Lots of Lights 

Road Lined With Candles 

Some Pretty Christmas Lights 

Sunday – December 24 – Merry Christmas, it was good talking to everyone today and getting caught up. Today was a warm, sunny day – perfect. We went to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast and were pleasantly surprised that it was only about a 10 minute wait. After breakfast we stopped at Home Depot, Beall’s and Ace Hardware – real exciting. The stores here weren’t too busy considering tomorrow is Christmas, I expect all the shopping gets done the weekend after Thanksgiving when they have all the sales! We checked out the municipal golf course which looks nice but was quite busy, we will try to get a tee time sometime next week.

We keep taking different routes around Casa Grande and can’t believe the number of new subdivisions being built, it would appear that this place is going to double in population in the next couple of years. I would guess that perhaps a lot of people are coming from the Phoenix or Tucson area as the homes are large family type homes, not small retirement type homes. Most of them have signs saying they start from $200,000 so not cheap either. It is funny, most of the new subdivisions have people standing in front waving signs to the new development, like that would make you go in and check it out!

A lot of people in the park put out candles in paper bags today so tonight we went for a walk to see the lights and it was very pretty. Some people have really decorated their trailers as well as the trees etc. John took some pictures so hopefully they will turn out and I can post a couple. The white bags were much brighter than the brown ones, but all in all it was very pretty.

Saturday – December 23 – This morning was cold and foggy, but about 11 the fog burned off, the sun came out and it turned into a nice day. I did some laundry this morning so am good now till after Christmas. John replaced the opener on the screen door today, now it will be much easier to open and everyone won’t be asking how they get out! He did a few odds and ends and we both just puttered around.

We had thought we could avoid the stores until after Christmas but John needed some screws so we went to Loews and surprisingly it wasn’t busy. They had all their Christmas stuff marked 50% off but there sure wasn’t much left. We came back and did our Christmas picture to send to the kids and family, now hopefully they will send us some pictures of them together for Christmas.

Friday – December 22 – Well, what crappy weather! I thought it was going to get sunny so put out a jar of sun tea, next thing I know it is overcast and then it’s raining, not nice!! We went out this afternoon and got propane and groceries so now we are good till after Christmas. We took a different way back today and saw some nice new subdivisions and found a Safeway grocery store, so now there are lots of options for groceries.

There is a company who will come into the park and fill your propane tank for $31, today we found a RV store and got it filled for $15.90, big difference! We also got a couple of odds and ends we needed, so all in all a good stop.

It was still drizzling when we got back so John had to bbq in the rain – he said it reminded him of home! Wouldn’t you know that last night when it was nice we had pasta for dinner so he didn’t have to bbq – quess I know how to pick them.

Thursday – December 21 – Today was another nice sunny day and warm in the sun but the wind was cool. We had a quiet day, John cleaned the truck and trailer and I went over and found the library. I got a couple of books, then spent the afternoon doing a bit of crocheting and reading. Real exciting!

Wednesday – December 20 – Today was sunny but still cool, only the mid 50’s but it is supposed to get warmer every day. Today I did a major cleaning and John washed the trailer, the little bit of rain we got on Sunday seemed to be filled with dirt and left the trailer filthy. We went out for a bit this afternoon, nothing too exciting.

I stopped at Beall’s outlet, lots of good buys but you need time to poke through stuff and try it on and that is not something that is done with John in tow. I will go in by myself some day and take my time wandering around.

There is an article in the paper today about a neighbourhood in Gilbert (a suburb of Phoenix) and all their Christmas lights. The homes are multi-million dollar colonial-style houses and apparently each year neighbours try to outdo each other. They even have extra electrical boxes to keep up with the surge of power from the displays. We will have to try and get up and find this area, it sounds quite interesting.

Tuesday – December 19 – Today was laundry day so I got that done this morning, it cost $5.00 to wash and dry 3 loads, I can’t complain about that. It was nice this morning but clouded over this afternoon and cooled off.

We did a bit of shopping this afternoon and Fry’s had some good deals, so now my freezer is like the proverbial turkey – stuffed! Now, for everyone’s laugh for the day – I was asked for I.D. at Wal-Mart when checking out with some wine and beer!!!! I think the poor cashier needs her eyes checked but I walked out of there like I was walking on a cloud! John was not impressed. That was it for the day, we came back and had wings, Caesar salad and garlic bread for dinner – decadent.

