Tuesday a labor of patience

In our RV park we do not have propane delivered like we did in Kerrville. This park has a propane tank but any motor home must be moved up to the tank and then after filling taken back to your site. Consequently we had to close up our home, make it ready for traveling by pulling in our four slides and then motor around to the tank and after filling our propane tank, 30 gallon capacity, move back to our site. This whole process took us all morning and then we had to get set back up and cleaned up as well. Finally this exercise was complete and we were not only back up on the propane level but the whole coach was clean too.

We then ran to the grocery store and returned home just before the promised storm hit. It rained off and on from about three till nine in the evening. At times it rained very hard but as usual we appreciated the rain since we have been in drought conditions for so long.

Foxy made meat loaf for dinner with baked potatoes and a salad. Comfort food was essential on such a day. Happy travels.

Sunday, a special day

Sunday, we went to church for a special Christmas service of bible readings and carols with several anthems from our wonderful choir. The Church was filled to capacity and when we were singing the carols the sound filled the sanctuary to capacity. It was wonderful and very moving.

Later in the afternoon we drove to Kim's house to begin her birthday celebration. She opened several presents and then we six loaded up into their car and headed to North Dallas to go to Raise 1, a lovely restaurant for dinner. This restaurant specializes in souffles which varied from savory to sweet. We also had a choice of soup and left filled. Would we return? You bet!

To top off this lovely evening we then went to hear a musical version of Charles Dickins's Scrooge. We think it was held in a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was wonderful and the performance of Scrooge was terrific. The boys sat on the edge of their seats and thoroughly enjoyed this classic tale. What a wonderful treat in all aspects. Happy travels.

Quiet Saturday

After a cold night, great sleeping weather though, I got up to frost on the grass. Once we got our acts together we went off to IHOP for breakfast ordering off of the over 55 menu. Then we went to the storage unit for some Christmas wrapping paper and then on to Krogers for material for dinner tonight. Foxy is having trouble with her left thumb and got a shot for it on Thursday and we have been trying to eat easy dinners which do not require much attention. Last night we had steamed dinners and vegetables and tonight it will be other TV type dinners. We are trying to lose a pound or two before traveling to Albuquerque for a Christmas holiday with Jerry, Marlene and family.

We did stop at Kim's on the way home but she was busy cleaning and had to take a student to the airport so we did not stay. Once home it proved to be a quiet rest of the day but we did get walks in since today turned out to be sunny. Foxy is reading a book, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." I had already read all three books by this Swedish author and thoroughly enjoyed all three. Now we are waiting for the movie to come out and see how closely it follows the book. Happy travels.

Lots of rain

It rained off and on all day today. At times it was even heavy. We were delighted to get every drop and hope this begins to help with our drought as well as beginning to fill our lakes. Since we were not able to walk here we drove to a large nearby mall and walked both levels. We don't know exactly how much walking was accomplished but it sure felt good to walk.

Later after a bit of shopping at Cost Co. we came home and spent the rest of the day quietly. Max got a bit scared at the lightening and thunder and sat on my lap the whole time. He is still here and keeping me warm even though I don't need the extra warmth.

Tonight we are watching White Christmas with Bing Crosby, a movie we had not ween in years. It appears to be a colored version of the film and Bing has very blue eyes. Happy travels.

What do you say to a.........................

What do you say to a naked lady? "Thank you!" "Walk-a-proud!" I keep thinking that someday someone will say, in passing, "Did you see that?" I will turn in the appropriate direction and there she will be in all of her splendor. It hasn't happened yet, but I can hope.

You probably wonder where this topic came from and I can only remind you that males think about sex every few minutes. But who is counting. This topic came to me as I walked outside and there you are. Happy travels and hoping.

Foxy is coming down with a cold

Foxy woke up this morning not feeling well at all. I took off to get the oil changed in our car and to find some needed parts to hook up an extra propane tank. The oil change got completed but the extra parts could not be found. This means that very soon we will have to pack up the motor home, rev up the engine and move this old dinosaur nearer to the office to access propane from their supply tank. It is just a pain to make this move but no other possibility seems to be workable.

Even though Foxy was under the weather we went over to take care of the boys this afternoon. I tried to get her to stay home but you know her. She doesn't give up and give into an illness easily. She is a fighter. Jon had his piano lesson which I drove him too and we got the dishes cleaned up and some clothes folded and the boys did a bit of work on the computer and played a bit of solitaire too. Kim showed up about five o'clock and continued with dinner preparation and we headed home.

On the way we decided to buy a cooked chicken for dinner but had no success at two different grocery stores and finally got fried chicken at Chicken Express. This place did cook chicken but it clearly was not express. We waited quite awhile but finally our order was filled and we went home for dinner. Now we are waiting for Castle to come on at 9:00 and then off to bed. Happy travels.

Another busy week

We took care of the boys for four of the five days in the work week. They kept us busy. This included taking Jon to his piano lesson, getting them to do homework, clean up their rooms and of course, play cards. They both have learned to play Canasta quite well and I think that they will soon be ready for Pinochle, a real favorite of mine. Two of the nights we also got dinner for them and their folks. There has been little time to update this bog

Then on the weekend we did some garage and estate sales but found little of use for our antique business. We do enjoy visiting various parts of the city of Denton and other close areas. We get into some beautiful homes and some in need of much repair or updating. We always wonder about the people who lived in the house and made it into their home. We hope to find new homes for any possessions that we might buy and place into our antique business for sale.

On Sunday we again enjoyed our new church home and the beautiful advent music and excellent sermon. Later in the day we returned to the church to help set up for the all church Christmas dinner. It was nice to get to know some of the members and be warmly welcomed as well. Dinner was fried chicken and homemade cookies for dessert. No one left empty and while seconds were offered, I did not see many partaking. It was a lovely day. Happy travels.

Hello

I was talking to my mom the other day and started with, "Hello, I am checking on you. How are you?' She replied, "What?" I repeated myself and again got. "What?"
Then, "Wait a minute and I will put in my hearing aids." I thought maybe I had better put in mine too. Then our conversation continued with each of us hearing much better. Getting old is a challenge and not for sissies, according to mom.

I find myself making up what I think the other person might have said and then have to laugh when I find out that I was nowhere near the actual conversation. It makes for interesting talking. I also find that after a delay, I often realize what actually was said and have to change my responses accordingly. Mom has been hard of hearing for many years and actually you had to touch her to get her attention so that she realized what was being said. Her hearing aids help some. I guess you had better enjoy your hearing as long as you are able. All of my family is hard of hearing and conversations are frequently quite funny as we misinterpret what is being said. Oh well, at least we can laugh about our foibles. Happy travels.

Lights and music

Last night they turned on the lights at our court house square. We went down to see the festivities with Kim. The boys were at swimming, and their dad was picking them up. We wandered the square enjoying all of the people, wassail punch to drink everywhere, kids, and people having fun. We settled down for an adult beverage at the Sweetwater Grill along with nachos and dill pickles (deep fried of course). It was loud but we could visit and catch up with all of the doings in Kim's busy life. She left to go to a student's concert, and we headed out to hear a Baroque Orchestra and Collegium Singers Concert in Murchison Performing Arts Center, which looks like an armadillo.

The concert featured early music of Gregorian chants from 450 AD to the middle ages to works from Bach and Vivaldi. Not all of these works were inspiring, and I was beginning to nod off just before intermission. Foxy wanted to know if we should go home, but we both wanted to hear the Vivaldi work which was the high point of the evening. The musicians were splendid. The Baroque instruments were fun to hear and well played for the most part. Some of the horns had problems with a note here and there, but these were minor. Would I go again? Probably not. This is not exactly my type of music. I lean toward country-western. I do need to have my music horizons broadened and what better place than at the music college of North Texas. So far we have tried opera and now baroque music. What will be next? Stay tuned and happy travels.

Holiday Chex Mix

On Wednesday the boys helped us make holiday chex mix snacks. We made the standard one, which is salty and wonderful, as well as the newer one which includes peanut butter and chocolate. They both are good, and the boys loved helping and eating too. Try the recipes which can be found on a box of chex cereals. Happy travels.

Hugo

Have you seen a trailer of this movie or better yet, gone to see it? We had not read the book or actually known anything about it, but the previews seemed like it would be a good movie to watch. Well, it was wonderful and beautifully done. Now I am looking forward to reading the book since it should have lots of adventures the film makers could not put into the movie.

It is a story about a young boy who lives inside a train station in Paris, France. He takes care of the clocks in the station after his dad died and when his uncle who was taking care of Hugo disappears. The uncle took care of the clocks in the station and his dad worked for a museum. His dad has also found in the museum collection a metal mechanical man and worked to repair it. After the death of his dad Hugo continued to try to fix the mechanical man. The story concerns the many folks whose lives revolve around the train station, many of whom work there. This movie is delightful. It has no bad language and is not concerned with adult sex or nude scenes. You can take a child to see it, and their imaginations will soar. Happy travels.

We dog sit

The kids and grands left for San Antonio on Wednesday, late. They planned to meet Kim's sister Kristy and family for a Thanksgiving get together. The kids from here were looking forward to seeing the cousins and playing cards, too. They had planned to go to Sea World and do the River Walk, see the Alamo and other fun attractions in the area. We looked after their dogs Rosie and Violet while they were gone. It meant four quiet days for us.

