Wrapping Up the Year in Mississippi

Finnie-Christmas

We hope you all had a very warm and happy Christmas holiday. Are you ready for the new year? I don't know about you, but the new year always puts me in "reboot" mode. There's just something about January 1 that makes me feel like, no matter what happened last year, I can start fresh and make another go of it. We have some fun things planned for 2019, but I'll save that for another post.

It's been a while since I shared our travel adventures, but I'll try not to make this post too long with details you probably don't care about.

When we left you last time, we were having trouble with our leveling system. We thought the problem was a worn out hydraulic motor. But when we arrived at Our Alfa Shop in Choudrant, Louisiana, and it's very able mechanic, Ronnie Wolfe, took a look at it, he told us the motor was just fine. The problem was that both of our starboard leveling jacks (that would be the passenger side) were falling apart. The good news was that replacing two jacks would be less costly than replacing the motor.  It took him two weekends to get that issue and the other things on our list done, but during the interim, we found a lovely campground a few miles away in Ruston, called Lincoln Parish Park.

Lincoln Parish Park

Ronnie Wolfe replacing our jack

The park was practically empty since December isn't really camping season in Louisiana, and so we snagged a beautiful site right by the pond, with full hookups, a gorgeous view, and a fire pit-- all for $20 a night. Ruston is right on I-20, and the campground is only about six miles north of town, making it a very convenient stop if you happen to need a campground at the end of the day near Ruston.

Then we were off to Lake, Mississippi, to see my sister, Doreen, for Christmas.

I always enjoy visits with Doreen and her family. Joy and her kids (who almost feel like my grandchildren--almost) were there, and they always keep things lively. We had them all out to the campground a couple times for a campfire and a cookout, but the rest of the time we spent at their house, enjoying their very kind hospitality.

Turkey Creek Water Park

When we first arrived, their church, Salem Baptist, graciously allowed us to stay in their parking lot until we were ready to go over to our campground at Turkey Creek. We had originally planned to park in the Stroud front yard, but with all the rain, it was just too soggy to hold up thirty thousand pounds of motorhome.

Turkey Creek Water Park is a campground on a reservoir just south of Decatur, Mississippi, and about a thirty minute drive from my sister's abode. It is a beautiful wooded campground with spacious sites, full hookups, and a fire pit--much like Lincoln Parish Park-- and very affordable. We were there nine days and have re-booked another week for our trip back through in March.

It was so nice to be with family at Christmas time. On Christmas Eve, they took us to Bass Pro, which offers free family photos with "Santa" that Joy does every year with her kids. After some of us picked up some last minute Christmas gifts, we went out to eat and then to a church in Forest for their candlelight service. Of course we had to stop on the way home and check out some Christmas light displays.

Micah & Hannah

Christmas morning I dragged myself out of bed early and we headed over to the Stroud house at about 8:30 in the morning for the traditional gift exchange. The kids read the Christmas story from Luke (Micah, age 6, is a phenomenal reader), and then Joy handed out the gifts. The ritual always starts out calm and orderly, with one gift at a time and everybody observing with anticipation what will soon be revealed under the wrapping paper. But almost before you realize it's happened, a sort of madness sets in-- Santa's "elves" sneak in to help with distribution, gifts pile up in laps, paper is flying, children are squealing with glee, toys are everywhere...and then it's over. Everyone has little piles of presents stacked up beside them, and we're all looking around wondering what just happened. It's the same every year everywhere no matter where we are.

Christmas morning with the Strouds

It truly is more blessed to give than to receive, but you can't deny that there's a good amount of blessing in receiving as well.

We have much to be thankful for, even in the midst of problems.

And speaking of problems...

As we were leaving Lake on our way to Florida, we began to lose power in the engine again. Usually, that means one of two things:  low water in the radiator, or a clogged fuel filter. So, after checking the water level and finding it was fine, Mark replaced the fuel filter (we've learned to keep an extra on hand). It seemed to solve the problem for ten minutes or so and then on came the light again. By that time, we were at the intersection of Interstate 59 and Highway 84, where we would be turning off and heading east. We pulled into a truck stop there, in Laurel, Mississippi, and called a mechanic.

