Wyo-Tex!

Bridge over Lake Livingston

It is official! Our official domain is now Livingston, Texas which qualifies us to call ourselves Texans.  We are still proud of our Wyoming roots so have adopted the moniker of Wyo-Texans!  What two better states could we claim!  

We drove over to Livingston, Texas just before Christmas to join the Escapees RV Club.  As an "Escapee" (AKA - "SKP") we use their mail service address as our permanent address, they handle all our mail and we are free to wander or should I say 'escape'!  So jot this down - 191 Rainbow Drive #9114, Livingston, TX 77399-1091 - and update your address book one last time!  

Livingston is a beautiful place and east Texas is certainly different than the Hill Country where we are now.  Tall pine tree forests and huge lakes.  The Lake Livingston/Onalaska KOA sits on the shoreline just across the bridge!   Lake Livingston is the 2nd largest lake located within the borders of Texas. It is 39 miles long and at it's widest point it is 7 miles. With 450 miles of shoreline it covers 93,000 acres.  Guess where we are applying for a job next winter!  

Now we are waiting for January to be over and praying for spring to get here!  Yup! that's our porch and no we did not paint it white!  Mother Nature surprised the Austin area on Monday with a blanket of snow gently placed atop a solid sheet of ice!  Yikes!  I think dealing with 2 feet of snow is easier and not as dangerous for sure.  Seems the last time they had snow around here that accumulated was seven years ago or something like that!  The only redeeming factor is that two days before it snowed we were out and about running errands in 75 degree temps and it is supposed to be up in that range by Friday!  

Let me introduce you to Free Spirit Jewelry Designs.  I needed to find a way to earn extra traveling money and find a craft that would fit well with the limited space we have in our "house on wheels" so I decided to try the art of jewelry making.
These are a few of the pieces I have made so far.  I'm combining crochet with beads in a lot of my pieces.  If you are interested in buying any of these pieces email me and I will send you better pictures more info. 

Randy is busy making a tree house for some critters but it's not finished so I can't share a pix yet.  That's a teaser for another blog :)

Since the weather is blustery and windy outside and the coffee is hot I think it is a good day to snuggle up in my recliner chair and watch a movie.  Gotta love the free spirit that comes with being retired.  Although I am getting anxious to get back to work. April 1st will be heading up to the Fort Collins Lakeside KOA to be work kampers this summer.  But for now... maybe even a nap is in order!  Love y'all!  

Humbled by Bethlehem

Last night we walked around the crowded narrow streets of Bethlehem.   It seemed all of humanity was represented there.  Street vendors competed to get your attention, the tax collector could  be heard arguing with those who had come to register and pay their taxes, Roman Centurions stood erect at every corner, a beggers cup rattled as he cried out "Alms for the poor!"  The smell of fresh baked bread filled the air.  Donkeys and goats and geese and camels were ever present.  And Shepards ran hither and yon shouting for people to come and see the babe that the Angels had proclaimed to be the Messiah!  Some of the crowd mocked and scoffed at the news the shepherds were telling of while others could be heard whispering amongst themselves.  Excitement filled the air for sure and as we passed the King David Inn -which the innkeeper told us was full - following the star overhead we entered the stable/cave where we were saw for ourselves the Christ-child in the manger!

We haven't traveled to Israel this Christmas but had the opportunity to experience  Main Street of Bethlehem in a very real way!  The town of Burnet, TX just 60 miles northwest of Austin brings the ancient city of Bethlehem to life the first two weekends in December each year.  The idea was the dream of Frankie and Norman Leftwich who envisioned construction an exact replica of the ancient town of Bethlehem. He insisted that it be authentic to the very smallest detail.  The actors - some 150+ - create an atmosphere that is totally unrehearsed in which the visitor experiences ancient Bethlehem.  It is the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. Here is a link to the event and and if you are making a "bucket list"  consider adding this to your list!  :  Main Street Bethlehem 

On a less serious note: We took 3rd Place in the Sunset RV Christmas decorating contest!  We had lots of fun putting our display together!  

Now it is on to wrapping packages and baking cookies- this is the time of the year I miss not having an oven but my little NuWave counter top model is doing a decent job. I just have to make smaller batches!  A hot cup of hot chocolate (maybe with a little Baileys Irish Cream) and I can almost imagine the snow gently falling outside somewhere up north!  :)

Have a very Bear-y Christmas! 