On Sunday we joined St. Andrew Presbyterian Church. We have been visiting for several months and liked the friendly congregation and ministers and especially appreciated the quality of the music in the service. There were two other Presbyterian churches in Denton, but John W. our minister in Kerrville had recommended St. Andrew. Now we can enjoy working with this community of believers. It is good to settle into a church home. Happy travels.

Three full days with the boys

The boys are off from school this entire week, and their mom and dad have to work, so we are busy with the boys. Today we got music practice and breakfast out of the way and then went to do some errands, including getting some glass for Jon's stained glass project and then home to play some cards since the boys thought we should have a card tournament this week.

Lunch was leftovers from yesterday's feast and then a chance to watch the last movie of the Harry Potter series, followed by a bit of rest then more cards before mom got home from work about 5 pm. We headed for home and a quiet evening with necessary heat from our fireplace to replace the cold. It has rained off and on all day. Max loved playing with the kids dogs Violet and Rosie. We are all a bit tired tonight. Happy travels.

Sunday, an early Thanksgiving

Sunday, Kim and Chuck invited us and also her retired former Professor of Clarinet, Jim and his wife Cheryl for an early Thanksgiving dinner. We had a lovely time and especially enjoyed our family and time with Jim and Cheryl. As usual conversation flowed. After horsd'oeuvres we sat down to a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dressing, green beans, broussel sprouts, cranberry sauce, and of course pumpkin pie and pecan pie. We waddled away from the table. The whole family had pitched in to make this feast including the boys with pumpkin pie. After dinner, I washed lots of dishes and Chuck dried with the boys putting things away. The kids will be in San Antonio to meet a sister and family for the actual Thanksgiving day. Happy travels.

Comments from the crows nest

Yesterday we planned to go back to Fort Worth in the evening to hear their symphony. We left here at five o'clock and quickly made the 45 minute drive. We even found a place to park the car and wandered back to where we had lunch with Ron and Julie, the Reata Restaurant, hoping to be able to try out the rooftop part. It was soon apparent that this was not to be so we walked around the corner and decided to try the Chop House. Dinner was a delight if a bit pricey. Foxy had the lamb chops and I tried three, three ounce steaks with various sauces. We looked at the desserts but passed since we were quite full. Would we return here? Yes!

Then over to Bass Hall to listen to the Fort Worth Symphony. Our seats were on the fifth level and you could make out the orchestra way down below. Since we really were here to hear them play and not see lots of action, our seats were just fine. We listened to pieces by Adams and then Strauss and after the intermission, Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, which was by far the best piece of the evening. What a treat. Happy travels.

Buddy Roe

We read books by Jan Karon and she writes about an older Episcopal priest who lives in North Carolina. If you have not tried her books I encourage you to do so. It does not seem like a delightful series but indeed they are books about the human condition and all of our foibles.

She uses the expression 'Buddy Roe" and I do not know whether she made it up or it is common to the area in the North Carolina. Generally it is used when one of the guys is talking to another in a group and instead of naming the guy, says, "Buddy Roe." I love the expression and have wondered if anyone that reads this blog either knows of this expression or uses it. I would love to hear. Happy travels.

It was a dark and stormy..........

It was a dark and stormy day or so it seemed. When Max and I got up at 4:00 am so that he could go out and take care of business, we did not walk at that time but instead I crawled right back into a warm bed. About an hour and a half later we got up again and still no walk for us. It has been windy, cool, and overcast much of the day. We did manage to get to our storage unit for more winter clothes and now the trunk of the car is full with other clothes to return.

Tonight is our parting dinner with Ron and Julie. We are planning to go to the Greenhouse just beyond the courthouse square in Denton. If the cuisine is good I will update this entry tomorrow.

It was a great evening with excellent food. Prices are reasonable and they do not hurry you. We hope to go there again.

They plan to leave early tomorrow to head to the Corpus Christi area on the Texas coast for a month before wintering in Kerrville. We will miss them but have really enjoyed their company this week. Happy and safe travels.

No grass growing here

Since Ron and Julie arrived here in Denton we have not allowed grass to grow under our feet. We have checked out our town square, a vibrant area that surrounds the court house. We have taken the train to Dallas and visited the JFK Museum in the Texas Book Depository. This museum is devoted to the assasination and the pictorial record is extensive. We left sadly remembering where we were when JFK was killed in Dallas nearly 50 years ago. We have visited antique shops and been amazed at the inventory displayed,

Today we visit Fort Worth and tonight Kim and family will join us for some adult beverages. We have enjoyed their company and spent many happy hours eating all over the place including entertaining each other in our motor homes. Ron and Julie are excellent cooks and we have especially enjoyed the fish caught in Minnesota and venison from Colorado. Ron love to hunt and they both love to fish. We got to benefit from both. I have stayed off of our bathroom scale not wanting to know the effects of this enjoyable eating. I suspect that after Thanksgiving I am going to have to go on a diet. Oh well, stuff happens. Happy travels.

Such fun

Ron and Julie got here in the fore noon on Saturday and cleaned the road gunk off of their rig. They were tired and set up and rested a bit before coming over for dinner. We grilled some steaks and had salad, asparagus and some good bread as well as a bit of pie. As usual we talked non stop picking up as if it was yesterday rather than last April when we saw them last.

Today we took them to Betty's for breakfast and then drove East to South Fork Ranch where exteriors were shot for Dallas, a TV show in the late 70's and early 80's. We had no idea what to expect and thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the ranch and house. There are many pictures of the Ewing clan and our guide told many stories of the cast and how scenes were shot. The ranch has changed hands several times and currently is used in many ways including renting the house for parties. J.R. had been there last night for a party. They are still using the ranch for the revised show which will be shown on cable TV next summer. It made us want to see some old shows to see how they had used the ranch for a movie set. Who can forget, "Who Shot JR?"

We left the ranch to drive to Denton, Courthouse Square for a libation and then back to our RV campground. We plan to meet Ron and Julie for dinner having had a wonderful day together. Happy travels.

Treat for the grands

Friday was supposed to be a wash day here but the water was turned off since the park had some type of a leak. We never got any details so had to change our wash day plans. Kim has encouraged us to use her washer/dryer during the day and we took her up on her offer in the afternoon. The boys got home from school by 3:00 and we checked to see how their days went. Jon had had a good day and began his piano practice without being told.

Christian, in second grade, had a green day. His teacher grades her student's behavior with colors both during and finally at the end of the day. If you have a good day you get a green, yellow if a bit of a problem, orange and finally red for real difficulties. Christian has generally done well on most days but last week was green for the whole week. We told him if he managed to get green for this week too and that Jon kept it together as well then we would take both boys for a treat on Friday. Christian had another green week and Jon was doing well so we took them out for hamburgers and ice cream at Braums.

They inhaled the hamburgers and then Jon wanted a Black Forest Cake Sunday and Christian wanted two scoops in a waffle cone. By then it was time to head out for their swimming class and we had to take them while finishing the treats in the car. Both managed to eat their treats without making a mess and we were only five minutes late for swimming. We heard later from their mom, Kim that they loved the treat. Such fun! Happy travels

Ron and Julie visit tomorrow

Good friends Ron and Julie winter in the south part of our beautiful country and have a permanent home in Bimidgi, Minnesota on a lake of course. They have been spending the last few winters in Kerrville at the Guadalupe RV Resort where we became friends. They are Harley Bike riders and love to sight see on their bike and find good places to eat. They love Texas barbecue as do we. They are currently on the road south and are planning to spend a week here in our RV park.

Foxy has been planning all the places to visit for the four of us including great places to eat. I suspect that subsequent entries will concentrate on food and fun sights to see. Keep tuned in and happy travels.

Off to Dallas

Yesterday we took our visiting musicians to visit our antique shop where they both found cowboy boots to take home and then headed to Dallas for lunch and visits to museums. Lunch was at Hacienda on Henderson Street and was excellent food as well as such a nice day that we could eat outside. It gave us a great chance to get to better know Midori and Lindsay who have been here this week accompanying Kim on her faculty recital. This weekend they take their show on the road to Norman,OK and then the ladies return to their homes in Canada and Michigan. It has been fun having them here and getting to know such fine musicians.

After lunch the ladies visited some nearby vintage clothing shops while I waited for them in the car. Then we drove to downtown Dallas to visit the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Such treasures to behold and suddenly it was five in the afternoon. We then went to a pub on the way home meeting Kim, Chuck, and the boys for libations and dinner. A full day and a full me too. We got home after seven in the evening and let Max out. He needed to go in a hurry and could hardly wait for me to put his leash on. He had been a good dog and made no messes even though we had been gone for most of the day. The best part was sharing the day with good friends and family. Happy travels.

Where is our governor?

Last night in the ongoing debates of Republican hopefuls trying to run for president our Governor Rick Perry was talking about three governmental agencies he would dismantle and after mentioning Education and Commerce he did what many of us do, he could not remember the third. So this stumble has caused speculation that this might derail his campaign and send him home.

My thought is that if he can remember which state he governs and where the capital is located, we will gladly welcome him back home. On the Today Show this morning our good governor said that he will continue with his campaign and soon be in North Carolina. Hang in there governor! Happy travels.

Do you like dentists?

