretty friendly. The gigabyte problem has not cleared up so I decided that I needed to visit the ATT store one more time and at the same time, find a store for some grocery shopping. I drove back into Ganado and chatted with Imeeda, the same lady as yesterday but even after much research, was unable to help me. She did give me the case off her tablet in lieu of finding a suitable stand that I could purchase. She kindly directed me to a Dollar General where I purchased some of the food that I needed.
On the way back, I decided to drive into Edna which is a little bigger and actually a bit closer to the campsite to see what it may have in the way of grocery stores. Lo and Behold, it has a small HEB where I very happily was able to get everything that I needed. I also took the time to drive around this park just to see what it contains besides RV sites. It has the usual comfort rooms and a Community Recreational Center but unfortunately, the washing machines are broken in the laundromat so it means a trip back into Edna for this. So, so far, no WIFI and no washing machines. Hmm.
When I got back and was unloading the groceries, one of my new neighbor stopped by, introduced himself and offered a hand with the unload. Very nice of him. We chatted for a bit before going our separate ways, me back to take the dogs walking and him back to his wife and family. Actually, he and his family are visiting their parents who are the ones in the RV. My evening ended by watching the English Premier League and going to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour, to sleep like a baby.
Today was a very quiet day spent mostly in the RV except for the usual dog walks which Sandy insists that we take twice and sometimes three times a day. Today was a three timer as she sat and looked at me with her big brown eyes which I tried to ignore. She was very insistent and if I happen to catch her glance, it involves an immediate tail wagging and a pleading look that says, “Come on Dad, it’s time to go”. We approached the street on one of these walks only to be accosted by three little “killer” Chihuahuas that live in the house down the road and according to the Park Super, are always running loose. Apart from a lot of noise from both sets of dogs, no harm occurred and I turned and went back into the RV Park instead. Turns out that there are actually five of those noisy little dogs as we found in a later walk.
I spent a part of the day researching our next stop and finally came up with Texana Park and Campground in a place called Edna here in Texas. It’s a little under a hundred mile trip and we have booked a two week stay. More on that later. I have decided that wherever possible, I am going to find campgrounds that have a lake or river and lots of trails in the future as I am not too interested in towns and cities other than for shopping needs. It’s amazing how much time it takes doing this research and then after locating a place of interest, there is always the possibility that it does not have any vacancies. When this happens, it’s back to the drawing board.
I have several programs that find campsites and work out a route. The one I am currently using is called RV Trip Wizard. What I do is to figure out what direction to go and then see what campgrounds are along the way. I am very flexible. The comments and write ups are what I use to see if the camp site is worth my time and that the place has full hook ups including sewer. I’m too old and picky to “rough it”.
Day 9
Today was pretty much like the rest so far, getting up late, walking the dogs, eating breakfast and reading the mail. I usually spend time tidying up the RV before settling down perusing the computer for the latest world and local news and following up on items that interest me.
Later in the afternoon, I decided to drive into Portland just for the hell of it and because I needed a Starbucks Latte feeling that I was missing something from my used to be, normal routine. Portland is about 20 miles away and a pretty straight shot according to the map but for some reason, the car mapping system was taking me all over the place and I had to rely on my phone which is not the best and a little dangerous. However, we made it safely and I rewarded myself with a venti sized Latte to make up for all of those I had missed these past couple of weeks. I also located a ginormous Walmart’s and did some grocery shopping before heading back to the RV. Funnily enough, the car mapping system worked fine on the way home. Must be like a horse, reluctant to walk away but always eager to get back to the stable.
Arriving back at the campgrounds, I was met by two very excited little dogs who helped me unload the groceries and put them away before we went out on our last walk of the day.
The countryside is so different here, very flat, not a lot of trees and somewhat depressing. So far, I still haven’t located a beach or come to that, not got very close to the Gulf. Although the campsite is clean and well taken care of, there are no places to walk so I have learned a lot as regards what to look for in the future. Our exercise consists of walking around the campground due to the lack of trails.
Day 10
Another late rising day not because of being lazy but because I am sleeping well and only waking for the call of nature. I somewhat reluctantly crawled out, showered, put on clean clothes and was ready to face whatever today would bring. It started in it’s usual way by taking the dogs for their first walk of the day and along the way, we ran into Andy, the Park Super so we stopped to chat. Turns out he is into Amateur Dramatics and they have their opening show this Saturday putting on their version of M.A.S.H. I wished him luck as we went on our way returning to the RV for a late breakfast. He had been putting out welcome signs as he had for us when we arrived and it looks like we have new tenants on their way in. If this park had more shade and and trails, I would stay longer but unfortunately, it has neither.
The rest of the day was spent in the usual way, writing, walking the dogs, feeding us all, watching TV in the evening and then bed for a long peaceful sleep. Incidentally, it is too hot and humid to spend much time outdoors.