The mechanic, whose name I never caught, came over with his computer, plugged into our electronic panel to translate the "check engine" code and determined that injector number five was bad. Then, as an added bonus, once he was inside the engine compartment, he discovered that we also had a cracked water reservoir. It is cracked so completely that it cannot be fixed. It will need to be replaced.

The injector was replaced today. The water reservoir has to be ordered and won't be here until Wednesday of next week-- January 2.

Sigh.

Daytona, Florida, will have to wait another week. For the next few days, we're still in Mississippi. We found a nice campground on Hwy 84, west of Laurel, called Big Creek Water Park. Apparently, every park in Mississippi that has a lake or reservoir is called a "Water Park." Anyway, it's quite nice. We have full hookups and fire pit. Maybe we'll have another opportunity to build a fire and spend the afternoon getting smoked. On Wednesday, we'll head back to the mechanic and finish our repairs--hopefully the last ones needed for a while.

I know God has us in His care. As I'm fond of saying, we are flying blind, but God's leading the way-- and He sees everything! We don't always know why things happen the way they do, but nothing happens in vain when one places their trust in God. So, that's what we're doing.

Have a safe, happy, and blessed New Year!

More pictures from December...

Lincoln Parish Park, from the walking path around the pond

"Our Alfa Shop" in Choudrant, Louisiana

Hooked up at Our Alfa Shop, waiting for repairs

A nice blazing fire at Lincoln Parish Park

Our traditional RV-sized Christmas tree

Hannah and Micah at Bass Pro

At Bass Pro, waiting for everybody (me) so we can go eat

Papaw (Carey) finished reading the Christmas story

Hannah and Micah (my grand niece & nephew)

Hannah

Doreen & Joy roasting marshmallows (and hotdogs)

Happy campers?

Perfect marshmallows...if you like charcoal

Micah with his marshmallow

At Big Creek waiting for repairs. If it ever stops
raining, we're hoping to grill some steaks and wave
goodbye to 2018 around a campfire.

Christmas In The Air

Well, the Christmas "season" is officially here. It's in the air, on the air, in every store, and on every street. Who doesn't love December? The entire month has turned into a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ... or Santa Claus-- I guess it depends on who you are.

Remember when people put their Christmas trees up on Christmas Eve and took them down the day after Christmas? Me neither. But I've heard that once upon a time it was so.

This past Saturday, we finally got out of our shell and went to town-- Dallas, to be precise. We arrived just in time to see the last few minutes of their Christmas parade. The city was decked out with Christmas trees and decorations, and an air of festivity prevailed everywhere.

After we enjoyed the end of the parade, we walked over to the Dallas Farmer's Market, which is a huge affair with a very large tent area and some permanent buildings. They were having a "Tamale Festival." The place was very crowded, otherwise we might have tasted the wares of several of the tamale vendors, as it was about lunchtime. But we did try two of them, and ended up buying a dozen frozen tamales to take home. We also found some excellent homemade pickles and bought three jars-- sweet, dill, and relish. The only actual produce we walked away with was a small bag of Texas red grapefruit, which I was somewhat disappointed to discover turned out not to be very sweet. Oh well, that sometimes happens when you purchase fruit untasted.

There were two things on our list of things to do on this excursion. One was the Farmer's Market; the other was the free trolley that runs in a loop from downtown to uptown and back. After we took our goodies back to the car, we sat for a while trying to figure out how to get onto the trolley, comparing "D-Link" bus routes and trolley routes and trying to determine where we were (in the parking lot) in relation to all the routes and stops. Finally, in frustration, we decided just to walk into town and look for a trolley stop marker (round brown signs marked with a big M). I said to Mark, "What we really wanted to do was explore downtown, right? Well, here we are downtown. Lets just walk around a bit. Eventually, we'll find a trolley stop." And so that's what we did. And eventually we found a trolley stop and boarded.

The trolley is a quaint old single electric train car, powered by an overhead wire line. We rode along for ten minutes or so when the car came to a halt behind its sister car at the end of the loop in Uptown, and we were instructed to disembark and load up into the car ahead. After Mark and I were comfortably seated, I looked over and saw a sign for an organic cafe called the Southpaw Grill. It looked interesting. "How about an early dinner?" I asked Mark, as it was about 2:30. And so we hopped off to eat. That short ride marked the end of our trolley excursion.