The other day at breakfast I lost part of a molar and tried to eat it but realized it was a bit too crunchy. We had to find a dentist and make an appointment so that I could find out exactly what had happened and what the fix might be. This morning I drove to my nine o'clock appointment with a bit of trepidation since this is not my favorite thing to do.

I got all of the usual new person in the office routines and had to sit at a computer terminal answering many questions. Do you think that they noticed that I have been avoiding going to any dentist for the past three years? Then came the x-ray routines and many pictures taken of my teeth.

A dental hygienist then checked out my teeth and gums and finally a dentist checked out the molar that caused all of this excitement today. Finally a lady from the front office came by to explain my options and related costs. I was glad to be sitting down.

I decided to get my teeth cleaned and a crown for the affected tooth. It all was finished today. Cleaning first and then they made the crown on the spot. It is a computerized process, amazing. I still have other things to look forward to in the future.

The hygienist is about to be 40 and looks 20 and was male. The dentist is to get married this Friday and when I wished him a wonderful honeymoon said maybe next summer. This whole process only took 5 1/2 hours. What a way to spend my day. I am in hock to pay for all of this attention. Happy travels.

Tornado warning

It is unsettling to see flashed on the television that we are under a tornado watch. Tornado season is supposed to be over by November and apparently the tornadoes are not paying attention to this bit of guidance from our weather man. So, what to do? If we are hit by a tornado, a motor home or car is no place to be since they can so easily be damaged or destroyed. In the park where we are currently located we are supposed to go to the nearest building that has bathrooms and hunker down inside. Since these buildings are made of wood, I wonder whether this will necessarily be any improvement. I do not think there will be time to dig a cellar when a tornado is approaching. Besides, I have to find Max and hook up his leash to his collar and get him to go along with us to safety.

I have wondered what items we should grab on the way out of the door. Wallet and check book come to mind, assuming I can find them since they get left in various places or move about when I am not looking. Lets hope this tornado thing does not come to pass. Happy travels.

A splendid evening

Yesterday was a busy day where we had to get a boy to his music lesson, dinner on the table for kids and grands and their guests, get home to eat out dinner and then get dressed to go out. Kim our youngest daughter was giving a faculty recital and had two others helping. Midori played the piano and Lindsay, a soprano, sang. These three musicians put on a splendid concert. The music was very modern, with dissonance typical and yet they played beautifully together and complemented each others talent. Now I am into music which I find to be harmonious and yet I thoroughly enjoy the four selection played over a two hour period. At the end there was a standing ovation and comments from the audience that included, "This is very professional and what we students are striving to achieve."

When Kim moved to Denton, TX she was replacing a former professor Dr. Gillespie. He threw her a lovely after concert party and we went as part of her groupies. It was lovely but late and we soon left, headed home calling it a marvelous day.

It is such a treat to enjoy our daughter's musical talent and see that other professionals recognize her ability. She has become a mature musician and sets a high bar for her students to achieve. We are very proud of her achievements. Happy travels.

Windows

I am in favor of windows unless just getting out of the shower or changing clothes. These are moments better left to the imagination. When we had our last house in Omaha, NE we started changing out older windows on our back porch for better insulated ones. It was interesting to take an old window out and the mechanisms that helped you raise and lower it. I found several uses for the weights. The new windows did a great job of keeping heat in or out and also provided cross ventilation as needed.

In the motor home we have lined most of the windows with reflective plastic but have to remember that at night you can see in, if you care to do so. We use our eyesight as windows on the world and it was a real treat to have my cataracts removed and enjoy the new clarity of vision that this short operation provided. It was nice to not need prescription glasses after almost 35 years of being required to utilize this visual aid.

Use your windows or eyesight to enjoy the many splendors the world has to offer. Happy travels.

Doors

I got this topic from reading information about Andy Rooney who recently passed away at the age of 92. That seems like a good age to pass away to me since it is twenty years in the future for me. Andy once wrote about doors in response to the idea that he could write about anything.

We have one door that allows us to enter and depart from our motor home. We like to keep it open on warm days to capture any breezes and get the air moving in the coach. We have had this coach since 2003 and have lived in it most of the time since. That means that we have used this door many times. Now when the door is open the wind can catch it and it slams back and forth and is hard on the hinges. I finally figured a way to hold the door open by using bungee cords. It works well and the door can be open without moving back and forth. It only took me eight years to figure out a solution to my problem. You say maybe I have other problems like maybe I am a slow problem solver?

The other night we had our kids/grands over to watch one of the games of the World Series. One of the kids was standing in front of the television and I almost said, "You make a better door than a window." Fortunately he sat down, I never made the comment and the moment passed. It at least is another thought about doors.

Finally I really like doors but prefer them to be colored. I really favor doors that are painted Chinese Red or turquoise. I even like art work that shows several doors in various conditions and colors. Now for the serious question. Are doors more for going out or coming in and does your choice make you an extrovert or an introvert? Such a deep thought. Happy travels.

Fall is here

Time seems to be getting by me all too fast. A cold front blew through two days ago, and it actually was accompanied by a frost. I had attached a new heater tape to our water hose and plugged it in the night before. I still have our old heater tape, but it only works if you clamp it in the right spot to close the connection, and then it heats. There must be some use for this tape as it does work under the right condition. I still have it if anyone needs one.

I also took down our bikes which were hanging on our ladder to the roof of the coach so that I could climb up on top. We are parked under an oak tree, and the limbs used to brush against the coach on a windy day, but no longer. I took a huge armful of limbs to the dumpster. Now, as to the bikes which we have not ridden in a year, everything is rusty. Any suggestions for removing rust from chains and gears, etc?

We take care of our grandsons two to four times each week, and they keep us busy.
We encourage homework, music lessons, cleaning their rooms, reading, and if time, we play cards. They have become good card players and can play: Old Hell, Progressive, Hearts, Spades, Pitch, and several others. We usually let one choose which game, and the next time the other gets a choice. They give no quarter in the game. We are about to teach them Canasta and maybe later on Pinocle.

Of course, now that fall is here we are back to watching the fall television shows that we like. Fortunately, with DVR we can record them for later viewing. The only problem has been late football games which cause the whole schedule to get out of sync, and then we record only a part of a show. Foxy gets mad about missing a part of a favorite show, especially when it occurs toward the end of an episode. Our reading has slowed down a great deal at this point.

Naturally, we keep up with family and friend's birthdays, and oldest son will turn 50 tomorrow. He is really old, huh? What does that make me, you say? How about older? Being just a kid at heart anyway.

In our spare time we go to estate and garage sales looking for things to buy that we can resell from our space in an antique mall. Then in the rest of our spare time I do stained glass and have started teaching the elder grandson here to do this art. Foxy is again sewing and doing cross stitch. As you can see, we manage to stay busy.

Finally, we have found a church home here and soon will apply to get our Kerrville membership transferred here. This is a short version of a necessary update, and I will try to do better with my blog. Thank you, Julie, for your encouragement. Happy travels.

Baseball World Series

This year the Baseball World Series is between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals. We have faithfully watched the first four games and cheered when the Rangers won and were sad when the Cardinals won. On Saturday we invited the kids and grands to come over for dinner and to watch game three. They brought barbecue which was excellent and finally we six settled down to watch the game. Christian - 7 yrs is playing on his first baseball team and is really into this series. Jon was equally involved and it was fun to watch these boys follow intently the game. As you may well know the Cardinals had a hit fest and thoroughly beat the Rangers. The boys moaned and groaned and the rest of us wanted to do the same. Finally when it was obvious that the Cardinals would win this game they went home.

It has been a good series with the two teams well matched. I am not exactly sure why both teams use so many pitchers near the end of the games but hope that someone will make a comment here. Happy travels.

Dog - 1, ball - 0

Max has been wanting to play with Foxy's ball which she uses in her therapy to return her shoulder to working condition. Today she no longer needed he ball and so we decided to let Max play with the ball. It is the size of a soccer ball and Max loved it. He chased it all over the motor home but couldn't seem to get it in his mouth, big surprise. Finally he came back into the living room proudly carrying the ball in his mouth. He settled down with his prize and suddenly the ball popped while in his mouth. Max was quite surprised and could smell the air departing the ball. Now what to do? It was dead! So I figure, Max - 1 and ball - 0. Happy travels.

Is it writing block?

I have been having a hard time writing this blog lately. Either I can't think of a topic, or events seem all too similar, or........... I guess I will admit to a bit of writing block. Today we decided to do something quite different and drove to Fort Worth. We really had several goals in mind and started by visiting the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. It took persistence and the help of a kind policeman to find this museum but we finally succeeded. The art works housed here fit the intent of the museum. They were clearly modern. I think. Foxy kept saying, "Where is Phyllis when you need her?" "She would know what to say about these exhibits or at least make up a good story." In addition there was a second story full of works by Richard Diebenkorn. His works were basically alike and it did not take us long to look and depart. I know that my cultural activity arrow went down considerably since I had serious trouble not laughing throughout. So I accept that my cultural couth level has been lowered. I shall not return here.

Our second goal was to visit a wonderful barbecue place, Coopers, which is located in the stock yard district. We also were about to run out of our bottle of Cooper's Dry Rub which we really enjoy especially on fish. Lunch was splendid with sausage, briskit, and pork as well as pinto beans, potato salad, and cole slaw. We washed this feast down with cold beer and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Back to the world of museums this time visiting the Kimbell Art Museum which was having an exhibit of Caravaggio and his followers. This is the only museum in the country to have this exhibit and it was splendid. This, in my opinion, was superb art which the first museum totally lacked. This artist brings you the viewer into the painting and his treatment of ordinary people is wonderful as is his work on more religious themes.