Rockport RV Park
Day 11
The new tenants have arrived and are directly opposite me. They look to be old hands at this camping thing as they very quickly parked and levelled their rig and unloaded their truck with other stuff. They do not appear to have any pets unless it is a cat which is one less worry for us when we go walking. I have to say that this park is laid out very spaciously with a lot of room between campsites. I don’t feel crowded at all here and there is no one on either side of me.
I decided to go back into Rockport to do more shopping this time to Walmart’s as I needed a SanDisk for one of my gadgets having lost the other one somewhere. While there, I stocked up on a few other things. This Walmart is huge and for the first time, I saw trucks parked in the lot on overnight stays, something I had read about but not witnessed. Compared to this Walmart, the ones in Austin are no more than large stores. Like I said, this one is ginormous.
I have chatted to a few of the neighbors but most of the time, people are off doing their own thing and you don’t get to see very many of them unless they are driving by or walking their dogs or maybe using the pool or laundry rooms. Many are full timers and have jobs that take them away on a regular basis. That is why so many people enjoy this life as they are able to live it their way. One couple I talked to expressed concern that I was leaving so soon as they considered me to be a good neighbor. Go figure.
Most of my days are spent in front of the computer either writing or following up on things. Walking the dogs takes up at least an hour or more every day. Yesterday, I worked on the pop out screen to the map system in the RV as it had quit working and managed to at least get it to pop out and work again. Now I need to work on the maps so it will work and not make me rely on my phone which although a good system, is a little more dangerous as the screen is so small.
I stopped and chatted to one of the neighbors, Cary I believe and she was asking about my accent. She has a Boxer that is just a big old baby and he and Sandy got along just fine, Mikey of course, not so much. He is a funny little dog as he does not want to make friends with anybody, dogs or humans. Maybe he was ill treated in the past. Either that or he is just plain possessive and doesn’t want to share me with another strange dog in case they join our household.
Day 12
I watched my new neighbor as he worked on his small boat directly across from me. No idea what he is trying to do and not nosey enough to find out. Quite obviously, they are here for a while, probably “Snowbirds” from up North wintering out in the warmer climes. After he finished with the boat, he set up some permanent wooden steps into his unit. They are pretty big and I have no idea where he carried them or come to that, I didn’t see the boat when they came in either. Maybe he triple towed and unhooked it when he came in so that he could set up.
Today it is cloudy and we have had some rain. Makes a change from the constant sun and heat as the temperature has dropped by several degrees. We need to time our afternoon walk or chance a soaking. I spent more time working on the Radio/Map System with not much success. The radio works but the map, not at all so it looks like we will be relying on the phone to show us the way. Dang thing is too small.
We only have two more days here as we leave on the 15th to our new site in Edna, Texas. So tomorrow will be laundry day and the day after will be packing inside the RV. The final thing before pulling out will be to empty the tanks, disconnect the hoses and finally the power chord which is the first thing upon arriving and the last thing prior to driving out.
I have not been watching the weather forecast and all of a sudden, my phone squawked with an Emergency message declaring that there is a possibility of a tropical storm with bad weather with high winds and a possible storm surge as high as 3ft. I sat there for a while considering what to do but it was too late in the day to make anything happen today. Depending on what happens overnight will decide what we do tomorrow.
The Beauty of Nature
Day 13
Another late rising day not by just being lazy although that does have a lot to do with it but it rained very hard in the night, enough to wake me up but as there was no imminent threat, I quickly dropped back off to sleep and used it as an excuse to not get up very early. It was raining very lightly when we went out for our morning walk but the dogs didn’t care and dragged me out anyway. There was a large Setter roaming free that I recognized from down the street. He was a big old friendly guy and just wanted to play so we directed our walk back towards his RV where his owner came out and he deserted us for her. Short lived friendship.
We continued on with our walk and checked on the comings and goings before returning back to our RV for a late breakfast. Then a check of the weather map to see what was happening with the storm. It is still out there but has not yet made landfall. We need to keep our eyes on it to see what may develop. This is a strange little town with a lot of RV parks a couple of which are no longer operating. There are a lot of very nice houses and then right next door, a junked up yard and house which detracts from the neighborhood. I don’t understand how those places are not made to clean up their yards and property.
I received a call from the next campground that I had called yesterday with a view of leaving here a couple of days earlier based on the weather. I chatted for a bit and decided to wait and see as my reserved spot at the next campground is ready and waiting for us even if we come in a day early.
The rest of the day was spent on important things like doing the laundry which takes about two hours altogether. The laundry room is always in need of a sweep out which I do when I am there but the machines are clean and cheap at $1.50 a load each to wash and dry. Today was bedclothes day which I don’t mind laundering but hate remaking the bed. I think I may have finally worked out a system as it went very smoothly with everything working the first time and no bottom fitted sheet coming unsprung and actually staying in place. The problem is that I can’t get to the top of the bed very easily due to the nature of the RV setup. This will be the last time I use this laundry facility as tomorrow is our last day here.