Monday – December 18 – Today was a nice day, mostly sunny but a bit on the cool side still. We went for our free coffee and donut at 9 this morning and I was amazed, the room was packed! They have coffee & donuts every Monday morning (except for Christmas & New Years) and they make the weeks announcements at this time. We sat with a couple from B.C. and it turns out she has a sister living in Orangeville! This is a very friendly park, everyone speaks to you, I think it is the friendliest park we have ever been in. Most of the people here are seasonal and I think most of them have been coming for quite a long time, this is the 14^th year for the couple from B.C.

After coffee we headed up to Phoenix and went to Ikea, Camping World, Best Buy and had lunch. I finally found a footstool at Ikea that is not too large so am looking forward to being able to get my feet up again when I am reading or watching TV!

What a busy place Phoenix and the surrounding cities are, and so large, we came back through the country and it was a nice drive and not as busy as the interstate. We saw lots of cotton fields and lots of saguaros which I find so fascinating as each one is a different shape. We saw some bales of cotton in the fields but most of it has been taken off to the gin for processing. All in all it was a very pleasant day.

Saturday we bought a Santa and a candy cane that light up for the two windows that don’t open (the one by the dinette and the one by the door) so we have at least a bit of Christmas decoration. We also have Grandmas little ceramic Christmas tree on the dinette table, and the Swarovski snowman on the window sill, but unfortunately it is hard to find places to put decorations in here. We also have a couple of sparkly stars hanging but that is about it for decorations. Oh well, better than nothing and we can walk around the park and enjoy everyone else’s decorations!

Sunday – December 17 – Today was overcast and it actually sprinkled a few time, a lady told John this morning that this is the first rain in 65 days, and the little bit we got wouldn’t do a lot of good. It was cool today but is supposed to warm up again by mid week.

We had a quiet day, I read and John worked on an article to send Derrick re his great, great grandfather’s service during WW1. Derrick is going to Vimy in April and has to do a project on someone who fought during the first world war.

Saturday – December 16 – We had a good drive to Casa Grande but lots of traffic through Tucson. We heard on the news the other night that as of June 2007 they are closing all the I-10 exits through Tucson while they widen the highway and this will take 4 YEARS!! It sounds crazy but apparently to do the construction without closing the interchanges would take 10 years so they decided to bite the bullet and do it the quick? way

We are at Val Vista Winter Resort and it is very nice, when we arrived we got a large package in a folder with all kinds of information, name tags which they request you wear when walking around or going to activities and a coupon for free coffee and donuts on Monday morning.

After we got set up we went into town and had lunch at Pizza Hut then toured around a bit. Casa Grande is a lot larger than we thought, and very spread out, but it seems like a nice place. Hopefully we will enjoy our two weeks here. The evening news says there is a cold storm blowing into the valley – just our luck as today was so beautiful, sunny and in the high 70’s and at 10:00 p.m. it is still in the 60’s!

And More Rock Formations 

China Boy 

More of the Rock Formations 

Looking Across to Meadows 

Rock Formations 

House at Faraway Ranch 

Cochise Stronghold 

Sunset at Cochise Terrace 

Friday – December 15 – Today was absolutely beautiful, sunny and warm. We decided to drive over to the Wilcox area as we didn’t do that when we were here in January. We took the Dragoon Road, then picked up a scenic route which circled around to Wilcox. We stopped at Cochise Stronghold where the Apache Indians, led by Cochise, fought the U.S. soldiers for over 20 years in the mid to late 1800’s. It is very rugged country and I sure wouldn’t want to be tracking through it fighting Indians!

We then went to Chiricahua National Monument, Land of Standing Up Rocks, which is a National Park and it was spectacular. First we stopped at Faraway Ranch where Swedish immigrants Neil and Emma Erickson settled in 1888. By the 1920’s their daughter Lillian and her husband Ed Riggs had turned the homestead into a guest ranch which ran from the 1920’s to 1973, at which time it was turned into a National Monument. Unfortunately, the house was closed today but I was able to peek into a few windows and it looked very nice and comfortable.

After visiting the house when we went to get back into the truck there were tons of bees swarming the truck so John got in and I walked around to the other end of the parking area to get picked up. Poor John, a couple got into the truck with him and one crawled up his pant leg and stung him - but he got it back and it won’t be stinging anyone else!!

From there we went to the Visitor’s Centre, then did an 8 mile drive to the top of the mountain, Massai Point, to see the rock formations – absolutely breathtaking. The rock formations are unbelievable, and so many different shapes, it is hard to believe that they continue to stand piled up on top of each other like they are. At Massai Point there is 360 degree view of Rhyolite Canyon, surrounding mountain peaks and adjacent valleys.