Finally we ended our visit to Fort Worth by driving through downtown and visiting Sundance Square shops looking for sports memorabilia which proved to be too expensive. We are glad that the Texas Rangers won the American League playoffs and look forward to their participation in the World Series of Baseball this next week. We will have to look elsewhere to get the shirt. Maybe my writing block is gone. Happy travels.

Texas State Fair

The Texas State Fair is held in late September through early October each year in Dallas. The grandsons had Columbus Day off and so we took them by train to visit the State Fair today. The first place we went had free ice cream so we had to start our day there of course. We heard about cows being milked and then went to see some horses but that event was called off because of their muddy field left over from our rain yesterday. We explored lots of things to eat. This fair is known for deep fried unusual food like deep fried beer or butter or candy. We did not try any of these things since they sound awful. The boys and I had hamburgers and curly fries for lunch and then we split forces and I took the boys to the midway. They tried one game but did not win any prizes. Then they went into a fun house and then we caught up with Foxy to watch an exhibition of fancy bike riding and tricks. Finally we rode the skyway gondola across the midway area and went to see a movie on dolphins which was enjoyed by all. We headed to the entrance for the train ride back to our car and home. The boys were tired but had enjoyed their day at the Texas State Fair, as did we. Happy travels.

Miniature Golf and Cards

On Friday we took the grand to play miniature golf since we had a coupon that allowed us to play for free. We did alright but all of us boys could use some expert help with our swings. It was warm in the sun and after the play was finished we went back for drinks and the boys wanted to play some of the games. They won tickets that could be redeemed for prizes and picked out a whoopie cushion among other wonderful rewards. Christian kept us entertained with the whoopie cushion the rest of the afternoon.

When we got home they wanted to play cards and we continued to learn Pitch. When Jon won a hand he began to like it better and we played it for an hour before turning to Old Hell or Oh Bother, if you so prefer. They are getting to be card sharks and give no quarter. As with Nana, they will comment when they won't let you buy a card, which happens in Progressive, "No, I need it for my business." We have a lot of fun with them and have spent nearly every afternoon when their work is done by playing and teaching them new card games. I think that Canasta is next. Happy travels.

Dolphin Tale

This afternoon we took grands Christian and Jon to the movie to see Dolphin Tale. What a wonderful movie. A dolphin gets caught up in a rope and fisherman's trap and washes up on a Florida beach. She get rescued by a young boy and taken to a place where sea creatures are rehabilitated. She ultimately loses her tail fin and the movie takes you through her many trials and tribulations as she is fitted for a prosthetic tail. This movie brings tears to your eyes and much enjoyment. We all loved it and give it four thumbs up. Happy travels.

Another addition

Grand daughter Ashley and husband Tom welcomed their second child into their growing family. They now have two boys Harper and Corbin. So now we have 13 grands and two great grands. What a wonderful blessing. Both baby and mom are doing well. Happy travels.

Take me out to the ball game

On Sunday we accompanied our kids/grands to a Ranger's game in Arlington which is about a half hour drive from here and very near the DFW airport. It was a warm Sunday afternoon and for awhile we were sitting right at the edge of the shade up on the third deck right behind home plate. What a great afternoon. The Rangers had just won the American League West in the previous game and this was the last regularly scheduled home game. They were playing the Seattle Mariners.

Foxy wanted to get an autograph of Ichiroe who plays center field for the Mariners and is a favorite of another grandchild, James. However she got no response and was not a pleased grandmother. Our tickets came with a free hotdog and soda drink. There was also $1 ice cream cones available and all the beer you might want to drink if you were willing to pay their prices although $8 seemed a bit high to me.

The best part of the game came when the Ranger's pitcher hit a home run with the bases loaded adding four points to their score. This was the second time in the game that the rangers managed this feat. The final score was 12 to 5 and we left for home quite satisfied with the entire event. Go Rangers!

Christian, seven years old, is playing on his first baseball team and on Saturday morning we watched him hit a home run with the bases loaded. He was quite pleased to do this and really enjoyed it happening again at the Rangers game.

We do like to go to professional baseball games to not only watch the game but enjoy these huge stadiums and all of the activity including, "Beer for sale!" This American past time has been eclipsed in popularity by football but remains a favorite for me when I can be there in the ball park. Happy travels.

Things are chugging along

There is not much news here. We are going to estate sales, taking care of the grands once or twice a week, working on stained glass, and putting more items in our antique booth, Foxy is working on her shoulder rehabilitation, we are walking daily, and I am trying to keep my weight down. These are all things we have been doing since we relocated to Denton. Thus there has been little to add to this blog. Things will change and then I will have more to report. Happy travels.

Opera on Tap

When we left to go hear Opera on Tap, it was raining! Yeah! Two hours later it was still raining as we returned home. We went to a bar and restaurant, The Abbey Underground on the courthouse square. Here is where students and faculty from the North Texas University Music College perform in hopes of getting bar patrons to enjoy a touch of class, opera. The beer and wine were good and we met Karen who sings in her church choir with her mom in tow. Jeffrey Snider is on the faculty and introduced each of the singers and told a bit about the music being sung.

Many of the singers were big people and perhaps size helps one to belt out a tune. We started out with a large lady and a large tenor and having sung, made me wonder if it was time to go, since the fat lady sang. Just kidding! The tenor had a great range and could really belt out his song. I think that Foxy is a secret closet opera lover and probably listens to this type of music in secret with a glass of a little something . I believe that I would need liquid nourishment if I heard a diet of opera. Well we stayed for an hour and a half and I was glad to bid them adieus and return to the rain. There are some types of culture that will never take on this good 'ol boy. Happy travels.

New glass pieces in the works

We went to a large estate sale this morning and got a bit lost returning. We had to drive through the Dallas - Fort Worth Airport area and somehow I missed a turn but after going 15-20 miles out of the way we managed to find our way home. It has been a beautiful day here, fall is in the air, and we are only missing the smell of roasting chilies. After lunch I started in on two glass designs and got the patterns cut out and the glass selected and cut. Tomorrow I will grind the pieces and begin the process of copper foiling the edges. Maybe I can include a picture of the work in progress.

After dinner we are going downtown to hear students and faculty of North Texas University Music School do some numbers from opera. It is mostly sopranos and although I do not really care for opera, I do like some of the songs. We shall see and reserve judgement. There are so many musical things being presented in Denton that we feel we must sample some. Happy travels.

Contagion, the movie

Today we treated ourselves to a movie. We went to see Contagion. It was very realistic and explained at the end exactly how such a virus could begin and spread. It makes you want to not touch anything, shake hands with people, and constantly wash your hands. It was very well done although the subject matter was difficult. It was indeed riveting. All of the actors do a credible job in each of their roles. If you are looking for a happy, uplifting, or light movie, you will be disappointed. If you want to learn something about a serious subject then you will indeed enjoy this movie. Happy travels.

Settling in

We are beginning to get into somewhat of a routine here in Denton. At least one day each week we meet our grandsons after school. They may have homework to complete and music to practice and then we play cards with them or very occasionally take them out for a treat. The schools had grandparents day last Friday and we met each boy at school during his lunch period and shared sack lunches with them. We think that if the school system does this again next year that we will bring a treat lunch from a fast food restaurant which is what many of the other grandparents did this year. It should beat any sack lunch offered by the school cafeteria. It was fun to see the joy on the faces of each kid who saw his or her grandparent. It was a fun thing to do.

Starting with Thursday and through the weekend we go to as many estate sales or garage sales as we can find. This has several purposes since this gets us into various areas of the city and we can see prospective houses as well. We then take any finds home, clean them up, price them and then take them to our antique mall for sale from our space. We reopened our antique business and have been cleaning out stored items as well. Sales have not been brisk but we are selling some things and of course enjoy the whole process. I have also put up some of my stained glass pieces, repaired others and finally made a new piece to put in our mall. Who knows, maybe someone will commission me to do a special piece. We left our book of past stained pieces out on a table in our space and it has been getting attention.

We continue to read at a great rate and are looking for a store that trades in used books. We finally attended a Presbyterian Church last Sunday and discovered that the brother-in-law of the minister used to preach in our former church in Kerrville. It is a small world indeed.

Today we had a few short showers which we so badly need. Many of the terrible fires are now under control but over 1500 homes are totally destroyed. Yesterday was the 70th day of temperatures of 100 or higher this summer. So we have survived the hottest summer in Texas on record, ever. Maybe this month our electric bill will begin to be lower. Happy travels.

Smoke gets in your eyes

A popular song when my mom was growing up was, "Smoke gets in your eyes." I even remember a few lines from the song: They asked me how I knew, my true love was true, I of course replied. something here inside, cannot be denied. The rest of this song has gone to the mists of time for me. However, when we went outside we could smell smoke in the air and the sky was clouded with drifting particles of smoke. We wondered if it was the Bastrop fire or one a bit closer such as west of Fort Worth. We did not know the answer but feel so bad for the people who have lost their homes. To date over 1000 homes have burned. This is a tragedy brought on by the continuing drought and carelessness of people using fire in any form outside. I cannot imagine coming back to the ashed of my home and life. It would be difficult to happen in the first place , much less than the thought of trying to start all over. You could never replace pictures or other momentos of a life lived. We can only pray that the firefighters get these fires under control. Happy and safe travels.