Happy Thanksgiving & Merry Christmas!

December 1st!  Time to start thinking about decorating the Christmas tree and stringing up the outside lights.  Can't wait to get started because it is 71 degrees out and the ground isn't frozen which should lend to a reasonably pleasant experience!  However, it does seem a wee bit strange and well - oohhh I can't believe I am even thinking this - I almost miss the pine trees and snow!  Guess I need to go for a walk and get this "snow" notion out of my head.  Hahaha!

The weather has been wet, then unseasonably warm and humid, then back to record breaking lows and now on to seasonal warm! So, like the northern climate you need to dress in layers - just not so many layers!  This afternoon I was admiring a wild rose bush that is in full bloom down by the campground office.  Gotta love Texas in December!

Corte Family Ranch, Devine, TX

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year!  We spent the day in Devine, Texas just southwest of San Antonio with Dusty and Amy and the kids and a whole bunch of Amy's family at the family hunting ranch.  The day was beautiful and we all enjoyed a full bounty of Thanksgiving fare outside on the porch.  The pond in the photo was loaded with catfish so we all walked down after dinner to watch as the feeder went off.  The fish that did appear at the surface were huge!  I would hate to meet one on a dark shadowy night! With tummies full of turkey and dressing and pecan pie,  we headed home but not before being handed several big bags of one of my favorite Texas fall treats - fresh lemons from a tree in Popo's backyard. (Popo is the name that Amy's grandfather and the patriarch of the family is loving known as.) Boy! Do they ever make good lemonade!  I haven't tried a lemon pie yet but it is on my agenda in the next day or so!

Just before Thanksgiving we decided one morning to go see our friends Mike and Marilyn who live in Rockport, TX (just north along the coast from Corpus Cristi, TX).  What a gorgeous place!  We hit a perfect "chamber of commerce" day the first day we were there and had a wonderful time riding our bikes along the harbor and through the funky and colorful streets of Rockport.  Before the day was over we had ridden 15 miles!  We were energized by the fresh sea air and sunshine but early the next morning I felt a little like we had ridden to Alaska and  back!  (Which only emphasized the need to do get into better shape!)
One of the highlights of the visit was the daily 8AM trip to the local donut shop to meet up with a gang of snowbirds and locals who gather to partake of donuts and coffee every morning and of course try to solve the problems of the world.  Although I don't think we got any problems solve, perhaps on purpose!  What a fun group and we are looking forward to visiting again!

Nani celebrated her sixth birthday just before Thanksgiving so we all gathered for lunch and cake down in San Antonio at Gramma Mama's house.  What fun to be able to be there for her birthday and how precious the hugs are.  Dusty and Amy served up some pretty tasty brisket for lunch.  Seems they have been working on their technique and in my opinion they have nailed it!  Yummy!  

Tomorrow we are heading out to do our Christmas shopping.  (We weren't brave enough to join the crowds on black Friday!)  We pray that your Christmas season will be a blessed one and that as you gather with family and friends you experience the great LOVE that our LORD and Savior has for each and everyone of you!  We miss you all and will be thinking of you!     Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Challenges of Getting Settled In

We have been in Texas for almost three weeks and are realizing the challenges of being in a new place!  But, we are finally beginning to find our way around - a task that has been a bit of a challenge because figuring out north, south, east and west requires a compass!  and a good connection to GPS! (Even with GSP we went 40 miles out of our way on our first trip home from Walmart!)  And then there are the road names FM = Farm to Market; RM = Ranch to Market; Spurs; State Roads, State Highways; Interstates.  But we are learning! With the rain you do have to be careful which short cut you take because here in the hill country there are roads that flood in the low spots! Thankfully they don't deal with snow and ice down here!  There are no gradual downhill grade to many of the roads here - just straight down and straight up!  

Our first week here we decided to go exploring and headed west - at least it seemed west - out of the driveway on Hamilton Pool Road to explore Hamilton Pool, a natural pool and falls along Hamilton Creek just upstream from the confluence with the Pedernales River.   Unfortunately, because of the rains, the park was closed so we decided to keep going and see where the road led.  Believe it or not -we were driving along and there on the other side of a tall fence was a bull elk and a herd of cow elk!  Out in the middle of Texas! And he was bugling !  