We then came back through Wilcox, which we weren’t impressed with, and picked up I-10 to Benson where stopped for fuel and some groceries. We came into Benson one way and went out another and lo and behold isn’t there now a Wal Mart Super Centre in Benson. It was a great day!

Thursday – December 14 – Well, on the road again! We had a good drive to Benson, not a lot of traffic and what there was was mainly trucks or RV’s. The weather here is much nicer than Benson, right now at 10:10 p.m. it is 57 and that was the high in Deming a couple of days!

After we got set up this afternoon we went for a walk and there is a motorhome here that was here in January but at that time we never saw anyone around. This afternoon they were sitting out so we chatted with them for a few minutes – they are from Port Elgin and are thinking of buying a house in Kincardine in the new seniors subdivision going in right behind Green Acres – small world!!

We are staying at a park called Cochise Terrace and it is really nice, large lots and where we are we have a beautiful view of the mountains, what more could we ask for. I turned on the furnace a while ago and it is still working so that is good, it isn’t supposed to be nearly as cold at night here as it was in Deming so it isn’t as important to have it working but it is always nice in the morning to warm the trailer up quickly.

Wednesday – December 13 – Today was a quiet day, we had to stick around for UPS to deliver the strut so I did laundry and cleaning. The part arrived about noon so John got it installed and now we are good to go tomorrow morning, not sad to leave here as it is too cold during the night!

Later this afternoon we went out for a bit, got fuel, etc. then came back. As soon as the sun goes down it gets really cold so hopefully we will get away from this tomorrow. At least the furnace is working again so we had some heat during the night last night, I was thankful as for some reason my electric blanket didn’t want to work. I fooled around with it a bit this morning and it then turned it on and after 2 hours it was still working fine so hopefully whatever was wrong is fixed and it will work tonight.

I had lots of e-mail today so was happy as I always like e-mails. I got an e-mail from Medipac in reply to the one I sent them yesterday and they are mailing out our refund, always good news to hear that you are going to get money back, it should have been mailed out a few weeks ago but apparently got overlooked!

Tuesday - December 12 – Today was another nice, sunny day but cool. During the night it went down to 24, our hose was frozen solid this morning so tonight it comes off as it is supposed to be about that again tonight.

Today we drove up to Silver City which is about 60 miles north of Deming. There isn’t a lot between here and there but when you get up around Silver City there are a number of small mining towns, all Phelps Dodge Mining towns. We were going to take a scenic loop around and back but when we got to Palo Alto and saw the signs that the next 18 miles were steep slopes, sharp curves and no lines on the road we decided to pass – chicken eh!

We had an e-mail from Andy about the furnace and John went out and did what he suggested and the furnace worked – wonderful. There is definitely a problem but as long as it keeps working until we can get it looked at that will be great. Hopefully it will work during the night and then we won’t have to worry about the plumbing freezing. We sure hope the strut comes tomorrow so we can head out of here on Thursday and hopefully Benson will be a bit warmer.

Monday – December 11 – Happy Anniversary Nan & Carl! Sorry I forgot to wish you a happy anniversary when I talked to you yesterday.

John called Andy this morning and guess what, he had never heard of this happening with the hitch – figures, we pave the way! Andy said we should stay put till it’s fixed, which we had figured, so John called Hensley and they are shipping out the part. The part costs $12.95 and shipping would be $22 for Wednesday delivery and $45 for Tuesday delivery so we opted for Wednesday.

John went out this morning and walked 3-4 miles looking for the missing strut but it wasn’t to be found, guess he got his exercise if nothing else!! After the phone calls etc. we went out and got fuel, went to the Post Office for stamps (that was a long line up) and mailed some Christmas cards then went to Wal-Mart. We both got our hair cut there then picked up some groceries, that was it for our exciting day.

Today at the post office a couple of women in front of me were talking and the one was saying that if you live outside the city limits of any town you can join the county library system. They mail you a brochure with a listing of books you can get, then you fill it out with the books you want to read and send it back. The books arrive by mail, no charge, in a canvas bag and when you are done you return them. There is a card with the persons mailing address on one side and the county library’s address on the other side and you just flip the card to return the books. Neat!

I forgot to mention that yesterday we crossed into Mountain Time so we are now 2 hours behind home, makes it a bit more difficult for calling mom as I have to watch when her meal times are.

I finally got the internet here so managed to update my blog and also get caught up on some e-mail. Still more to do but I have run out of steam for today.