Lunch was disappointing. It may have been organic, but other than that, it was nothing more than a sandwich joint, which was not what I'd had in mind for dinner. Nevertheless, we ate and then decided to follow the trolley track and get on the next one that happened by. Our walk took us by a Whole Foods. "Why don't we go in and stroll around until the next trolley car comes by?" I suggested. One had just passed us and we didn't expect the next one for another twenty five minutes or so. When we came out of the store, what did we see but a traffic accident that had happened while we were shopping.

A block or so up the street the road was filled with emergency vehicles, lights flashing, and what looked like a motorcycle laying over in the road (which made us sad). But there would be no trolley until the road was cleared, and that could be a good half hour. Wait or walk? That was the decision to make. As tired as we were, we walked along the track route, stopping from time to time to rest and watch for the trolley that never came, until eventually it was time to head off toward the parking lot. It was just about sundown when we finally reached our car.

We'd trudged almost four and a half miles over the course of the day. But we can say in all truth that we've seen Dallas. It's a beautiful city. The downtown "D-Link" bus is free. The trolley is free. And there is also a guided trolley bus tour, also free, that we might have gone on had we known more about it prior to our visit. (Maybe next time.)

Today is our last day in Lake Tawakoni. We still have one bit of business to tend to before leaving Texas, which we will do tomorrow:  the mandatory Texas vehicle inspection for the RV. That's on the schedule for tomorrow. Then we head to "Our Alfa Shop," just east of Shreveport, Louisiana, where we'll be getting the coach "sealed" (to improve insulation and prevent exhaust fumes from getting in during transit). We'll also be making some decisions about the leveling jack system. More on that later. And there are some other minor items on Mark's list of things to get done.

After that, we're headed to Doreen's (my sister) for Christmas.

Until next time, happy Christmas season to one and all!

Not sure what's going on with these folks...a bit dark for
Christmas

Merry Star Wars Christmas

Rudolf has some competition

Comerica Bank tower, downtown Dallas

Downtown Dallas skyscrapers

Thanksgiving Square, downtown Dallas

Giving Thanks

Lake Tawakoni Campground

Three more weeks in Texas, this time in the northern part of the state near Dallas. It's another Thousand Trails park on Lake Tawakoni. We can see the lake from our windows. The park is old and spacious, full of deciduous trees losing all their leaves. We opted for a spot out in the open instead of on the lakefront under all the trees...for satellite reception of course, which everyone knows is a necessity of life. (How do people function without TV?!)

The park is so old that none of the sites have 50 amp power, and many have only water and electric (no sewer). Beauty comes at a cost. In this case, the cost is 20 amps. Fortunately, the weather is cool and we don't need the heavy-duty air conditioner. As a matter of fact, it's been unseasonably cold in Texas this fall. As I write, at almost noon, it's only 47 degrees, and the high temps are expected to be in the 50s and 60s for the next couple weeks...maybe until spring. But we're heading south again before then, so I don't care.

Yarn, threatening to take over the house...

We have a lot planned for early next year, but November and December have been quiet for us. We've been mostly sticking close to home. Mark's fixing things here and there around the house, and I'm crocheting baby blankets that I donate to pregnancy shelters. My good friend, JoAnn, recently helped me with this project by sending me yarn. I usually have three or four blanket projects in the works at any given time. Below are some samples. My hope is to encourage mothers to see the new life they are carrying as a tremendous gift from God...regardless the circumstances.

Keeping busy when you're retired takes a bit of an effort, I've found, and some planning. If we don't plan activities as soon as we arrive somewhere, we tend to do what we planned....nothing! One of the places Mark wants to visit while we're fairly near is Magnolia Farms in Waco. For the uninformed, it's the home base of Chip and Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper" fame. It's a long drive, but we'll make it a day trip in the car.

Other than that, we'll be taking a few shorter car rides to see the scenery, check out the nearby towns, do our grocery shopping, and so on.

We're feeling a little remote as we approach Thanksgiving, when being around family is traditional and important. And it may be tempting to get a little melancholy, but for the realization that we are tremendously blessed. After all, are living our dream. It's impossible, and frankly wrong, not to feel thankful for that! (In spite of the occasional nightmare.)