We then drove on to Marble Falls, TX where I saw the biggest and tallest piece of lemon meringue pie I have ever seen in my life!  The Blue Bonnet Cafe has been in operation since 1929 and has  been serving up pies of all kinds and chicken fried steaks since the beginning. (And to some rather famous Texans!  Just inside the entrance is a photo of George and Laura Bush at one of the tables.)  The sign outside announced "Pie Happy Hour" every day between 3pm and 5pm!  Now that's a happy hour worth stopping for! This place as must stop if you are in Marble Falls!

One of our challenges the first week was to get the satellite dish hooked up.   "How hard can it be to find a satellite dish installers to come out and point our dish?"  Apparently not as easy as I thought.  With the Bronco game looming large on Sunday, Randy and I decided that perhaps we should give it a try and see if we could get the dish pointed ourselves. It can't be that hard! I called Dish TV for the coordinates and encountered - Azimuth, Elevation & Skew! Oh no!   So on to Google and YouTube!  We found a video of a guy in London with a Scottish accent explaining how easy it was and a video of a man on a 30 foot ladder demonstrating the art of making sure the satellite was "plumb" with the wall - all of which really didn't help too much.  Then I stumbled on an awesome web site http://www.dishpointer.com  that gave us all the right coordinates for our address and even had a Google Earth map that showed us the "line of sight" for our satellite!  The learning curve was a little steep but we prevailed and got tuned in just in time to see the Broncos get defeated by the Colts!

Next challenge -find a bike path!  We didn't realize how blessed we were in Fort Collins to have a massive bike path system just out at the end of the campground road!  Our first attempt at riding our bikes was not good.  We found a park in Bee Cave just 10 minutes from here that looked like it had a great paved loop.  However, after getting on the path we realized it was very narrow and mostly intended for walking and jogging!  Not to mention the uphill grades and switchback like turns!  So exit quickly we did!  Over the next few days we asked the locals what they would recommend and several recommended The Veloway, a bike and skate track about 30 minutes from here.  The path is a 3.12 mile loop that is one-way and 23ft wide! No traffic to contend with or dogs or walkers/joggers.   But don't be fooled by the picture!  Here in the Hill Country of Texas there is no such thing as an easy flat course!  There are some hills in this loop that will eat your lunch!  I made it around twice but had to shift into first gear to peddle up some of the hills! We will for sure get into shape if we keep riding on this course! 

Little Bo Peep and her
 "Little Lost Lamb"

TRICK OR TREAT! We had a special treat on Halloween!  Little Bo Peep and the cutest little lamb ever stopped by to trick or treat!  What a blessing it is to be able to enjoy such fun with our grand kids   Little Bo Peep even recited the nursery rhyme and told us she had decided way last year that this was what she and her little sister would be for Halloween!    

10 Days to Dripping Sprngs

Mat is down, Margarita's on the table
steaks are on the BQ!

The aroma of fresh perked coffee is in the air, it is cloudy and cool (not cold) outside and Randy is still sawing logs "upstairs" in bedroom taking full advantage of retirement!  I have a view out our side window of the vast Texas Hill Country and the big sky that seems endless.  It is hard to comprehend that this will be our "home" for the next few months but it is true and we are here! 
Our RV site is surrounded by gnarly twisted scrub oak trees and clumps of yellow orange flower.  Directly  across the road from our site is a barbed wire fence that has been creatively "patched" with a rusty bed spring!  Beyond is a pasture where there is a herd of Texas Longhorn steers that have already stuck up a "moo-ing" banter with Randy!   It is 10 miles to the nearest grocery store in any direction.  We really are tucked away in the Hill Country of Texas. The setting really could not be more perfect!

Bed springs fence repair!

Our trip to Dripping Springs was fun but also presented a few challenges!  First stop was Taos, New Mexico, a town I would liken very much to Jackson Hole, WY.  Galleries, pottery, jewelry and quaint coffee shops and restaurants!

Dinner:  Faustine is a champion when it comes to seeking out the local favorite and after quizzing several clerks about their favorites we settled on a charming place called Orlandos Mexican Cuisine.  It looked a bit questionable when we arrived but when they took our name and invited us to sit by the fire we were won over!  The food was incredible and the atmosphere quirky!  