Sunday – December 10 – Today was a gorgeous day, sunny skies and warm temperatures. We drove from Fort Stockton, Texas to Deming, NM. It was a nice drive, lots of desert but some beautiful mountains keep the scenery interesting. We were debating stopping in either El Paso or Las Cruces but neither of them inspired us enough to stop, so we kept going. Interstate 10 was quite quiet yesterday and today until where we hit the junction of I-20, then we picked up more traffic. Mostly truck traffic, but not too bad, we’ve been in worse.

Once we turned northwest towards El Paso there were all kinds of farming operations along the Rio Grande River valley, don’t know what they were growing but it looked like quite a prosperous farming area.

We arrived at the park in Deming where we are going to stay overnight and when we got out we saw that we had lost the struts on the Hensley, not good!! This will require a call to Can-Am tomorrow morning and we will probably have to stay here until we can get it fixed. The joys of RVing!!!

Saturday – December 9 – We left New Braunfels this morning as we are totally fed up with the wi-fi situation and we want to try to find someplace warmer. It was sunny for about the first hour then clouded over, the temperature never got past 49 until about 20 minutes west of Fort Stockton then it climbed up to 60 and got sunny again.

Boy, how different this part of Texas is, miles and miles of nothing, but the scenery is nice, lots of mesas to break the monotony and lots of hill climbing. We passed a couple of very large wind farms not far from Fort Stockton, there were 100’s of windmills, all of them going. We also saw lots of oil rigs drilling for oil, but little else. The towns are few and far between in this part of Texas. There were a number of dead deer along the side of the highway, even one with a real rack of antlers, and we also saw a small deer just grazing along the side of the highway.

We are staying at the Fort Stockton KOA, it is very reasonable -$20 for the night but no wi-fi. We did get logged on at one of the rest areas but it was very slow, I did manage to download my e-mail but that was all. Enjoyed your e-mail Pat. I don’t know when I will get a chance to post my blog again and I still haven’t had enough time to put up some pictures or to send any e-mails. Oh well, one of these days.

The KOA has the Road Runner restaurant and their specialty is ribs so we went over for dinner - $7.95 for ribs, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggie, coffee or iced tea and dessert. It was really good and you sure can’t beat the price!! They also have a good sounding breakfast special but we decided to try the dinner.

I talked to mom tonight but there was no answer at either of the girls so they must all be out for the evening, will try again tomorrow.

Friday – December 8 - Boy, another drop in temperature overnight. It was 34 when I got up this morning and the high reached 44 – we are not impressed!!

We drove up to Fredericksburg then Boerne (pronounced Burnee) and back to New Braunfels – a drive through the hill country. It was pretty but there was very little sun to brighten the day. We had lunch at Fredericksburg which is a pretty little town, much like Bayfield with all the exclusive shops, if you like antiques you would love it! We run into a couple of spots of sleet, fortunately the temperature was in the 40’s so the roads were fine but it was a bit depressing.

When we got back we stopped at a local motel and I downloaded a couple of days diary onto my blog as we still have no internet here, even though they have my money! I have tried to talk to the people who run this park but they also don’t return my calls. Since this is a Good Sam Park I will be contacting Good Sam when we again get internet and ask them to help me with this problem as I am really ticked with the whole business. We are leaving here tomorrow and heading west, hopefully into warmer weather.

Thursday – December 7 – Today was WINDY!! I did some laundry, we puttzed around but didn’t do anything too much. It was very overcast all day, not an exciting day.

Island on Riverwalk Where Approx. 200 Weddings/Year Take Place 

Vine Covered Bridge over River 

Riverwalk Theatre (Seats are on Other Side of the River) 

Riverwalk Tour Boat 

Christmas Tree in Front of Our Trailer 

Christmas Tree at River Walk 

Mission San Jose 

Dead Man'O War on Beach at Padre Island 

Wednesday – December 6 – We headed back into San Antonio again this morning, the weather was a bit overcast but warm, by mid day the sun was out and it was quite warm and nice.

We got the trolley tour and took it to the Market, then got off and wandered around for a while. We had lunch there which was very good but the stores were a disappointment – either very pricey or just junk – T-shirts, hats etc. The Yuma market is far better!!! We then went back and did a long walk along the river walk, it is very pretty and was quite quiet and peaceful. We were really glad that we had done the night cruise with the lights as it was much prettier than the daytime one would have been. We wanted to get out of San Antonio before the traffic got really bad so headed out about 3:30, as it was we hit a real slow down for about 3 miles but it turned out there was an accident on the frontage road and every one was stopping to gawk as as soon as we got past there it was normal again.