Dog sitting and ice cream

Starting on Saturday and going through Monday, we dog sat for our kids dogs, Violet and Rosie, while the kids drove to meet their good friends Matt and Melina and their kids in Amarillo, TX. We agreed to dog sit while they were away and enjoyed doing so. On Monday afternoon we packed up and returned home and then went back one more time to let the dogs out to do their business in the late afternoon.

Shortly after we returned home we got a call that the kids and returned safely but wanted to know if we would like to go out for ice cream. The kids had asked their boys if they wanted to stop on the way back home for ice cream but the grands thoughtfully said, "Lets wait until we get home and maybe Grandad and Grammy would like to go for ice cream too." Now wasn't that wonderful? Who could resist. So our dog sitting ended with the six of us going for ice cream. Lovely! Happy travels.

Repairing stained glass

The four panels are now repaired and hung in our antique booth in the mall and maybe someone will be interested enough to purchase a panel or even to want me to make them a unique piece of stained glass. The best part of this endeavor is that it is finished and now I can begin to create some new pieces. I really like to make stained glass panels. It is fun so see the final result emerge from a complicated and lengthy process. I think I like every stage of the process. However I particularly respond positively to the colors. I do not know why but I do like colored glass and this give me a chance to work with all kinds of colors. Happy travels.

Dates I remember

Last night we watched an hour long program on NBC, Ten Years - Children of 9-11. It was quite well done and the children selected were quite representative. They have their problems and are trying in various ways to deal with their loss of a parent. Do I remember 9-11? Sadly, I do. We were camped in Guadalupe RV Resort making our morning walk around the park when we began to hear from other campers and workers about the unfolding tragedy. As the day wore on it simple got worse.

Last night I was thinking of other events that I remember such as the assassination of President Kennedy in November, 1963. At that point I was in graduate school at Cornell University and we were appalled. We packed up son Jerry and drove home to my parents home and stayed glued to the television for the entire weekend.

On a happier note I can add the time that Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. We celebrated this event by buying our first color TV so that we could watch this unfold in living color. Another event was the Berlin Wall coming down and the thousands of Germans celebrating. An event does not have to be world wide in its consequences for it to be momentous. The birth of my first born son and hearing his first cry belongs on my list as does my marriage to Foxy with our kids in attendance. I hope, you the reader has your own list and are willing to share part of it with me. Happy travels.

Repairing a stained glass window

I have been putting off this project for actually years. I have at least four glass panels that need to be repaired. This means removing part of the frame by using the soldering iron to heat up the joints and remove the solder. This is a messy business. Then I have to remove each piece of glass that has cracked. The remaining pieces have to be cleaned and have all copper foil edges cleaned and then finally I have to find new glass and cut out pieces to replace the broken ones. Of course I do not always have the exact replacement piece and that means a visit to the glass supply store. I have done all of these steps by today and now have to get out the glass grinder and grind down the newly cut pieces. Then each of these pieces must be copper foiled on the edges and then placed into the panel, hopefully fitting. Once they fit then the whole panel must be re-soldered and the frame replaced. This takes several days to do and is one more reason why I wait for years to repair a stained glass window. Happy travels.

Max meets Mr. Toad

Last night when I took Max out for his last visit of the evening, he found Mr. Toad. Mr. Toad lives in the grass next to the railroad ties. Our visit disturbed Mr. Toad and he jumped. Max was quite startled and he jumped. Now Max jumps usually up and then forward but last night this jump was up and backward. Mr. Toad then jumped again to get away and Max again jumped up and backward. It was very funny to watch. I did not know that Max could jump backward until that moment. Max is a great sniffer and takes quite some time to find the very best spot to do his business. Once he sniffed Mr. Toad, his business was forgotten. I finally had to drag him away from this wonderful jumping, sniffing, and hunting just to get him to do his business and us a chance to rest before midnight. I know that tonight he may remember the fun time with Mr. Toad and try to find him again. Maybe we should start out an hour early. Happy travels.

Critters redo

Last night I took Max out for his final visit outside and as I was going out the door I felt and heard his leash ripping. I managed to lock the leash and then as Max came to the end, he nearly ripped the leash out of my hand taking my whole arm with it. Somehow I managed to hang onto the leash and Max and as I got outside looked around to see what had caused all of the excitement. I never did see another critter but believe it is the resident rabbit that caused this excitement. Out neighbor Bill, recently brought home some fake Canadian Geese which caused Max to get excited until he began to realize that they were not the real thing. They did not walk, run, or fly either. He sniffed them all over and now only looks at them in case things have changed.

This morning we left for our morning walk about the park and on the way back met an opossum. It took one look as us and decided to turn around and amble off. I had hoped it would play dead. Then Max could have sniffed it and who knows what might have happened. At least it was an interesting walk. Happy travels.

Tyler, Texas

On Friday we left Max with the kids/grands and the next morning drove east of Dallas on I 20 to Tyler, Texas. Good friends Dave and Lois have a home there and invited us to come over for a visit on Saturday. Tyler is a beautiful area with rolling hills and lots of trees and lakes. We thought this could be New York, or Pennsylvania or some similar area. Some people think of Texas as being hot or flat or straight roads for miles and miles. In some parts of the State they would be right but Tyler is quite different. We enjoyed the drive of about 130 miles from Denton and the good roads made the time fly by. We settled into a motel and then met our friends for a late lunch and then went over to their house. They are redoing their house and can only work on projects when they can get away from jobs in Kerrville. Since it takes them about six hours to drive up here they do not make this trip often. Progress is being made and lots of additional projects are in the works. When these projects are completed they will have a lovely home.

Lois comes from Tyler and has family nearby including a twin sister. We spent most of our time together talking non stop and all of a sudden it was time to head back to our motel. This morning we left Tyler hoping to return in the future and really check out the entire area. On the way back we went to an antique glass show in Grapevine and then also found another flea market/antique show on I 35 on our way back to Denton. A lovey weekend for sure. Happy travels.

Continuing very hot here

The weather man is very repetitive in his evening weather broadcasts here in Denton. The temperature climbs up into the low hundreds day after day. Yesterday we were so uncomfortable that we went to the pool to cool off. Finally late in the evening there were showers in the Dallas area with related winds that cooled us off a bit, enough so that we could sit outside. I will sure be glad to have cooler temperatures. I can hardly imagine what our electric bill will look like at the end of this month since the AC units seldom shut off, day or night. Enough complaints.

We have finally completed our antique booth and filled it with inventory. Yesterday I commented, "Wouldn't it be nice if we finally sold something, even if it was for $1.50." When we got to the antique store, the first thing Ann said to Foxy was, "You sold something yesterday." How she laughed and had to explain to Ann what we had just been saying before arriving at the store. Yesterday we took in a three paned window which has stained glass inserts and an Ithaca Tall Case Grandfather Clock. There is no telling if or when these items might sell but if they are in storage, they will not be able to sell. While putting these things into the shop a customer came along and even looked at a commemorative plate. I got my hopes up since we have many such plates but she put it back down and went onward without buying anything.

Somehow we feel like we have been very busy as we settle into Denton. Could it be putting up our gazebo? Starting our antique business again? Helping out with the grands? All of the above. We are looking forward to a drive to Tyler. TX to see good friends Dave and Lois this weekend. Bob and Pam may also be there. We all lived together at the Guadalupe RV resort and enjoyed each others company. Happy travels.

The first day of school for the grands

Here in Denton the first day for kids in the public school is tomorrow. So Jon and Christian will be starting fourth and second grade respectively. Our job is to be at their home when they ride their bikes home from school and see how their first day at new school went. We have decided to take them out for a one time treat to Braums Ice cream parlor for a cone. Actually I have been wanting to go there for quite some time since I saw an advertisement for Black Forest Ice Cream that looked simply splendid. So we are making this occasion work for the grands and for me, grandad. I will not get on the scale to check any weight gain for several days after this excursion. And I wonder why I cannot lose weight. I am happy though.

Other sets of grands started school last week and are back in the swing of things at their schools. One final set of grands are home schooled and will be starting soon as well. We have grands in college, high school, middle school and elementary school. It is quite a bunch to keep track of and frequently I fail in that regard. I do try to remember what grade each individual might be in each year. There are only 13 to keep track of and soon there will be two great-grands to add to the mix. Happy travels.

Coupons

My Foxy is a coupon lover and saver. She even has a special pouch in which to keep the grocery coupons. When we go to the grocery store, I drive and she sorts through the coupons and decides which might save us money once we are there. Now actually I approve of this thriftiness. There was a point when I was single (As in between marriages) when I saved coupons and was glad to save the money as I had Christopher at home going to school at the time. You all know how young people can eat you out of house and home.