So, at this special time of the year that Americans set aside for gratitude, we give thanks to Him from whom all blessings flow. In honor of that, I've decided to go all out with a turkey dinner and pumpkin pie, solitude notwithstanding. And we'll be thanking God for all of you -- our friends and family -- and His abundant blessings as we chow down on Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving...and God bless all  y'all!

Home to Vote

As we were preparing to leave Fontana for Texas, Mark received news that his older brother, Merlin, whose health has been failing, had been taken to the hospital and was not expected to go home again. We visited Merlin and his wife, Maxine, at the end of June before leaving Minnesota. Being in his late eighties and suffering from emphysema, we knew that it could very well be our last opportunity. When Mark got the call, we cancelled all our stops and headed east as quickly as possible to get settled in our Texas campground so that he was available to fly back at a moment's notice.

Mountain View RV Park
Van Horn, Texas

Our original plan of a two-week trip to Texas turned into four very long days of driving. We discovered that Cracker Barrel restaurants have a corporate policy allowing RV parking overnight at any of their stores. Apparently you don't have to ask (as we were informed by the manager at one location). We made use of them at two of our stops. For the third, we found a wonderful RV Park, right off the freeway in Van Horn, with the most beautifully graded roads and level sites I've ever seen. On the fourth day, we arrived and set up in Lake Conroe RV Park, which is about forty miles north of the Houston airport and about forty miles west of Livingston (where we needed to vote). Merlin passed away that Saturday, and Mark flew back the following Wednesday for the funeral.

Lake Conroe

By November 3rd, Mark was home again, just in time to help me celebrate my birthday the next day. We went to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner. I've never had a meal at one of these restaurants where the steak was not cooked perfectly. I broke my gluten rule and had one of their delicious fresh baked bread rolls. Then after dinner, we stopped at a market for ice cream and a gluten free chocolate cake to take home for dessert.

Tuesday we drove into Livingston and cast our votes. Afterward we went to a movie** and then sat in front of the TV until midnight watching the House of Representatives fall into the toilet. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit melodramatic. But I was sincerely disappointed in how things turned out overall. The next morning, however, I was reminded of a truth we sometimes fail to consider. It was put best by one of our early presidents.

“Duty is ours, results are God’s.” --John Quincy Adams

Our job is to do our civic duty and cast our ballots for the candidates we believe fall most in line with biblical values. And so we did; and life goes on. In the end, God is sovereign and in complete control. His will be done.

We're here in Conroe, Texas, through the end of next week. The RV park is very close to just about every kind of shopping -- about ten or fifteen minutes away. The nearest grocery store, Kroger Marketplace, is about five minutes away (in the town of Willis) and has a pretty good selection of organic and gluten free items. I was even able to find my brand of mayonnaise made with coconut oil (surprisingly free of coconut taste). Lake Conroe will probably be our "go-to" park when we're in the Livingston area for other things, even though it's an hour's drive away, since it doesn't cost us any money.

We're planning to stay in Texas for a little over a month, partly because it helps validate our Texas residency to be able to say we've actually spent some time here. Last week we purchased the EZ Toll window sticker and set up an account to manage our time on the toll roads. The last time we were in Houston, we got trapped into an "EZ Toll only" toll road lane that we couldn't avoid, and we expected to get a big bill in the mail. It turns out they don't really fine you when that happens, but before we could open an online account for that license plate, we had to call and resolve the toll charge. When we did, we discovered that the previous owner had incurred some toll fees from 2017 that were still delinquent. We had to clear those up too before we could register the license plate. Fortunately, it was only a few dollars.

The weather is cool and rainy for a few days. Mark and I will be looking to see what we can do on the cheap in Conroe and North Houston, but this week we're mostly chilling.

Lake Conroe

**The movie we saw was "Gosnell." It is the true story of the 2010 arrest and trial of the abortion doctor in Chicago who was convicted of murdering full-term babies born alive. In spite of the subject matter, the movie was not gory, though it accurately depicted the horrifying conditions of the clinic where medical "procedures" were done for something like twenty years. (Actual crime scene photos were shown in the credits.) I had no idea that such places would be tolerated in America in the twenty-first century. One wonders how many other "legal" clinics like this still operate in this country, ignored and unregulated - performing illegal late-term abortions in filthy conditions. Regardless of your opinion on abortion, it's worth seeing...if for no other reason than to give substance to your opinion.