The roads here in large Texas cities are interesting – there is the main highway with controlled access then there are frontage roads on either side which are one way roads (I-35 is a north/south highway so the frontage roads are northbound on the east side and southbound on the west side of the interstate). This means that you have to know where you are going on the frontage roads (shopping, gas, restaurants etc.) or you will have to go to the next intersection, do a U-turn and come back. It’s really not bad as long as you know which side of the highway you want to be on!

Tuesday – December 5 – Today was a nice day and reasonably warm, not hot mind you but warm. We headed into San Antonio this morning, boy what a large busy city!

We parked at the River Centre Mall then found the Visitor’s Centre and got tickets for a trolley tour, we got the one where we could get off and on at any spot all day, plus it is good for a second day. We got off at the Mission San Jose which is the nicest of the 5 missions and has been restored more than the others. There was a film at the Visitor’s Centre at the mission which was quite interesting then we walked around the mission. We got back on the trolley and did the rest of the tour without getting off, now we know where we will get off and visit tomorrow. After that we had lunch then went to the Alamo which is right across the street from the Visitor’s Centre. We then went to the Imax Theatre at the River Centre and saw Alamo, the Price of Freedom.

By this time it was dark and that was when we wanted to do the River tour. It is a half hour tour and was absolutely beautiful with all the Christmas lights. The guide said it takes 2 months to put up the lights, and they are up from the day after Thanksgiving until New Year’s day, then it takes 3 months to take them down. Wow!! It was a beautiful tour and the lights are just stunning.

San Antonio is the 7^th largest city in the U.S., which we hadn’t realized, and man is it big and lots of traffic. We are glad we are staying outside of the city.

Still no internet so I can’t download my blog or pictures tonight, there is a Rest Area a few miles down the highway towards San Antonio so tomorrow I will take my computer and we can’t stop there and use the wi-fi.

Monday – December 4 – The duvet was nice and warm last night so that was good. It was in the low 30’s when we got up, I thought it was supposed to be warm down here!! I don’t care if it isn’t really hot, but warm would be nice.

John used his new ladder to get the roof of the trailer clean, he said it was totally black so he was happy to get that done. We went out shopping for a bit but nothing really exciting today.

Sunday – December 3 – Still no internet, am I ticked!! Today was cold and cloudy, John couldn’t get out and try out his new ladder to wash the trailer so you know it was cold when he doesn’t do that.

We did some cleaning and puttered around then went out this afternoon and bought a new duvet – sure hope it is warm as John wasn’t sure if it would be warm enough and I don’t want to hear that it isn’t. Not too exciting a day but we did enjoy talking to all the kids.

Saturday – December 2 – Today was overcast and cool, the high on the truck thermometer was 61 for a quick moment, but most of the time it was between 57 and 59. Actually, today was a good driving day with being overcast and cool. We drove to New Braunfels which is north of San Antonio and are staying at the Hill Country RV Resort, we have paid for a week and will see what happens from there. Both the lady at the office when I checked in and the man next door have said Sunday is a bad to go into San Antonio so we will wait till Monday to start exploring S.A.

Today after we got set up we went into New Braunfels to Camping World and Wal Mart to pick up a few things, John is finally happy – he got his 6’ ladder at Camping World so now should be able to reach the roof of the trailer to clean it. He can also wash the trailer here so guess what tomorrow will be unless it is pouring rain! Guess the ladder will be his Christmas present!

When we got to our camp site here there is a huge pole (like a Maypole) with rope lights coming off it and sure enough when we were coming back from shopping we could see this huge Christmas Tree of lights from many blocks away – guess what – it is the tree right outside of our door. Actually it is quite pretty, maybe it will get me in the Christmas spirit!!

I don’t know how many people have said to us what “a mighty purty rig that is!” We have to agree with them and tell them how much we like it. Today we got it from 2 people in this park, makes us happy that we have an Airstream!!

My big beef is that I have signed on for internet here (paid for it) and now can’t log on. We have sent them an e-mail but so far no response – GRRRR!!!!, so don’t know if I will be able to post my blog tonight.

We talked to Mike & Marg tonight and they are back at the park in Ruskin where they were last winter, guess Mike’s pool buddies were glad to see him back. I am sure they will enjoy the winter there and for sure this week their Florida weather is better than what we have. Oh well, as long as I don’t see snow or freezing rain I won’t complain.