Once we got to Denton, Foxy ordered Entertainment books that can be used in the Dallas - Fort Worth Area. In addition to these books which have money saving coupons we also get the local newspaper which has coupons on Wednesday. We rarely go anywhere without first seeing if we have a coupon. The other day we went to the movies to see One Day which I only give a thumb up on one hand and could not use our coupon since it was really for evening movies. If we go in the early afternoon we can get the senior citizen rate which is a good deal. We also check out the store brand and find that they are frequently cheaper than a name brand even with a coupon. Does this mean we are cheap? Probably! However when you are on a fixed income you stretch your money in any way that you can. I appreciate Foxy's frugal ways and applaud her saving coupons. This way we enjoy going out to eat, watching the latest movies, and getting money back on our grocery bill. Happy travels.

The days flow by

We seem to keep very busy. For several days we put together our booth in an antique mall here in Denton. At first we were only going to rent a display cabinet when we discovered at a going out of business sale lots of display racks and bought them and changed our marketing plan to a booth. The racks are now put up in the booth, cleaned off by Foxy, since they have glass shelves and we have started the process of locating inventory on them. That took several days of work and yesterday daughter Kim needed us to watch her boys for the day so we gladly did that.

Now I have found eight more boxes in our storage unit and brought them home for sorting. If an item is selected for the inventory then it has to be cleaned and labeled and repacked for the trip to the mall and then a space found for it. This all takes time and we love it. It is like Christmas every time we open another box and find stuff that we have forgotten we had put away. I am prone to establishing collections. I had a collection of horses, mostly glass. I do not even know why I like horses except that you do not have to feed glass horses. I do not even ride the real ones. I just like them and thus a collection is born.

I also like clocks, At one point I went to clock repair school in Pennsylvania for a week and realized that I can take a clock apart and most of the time put it back together and maybe even have it running better than before. This also takes considerable time and very expensive equipment if you do it well. I decided to let others do this and just collect clocks. Part of the collection is miniature ones and I found the box in which they have been stored. What fun to see these old friends again. I think it is time for this collection to go to the antique mall and be sold. Happy travels.

Antiquing

We have decided to get back into the antique business, big surprise. We found a young lady going out of business and decided to buy her display cases. These are open glass shelves which will be a great way to display our inventory. We talked to a mall manager, Brett and have a space which we can begin to fill as of the middle of this month. So now the real work begins as we have to get each piece to be displayed tagged, priced, and displayed. We are still looking for a locking case in which we can place more expensive pieces.

Of course this means that we will have to continue to attend estate sales and garage sales to look for items which we can resell. Since we love to do this, I think that we will head out even in the rain this morning. It also gives us a chance to see different parts of the Denton area and really learn the best ways to get around. Happy travels.

It is raining

We awoke to rain this morning. After so many days without rain it was truly a wonderful sound to wake up to. It is supposed to rain for several hours here and I am sure the thirsty ground and plants will quickly soak up every drop. Max did not exactly know what to make of the rain as he went outside to take care of his business. He has not asked to have a return visit.

Last night the kids and grands came over for spiedis which is cubes of meat grilled with Cornell barbeque sauce. We actually managed to eat outside since it was overcast. We finished dinner with lots of fruit and since the boys like to eat, little food was left. We also managed to find a baseball bat that Christian needed as today he is trying out for a ball team. He has never played before but is looking forward to being selected. His cousin James played ball for many years in Omaha and really learned to be a good baseball player so maybe Christian can follow in his footsteps. Happy travels.

Gazebo use, the pool, and antiques

This morning we sat out in the gazebo and had our coffee. Last night we were out there and neighbor Bill came by and thought it looked just fine. Then another neighbor David came home from work which is being a nurse in an operating room in a Dallas Hospital, and said he wondered what exactly we were doing. So one of the benefits is that we are beginning to meet the neighbors.

We have been going to the park pool generally once each day. Yesterday we waited until the sun went down before venturing forth. We met a couple from California who are just beginning retirement and thinking about being full timers. We spent some time talking about grand kids of course and also the best type of recreational vehicles pros and cons. We gave our view of things and listened to their opinions as well. We did not get much swimming done but it was a good chance to cool off. We did hear that electricity was very expensive here and that out monthly bill will be between 2-300. Yikes! We sure will be happy when this hot weather begins to taper off. Our air conditioners have been working non-stop here.

We also checked out several antique malls and are thinking of going back into the business since we have never stopped going to estate and garage sales. We have built back up some inventory and think we will enjoy having a booth or case out of which to sell some of the items we have collected these past few years. Happy travels.

Gazebo is up

We did it, the gazebo is up. As indicated we moved the motor home back 8-10 feet and hooked everything up and then went to work to put up our gazebo. It is not a one person project. The framework for the top is mostly push buttons that lock into place but the side supports are connected with nuts and bolts which takes awhile. One bad time was had by Foxy when one of the supports came loose and hit her on her right forearm. She did not cuss but probably wanted too. Finally we finished the qazebo and now have an outdoor room with shade. If the temperature ever drops out of the 100's maybe we can sit outside. We placed it in the area vacated by the motor home when we moved it backward.

Yesterday evening we found a local sports bar and watched a bit of a baseball game while having dinner. It was slightly smoky but bearable. The food was good and I did not have to cook. I just took Max out for his constitutional. It was 105 outside and generally unbearable. I will be sure glad when we get a rain break or some cooler temperatures. If it is cool where you are, send us some. Happy travels.

Back home

Chuck arrived from Ann Arbor about 9:00 am and after filling him in on our adventures with his boys packed up our things and with Max in tow headed nearby to our RV. We unpacked and decided about noon to do some shopping visiting the Verizon, Penney's, and Belk stores and then went to Olive Garden for a late lunch of endless salad, soup and bread sticks. This is a favorite menu for us as we we seldom order seconds of any of the elements. We sat in the bar and visited with the bartender and enjoyed our meal. This way we avoided a lengthy wait for a table. After lunch we returned home and later on went swimming in our park pool. It was quite enjoyable and refreshing. Home to the showers and evening news and then an evening reading. It was nice to be back home.

This morning we took our walk about the park and later I made several trips to our storage unit for the parts to our gazebo which we will start putting up tomorrow. We also plan to make a few adjustments to our motor home location in an effort to be able to step out onto the patio instead of rotting railroad ties. Even Max does not like stepping on them to get either up or down from the coach. The rest of the day should hold a trip to the swimming pool and maybe a local sports bar for a bit of dinner. It is still hot here but may cool down to 100 by the end of the week. Our electric bill will be a doozy this month. Happy travels.

Five days with the grands

One of the reasons that we moved to Denton in late July was to help daughter Kim with her two boys Christian and Jonathan. We knew that she had a clarinet conference to attend in California in early August. The boys father, Chuck, was finishing his last week of work in Ann Arbor, MI and then moving here as well. So on Wednesday we closed up the motor home and drove the few miles to Kim's house to take care of the boys.

We got them registered for school on Thursday and then took them to Ft. Worth to see the cowboy museum, have lunch at Riskey's and then watch the boys try to ride the mechanical bull. It was very hot there and we were glad to get back in our car for the drive home. On Friday we drove to the train station and took rapid transit to Dallas to go to the Aquarium and have lunch this time at The Old Mill nearby. A train ride back to our car and a fun day had by all. On Friday we went to the library to get more books and us signed up for our library cards as well. This time it was lunch at El Guapo's in downtown Denton. We do enjoy trying out various lunch possibilities with the boys. They can sure put away the food. For the rest of the day it was read the new library books and watch some movies. We have been watching some Pink Panther movies and find them very funny. We also managed to get them to the pool on two occasions. On Sunday both parents will be here at some point and we will return to our home. Happy travels.

August is do not buy goods from China month

Foxy just told me that August is, "DO NOT BUY GOODS FROM CHINA MONTH !" I am for that and shall try very hard to buy, "MADE IN USA !" Please join us for the month. Happy travels.

Little busy jobs

I have been doing catch up jobs that have needed doing around the motor home for awhile. I do find it funny that I can so easily put them off for another day. Since we relocated here to Denton, I have been getting them off of my mental list gradually. A major job was to replace the kitchen sink faucet. I hate plumbing and had put this job off for some time even though it had an occasional leak. We bought a new faucet and I got to work mostly on my back with my head in the sink cabinet. Foxy took out most of the stuff located here which helped. I got the old faucet out and the new one in place and started to connect up the water hoses when I learned that the fittings did not match. Typical problem in plumbing. Did I mention that I hate plumbing? So back to Home Depot for the necessary fittings. Technically I needed a fitting with two male ends. You wanted to know this and are wondering what two male ends looks like. Only a plumber really cares. Finally I finished this task and took a shower. It was necessary.

Then I redid the water hookups with the new hose also recently bought so that we could water our front yard. We actually have a yard and have been encouraged to water all we want. Seems odd when we are in a terrible drought. I have now three hoses only one of which leaks. I guess it is back to Home Depot for another hose. Why do all of these tasks require a repeat trip to Home Depot? So this job is in process at this time.

We put up plastic sheets that reflect the sunlight on our front windows since the coach is facing East and we are trying to cut down heat entering in any way that we can. Of course the sheets we bought are not as wide as the windows but we managed to piece the sheets and accomplish the goal. They also prevent people from looking in but we can see out.

Finally it has been so hot that I had to check the coach's batteries and be sure that the water had not evaporated. This relatively easy job went smoothly until I closed the openings in some of the cells and managed to splash a bit of battery acid into my eye. I flushed the eye with water and decided there is a reason why some people pay other people to do these kind of jobs. Oh if I only had won the lottery. Happy travels.