First challenge: the plumbing under our kitchen sink didn't survive the bouncy roads.  The drain pipe actually split and Randy had to totally replace all the plumbing under the sink! But God is good.  Just a few hundred yards down the road from the Taos Valley RV Park is a very large Ace Hardware so the pieces and parts he needed where readily available.  He and Ted worked the better part of the morning to complete the repairs and even managed to squeeze in a bike ride while the repairs were drying!

Our next stop was Albuquerque for four nights.  The trip traversed  the quiet New Mexico country side along the Rio Grande River and climbed up and down the rolling hills toward Sante Fe and Albuquerque.  The quiet drive turned to white knuckle traffic as we neared Albuquerque but we managed to navigate to our campground in the heart of the big city! Our friends Mike and Marilyn joined us there and the next few days were spent exploring Old Town Albuquerque and the Balloon Fiesta  We visited San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town Albuquerque, strolled along the under the porches of the old buildings that now house galleries and shops and looked at the merchandise set out by local Navajo artisans.

On the last evening we celebrated my 65th birthday at the Church Street Cafe in Old Town. What an awesome atmosphere but the best part was the fun we all had laughing and talking about the days adventures at the Balloon Fiesta! (L to R) Randy, Ted, Tona, Faustine, Marilyn and Mike! The best friends anyone could hope to have!

BALLOON FIESTA - We got up at 4:00AM to make the trek to the Balloon Fiesta to see the Mass Ascension  That meant bringing out the turtleneck sweaters, polar fleece and long johns because it is not exactly balmy in Albuquerque in October at that hour. Chairs in hand, hot coffee in the thermos and spirits full of anticipation we thought we were ahead of the crowds only to discover that several thousand people had the same idea! But the effort was worth it and we arrived at the balloon grounds just before dawn. What an amazing site waited us! Looking out across an eminence field you could see glimpses of what was happening as balloons begin to fill with air. It looked like giant patches of colorful mushrooms growing spontaneously! 

As they got bigger and taller the burners would fill the dawn sky with bursts of brilliant light. Then magically, as dawn turned to full light, the sky filled with balloons that were so huge it ist hard to explain! The colors are electric and even the oldest become like kids in a candy store! It is something that I would recommend you put on your bucket list! 

From Albuquerque we headed east and south toward Carlsbad, NM but changed our minds when we learned much to our chagrin that the Caverns at Carlsbad were closed because of the "government shut-down"!!! So... we stopped in Roswell, NM and well the picture says it all! You know you are in "alien" country when you visit the local Walmart store!

From there we traveled west to Texas via Hobbs, NM and on in to Fredricksburg, TX before arriving here in Dripping Springs and our new home. All in all the journey was fun and despite plumbing problems, a blown tire, some wind and rain we arrived safely and are now enjoying shirt sleeve weather, humidity and most important -hugs and kisses from two of the cutest granddaughters one could ever hope for! 

If you read this blog, we would love you to leave a comment to let us know you are following us on our journey!

Until next time!

On the road at last ...

Randy is officially RETIRED!!!

So begins a dream that began 41 years ago. We are on the road - really we are headed south as I write this blog!   I don't remember my first day of school a long time ago but I'm sure the feelings I have right now are a bit similar.  Excite? Yes!  Frightened?  A bit! Knowing that ahead lies a journey of discovery and adventure that Randy and I have talked about for a long time  seems a bit surreal.  But like some wonderful friends of ours pointed out, "Everyday is Saturday now!"

Following our dream!
 (I'm driving the car behind)

We left the KOA campground in Fort Collins October 6. It was strange to pull out of the drive way knowing that we are no longer permanent residents and are heading off to establish a new "home base" in Texas before the next work kamper season.  





Although we had planned for this day, getting all our ducks in a row suddenly became a matter of top priority!

• Would the steps and porch for the RV fit into the box that Randy made for them in the bed of the pickup?
• Did we fastened down all the movable objects in the RV  sufficiently so they wouldn't dance all around as we went the road?
• Did we eliminated all the unnecessary stuff that we don't need to be hauling around or more importantly did we remember all the really important stuff we need? 

And the lists went on... overwhelming to say the least!