Friday – December 1 – Today was sunny but much cooler, it didn’t get much above 60 but was nice in the sun. I did some laundry and John did some odd jobs. We have been getting quite fed up with the dinette table being unsteady so today John nailed it down so that is rock solid. I did laundry and a few other things, but mainly it was a quiet day. John went out and got propane and diesel so we are set to go tomorrow.

Thursday – November 30 – Wow, what a difference an hour makes – at 9:15 this morning it was sunny and 78 and by 10:00 it was totally overcast, extremely windy and 43 degrees!!! Sure don’t like this change, but on the other hand in looking at the weather channel they have snow in Dallas/Fort Worth so guess we should be thankful we don’t have that. Tonight it is to go down below freezing so guess we will pull the hose for the night. We were sure glad we did the National Seashore yesterday as we wouldn’t be doing it today.

We didn’t do a lot today, did some cleaning, reading, went to the Post Office and got some stamps, then Wal Mart and HEB for a couple of groceries. Tonight we went to Catfish Charlie’s for dinner - it was good, we had the combo with shrimp, catfish and oysters as well as a bowl of seafood gumbo.

Wednesday – November 29 – I was awakened this morning at 4:28 a.m., the people beside us were leaving and it was their diesel pusher firing up that woke me up. Then when they put it in reverse it made a lot of weird, loud, squealing noises – needless to say I WAS NOT IMPRESSED!!!

Today was another nice day and we enjoyed it as there is supposed to be a cold front come through tonight and be the end of the nice weather for a bit. We went out to the National Seashore today and went to the Visitor’s Centre, then went for a long walk along the beach. The water was still rough, we sure didn’t want to try it out for a swim but it was plenty warm for walking along the edge. We saw a lot of dead Portuguese Men of War washed up, that was enough to tell me that I really didn’t want swim there anyways!

The woman at the Visitor’s Centre was saying that the sea turtles here are Kemp’s Ridley, and here, at Padre National Seashore, when the mother lays her eggs they immediately gather them up and send them to a fish hatchery till they hatch. They then have a hatchling release, the turtles go into the ocean then they hope that they come back to lay their eggs. She said they lay their eggs around Easter, and it doesn’t matter when Easter is, that is when they lay their eggs. In 2004 there were 42 nests, 3,759 eggs and 3,298 hatchlings released. She also said that they have found that when the eggs are incubated, if they keep the heat up there are more female hatchlings than males. All in all, it was very interesting.

After that we went back to a couple of malls and I finally found a duvet cover and a couple of cushions, then returned a throw I had bought yesterday.

Tonight a couple from Perth came in beside us, we will have to ask them if they know the Millers.

Our Home In Corpus Christi 

Tuesday – November 28 – Another hot, sunny day. We didn’t do much this morning then this afternoon we decided to do some shopping.

I am trying to find a new duvet cover, you wouldn’t think it would be a big problem but I am having trouble finding much of a selection to choose from. I did find one I kind of liked but John didn’t like it so I decided to keep looking. We did manage to get a new battery for the cell phone, that was the major purchase of the day. Real exciting!!

USS Lexington - Aircraft Carrier at Corpus Christi 

Looking Down the Beach (It's Foggy!!) 

Bob Hall Pier on Padre Island 

Monday – November 27 – Happy Birthday to my sister Pat. Hope you had a good day!

I also enjoyed getting a nice long e-mail from Art, my brother in Australia.

Today was another nice day here, warm but cloudy most of the day. I spent a large part of the morning on the phone with Bell Canada – man do those people ever know how to pi—off a customer. The first person I talked to wouldn’t talk to me without my account number, I explained I was in a RV park in Corpus Christi, on a pay phone, but she wouldn’t give me the time of day (I wasn't about to waste my cell phone minutes trying to talk to them when I can call for free from a pay phone). Back to the trailer to get the account number then start over, this time the girl could care less about an account number!!! I still am not sure I have everything straightened out with them, time will tell. One thing we do know, we will do anything in our power to never have to deal with Bell Canada again!!

We decided to head out and see what Padre Island is all about – we drove over to the island then drove to Port Aransas and looped around back to Corpus Christi.

A blogger friend, Sandra and her husband Gordon are staying at Mustang State Park on the island, so we stopped by but they were out. It turns out we were in the same park in Lindsay in August but didn’t know it until after we left, don’t know if we are ever destined to actually meet.

When we got back to Corpus Christi we took Shoreline Drive and wow, were there some beautiful homes along there. We stopped at H.E.B. (a grocery store) and Wal Mart on the way back and by the time we got back the day was gone. It was still nice enough to sit out and enjoy a beer before starting dinner.