Last Week in Acton

Sophie is trying out Grandma's hat

I'm beginning to feel at home in Acton. It's a quiet little town nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains, a mile or two off Hwy 14 between the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita, CA. I discovered a very nice, well-stocked market only a mile from the RV park. And I can finally drive Soledad Canyon Road without slowing down the traffic six cars deep. In all fairness to me, the speed limit is 55, which means that 50 isn't excessively slow...but if you don't drive at least 60 and take the corners on two wheels, you are ticking off the locals and are expected to get out of the way or get used to vehicles passing you with regularity in the "no passing" zones. After three weeks, I'm finally starting to keep up.

The Soledad Canyon RV Park is not one of the finest Thousand Trails parks in their system, but it's not horrible. Like all their parks, it could use some sprucing up. The family swimming pool is awesome, but it's not heated, which makes it almost impossible to use..."unless you're a polar bear," one of the staff remarked. The adult pool is not kept nearly as clean as it should be, and the Jacuzzi was out of order the entire three weeks we were here. But as they say...location, location, location. And the location is perfect for our needs. If they do some basic maintenance, it could easily be one of their best parks. We'll be coming here every year and I hope to see improvement efforts from stay to stay. Time will tell.

Steve & Mark on Main Street, Disneyland

Anyway, our last week was fun-filled. We went to Disneyland with Steve on Wednesday. It was our first Disney visit since Steve and Alicia got married. We went with them the day after, which happened to be on my birthday. It's been eight years. Unfortunately, this time their sweet puppy dog, Nestle, was feeling sick and Al decided to stayed home so as to keep an eye on her. Nestle has some pretty serious doggy health problems and sometimes needs close monitoring. Fortunately, Steve and Al are annual pass-holders, so the biggest disappointment was not that Al missed Disneyland, but that we missed each other's company. We'll try again next time we come.

Nestle Knab

Disneyland was surprisingly packed for an off-season Wednesday. There were long lines for nearly every attraction we wanted to visit. Even still, I was able to see an attraction I haven't seen since my very first trip there, when I was the tender age of eighteen, "Storybook Land." Oh, what a magical ride that was--taking a slow boat through the giant mouth of a whale into a world of teeny tiny buildings and landscapes. (Yes, I made the guys ride this with me.)

Entrance to Storybook Land

What a difference forty-seven years makes. I think they sped up the boat! I was snapping pictures left and right trying to capture the "magic," and in the process, missed almost everything. If I could suggest an improvement to this attraction, it would be to slow down the boat by a factor of three...or maybe ten. Magic takes time to absorb.

"It's a Small World," on the other hand, should be sped up by the same factor. That ride drives me crazy. We didn't go on it, and I will never  go on it unless compelled by a force too strong to resist. Like a grandchild, for instance.

The only attraction that we wanted to ride (the guys, that is), and missed, was Space Mountain. The wait time was over an hour. I've been on that ride many times, and loved it, during the days when I didn't have to hold my neck stiff with both hands to keep my head from flying off. These days, the arthritis just won't tolerate all the whipping around of a fast roller coaster.

The Haunted Mansion

The park was all decorated up for Halloween, which I expect was the reason it was so packed.

While we were there, Steve introduced me to the latest craze in Disney merchandise:  Pins. Pin trading is a big thing apparently, and as one who is predisposed to collecting things-- buttons,  postage stamps, refrigerator magnets, ink pens...well, you get the idea... anyway, I was curiously drawn in by the concept of collecting Disney pins. Can you be too old to start something like that? Considering the regularity at which I visit a Disney establishment, I figure by the time I leave this world, I might have built up my collection into three, or maybe even four, pins. Just kidding, of course. I will no doubt buy more than one at a time.

Alicia's newest Disney pin

Steve and Al showed me their collections, which quite impressed me. Now I've managed to talk Mark into a trip to Disney World in February when we're in Florida.

So I can buy my first pin.

For my collection-to-be.