Antiquing

We called the kids and followed them to a great breakfast place this morning. We had to wait for a table that would seat the six of us but it was worth the wait. Then we went onward finally to McKinney, TX antiquing. On the way we stopped at an estate sale and found several pieces we needed for our business. At this sale they had some Norman Rockwell plates that matched some we had bought at an earlier sale in Kerrville. At that sale we got three of a set of four plates and at today's sale they had the same set, but all four. We checked our set and planned to get the fourth plate but it was sold. That is the way it goes in the antique business. We didn't really care.

When we arrived in McKinney we finally found the courthouse square which had several antique stores in the area. We enjoyed the whole thing and managed to find a couple of glasses that we needed for our business. We finally got home about 4:00 and noticed that the temperature varied between 104 and 107 degrees. It is supposed to get up to 110 on Wednesday. Think we will survive? Happy travels.

Settling in

We are getting settled in here in Denton, TX. This means lots of trips to the storage unit to bring back lawn chairs and take other things we no longer need like suitcases. Then we have had to make several trips to nearby stores for groceries and other stuff. In the meantime we went to a favorite store, Cost Co to pick up a hearing aid that they had repaired for me. The last time we were here we left it for repairs and they called to let us know that it was ready to be picked up. We went about lunch time and they had lots of samples, so many in fact that we never did get or fix lunch.

We have been over to the kids house to see if they needed anything from Cost Co and could see all of the progress made by Kim in her unpacking. Now they even have pictures up on the walls and Chuck plans to get the garage organized today so that when he returns next week he will have a place to park his car too.

Kim is going to California this coming week for 4-5 days for a clarinet conference and we will be taking care of the boys. Foxy is already planning field trips after getting input from the boys. We will be kept busy for sure.

It is quite hot and muggy here. Kerrville was hot but dryer and we did not notice the heat as much as we do here. It is also a few degrees hotter like 103 degrees which add to the discomfort. I am looking forward to fall and cooler weather.

We met a nice couple at the grocery store who also are full timers living in their motor home. They are staying in a park about ten miles East of here which is less expensive. We may look into that. Happy travels.

We are in Denton, TX

On Wednesday we visited with and said good by to Roy, Paula and Ron, Rosetta, and Bobby and Vicky. Roy continues to work at the Guadalupe RV Resort which is also where Paula and Ron live in their fifth wheel. Rosetta, Bobby and Vicky work at their antique mall, Sunrise Antiques where we used to have a booth. All are such good friends and we will stay in touch and hopefully get to see them from time to time.

Max sounded like he was bouncing a ball at three in the morning on Thursday and by five we could no longer sleep so we got up and finished packing up the coach and were on the road shortly after seven. We stopped for diesel fuel twice and made it to Denton by early afternoon and were set up by about four. The phone rang and it was grandson Christian who wanted to know where we were and when he learned that we had arrived yelled, "Yeah!" Now that is a great way to start a new adventure.

Shortly Kim and her boys arrived to see where we were located and we all decided to go out to eat at Red Lobster, which was good food as always. Kim then left for the airport to pick up her husband, Chuck who has about two more weeks of working in Ann Arbor before he transfers here too. We came home and fell into bed. The last three weeks have been work but being close to one of the kids and helping out when needed will be quite rewarding. Happy travels.

Saying goodby

We have been saying goodby this past few days. We met Bill and Connie for lunch at a nearby hamburger joint and while there also saw Ed and Sandy that we had done some stained glass work for a while back. On Sunday we did much of the same at church and it took us quite awhile to finally leave. We have made such good friends there. Several offered us a place to stay when we come back to town. Then we decided to drive to Fredericksburg for a lunch. We tried three great places, all closed on Sunday, and finally stopped in at the Sunset Grill. We had their brunch special which was New York Strip Steak Eggs Benedict which was wonderful. We also saw Dr. J there with his family. He had done my cancer surgery a year ago.

On Monday we met Dave and Lois for dinner at Mamacitas and sat out on the patio talking non-stop throughout. The food was excellent and the conversation even better. Today we decided to go to a movie, "Friends with Benefits." A delight for sure and such chemistry between the actors. So we have one more day and much remaining yet to do, people to see and places to go before we hook up the car to the motor home and head North to Denton. Happy travels.

If the Lord is for you, who can be against you

John's sermon yesterday was wonderful. He spoke to this passage from Paul' book of Romans - "If the Lord is for you, who can be against you." He gave several examples that made his case. I think we all forget that we are truly loved in spite of how bad we might have been. Isn't that magnificent? I do not have the wisdom or words to say more. Happy travels.

They called him Lucky

We have lived in our motor home since 2000 being fortunate to travel as we wish being able to visit many beautiful parts of this country. When you live in an RV park you get to watch other campers come and go and frequently see small rigs and large. Sometimes it boggles the mind to see an expensive rig show up. One of the most spectacular has a roof top area that had been turned into a patio. We also have enjoyed knowing how many slides each rig might have. The maximum number of slides seen so far is five. These slides enable the inside to seem more spacious.

Yesterday a truck hauled in a large fifth wheel RV and parked it just across from us. Of course we had to watch the whole operation. Living in an RV park makes you very aware of the happenings around you and of course you get to be the spectator. The truck finally got the fifth wheel backed in and several men emerged to set it up. One of the men apparently hit his head probably on the overhang and it requited a bandage. Then they got out their dog. The dog has three legs and can only get into the RV if he is lifted up by one of the men. Otherwise the dog gets around quite well. We have decided they call him Lucky and are waiting to see what his real name is. Happy travels.

BJ's Restaurant and Brewpub

Today we went to San Antonio for a Cost CO run and to do a bit of shopping with the reward a visit to a good restaurant. We were headed to a restaurant near the interchange of the outer loop and 281 when we noticed a traffic jam on the outer loop. We quickly changed our plans and decided to stop at BJ's Restaurant and Brewpub at the Rim Shopping Center. A wonderful hostess seated us in a booth and we learned that she was in college and encouraged her to continue her studies which she assured us she would. Then we has as a waitress, Paula. Paula has two sons and her family has been in various aspects of the restaurant business for many years. She is a natural and quite helpful as well. She served us a porter and a stout from the bar which were both excellent. Foxy had a Cobb Salad and I had a salad with pizza topping on flat bread. They were both excellent. The Cobb salad was large and Foxy took about half of it home for another meal. My portion were just right and little was left on my plate. Paula took excellent care of us and we encouraged her to quit smoking which she has tried once or twice in the past. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Paula and highly recommend this restaurant and brewpub. We went here once before when it had just opened and it was excellent then as well. Since then we also tried another in this chain at McAllen Texas which was commented on in an earlier post in this blog.

On the way home we went through two rainstorms and the temperature dropped from 98 to 75 degrees. We need rain so badly here that we were delighted for the showers. Maybe in will rain in Kerrville before the day is over. Happy travels.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

We thoroughly enjoyed watching this 3-D movie. It is non-stop action throughout and the 3-D effect adds significantly. I have to think back about 14 years ago when the first book came out and we picked it up in London. J.K.Rowling is a fantastic writer and writes a terrific yarn about good versus evil. Each successive book gets deeper into the characters and she take you right along on her artistic journey. I wonder when she will take up her pen and give us another great tale to ponder. I hope soon. This particularly movie is the pinnacle of all of the others and ties much of the story together. I had to begin re-reading all of the books and enjoy the story all over again. Happy travels.

Round two of move

Round two of move completed. We have driven our second load in a U-Haul truck to Denton and both loads are now in storage up there. The truck was turned in yesterday and toady we returned to Kerrville. This time the trip took about five hours which is the fastest we have made it so far. In about a week and a half we will hook the car to the motor home and make our last moving drive North to Denton. Then we can settle in there in a different RV park and get to know the Denton/Dallas area better. There are lots of restaurants and shopping so that should keep us busy. At time we will be helping Kim with the boys. The good news is that her husband Chuck has gotten a job in the area and will be moving to the area in about three weeks. They have been busy settling in and getting unpacked. We helped them where we could and they helped us unload our trucks both times. It was hot both times and the sweat ran off. Heck of a way to lose a pound or two. Happy travels.

Second load ready to go

This morning we met Carlos at our other storage unit and loaded into our U-Haul truck furniture, and art work and then back to the first storage unit for all remaining items. Now we are ready to start our second trip to Denton in the morning after Foxy completes another rehabilitation session. We plan to return to Kerrville on Sunday for final doctor appointments and rehabilitation sessions. Max will go as well even though he really does not like traveling all that much. He just does not want to be left behind. Happy travels.

Check your phone bill, watch for scams

We were watching the Today Show this morning and they had a special segment on third part billing scams and subsequent charges on your phone bills. Senator Jay Rockefeller from West Virginia has a committee working to uncover the truth on this type of phone scam. He pointed out that the phone companies profit to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars each year since they allow third party billings and make a profit from them. An example of this type of scam is texting. If you signed up for texting then there is no problem. If you did not sign up for this service and you are getting billed for it then you are paying for a scam. You can call your phone company and not allow any third party billing to be added to your monthly bill.