Sunday – November 26 – Today was another lovely day, hot and sunny. We decided to spend the day relaxing so I did some laundry and tidied up a bit then read. John finally got out his summer shirts and shorts and packed away his long sleeved shirts and warmer pants, sorted out some files etc. - not a real exciting day but it was nice just to take it easy.

We had the left over chicken from Thanksgiving so it was even an easy dinner, can’t ask for much more for a day.

There is a small trailer behind us with a small shed and the fellow has an easy chair, a colour TV and lots of junk in the shed. He seems to spend a lot of time out there watching TV, guess there is always a way to get away on your own even while living in an RV!

Saturday –November 25 – This morning was foggy again but it was clear by 10:00 so we weren’t so late getting on the road. As it turns out we weren’t too far out of Houston last night so it didn’t take long to get around the city, we were clear of it by 11. The traffic wasn’t too bad which was good and we arrived at the park in Corpus Christi about 3:30.

We are staying at a park called Colonial Del Rey for a week, the park is located on the mainland just before you cross over to Padre Island so tomorrow we will check out Padre Island. I talked to a fellow from Sudbury when I went for a walk this afternoon and he said the beaches on the island are really nice.

Nothing new, we are looking forward to just taking it easy for the next week and enjoying. Tonight is still in the 60’s, gotta love this weather!!

Friday – November 24 – We were late getting away this morning waiting for the fog to clear up, figures, the day we want to leave it is foggy! It was about 10:30 when we got away but the sun came out and it was a gorgeous day in the high 70’s. Hard to take!

We drove to New Caney which is just north of Houston. The first RV park we stopped at had one spot left, the fellow took John to look at it then they came back and John and I drove around to it – I said to John what about the tree at the back and he hadn’t even noticed it! The fellow at the park said to drive around and if we stayed we could come back and pay, otherwise we could wave on the way out so we waved on the way out! We went about 2 miles down the road and found the other park which is really nice and had an easy pull through so here we are for the night. After this I thought I should call the park we want to go to at Corpus Chrisit and book so did that after we got settled. Being so late getting started we drove until later this afternoon, so by the time we got set up it was pretty well dark. As long as we are off the road when it is still light we don’t care, but we sure don’t like driving after dark.

The traffic was good today, we are taking Highway 59 from Texarkana to Victoria where we turn off to Corpus and if it is as good tomorrow as it was today it will have turned out to be a good route. I asked Rick Bacon at Green Acres about it and he said it was a good route so we took his word for it and tried it, this way we avoid going through Dallas. Hopefully going through Houston on a Saturday won’t be a problem.

Thursday – November 23 – Happy Thanksgiving (or as they say on the radio Happy Turkey Day!). Today was another beautiful, sunny day up in the 70’s – sure do like this weather!

We decided to go to Cracker Barrel for brunch today to celebrate Thanksgiving but didn’t realize they start serving their Thanksgiving dinner so early – we got there about 11 and they were serving the turkey dinner then and the place was a zoo, we had to wait about 40 minutes for a table, but what the heck, we had nothing else to do. I suspect we were the only ones there having breakfast!! I have a small chicken which is now on roasting for dinner so we didn’t want a turkey dinner at noon.

We were surprised to see Wal Mart open so we stopped on our way back and got a few groceries then came back and enjoyed the nice weather. We also got diesel so that we are ready to go in the morning. John cleaned out the back of the truck when we got back and I read, he is now getting us hooked up so that will be one less thing to do in the morning. I have started a Greg Isles book so am looking forward to an evening or reading.

Wednesday – November 22 – Another beautiful warm day, sure do like this sun and warmth. Today was cleaning day, we now sparkle both inside and out. I also packed away my winter clothes and got out the capris, shorts and summer tops.

There is a RV repair place here so after we got set up on Monday we went over to see if they could look at the furnace, the fellow said they were really busy but to check in again yesterday afternoon. We did and they are just too busy to look at it, thankfully it is warm so we only need it in the morning and evening and between the heat pump, catalytic heater and electric heater we have plenty of heat. That is still on our list of things to do sometime but fortunately it is not a big problem now.

We have decided to stay here until Friday, then will head for Corpus Christi, which means doing Houston on Saturday rather than a week day. Looking at the weather forecast it looks pretty good for the next few days, and not as cold at night as it has been.

Tuesday – November 21 – What a gorgeous day it was, up in the high 60’s with a clear blue sunny sky – I love it!!