And maybe, eventually, I'll trade one.

On Saturday, Katie, Brent and Sophie came over for a last goodbye. We had dinner and sat outside visiting until the sun went down. We said our goodbye's to Alicia on Thursday. Steve came by on Saturday after work and joined us all for a short while before he had to go home and tend to Nestle.

Katie & Brent

In all, it was a very good week. I'm so blessed that Mark and I are able to live this unique lifestyle.  We would never be able to visit our friends and loved ones nearly as often if we lived in a house stuck in the ground. God has given us the desire of our hearts. What a good Father He is!

This week we've been  at the Alfateer's repair shop in Fontana, California. We came in initially to have our back cap re-attached. After they repaired the damage from our accident last year, something happened that caused the cap to shift, which we discovered when the bedroom ceiling leaked after a rainstorm. When they inspected it yesterday, they determined that whatever caused it to shift was not the result of their workmanship (they had before & after pictures). Bottom line: If we wanted it re-attached, we'd have to pay for it. We opted not to. The emergency repair that was done after the leak was well-sealed and holding, and there was no good reason to mess with it.

The other problem we've been having over the past month or so is deploying the leveling jacks. So we asked them to inspect those while we were here. The good news is the jacks are fine. The bad news is the hydraulic pump for the jacks is weak and not doing its job. We gave them the go-ahead to replace it, but when they tried to order a new pump from the manufacturer, it would be weeks to get one in. Weeks we don't have. The new plan is to have this work done in Shreveport on our way to Florida. There is a worthy repairman in that town that services the Alfas and will be able to take care of us in December. We're trusting God to keep our leveling jacks working until then.

Tomorrow we head east again on our way to Texas, where we will be doing our civic duty and voting. Get out and VOTE! And may God have mercy on this great land we call home.

The So Cal Family Visit

Soledad Canyon RV Park, Acton CA

Our time in Southern California is winding up. It seems like we just got here, and already we're half-way into our last week.

We were able to get three weeks this year at the Soledad Canyon Thousand Trails RV Park, thanks to our recent purchase of the "Elite" plan. Like every RV park, this one has its pros and cons. The biggest pro is the proximity to our kids, being about half way between Steve and Katie. It's quiet and spacious, but 50 amp sites are hard to come by. We ended up in a 30 amp site, but we're borrowing power from the empty spot next to us, which makes everything work as it should. Last year one of our issues was that we couldn't get a phone signal or internet. One section of the park is on a kind of ridge, and we were able to find a spot there this year, where we can get both phone and internet service through our hot spot.

Even though the kids all work, we've been able to share our time between them pretty evenly because they have different weekends. Katie and Brent have the traditional weekend, whereas Steve and Alicia are off on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Most of our time has been spent just hanging out and catching up on family news.

Petting zoo adventure

Last Saturday, we went with Katie and her family to the Tehachapi Apple Festival. Sophie was excited to get outside and experience the petting zoo. We had fabulous BBQ for lunch at the "Red House BBQ" and bought pastries at one of the local bakeries, something I always regret later.

Sophie is gradually warming up to us. It seems like she's finally getting used to Grandma and Grandpa just in time for us to leave again. But I know that will change as she gets older and remembers who we are from one visit to the next.

Vasquez Rocks

On one of our family "off" days, Mark and I took a drive over to Vasquez Rocks County Park. This place is famous for its use as a movie backdrop--mostly westerns and sci-fi flicks. You'll likely recognize this famous picture from some movie or another. The park is fairly small , but has some nice hiking trails and is worth visiting if you're in the area.

We're still hunting Jerry. Mark secured all our HVAC vents with copper mesh last week and we put out a couple more traps, but no sign of the wily critter so far. In the process we discovered another significantly large opening underneath the cabinetry below the sink where a mouse could easily hide. Mark and Sophie checked it out with his phone camera and didn't see anything, but it's certainly a good potential hideout for a clever mouse and we're going to have to figure out how to block it up.

I also got a new faucet last week on my bathroom sink. The old one was, in a word, shot. Mark had to buy some parts to adapt the new unit to our unique plumbing configuration, but the end result was beautiful...and the sink no longer sings to us in the night.

Out with the old...in with the new