We had a bit of a test run early the morning of Friday the 13th of September when we woke to the sheriff banging on our door telling us that they were recommending evacuation!  The water in the river was well above flood stage from all the rain and the dam up the Poudre was "at risk" of going over the top.   So,  at 4:02am we were outside in the pouring rain hooking up the trailer and preparing to evacuate to higher ground. Our friends, Ted and Faustine, who live in south Fort Collins offered us a bed and a spot to park the trailer so we did have a place to go.  Only one problem, they were south of the river and we were north of the river and most of the bridges in town were closed.  We had to go way east to find a crossing to go way west.  Thankfully the campground escaped the flooding and we were able to return by noon the next day!

The evacuation was good because we learned very quickly what we needed to secure to the wall or stow away.  Our little home on wheels had not moved very far in the past two years so some of the interior changes we made did the "Watusi" on our journey across town.   Spices came 'a-flyin' when I opened the cabinet door, paperclips played a friendly game of 'scatter' when the desk tipped, and the flower arrangement on the end table relocated to the other side of the slide out all by its self!

With the threat of snow just north of us in Wyoming and moving south we moved south!   Tonight we are in a campground in Taos, New Mexico on our way to Albuquerque for the Balloon Festival.  We are traveling with our friends, Ted and Faustine, and are meeting up with other friends in Albuquerque. Then on to Carlsbad to see the caverns before we head across west Texas to our new "winter" home near Austin!  

Reflections on Retirement

Retired!  And I am loving it! For me it means - seven weeks ... and a few days with only one job and two days off each week!  But wait just a minute.  Hum? That doesn't really seem much different than what most of the working world is doing - work 5 days and play 2 days! 

But there is a difference... things are not so permanent now. 

•  My job at the campground is temporary - the contract ends the 1st of October.  Sort of scary but then maybe not because the options are out there can take us places we have never been.  We have a dream to see the USA and now we can and don't have to cram it into 2 week vacation periods.  Guess we could say we are on a very long vacation!  What's wrong with the concept?  Nothing as far as I can tell!
• Our home is on wheels - no mortgage, no lawn to mow, no siding to paint!  That doesn't mean that the 'honey-do' list went away for Randy but it sure doesn't take him long to knock off the items on it! The garage is now the "belly" of our 5th wheel and it is maybe 4 feet by 8 feet. Seriously,  how long can it take to clean that amount of space!  Not to mention that we can no longer save all the "stuff" we used to stash away!  Two sets of bath towels! Four dinner plates!  Only 3 pairs of sandals!  Life is much simpler and uncomplicated.
• The social security checks are in the bank each month and even though our income is  limited it seems like we have plenty. We just have to make better choices and find things to do that are cost free!  

Potlucks and Campfires and Wild Wacky New Friends!

I think my favorite thing so far is the new friends we are making and the spontaneous nature of the 'Work Camper' community.  It is not uncommon to be sitting out at our picnic table for dinner and before we know it there are several more friends sitting with us sharing stories and laughter.  A bottle of wine and a campfire and the stories continue!  The awesome thing is - we haven't even left Fort Collins!  Can't wait to meet the friends we will make coast to coast.

And speaking of wacky/wonderful friends!  There is our next door fellow work camper!  Mike and Marilyn from Rockport, TX.  Mike is forever playing practical jokes on me.  Sneaking up behind me like a stealth bomber and scaring the wits our of me. (Of course I am easily spooked any way!) But gotta love the guy because he spontaneously comes and washes all the windows on our coach every couple of weeks!  They haven't been so clean in many years!  Thanks Mike!

Then there is Ted and Faustine!  What wonderful friends they have become.  I once got a text message pix of Jippers, our dog, on a walk.  Only thing was that Randy and I were both at work.   Fausy love our dog and will come take him for walks when ever they are in the neighborhood!  She calls it her 'dog fix'.  We lived next to them this winter at the campground while they were building a home here in Fort Collins.  I'm pretty sure we have made friends for life.  

We are planning a journey this fall to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival with these two wonder couples!  Can't wait!  Our first  'caravan' or as we say out here in the West - a wagon train - Wagons! Ho!   More on that as it happens.

Today - I'm off to work!  62 new campers arriving for the weekend!  Busy and loving it!