John went out this morning and got the oil changed on the truck and I did laundry – exciting eh! When he got back he washed the truck, which was badly needed, then this afternoon we back to Arkansas to get some wine and a few other things we missed yesterday. Not a real exciting day but nevertheless we enjoyed it. Tomorrow we plan to lay low as it will be crazy out there with last minute Thanksgiving shopping.

 
Small Fishing Lake in Park 

 
We're Set Up at Texarcana 

Monday – November 20 – Today was a gorgeous sunny day without a cloud in the sky – finally! It is still cool, but was up to 55 today so it is improving. We had a good drive to Texarcana and are at a really nice park, Shady Pines. It has all cement pads with full hookups and is only $18/night, no tax AND IT HAS INTERNET!!

Driving here we were in fall, the trees were changing colour and were pretty but not as bright as we have seen at home. After getting set up we went to Wal Mart and did a huge grocery shopping, boy were we low on stuff. Came back and John bbq’d hamburgers for dinner – yummy. Our new barbecue works really good, thanks kids for a great Christmas present (I know it isn’t Christmas yet but we do have to eat!).

Sunday – November 19 – Well, another mainly cloudy, cool day, it was about 44 most of the day with a very cold wind, but the sun did come out after we cleared Memphis and it was about 50 when we stopped and not so windy. We are at Hazen, Arkansas which is about 50 miles east of Little Rock. Again, lots of dead deer along the side of the road and a number of trucks passed us with deer in the back – successful hunters heading home! We were also surprised at the number of cotton fields that are just in the process of being picked – we had thought it would have all been picked by now. Lots of bales of cotton were still lying in the fields waiting to be taken to the cotton gin.

We picked up Interstate 40 at Memphis and boy did we pick up traffic, up till then it had been quite quiet and nice but 40 has been nothing but trucks, and lots of them! Interstate 40 runs from Wilmington, NC to Bakersfield, CA which is just east of Los Angeles so I guess it is a main route east to west. We were on it this past winter from Arizona to Oklahoma City and it sure wasn’t as busy as today. Hopefully when we pick up 30 south at Little Rock it won’t be so busy. The Arkansas interstates leave a lot to be desired – they have some good spots but lots of really rough parts.

We are planning on going to Texarcana tomorrow and staying there for a few days. The truck needs an oil change, we need groceries, need to do laundry etc. so are planning on staying there probably till Thursday, which is America’s turkey day. The day before (Wednesday) is a zoo on the roads so we are planning on staying put that day! I just checked on Map Point and it is just over 300 km from here to Texarcana.

We are really enjoying the Sirius satellite radio, it is so nice not to have to be looking for radio stations all the time and it is great to listen to the CBC and get some Canadian news. Still no internet – this is getting frustrating!!!

Saturday – November 18 – The sun was shining when we left the park but didn’t last, then came out for a while around Indianapolis. The traffic was good and we got to Whittington. IL. before we called it quits for the day. We counted at least 6 dead deer along the side of the road today, that was enough to tell us to get off the road before dark!

We got up this morning and the furnace wouldn’t come on – thankfully we have the heat pump, the catalytic heater and the little ceramic heater so are still nice and cozy, but will have to get the furnace looked at when we stop for a few days. The high today was 48, we’re still looking for sun and warmth.

Talked to Nan and Kel today and to my mom and Mike yesterday, I always feel better after talking to the kids and mom. We talked to Mike and Marg tonight – they are in Fort Lauderdale and enjoying it, they have nice warm weather so we are hoping to pick up the same soon. I still haven’t got the camera out, hopefully soon we will get somewhere where it is worth taking pictures. Still no internet – maybe tomorrow.

Friday – November 17 – Well, here we are on the road again. We got away from Can-Am about 10:30; a late start as when John was putting up one of the jacks it broke so we had to wait while they fixed it. We got everything done that we wanted so now we are looking forward to the winter on the road.

The weather was overcast and cold but at least there was no rain. The high on the car thermometer was 40 and it was quite windy so not real warm out. When we were going through Sarnia/Port Huron there was actually some blue sky and the sun was out for a bit, it didn’t last long but at least we got to see what it looks like! Customs was great - where do you live, where are you going, how long – have a nice day!

We are at the Auburn/Fort Wayne North KOA and there is no internet so this won’t be posted until we find a place with internet, hopefully tomorrow night. There was another couple at Can-Am the last 2 nights from Montreal and they are here at the KOA also, they are heading for Arizona/California but will take 40 across through Missouri, Oklahoma whereas we are heading for Texas so will go down to Memphis then west across to Little Rock then south to the Corpus Christie area.