I spent the rest of the evening feeding dogs and then myself and watching the English Premier League on the television.
Different sort of vegetation
Day 14
Last day at this park.
We started off in our usual fashion of dog walks and breakfast followed by catching up with the news and latest events. The hurricane has moved up the coast and did not present us with any problems apart from a few wind gusts. It didn’t even rain to talk of. We will be following it as we drive to our next stop but hopefully it will have gone way beyond where we plan on staying.
Today was a very quiet day as I had nothing planned except to put away a few things ready for tomorrows trip. I can’t do much in that direction until we are ready to actually move as we still need to eat both this evening and tomorrow morning and then it will only be a case of storing any moveable objects. Last move, some loose things fell off the counter top and managed to get behind the big slide out which of course, I didn’t find out until I discovered damage to the woodwork by the refrigerator when I operated the slide. Nothing too serious but still annoying. I played around with the Truck radio in the hope of using it instead of my phone but to no avail. I even worked on my tablet but could not get that to project the route either. I can’t believe that Ford stuck such a useless piece of radio/view screen in an RV which is made to travel around. My Jeep has a far nicer unit that actually displays and talks out loud giving me turn by turn directions. For a $100,000 plus price ticket on the RV, scrimping on a $200.00 radio/map system does not make a lot of sense.
I took a few pictures of the campground for this post just after Andy, the Super stopped by to offer me a couple more nights if I needed it. I respectfully declined hoping to move on to a place that has some trails that the dogs and I can hike. The new place at Texana Park in Edna appears to have a couple of miles of trails. We’ll see. This park here at Rockport is a very nice winter stop over for those wanting to get away from the snow and cold up North as those just moving in already know.
My friends took me to lunchtoday for your birthday, they did say. Pat and Fran led the way for they are the friends who did say come, let us take you to lunch today. With two beautiful ladies for company why would I want to say I can’t go to lunch today.
Where I was expecting a birthday cake fish and chips instead for we did take our lunch at Catfish Parlor where birthday cake is not served there
No matter, the fish and chips were good taking me back to my childhood and beyond for thirty years or so before to America I did go and fish and chips of the English kind the meal today did bring to mind.
Thank you, my friends for it was kind of you to take me to lunch and find a dish that I could really enjoy and even though we did not have cake it matters not the food for the sake of friendship to dinner we did partake and the birthday was just an excuse for good friends to share time together.
I spent today in my usual way my thoughts were all abstracted writing bad verse all unrehearsed and totally absent minded the words flowed and it showed that no thought had I provided in writing down this abstract stuff for reasons undecided as I scribbled away it was plain to see I had nothing on my mind and yet the poetic part of me still felt so inclined to write something anything in a verse I could not find hopefully worth writing about as my thoughts are not aligned I’ll give up on this poetry stuff and instead I’ll write a story if I could find a place to start I would be in my glory the beginning would be a good place with all of my agility I think I will start at the end and show off my ability to do things backwards in a half assed way with no sensibility and reading this you will say he has no credulity I should end this nonsense rhyme and think of something more there must be better things to do more words I have in store and yet they do not flow enough to become folklore so I will end this very bad verse and promise to write no more.
We sat around with not much to do after having attended to the few chores that are around the place like checking the levels of the greywater tanks and at the same time making sure that the blackwater tank has room for more of what it contains I will not discuss as it can create a awful fuss if not properly attended to and the guy that does that is you know who.
With the tanks all good for a few days I went back inside to see what other ways I could change things around or at least tidy up as space is small and before very long everything is shipshape with things put away and so we are ready for another day.
I cannot imagine more than one in such a small space for it is known that even with the greatest of love a person needs room if only just for a while loving feelings are put on trial. Luckily that does not apply to me as the only real company that I have are my two little dogs who look at me with their loving eyes and in there hearts I’m the greatest guy as they try to stay out of my way as most of the time they are asleep if we’re not out walking to exercise their feet and give them time to run around and sniff the smells that other dogs leave a message not meant for me..
I spend a lot of my life writing this blog about the strife of living in an RV although I do have to say I don’t want it any other way as even though there is only me with my two little dogs for company I am a very happy man with not much to do except when I plan a move from one site to the next and read revues and check things out before committing us to make the drive making sure we will survive the trip from one place to the next to spend a few days of happiness.
I wish I had discovered this life years ago instead of the strife of ponds and fish and having a house and all of the work that was involved except that because those efforts paid off I no longer need a job and retired I can do the things that I want including this lifestyle which allows me to jaunt from place to place wherever I choose as there is only me and two dogs to amuse.