While checking with our company this morning we were informed that we would be billed incorrectly this month. We like Verizon because of the country wide service available for computer access to the internet. We do not like this company because they do manage to mess up our bill with great regularity. Fortunately Foxy keeps track of the bill each month and then complains to them when it needs to be corrected. For example this month the bill is incorrect because although we have 450 minutes to be shared between our two phones, they also managed to bill us for going over 50 minutes on our second phone. The actual fact is that they were trying to have it both ways. They wanted us to share between the two phones the 450 minutes and also charge us if we went over 50 minutes on the second phone. They are tricky and you have to keep after them. Sorry about the complaining in this message but I hope if you check your bill you will find everything correct and that you are not being scammed. Happy travels.

Home again

We packed up to go back home this morning from Kim's new home in Denton, TX. Max got real excited when I started taking bags out to the car. I left him in doors while I packed the car and soon Kim brought out all of the dogs to see why Max was barking. He jumped right into the car and stayed there so that he would not be left behind. Once on the road he settled down and did not make another peep until we stopped for gas. I had left his leash back at the house so had to get a new one so that Max could be safely let out of the car. The trip back to Kerrville seemed to fly by and by early afternoon we were home to discover that somewhere along the way we had lost the keys to open our motor home. We went through all of our belongings to no avail and since we had left one window unlocked, I borrowed a neighbor's ladder and climbed in through the window. Such an adventure. I guess tomorrow I will have to make a new set of motor home keys. It is good to be home but tomorrow we rent our next truck and repeat the trip back up to Denton with the rest of our things from our storage units. This next trip should not be quite so arduous as it is a few pieces of furniture and the remaining boxes. Carlos packed us up for the first trip and will return to do the same for the second one. He did a great job and so far we have had only one casualty, a yellow vase. Then we will return and move the motor home up to Denton where we will relocate and make our new home. Happy travels.

One third complete

On Thursday we hired Carlos and a friend to help us load our stuff from one of our storage units in Kerrville. Carlos proved to be an excellent packer and after two hours of hard work, the U - Haul truck was full. The next morning Foxy went to rehabilitation early and by ten we were on the road. I drove the truck and Foxy drove our car. She has not been driving for over a month so it was work for her too. Max went along and kept me company in the truck. We stopped North of Georgetown for a quick bite of lunch and then continued to Denton where we arrived in the middle of the afternoon. The only problem we had was getting through Ft. Worth where traffic was very slow. We may try to go home a different way to see if we can avoid the Ft. Worth traffic.

On Saturday Chuck helped us unload into our new storage unit near their house. With a good sense of relief and lots of hard work we turned in the truck and locked the door of the unit. Now we need to return home and repeat this procedure one more time to get the rest of our stuff which is stored in our other unit. The final stage will be to bring the motor home North and we will be relocated in Denton, Texas. It is a lot of work but we will be close to daughter Kim and her family and be able to help her as needed. Happy travels.

Larry Crowne

This afternoon we went to the movies to see Larry Crowne starring Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks. Julia was quite believable as the community college professor of English. She portrayed a teacher who is burned out on teaching until she begins to interact with the Hank's character who is trying college for the first time. I did not expect to like this movie but was quite entertained. Happy travels.

Moving our storage unit

At the end of this month we plan to move from Kerrville to Denton, TX to be close to our daughter and help her as she might need. Since our doctor visits are beginning to come to an end we have time and can begin the business of moving the stuff we have in two storage units here. We rented a U - Haul truck today and tomorrow will be joined by some helpers to unload the unit and fill the truck. Then on Friday after Foxy has her rehabilitation session we will head North to Denton. It will be a full three days since on that end we will have to unload the truck into our next storage unit. What a joy. We will also be looking for items stored that can go in an antique booth in a store in Denton. We have decided to restart our antique business which should keep us occupied in our spare time. Happy travels and pray for cooler weather.

Cedar plank grilling

The other day when we were at HEB, our favorite grocery store and buying fish, they were having a sale where if you bought fish they would also give you a cedar plank for grilling. "Sounds good to me," I said. Tonight I tried it with Steel Head Trout for dinner. I soaked the plank for about thirty minutes and put it on the grill for a few minutes before adding the fish. We used Cooper's dry rub and let it smoke/cook for about fifteen minutes till flaky. Not me - the fish. It was great and very will smoked and quite moist. I had thought it would be dry and was glad to be wrong. Try it and you should like this delectable way to cook fish. Happy travels.

Critters

This morning when Max and I were taking our walk around the park we got to see a momma deer and her baby twin fawns. Max wanted to chase, but I kept him on his leash, and we moved onward. The babies are very cute but quickly grow up into adults who enjoy eating your flowers and shrubs and also frequently bolt in front of your car. In the Hill Country deer are a real traffic problem and the local comment is, "Not IF but WHEN you hit a deer." That says it all. We get to see other critters on a morning walk like opossums, skunks, snakes, and lots of birds. It is nice to live in a park and share the space with these critters. Happy travels.

Happy Fourth of July

I hope each of you celebrated a wonderful Fourth of July. Here in the Southwest there were not as many firework demonstrations since it has been so dry from our extended drought, Kerrville did have a celebration which we could hear from our home but chose instead to watch a Capital Fourth on the television. We had been invited to have dinner with good friends Bill and Connie. It was a good meal of hamburgers, fruit salad and potato salad. We topped it all off with Bourbon Slushies, a specialty of Connie's. It was great fun, and we got to also meet their neighbors Sandra and Denny. So for us this was a lovely way to spend a Fourth of July. Happy travels.

Pizza, pizza

I know that advertisements do pay off or there would not be any. Last night I happened to catch an ad for Chicago style pizza at a place in San Antonio and I was in trouble. I talked Foxy into getting a medium pizza at Domino's which is nearby. I called and ordered it and drove over there to their store and picked it up about fifteen minutes later as they had suggested. It smelled so good that I was tempted to have a piece on the way home but fortunately the box was in the back seat and too hard to grab while driving.

Once home we arranged plates and dove into the deep dish, all meat pizza. This was not a Chicago pizza, but it was good if maybe a bit too much crust. I managed to eat three pieces while Foxy worked on two. It may not have been the best pizza in the world, but it sure tasted good to me. Besides, I did not have to cook. Yeah! Poor Foxy has had to put up with my cooking for the past five weeks while her shoulder recuperates. I suspect that she is working so hard because secretly she can not wait to get back to being the cook and leaving the dishes to me. I don't blame her a bit since from my perspective she is a vastly better cook for sure. Having had a pizza fix there only remains a KFC trip and my culinary skills will be completed. Happy travels. P.S. I have never had a Chicago pizza but hope to live long enough to try one. Sounds heavenly to me.

Bandera, Texas, here we come

Today we planned to go to Bandera, TX with good friends Connie and Bill. They had advertised a car show, a craft fair, and a cowboy shoot out in this cowboy capital of the world. We always enjoy the drive there and quickly found a parking place by the county court house where the craft fair was set up. The ladies enjoyed all of the jewelry booths but Bill and I quickly came to the last booth to discover a smooth talking guy selling Bionic Bands that cured everything. I really think he may have been selling snake oil cures but it was interesting to say the least. Now if his stuff really works then we missed a bet. I liked his believable spiel but resisted buying. We then left and went looking throughout the town for the car show but alas it was not to be. It had been advertised but did not seem to be realized. So what to do.

Go shopping of course and we visited many of the stores that lined the main street and some on side streets as well. Finally being shopped out with little to show for it, we stopped for lunch at the OST (Old Spanish Trail) restaurant. It was very busy and we had a short wait but soon had our name called and entered. Food was plenteful and my hamburger was excellent. Connie had a taco salad which she enjoyed but could not finish. Bill had a Phily sandwich and liked it. Foxy hit the buffet and while she liked the salad bar has not since enjoyed an aftertaste of the chicken fried chicken or steak that she also sampled. So a mixed review for sure.

We never did see the cowboy shoot out either but did catch a glimpse of the stage coach ride. The best part was enjoying the visit with Connie and Bill. Happy travels.

Drs, drs, drs

This is attempt number two since I sent the first one off into the ether. We have spent much of our spring and summer visiting doctors here in Kerrville. Since Foxy had her shoulder replacement she has moved on to physical therapy and should be recognized as the poster girl for her ability to stick to her exercises. She goes to therapy three times each week and yesterday went early so that I could make an eye appointment that morning as well.

Once done with therapy, we came home to let Max out for a break and then took off for San Antonio. Our eye doctor had a large group of patients that had one eye surgery completed and needed the second cataract removed. So he scheduled ten of us in San Antonio and I was number eight on the list for yesterday. We arrived about noon and my turn came about 1:30. The surgery only takes about ten minutes. The first time I was concerned since I do not like to have my eye touched much less cut and I had taken Valium to help relax. This time, knowing the procedure, I skipped the Valium and headed into the operating room. This time I had a special lens new on the market to correct for astigmatism.

Once the surgery was complete, I sat in recovery for a few minutes and then an attendant wheeled me out to our car. Once he left, Foxy got out of the driver's seat and I got in since she can't drive just yet due to her shoulder surgery. We stopped for lunch since neither of us had eaten since the previous evening and then on to Cost Co. and finally the sixty mile trip back to Kerrville. By the time we got home my eye was hurting a bit and tearing a lot. I was glad to head off to bed early. This morning I could see quite well and my eye does not hurt at all. Modern medicine is wonderful. It is nice to be able to see more clearly. Happy travels.